When Falkenhein, Chentian and others came to the forward position of the 3rd Army, many soldiers were standing and sitting in the muddy trenches, and it was their duty to stick to their posts, and it was their style to not be afraid of dirt or hardship. Although it was not the first time to see such a scene, Chen Tian was still proud and proud of these simple and brave German soldiers, in terms of the quality of the soldiers, they were absolutely world-class, which I am afraid even their opponents had to admit.

Seeing the arrival of this group of senior generals, the German soldiers stood up and saluted. It seems that the French were the first to take the lead, and Chen Tian found that now both armies liked to dig deep trenches, and the front-line soldiers lived in "cave" barracks dug underground, built of wood and covered with a thick layer of earth, where they might be able to escape the heat in the summer, but it was more humid in the autumn when there was more rain. It was the first rainy season after the war, and it seemed that the soldiers had not yet developed a mood of complaining, and everyone had a relaxed and natural smile on their faces.

Falkenhein and Chentian took the lead to walk down the trench, the bottom of the trench was not past the bare water and sparse mud, only a few steps these generals shiny boots became dirty, the soldiers seemed to be restrained, some people didn't seem to know what posture to put on except salute, and Chentian and the others also kept saluting.

The group stopped at a "hole", which was a typical "cave" on the Western Front, Falkenhayn hesitated for a moment, and did not get into this doorway less than a person high, Chen Tian had seen this kind of barracks in photos and movies, he remembered that it was Chaplin's movie, and when it rained heavily, Chaplin's barracks was flooded, and those soldiers slept on beds soaked in water. That scene is very funny, but it is very sad to recall.

Chen Tian took a look inside, but still got in. There was a black hole inside, and there was an unpleasant smell of sweat and feet, until a soldier lit a kerosene lamp, and Chen was able to see the layout clearly. There is not much space here, about 10 square meters, except for a few simple beds, only some tools that the soldiers carry with them, such as guns, shovels, kettles and metal bowls, etc., although the bedding on the bed is neatly folded, but Chen Tian feels that the quilt must be wet and cold, how many opportunities can there be to dry the quilt on the battlefield?

"When it rains, does it get water inside?" Chen Tian asked the soldier with the kerosene lamp, he was obviously nervous, and he stammered a little.

"Report, here...... The water doesn't rise because it doesn't seem to rain enough since we got here! ”

Chen Tian nodded, the longer the war drags on, the only people who suffer are these poor soldiers and the people who are on a diet in the country, if it is winter, the soldiers will be even more difficult.

Compared with these German soldiers, the French soldiers in Plymouth Harbour lived a much more comfortable life, they did not have to leave the port for several weeks in a row, they could dry their quilts when there was sun, or get together to play cards and chat, and they received the allowance of the British on time every month, and no one minded whether it was the franc or the pound in their hand, which was the hardest currency at this time. On weekends, they can also head to the docks in droves, get drunk and find a British chick, or try their luck at the casino.

At this time, the German planes that took off from France could not fly here, only the German airships flew from time to time to drop a few bombs, but the accuracy of the high-altitude bombs was so low that later the British and French battleships did not hide, and the German airships did not change to carry some more affordable things, such as food or fuel. The only thing that made these sailors angry was that those airships poured down some excrement in buckets from time to time, and when those smelly things approached the battleship, most of them scattered into a piece of water droplets, and a large area was sprinkled on the deck or bridge of the battleship. Now the greatest wish of these sailors is to stuff the dung into the cannons, and then shoot them to Germany, and greet the German airship crews who do not know what they have eaten.

But with the French government announcing armistice negotiations with Germany, this atmosphere of boredom disappeared almost overnight. The news of the imminent surrender of the French government had spread throughout the port, and although the British had not made any unusual moves for the time being, almost all the British looked at these French sailors and French warships with a strange look. The British battleships had changed berths intentionally or unintentionally, all the French battleships were surrounded by British battleships, and there seemed to be many more British torpedo boat patrols at the outlet of the harbor, and even the artillery from the nearby forts was keeping an eye on them. What is even more exaggerated is that the French sailors who have gone ashore on vacation in recent days have actually found themselves unable to take English chicks, and it seems that British prostitutes have also become out-and-out patriots.

Since Admiral Lamet led the main force of the French fleet and was annihilated by the German fleet, the dominance of the combined Anglo-French fleet returned to the side of the French, and at every regular meeting, the British still did not take the French seriously, and the temporary commander of the French fleet, Rear Admiral Tuom, was helpless about it.

In the conference room of the French battleship "Langon", the captains of the remaining 7 battleships, 2 cruisers and 12 destroyers of the French fleet gathered. The British were very worried about this regular internal meeting of the French captains, but they could not do anything with the French until the French government formally surrendered.

