As the Swiss head of state, Schmidt has never felt so nervous and anxious, especially on April 1st, when he couldn't refuse and didn't want to see it.
This is the deadline for the Ming Empire to issue an ultimatum. Once it expires, the Ming Empire and the coalition forces it leads will use force against Switzerland.
However, not only the Ming Empire, but also the Ottoman Empire also issued an ultimatum to Switzerland, which meant that Switzerland had to resist the attacks of these two behemoths alone.
Facing the Ming Empire alone is terrifying enough, and now the Ottoman Empire is also included.
In this world, there is nothing that is not terrifying...
Before that, the two empires had just joined forces to destroy the Holy Roman Empire.
There is one less empire in the world, but after the Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire cannibalized the Holy Roman Empire, they became more powerful and more dangerous than before.
Not long after the war with the Holy Roman Empire ended, the Ming Empire invaded the Kingdom of Naples and destroyed Rome a year later.
Immediately afterwards, Switzerland encountered a military threat from the Ming Empire, and the Ottoman Empire immediately launched an attack, which dealt a double blow to the Swiss top brass.
Schmidt was the head of state elected by the seven-member parliament for a three-year term. He did not expect that during his term, the situation would take a turn for the worse and reach an point of no return.
The traditional friendship between Switzerland and Rome is as long-lasting and precious as the traditional friendship between Rome and the Kingdom of Naples.
But after learning the painful lesson of Rome, Swiss newspapers no longer dared to openly challenge the bottom line of the Ming Empire.
Previously, the "Daily Romano" criticized the Ming Empire, which resulted in three thousand bombers carrying out air raids on the city of Rome for several days.
If the "Swiss Daily News" did the same thing, Bern would probably suffer the same fate.
The Swiss who escaped from Rome used to use the Colosseum as a ruin, but now the entire city of Rome can be used as a ruin for public exhibition...
What Warsaw was like back then, Rome is like now!
If you don't distinguish carefully, you can't tell the difference at all, because both are ruins composed of bricks and rubble!
More than half of the Roman Air Force was annihilated in a short period of time, completely losing air superiority, and was arbitrarily trampled by the Ming Empire Air Force.
According to the estimation of the Swiss Air Force, they really could not withstand the joint attack of the Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
A thousand fighter jets can only last three at most, which is still optimistic.
If they all take off at the same time, I am afraid that there will not be more than 200 fighter jets returning home in the end.
Similar to the situation in former ally Rome, Switzerland also has no strategic depth. Most enemy planes will follow the returning fighter planes until all equipment at their own airport is destroyed.
The Swiss Air Force also deployed many anti-aircraft guns around the airport, but the case of the Roman Air Force proved that this method did not work.
The strength of the two sides is too disparate. In addition to low-altitude attacks by fighter planes, the other side can also dispatch bombers to drop bombs at high altitudes.
Use carpet bombing to turn the entire airport into a pile of bomb craters, not to mention the fighter planes parked in the airport.
At the same time, we cannot expect that the aircraft factory can continue to produce fighter aircraft during wartime, because it is an important air attack target for the enemy.
After losing the supplies from local factories, they need to rely on foreign aid to help them.
However, with the destruction of the Holy Roman Empire, France, the Netherlands, and Prussia all agreed to move to the Eastern World.
The three remaining countries in Europe, Sweden, Hesse, and Venice, were all allies of the Ming Empire. Countries such as Liechtenstein and Luxembourg might as well not be mentioned.
Especially after the year, after the French rejected Switzerland's request to purchase fighter planes, tanks, and artillery for various reasons, the Swiss top brass understood Louis XIV's attitude.
The other party must have received huge benefits from the Emperor of the Ming Empire, so he was unwilling to help himself at the critical moment to fight against the enemy's invasion.
Yes, Switzerland paid a heavy price for Rome without saving Rome.
After the fall of Rome, Switzerland faced the same fate as Rome.
When Rome fell, God did not appear. This is the most fatal thing.
In addition to armed self-protection, both Rome and Switzerland can hope to be able to show up.
Even if you cannot destroy the Ming Empire, you must help yourself to defeat the powerful enemy. Otherwise, it will be difficult to succeed by yourself.
However, during the whole process of the destruction of Rome, the emperor did not express his position. Don't thunder and rain, even if it rains, it will just be rain.
What is this little help enough for?
Ming army fighter planes can take off and land in rain and carry out attack missions.
