I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 983 Compensation
Freeman Joint Command.

The three parties, Britain, the United States, and Germany, tacitly skipped the unresolved agreement and entered the most crucial stage of negotiations, discussing reparations.

General Winter asked Fisher with a grim face, "So, how much reparations are you planning to pay for this war?"

He had a premonition that this task would not go smoothly either; the Germans did not seem to believe they had been defeated, at least not in the eyes of the British and Americans.

Fisher retorted defiantly, "I'd like to know how much compensation you expect us to pay?"

General Winter took a plan from his briefcase and handed it to Fischer: "This is our investment and loss in the war. Since Germany is the responsible party, you should bear the burden, don't you think?"

Fisher took the document and flipped through it. It contained a large amount of data, including the supplies invested, the ships lost, and the soldiers' compensation, etc.

He impatiently flipped to the end and saw the amounts, his eyes widening instantly: $130 billion in compensation to Britain and $100 billion to the United States.

(Note: Historically, the indemnity amounted to $330 billion. The Minister of War believed that the $100 billion from France should be negotiated by Charles himself, and therefore deducted it.)

After a while, Fisher laughed, but when he turned his gaze to Pershing, the smile slowly froze on his face.

He knew what Britain was planning to do: use reparations to drag the United States into the conflict.

If the United States stands firmly with Britain in its pursuit of this reparations and launches a full-scale attack, even if Charles withdraws from the war with France, Germany will find it difficult to cope.

Will the US do it?

Most likely!

Because of the £130 billion that Britain is demanding, £100 billion is to repay loans to the United States.

In other words, if the United States had not entered the war and had allowed Britain to fend for itself and ultimately not receive reparations, the United States would have lost $200 billion!
No one could remain unmoved by such a huge sum of money.

Fisher hesitated for a moment, then replied in a deep voice, "We need to think about it for a while."

General Winter was pleased with Fischer's reaction, and he smiled: "Of course, Your Excellency!"

If Germany can pay this money, nothing else matters, including the prisoners of war in German hands.

……

Fischer's telegram was relayed layer by layer to Etzberger in Ponticeburg.

Etzberger was taken aback when he saw the numbers. He looked at his secretary incredulously: "Are you sure?"

“Yes,” Kurt said with certainty, “I have confirmed that they are indeed the reparations amounts proposed by Britain and the United States.”

Etzberger turned pale instantly. If the reparations demanded by Britain and the United States were such an astronomical figure, then the reparations demanded by France would certainly not be less.

Not only will it not be less, it should be more.

Because France contributed the most and had the most say, it held the life and death of Germany in its hands.

If the UK and the US ask for over 10 billion, it wouldn't be unreasonable for France to ask for over 20 billion or even 30 billion.

Germany, having just experienced war, simply could not afford to pay that amount of money!
The German provisional government was on the verge of collapse shortly after its establishment due to various difficulties. If it agreed to this "astronomical reparations", not only would the provisional government be heavily criticized, but the "chairman of the armistice committee" himself would also become the target of public anger.

Seeing that Etzberger and his secretary looked off, Charles asked, "Is there a problem?"

“No, no problem, Lieutenant General,” Etzberger quickly replied.

He hesitated for a moment, considering whether to avoid discussing "reparations" with Charles, as this could be a fatal blow to Germany.

But at the same time, he knew he couldn't avoid it, so he sighed softly: "Lieutenant General, I think we should talk about reparations."

Charles hummed in agreement, his face apologetic: "Although I know the war has nothing to do with you, it was a decision made by Wilhelm II, and it should not be borne by the German military and civilians."

"But I must give an explanation to the French military and people."

"After all, this war was started by Germany, and it caused great losses to the French military and civilians."

Sweat beaded on Etzberger's forehead. Just as he had thought, the compensation amount was unlikely to be small.

But he dared not say it, and nodded hastily: "Yes, Lieutenant General, of course we should take responsibility for this."

Charles waved his hand behind him, and the staff officer, understanding the signal, handed him a document.

“This is our rough estimate of the war losses.” Charles pushed the documents in front of Etzberger: “Take a look and see if there are any problems.”

Etzberger felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the thick file in front of him, which resembled a phone book. As expected, France was demanding far more in reparations than Britain and the United States.

His mind wasn't on the documents at all; his hands were absentmindedly flipping through them, but his mind was racing:

How to do?
Negotiate compensation with Charles?
If we refuse to admit it, will Ciel immediately turn hostile?

The guard's words as he escorted them in still echoed in their ears: "The lieutenant general is planning to attack Berlin, and he thinks it would be more convenient to command from here."

Etzberger gritted his teeth, determined to hold on no matter what, because agreeing to the reparations would mean the same thing: the demise of Germany. There would be no difference!

suddenly……

Etzberger froze, staring incredulously at the total amount at the end of the document, rubbing his eyes hard.

“Kurt.” Etzberger, doubting his own eyes, pushed the document towards his secretary, pointing to the numbers: “Look at this…”

Kurt leaned over and exclaimed, "Two billion dollars! No, this...this is impossible!"

"What's the problem?" Charles asked.

“No, no, it’s fine, Lieutenant General.” Etzberger asked cautiously, “Are you sure this document is correct?”

He didn't even dare to say the amount, worried that he would remind Charles and then Charles would say "Oh" and "Sorry, I forgot a '0'."

But Charles clearly knew.

“You mean the total amount is $20 billion?” Charles replied, “That’s right, I’ve confirmed that, including soldiers’ pensions.”

Etzberger and Kurt stared at each other in disbelief, their eyes filled with intense hatred—hatred for Britain and America.

These bastards!

The battle was fought on French soil, and the losses suffered by the French military and civilians were undoubtedly much greater than those of the British and Americans.

France only demanded $20 billion in compensation, while Britain and the United States demanded $130 billion and $100 billion respectively.

They are simply extortionists, robbers, and bandits who want to kill Germany!

In comparison, the compensation offered by Charles is a bargain, which will not only not offend German citizens, but will even be seen as a favor.

Because Charles could have gotten more; he could have had more power and glory, and even, like Germany did back then, he could have flaunted his military might in Berlin.

But he didn't do that.

He only asked for $20 billion in compensation, which is not even a fraction of what Britain has asked for!

(End of this chapter)