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墨書 Inktalez
Lugano is a small border town in the southern part of Switzerland, near the mouth of the Magogire River. The town, with only 15,000 permanent residents on the northern bank of the Magogire, is insignificant in the context of the whole of Switzerland.
However, today, this unknown town is about to make a significant mark in history. Representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of seven countries - the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland - have gathered in this small town. Their ranks are much higher than those of the town mayor, and some countries have even relocated most of their Ministries of Foreign Affairs, including the UK and Germany.
At this moment, in the only guesthouse of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Lugano, Strasser sat upright in his chair, hands resting on his knees, looking just like a well-behaved elementary school student.
Across from Strasser, Austen Chamberlain was carefully preparing British black tea. He slowly poured milk into a teacup that dated back to the Qing Dynasty in China, then added a few pieces of brown sugar before gently pouring hot water from the kettle into the cup. After letting it cool for a moment, he declared it ready.
"Try my craft; I have been brewing black tea for fifty-eight years."
"Mr. Chamberlain started drinking black tea at the age of seven?" Strasser was somewhat shocked.
"Black tea is as essential to British people as water is to fish. Sip it slowly to truly appreciate the flavor," Chamberlain said, quickly stopping Strasser, who was about to gulp down the cup of tea he had just received.
Strasser felt a bit embarrassed; Germans indeed did not have the habit of drinking tea, but he didn't want to appear lacking in taste.
"The taste is quite good, Mr. Chamberlain. Your brewing skills are exceptional. English black tea is the second best tea I've ever had."
"Oh? I'm curious to know what the best tea you've ever had is. It must be from your hometown, right? Which province in Germany are you from?"
Strasser broke out in a cold sweat. This was bad; he only wanted to appear a bit more cultured, but this old man just wouldn't take a hint and kept probing deeper.
Looking into Chamberlain's eager eyes, Strasser felt a heaviness in his own. He knew that he came from a remote mountainous area where there was no good tea to be found.
But does it really matter where a person comes from? No matter which province, country, or continent one hails from, what does it really signify? Provinces come from countries, countries come from continents, and continents come from planets. But where do planets originate?
Even the vast and boundless universe must have its source, right?
The universe provides space and nutrients for the birth of life, nurturing countless lives within itself, and that alone is sufficient. It has done what it should do and realized its own value. In comparison, the question of "origin" is hardly worth mentioning. The standard for judging the value of a person or thing does not depend on its origin, but rather on the value it creates.
He himself originates from the value created by others—without the nurturing of the universe, he would not have been born. Without the farming of the peasants, he would not have grown. "I come from the value created by others," Strasser thought.
"Among all these values, only my mother's love is exclusively mine." ... "Perhaps the value created just for me is where my true source lies... that is my mother!" He suddenly realized.
Strasser lifted his head, revealing a relieved yet confident smile.
"Born from my mother."
In a heavily guarded hall located one kilometer away from Strasser, the Lugano conference is taking place, with diplomats from various countries arriving on site. Due to the large number of attendees, both the United Kingdom and Germany have only sent their Ministers of Foreign Affairs to attend the meeting. At this moment, Stresemann is enthusiastically expressing his joy at meeting Aristide Briand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France.
"To ensure peace and security, Germany must show its sincerity by giving up its territorial claims on Alsace-Lorraine, while France is required to grant military access to all of its territory to Germany." After half an hour of back and forth, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finally presented its demands.
"This is impossible!" Stresemann roared.
"Germany is a complete country, not just a road, we can't afford to lose any territory!"
"Germany is certainly a country, and a country that lost the European war, so you have no choice."
Aristide was indifferent to Stresemann's anger, just shrugged helplessly.
Angry, Stresemann stood up from his seat and forcefully threw his pen at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hitting Aristide squarely in the face. The other foreign ministers from various countries looked on in shock.
"I'm just joking," Strasser said with a dry laugh, looking at the bewildered Foreign Minister Chamberlain.
"Let's finish discussing the main issue first, and then I'll tell you the answer."
"For example?"
"As you can see, we, Germany, are restricted by the Treaty of Versailles, so we can only maintain an army of 100,000, which is not enough to defend the country's security."
It is important to note that neighboring France has hundreds of thousands of troops. The previous actions of the French Army in the Ruhr have already demonstrated that if France wishes, they can enter German territory at any time. This means that France can act as it pleases on the European continent, which is certainly something Britain does not want to see.
Strasser understands well the nature of these troublemakers from Britain; maintaining a balance of power on the European continent is their objective. Therefore, when Germany is weak and France is strong, they will undoubtedly side with Germany.
"You make a valid point. France's previous actions in the Ruhr were excessive, so we in Britain are here to address this issue."
"However, I believe that the meeting in Lugano can guarantee the collective security of European countries. Therefore, unless there is a necessary reason, we will not take any further action," Chamberlain stated.
What Chamberlain referred to as "unless there is a necessary reason" automatically transformed in Strasser's ears into "if there is a necessary reason, Britain will take further action to strengthen Germany."
Feeling that he had understood the situation, Strasser smiled knowingly. He took out a pre-prepared agreement from his briefcase and handed it to Foreign Minister Chamberlain.
"《Anglo-German Naval Agreement》?"
Chamberlain took the paper and looked at the title, immediately becoming interested.
The first page of this thick stack of paper states that Germany will limit the total tonnage of its naval vessels to thirty-five percent of the total tonnage of naval vessels in the British Commonwealth country, and forty-five percent in the case of submarines, which will be under the control of the United Kingdom.
As a return, Britain only needs to allow Germany to expand its National Defense Forces to 200,000 personnel, equipped with defensive weapons such as heavy machine guns and artillery.
Chamberlain carefully read through the agreement, becoming more and more excited as he read. This agreement seemed to him to be a complete help for Europe to maintain peace for ten years or even longer.
"Do you have the authority to represent Germany?"
Chamberlain is somewhat excited because this treaty is really important. Although it's just a brief draft, the key content on it means that Germany has given up the struggle with England for control of the Atlantic. England not only can deploy more naval power to other areas, but also saves a large sum of military expenditure. As for allowing Germany to expand its army to 200,000, Chamberlain doesn't think it's a big deal. An army of 200,000 for The German Armed Forces is still very weak. The weapons they are allowed to equip can only barely protect Germany and pose no real threat to France. I believe the French people won't blame England for acting on its own. As for the "Treaty of Versailles"? It's a joke. In the face of country interests, any treaty is just a piece of paper.
"Of course, I am now exercising the powers of the Foreign Minister of Germany." Strasser confidently replied, having already conferred with Seeckt before coming here. The General Staff of the Army would fully support Strasser's diplomatic efforts, and there would be no obstacles regarding military organization. "This document is of great importance; allow me to send it back home for discussion first. You certainly wouldn't mind, would you?"
Strasser gestured for Chamberlain to make himself comfortable, while the latter hurriedly ran into the back room with a large stack of papers. When Chamberlain returned, he was holding not papers but a can of tea leaves.
"Try this, Longjing from China," Chamberlain said, pinching out a few leaves with some reluctance. If it weren't for the agreement provided by Strasser concerning the future peace of Europe for the next decade, he wouldn't have been willing to part with his treasured tea.
"Once we hear back from Congress, we can discuss serious matters tomorrow. For now, you can tell me what the best tea you've ever had is," Chamberlain asked curiously.
"It is a type of tea from Asia." Strasser was a bit hesitant; this was the answer he had come up with after much thought, relying on memories from later generations.
"From China?"
"No, it comes from Japan. It was invented by a biogas researcher named Hiroji Tanabe, and it's called 'Sleepy Red Tea.'"
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