If the air strikes by Ming army fighter planes cannot be stopped, wouldn't our side be facing catastrophe again?
Rome had suffered such an encounter before, and its military strength could not withstand the strong attack of the Ming army.
In the end, after most of the force was destroyed by the enemy, they had no choice but to surrender unconditionally.
Switzerland is now facing the same dilemma, and it can't even find mercenaries.
No surrounding country is willing to send troops to help in the war, and private mercenary groups do not accept orders from Switzerland at all.
Since it’s hard to get out alive once you’re here, why go looking for death?
This is the idea of many private mercenary groups, and it is very consistent with the actual situation.
Private mercenary groups across Europe also have a network, and they can keep in touch at any time through phone calls and telegraphs.
Once there is a big order that you can't afford, you can share the cake with close friends.
On the other hand, if there is a customer who cannot be avoided, everyone will be able to have a tacit understanding and stay on the same page.
Now Switzerland has become a customer they don't want to receive at all, and they won't accept orders no matter how much they ask.
Except for a few who are terminally ill, most mercenaries want to enjoy life after making money.
If a dead person doesn't need to make money, then why bother working so hard?
"Everyone, tomorrow morning is the deadline for the ultimatum. How should we respond to the Ming Empire?"
Schmidt was out of options. He contacted everyone he could contact and mobilized everyone he could. In the end, there was still a huge disparity in strength between him and the enemy.
"I don't think anyone wants to be their enemy!"
If he hadn't had too much property, French Congressman Lafont wouldn't be sitting here now, but would be sunbathing in Lyon.
"Rome's attitude was tougher than ours before, but..."
Ducet, who is also a French congressman, has similar views to Lafont, except that they had previously firmly supported Rome.
"What about the rest?"
Schmidt really regretted listening to the previous suggestions of these two people. They could just pat their butts and leave, and the Ming Empire would still settle accounts with him as the head of state.
“It would be terrible if a war killed one million Swiss and turned another two million into slaves!”
German Congressman Meier, like the previous two, only mentioned the first half of the sentence and did not mention the second half. Anyway, everyone understands the meaning.
“I heard that the Romans were going to move to Shandong and settle in a city. I wonder what the future of Switzerland will be like!”
In addition, French Congressman Payet expressed his own concerns. I believe everyone will have worried about this aspect.
“No one wants to go mining, and no one wants to die!”
Conte, the Lombard congressman, was impatient. A group of old guys were running around in circles, and no one wanted to take a stand first.
"Yes, we all want to live well!"
Tonelli, another Lombard congressman, directly said nonsense. In his opinion, everyone was talking nonsense, and he was the best one to say it.
"In this case, in order not to exceed the deadline, let's just vote. Whether everyone chooses to surrender unconditionally or choose to persist in resistance, let's use the final number of votes to decide! Note that no one can abstain!"
Schmidt knew this group of colleagues very well. There were seven people in the Supreme Council. Without abstention, there would never be a tie in votes.
After a quarter of an hour of smoking and private deliberation, the vote was 7-0!
Everyone believes that Switzerland cannot become the second Rome. At least if it surrenders now, it may be able to obtain the greatest benefits for itself.
The most important reason is that everyone is worried that they will not receive the same treatment as the Pope. Once they resist to the end, they will be captured by the enemy.
If the Ming Empire adheres to the principle of punishing the first culprit and executes all senior members after the war, isn't that asking for trouble?
I'm afraid that in the whole world, only Louis XIV has such a big reputation and can protect himself!
But how much benefit do you need to give His Majesty the European Emperor to buy the lives of his whole family?
Isn’t this a good choice to protect the safety of all Swiss people and at the same time protect your own family?
Before midnight on April 1, Swiss senior officials officially notified both the Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire that they were willing to surrender unconditionally and hoped to receive lenient treatment.
Switzerland, known as the "European Hedgehog", was so frightened that it surrendered without even firing a shot?
This makes Zhang Huangyan a little unbelievable, but it is indeed a reply from Switzerland.
According to Emperor Haojing's decree, as long as Switzerland can choose to surrender unconditionally, it can receive full amnesty.
The surrender involved no reparations, only an exchange for land.
That is, the Ming Empire exchanged the Kamchatka Peninsula for the entire territory of Switzerland. In the future, the Swiss could settle in the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Although the peninsula is northerly, it has the dual effects of the Western Pacific Warm Current and active volcanoes. The southern part of the peninsula is not cold in winter, with only ten degrees below zero.
