875 Britain and France are about to lose their power and humiliate the country

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister! I just received the news that the Italian leader Benito Mussolini has left for Berlin overnight! ”

At the very beginning of the Japanese cabinet meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoyo Matsuoka suddenly threw out such inexplicable news with a solemn face.

Konoe Fumiro ignored the shouting foreign minister, he picked up the coffee cup on the conference table, took a shallow sip of the "wartime coffee" specially rationed to the Japanese upper echelons, and frowned slightly, the recent "wartime coffee" is getting more and more difficult to drink, I really don't know what it is made of? I just wanted to ask about the recent production situation of the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Kazuzo Kobayashi. Matsuoka's shrill screams rang out again.

"Your Excellency! Please pay more attention to the situation in Europe, just yesterday, the armored forces of the Sino-German coalition defeated the 869th Regiment of the Anglo-French army in the Battle of the Ardennes Forest, and they have already advanced the battle line to the Maas River! There is also information that a road bridge over the Maas River was accidentally captured by the Germans...... And it was in this context that Mussolini went to Berlin, didn't you find something strange in it? During this time, Italy had been mediating peace between England, France and Germany! ”

Konoe Fumiro put down the coffee cup, glanced sideways at Matsuoka Yoshi, and was slightly surprised when he saw his anxious look, so he asked in a low voice, "So what?" ”

Seeing that the prime minister still had an indifferent expression, the mustache on Matsuoka's right lip twitched a few times, and suddenly shouted loudly: "My Prime Minister, Australia!" Australia will be gone, and the empire's continental dream will be shattered! ”

"What!?" There was a sudden exclamation in the conference room, and the Minister of War Nagata Tetsuyama took a breath, looked at Matsuoka with a puzzled expression and asked, "Matsuoka-kun, what did you say?" How could Australia be without? Could it be that Britain will cede it to China? ”

Of course not, Hitler didn't want China to get that continent. If the Chinese get Australia, they say that in less than thirty years they will have the strength to challenge Germany! Unless Germany can become the master of the entire Western world! But it's not easy to do. Matsuoka Yoyo said anxiously and quickly:

"Of course, Hitler will not ask Britain to cede Australia to the Reich, because he also hopes to end the war in Europe as soon as possible, so that he can free up his hands against the weakened United States, so he will allow the British Empire to retain the two dominions of Australia and Canada."

"The Chinese will not agree to such a peace treaty." Nagata Tetsuyama waved his hand indifferently and said with a smile: "The Chinese have already assembled 650,000 troops and 9 aircraft carriers, and they will invade Western Australia at the latest early next month." They will not agree to such peaceful terms. ”

"Hitler will have a way to appease China." Matsuoka Yang right clenched his fists, banged heavily on the table, and explained loudly: "As long as he gives China some important machinery and key technologies, China will not prevent him from reaching peace with Britain and France, and even the Chinese themselves will negotiate peace with France to obtain French Indochina." As for Australia...... With the strength of the Chinese, they don't have to care about the Anglo-German Peace Treaty at all, just continue the invasion, and Hitler has no way to take China before defeating the United States. But would the Empire dare to do that? Will the Reich dare to offend both China and Germany? ”

Matsuoka's analysis immediately stirred up waves in the conference room, and the cabinet ministers attending the meeting began to discuss one after another. Japan threw itself into this war without hesitation for the sake of the treasure land of Australia.

But once Britain and Germany negotiate peace, Britain will become Germany's "protectorate" or "little brother", and Britain also has a Canadian Dominion, which is a springboard for Germany to invade the United States! So between the two little brothers of Britain and Japan, Britain's position is obviously heavier than Japan's! If Japan invades British Australia, Germany may have to turn against Japan...... What's even more troublesome is that Japan has not yet gotten the life-saving atomic bomb! The Germans just gave them a set of samples and blueprints for a gas diffusion machine, as well as 1 kilogram of weapons-grade enriched uranium, and a few hundred tons of sarin gas. Relying on these things, it is impossible for Japan to make China throw a mouse......

