When the gunfire approached, President Puenga and Prime Minister Clemenceau stood up and shook hands with the cabinet members, generals and staff present, and said some words of relief, which can be regarded as affirmation and gratitude to them for following the government.

"It's all over! From now on, whether you retire from politics or work for the Germans, I only want you to remember that our souls are free and our French spirit will never die! ”

When Puenga gave this final speech, her eyes glistened with tears, and the people around her were also affected by this atmosphere, and their eyes were red and emotionally sad.

Just one day earlier, at the instigation of the German government, King Alfonso XIII of Spain had decided to experience a winner's experience. Thus, Spain declared war on France.

It was the long-awaited declaration of war by the Germans, and the last and deadliest sword to the French. On the night of the declaration of war by Spain, about 8,000 German mountain troops crossed the Pyrenees from the Spanish border and, with the cooperation of Spanish troops, attacked Mias, the seat of the French Provisional Government.

In the face of the sudden and fierce attack of the German elite mountain troops, the few French ** teams fought very tenaciously and heroically, but this did nothing to save the dying fate of France. By noon the next day, Mias fell, and French President Poenga, Prime Minister Clemenceau, and most of the cabinet members became prisoners of the German army.

The last shred of French hope for freedom was finally shattered at this moment.

Subsequently, the puppet government of Dechenel in northern France declared full authority to take over the southern territories and demanded that all French citizens cooperate with all German actions in France, and that any resistance would be judged and severely punished as traitors.

On April 29, the Kaiser and his entourage arrived in Marseille, the largest port in southern France.

Marseille was one of the busiest port cities in Europe, and since the early 19th century, it has been the third largest port in Europe after London and Liverpool, and was one of the world's most important commercial ports and trading centers until the war. Surrounded on three sides by limestone hills, it has a beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate, bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast. The water is deep and the harbor is wide, there are no dangerous shoals and rapids, and the 10,000-ton ship can be unimpeded, and it is famous for its oil processing and ship repair industry.

In the 1914 war, Marseille was not attacked by artillery fire, but shipping and trade were greatly reduced due to the war, and the port was full of mines deployed by the Germans, although these mines have been gradually cleared, but the wreckage of the ships that remain under the water forever and the unbearable memories still make the passing crew feel uneasy.

This time. The Germans had been planning to invade France again, and on the first day of the war, the powerful German Mediterranean Fleet blockaded the main ports of southern France, and Toulon, a military port, was heavily shelled by German warships. Fortunately, the port of Marseille was not anchored with French warships at that time, and this beautiful port was preserved intact.

Under the fresh breeze of the Mediterranean, Chen Tian and his party quickly forgot the tiredness on their bodies. As soon as the German rulers heard the name of Notre-Dame de Marseille Jurdes, they drove to the Old Port of Marseille, a 16th-century Roman-Byzantine building on the hilltop to the left of the quay of Rivonawo.

From afar, Chen Tian and his entourage saw the towering bell tower of the church. The absolute height of the mountain is not very high, only a little more than 160 meters. But it is enough to overlook the whole city and the port, and overlook the calm and rich Mediterranean Sea in the distance.

Come to the waterfront square in front of the church. The most spectacular and magnificent view of Marseille is unobstructed in the eyes of Chentian.

Two days ago, the port of Marseille had just announced the resumption of navigation, but when Chentian came here. There were not many ships in the harbor, the most conspicuous were the few German warships flying the flag of the Black Vulture Navy.

When the prosperity of the past is gone, this beautiful port has a little more tranquil beauty.

Looking back, the statue of the Virgin Mary on the spire of the church is 10 meters high, golden and solemn; The vast canopy of heaven above the head of the Virgin Mary is cloudless, and it seems that the grace of God is vast and rich.

Facing the sea, Chen Tian felt full of pride in his chest, and he could guide the country and retreat. But looking back, his state of mind is as still as water, and all fame and fortune in the world have become a thing of the past.

"Marseille! Marseilles! For the Germans, it means a port full of business opportunities and wealth, but for the French, it means the Marseillaise, it means fighting, it means the pursuit of freedom.

After thinking about it for a long time. Chen Tian summoned the attendant, "From today onwards, this place will be renamed Victory Harbor!" ”

Several French officials present at the scene had different expressions on their faces, but they did not dare to raise the slightest objection.

Chen Tian turned around and looked at these Frenchmen who didn't even dare to look at him, "Forget the name Marseille!" From now on, it will be Germany's largest commercial port outside of its own territory! ”

"Yes! Be! "The French resigned themselves to the opposition, and they lost without reproach, and not only in the war.

Chen Tian glanced at them with disdain, turned and walked into the Notre Dame.

