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4-January-1920
''We have arrived'' I said, standing up while observing the landscape through the train window.
''Is anything already negotiated beforehand, or will we have to resolve everything here?'' Vasyl asked as he stood up and followed me.
''We will have to negotiate everything, but we are not coming to discuss anything too complex either. We only need a defense treaty that comes into effect if Romania attacks any of the signatories. We will have to determine how many troops each State will contribute, how many will remain deployed on the borders to exert pressure on the Romanian Army and, possibly, agree on blocking all French trains that intend to cross directly into Romanian territory without stopping to be inspected'' I explained while stretching my neck and moving one of my shoulders to relieve the accumulated tension.
''I doubt it, Karl. These negotiations are usually much longer than you imagine. Each diplomat will demand additional guarantees to make sure the treaty works when the time comes to apply it. It is not enough to write that it will come into effect if Romania attacks. Many other situations and obligations will have to be defined. You should learn to handle these matters better, considering that you are a Herzog and, in addition, a regent. Although I can understand that, even with your education, you only master the simplest aspects of diplomacy'' Vasyl said with a faint smile.
''You are mistaken if you think I did not understand that you just called me stupid'' I replied, raising an eyebrow while getting off the train and looking at Vasyl.
''You see? You are learning. You already know how to discover what a person wants to say beneath carefully chosen words meant not to sound offensive'' Vasyl replied.
When I turned around, I saw numerous members of both nations' armies, who had coordinated to participate in the meeting we had agreed upon.
The Bulgarian delegation had managed to arrive, although I did not know whether they had had problems crossing Romanian or Serbian territory before reaching Hungary. There was also a considerable presence of Hungarian soldiers in charge of guaranteeing the security of the meeting.
When we approached, we finally managed to distinguish the members of both delegations.
Mihály Károlyi, recently elected as the first president of the Hungarian Republic, had insisted that the entire negotiation take place in Budapest so it would be as public as possible. The Bulgarian plenipotentiary had shown a similar position.
At first, the representative sent by Tsar Boris was supposed to be Andrey Toshev, although in the end, the delegation was headed by Simeon Radev.
However, I had refused to travel to Budapest.
After all, I was a war criminal wanted by the Entente. I could not rule out that someone present might consider it convenient to arrest me in the middle of Hungarian territory and hand me over to improve relations with the British and French.
That was why I had preferred the talks to be held near the border between Ukraine and Hungary. There we could discuss everything under a strong military presence from my men and without running the risk of the meeting ending as an attempt to send me directly before an Allied tribunal.
So there we were, gathered at a border crossing through which trains ran between Hungary and Ukraine.
Escorted by several Jägerkommandos, Vasyl, Alexander, a Ukrainian diplomat who would remain to finish the treaty and I began approaching the group of Hungarians and Bulgarians, who were already speaking among themselves.
When he saw me, the Hungarian president separated himself from the group. The Bulgarian diplomat did the same.
''Eh… Well… You must be Herzog Karl von Posen, is that not so?'' the Hungarian president asked, looking somewhat nervous when he saw me.
''That is right… We all speak German, yes?'' I replied while removing my gloves and observing the envoys.
''Yes… but… Leaving aside the obvious, Herzog Karl, I hope you have come prepared to begin negotiations immediately. According to what we were informed, your intention is to quickly reach an initial agreement and perfect it afterward through further meetings. Is that correct?'' Simeon Radev asked, making a faint grimace.
''He is young, is he not? My regent is considerably younger than you probably expected after hearing so many stories about the German warlord of the east'' Vasyl commented while walking beside me.
''The Habsburg king… Good, it seems we already have all the people necessary to begin the negotiations'' Mihály Károlyi said, visibly surprised by Vasyl's presence.
''Good. Let us begin'' I replied, looking toward the Ukrainian border guard post that we would use for the meeting.
It did not take us long to take our places. Inside, three tables had been arranged in a triangle, so that all delegations could observe one another directly during the talks.
