"We have no time to capture you. You must put down your weapons and leave the road, so as not to block the road."

From April 17 to 18, 1940, such French voices rang out at many places in the northeastern battlefield of France at the same time. The march towards the English Channel was four armored divisions under the German 1st Armored Army, and were advancing rapidly. What stood in their way was not the French warriors who were preparing to sacrifice their lives for the country with a smile, but the French who had collapsed and lost their fighting spirit.

Their troops were either crushed by the German armored troops in the past few days, and they were completely unable to resist. All that was left was collapse and collapse. The divisions of the 9th Army of the French Army were second-line troops in the French army, with insufficient equipment and training. Most of the soldiers were French uncles in their thirties. Their generation had not participated in the cruel World War I, but enjoyed the joy and glory of victory, and lived a very comfortable life compared to the German people. There was no need to fight for food to fill their stomachs and the fate of the motherland. They just had to fight against the French politicians to oppose war and fight for high welfare. This was actually not a struggle. It was just a pastime after dinner, and it was also the rights granted to them by the sacred French Constitution.

But when these people spent their absurd and enjoyable youth, entered middle age, and had a family (this generation of French people would at least get married) and children, the Germany, which was trampled by France for a long time, suddenly became strong. They armed the army with tanks and planes, and then defeated the second strong European army in 12 days. Now they rushed into France with murderous intent, allowing them, the anti-war French uncles to taste the bitter fruit of defeat.

The panicked French soldiers were relieved to hear that the Germans had no time to capture them and threw away the weapons they carried with them, if they had any weapons!

At this time, some German infantry would jump off the tank or armored vehicles, place all the struts neatly in front of a tank track, and then the tanks would crush them without hesitation, pressing these French, which had little seizure value into scrap iron.

The German armored soldiers were not interested in France, but they would not miss any highway gas station along the way. I don’t know if it was because the defeat was too sudden or the French had no tendencies in their minds. Every gas station or warehouse that Guderian’s four armored divisions encountered along the way was not destroyed. Many of the gas stations and oil depots also store gasoline that the German armored forces lacked the most!

On the battlefield south of Sedang, the French Second Army performed better than the 9th Army. Their organization had not yet collapsed, but was surrounded by the German 12th Army and the 16th Army, south of the Mont-Diu Heights, north of Stene (the 41st Armored Army and the 16th Army of the German 12th Army met here), and the narrow area west of the Maas River. Moreover, they also lost most of the tanks in the battles on the 15th and 16th, and turned into tigers without teeth and claws.

"Mr. Prime Minister, the war has been defeated! France has been defeated!" Admiral Ganmolin was helpless on the 18th. He kept tears in his eyes to Prime Minister Paul Renault, who came to the Castle of Vincen (where the coalition command is located), "The 2nd Army is surrounded, the 9th Army is almost gone. Now the road to Verdun and Calais, Dunkirk is unobstructed to the Germans. Our troops in Belgium and the troops on the Maginot Line will be surrounded soon. And there is no strength to guard Paris..."

"Admiral, it's only been fighting for less than 9 days!" Paul Renault looked at Gan Molin with a fire-ridden look, "Oh 9 days, the Poles have lasted for 12 days, and France has collapsed in 9 days? I haven't even seen a decent battle... We should at least fight a battle like the 'River of Marne' or 'Verdun'? That way, we can die vigorously!"

Now even Renault doesn't think France can win, it's impossible to even draw, but it's also like losing. At least it has to fight the Germans and destroy some big teeth of Emperor William!

But now... most French soldiers have not even fought against the Germans on the battlefield, so why are they defeated?

"Prime Minister, now is not a time for great prosperity. France should seek decent peace." Gan Molin said in a low tone, "With the 1st Army, the 7th Army (the two armies in Belgium) and the 2nd Army have not been eliminated, and the rear of the Maginot Line of Defense has not been cut off, so that we can at least preserve more vitality."

"Now is not the time to seek peace!" Paul Renault glared at Gan Molin fiercely. In fact, he has been thinking about the issue of seeking peace these two days. He has been considering this issue since he called Churchill in the early morning of the 15th.