"In fact, we are now under the watchful eye of the British, and I am afraid that as soon as our government announces its surrender, they will rush up and disarm us!"

The captain of the battleship "Osh" said worriedly, and the others also responded one after another.

"Yes! The British battleships were all on alert, and I thought that their guns and torpedoes could be fired at us at any moment, which was simply too much! ”

"At least we are still allies in name, and it's rude to do that! Besides, even if we really surrender to France, they have no right to detain us! ”

"We can't stay here anymore! We should return to the French port immediately! ”

Rear Admiral Tuoum listened silently to the other captains, who, like most French sailors, hated the Germans who started the war, but also disliked the British, with whom they had a feud, and France would not have come together with Britain had it not been for the threat of the German-Austrian alliance. If France did surrender, the French navy would no longer have to regard the British as its allies, and although they would not have opened fire on the British, they would not have been willing to be captured by the British.

The French captains eventually agreed that they should leave Plymouth Harbour and return to France before the French government announced its surrender, and all eyes were on Rear Admiral Tuom.

Tuom took a deep breath, it was time to make a decision, and he jerked to his feet, "Then, for the sake of the motherland, for the sake of freedom, rush out of this damn British military port!" After everyone returns to their respective ships, they must prepare quietly, and all activities on the ships will continue as usual, but today the soldiers will not be allowed to go ashore! With the 'Langgong' as the flagship, we started the operation at 12 o'clock in the evening! No matter how much the British try to stop us, we must return to France! ”

"Back to France!"

"Long live freedom!"

The harbour at sunset was an intoxicating sight, and Lord Fisher looked silently at the sinking sun by one of the windows of the harbour, a sight that reminded him of the fate of the entire British Empire, and his heart was suddenly desolate.

Then there was a steady sound of footsteps behind him, and after a snap of a straight upright, the officer behind him reported:

"Report to the Lord, the French have not behaved unusually after today's regular internal meeting!"

"Humph! The French are not stupid either, they know very well what will happen to them after the surrender of France! Continued vigilance, and, how is the progress of the minelaying outside the port? ”

"Our destroyers have sealed off the passage of the original minefield outside the harbor with anchor mines, and even our own warships will not be able to get out until a passage is swept out again with minesweepers!"

The Lord looked satisfied, his fleet had no need to leave the port anytime soon. After losing two armed convoys in a row, British shipping in the Atlantic had been adjusted to the way a single freighter slipped through the German blockade line at night, and British freighter losses were already decreasing month by month, because there were fewer and fewer British freighters. Britain is now more and more dependent on neutral freighters, but the German Navy's Atlantic raid fleet is frequently active, many neutral ships have been searched by them, and even freighters carrying general cargo such as grain have been expelled by them for various reasons, and most neutral countries dare not speak out or make some weak protests.

"By the way, send me the invitation to today's dinner to those French captains! Let's see how the chefs are preparing, remember to prepare more good wines, we will have a good reunion with these French allies, maybe tomorrow we will no longer be friends! ”

Fisher said as he took out a stack of chic invitations from a drawer and handed them to the officer, no one knew when the French government had decided to surrender, and perhaps it would really be tomorrow.

"Yes! Is there anything else the Lord commands? ”

Fisher shook his head, then turned back to the window, the harbor was full of masts, and the entire Combined Fleet was quite large, but it seemed to him that they were either old British warships or French warships with different intentions. Seven French battleships, two cruisers, and 12 destroyers were anchored in the northernmost part of the harbor, while nine British battleships, 10 cruisers, 14 destroyers, and a group of patrol boats and torpedo boats were sandwiched around the French battleships.

As the British Admiralty, Fisher was well aware of the fate of these French warships after the surrender of France, and they would never stop rusting in French harbors, but would become part of the attack on Britain. The Germans had already issued a declaration of landing on the British mainland, and it seemed that this time it was not a joke, the German navy already had the advantage, and if these French warships were added, then their carrying and escorting capabilities would be even more powerful. King George had sent him a telegram suggesting that after the surrender of the French Government, the French fleet could be forcibly kept for the best use of the British, but that they could not be thrown into the arms of the Germans in any case.

Despite the preparations, Fisher was worried, as the British fleet had not been able to completely suppress the French fleet, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the event of an exchange of fire between the two sides, even with the addition of the forts in the port and the army on the docks, the British would not have much advantage. Britain's only advantage was the mine array outside the harbor.

When night fell, the whole harbor was almost dark, and in view of the fact that German airships came to reconnoiter day and night, the warships and houses here were lighted so that the Germans could not find their way. Today, Fisher's headquarters on the east side of the harbor shines alone like a lone star in the sky, and it seems that Fisher is going to make an exception for the friendship between Britain and France.