The Hungarian delegation was headed by Mihály Károlyi. He was accompanied by two of the most important figures in his government, Oszkár Jászi and Dénes Berinkey, in addition to a military officer, Károly Kratochvil.
On the Bulgarian side, Simeon Radev acted as plenipotentiary. He was accompanied by the military adviser Ivan Lukov and a third man I did not recognize.
''Good, I hope you do not find it offensive that we do this the opposite way from how it is usually done, but the situation in the Baltic keeps me too busy to have much time available to sign documents and pose for a photograph. We have fairly reliable information that France is sending military advisers and equipment by railway toward Romania. I suppose none of you will be pleased that France is arming a possible rival, so I believe we should take action before Romania grows stronger than any of us would be willing to tolerate'' I said, beginning the meeting.
''Although that information has not yet been confirmed by our intelligence services, if true, it would leave us deeply concerned. I understand that France intends to open another front against the…'' the Hungarian military representative said before sighing. ''Against the continuation of your war. However, the Romanians receiving French equipment and advisers exposes us directly to a possible invasion of Transylvania''.
''Alexander, hand me the briefcase'' I said, looking toward him.
Alexander placed the briefcase on the table and opened it in front of everyone.
''Here I have some evidence gathered by trusted sources. These photographs show French officers who took trains bound for Sofia and then continued toward Romania. Since they cannot support them by sea because the Ottomans refuse to allow Allied warships through the Dardanelles, they are sending the equipment overland as contraband. They are probably hiding it among humanitarian aid shipments or something similar'' I explained, showing the photographs taken by members of Austrian intelligence and the itineraries followed by several of the trains.
I saw how the concern of the military advisers from both delegations increased considerably as they examined the evidence.
''That is why I propose this defensive pact. A military union that comes into effect in the event Romania attacks any of the signatories. If it attacks Ukraine, it will later turn its attention toward Transylvania, and once satisfied there, it could direct its ambitions southward'' I said calmly.
The Bulgarian military adviser began whispering something to the plenipotentiary, who remained thoughtful for a few moments.
''Regarding the information you have just given us, if it turns out to be true, we will reinforce the surveillance of the trains crossing our territory. They are surely taking advantage of certain gaps created in the occupation zones of Macedonia to move that material without raising too much suspicion. However, I hope you understand that the Tsar will need certain guarantees from both Hungary and the Kingdom of Ukraine before committing Bulgaria's support in a hypothetical case of Romanian aggression'' Simeon Radev said after listening to his military adviser.
''We are willing to hear your requests'' the Hungarian president replied.
''The Tsar considers that an appropriate show of unity would be for both of you to recognize the upcoming Macedonian plebiscite. We believe Serbia could try to sabotage it and that Greece could also intervene in some way. Therefore, we consider it appropriate to have neutral observers from Hungary and Ukraine to guarantee that the process is resolved fairly'' Simeon said, already presenting his first demand.
''You can take that for granted. Hungary will recognize the result of the plebiscite and any territorial modification derived from it, as long as Bulgaria recognizes that Transylvania belongs to Hungary and that Romanian claims are nothing more than a form of baseless expansionism'' Mihály Károlyi replied, straightening slightly before pronouncing those words.
The other Bulgarian adviser leaned toward the plenipotentiary and began whispering something before he replied.
''You can take that for granted. If this treaty is formalized, we will issue a statement recognizing Hungarian claims over Transylvania'' Simeon replied.
''On behalf of the Kingdom of Ukraine, there is no objection to that request, as long as you recognize the Eastern States as legitimate entities'' I said, looking at both delegations.
''That would leave us in a rather compromised position before the British and French'' the Hungarian president replied.
The Bulgarian diplomat nodded at his words.
''Hum… Fine. Then recognize the Kingdom of Ukraine and the Kingdom of Ruthenia as legitimate States, in addition to recognizing the authority of their governments and their regents. That will be enough for now. Do not forget that France is already financing Romania and that the British are probably collaborating as well. Besides, both countries still have to pay their share of the little party we organized not long ago. However, if I manage to come out of this continuation of the war in good shape, I will expect you to recognize the rest of the Eastern States as well'' I said, observing the envoys.
