Trickling rain trickled down the eaves, shrouding the government buildings in Paris in a hazy gloom.

The thin old man walked slowly from the sedan to the front entrance of the building, and the two guards immediately saluted him with their bodies straight, their eyes surging with admiration and worship. Today, almost all the legendary generals who were awarded the title of Marshal of France have withered, and only the famous "Savior of Versailles" is still alive and active in the French power arena as a politician.

"Your Excellency Pétain, we haven't seen each other for several years." Wei Gang, who was wearing a general's uniform, stood at the door, looking at the old man with a look of joy in his eyes, "This time you joined the wartime cabinet as a deputy prime minister, you will definitely be able to clean up the current bad domestic situation and lead France through the current difficulties." ”

The old man, who was known as Petain, smiled politely, but there was no joy in his thin face, and he spoke slowly: "The country is in trouble, and it is my duty as the marshal of France. This time, His Excellency the President has recalled me from Spain, and I can only do my best to carry out my future mission. However, General Weygand, the greatest difficulty for France now is military defeat. Compared to me, an old cabinet member who has just returned from the embassy, you, as the commander-in-chief of the army, are the key to saving the fate of France. ”

"Do you think there is any hope for today's battle, Your Excellency Petain?" Wei Gang's expression became sad and desolate, and he spoke in pain. Petain's face was heavy: "I have just returned to the country, and I only know that we have lost 2 army groups on the northern front, as well as the entire army of England and Belgium. As for the next operation, I have not yet received a corresponding report. But since you say so, I don't have any doubts about the future. ”

"In fact, the situation is likely to be even more serious than Your Excellency thought." Wei Gang walked slowly alongside Petain, and said in a low voice, "After the battle on the border, I now have only 66 divisions left in my hands; At the same time, 6 divisions had to be divided to defend Italy, and 11 fortress divisions were stationed in the Maginot Line, and only 49 divisions could actually be put into battle. As for the 2 divisions of the British, they are not worth mentioning at all. What I need to defend is a 500-kilometre defensive line that is too fragile for even a strong reserve to retain. ”

Petain stopped with a shocked expression, and looked at Wei Gang with disbelief in his eyes; With his lifelong experience of war, he instantly understood how difficult Wei Gang's current situation was, which could be compared to despair. The density of the forces on this line was not even a quarter of that of the last war, and the 30 divisions of the French army, which were the best equipped and most well-manned, were all lost in Belgium, and the vast majority of the remaining divisions were now second-rate divisions, and the pressure on the front line was even more overwhelming. I am afraid that as soon as the battle starts, this defense line will immediately become leaky everywhere, and it will soon be completely defeated in the face of the German offensive torrent!

Wei Gang looked bitter and continued: "According to the exact information we have, Germany can put a total of 140 divisions on the Western Front, of which 10 are armored divisions. Their main infantry force also suffered very few losses in the previous 3 weeks of fighting. If our army can survive the next three months, it will be God's mercy, and the worst result will be that before autumn comes, our army's organized resistance will be completely wiped out by the Germans. ”

Pétain was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Since this is the case, how much point does it make us to persist in resisting?" Wei Gang shook his head, his gaze revealing a bit of firmness: "I understand that continuing to fight will not change the final outcome. But France could not just surrender. Even if you fail, you will be stabbed in the chest with glory on the battlefield. This final battle is a matter of national dignity and honor, and I firmly believe that every French soldier will do it. ”

Petain did not say anything more, but silently quickened his way to the meeting room. After the confession of the current army commander Wei Gang, Petain was left with only one thought in his mind at this moment: how to achieve peace with Germany.

As a result of the defeat on the front-line battlefield, the full cabinet meetings of the French authorities have been held again and again in recent times. When Petain walked into the venue, he saw many familiar faces, led by Prime Minister Renault. Petain only glanced coldly at these liberal politicians who were at odds with his fate and had previously exiled him to Spain, but there was one person who made his pupils constrict: Winston Churchill, the current Prime Minister of Britain.

