Chapter 132: The Turning Point

After persuading the Kaiser, Feng Chengqian received a new appointment: to represent the Imperial Navy in negotiations with Russia.

On October 10, Feng Chengqian arrived at Tannenberg alongside General Hoffmann, who represented the Imperial Army.

On that day, an event occurred in Russia that shocked the entire world: the proletarian regime executed the Tsar, the Tsarina, the Crown Prince, and all other members of the imperial family without a trial.

The cause of this event lay with the Tsar himself. After being imprisoned in the Summer Palace, the Tsar had not given up hope and was actively contacting military forces loyal to the throne, seeking an opportunity to stage a comeback. On October 6, upon learning that the proletarian regime was preparing to enter into armistice negotiations with the German Empire, the Tsar lost his composure and prepared to use his loyalist troops to launch a coup and overthrow the regime. Unfortunately, those working for him were unreliable and leaked the news to the authorities. Once the plot was exposed, the Tsar decided to flee and managed to bribe some of his guards. It can only be said that the Tsar’s luck was poor.

On October 10, as the troops guarding the Winter Palace rotated, the Tsar’s escape attempt was exposed. To prevent the Tsar from fleeing Russia and causing greater trouble, the proletarian government issued the order for his execution that very evening.

Thus, the Romanov dynasty became a historical term.

When he received the news, Feng Chengqian did not feel surprised, as in the history he knew, the Tsar had also been executed by the proletarian regime. The only difference was that it had happened two months earlier.

Of course, not everyone was as composed as Feng Chengqian.

Hoffmann was deeply shocked. In the eyes of a soldier deeply influenced by traditional values, the execution of a monarch by commoners was almost unthinkable. One must understand that in the European mindset, let alone commoners, even the monarch of one country had no authority to execute the monarch of another. However, the Tsar was not the first European monarch to be executed; he was preceded by the kings of England and France.

This event made a clever man like Hoffmann realize that this war was destroying more than just civilians; it was destroying the great empires that had existed for centuries. Russia was the first empire to fall, but it would certainly not be the last. Before the Great War ended, more empires would vanish.

Would the German Empire be among them?

Clearly, this was not just Hoffmann’s concern.

On October 11, the Kaiser sent a telegram requesting a temporary suspension of armistice negotiations with Russia. Clearly, the Kaiser was also wary of these "regicides."

The problem was that an armistice with Russia offered greater benefits to the Empire. It could be said that the Kaiser was merely acting out of anger. If this opportunity were missed, even if Russia no longer posed a threat, the Empire would gain nothing. To say nothing else, without a signed armistice, the Imperial Army could not significantly reduce its forces on the Eastern Front, and thus could not assemble sufficient combat troops for the Western Front. For the battles to come, the ability to concentrate enough force on the Western Front would play a decisive role.

The next day, the Kaiser changed his attitude and agreed to continue the armistice negotiations with Russia.

On October 14, the Russian negotiation delegation arrived at Tannenberg. Because the Empire did not impose excessive conditions and the Russian proletarian regime sincerely wished to end the war, the negotiations proceeded very smoothly.

Two days later, both sides reached a preliminary consensus that an armistice was beneficial to both parties.

On October 20, the Russian proletarian regime officially accepted the terms proposed by the German Empire: an immediate, comprehensive ceasefire upon the formal signing of the armistice; Russia would pay 400 million Imperial Marks in war reparations annually to the German Empire for the next five years, with the Empire allowing Russia to pay in equivalent goods. Additionally, Russia would pay war reparations to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and Romania, and would sign separate armistice agreements with these three countries, with the German Empire undertaking to facilitate a comprehensive cessation of hostilities.

Clearly, this was a relatively equitable armistice agreement.

However, the negotiations were not over. After accepting the Empire’s demands, the Russian delegates proposed a requirement of their own: that the German Empire assist Russia in post-war reconstruction, such as providing industrial equipment, helping to train workers, and assisting in the construction of transportation infrastructure like railways and roads. Naturally, this was not to be done for free. During this period, Russia would provide the Empire with supplies such as oil, coal, and grain.

Evidently, this Russian request was beyond the Kaiser’s expectations. However, it was well within Feng Chengqian’s.

After the Russian delegates made their request, Feng Chengqian sent a telegram to the Kaiser, detailing the necessity and importance of assisting Russia in its post-war reconstruction. For one thing, if Russia’s agricultural production could be restored to pre-war levels, Russia would become a bastion for the German Empire. Furthermore, the oil, coal, iron ore, and high-quality timber produced by Russia were all war materials urgently needed by the Empire.

