Chapter 252: The Conference of Bern
Establishing secret communication channels sounded simple.
In practice, it was far more difficult than Victor Emmanuel III had imagined.
The Spanish royal family, which had received extensive political support during Mussolini's early rule, had once gone into exile in Rome and had only returned to Spain after the Spanish Civil War. Because of that history, they were initially unwilling to bear responsibility for Victor Emmanuel III.
They feared that their own years of exile in Rome would leave a poor impression on Germany.
Left with no other choice, Victor Emmanuel III personally visited the Vatican and held a long late-night conversation with Pope Pius XI.
Only then did Pius XI agree to endorse the meeting and provide political cover in his capacity as Pope of the Vatican.
Thus, the Spanish royal family, having received the Pope's personal guarantee, finally agreed.
They sent someone to the Netherlands to deliver a wax-sealed secret letter to Wilhelm II.
When the letter reached Jörg, he could not help sighing.
Europe had, in truth, never truly moved forward.
It still revolved around monarchy and religion.
Even now, royal families and the Church could still intervene in political affairs to a certain extent.
Two days later, Pius XI announced that he would attend a Vatican event in Switzerland.
Under this cover, a secret Italian peace delegation led by Princess Iosef, the Duke of Aosta, and General Pietro took the opportunity to arrive in Bern, the capital of Switzerland.
The German delegation had already been waiting there for some time.
The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Leah, was known for its youth and egalitarian character. Its male-to-female ratio was also remarkably balanced.
But this did not mean these young political figures, whose average age was relatively low, were careless.
On the contrary, they were extremely meticulous.
Before the Italian secret peace representatives arrived, they had already signed an initiative with Switzerland concerning the confiscation of Jewish assets.
By the time the Spanish delegation arrived, they had already arranged the meeting venue inside a hotel in the Swiss capital.
Pietro, dressed in a suit, was led by an attendant into the conference room.
The fire in the hearth burned brightly, and the warmth inside the room made people instinctively feel drowsy.
"Princess Iosef, Duke of Aosta, General Pietro, please be seated."
A German diplomat with short, neat hair walked over and gestured with his hand.
"I am the representative for this meeting, Tolo von Wiener. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Once everyone was seated, the door was closed.
A cup of coffee was placed in front of Pietro.
"Your Excellency von Wiener, Italy is, in essence, a peace-loving country."
Pietro spoke first.
"From the beginning, we never had any intention of going to war with Germany. The various conflicts between Germany and Italy in recent years were, in fact, the personal actions of Mussolini and the radical members of the Italian Workers' Party behind him."
Before arriving, Pietro had already communicated with Princess Iosef.
As soon as he finished speaking, Princess Iosef took over the conversation.
"Ultimately, this is actually Mussolini's personal revenge."
Her tone was elegant, yet carried a hidden sharpness.
"That bald man's mind is filled with the childish desire to compare himself with others. Even if a toy he likes belongs to someone else, he would be displeased to see another person damage it."
Princess Iosef used this metaphor to clarify the relationship between Mussolini and Hill.
It was not that she did not want to speak directly.
But directly discussing sensitive figures from another country in a diplomatic setting was taboo.
This was especially true of Hill, the man who had caused a major turning point in German-Italian relations. If possible, it was better not to mention him at all.
However, Hill's reputation in Germany was actually worse than she imagined.
Because of the racial massacres and oppression that had occurred in Italy, many Germans had already branded Hill, who had once gone to Italy to "learn," as a traitor.
If he had not been executed early and left without a grave, then many Germans whose relatives had died in Italy would likely have spat on his tombstone.
"We are not here to discuss the past, Your Highness."
Wiener's expression did not change.
"We are here to discuss the present."
Then he looked at the Italians across the table.
"Allow me, on behalf of the Führer, to ask again."
"Do you truly hold sovereignty over Italy?"
Wiener's posture was very modest, but his tone carried the pressure of a superior questioning a subordinate.
"Of course, Herr von Wiener. We can guarantee this."
Pietro immediately replied.
"Many moderate members of the Italian Workers' Party, as well as high-ranking officers from all three branches of the armed forces, support our actions."
Having asked what he wished to know, Wiener nodded.
He smiled and took out a document, then began outlining Germany's demands.
"First, in view of the severe damage Italy has caused to Europe, especially the Balkans, Italy must pay a sum to be negotiated. This compensation may be substituted with agricultural products, industrial goods, or armaments. The specific settlement period is to be negotiated."
"Second, all lands and ports ceded to Italy by the Treaty of Versailles must be peacefully transferred within two months."
"The Piedmont region, which borders France, will be placed under Italo-German joint administration. Germany has the right to deploy its Army there, and Italy has no right to condemn or obstruct it."
Wiener knew that the second point would provoke objections, so he deliberately paused, waiting for Pietro to interrupt.
As expected, Pietro could not remain silent.
"Your Excellency von Wiener, we can understand the demand concerning the former Austro-Hungarian territories. After all, Italy also does not recognize the Treaty of Versailles."
He hesitated.
"But the Piedmont region is ours…"
Before he could finish, Wiener directly raised his hand and interrupted him.
"I am sorry, General Pietro, but these are conditions personally set by the Führer."
"If you believe my words are too harsh, then perhaps you may fly to Berlin and speak with the Führer yourself."
Knowing that this matter could not be salvaged, Pietro could only purse his lips and gesture for Wiener to continue.
"Third, militarily, considering the extremely severe consequences Italy once brought to Europe and Germany, Germany, Greece, and Romania will form a three-nation delegation to carry out military supervision in Italy."
"Germany will station troops in major cities for three years. During this period, the three nations will have the right to supervise the Italian Army."
"Fourth, diplomatically, Italy will declare its renunciation of all military alliance systems and shall not align itself with any alliance other than Germany."
The fourth point had actually undergone some changes.
Initially, the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Jörg had demanded that Italy enter Germany's military alliance.
However, after much deliberation, Jörg still felt that including Italy did not feel right.
So, he was lenient this once.
Italy would be allowed to act as a biased neutral country, similar to Belgium.
Pietro had no objections to the remaining two points.
Italy's disarmament was already a foregone conclusion. Whether it was supervised or not made little difference.
But when Wiener brought up the fifth point, Pietro's heart began to pound.
"Fifth, the radical faction of the Italian Workers' Party, the Blackshirts, radical soldiers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force influenced by Mussolini's ideology, as well as politicians and officials who executed or participated in the oppression and massacre of Germans, will be entirely placed at Germany's discretion."
"Italy has no right to participate, no right to shield them, and no right to show mercy."
"Furthermore, Italy must cooperate to the fullest extent with the German tribunal."
Wiener placed the document on the table.
"This point is the foundation of the preceding four points."
"Only if this condition is achieved can further discussions proceed."
Wiener took a sip of coffee.
His sharp, aggressive gaze fixed on the people across from him, practically writing the words in his eyes.
If there was no negotiation, then there would be war.
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