Chapter 453: Peace Talks Again
It was not only the United States' entry into the war that defeated the Allies, but also the subsequent Battle of Mosinis.
This was one of the plans of the Nivel Offensive, with the British Expeditionary Force as the main force, opening a breakthrough in the German defense line in the direction of Flanders.
The attack direction of the British Expeditionary Force was Ypres in Flanders, and at the southernmost end of Ypres was a piece of highland surrounding Ypres, with a small town named Mosinis nearby.
The small town of Mosinis is a prominent front line of the German army's position. As long as this town can be captured, it will occupy extremely favorable terrain for the Allied Powers' subsequent spring offensive.
The Germans deployed two infantry divisions with more than 30,000 troops here. They had no doubts about the stability of their defense lines.
What the entire Allies did not expect was that the British Expeditionary Force and a small number of Australasian troops captured the small town of Mosinis in just a few hours. The time from the attack to the end caught the Germans off guard.
The person in charge of the battle was the British General Plummer. General Plummer had a good reputation throughout the British Expeditionary Force because of his thoughtfulness, prudence and reliability.
Since 1916, General Plummer had arranged for soldiers to lay mines in front of the German trench lines, and now they finally came into use.
With full use of artillery, tanks and aircraft, General Plummer not only quickly occupied the town of Mosinis, but also repelled the German counterattacks many times in a row.
After successfully occupying Mosinis, the British and French forces immediately decided to launch the Battle of Ypres to capture the entire Belgian region.
Of course, because the main force of the French army is still carrying out the spring offensive, the participants in the Battle of Ypres are still the British Expeditionary Force.
On June 17, 1917, the Battle of Ypres was officially launched. The British Expeditionary Force dispatched the Fifth Army and the Second Army, and was assisted by the French First Army to launch a comprehensive attack on the German troops in the Ypres area.
The British mobilized up to 3,000 artillery pieces for ten days of bombardment, and ten days later, on June 27, they launched a general offensive on an 18-kilometer front.
The British Expeditionary Force faced the German Fourth Army, commanded by General Heikst von Amni.
Although the ten-day bombardment seemed terrifying in scale, it also gave the German troops on the front enough time to prepare.
Most of the British troops were intercepted by German troops on the way to the attack, and the British troops in the main attack direction also gained little.
Due to the heroic resistance of the Germans, the battle turned into a war of attrition, causing more than 70,000 casualties in just three days.
Coupled with the heavy rain, the battlefield has turned into a blood-red swamp, which also delayed the British Expeditionary Force's attack in disguise.
In order to prevent the army from being blocked in the Ypres area, Commander-in-Chief Haig of the British Expeditionary Force made a prompt decision and decided to hand over the command of the Battle of Ypres to Prumo, Commander-in-Chief of the Second Army, who had previously defeated Mosinius. The general of the battle.
After Plummer took over the frontline army, he abandoned Haig's previous plan for a decisive breakthrough and decided to find another way to reduce the scale of the attack. He no longer pursued a comprehensive breakthrough of the German defense line, but instead attacked some small targets one by one, gradually eroding the enemy's vitality.
This also turned the so-called winning war launched by Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force Haig into a war of attrition in the true sense. Hagrid had no choice but to let Plummer act according to his plan.
From mid-June to mid-July, the British Expeditionary Force fought a long war with the German army in the southeastern battlefield.
Plummer used his talents to launch a large number of small-scale attacks to eat away at most of the positions held by the Germans in the previous two years, and successfully pushed the British front line forward eight kilometers in the Ypres area.
But whether it was the British Expeditionary Force or the German army, both sides suffered heavy casualties. The British casualties in more than a month were as high as 300,000, and the German casualties were not much less, as high as 260,000.
The British achieved considerable results in Belgium, but the main battlefields of the spring offensive, which the French were responsible for, did not make much progress.
Although the French invested a large number of troops here, they faced comprehensive resistance from the main German forces. Even the French were unable to advance the front line at all.
Although the Germans' situation has entered a state of defeat, no one can deny that the Germans' counterattack is terrible.
Even though the French suffered nearly 20,000 casualties every day on the front line, the Germans still did not take a step back.
It also led to the spring offensive, which French Commander-in-Chief Nivel had high hopes for. The results on the flank battlefield were good, but there was no progress on the front battlefield.
