Chapter 109 The Czech Rebellion (4)
"The fucking bastards!"
At this moment, no one in the world was afraid to be more depressed than Czech President Eduard Benes.
More than depressed, he was simply furious to the extreme!
Czechoslovakia and France had concluded a black and white treaty to prevent Germany from starting a war!
Now, no sooner had Germany threatened war than France shamelessly demanded that the Czech government utilize the principle of national self-determination to solve the Sudetenland problem!
That's a nice thing to say! "Utilize the principle of self-determination"? Who doesn't know that the majority of Sudetenlanders are Germans, and if they were to be given self-determination and a public vote, they would of course choose to join Germany!
What a shamelessness! Why don't you just make it clear that you want us to give up the Sudetenland?
No head of state would stand by and see his country divided! Let alone Edouard Benes, who has devoted his life's work to his country.
In the First World War Benes organized with others a Czech nationalist independence movement. From 1915 he supported the Czech and Slovak independence movement from Paris together with Tomas Masaryk and the Slovak Milan Štefánik, etc. In 1916 he helped to organize the "Czechoslovak National Assembly" and became its General Secretary.
In early 1917 Benes joined with others to create an army of Czechs and Slovaks, the Czechoslovak Legion, and in 1918 France recognized the Czechoslovak National Council as the sole representative of the planned Czechoslovak Republic and had a say in the negotiations for the Treaty of Versailles.
Because of his role in the struggle for independence, he is known as one of the three founding fathers of Czechoslovakia, along with Tomas Masaryk and Milan Štefánik.
How could such a man have succumbed to German domination!
In his anger Benes immediately declared a general mobilization against the German military threat.
Come on, even without France, Czechoslovakia is by no means a soft touch!
Unfortunately, Benes, who was overwhelmed by anger, forgot that in the past they were able to get the Sudetenland because of the help of Britain and France, and now that Britain and France stepped in and asked them to cede the Sudetenland, how could they possibly hold on to it.
Berlin Palace.
In the conference room, Wilhelm looked at the reply from the Czech side that he had just gotten and smiled slightly. "Your Excellency the Prime Minister, this is the attitude of the Czech government. It seems like they don't put your country and France in their eyes."
Chamberlain's face was a bit embarrassed, he originally thought that France could convince the Czech government to obediently cede the Sudetenland region, but he didn't expect the Czech president to be such a hardass. "Then what is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince going to do?"
Wilhelm shrugged his shoulders in a helpless tone. "Said words spilled water, since they want to fight, and even entered general mobilization, then we have no choice but to fight them for that. At the moment, the only troops we can continue to mobilize are the defense forces on the eastern front. Tsk, now we can only pray that the polar bear in the east won't take advantage of the situation, after all, they suffered a considerable loss in Spain, and may be rubbing their fists in preparation for retaliation."
The corner of Chamberlain's mouth twitched slightly, he didn't think that Germany could even give up its eastern line of defense in order to deal with Czechoslovakia. In case it was really as he said, when the beast from the east took advantage of the situation and attacked in force, then Europe shall not have red flags all over the place. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, it may be that the Czech government didn't understand France's meaning thoroughly, in that case, I'll send them a telegram."
"That would be best, I am obliged to His Excellency the Prime Minister."
After reading this harshly spoken telegram sent by Prime Minister Chamberlain, Benes directly slammed it to the ground and stomped on it a few times.
"Mr. President, it seems that the situation will turn against us if we don't make a compromise." The Vice President spoke up and advised. "Now that Britain and France mean for us to cede a part of the Sudetenland to be returned to Germany, I'm afraid that it will be difficult to preserve all the territories if we lose the help of Britain and France."
"These treacherous bastards!!!" Benes still couldn't get over it and couldn't help but spit. Thinking back to when World War I had just ended, France wanted to dismember Germany, while Britain wanted Germany to turn into a docile sheep.
And now? Both countries were actually speaking for Germany, even going so far as to threaten their erstwhile allies, how outrageous!
However, he knew he could only compromise and gritted his teeth in hatred. "Since they want part of the land, we'll give 700, no, 500 square kilometers. And then deport all the Germanic people who remain in Czechoslovakia." In his attitude toward these people, Benes had never changed; it was to drive them out!
*
The next morning the crowd gathered again in the conference room.
This time there were French Prime Minister Camille Chauderlot and Italian party leader Benito Mussolini. But Mussolini was obviously here to play sauce, sitting there with his head held high listening to the three leaders of the country where bargaining. Wilhelm's first reaction to seeing Mussolini was that this guy was too arrogant. To know that he is now taller than one meter eight, and Mussolini height of only a little more than one meter six, but that's how Mussolini hate to use the nostrils to see people.
If he is a little shorter, I'm afraid he can only look up to Mussolini's chin. The heart can not help but spit you so high at all times head is not too tired?
