According to U.S. President Woodrow, who later won the Nobel Prize for H. Wilson's "Fourteen Points of Peace" in which all nations under the rule of Austria-Hungary could determine their own future, which was called the principle of "national self-determination". The same principle applied to Russian Poland and the Ottoman Empire.

But this "peaceful president" who brought the United States into the world war and the Russian civil war forgot a common sense that there was also a nation called Germany on the territory of Austria-Hungary! According to his "Fourteen Points of Peace", it seemed as if the German nation of Austria-Hungary could also determine its own future. At least between October 1918 and September 1919, the Germans in Austria thought so.

So on November 12, 1918, when Austria became a republic, the name of the country was "German Austria", and they formally requested Germany to join.

"Great! That's great! "Lloyd's. George was applauding the news—his reaction when he heard about it.

"Okay?" Clemenceau squinted at the British Prime Minister, "What's so good?" If Germany and Austria were to merge, the new country could have 80 million people, more than twice as many as France! ”

The population of France was a tragedy from the 19th century onwards, having been the most populous country in Europe after Russia. By the eve of World War I, however, the population of France was much smaller than that of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and slightly smaller than that of Britain itself, and the gap would be even greater if the white population of British overseas territories was included. If Germany and Austria were to merge, the population of the new Germany would be more than twice that of France, and the population of Germany would grow significantly faster than that of France.

In addition, Austria is rich in iron ore and coal resources. It was possible to fill the shortage of iron ore resources in Germany after the cession of Lorraine-Alsace, which would make France's efforts to limit German industrial development come to naught!

"Of course it's a good thing!" Lloyd's. "This meant the complete collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire," George said...... Not because of the Hungarians, but because the Germans themselves abandoned the country in the first place. ”

Although the Hungarian Revolution took place on 30 October, the new Hungarian government was not a republican government, but continued to pledge allegiance to Emperor Karl I, which shows that the Hungarians knew very well that the only way to keep their great Hungarian state was to join forces with the Germans.

"The results of the Hungarian Revolution of October 30 show that the Hungarians are willing to fight." Lloyd's. George continued, "70 percent of the land is ceded to no one wants to accept it. If there was no possibility of the merger of Austria and Germany, the Germans and Hungarians of Austria-Hungary would have chosen to resist...... It's pretty scary! George, you know, we didn't really win. ”

"So what should we do now?" Clemenceau seems to have been Lloyd. George was convinced.

"Against," Lloyd's. George said, "We, the United Kingdom and France, are against it, and the United States is not positive. So that the Germans in Austria would not despair, and the Hungarians, having lost their allies, would face a war that was bound to be lost. So that they will be able to surrender without a fight......"

"But the outlook for Austria is still worrying." Clemenceau said. "I always had a hunch that sooner or later the country would merge with Germany, and that we French would be unlucky."

Lloyd's. George pondered for a while before saying, "Actually, we in England have always thought that maintaining the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also a good option. It's an ancient country, with roots dating back to Charlemagne...... Unfortunately, now that it no longer exists, we are about to face an even more troublesome and more unstable Balkan. ”

"Isn't there also the United Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia?" The country that Clemenceau was referring to was the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The maintenance of the Austro-Hungarian policy did not have many supporters on the side of the Entente. But there is also a real need for a stabilizing force in the Balkans. All sorts of whimsical ideas were proposed, including the formation of a scheme that would bring together Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia.

"I hope it does." Lloyd's. George nodded. Is it possible for the Germans not to merge through national self-determination, while the Croats and Slovenes have to be self-determined and live with the Serbs?

……

"The Tsar, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the three Grand Dukes were all killed by you?"

"Yes, it's only hateful and not killed!"

"There's only one archduke left?"

"That's right! Olga Baltic, she is the enemy of the Russian people! ”

"You're going to see her soon."

"It's a pity that you can't kill her!"

"What's your name?"

"Yakov. Yurowsky! The Russian people will always remember my name! ”

Inside the heavily guarded Potsdam train station, Ludwig. Feng. Hersman was talking to a small, thin young man in shackles. The young man's name was Yakov. Yulovsky was the murderer who led the assassination of the Russian Tsar. He will be transferred to Archduchess Olga along with the coffins of the Tsar, Empress, Crown Prince, and the three Grand Duchesses.

The murderer did not feel the slightest guilt, although the German newspapers unanimously condemned him. The Luxembourg-based newspaper Red Flag is no exception. But Yurowski now holds his head high, as if he were a hero and not a sinner - in fact, he is a hero! On April 16, 1934, he was posthumously awarded the title "Hero of the Soviet Union". In his hometown and at the Cheka headquarters, there are full-body statues of him. Under the banner of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army, there was also a "Yulovsky special unit" named after him. This is the origin of the Soviet special forces!

"Who sent you? Can you say that? Hersman then asked.

"It's the Bolshevik Party!" Yakov. Yurowsky replied loudly, "I was ordered to carry out the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and the Empress!" ”

There's nothing that can't be said about this! Because Lenin had already admitted it himself, Pravda also published an editorial praising the assassination of the Tsar as a righteous revolutionary act.

This was true for the Bolsheviks! The only regret is that one of the Tsar's daughters slipped through the net. And Olga, the eldest of all the children of Nicholas II, is currently the only Grand Duke of the Tsar family who owns territory and army. Therefore, it is very likely that she will inherit the Russian throne and be supported by the entire Romanov family and all the White Guard leaders.

If she becomes the co-leader of the White Guards, considering the hatred of her family's murder, I am afraid that she will become a difficult revolutionary enemy to deal with, right?

"Captain Paulus!" Hersman called Paulus, who had just been dragged into the Military Intelligence Directorate as the leader of the Einsatzgruppen, to his side. "This man is in your hands...... It must be taken to Polo's in good condition and given to Stasi in his care. ”

Hearing "Stasi", a trace of fear slipped over the face of Yurowsky, who originally had a fearless expression.

Paulus waved behind him, and two soldiers dressed in field gray uniforms and carrying rifles ran over and set up Yurowsky, putting the future Hero of the Soviet Union on the train like a chicken.

――

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