The sun is shining, the white clouds are flying, and in front of the Place de la Bastille in the east of Paris, countless French citizens have stopped to gather here, waiting for the announcement of the new government of their country. It's just that, compared to any previous listening to the radio, the style of painting around the square has undergone a fundamental change today. A huge red background flag hangs down from the top of the central bronze pillar like a curtain, arrogantly proclaiming its existence to the French; Nearly 100 German soldiers chatted and laughed around the square, completely treating it as their backyard.

"Damn German filthy beasts, you won't be in Paris for long!" A young man from a university gritted his teeth in the crowd, his eyes full of hatred and hatred. As a symbol of the French people's resistance to tyranny and tyranny, this square built on the site of the Bastille is undoubtedly the proud totem of French civilization, but at this time it was defiled by the barbaric and ugly German flag, and the piercing scarlet red was like a sharp blade in his heart. The young man clenched his fists and looked forward to it as if he was cheering himself up: "It must be the declaration of the Bordeaux government's counteroffensive, the mighty French army will soon recover Paris and kill all the German bandits!" ”

Hearing the words of the young man, the citizens next to him couldn't help but show hope. Although Paris is now in German hands, it has only been more than five weeks since the outbreak of the war on the Western Front; If the French army had been completely defeated so quickly, countless French people would have subconsciously refused to admit this absurd situation. Therefore, the most likely scenario for the current fall of Paris is that the French army voluntarily chooses to give up because of the need for strategic retreat. When the French army has regrouped, it will launch a powerful counterattack in the direction of Paris.

In the slightly restless atmosphere, the corners of a middle-aged man next to him twitched slightly, and his eyes were full of ridicule and disdain when he looked at the young man. The ignorant students in the ivory towers were so young that they were ridiculously naïve, including a bunch of fools: they did not want to think how the Germans could allow the radio to be broadcast normally if what was about to be announced was really the French government's call to fight. In the present situation, the message conveyed in public can only be beneficial to Germany, as evidenced by the dozens of calm German soldiers next to the square!

As for whether the French army can retake Paris, the middle-aged man has not seen the slightest clue until now. Because if the French could threaten the old capital now, the atmosphere in Paris would not be as relaxed as it is now, when the Germans would inevitably fortify the city and impose militarized and repressive rule on its inhabitants. You know, only the French would be reluctant to let Paris suffer from the flames of war, and the Germans would not have any pressure to destroy it!

The cacophony of mechanical sounds of "......" sounded over the radio, quickly quieting the French people in the square, who were waiting with bated breath for the upcoming government declaration. Soon, the French citizens heard a strange and old voice, its tone heavy as that of a clergyman reciting a eulogy at a funeral.

"Citizens of France, I am the new Prime Minister, Field Marshal Henripe Pétain. Now I have something important to announce to you. Early this morning, I have sent a request for an armistice to Germany, through the Spanish ambassador. As a soldier, this was an extremely painful decision. However, the situation forced me to do so. At present, only an armistice can save the soldiers and people of France from the catastrophe of destruction. ……”

Petain's low, solemn voice came slowly, hovering over the Place de la Bastille; The young man who had cursed the Germans with his teeth just now turned pale in an instant, staggered a few steps, and almost fell to the ground. His lips trembled, and he repeatedly muttered things like "this is not true" and "how could France fail", but every word Petain said on the radio was slapping him fiercely!

“…… From now on, all citizens must immediately cease hostilities against the German army. This is the best way to save your country from disaster, and it is the only way for you to keep yourself safe. In the future, we will have to rebuild our homeland, and only by living well can we contribute to the future of France. ……”

Petain's proclamation was short-lived, ending in a few minutes, but the French people were already in mourning, with cries and sobs all around. Many people cried heartbreakingly, and their red and swollen eyes couldn't stop their tears. France was really defeated in 1 month, and her proud dignity and strength had been torn to pieces, completely crumbling. Thinking of the heartiness and generosity of France in 1918, after tenacious hardship, finally embraced victory, the French heart felt a sharp pain like a pinprick: such a prosperous and glorious era dissipated as quickly as a phantom of water waves in just 22 years!

"Will you have to submit to German rule?" The mourning French people have this thought in their minds. As the hero of Verdun, the name Henrip Pétain can be said to be a household name throughout France: it was his indomitable tenacity and surging talent that saved the French army from the brink of disaster, and can be described as the Optimus Pillar on a par with Marshal Foch.