Such a disparity in the results made some French people who had high hopes for General Nivelle unable to sit still.
The French originally thought that the appointment of General Nivelle would enable the French army to avenge its previous humiliation, and even directly promote the victory of the war.
But unexpectedly, the French army still suffered a lot of casualties, but without any results, and the blood of the soldiers was shed in vain.
France has always had a revolutionary tradition. A large number of factories and streets have started strikes and demonstrations, and the government is likely to overthrow the government without giving an explanation.
The French government has no good solution for these irritable French people. After all, these people really dare to overthrow the government.
If the French government does not have a good explanation, the French people will definitely let all government officials have a taste of being hung from the street lights.
The French government had no choice but to urge the army to achieve results as soon as possible, and at the same time asked the Americans to join the war as soon as possible.
Unlike the somewhat miserable situation of the French, there is still peace in Australasia.
The people do not have much long-term vision for national interests. They can only see that because of the joining of the United States, the collapse of the Allies is only a matter of time.
Therefore, the people of Australasia are already looking forward to life after the war, and to the moment when Australasia will carve up the interests of the Allies and truly grow into a powerful power.
It was precisely because of the trouble of the United States joining the war that the Australasian army accelerated its attack on the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Because all the main forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire went to resist the Italians, the Australasian Expeditionary Force launched a full-scale attack on the Klagenfurt and Graz areas, and after more than half a month of heavy bombing, they successfully captured the area in early July. Klagenfurt.
The fall of Klagenfurt shocked the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The distance from Klagenfurt to Vienna northward is only more than 200 kilometers. Apart from Graz, there are no military defenses along the way.
This also means that without any countermeasures, the fall of Vienna is already a matter of time.
Although the main forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are in Innsbruck and Trento, they can return to Klagenfurt at any time.
However, if the main Italian army has not yet been defeated, if it rushes back to support Klagenfurt, it is very likely that it will be surrounded by the Australasian army and the Italian army.
As a result, the situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will become even worse. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had lost any resistance to resistance, could only be at the mercy of the Allies.
There is also bad news for Austria-Hungary, that is, the situation in Transylvania is not very good either.
Not only is Transylvania facing Romania's attack, but the northern Galicia region is also eyeing Russia.
When the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in trouble, the Russians finally couldn't bear it anymore and dispatched an army group to invade Galicia, trying to regain the face of their previous defeat in Galicia.
This resulted in the Austro-Hungarian Empire currently facing attacks from three sides, and the main attacking forces in the three directions were one of the great powers.
Even the Austro-Hungarian Empire in its heyday may not be able to withstand the siege of the three powerful countries. Not to mention the fact that the monarch has changed and the army has suffered a major defeat.
The news of the Russian attack shocked the Hungarian government and turned the entire Hungarian government into a staunch peacemaker.
The Royal Hungarian Government even declared that if the Imperial Government was unwilling to make peace with the Allied Powers, then the Royal Hungarian Government would sign a separate peace treaty with the Allied Powers.
If it were during the reign of the old emperor Franz I, such words would be considered treasonous, and the government of the Kingdom of Hungary would not have the guts to say such things.
But it's different now. If Galicia is lost, Hungary will be attacked by Russia next.
This allowed a large number of farmers and capitalists in the Kingdom of Hungary to unite. In order to protect their own interests, the imperial government did nothing.
The important thing is that the main force of the imperial government is currently on the front line with Italy. Every part of the empire is being attacked by the Allied Powers. The prestige of the imperial government has been greatly damaged and it cannot suppress a powerful country like Hungary.
Hungarians have always been dissatisfied with the imperial government's exploitation of themselves. If it is not handled well, Hungarian independence is not impossible.
The Hungarian government's public statement made the domestic chaos in the Austro-Hungarian Empire more serious and made Emperor Karl I more determined in his sovereignty and intentions.
There is no way, if we continue to support the war, Hungary's separation from the imperial government is inevitable. At that time, Karl I, who has low prestige, may even be pushed out by the imperial government as a scapegoat, forcing the government and the army to take the blame for the defeat of the war.
The words of the Royal Hungarian Government were not only circulated within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but also learned by the Allied Powers.
For the Allies, this was a good opportunity to get Austria-Hungary out of the war. Of course, it doesn't matter if Austria-Hungary insists on not withdrawing from the war. I believe that the Kingdom of Hungary will be more willing to cooperate with the Allies.