In the command room of the French battleship "Langon", Tuom sat in a chair dressed in military uniform, holding Fisher's invitation card in his hand, which indicated that the time for the appointment was soon approaching. Before that, his sailors had spotted the British redeploying mines outside the harbor, and he thought that perhaps the British were going to put on a show of "releasing their military power with a glass of wine" tonight

"General, the other captains have sent signals, do you want to go to the appointment together?" The adjutant prompted from the side.

After thinking for a while, Tuom said categorically:

"Who knows what kind of heart the British have! This banquet can not be attended, send a signal to the ships, the evening action is advanced, and all set sail immediately! The destroyers minesweep in front, and the battleships take cover in the rear! ”

As soon as the signal was sent from the "Langon", the British, who were in charge of keeping a close watch on the French fleet, learned of the plans of the French, and the sirens immediately sounded throughout the harbor. The docks soon fell into chaos, many civilians did not know what was happening, and the French sailors operating near the warship quickly untied the cables and removed the pedals as quickly as possible, and the sailors on board immediately entered their respective positions, and the ship's guns and torpedoes were ready to fire.

When the sirens sounded, Fisher knew that his hunch had been fulfilled, and all the British officers attending the banquet hurried back to their posts.

"Report to the Lord, the French have sent a signal that they are going out of port for training!"

"Joke!" Fisher snorted coldly, "Tell them that in order to prevent German submarines from breaking into the harbor, the passage of the harbor mine array has been sealed by us. Don't want to be sunk by the British mines or the shark-like German submarines outside the harbor, cancel their so-called out-of-port training! Let's get our fleet moving, and the commandos are ready to board and take control of those French battleships! ”

"Yes!"

The port of Plymouth in front of the Lord was already completely noisy, countless searchlight columns swept back and forth, French warships flying the blue, white and red tricolor flags were slowly moving towards the harbor, most of the British warships were also anchoring, and many small British ships were fearlessly blocking the French fleet's path, trying to use their petite bodies to block the big things from moving forward.

"God! The French are crazy, they're going to crash over! ”

On a British patrol boat, the sailors shouted in horror, and a few dozen meters to their right, a huge French battleship was slowly approaching. Before everyone could jump into the water, the battleship arched the British patrol boat like a pebble in front of it, and the other French ships passed past the capsized British patrol boat one after another.

"Signal! If they don't stop, we'll open fire! ”

On a British armored battleship approaching the French fleet, the captain gave the order to his own signalman.

Soon, the captain got a reply from the French: get out of the way and cool off! We are still your **** allies!

The British captain was stunned, the French were right, as long as the French government did not sign the surrender agreement for a day, Britain and France would still be allies, although everyone on earth knew that the French government would surrender soon.

"No ship is allowed to enter the channel now, or it will be sunk!" The British Fortress signaled.

"No object shall prevent the fleet of the French Republic from leaving the port, otherwise it will be destroyed!" The French battleships were-for-tat.

Eventually, the French ships began to enter the channel one by one, and large groups of British ships converged on the channel. Several British battleships carrying assault teams drove up to the French battleships that had stopped and waited to leave the port, and tried to use the pedals to board the French battleships from the side of the ship, and the French sailors with rifles on the opposite side did not give an inch, and the two sides confronted each other with guns across the pedals.

"Go back! British! "The French sailors shouted loudly in French with rifles in hand.

"Lay down your arms! French! The British soldiers shouted in English as they aimed at each other, and several of the soldiers who climbed onto the pedals were unable to advance or retreat.

As both sides pulled the bolts, the smell of this confrontation became even stronger, and the machine guns and machine guns on both sides also joined the confrontation.

Looking at the farce scene in the harbor, Lord Fisher, who was watching the battle from a distance, did not give the order to open fire. If the French government had surrendered, then firing at the French fleet would have been met with some moral condemnation, but now that France was still in the midst of negotiations, firing would have been held accountable for breaking the Covenant.

"Messenger, send a message to the king and ask if our troops are firing or not!" Fisher decided to kick the ball to King George, after all, what he had said in his previous telegram was premised on the French government's announcement of surrender.

Rumble......

With a loud noise in the distance, Fisher's heart became uneasy, could it be that the two sides couldn't restrain themselves from having an exchange of fire? However, the actual situation was not as serious as he thought, and the explosion came from the direction of the port, but there was no explosion on the warships of the two countries near the fairway.

"Mine Array!"

It turned out that the first few French destroyers to leave the channel hurriedly began to clear mines, and the "Steel Plate" unfortunately hit a mine and exploded, killing half of the ship's 96 French sailors on the spot.

"It's getting more and more complicated!" Fisher lamented.

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