Now that even Petain is desperate for the situation, what hope does France have for it to continue? Perhaps the catastrophe of 1870 existed in the cycle of fate, and today it has befallen the French nation.

After Petain's announcement of surrender, de Gaulle, who had just been dismissed from his post as undersecretary of defense, suddenly burst into a rage, roaring and kicking the radio in front of him, his heavy breathing like that of an angry bull.

It is true that France's current resistance at home has waned, but it still has vast colonies in Africa, and with a navy that is basically intact, it can continue to fight with Germany. And now the French government is so eager to bend its knees to seek peace, it is simply a complete loss of the dignity and bottom line of a big country: Petain, who once dominated the world, seems to have long been old and cowardly, and he is no longer qualified to lead the French people to continue to move forward after turning his back on the glory of soldiers!

Seeing that the officers and soldiers around him were disheartened and there was no longer a fighting atmosphere of resistance, de Gaulle clenched his fists, and the thoughts in his heart became clearer and clearer. If France still wanted to continue the war with honor, the only way to do it was to imitate Poland by setting up a government-in-exile abroad, calling on the people at home to resist in a rally, and at the same time contacting the governors of the colonies overseas to bring these territories into the camp of resistance and reorganize the army. Under normal circumstances, this task would have been led by a high-ranking official, but now there are either capitulationists or pessimists in the French government, and none of the Gonon princes can stand up to defend the glory and dignity of the French nation.

De Gaulle's heart was surging, and his gaze gradually became firm. Although he didn't know the two patriotic poems of the ancient Oriental country, his current determination to ignore personal misfortune and honor for the sake of the country is in perfect harmony with it.

On the afternoon of June 17, de Gaulle begged his superiors to allow him to see off the British general Spears at the airport. At present, there are still nearly 20,000 British soldiers fighting on French soil, and now that France is preparing to surrender, the British will naturally have to run away so as not to be taken prisoner. In line with the idea that the two sides would get together and disperse, de Gaulle got his wish. In the evening, de Gaulle and Spears saluted goodbye on the runway, and none of the accompanying officers noticed that the two generals exchanged code words with their eyes.

When the plane started its engine and began to taxi, de Gaulle suddenly rushed towards the plane, and his legs, which were nearly 2 meters tall, caught up with the plane that had not yet completed acceleration in more than ten seconds. The people next to him were all stunned by this sudden change, and they had no idea what was happening. At this moment, the door of the plane was opened, and the figure of Spears appeared in front of the door, and he leaned over and stretched out his arm, pulling de Gaulle up like in a movie.

"General de Gaulle...... Gone on a British plane? Is he a spy sent by the British? It wasn't until the transport plane took off from the runway that several French officers reacted and shouted as if they had just woken up from a dream. Either way, they couldn't recover the plane, and could only watch as it grew smaller and smaller in the air, eventually disappearing from view. At sunset, the French looked at each other, feeling that there was nothing more absurd than this in their lives. They then reported the incident to their superiors.

The French authorities were at first unimpressed by de Gaulle's sudden departure. Because de Gaulle was only a small character who had just been promoted to brigadier general for less than half a month, and now there were hundreds of generals in the French army who had been captured by Germany, the defection of a mere brigadier general was tantamount to a drop in the ocean, and it was not worth mentioning at all. Given de Gaulle's staunch pro-British and anti-German views, the French authorities considered him to be in exile: after all, once the Germans were liquidated after the victory, none of the die-hards such as de Gaulle could avoid a long prison sentence.

However, the next day, a broadcast by the British BBC stunned Petain and others. De Gaulle, who appeared in London, had been honored by Churchill, who announced the establishment of the "Free France" organization, and solemnly called on the French military and civilians to resist the edicts of the traitorous government of Bordeaux and fight the Germans to the end for freedom and dignity. At the same time, de Gaulle also called on the French overseas colonial territories to obey his leadership and continue to raise the banner of fighting.

"What a brave and enthusiastic young man. To this day, he dared to continue to fight against Germany, and this fearless spirit made all of us feel guilty. "If it had been in 1914, he would have become a sharp sword of France piercing through the enemy, but today, he will only be devoid of bones in the violent impact of the general trend of history." ”