At this moment, Churchill, who was sitting side by side with Renault, did not show the slightest shame in front of his allies that he had secretly ordered the British Expeditionary Force to abandon his teammates and flee for their lives. His fat face was radiant, as if he was about to usher in victory. Seeing the arrival of the personnel, Churchill immediately said with a cheerful expression: "Gentlemen, we have no need to worry about the fate of the future. The United States has been enraged by recent events, and even if they are not at war, they will soon come to our aid. The Allies now urgently need to deal with all external enemies without flinching. ……”

Hearing Churchill's hopeful words, French Prime Minister Renaud, who was originally sad and melancholy, gradually became excited. He was pleasantly surprised by the signal that the United States was about to enter the war. If France can survive the coming period, the United States, with its unrivaled industrial capacity and hundreds of millions of people, will become an unparalleled reinforcement from the allies. You know, 22 years ago, France won the war in this way!

Prime Minister Reynold's optimistic speech was like a stimulant, infecting all the civil servants present. Their emotions suddenly soared, and the gloomy atmosphere before was swept away. Many even talked about the way to victory, as if there were currently 140 divisions in France and 66 divisions in Germany, rather than the other way around. Petain, who sat in the second seat, watched the clumsy performance of this group of corpse politicians with a cold eye, and his heart was full of contempt and sadness - it was this impetuous and incompetent straw bag that stole the high position of power, which made France have today's catastrophe.

Anyone who has studied the other side of the ocean will see that Churchill's remark that "the Americans have been provoked" is complete nonsense. At present, although the newspapers and media in the United States have been staring at the European war and constantly following up, the American people and the capitalist class have no intention of personally ending the war -- Britain and France have pitted the United States so badly, costing tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives in vain, but they have gained nothing in the reconstruction of the new order after the war, and now they want the United States to be the living Lei Feng to help Britain and France get rid of the fire.

In addition, the United States lacks the corresponding strategic and economic conditions to stand out for Britain and France. If the United States declares war on Germany, it will not only face the German army and navy, which are extremely strong, but will also be able to reap the superficial friendship between Britain and France, two old bandits with criminal records. And if the United States sits idly by and watches Britain and France defeated, it can take Canada in the north, Malaysia and Dutch India in the west, and even mix in Africa in the east, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it will make a lot of money. How many people can resist this temptation of immediate benefits?

If we go deeper, there is even a bit of a disconnected relationship between Wall Street and Hitler at this moment. The start-up funds for the rearmament of Hitler in the first few years of his presidency were borrowed from the American asset giants who had only gold in their eyes. Although Hitler then brazenly went it alone to get out of control and thus formed a grudge with Wall Street, but now that Germany is about to become the hegemon of Europe, there are countless business opportunities waiting to be discovered after the war, and those greedy capitalists are very likely to reunite with them even if they understand that the opposite side is a demon!

Taking 10,000 steps back, even if the Americans really suddenly had their heads caught in the door and wanted to fight Hitler to the death with the hatred of killing their father, it would be far from quenching their thirst for France. Germany's 140 divisions were at hand, and the 100,000-strong National Guard of the United States would have to expand into an army and go to Europe to fight in at least half a year later. By the time the United States had mobilized to Europe, France would have already become a corpse, and Britain would have died because it could not resist the German front, so how could it be victorious?

"Democracies can only produce the same incompetent waste as these people. Only power can save France from an even greater catastrophe! Petain made up his mind and had the clearest choice of his future path. With his connections and prestige, it is entirely possible to take advantage of the defeat at the front line to bring down Renault's cabinet in the future, and then he, the deputy prime minister, will have a great probability of succeeding in becoming the new leader of France.

Although he, the chancellor, will inevitably be infamous for surrendering to Germany, because he returned to power after the defeat was certain, Petain could effortlessly pin all the of the defeat on the former civilian government headed by Renault, and exonerate himself to the greatest extent. With the support of the military, Pétain was able to retain power after the war, without fear of being ousted by other politicians in a few months' time, as the previous chancellor did. The leader of the defeated country, who was also the leader, something called ambition and power began to grow in Petain's heart, and eventually formed a cocoon, firmly enclosing his heart.

"The Army should not have any objection to my assumption of power. After that, it is only necessary to win over Darlan of the navy, and the future of France will be led by me. Petain's heart was also a little hot, and he thought to himself. Looking at the cabinet members in front of him who were talking and singing peace with each other, Pétain suddenly sighed with emotion: he has been in politics for more than ten years after retiring, and today he finally has the opportunity to turn over and end these ridiculous and incompetent politicians and clerks.