As long as the Austro-Hungarian Empire was unwilling to see Hungary become independent, it had to agree to the Allies' demands.
Otherwise, the Hungarian government with the support of the Allied Powers would not necessarily be weaker than the current Austro-Hungarian Empire.
For Russia and Italy, which have huge interests in the Balkans, they are also willing to see the Austro-Hungarian Empire fall into civil strife, or even be directly divided into small countries.
Of course, there are those who want to see the Austro-Hungarian Empire fall apart, and naturally there are those who want the Austro-Hungarian Empire to remain a unified country.
Britain, which has conflicts of interest with Russia, naturally does not want Russia to unify the entire Balkan Peninsula. If the Austro-Hungarian Empire existed, it would still be a threat to Russia in the Balkans and could prevent Russian expansion in the Balkans.
But in any case, this is a serious crisis for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If it is not handled well, it is not impossible for this multi-ethnic and multi-regional country to fall apart.
Almost at the same time, the diplomatic departments of all the Allied countries had a unified mission, which was to get in touch with the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the government of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Germany is also urgently contacting its allies. They do not want to see their only current ally withdraw from the battlefield, because that will mean that Germany will no longer have any chance of winning.
If the Austro-Hungarian Empire existed, it could at least hold back more than 1 million Allied troops for Germany.
But if Austria-Hungary withdraws from the war, Germany will face siege by all the Allied Powers. The current total number of troops of the Allied Powers is more than 10 million, and with the addition of the United States, the total number of troops is still growing.
Such a number of troops can never be matched by the Germans. Even a war of attrition is enough to make the Germans bleed dry.
On July 17, 1917, the Austro-Hungarian government once again held talks with the Allies.
What is obviously different from the last meeting is that this time the Allies have the absolute initiative, and the faces of the Austro-Hungarian officials are very gloomy, because this meeting is destined to be a benefit distribution meeting.
Perhaps because the spring offensive made no progress, the French also hoped to promote Austria-Hungary to withdraw from the war and allow all allies to concentrate on attacking Germany to relieve their own pressure and reduce their own casualties.
Therefore, from the beginning of the peace talks, France and Russia were aggressive towards the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and they seemed to support the independence of the Kingdom of Hungary if the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not agree to the peace talks.
However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had no way to deal with such an attitude, because it was true that the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian government were at odds, and it was also true that the Hungarian government wanted independence.
This is equivalent to the Allied Powers knowing all the trump cards of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, even the underpants, and can only be at the mercy of the Allied Powers.
Of course, willingness to negotiate is only the basis. What the Allies value more is the land and various huge interests of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire could not allow the Allies to divide its land, and a quarrel like bargaining in a vegetable market began.
Although they were at a disadvantage, the diplomats of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would not give in at all. They fought hard for any interests related to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, showing the courage that diplomats should have.
But this did not prevent the Austro-Hungarian Empire from withdrawing from the war and the Austro-Hungarian Empire's lands and interests being divided up by the Allied Powers.
The United States should be the least willing to see Austria-Hungary withdraw from this war at this time, because this means that the United States will hardly get any benefits. After all, the United States did not contribute any part in the war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
But those who were most willing to see Austria-Hungary withdraw from the war were France and Russia, the two major powers that supported the United States' entry into the Entente.
On the first day of the talks, various countries made outrageous demands. For example, Russia asked for Galicia and Slovakia, Italy asked for the Austrian region from Innsbruck to Trieste, Serbia asked for Bosnia, and the United Kingdom asked for Dalmatia. Romania claims the Transylvania region and so on.
As a result, only Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary were left in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and half of Austria was divided.
It was naturally impossible for Austria-Hungary to accept such a request, and Britain was unwilling to see Russia annexing such a large territory.
As for the demands of Serbia and Romania, their demands may be met, but definitely not now.
The requirements of small countries like this are basically the last to be met, or even directly ignored.
On the premise of not violating the interests of the major powers, and at the same time, all major powers must nod, so that these countries can realize their own requirements.
Otherwise, their demands will not be taken seriously by anyone unless they are powerful enough to be taken seriously by the great powers.
But it is obvious that even the current United States is not taken seriously by the major powers of the Allied Powers, let alone the Balkan countries that have already eaten meat in Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.