After several days of thinking, Renault has already made it clear that there will be no decent peace! Because France did not give Germany decent 21 years ago, can we still expect the Germans to spare France?

I have been holding my anger for 21 years. Now I finally took revenge and knocked France to the ground. How can I forgive me?

Moreover, even if the Germans ignore past grudges and are willing to retain France's vitality, France will have to return everything they took from Germany 21 years ago!

That is to return Lorraine Alsace, at least tens of billions of Jinmaks, as well as a large amount of coal, machines, ships and overseas colonies to Germany... Can the French people accept such peace?

"It is impossible to seek peace at this time!" Paul Renault asked Gan Molin, "General, you don't have the ability to lead the French team anymore, right?"

Gan Molin understood what Prime Minister Renault meant, and he would become synonymous with failure and become an eternal shame for the French army. He nodded slowly, "Yes... I think the coalition needs a new commander-in-chief."

"Then I will appoint General Weigang to take over your position," Renault said. "After he returns from Syria, you will transfer the position of Commander-in-Chief."

Gan Molin frowned. He knew that this was a very bad decision! Not to mention whether the 74-year-old General Wei Gang (older than Gan Molin) could understand the concept of mechanized war, just saying that Wei Gang has been far away in Syria these days and does not understand the situation on the French battlefield at all, it is very likely that it will delay major events.

Renault then said to Gan Molin: "I will also appoint a deputy prime minister. I will invite the ambassador to Spain and the Marshal of the Republic, Mr. Betton, to return to China to serve as deputy prime minister."

Gan Molin was stunned. He knew very well what Renault was planning! Deputy Prime Minister... This is not a permanent position of the French government (the government of the Third Republic). Now he proposed to establish a deputy prime minister and let Marshal Betton be the one. I am afraid that when will he promote Betton to be a prime minister who surrenders and seeks peace?

...

"Mr. President, I think the British and we are in big trouble!"

US Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Commerce Secretary Hopkins were invited by Roosevelt to the Oval Office of the White House on the morning of April 18, US time. Roosevelt asked them to read Churchill's letter. Although the signature was "former naval personnel", Hull and Hopkins knew that the "former naval personnel" was the current British Prime Minister Churchill.

After reading the letter, Cordel Hull shook his head and said, "15****When he met Prime Minister Renault in Paris, Renault was also panicked and asked us to send a plane that covered the sky to France immediately."

Roosevelt shrugged, "I would have had so many planes to send."

The United States has not yet armed itself, and the strength of the US Army and Navy aviation is far inferior to that of the German Air Force and HNA. Moreover, President Roosevelt has no right to send American armed forces to Europe to fight wars with Germany.

"Mr. President, but we have a lot of sealed destroyers." Harry Hopkins also read Churchill's letter. "We must give these warships to Britain... The activity of German submarines is too rampant! In March, Britain lost more than 550,000 tons of merchant ships!"

Although the weather in the North Atlantic has improved, German submarines have become more active day by day! The monthly loss of total tonnage of British merchant ships exceeded 550,000 tons in March, and estimated to exceed 600,000 tons in April.

"In addition, the British's gold and foreign exchange reserves are about to run out!" Harry Hopkins continued, "When the war started, they had $550 million, and now they have less than $200 million left. At the latest by the third quarter, the British will spend all the last dollar. If we don't give the weapons and supplies to the UK for free, then even Churchill will not be able to maintain the war."

President Roosevelt looked at Hull, who had just visited Britain and France, and said: "Mr. President, I think the Germans' goal is to expand the former German customs alliance to the entire Europe that did not include the Soviet Union! The German Empire will play the role of Prussia, and Europe (excluding the Soviet Union) will play the role of the German Confederacy... and there will eventually be a unified Europe!"

"Is it possible for a unified Europe...?"

"If Britain surrenders, Europe will eventually be unified!" Corder Hull said, "France is about to be defeated, and this country is completely defeated and has no pride of the past. If Britain is defeated by Germany, France will be left to Germany's domination. If France and Germany can be integrated, then the low-level countries can only join. Then there are Northern Europe, Southern Europe and the Balkans!
Chapter completed!