The advisers began speaking quietly with their respective leaders. It did not take them long to reach an agreement on that limited recognition and on the possibility of expanding it later if I managed to keep power by the end of the war.
''As for the military union, it should come into effect if a troop mobilization, military provocations or unauthorized incursions are detected inside the territory of any of the signatories. In that case, Bulgaria would commit itself to mobilizing five divisions toward the Danube and another three in Dobruja to exert pressure on Romania'' the Bulgarian diplomat said after confirming the details with his adviser.
''I would add that it would also be necessary to establish a telegraphic network between our States to share information quickly. For its part, Hungary would permanently keep six divisions watching Transylvania'' the Hungarian president added.
''I can assure you that a telephone and telegraphic line between Ukraine and Hungary will be installed in a matter of days. The problem would be connecting Bulgaria, considering that there is no direct land connection. Regarding the troops, we will keep three divisions on the Romanian border and, in the event of an enemy mobilization, we will be able to increase that force to ten divisions within a few days. For the moment, we are somewhat busy in the north'' I replied thoughtfully.
The negotiations continued slowly, with several pauses to consult our respective advisers. As the talks advanced favorably, many other clauses began to be incorporated into the treaty.
Hungary demanded that we commit ourselves not to finance rebel groups inside its territory. It also proposed that, once our agreement was signed, we jointly offer Romania a non-aggression treaty.
Bulgaria, for its part, requested access to the Ukrainian market without tariffs. That request ended up becoming a free trade agreement between our States, which Hungary soon asked to join.
The Hungarians needed to buy fertilizers, machinery and tractors. Separated from Austria and Bohemia, they no longer had the same industrial capacity to modernize and rebuild their agriculture.
Finally, the main points were formalized. The creation of a defensive alliance against Romania was agreed, while the diplomats would be responsible for negotiating the minor details and carefully drafting the final clauses.
In general terms, the treaty was already signed.
They even took photographs of us during the signing. The Hungarian president wanted to announce the agreement publicly as soon as possible. I assumed his government's economic situation had to be complicated, especially because he had to maintain a considerable army while surrounded by neighbors that coveted parts of his territory.
''Mihály'' I said, calling the Hungarian president once the delegations began to separate and the diplomats withdrew to continue their work.
''What is it, Herzog Karl?'' the Hungarian president asked, looking quite pleased with the result of the meeting.
''I have a less formal proposal. Your government will have to study it and decide whether it suits them to apply it in the future. I want you to analyze the possibility of establishing a program to move Hungary's German-speaking population to the Baltic Duchy. Let me finish'' I said when I saw him open his mouth to answer, while his advisers began paying attention.
''In exchange, I can provide you with enormous quantities of Ukrainian food, coal and oil at ridiculous prices. I know your government has problems with both the conservatives and the socialists. This would satisfy the Magyarization desires of the conservative sectors, while cheap food and fuel would help ease social discontent'' I explained, staring fixedly at the Hungarian president.
Since I did not understand a damn word of Hungarian, I simply waited for his answer.
''How much grain, coal and oil are we talking about?'' the Hungarian president finally asked.
''We will go into details later. All of this could end up being nothing if I lose the war in the north. For the moment, begin preparing a program to send me every German speaker you can remove from Hungary, using whatever means you consider most appropriate. Preferably through incentives, although legal pressure can also be applied if necessary. I need to populate the Baltic Duchy after the war, and you will be able to satisfy the Magyarization demands of the conservatives. Meanwhile, you will be able to buy products from our reserves without tariffs and at reduced prices. If I win, we will discuss the final quantities and prices'' I said, looking seriously at the Hungarian president.
''I will present a proposal before the government to encourage the emigration of the German-speaking population. Later we will discuss the quantities and prices'' the Hungarian president replied.
''That is what we will do'' I said, signaling with my head to my men so we could prepare to return to the front.
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