"Nagata-kun, Yamamoto-kun." Konoe Fumiro also quickly realized the seriousness of the problem, and he said to Nagata Tetsuyama and Yamamoto Eisuke with a solemn face: "What do you think? Will Germany make peace with Britain soon? Is it possible that the Empire will launch an attack on Australia in the near future? Anyway...... You have to grab a piece of ground in Australia first. ”

Hearing Konoe's question, the conference room suddenly fell silent, and all eyes were on Nagata and Yamamoto. It was Eisuke Yamamoto who broke the silence in the middle of the night: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, judging from the current situation, the possibility of Britain and France capitulating to Germany still exists. France and Germany were connected by land, and once the main Anglo-French forces were destroyed in the Battle of Belgium, France would inevitably choose to submit, as it had done in the Franco-Prussian War. The British could have resisted, but their navy was lost in the Battle of the North Sea, the Battle of Kluet, and the Battle of the Indian Ocean. We estimate that the strength of the British navy is now far inferior to that of Germany, and even not much stronger than that of France and Italy. Once France succumbed and Italy joined the German side, Britain had no other way out but to give in.

As for the recent invasion of Australia, there is nothing wrong with the navy. The navy now has seven aircraft carriers, including Akagi, Kaga, Shenlong, Zuizuru, Xianghe, Ryuxiang, and Xiangfeng, and all five battleships can also be used...... The transport ship group has gathered more than 300 ships of various types, with a total tonnage of about 1.5 million tons. It's just that these ships were originally planned to be used for operations in the Americas, and now they are transferred to Australia for fear that it will affect the empire and the ......."

"We can divide up our forces and put half of our forces into Australia, and the rest in the Americas, to cooperate with the next German military campaign." Nagata Tetsuyama snorted and interrupted Eisuke Yamamoto's words.

"But can half the force guarantee the success of the invasion?" Yamamoto hesitated and said: "Intelligence shows that at present, Britain and the United States have deployed at least 150,000 troops on the islands of Bismarck and New Guinea, and without more than 200,000 invading troops, it is simply impossible to guarantee that they will be captured in a short period of time." ”

"No, we don't need to attack the Bismarck Islands and the islands of New Guinea!" Nagata shook his head, stood up and walked over to the world map hanging on the wall on the side of the conference room, and stretched out his finger to lightly arc the sea area to the east of Australia, which was densely dotted with countless islands, large and small. Sneered: "Now that Australia is facing an invasion from China, the British fleet will inevitably be concentrated on the coast of Western Australia, so the South Pacific must be empty." We just need to avoid the real and the virtual, avoid the heavily defended Bismarck Islands and New Guinea Islands, and directly invade the coast of Eastern Australia from the front line of Nauru, Vanuatu and New Caledonia! ”

Speaking of this, Nagata pressed his right hand heavily on the map and said loudly: "Then the Imperial Army will seize Eastern Australia with lightning speed, creating a fait accompli, and then Germany will have to recognize the vested interests of the Reich, because Hitler still needs the Reich to cooperate with his invasion of the United States!" ”

……

10 Downing Street, United Kingdom. At this time, of course, there was a gloomy cloud in the official residence of the Prime Minister of the British Empire. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain fainted on the spot after hearing the news that the Namur Bridge was being occupied by the Germans! Thanks to Qiu, the fat man is pinching people and doing artificial respiration...... Uh, it's still mouth-to-mouth! In the end, he finally woke up. Still, the head of the British Empire sat in a daze on the chair at the top of the middle of the conference table, as if he had lost his soul.

This Namur Bridge was originally intended to be left to the two French ** in chaos on the south bank of the Maas River as a way out, so it was not blown up in time, but no one thought that those Germans would actually wear French military uniforms, drive French military trucks, and speak fluent French to sneak attack and seize this key bridge! Now everyone in this room can figure out what is going to happen on their heels!

