The palace-like banquet hall is filled with the intoxicating aroma of wine, bright lights, smooth marble and looming music, all of which exude the luxury of the law. The gentlemen and ladies with invitations in their hands walked up the stairs into the aroma of wine and into the elegant atmosphere that had been lost by the war.

"Sail," Honorable Admiral, sincerely welcome you and your wife! ”

Welcoming the owner was a middle-aged man with a tall figure and wearing a high-end black dress, and under the light of the crystal chandelier, his hair radiated a gold-like luster. The French admiral, dressed in a dark blue navy dress, was holding his arm by a lady who was old but still looked very elegant.

The middle-aged man in the black dress bent down and politely kissed the back of the lady's hand, "Madame Lapold, you are the most beautiful lily in the moonlight!" ”

Madame smiled and replied, "Mr. Joseph, you are so good at talking!" Thanks to your care on weekdays, I don't know how to thank you! ”

"Madame is too polite, we are neighbors in the first place, and we endure the suffering of the same war, and we should help each other. Fortunately, this war looks like it's coming to an end, right, General! Those who came today are all old acquaintances, so ...... General, Madam, please don't be restrained! ”

Compared with the smiling partner, the French admiral's expression was very flat, and his tone was the same: "Mr. Joseph is so polite, I see that you have a lot of guests, so I won't take up your time, let's talk later!" ”

The middle-aged man in the black dress was not only handsome, but also smiled gracefully: "Okay, please come here!" ”

The admiral walked into the hall with his wife, who was dressed in a white gown, and he was soon invited here today were indeed "old acquaintances," and the local officials, including the mayor of Toulon, and the local celebrities were almost all absent, and even the middle and senior officers of the fleet were visible. Before he could think about why, a thick-shouldered guy in an almost identical military dress came up to him with a wine glass.

"I haven't seen you for half a month, old man, you look good!"

The admiral stopped, and the comer bowed courteously and kissed his wife's hand with a smile.

Madame smiled and said, "It's General Matthews!" Hey? Why don't you see Elle? ”

"She has a cold today, and she is still recuperating at home!" The broad-shouldered admiral replied without thinking.

"Oh! If it's convenient, let's visit her tomorrow! Madame said.

"I think Elle will be happy!" The other party thanked him in advance.

The admiral on the side apparently disdained the woman's nagging, when a waiter arrived, and he brought a glass of champagne from his plate to Madame, who, taking advantage of the opportunity to raise her glass, finally interjected: "Oh, Andrei, how is it doing?" ”

"Do you mean me personally, or my military fleet?" The broad-shouldered admiral took the initiative to bring the admiral another glass of champagne to the admiral One by one, to a certain extent, champagne is also a symbol of French culture, and only produced in the Champagne region of France can it truly be called champagne.

The admiral squinted at him, "This is my unique way of greeting, aren't you familiar with it?" ”

The other party smiled heartily, "Haha! Well, of course! If the war had ended earlier, I and the fleet of the military district would have been better! ”

The admiral looked left and right, lowered his voice and asked, "What new news do you have over there?" ”

The broad-shouldered admiral put away his smile and whispered in a serious manner: "Don't talk about the innocuous news, the Ministry of Defense reminds us to be careful of the Germans, they may have made some moves recently!" ”

"You also think that the Germans will take revenge on us?" The admiral asked.

The other party still whispered: "Don't you think, this is the way things are, be prepared!" Don't you realize? ”

The admiral took a sip of champagne, "I only hope that this damned war will end sooner rather than later, and that it would be better to wake up early tomorrow morning to hear the news of the armistice between Germany and Britain and the United States." As for the Asian side, we can't go that far, let them fight for it! ”

The two talked for a while, and there were more and more people in the hall, probably to see that the guests had arrived, and the middle-aged man in a black dress who had been near the gate walked up to the band, and then the band of twenty stopped playing, and the buzz of people's conversation was heard in the ears at first, and soon, the whole hall fell silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to have this honour to have you honored to have you today! Here, special thanks are given to the Governor of the city, Mr. Jean Battier, the Commander of the High Seas Fleet, Admiral de la Ballard, and the Maritime Governor of Toulon, Vice Admiral Andretius, for taking time out of their busy schedules. ”

As the host mentions the most honorable person here out of courtesy, the lights and eyes are focused three times. By contrast, two heavily armed admirals are clearly getting more attention than a pot-bellied politician.

