On May 8, 1937, the whole of France was enveloped in a heavy atmosphere with the German ultimatum. Shocking black headlines appeared on the front pages of various newspapers, like a devouring demon ready to pounce on reality at any moment. Twenty-four years ago, Germany's ultimatum was still in sight, and a war had humiliated France for more than 40 years. To this day, the vast majority of the French are witnesses to the Great War, and the fear of the Prussian torrent that swept from the northeast with the power of the Titans even outweighed their hatred!

At a joint session of the French Parliament, de Gaulle's face was as pale as paper, and he looked exhausted; But when he spoke, he was still able to overcome what he could not do, and he was full of enthusiasm and eloquence. Over the past six years, Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle has developed a military industry and built a deep line of defense, saving France from the collapse of the economic crisis. Although this method was based on loans for money, and would inevitably be declared bankrupt because of the limitations of the Ponzi scheme itself, the broad masses of the French people were unaware of it, and they undoubtedly had great enthusiasm for Charles de Gaulle, who had successfully solved France's economic problems.

With his reputation, de Gaulle eventually dominated Parliament in what he called "the greatest speech of his life," and transformed his fears and hesitations into confidence and composure. His briefcase contained the texts of two agreements, a defensive alliance with Great Britain and an aid pact with the United States, two allies. It gave France, which had lost Russian aid today, the core confidence to once again stand on the opposite side of Germany. When he said that Japan would declare neutrality with "the insight unique to the 70-year history of the Restoration." There was a loud cheer from the venue: the huge Japanese fleet chose to sheath its edge. This will undoubtedly enable the United States, which has seen a sharp decrease in pressure, to devote more resources and fleets to the European theater of operations.

In England, Neville? The Conservative government led by Chamberlain was also a little overwhelmed by Germany's sudden turnaround. At present, the spearhead of the war in Germany is still only aimed at France, which has wreaked havoc on the previous armistice agreement, and has no direct hostility to Britain; In the most sensitive naval field, even if Britain, which has experienced more than five years of economic crisis, goes all out to build ships, it will be difficult for its fleet size to reach the upper limit of the Anglo-German naval ratio set at the beginning, and there is no direct conflict between Britain and Germany. Judging from the current intuitive situation, Britain can stay out of this war. A considerable number of parliamentarians thus advocated the avoidance of war. to prevent a recurrence of the tragic situation of the last war; Even Chamberlain himself was inclined not to fulfill his obligations as a defensive alliance with France, and to persuade the French to make concessions in order to seek peace.

However, this voice in the British government was forcefully suppressed by the hawks led by Churchill. After decades of accumulation, Churchill has long since sharpened himself into a seasoned politician in the prime of life, and he has already had a deep insight into the thoughts of the current British subjects and has a plan to deal with it. In his speech to the House of Commons, Churchill said in a nutshell about the current situation: "If we choose shame between war and shame today, it will not be long before we are forced to face war." "The immediate fulfillment of the alliance obligations to France is undoubtedly the only option for Britain to defend justice and restore its former glory at the same time, rather than facing the Central European alliance alone after the fall of France.

For the unfavorable situation that the present war against Germany will inevitably face. Churchill also replied one by one at the meeting. The strength of the Royal Navy has been restored, and the completion of five King George V-class battleships and three Tej-class aircraft carriers has greatly increased the strength of the home fleet; As long as the U.S. Atlantic Fleet can join forces with the British Navy at the first opportunity. Then the British sea transport line can be firmly maintained. As for the overseas colonies, they are also in the category of sacrifice with the accession of the United States; What's more, the Entente countries, which had stabilized the situation of the war, could completely defend themselves overseas and recover these areas one by one. Churchill pointed out that as long as the German navy could not defeat the combined Anglo-American fleet, they were doomed to be unable to use the world's oceans, while the Entente could project their forces anywhere.

For the crucial Indian and Indian Ocean theaters, Churchill also threw out the military's long-planned strategy at a high-level internal meeting: using bases in Sudan, Yemen, and northern Somalia, Britain could lay a large number of mines in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; And with a detachment of specialized mine-laying submarines stationed in Mumbai, India, Britain can also replenish the minefields. In this way, the movement of the Austro-Italian fleet in the Indian Ocean could be stopped at a considerable distance. Churchill also gave a fairly high evaluation of Britain's defensive forces in India, believing that the Allied forces, which had to travel long distances through the Persian plateau, could hardly pose a mortal threat to the current India. After Churchill's vigorous push, Britain's already latent hostility towards Germany was finally aroused. Government dignitaries have turned their gaze to Washington across the ocean to seek the opinion of their Saxon cousins on the crisis.

