The Rise Of Australasia
Chapter 587: Chapter 452: Negotiations Again_3

However, no matter how one looks at it, this is a severe crisis for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If not handled properly, this multi-national and multi-regional country may well disintegrate.

Almost at the same time, the Foreign Affairs Departments of the Allies all had a unified goal – to establish contact with the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Hungarian Kingdom Government.

Germany, too, was urgently contacting its ally, as they did not want to see their only ally withdraw from the battlefield, which would mean that Germany would have no chance of victory.

If the Austro-Hungarian Empire remained in the war, at least it could hold back more than a million Allied troops for Germany.

But if the Austro-Hungarian Empire withdrew from the war, Germany would face a siege by all the Allies. The current total number of Allied troops is more than 10 million, and with the United States joining the war, this number is still growing.

The Germans could never match such a force, even in a war of attrition, the Germans would be bled dry.

On July 17, 1917, the Austro-Hungarian Empire held another round of talks with the Allies.

Unlike the previous talks, this time the Allies held the initiative, and the Austro-Hungarian officials had a gloomy look on their faces because this meeting was destined to be a negotiation about the distribution of interests.

Perhaps because the spring offensive had not made any progress, the French wanted to speed up the Austro-Hungarian Empire's withdrawal from the war in order to concentrate all their efforts on attacking Germany to relieve their own pressure and reduce their own casualties.

Therefore, at the beginning of the negotiations, France and Russia were putting pressure on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, giving the impression that if the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not agree to negotiate, they would support Hungary's independence.

Unfortunately, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had no choice but to accept that the Hungarian Kingdom Government was at odds with the Austro-Hungarian government, and that the Hungarian Kingdom Government truly wanted independence.

It was as if the Allies already knew everything about the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and they could even see the most intimate details, leaving the Austro-Hungarian Empire at their mercy.

Of course, being willing to negotiate is only the beginning; the Allies care more about the Austro-Hungarian Empire's territory and various significant interests.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire could not simply let the Allies carve up their land, and a haggling match like those at the market began.

Although at a disadvantage, the Austro-Hungarian diplomats did not back down, arguing forcefully about any interests related to their country and demonstrating the determination of diplomats.

However, this did not stop the Austro-Hungarian Empire from withdrawing from the war, nor did it prevent their territory and interests from being divided among the Allied Powers.

The United States should be the least willing to see the Austro-Hungarian Empire withdraw from the war at this point, as this would mean that the United States would have virtually no share of the spoils, given that they had not made any contribution to the war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

But ironically, it is France and Russia who are most eager to see the Austro-Hungarian Empire withdraw from the war, and they are the two Powers that supported the United States joining the Allies.

At the first day of negotiations, all countries made outrageous requests; for example, Russia demanded Galicia and Slovakia, Italy demanded the Austrian areas from Innsbruck to Rijeka, Serbia demanded the Bosnian region, Britain demanded the Dalmatian region, and Romania demanded the Transylvanian region, among others.

As a result, the only territories left to the Austro-Hungarian Empire were Austria, Czech Republic and the Hungarian region, with Austria being further divided in half.

Naturally, the Austro-Hungarian Empire could not accept such demands, and neither did Britain want to see Russia gain such a large swath of territory.

As for the demands of Serbia and Romania, they may be satisfied eventually, but certainly not now.

Demands from small countries like these are usually met last, or even directly ignored.

Only when the major Powers all give their approval and do not oppose their interests can these countries realize their demands.

Otherwise, their desires will not be taken seriously by anyone, unless they become powerful enough to be taken seriously by the major Powers.

But clearly, even the United States is not taken seriously by the major Powers of the Allies, let alone the Balkan nations, which have already tasted the flesh of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.

Australasia has no interest in the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Arthur is very eager for its large factories, skilled workers, and technology.

As the country with the most credit for attacking the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is good news that Australasia does not participate in the division of territory, and other countries are willing to let Australasia take the lead in selecting factories, technicians, and workers from within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Although the power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before the war was only a middle-tier country, its industrial level was far superior to lower-tier countries like Italy, and various industrial sectors thrived.

The industry of the Czech Republic and Austrian areas ranked among the best in Europe.

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, there were ample mineral resources and coal, which was very suitable for industrial development.

Historically, after World War I, Czechoslovakia was born and was coveted by Germany because of its strong industry.

If a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's industrial strength could be absorbed, not only could the industrial level of Australasia be greatly enhanced, but it would also help close the gap with the traditional industrial Powers.

After all, the way countries absorbed German industry after World War I was through relocation and looting.