"Ha ha ha!" After reading the response from the Czech government that Ribbentrop brought over, Wilhelm suddenly let out a burst of laughter. "Your Excellency Chamberlain, do you know what the area of the Sudetenland is?"
How Chamberlain looked at Wilhelm's laugh did not look like a happy laugh, and an uneasy premonition rose in his heart. "I remember it's about 10,000 square kilometers. How much land is the Czech government going to cede?"
"Hmph." Wilhelm heaved a cold snort and handed the document in his hand to Chamberlain. "They did agree to cede the land, but they only ceded 500 square kilometers, one twentieth! How generous! They are sending out beggars. Since they can be shameless to such an extent, then I will not be polite. Mr. Prime Minister, from now on our demands have changed. Not only the Sudetenland, but all parts of Czechoslovakia where our Germanic compatriots are located, must be dealt with according to the principle of national self-determination! If the Czech government does not agree, it is war!"
Within the Czech Republic, besides the Sudetenland, there were other regions that also had a Germanic majority.
Listening to Wilhelm's icy words, Chamberlain's heart stuttered.
Originally, he said that he wanted the Sudetenland region, but now he actually became even more shameless!
This new offer once again made Chamberlain's head spin.
Wilhelm looked at Chamberlain's constipation-like expression and felt immensely pleased.
Appeasement, appeasement is good! In order to keep the peace, one has to feed Germany's appetite! And now, with Chamberlain's mediation, Germany's demands, just get bigger and bigger!
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you must understand that if Germany dares to invade the Sudetenland, we in France will not stand idly by." Camille Chautemps was somewhat dissatisfied with Wilhelm's aggressive attitude and couldn't help but speak out.
Since Germany entered the Rhineland a few years ago the reputation of the French government could be said to be in tatters. Although France didn't want to go to war, it was necessary to show France's determination and strength on the Sudetenland issue this time, at least on the surface.
Wilhelm secretly skimmed his lips, if not to wait until the annexation of the Czech Republic's huge military industry, Germany can now kick you a Gallic chicken on the ground. "Of course, that is your country's obligation. But you may have to bear the guilt of history yet."
Camille Chautemps was speechless, now you are the one who aggressively want to start a war, why should I bear the historical guilt?
"Mr. Prime Minister, if you don't have amnesia, you should remember that for hundreds of years before the last war, the Sudetenland was under the rule of Austria and later Austria-Hungary in Bohemia and Moravia. The Germanic people, who had been living there for generations.
After the Great War, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dismembered, and we won't go into details about why the Sudetenland, along with Bohemia and Moravia, was transferred to the new country of Czechoslovakia. It was simply the wrong decision, and even the American president at the time was not happy with it. But the result was that more than three million German-speaking Germans were relegated from being the main ethnic group of Austria-Hungary to being a minority in Czechoslovakia. They were subjected to the hatred and hostility of the Czechs, their land was plundered, they were discriminated against in their pursuit of education and work, and relief goods were not fairly distributed.
Now, the Czech Government throws us a small piece of territory as if it were a handout, and then throws millions of our Germanic compatriots off their land and uproots them?
No, I won't agree to that. Nor will my people agree to it; the return of the Sudetenland is the will of all the German people, and follows the will of the people of the Sudetenland."
After an impassioned speech Wilhelm looked with a mocking face at Camille Chautemps. "As the leader of a Petri dish country, do you not understand that the will of the people is unstoppable? Do the people of your country crave war? Will watch as you drag the entire nation into an unjust war?"
Camille Chautemps' face darkened, "Bullshit people's will, how can you, the emperor dictator of an imperial country, talk about the people's will?
Without waiting for him to retort, Wilhelm stood up to take his leave. "That's all for this talk. Please, Mr. Prime Minister, tell the Czech side that we in Germany will not compromise. The end of this year, which is December 31st, is the deadline. Oh, and in case you didn't know, we've already begun pulling out defense troops from the Eastern Front to the Czech border. So it's best not to delay too much, lest the giant bears in the east see an opening and come in, only then we'll have to hang portraits of Lenin and Stalin in our offices."
"What?!" Camille Chautemps was stunned, and before he had time to ask more questions, Wilhelm had already walked out of the conference hall.
Camille Chautemps could only look at Prime Minister Chamberlain, who had a worried frown on his face. "Your Excellency Prime Minister, this ..."
After some deep thought Prime Minister Chamberlain finally sighed. "Chancellor Chautemps, since the German people's desire to preserve unification is so strong, it is not good for us to continue to block it." One sentence made Camille Chautemps understand that the British had compromised, and Czechoslovakia was thus sold.
Now well, Britain had decided that France could not go against Britain, after all, at present that rotten to the core of the French economy is still relying on the money of the Bank of England to transfuse blood. In case of pissing off the Brits, that domestic economy would collapse immediately.
"..." Camille Chautemps had no doubt about it, and he understood how a mere Sudetenland could be compared to the threat of the Red Empire and lasting peace in Europe.