Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 86 The 'Poker Table' in Paris

Just as Morin was preparing to make his mark on the front lines of the Kingdom of Aragon, training and testing improved infantry tactics, a delicate political atmosphere was pervading Paris, the capital of the Gallic Republic.

The Élysée Palace, once the palace of the Gallo-British emperors, is now the center of power in the Gallo-British Republic.

In recent days, the eyes of all of Paris, and even the whole of Europe, have been focused on this ancient palace.

Carriages and cars bearing flags of different countries frequently entered and exited the palace gates, attracting the attention of the entire Parisian media.

The ruling class throughout Europe knew that a negotiation that would determine the immediate situation in Europe would be held here.

In an elegantly decorated small reception room at the Élysée Palace.

The counselors from the Gallo-Britan Republic, the Holy Britannian Empire, and the Saxon Empire, along with other lower-ranking diplomatic officials, had already made several rounds of prior contact.

Compared to the bloodshed and life-or-death struggle on the battlefield, the atmosphere of exchanges between diplomatic officials is not as tense.

However, the three parties engaged in a fierce and arduous struggle over the initial agenda of the negotiations, the order of the meetings, and even etiquette details such as seating arrangements and the provision of refreshments.

Finally, after much effort and exhaustion, they managed to finalize a framework that would ensure the highest-level talks would focus on the most critical issues.

The Gauls showed extraordinary enthusiasm in facilitating these negotiations.

Other European countries also found the Gauls' actions somewhat incomprehensible.

Emotionally speaking, the Gauls would have loved for the Britannians and Saxons to fight to the death, with blood flowing like rivers.

The best outcome would be a lose-lose situation, with both sides declining, allowing the Gauls to reap the benefits.

After all, all of Europe knows that the Gauls and Brittany share a 'century-old friendship' as strong as gold.

The Saxons, decades ago, seized Alsace, Lorraine, and their access to the Mediterranean.

These are questions that the ruling class of the Gallic Republic is well aware of.

But reason told them that this war absolutely could not happen on their own doorstep.

The Iberian Peninsula is adjacent to Gaul. If the war gets out of control and spreads north of the Pyrenees, things could get really messy.

Of course there is a more important reason.

That is, the Gauls had always coveted the newly discovered crystal vein in the Kingdom of Aragon.
If it weren't for the fact that their overseas colonies had always taken up a lot of their energy, the Gauls would have intervened in the Aragonese conflict long ago.

Whether this mine ultimately falls into the hands of the Britannians or the Saxons, it is not good news for the Gauls.

Therefore, the best outcome would be to maintain the status quo of the Aragon Kingdom before the formal outbreak of the civil war.

Then, let your side find an opportunity to intervene. Next, it can be a three-way joint development. Of course, it would be best to support a pro-Gallic faction to come to power.
Driven by these complex motivations, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs acted with great enthusiasm, playing the role of 'European peace envoy'.

The next morning, the sky over Paris was somewhat overcast.

Two ornate carriages, each decorated with its own national flag, arrived at the gates of the Élysée Palace at almost the same time.

The foreign minister of Brittany and the state secretary for foreign affairs of Saxony alighted from their carriages, accompanied by their respective military attachés and secretaries.

The two met at the palace gate, exchanged a cold glance, and then looked away.

Although both Queen Victoria and Albert II instructed the two men to keep abreast of each other's diplomatic moves.

But outwardly, they cannot afford to show any weakness.

So even before the negotiations began, an invisible tension was already palpable in the air.

René Viviani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Gaul, was already waiting at the entrance of the Silver Hall.

Upon seeing the negotiating representatives from both sides, he took two symbolic steps forward to greet them, then shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each of the two main figures. Media reporters and official photographers, who had been waiting for some time, immediately swarmed forward, their flashbulbs going off in a flurry.

"Crack! Click!"

The sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly captured this historic moment.

With the coordination of the foreign minister, the three main characters stood side by side, facing the camera, and posed for a photo that was enough to make the headlines of newspapers around the world.

In the photo, none of the three people show any expression, just like the negotiations between the Gauls, the future of which is completely unpredictable.

After the group photo, the three parties first had a brief, informal conversation that was not recorded.

The meeting took place in a small, closed room, with only a very few key advisors present.

The specific details of the negotiations are unknown to outsiders.

All people know is that the closed-door meeting lasted for nearly an hour.

When the door opened again, the expressions on the faces of the three main characters were much more solemn than when they went in.

Clearly, the initial probing and clashes did not go smoothly.

Following the initial meeting, formal negotiations commenced in the magnificent Festival Hall of the Élysée Palace.

Officials from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs went to great lengths to prepare for these negotiations.

They specifically chose a huge triangular negotiating table.

The three representatives each occupied one side, forming a defensive triangle, to highlight Gaul's mediating role in the negotiations.

These small details are typical of Gallic 'diplomatic savvy'.

As the doors of the festival hall slowly closed and the closed-door negotiations officially began, the reporters waiting outside dashed back to their respective newspapers like arrows released from a bow.

They needed to develop the photos and write the articles as quickly as possible.

Then, they rushed to spread the news of the Paris talks around the world as soon as possible.

Although the specific results of the negotiations on the first day were not made public, on the second day, the front pages of major newspapers around the world were all dominated by news about the trilateral negotiations.

The Times, Dresden Daily News, Le Figaro.
Newspapers in Brittany, Saxony, and Gaul all featured the same photograph on their most prominent pages.

The photo of the "diplomatic trio" taken in front of the Élysée Palace, featuring the Foreign Minister of Brittany, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Saxony, and the Foreign Minister of Gaul.

In the photo, three influential figures on the European diplomatic stage stand side by side.

Almost every newspaper quoted a significant statement made by René Viviani in a brief interview before the negotiations began, below the photograph—

"The situation is under control."

This sentence, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirred up ripples.

People with different perspectives have interpreted this statement in completely different ways.

The peace faction believes this is a positive sign that the war is about to end, and that the three parties have found a way to peacefully resolve the dispute.

The pro-war faction, however, believes that this is merely diplomatic rhetoric, a brief calm before the storm, and that the real contest has not yet begun.

Meanwhile, most ordinary people continue to live their peaceful lives.

They are more concerned about recent prices, whether they have enough working hours this month, and when their child's cough will get better.
Three meals a day, simple food and plain drinks—that's all there is for ordinary people in this era.

(End of this chapter)