The defense line on the north bank of the Maas River, which was regarded as the lifeline of the British and French forces, was thus broken through by the Sino-German forces, and at least 5 Chinese and German armored divisions will soon be driving on the road to Brussels! Once they seized Brussels, or even cut off the road and rail from Brussels to France, the main force of more than a million Anglo-French troops would be wiped out by the enemy.

If such a situation had occurred before the Anglo-German War in the North Sea, or even before the Sino-British War in the Indian Ocean, the atmosphere in this conference room would not have been so gloomy. But now...... The naval forces of the British Empire have already suffered heavy losses, and the land forces of Britain and France will be annihilated by the Sino-German forces in the near future! Without the protection of the navy and without enough land forces available, what strength did the British Empire have to defend her homeland?

Chamberlain swept the lifeless conference room with a dull look, and everyone looked dejected, except for Churchill, who was still holding his spirits up, holding his head high, and making a look ready to fight.

"Gentlemen, I would like to ...... We're going to lose the war. Chamberlain sighed softly and expressed his views on the current situation.

"Mr. Prime Minister, we haven't lost yet!" As soon as Churchill heard that he had lost the war, he immediately jumped up like a provoked English bulldog and retorted loudly: "The British Empire has not lost yet, and she will never lose the war!" ”

However, no one in the entire conference room echoed Churchill, including Sir Pound, the First Sea Lord. Chamberlain sighed again: "I think we should consider Mr. Mussolini's proposal for peace...... Make some concessions in order to preserve our empire. ”

"Nope! Mr. Prime Minister, you can't do that! In doing so, the British Empire lost her soul! It's not the empire on which the sun never sets anymore! Churchill clenched his fists and stared at Chamberlain as if he were about to pounce on the "rotten good" prime minister.

Chamberlain looked at Churchill and smiled bitterly: "Winston, but now there is no way!" There's no way! You are the Lord of the Admiralty, tell me how many ships the Navy has left to defend the British mainland? ”

Churchill was stunned for a moment before he nodded firmly and replied: "At present, the Royal Navy has five battleships, including the Rodney, the Sovereign, the Ramillis, the Royal Oak, and the Malaya, and the battlecruiser Prestige; There are also two fleet aircraft carriers, the USS Glorious and the USS Dreadnought, in addition to 7 light aircraft carriers. There were also five King George V-class battleships that were fully operational by June 1940. As a result, the Royal Navy of the British Empire still has the most powerful navy in the world...... One! ”

"Dudley, what do you think?" Chamberlain was well aware of the counter-revolutionary optimism of his old buddy Churchill, but at this time he did not intend to be infected by this spirit of eternal optimism. Instead, turn your head to solicit Dudley, a real Navy professional. Admiral Pound is here.

Pound, however, lowered his head deeply, as if deliberately avoiding the eyes of Chamberlain and Churchill, muttered, "According to the report of our agents in the port of Kiel, the Germans have repaired four 'Zhenyuan' class battleships damaged in the Battle of the North Sea. They also took photographs of three Frederick the Great-class aircraft carriers, as well as the Seydlitz, the Zeppelin, and two unknown Elbe-class aircraft carriers, ....... ”

"What! When did this happen? Why didn't I get the report? Chamberlain, as if suddenly thinking of something, turned his head sharply and glanced sideways at Churchill.

