The news of Italy's declaration of war on Britain and France was a blow to French Prime Minister Renaud.

Although before the outbreak of the war, there were all kinds of jokes about the Italian army widely circulated in Europe, such as the fact that it only took 5 divisions to defeat Italy, and as an ally, it was necessary to use 20 divisions to protect it, but in the hearts of the high-ranking authorities in various countries, no one in this country that had long been outside the threshold of the first-class powers could despise him. Even if Italy's strength is not as strong as that of Germany, Britain, France and Russia, it is also an industrial country with a population of 45 million and can build heavy battleships on its own.

Therefore, when the news of Italy's entry into the German camp came to announce its entry into the war, Chancellor Reynaud only felt that the world was spinning before his eyes, and at the same time a strong sense of despair welled up in his heart. The U.S. aid he had been waiting for was delayed, and another heavyweight member was added to the enemy camp. At this time, on the front line, the French army was already defeated, and the commander-in-chief Wei Gang, who had nothing in his hands, had no way to cook without rice, and giving up defending Paris became the only option!

In addition to the pain caused by the strategic and military fiasco, Renault also sadly found that he was about to sit still as prime minister. With Petain's entry into the cabinet, the hard-line French government, which had been united in the main war, was quietly divided at some point - the French marshal gathered around him a large number of powerful officials represented by Wei Gangand, and they all advocated suing for peace with Germany as soon as possible to avoid another unjustified catastrophe for the country and its people. Originally, Renault just wanted the respected Petain to reunite people's hearts, but he didn't expect that this move would lay a curse for himself.

In addition, Reival, a political tycoon who once served as the prime minister of France, also raised a group of people to cheer for him. Reival's attitude was even more radical than that of the Lord-Peacer leader Petain: he declared that France should not only make immediate peace with Germany, but also that it must defect and fight Britain without mercy. In order for Germany to overcome the English Channel trenches, Reival also claimed that the French navy should be provided to Germany as an instrument of aggression. In this way, France was able to use this credit to preserve its native provinces and gain more national interests after the war.

In the face of an unprecedented split within the government, Renault appointed De Gaulle, a young general, as deputy secretary of defense to strengthen the voice of the main battle in the cabinet, and on the other hand, sent a telegram to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, inviting him to come to Tours to discuss the situation. With the defeat of the French army on the front line, Renault's rhetoric is no longer in vain, so he can only hope that Churchill will bring good news to help him regain power.

Fighter planes neighed and escorted a bloodshot Churchill to land on the runway near Tours, the third time in a month that Churchill had flown to France. Although Churchill was exhausted by the affairs of Britain, the political situation in France was more concerned with him. If France could not hold out on to resistance, it would be tantamount to a broken arm for Britain. In the future, Britain will only have to rely on the power of an isolated island to fight head-on with Germany, which occupies the whole of Europe!

When Churchill stepped off the plane, he found that the atmosphere was very different. There were not many French people present, and all of them had cold faces, and even the car connecting him was late. It seems that the French no longer want to walk side by side with Britain as an ally. A palpable sense of alienation emanated from the French officials who had come to greet him, causing Churchill's brow to furrow deeply.

The car travels through the woods and eventually arrives at an old and dilapidated country house, where Churchill meets the French elite led by Renault again. Compared with ten days ago, Reynolds's complexion was obviously much decayed, while Petain stared at the Englishmen from afar with a wary eye, not at all as obscure as before, but with a subtle and sharp aura. Churchill's heart sank when he saw this, he didn't expect Renault to decline to such a point in the government, but now it seems that it is Petain who has the right to speak in the French government!

In the face of Petain and others, who were not kind to their eyes, Churchill, who was unwilling to return home, struggled to make a last stand. He questioned why the French government did not fight a stubborn defense of Paris, and if it could resist house by house in the big cities, it would have a great destructive effect on the invading army. To move Petain, Churchill also recalls the hard nights they spent in Beauvais' train in 1918 during the crushing defeat of the British 5th Army; Churchill reminded Petain of what Clemenceau, the "tiger prime minister" who led France to victory in World War I, said: "I decided to fight in front of Paris, in the city of Paris, and in the back of Paris." ”