Australasia has no interest in the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Arthur is very eager for the major factories, skilled workers, technology, etc. in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
As the country that contributed most to the attack on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is good news that Australasia does not participate in the distribution of territory. All countries are also willing to let Australasia take the lead in selecting factory technology and workers in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Although the strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was only a middle power before the war, the industrial level of the Austro-Hungarian Empire far exceeded that of lower powers like Italy, and major industrial industries blossomed everywhere.
In particular, the industries in the Czech Republic and Austria are among the best in Europe.
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, there are not only sufficient mineral resources, but also coal, which is very suitable for industrial development.
Historically, Czechoslovakia, which was born after World War I, was coveted by Germany precisely because of its strong industry.
If we can absorb part of the industrial strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it will not only greatly enhance the industrial level of Australasia, but also narrow the strength gap with the established industrial powers.
Anyway, the way countries absorbed German industry after World War I was through relocation and snatching.
In history, a large number of German factory machinery was dismantled and reassembled to the Allied countries. If they could not be taken away, they were directly destroyed to avoid the rapid rise of Germany after the war because of these industrial equipment.
An early withdrawal from the war is also what the Austro-Hungarian Empire hopes for. In addition to alleviating the increasingly serious independence crisis in Hungary, retaining its existing military strength is also what the Austro-Hungarian Empire hopes for.
At present, the Austro-Hungarian Empire still has more than 1 million combat troops. This is also the guarantee that the Austro-Hungarian Empire can maintain its independence and unity after the war.
With more than 1 million troops, no matter how happy the Hungarian government is, they still dare not openly launch an independent rebellion.
At all times, the country's military strength comes first. A country will be valued by others because of its military strength, but it will never be valued by others because of its previous prestige.
If the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost most of its military strength in the war, even if most of the area was saved in this peace negotiation, it would definitely be slowly cannibalized and divided by other countries later on.
Since the 19th century, the international community has always respected strength. The strong make the rules, and the weak are divided by the rules.
Even if Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire seemed to be closely related, as long as the Austro-Hungarian Empire was too weak, it would inevitably end up being divided or even annexed by Germany.
The interests between countries are above all else, and the relationship between countries is determined by strength.
While the peace talks were ongoing, the war in the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not stop. This was also where the Austro-Hungarian Empire felt anxious.
Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire used the excuse that peace talks had begun to request the Allies to temporarily stop the war in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they were all rejected by the Allies.
The Allies are not stupid either. It is precisely because of the current war that the Allies have taken the initiative. Without obtaining an offer that satisfies themselves, it is impossible for the Allies to take the initiative to stop this war.
In order to promote the conclusion of peace talks as soon as possible, meetings were also held within the Allied Powers, and certain adjustments were made to the requirements of each country.
The first is Russia, which has a huge appetite. In any case, it is impossible for Galicia and Slovakia to be annexed by Russia at the same time.
These two areas not only represent a large amount of land area and population, but are also rich in mineral resources and have very developed industries.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had lost Galicia and Slovakia, would no longer have the strength to fight against Russia. This was something the British Empire did not want to see.
After some bickering, Russia changed its target to Galicia and parts of Poland occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including Krakow.
This is acceptable to the British. After all, the Austro-Hungarian Empire still retains industrial areas such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria. Although the losses are heavy, they are not without the power to fight.
The entire Transylvania area claimed by Romania would naturally not be allowed by the great powers.
Eventually, Romania was changed to a land 20 kilometers west of the border, which was just a small protruding corner of the Transylvanian region.
Serbia's demand for Bosnia was allowed by the Allies, but the Croatian region remained under Austro-Hungarian rule.
In addition to this is Italy. The Innsbruck to Trento region and the Istria region requested by the Italians have also been reduced to the Trento region and Istria region.
In addition, Dalmatia was a British-French condominium, and the Austro-Hungarian navy was divided among the Allies.
In addition to these land demands, Austria-Hungary also had to pay £15 billion to the Allies as war compensation.
Among them, the Allied Powers spent 8 billion pounds on the war, 3.5 billion pounds on pensions for casualties, 2.5 billion pounds on losses caused by the war, and 1 billion pounds on withdrawal compensation.
This 15 billion pounds will be repaid in 50 years, of which 200 million pounds will be paid in the first year and must be repaid immediately.
The remaining 14.8 billion pounds will be divided into 50 years, and 296 million pounds will be repaid each year until 1968.
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