Moreover, the sulfur on the peninsula is a renewable resource. The active volcanoes can provide a continuous supply of large amounts of sulfur, as well as seafood.
Chongguo, a former vassal state of the Ming Empire, had lived here for a long time, and Zimin lived and worked in peace and contentment. The climate of the two places was similar, so there was nothing wrong with moving the whole of Switzerland there.
Otherwise, the Swiss can also choose to live in the Amazon jungle in South America. Although the temperature is 30 degrees and hot and humid all year round, there is no need to buy cotton-padded clothes...
Third option?
No more, just two!
It's up to you to choose!
If you don’t want to choose, you can draw lots with your eyes closed!
The total area of the Kamchatka Peninsula exceeds 370,000 square kilometers, and Switzerland can obtain approximately 200,000 square kilometers, which is approximately five times the mainland area.
Although the climate is not ideal, except for the Ming Empire, there are no powerful countries in the surrounding area. If the Swiss move there, they seem to be able to adapt to the local life.
The congressmen really cannot imagine how they can move to the hot and humid South America after living in central Europe for a long time...
They have decided to send someone over to have a look, and they can stay in France temporarily for a while.
After the on-site inspection personnel confirm that the situation is good, the family can move there.
At nine o'clock in the morning on April 5, Schmidt announced the news to all Swiss people, including the army, via radio.
Although many people still hold on to the mentality of defending their homeland and resisting to the end, after all, they all know that the powerful strength of the Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire cannot be resisted by oneself.
Finally, at nine o'clock in the morning on April 8, Schmidt led senior parliamentarians to sign a formal surrender agreement with Zhang Huangyan and the Supreme Commander of the Austrian Army Sassi at a temporary camp established on the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Subsequently, the Swiss army disarmed all the Ming and Austrian armies. The Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire ensured the personal and property safety of all Swiss people, except for those who persisted in resistance and those who created conflicts.
Anyone holding a Swiss passport can bring their personal belongings and, under the arrangement of the Ming Empire, take the railway connecting Switzerland, the Ottoman Empire, and the Ming Empire to settle in Kamchatka.
If you want to go to other countries, the Ming Empire will not stop you and will give you fifty silver coins as travel expenses.
Any Jumin who decides to settle in Kamchatka and reaches the age of fifteen can obtain less than one hectare of land.
Those with a driving license or those engaged in the mining industry can apply to work in the Ming Empire mining areas for free.
Working six hours a week, every eight hours, the monthly income is no less than twenty silver coins, the income is fully tax-free, and food and accommodation in the mining area are included.
For many people at the bottom of Switzerland, the benefits of working in the mining areas of the Ming Empire were also very attractive to them.
In the past, very few Swiss people went to work in the mining areas of the Ming Empire, but many people went to work in the nearby Alsace mining areas in France.
However, most of the French engineers who supervised and guided the mining areas in Alsace had studied in the mining areas of the Ming Empire.
They naturally know the treatment in the Ming Empire's mining areas very well, so all Swiss miners have already known about the treatment in the Ming Empire's mining areas.
I heard that the monthly salary of a truck driver in a mining area is at least twenty silver coins.
If you can use a forklift, your monthly salary will at least double, and you can earn at least forty or fifty silver coins.
In the mining areas of the Ming Empire, the larger the scale of mining, the higher the level of machinery, because economies of scale must be created.
Emperor Haojing's purpose for asking Zhang Huangyan to do this was very simple. Swiss young men could make money, but they had to be controlled by themselves.
Coal mines, iron mines, metallurgy, coking, etc. all require a large amount of labor. There are many black skirts, but more black people have arrears in IQ.
Give them top-up money to make up for classes, and they will all have food to eat later, which is not as hard as the Rakshasa miners.
After years of reporting, Emperor Haojing gave up training black people. A small number of smart black people can naturally stand out.
In the mining areas, black people basically took the simplest but lowest-paid jobs, and the more difficult jobs were almost always done by Ming people or white people.
Whether it is the mining areas in the Ming Empire or the mining areas in France, it is the same.
It’s just that ladies look down upon strong black bodyguards. The reason is very simple: they work hard...
According to the plan formulated by the imperial court, Switzerland needs to be emptied of all indigenous people before the end of the year.
Then move the local people here and completely localize the place.
This is the heart of Europe, where nothing can happen.