However, even with Churchill's impassioned and monetous fighting rhetoric, Petain remained indifferent. Petain, who was born as a commander-in-chief, knew that the current war situation was no longer possible, and Churchill's purely civilian rhetoric could not impress him at all. When Churchill was dry-mouthed, Petain finally spoke in a slightly sarcastic tone: "Mr. Prime Minister, what you say is absolutely right. It was only in 1918 that I could mobilize 60 French divisions, 60 British divisions, and 60 American divisions at any time. But now, where are my troops? ”

"Can your country use all the air forces left on the island to support us? Can your country send 30 divisions within this month, no, even 10 divisions to the front to share the pressure on us? Can you get the United States to send troops to war immediately, at least to send their Army Air Corps here? ......" Petain asked abruptly, raising his voice like a cannon. Churchill was stunned by the stormy words, and could not speak for a long time. Although he himself is not familiar with military affairs, he also knows that none of these 3 articles can be taken out by the British at present!

"Yes, your country can't. None of them can promise us. With a faint sneer on his lips, Petain answered straight for Churchill. Ignoring Prime Minister Reynold's pale face, he continued to speak on behalf of the French high-ranking people in the room: "France is by no means cowardly and selfish, unwilling to fight and die for the cause of the allies. On the contrary, the French military and civilians have made great sacrifices in the land war to this day, and more than 90% of the pain of the war has fallen on us, and countless villages, fields, and houses have been reduced to a scorched earth. However, we have never been able to get the help we deserve. ”

Petain stared at Churchill's eyes, ruthlessly tore off the veil of warmth, and said coldly: "Your country has a population of 48 million more than ours, but in the past six months, you have only sent a total of 12 divisions to help the Fa. Now there are only 2 divisions left in your army that are still fighting, but you are asking us to continue to fight to the death with Germany? Is this how your country treats its allies? What's more, now we have no way to resist the German attack, and even if Paris is reduced to ashes, it will not change the final result. Unless your country can provide sufficient military assistance to fend off the German advance, the French government will have to call for an armistice. ”

Churchill was speechless, he never imagined that he would receive such a result from his visit to France today. As the second-in-command of the French government, Petain directly had a showdown with him, and the momentum of everyone present was taken away by him. Churchill did not give up and set his eyes on Prime Minister Renault, who invited him to visit, but saw Renault's face defeated and he lost his lustre. Seeing this scene, Churchill was in heavy pain in his heart: his failure to make a commitment on the issue of US aid just now was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the main battle faction headed by Renault!

Seeing that Petain and others had made up their minds to surrender, Churchill was extremely sad and angry. He took a deep breath, his eyes gradually showing a resolute look, and said, "Okay." If the French government thinks that the cause of the Central Powers has failed, and that the best thing for the time being is for its land forces to surrender, then there is no need hesitate for us. Because no matter what you do, we will fight forever, forever, forever. ”

Renault's body trembled slightly, as if he was extremely shocked and admired by Churchill's determination to fight, but Petain did not even raise his eyelids, and ignored the opponent's battle declaration. As the saying goes, Churchill's generous statements did not solve the real problems at all, and Petain had lost any interest in the talks.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I have one more request." Wei Gang, the commander-in-chief of the French army, who had been silent beside him, slowly spoke, and the words he said made Churchill's face become angry and disappointed again, "We hope that your country will gather a bomber formation in Marseille and abandon the implementation of the established plan to bomb the industrial areas of Milan and Turin in Italy. Because if you do this, you will inevitably suffer reciprocal retaliation from Italy against the cities of southern France, which I cannot bear. Wei Gang's tone was more tactful, but the meaning of the expression was already very clear: you British people dropped bombs and slapped their butts and flashed people, and it was not us French who suffered the anger of the enemy in the end!

"I will order General Balat to evacuate from Marseille airport. But before that, I ask your country to make a commitment. Churchill did not look at Petain and the likes of Weygand again, but fixed his eyes on Darlan, who was dressed in a dark blue uniform, and said, "I hope that your navy will not be used by the Axis under any circumstances." ”

Although there were at least five men in the room who could restrain Darlan in terms of authority, the admiral smiled confidently and said categorically: "The glorious French navy will never surrender." If Germany had asked for the French Navy, then I would rather have the fleet sailed to Canada than to Hitler. Looking at Petain, who looked a little ugly, Darlan did not feel any pressure - Petain must rely on his full support if he wants to secure the position of chancellor in the future.

Churchill nodded slowly, his face slightly darkened. He took one last look at the Frenchman in the room, then turned and walked out the door.