Inside, Notre-Dame is a bright orange fire, with countless marble arches and columns still tinged with ochre-red zebra stripes. The interior dome and interior walls of Notre-Dame Cathedral are all brilliant colors like sunset gold, coupled with the wonderful stripes and tireless decorations, it looks a bit like the underground tomb of the Egyptian pharaohs, with gold and silver piled everywhere, a grand and lonely pomp.

There are not many monks in the church, but they have practiced here all their lives, and there is a famous statue of Our Lady of Marseille, which is visited by many faithful every year. In addition, one of the features of the Notre-Dame Cathedral is the collection of thanksgiving plaques, especially the thanksgiving plaques dedicated by sailors and the model ship praying for safe sailing.

In the innermost part of Notre-Dame Cathedral there are two statues of Our Lady of the Guardian holding the Son Jesus, one is a silver statue standing high above the red main altar, surrounded by a vine of candelabras and arched angels; Another statue of the Virgin is in the cellar below, petite with distinct features, wearing a golden crown and a white dress, holding the Son in one hand and flowers in the other. Beneath the edge of the Virgin's parted hair were slender eyebrows like sketches, misty gray-blue eyes, and an ancient well that stood still for a long time. There are also two statues of Jesus in Notre-Dame: the crucifixion Jesus and the dying Jesus. The gloomy bloodstains, the scattered crown of wattles, the filthy and torn robes, and the dying fatigue all do not conform to the expectations of people's minds. The statue lying on its side, with its left hand on its heart, its right hand next to its thin ribs, and its lips slightly opened when it was dying.

Standing in this place, Chen Tian closed his eyes and lightly crossed his chest. Although born into a Christian Protestant family, he himself was not a true religious believer. He respected the Church and both recognized and admired its skill in exercising power and ruling over the masses, but he never wanted the Church's influence to be too strong. For these reasons, he viewed the religious communities in Germany on the principle of "granting freedom to the Church without endangering national security or interfering with state policy" and tried to propagate the Great Germanic spirit he advocated through the Church.

In the afternoon, Chen Tian and his entourage came to the Boulevard de Canubiales and the Champ Palace in the downtown area of Marseille, and inspected the two German divisions that were the first to enter Marseille.

The next day, Chentian inspected the warships of the 2nd Detachment of the German Mediterranean Fleet in the port of Marseille, and then boarded the battlecruiser "Goeben" and set off for Africa, the first stop of which would be Tunisia, the first fortress in North Africa.

Although Chen Tian left France, the situation in France is still developing according to his vision.

On 2 May, the "Fourth" Republic of France was proclaimed, and de Chanell became the new prime minister, almost the same as the puppet government in the north.

On the same day, the German government signed the "Franco-German Friendship Treaty" with the Deschanel government, which claimed that Germany and France would "coexist in friendship and mutual assistance for generations" after the conflict was over, and that all war reparations owed by France would be "tolerant" and forgiven.

Behind such a "treaty of friendship", the French lost all diplomatic, military and economic autonomy, and the remaining political freedoms were relative. Germany will establish military bases throughout France, occupy the strategically important ports of Brest, Lorient, Marseille, and Toulon, as well as major mining areas including iron mines, coal mines, and bauxite, and station supervisors in large and medium-sized French factories; France pays the German government up to 2 billion francs a month in the "cost of the occupation forces", and a large part of these costs will be used by the German government to buy the products of French factories at low prices. In addition, in the German government's plan, German capital will gradually penetrate into various industries in France, and eventually achieve the goal of completely controlling the French economy and plundering a large number of French resources.

After the signing of the "German-French Friendship Treaty", Chen Tian was finally satisfied with Germany's actions on the Western Front, as long as this treaty continued to be in force, France would no longer have a chance to reflexively, and France's economic and industrial potential would also be used by Germany.

Looking at his eastern front, although the Russian threat has not been completely eliminated, Chen Tian does not plan to use troops on the western front in the short term. The military industry of Bohemia, the resources of Hungary and Turkey, and the industry of Austria greatly increased the strength of Germany. Within a decade, Germany would have used a fictitious "Hindenburg Line" to contain Russia, with a reliable barrier from Bohemia, Hungary, Turkey, and the Russian Revolutionary Party on the Eastern Front.

Following the obvious results of the "Germanization of Germany", Chentian shifted the focus of domestic affairs to domestic construction and the exciting and controversial concept of "European integration". Obviously, with Germany's current economic strength, there is still no heat for a head-on confrontation with the United States, but the conflict of interests between Germany and the United States in the Americas has gradually become a political and economic antagonism between the two countries, as expected.

In the best cabin of the "Goeben", Chen Tian wrote the following string of words on a piece of paper:

Customs Union! Free market! Euro!