In contrast to the historical dimension in which isolationism prevailed, the United States today has a clear tendency to intervene in foreign countries in the economic crisis that has lasted for more than two years, and President Roosevelt himself has far more authority and unique strategic vision than his predecessors, so that the United States has made great strides towards the goal of preventing Germany from dominating Europe from the very beginning. In the face of France, which no longer posed a threat, and Britain, whose country was weakening, Germany still seemed to be pressing forward step by step; Once it controls all of Europe, how can the United States gain a foothold on the other side of the ocean? You know, today's Germany is already on the same level as the United States in terms of gross national income; By the time they defeated Britain and France, the United States would be at an all-round disadvantage over Europe under German domination, not to mention Japan, which was on the other side of the ocean, was ready to move all the time!

On May 8, Roosevelt again delivered his famous fireside chat, declaring that the civilized world in Europe was facing a catastrophe and that it was the responsibility of the United States to rush to the front line with rubber hoses in hand to extinguish the burning neighbors' houses. Although the opposition forces in China immediately attacked it, accusing it of being an intolerable move to water the fertile fields of other countries with the blood of American youth, it did not become a mainstream voice. With the successful resolution of the economic crisis, Roosevelt surpassed his cousin in both the power of government and the popularity of the people, and the foreign intervention he began to advocate since the day he took office has imperceptibly influenced the thinking of the American people for several years, laying a solid foundation for today's participation in the war.

Early the next morning, Roosevelt submitted to Congress a mobilization order signed by him and a final declaration to Germany: "The United States is determined to guarantee the legal rights and interests to which France is a great power." Once Germany launches military action against France, the United States will inevitably act in line with its own interests. When Roosevelt announced his idea in a calm voice in Congress, the main hall, which could accommodate thousands of people, was packed and quiet. This is the first time since 1812 that the United States has voluntarily declared war on a foreign country. Although in 1898 they had an experience of foreign expansion, but it was against the weak Spain, and the difficulty and complexity of the war were not comparable to those of today. An hour of speech passed quickly, and a long silence ensued; In the end, the Senate and House of Representatives voted to confirm Roosevelt's victory. Nearly two-thirds of the members of the legislature voted in favor and some abstained, and the United States began to mobilize for war.

This attitude of the United States has greatly boosted the morale of Britain and France. The basis of their ability to compete with Germany is the world's largest industry and economy, and now they have no scruples. On May 9, the British government signed a telegram to war: "War, Germany, act. "Having already had the experience of a war, they began to prepare for all parties with ease, and by the end of the day, the United States, Britain and France had become a war as a whole.

The stars are dotted and the moon rises tomorrow. In the elegant and quiet gardens of Charlottenburg Palace, there are one after another glowing roadside lanterns.

"Germany's preparations for war were all in place. From tomorrow we will have a war that will determine the course of history for hundreds of years to come. Qingying, who was as tall as ever, stood on the bluestone path and whispered to the extremely familiar old figure in front of him, but he was already with a beard like silver, "After this war is over, the Germans will replace the Saxons and become the unique absolute kings of this planet; Even the British Empire, which was the prestige of the world in the middle of the last century, will be eclipsed by the light of the future Germany. ”

"I've had a hunch since thirty years ago that one day you will be crowned the Great. Now it seems that my judgment was not wrong. William's two pointed whiskers were slightly upturned, evoking a smile full of emotion and satisfaction, "This war will be your way to this supreme title." ”

Qingying smiled, and her heart was full of gratitude. For the past third of a century, William has placed almost absolute trust in him, which has enabled him to exert the greatest influence and keep the kingdom on the track he intended. After that, it's time for all the hard work you've put in to bear fruit. Qingying raised her head and looked at the eternal clear sky above her head; The stars twinkle densely, and they look pleasing to the eye under the glow of the bright moon.

"Tomorrow, it should be a good day." (To be continued......)

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