Chapter 1920: The Duke
"First of all, on behalf of my wife, Her Royal Highness Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Marie and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, I would like to extend my sincerest greetings to Your Excellency. Second, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Your Excellency for your offering to my family during this civil strife. My most sincere thanks for your help and protection." Hendrik, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin said respectfully when he met Ruprecht.
"Welcome, Your Excellency the Duke." Ruprecht responded gracefully to the Duke's greeting, and was introduced by the attendant to a living room. After finishing the chores, the attendant left the room and carefully Close the door. At this time, only the Crown Prince and the Duke were left in the room.
"You don't seem very surprised by my arrival?" Hendrick asked.
"It's a bit of a surprise. I can imagine that the French will do something, but I didn't expect that you will come in person." Looking at the Duke of Germany in front of him, the husband of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Ruprecht said meaningfully. At this moment, Ruprecht once again marveled at the intricate relationship between the high-ranking nobles in Europe.
The duke came from the Mecklenburg-Schwerin family in Germany. Not long ago, the Mecklenburg family that the prince helped restore the country... The patriarch of this family is the grand duke, and the duke is not the eldest son, so he can only be the duke and not the grand duke. Later, the duke married Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and became the king's husband.... But this time, he was able to come here, in addition to thanking himself for lending a helping hand to the family, the most important thing was to do things for his wife.
(Actually, in World War I, not only the royal families of Britain and Russia were closely related to the German royal family, the wife of the Greek king was the younger sister of William II, and the Romanian king was also a branch of the German royal family. The Belgian king also had very close relations with Germany, Austria and even Bavaria Close relationship, the Belgian king's family can be traced back to the German Saxony-Gotha-Coburg family! The Belgian King Albert I's aunt is the eldest princess of the Habsburg family, and Albert I's wife is the Duke of Bavaria. Princess Elizabeth... The father of this princess is the younger brother of the famous Princess Sissi. If it is considered a relationship, Ruprecht and the King of Belgium are really distant relatives...)
The Netherlands was a neutral position in this war, but at the same time, it provided a lot of supplies to Germany as an intermediary. From this point of view, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is still very friendly to Germany. Therefore, Ruprecht must take it seriously, whether it is for the face of the Grand Duke's family or the friendly relationship of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
"Your Highness should have already guessed the purpose of my coming here. In fact, I am a little embarrassed to say it, but as the Queen's husband and the responsibility of my position, I still want to explain something to Your Excellency. So, if there is any offense I hope you can forgive me." After a short greeting, Duke Hendrick began to explain the business. In fact, as a direct relative of a duchy that is not bad in Germany, Hendrick has no idea about the life of the current prince. Satisfaction, no rights, everything must follow his wife step by step, which is a bit embarrassing for any husband.
Well, on the surface, Ruprecht himself has this situation, his wife is the future emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and he is the king. The title is a bit short, but in fact, in Ruprecht's house, it is the prince himself who speaks and does things. The prince can decide the affairs of Bavaria and has great influence on Austria. But in the Dutch royal family, Duke Hendrick has little real power.
"The French found the Netherlands through diplomatic channels, and hoped that the Netherlands could act as an intermediary to facilitate negotiations between France and Germany. Now, Germany is in chaos,
Therefore, we can only come to you. As the current commander-in-chief of the German army on the western front and the heir to the second largest state in Germany, your influence on Germany is beyond doubt. So the Kingdom of the Netherlands would like to ask if you have any intention of peace talks. " Duke Hendrick said carefully.
Duke Hendrick has a very good grasp of his position. He knows that he is just a sounding board, not to mention that he is full of private goods when he is a middleman like the United States. The Netherlands is not even qualified as a sounding board for negotiating conditions. A small country should not be involved in the dispute between two big countries. So, now Grand Duke Hendrick just wants to ask if the prince wants to talk, or in other words, what are the prerequisites for the negotiation? As for anything else? Just let the French and Germans handle it themselves.
"It's too early to formally negotiate, but if the French are willing to get in touch, it's okay." Ruprecht said after a moment of thought.
"Then what level of contact do you want?" Duke Hendrick asked with some doubts. He didn't expect this contact to be so easy. Crown Prince Ruprecht actually directly expressed his willingness to contact. The future is completely unimaginable. The German army's offensive is about to start, and judging from the current situation, the advantage is huge. Is there anything that cannot be discussed after the offensive is over? If the French are directly defeated, then there is no need to talk about it. The Germans just write a treaty for the French to sign.
"Let the French decide for themselves. Anyway, I have plenty of time now. If the people who come are suitable, then I think I can still receive them." Ruprecht said very relaxed.
"You have plenty of time now?!" Duke Hendrick asked in shock. "Your legion came to the Western Front, isn't it going to launch an offensive?"
"Does the attack have something to do with my abundant time?" the prince asked curiously. "There is an old saying in the East that is called confidence. You can tell the French that I am willing to give the French a way out from the perspective of the empire, but the premise is that the French do not make wrong judgments in the military. We are now negotiating peace It's still early days. But there are other things we can talk about."
"I don't understand what you mean." Duke Hendrick was really confused.
"It doesn't matter, the French will understand, you are just an intermediary, there is no need to get involved in these things, in addition, let the French have at least two important representatives, one can represent the government politically, and the other is the best Know some military affairs. I hope the French can take this issue seriously, because now I decide the fate of the French people." Ruprecht said with a smile.
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In addition, I recommend a book that also belongs to foreign history, a book about small European countries, "The Road to Mediterranean Hegemony" by Xin Haiyue 1. Seems to be the only one in Starting Point about Bulgaria. Well, although Bulgaria does not have an outlet in the Mediterranean Sea now--!