"Mr. Prime Minister, this is information that I have just gotten, and I haven't had time to confirm it, so I haven't reported it for the time being." Churchill hurriedly explained with sincerity: "Even if this information is reliable, the Royal Navy can defeat any enemy who dares to invade the empire's homeland." ”

"But what if France surrendered and Italy joined Germany? In that case, a dozen or so French and Italian battleships would join the lineup for the invasion of the British mainland, and would the Royal Navy still be able to deal with it? Chamberlain glanced at Churchill and Pound with sad eyes, sighed bitterly, and said:

"This time the empire really can't fight, not to mention a dozen battleships of Germany, China, France and Italy, those 6 German aircraft carriers alone are enough to destroy our home fleet! Don't think I don't know, our 7 aircraft carriers, except for the Glory, which can carry 48 carrier-based aircraft, the remaining 6 are small aircraft carriers that are not worth mentioning, all of them are about 10,000 tons, and there are only 11 or 2 carrier-based aircraft. The 7 aircraft carriers together are only more than 100 carrier-based aircraft, and if you talk about real combat effectiveness, I am afraid it is not comparable to a 'Frederick the Great' class, right? Otherwise, you would not have lost so badly in the naval battle in the Indian Ocean. ”

Churchill and Pound were speechless, knowing that what Chamberlain said was the truth. It is true that the British Navy cannot defeat the German Navy that is about to invade, and the just-concluded naval battle in the Indian Ocean has fully exposed the Achilles heel of the British Navy, and their carrier-based aircraft are too outdated to be the opponent of the Chinese Navy at all! Of course, it will definitely not be able to beat the German Navy with 6 aircraft carriers! What's more, once Germany subjugates France, they will be able to establish a military airfield in the north of France, from where they will directly cover the fleet with shore-based aircraft to seize sea supremacy in the English Channel. And once the English Channel is controlled by the Germans, the powerful German Army can be continuously sent to the British mainland, and with the little strength of the British Army, it will not be able to resist it at all. At that time, I am afraid that it will not be a "decent" peace, but an unconditional surrender! Of course, the British government and the royal family could also run away and go to the Dominion of Canada on the other side of the Atlantic to continue the resistance.

But is there any hope of victory in such resistance? Can the empire be saved? The Chinese will still seize Australia, the Middle East will be divided between China and Germany and Russia, Africa will most likely fall into Germany's pocket, and perhaps Italy will get a piece of the pie. And there will be a "fascist government" in Britain itself, where the people will be enslaved, freedom will be trampled on, and the whole country will become slaves of Germany. As for the cross-Atlantic counteroffensive in Europe from Canada...... Except for the super-optimistic Churchill, this kind of thing is probably unthinkable for others, right?

And, is it safe to go to the Americas? Even Japan was able to invade the Americas and foster a Central American federation, let alone a real power like Germany?

Seeing that everyone was silent, Chamberlain stood up with his hands on the table and said in a somewhat trembling voice: "Gentlemen, Mr. Mussolini has proposed a peace plan in his personal letter to me: the British Empire, in addition to retaining its own territory, could have the Dominions of Canada, the eastern Dominions of Australia, the Dominions of New Zealand and South Africa, and, of course, some islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The rest of the territory will be divided between China, Germany, Japan and other countries...... The Reich did not have to participate in the German war against the United States, but it was to guarantee absolute neutrality and not to provide any form of assistance to the United States.

In addition, reparations will be paid to China, Germany and Japan...... We will pay 2,000 tons of gold to China and Germany, return all Chinese art and cultural relics in the British Museum, and give 200 tons of gold to Japan. These indemnities were to be secured by the gold mines of the Dominion of South Africa, and until the full amount of gold was paid, the troops of China, Germany and Japan were to be stationed in South Africa, all at the expense of the British......"

"Prime Minister." Before Chamberlain could finish his sentence, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Admiral Ironside, hurried in from outside, having just returned from Paris, France.

Seeing Ironside's pale face, everyone suddenly felt a palpitation, as if there was some bad news coming from Belgium. Chamberlain hurriedly asked, "William, how is the situation in Belgium?" ”

Ironside took out a document from his purse, handed it to Chamberlain with both hands, then took a deep breath and replied: "Your Excellency, this is the battle plan that the French have just drawn up, and they intend to make a last effort in Belgium!" ”