When the British Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax, and the Admiralty Secretary, Winston. When Churchill arrived at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge aboard the world's most powerful warship, the Hood, there were protests on a nearby pier. Protesters held homemade placards with the words written in bright red paint:

The EU, not the war;

Europeans don't fight Europeans;

Belgium did not need the British Empire.

It is clear that the Germans' "lure surrender" of Belgium had some effect. The Belgians suffered greatly from the last world war, and at the same time suffered from a severe "war phobia". Now faced with a re-emerged, aggressive German Empire that had beaten a "power" like Poland to its knees in just 12 days, the Belgians were afraid to compromise.

Moreover, the current King of Belgium, Leopold III, has lost the bravery and fortitude of his father, Albert I, who stepped up at a critical moment, informed France of William II's conspiracy, and led the Belgian people to block the guns for France, so that Britain and France won the world war.

But his son now had lost all his courage in the face of a Germany that had come back and become stronger. Of course, this generation of Belgians is just as cowardly as their king.

When they read in the newspapers that the head of the German General Staff, Field Marshal Hersmann, threatened to drop 10,000 tons of bombs a day in Paris, they thought not of justice and justice, but of the fear that these bombs would fall on Brussels and Antwerp.

So when the Germans demanded that Belgium return the reparations, cede part of the Ardennes to Luxembourg (Luxembourg joined Germany), and join the German-dominated Customs Union and the European Mark Zone, there were many people who wanted to compromise.

And when the zealous Queen of the Netherlands and the monarchs of the "group of well-willers" (on the eve of the outbreak of the world war, the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg and Belgium formed a "group of goodwills" and called for peacekeeping) interceded on behalf of Belgium, finally the Germans gave up their territorial claims to Luxembourg and the Ardennes region, and insisted only on the reparations states and Belgium's accession to the "Customs Union", "Euromark Zone" and a few other seemingly very favorable demands. Hardly anyone in the whole of Belgium wanted to go to war with Germany anymore.

Moreover, even a minority of anti-Germans could not say what noble goal Belgium was fighting for this time?

Against the European Customs Union? Belgium is not a big market, it has a small mainland, a small population, and is a developed industrialized country. There is absolutely no reason to refuse to join a market that is ten or twenty times larger than it.

Against the Euromark? German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop has already told the Dutch government that the European Mark will be issued by the European Bank, a central bank under the joint control of all governments in the European Customs Union, with its headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands...... If the Dutch are willing to join!

Although it is still a bit risky to abandon the Belgian franc and adopt the Euromark, it is better than a war with Germany, right?

Moreover, joining the European Customs Union and adopting the Euromark were not immediate, but only a promise - to be fulfilled after the Germans had bombed Paris, Lyon and Marseille in France to the ground. The Belgians, on the other hand, would have gained Germany's recognition of neutrality before the French were killed in many of their shells.

Although it is certainly a pity that such beautiful cities as Paris, Lyon and Marseille were bombed. But it's better than being bombed in Brussels and Antwerp, right? Belgians just want to live in peace, and they are not obliged to die for the French or the British!

Therefore, when the British Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of the Navy arrived in Belgium on the huge battlecruiser "Hood", escorted by several light cruisers and destroyers, they were met with protests from the peace-loving Belgian people.

……

"Winston, it looks like we're persona non grata."

Viscount Halifax stood on the deck of the Hood, chatting with Churchill beside him while waiting for the arrival of the Belgian Prime Minister (who had already arrived at the port of Zeebrugge, but was surrounded by an angry Belgian crowd in the hotel).

If Hitler was a brilliant gambler, then Hersmann was a Go master. He spent more than 20 years carefully arranging a chess game for a world war. It has now put Britain and France in a great deal of passivity...... Not only militarily passive, but also international politically passive.

Although Germany has also annexed the Czechs, Austria and the Baltics, it has also beaten Poland violently. Internationally, however, no one regarded Germany as an aggressor - Germany's annexation of Bohemia, Austria and the Baltic was at the request of the three elected parliaments, and the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia had been supported by the League of Nations.

