Chapter 0653: Unyielding Refusal

Théophile Delcassé gazed at von Kidderlen-Waechter with a look of sheer horror, his eyes wide with disbelief. He could not fathom that the Germans would impose such outrageous conditions! The previous demands—550 billion marks in reparations and the cession of all overseas colonies—had already been intolerable. But now, the Germans were demanding that France cede all territories north of the Loire River and the island of Corsica. 

Such a demand seemed almost beyond the realms of comprehension. France's land was already relatively small, and giving up the northern regions would mean losing nearly half of the country's territory. What's more, the northern and central regions were the industrial heartland of France, the very backbone of its economy. To lose these vital lands would be tantamount to reducing France from a leading industrial power to an insignificant, weak state. 

Once these regions were lost, France would no longer be a great power on the world stage—it would be reduced to a mere third-rate nation. With the loss of the prosperous and industrially advanced northern and central regions, France would no longer have the resources to exact any form of vengeance on Germany. The chance of reclaiming its former strength would be utterly beyond reach.

Now, Delcassé understood that from the very beginning, the Germans had no intention of sparing France. Their plan had always been to weaken France to the greatest extent possible, ensuring it would never again pose a threat to Germany.

From the German perspective, such measures were necessary to protect their own interests and maintain their position. But for the French, these demands were intolerable. If accepted, they would render France no more than a shadow of its former self—practically a conquered nation.

"Minister," Delcassé said, his voice trembling with anger, "these conditions are far too harsh! You are demanding half of our territory—the most prosperous, the most developed half. You even include Paris, the capital itself. After surrendering these lands, can France still be considered France? What the German Empire seeks is nothing less than our complete destruction!"

"Minister, you must understand," Washit replied calmly, "The German Empire has the power to annihilate France. Should our armies continue to advance south, within a month we could occupy the entire country. At that point, what choice would you have? You would be at our mercy. The fact that we are willing to leave you with half of your territory is already an act of mercy."

"Ha! Minister," Delcassé sneered, his voice filled with bitterness. "You do this to extort even more reparations from us and to secure your colonies without resistance. Should the French government take refuge abroad and continue the fight, you will gain nothing—no reparations, no colonies. You will have nothing."

Washit nodded, acknowledging the truth of Delcassé's words. "Indeed, we have considered that. But if France refuses our terms and chooses exile, we will have no choice but to send our forces to conquer all of France. As for the reparations, we may not collect them, but that will matter little. We can plunder France's wealth, which I am sure will exceed the 550 billion marks we demand. As for the colonies, we will seize them in time. The German Empire has the world's most powerful army and navy. It will not take long to conquer those territories."

"If you plunder France's wealth," Delcassé replied fiercely, "you will ignite the fury of the people. You will face resistance like never before!"

Washit smirked, unfazed. "That is of no consequence. We are adept at dealing with resistance. Should the people submit and become docile, all will be well. If they choose not to, then we will exterminate them. If rivers of blood flow through France, we will not care. After all, they are only French."

"Monsters!" Delcassé shouted, his voice full of outrage. "You would murder all the French people?"

"Not all," Washit replied coolly. "Perhaps one or two million. But once that is done, the rest of the French will be as docile as rabbits."

"Devils!" Delcassé spat, trembling with fury. "You are no different from demons. Your wanton slaughter of the innocent will surely bring divine retribution. You will burn in hell!"

"Enough, Minister," Washit interrupted, his tone dismissive. "Let us not waste time with such fruitless words. Will you accept the Empire's third condition?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Delcassé said firmly, his voice resolute. "The French Republic will never accept such conditions. It is no different from the death of the nation. If it comes to that, France will fight to the bitter end."

Washit nodded, his expression cold. "Very well, I understand your stance. From this moment on, our negotiations are at an end. I will report to His Majesty the Emperor. The Imperial Army will continue its advance until France is utterly destroyed."

Delcassé froze. If the German forces were to resume their offensive, France would have no means of resisting. The French army, already terrified, had no courage left to continue the fight against such a formidable enemy. If the war were to continue, only one outcome was certain: the annihilation of France.

As Washit had said, once France was destroyed, Germany would get everything it sought—albeit after a longer campaign. But France itself would cease to exist.

For Delcassé and the other high-ranking officials in the French government, this was an outcome they could not accept. Even if France lost half of its territory, it could still survive. In comparison, being completely destroyed seemed a far worse fate.

"Minister," Delcassé said at last, "I do not have the authority to accept your terms. I will report to the government. However, I believe the likelihood of our government agreeing is very slim."

Noticing the shift in Delcassé's tone, Washit felt a surge of satisfaction. 

"Minister, I am confident that your government will be wise enough to make the right choice," Washit said with a hint of smugness.