"Thank you also to the other officers from the High Seas Fleet and the Third Fleet of the Military District, it is you who have embraced the dignity of France, you are the pride of France, and I rejoice in your coming!" This phrase is so apt that many people forget that this is just a so-called Greek merchant who speaks pure French. For the past year or so, people have envied his money and goods, especially those that are delicious, not only for the most basic physiological needs, but even more attractive than mere wealth in times of war, when supplies are scarce! It is precisely because of his generosity that this middle-aged man was able to integrate into the local people in such a short period of time, not only enjoying a high reputation among the people, but also having a good relationship with the local military and political officials.

"Today, we invite you to come with only one theme, and that is peace! Yes, peace! Ladies and gentlemen, the war is now in its fourth year, and most of Europe has been burned by war, countless supplies have been consumed, thousands of people have died, and the war should come to an end! Here, I would like to share with you an unofficial piece of information: Germany** has been in informal contact with Britain through Spanish channels to discuss the signing of a peace agreement. According to the current situation, the German team is unable to cross the channel, and it is difficult for the British team to gain a foothold in the big 6. Although the road to peace is still a long way off, if Germany can reach a peace agreement with the Soviet Union, why can't it reconcile with their expressions across the Strait? ”

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, all kinds of people below exchanged heads and talked about each other. The peace between Germany and England does not seem to have anything to do with the French, but the current position of Vichy ** determines that they cannot stay out of it, whether Germany attacks Britain or Britain counterattacks Germany, French territory will inevitably become part of the battlefield!

"Everyone!"

The middle-aged man with a pure golden head waited for everyone to refocus on himself before continuing: "Once the war is over, it is only a matter of time before relations between countries are normalized!" Time will heal the wounds of war and will bring us true happiness and joy, but we can't wait that long! So today, we are holding such a party to celebrate our peace in advance! Let's enjoy the wine and dance to your heart's content! Music! ”

Cheerful music sounded at the right time, stimulated by the good news, the men and women seemed to be in high spirits, laughter and laughter surrounded their ears, and more than a dozen couples or couples could not wait to dance in the center of the hall.

At the same time, on the military berth on the north side of the port, French ships were quietly basking in the moonlight. In this peaceful and peaceful atmosphere, even the naval guns on the deck restrained their murderous aura. Near the gangway, French sailors with bayonets on their backs dutifully walked back and forth, but their gaze was a little lazy as they looked around

In the distance, about twenty people walked on the pier, and they lined up in a very neat line, like a group of pacesetters walking on the parade ground. The sailors recognized the group, and in accordance with the new agreement signed between Germany, Italy and France, the French fleet had to be rearmed under the supervision of the Joint Observer Mission - and the standards of weapons and equipment were not to exceed those agreed upon in advance by the three countries. As a result, the joint observer mission, composed of military personnel selected by the three parties, was often visited and inspected from time to time, and they were not very numerous, but the officers and men of the French fleet did not like them from the beginning, especially the Italians, who did not show themselves convincingly in the war. Had it not been for the coercion from Germany, the French would not even have surrendered to Italy!

"Captain! Captain Plant! The sailors shouted the names of the officers on duty, and after a while a tall officer appeared on the bridge.

"It's the Joint Observer Mission!" The sailor said, pointing to the pier.

"Joint Observer Mission? What are they doing now? That's the Naval Gendarmerie! The captain said as he walked down the ladder, his shoes clattering on the steel staircase.

"No, sir, it must be the Joint Observer Group! Some of them walked in the German style, some of them walked in the characteristic steps of the Italians, and at the back were the French soldiers! The sailor said as he stood by the railing near the gangway.

"You can see that!" The officer quickly walked to the deck, and by this time the group had already reached the bottom of the gangway.

"We are the 5th detachment of the Joint Observation Mission, and we have come to inspect on the orders of our superiors, and here is the inspection notice!" The officer spoke French with a northern accent and held a blank piece of paper in his hand.

"Alright, come on!" The officer on duty with the rank of captain responded.

"Do you want to notify the vigilant team on duty?" The sailors cautiously reminded that according to the rules of duty on the ship, in addition to the officers and sentries on duty, some combatants were usually assigned to serve as overall guards.

The captain thought for a moment and made a decision that he regretted for the rest of his life: "No need, they should just come!" With our people inside, don't worry! ”