The Polish-German conflict also arose from Poland's violation of the Polish-German Agreement of 1918, in which Germany had given Lithuania to Poland as compensation for its recognition of the eastern border. Poland later annexed Lithuania on the basis of the 1918 Polish-German Agreement, and on the other hand, on the basis of the Treaty of Versailles, it claimed that the "Agreement" was illegal and annexed most of Germany's West Prussia, Posen, and part of Silesia and part of East Prussia. It's a bit ugly to eat, and now Germany can't be unreasonable if it wants to seek justice.

Moreover, Germany chose to make peace with Poland after achieving the borders set out in the 1918 Polish-German Agreement. Poland, which faced the invasion of the Soviet Union, also accepted all the peace terms proposed by Germany.

The Polish-German war was over, and the Poles were friendly to the Germans.

Under these circumstances, it was also difficult for Britain and France to believe that Germany was a heinous aggressor.

"It doesn't matter if we will be popular or not," Churchill said, looking at the protesting crowd on the dock and smoking a cigar, "the key now is not to allow Germany to realize its ambitions of 'European Customs Union' and 'Euromark'!" So...... We can't make peace with Germany! ”

Churchill exhaled a large puff of white smoke, "If the Germans do not engage in the 'European Customs Union' and the 'Euromark', it is not impossible to make peace." But now, we have to fight to the end! ”

Once the European Customs Union and the European Mark are established, in 20 years, the German Empire will become an intercontinental empire as powerful as the United States. At that time, the British Empire will really collapse.

"But we can't completely reject peace talks." Viscount Halifax frowned and said, "Now Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway and Denmark are all calling for peace, and even US President Roosevelt has spoken...... We can't help but make a gesture. ”

This is why Churchill and Viscount Halifax have come to Belgium - and Britain and France cannot but make some gestures for peace.

At the same time, Churchill and Viscount Halifax also had to avoid Belgium and Luxembourg from immediately "falling" to Germany, and they had to avoid Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from signing any agreement on the establishment of a "customs union" and a "European mark zone" after the war.

……

"Marshal, this is a report from the Military Intelligence Service." Hans. Spirdar handed a report to Hersman, who was attending a meeting of the High Command, and walked away quickly.

"What's the news?" Schleicher asked.

"The British Foreign Secretary and the Admiral Secretary went to Belgium to discuss peace." Hersmann looked at the MI report and said sarcastically, "But the British have asked Belgium not to make any agreement with us for the time being." ”

"What do they mean?" Also present at today's meeting was the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Senior General Baker, who was a relatively clear-cut Lord-peace faction -- certainly not clear enough to launch a coup d'état to overthrow Kaiser Wilhelm. "If you want to make peace, why don't Belgium be allowed to sign an agreement with us?"

"Because the British are intent on delaying," Hersmann certainly wouldn't tell Beck that it was because of the "Euromark," "and they're not going to lift the blockade!" ”

"If they don't lift the blockade, we will continue to launch unlimited submarine warfare!" Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Raeder said, "By January next year, two fleets will be able to attack!" ”

Raeder went on to report that a fleet of breakers (consisting of one Scharinhurst-class battleship, one Seydlitz-class carrier, and one K-class light cruiser) was ready to be dispatched, but another was still being prepared.

"Maybe we can send a broken fleet first," Hersmann said, glancing at Hitler, the historical "Führer" who had little say now. "Soon it will be October, and the climate in the North Atlantic will not be conducive to submarine activity."

Although Dönitz now has more than 300 submarines available, because the war broke out in September, the North Atlantic's winter winds and waves are dangerous, and the nights are very dark and long, which is not conducive to submarine activities. Therefore, there was not much time left for the submarine forces to play a real fatal blow to British sea transport.

But it was a good time for the Broken Fleet to go out, but Hirschmann had the Broken Fleet not just to sink a few British transports. Because now Britain and France have confirmed the neutrality of the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and other countries!

He said to Hitler: "Leader, the dispatch of the Scharnhurst and the Sedlitz will win justice for us!" ”

"Win justice?" Hitler asked rhetorically, "How to win?" ”

Hersman smiled: "Because justice is within the range of the cannon!" As long as our battleships crisscross the North Atlantic, the world will know that justice belongs to Germany! (To be continued.) )