Prince Karl was resolute in his intent to seize a substantial portion of Italy's wealth. The enormous war reparations and other gains Germany had secured from the French had made him covetous, his eyes gleaming with the hunger of a ravenous wolf. It was for this very reason that he boldly presented Austria-Hungary's demands before QinTian.
Prince Karl hoped that Germany would support Austria-Hungary, seeing it as a matter of rightful claim. As allies, Germany had an obligation to back Austria-Hungary's demands. However, it seemed that Karl did not grasp the extent to which Austria-Hungary's demands were unreasonable, especially given the overlap with Germany's own claims. In such a scenario, would Germany truly offer their backing? That, of course, was out of the question.
"Your Highness, Libya is an imperial colony and cannot be given to Austria-Hungary. Germany has its own interest there. Moreover, prior to the war, the German Empire made substantial investments in the region," QinTian stated firmly.
"Your Majesty," Prince Karl responded, his voice tinged with frustration and anger, "Germany has already secured vast colonial territories from France. Must it also deny us Libya?"
QinTian shook his head. "I regret, Your Highness, but while Italian East Africa may be ceded to Austria-Hungary, Libya remains the Empire's."
QinTian's resolve was unwavering, and this steadfastness only further inflamed Prince Karl.
"Damn it!" Prince Karl's thoughts seethed with fury. "Germany, with its overwhelming power, disregards the interests of its allies? How shameless! Without Austria-Hungary's support, how could they possibly have won this war?"
Despite Karl's resentment, from QinTian's perspective, Austria-Hungary's contribution to the war effort had been minimal. Yet they had the gall to demand such an excessive share of the spoils, as though they were a major player in the conflict.
The meeting between QinTian and Prince Karl ended on a sour note. Austria-Hungary's demands were not supported by Germany, and Karl left feeling betrayed. His fury toward Germany grew, and upon returning to the banquet hall, he immediately instructed the Austrian delegation to return to the embassy. Baron Berchtold and Ambassador von Kuenburg exchanged uneasy glances, as this was an undeniably rude dismissal. Yet, without a word, Karl departed.
The two Austrians had no choice but to bid farewell to the German officials before leaving the palace for the embassy.
"Your Majesty, was your meeting with Prince Karl truly so unpleasant?" asked Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow.
"Yes," QinTian replied, nodding slightly.
"Austria-Hungary has become exceedingly greedy. They demand 40 billion marks from Italy, along with the cession of Venice and the territory to its east. Furthermore, they wish to seize all of Italy's overseas colonies," QinTian continued.
"Austria-Hungary is indeed too greedy. Italy is not as wealthy as France. Even the Empire has only demanded 20 billion marks in reparations. But they—40 billion marks! It seems that the substantial blow dealt to the French has emboldened them," remarked Chancellor von Bülow.
"And they want to take Italy's entire overseas colonial empire, including Libya—this would damage the Empire's own interests. Who gave them the audacity to make such demands?" Foreign Minister von Kidron-Washington added, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Indeed. It seems that the upcoming negotiations with Italy will be fraught with complications," QinTian said with a resigned sigh.
"Your Majesty, Austria-Hungary has failed to recognize its own limitations, which is why they are making such exorbitant demands. After these talks, our relationship with Austria-Hungary will surely be affected. While the alliance may not collapse entirely, rifts are inevitable," said Chancellor von Bülow.
"It's unavoidable. In the face of a common enemy, we could unite, but when it comes to the division of spoils, such conflicts are bound to arise. Thankfully, the war is nearly over, and our victory is all but assured. Whether or not Austria-Hungary supports us at this point is of little consequence," QinTian remarked.
Both Chancellor von Bülow and Foreign Minister von Kidron-Washington nodded in agreement. The German Empire was no longer as dependent on Austria-Hungary's support as it once had been. Its own strength now sufficed to resolve any issues.
"Your Majesty, how do you propose we handle the upcoming negotiations with Italy?" von Kidron-Washington inquired. He was fully responsible for managing the talks with Italy, and QinTian had already established his bottom line. He only needed to maximize the benefits for the Empire.
"First and foremost, the Empire's interests must be safeguarded. If Austria-Hungary seeks to intimidate Italy, we will lend them some support, but only to a reasonable extent. A severely weakened Italy does not serve the Empire's interests. Likewise, Austria-Hungary cannot extract too much from Italy, for that would undermine the Empire's share. Furthermore, if Italy is forced to give up too much, how can they be expected to fulfill their obligations to the Empire?" QinTian explained.
After the meeting with Prince Karl, QinTian was resolute—Austria-Hungary, as an ally, needed to be reined in. Prince Karl's ambitions were laid bare, and this posed a threat to Germany's interests. Even allies had to be dealt with firmly if they overstepped their bounds.
"Yes, Your Majesty," von Kidron-Washington replied, nodding.
"Your Majesty," Chancellor von Bülow said, "if we proceed this way, the alliance with Austria-Hungary may be irreparably damaged. Until Karl ascends the throne, the alliance may continue, but once the Emperor passes and Karl is crowned, the relationship between our two nations will inevitably cool drastically."
QinTian nodded. "Indeed, there are no eternal allies, only eternal interests. Our alliance with Austria-Hungary exists because we share common interests. It was inevitable that this would cause friction once those interests diverge."