Of course, Feng Chengqian did not see only the bright side. In the telegram, he explicitly mentioned that Russia remained a potential threat that could not be ignored; once Russia became strong again, it would inevitably become a formidable rival to the Empire. To this end, Feng Chengqian proposed that when accepting Russia’s offer, certain necessary conditions should be attached. For example, signing a longer-term peace treaty with Russia to ensure it would not pose a threat during the Empire’s post-war recovery period. Furthermore, a buffer zone must be constructed between the Empire and Russia to separate them and avoid direct conflict.

On October 21, the Kaiser summoned Feng Chengqian back to Berlin to discuss this issue in detail. Clearly, the Kaiser was very interested in Feng Chengqian’s proposal, and even more interested in Russia’s resources.

To say nothing else, the prospect of Russian grain alone was attractive enough. Although the Imperial Navy’s efforts had broken the British Royal Navy’s total blockade of the Empire, the Empire still faced a significant grain shortage. By September 1915, the Empire had reduced rations for the third time, lowering the average daily ration for adults to 2.4 kilograms. If the war continued, it was feared that by September 1916, the average daily ration for adults would have to be reduced to 1.5 kilograms. Conversely, in Britain and France, food was simply not an issue. Grain from Canada, Australia, and India was enough to ensure that the British and French would not go hungry because of the war. In fact, by this time, neither Britain nor France had implemented strict rationing, and the public could still buy enough food in the markets. Moreover, after the initial panic of the war had passed, the demand for food among the British and French public was not as high as before; food prices had not risen but had actually decreased due to the influx of large stockpiles into the market.

It is fair to say that if the Empire could exchange its industrial products for Russian grain, nothing could be better.

In the end, the Kaiser adopted most of Feng Chengqian’s suggestions.

On October 24, Feng Chengqian returned to Tannenberg and, as the representative of the Kaiser, formally proposed to Russia that if it could accept two conditions, the Empire would accept Russia’s request and help it with post-war reconstruction once the agreement took effect.

The two conditions were: recognize the independence of Poland and sign a forty-nine-year peace treaty with the German Empire.

Two days later, the Russian proletarian government gave a positive response, accepting both conditions: Russian-held Poland would become an independent state, and a formal peace treaty would be signed.

Next came the more in-depth negotiations. Feng Chengqian did not participate in the detailed talks and returned to Wilhelmshaven on October 30.

On November 11, the negotiations between the German Empire and Russia officially concluded. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and Romania had also signed armistice agreements with Russia prior to this and had joined the peace negotiations with Russia, acknowledging its independent status after the war.

That afternoon, Germany and Russia formally signed the Treaty of Tannenberg. At midnight, the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and Romania formally achieved a comprehensive ceasefire with Russia.

According to the agreement, before December 31, 1915, Russia would provide 1.5 million tons of grain to the German Empire, while the German Empire would repatriate 1.5 million Russian prisoners of war during this period, and all remaining Russian prisoners of war would be repatriated by June 1916.

Russia’s withdrawal from the war can be called the key turning point of the First World War.

When the news arrived, the entire German Empire rejoiced, as defeating Russia in just over a year was an extraordinary victory. On November 12, the Kaiser issued a decree for a one-day national holiday and an extra week’s worth of rations for all citizens.

That same day, Ludendorff officially became the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army on the Western Front, and Hoffmann succeeded him as the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army on the Eastern Front, responsible for the aftermath of the Russian campaign.

On this day, Feng Chengqian also received commendations. Because of his significant contributions to the negotiations with Russia, his defense of imperial interests to the greatest extent possible, and his creation of a rare peaceful situation for the Empire, the Kaiser specifically granted Feng Chengqian the title of Grand Duke and promoted him to Admiral of the Imperial Navy, concurrently serving as Commander of the High Seas Fleet.

This decree caught Feng Chengqian off guard. Later, he learned that Hipper had also received a new appointment, succeeding Tirpitz as Commander of the Imperial Navy, while Tirpitz would serve only as the Imperial Minister of the Navy. Regardless, the Kaiser’s arrangement was quite appropriate. Later, Feng Chengqian discovered that it was Tirpitz who had proactively proposed this suggestion to the Kaiser, allowing Feng Chengqian to command the High Seas Fleet in combat.

The war was not yet over, and the pressure on the Imperial Navy had not lessened, so Feng Chengqian was needed to remain with the Imperial Navy.

While the German Empire was celebrating, on the other side of the front lines, the situation for the British and French was not so optimistic. Russia’s defeat after more than a year of fighting made many British and French citizens realize that, let alone defeating the German Empire, even avoiding a fate like Russia’s was a question.

After Russia’s defeat, did the British and French still have a chance of winning?