The moon is cold, the night wind blows, and the French tricolor flag flutters lonely in the cold.

Organiel took a deep breath and said, "Even at the beginning of the year after the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships are fully commissioned, the British Navy will not be able to restore the same capital ship lineup as the High Seas Fleet, let alone the Germans will not be able to give Britain more than a year for nothing." During this period, none of the British home fleet could compete head-on with the German navy; With Fair Island as a fulcrum, the Germans could land on Scotland and break diplomatic relations in the Atlantic, and the ties between the British mainland and the colonies would soon be thrown into chaos. And once it loses the supply of foreign supplies, this empire on which the sun never sets will become even weaker and more vulnerable than my France! Although I do not see it now, I can almost predict that in less than two months Britain's Atlantic shipping lines will suffer an unprecedented catastrophe. ”

Hearing these words, the faces of everyone present showed a look of astonishment and amazement.

"However, it is a pity that our French navy cannot even guarantee sea supremacy in the western Mediterranean, let alone go to the Atlantic to support the British. In the battle in the Mediterranean, our fleet suffered heavy losses, even if 4 lone-class battleships could be forced into battle in a short time, our dreadnought lineup could only be restored to 7, while the Allied Combined Fleet was able to concentrate 8 capital ships in two months. The damned Russians, although they had built three Queen Maria Superintrepids on the Black Sea, would not be completed until 1916, during which time the Turks would not be under any pressure on the Black Sea. It is possible to calmly transfer their 2 capital ships to fight in the direction of the Mediterranean. Organiux said in pain.

Viviani took a deep breath. The look in his eyes became more solemn and clear than ever. Before that. He also had a premonition of the great butterfly effect of the defeat of the Royal Navy; However, from the standpoint of a politician, he always paid attention to the change in the attitude of various countries towards the European victory and defeat as a result, and tried to guide and correct it, but he did not consider the problem from a purely military point of view. It now seems that the British Empire, the absolute core of the Entente, was facing a worse crisis than France and Russia, two countries facing the German army. The scenario that France had conceived countless times in the 19th century to cut off the British sea lines and thus win the Franco-British War was now about to be realized in the hands of the Germans!

Is it necessary to negotiate an armistice with the Germans? The thought crossed Viviani's mind again. If Berlin is approached now, then France will not only violate the non-separate peace agreement signed with Britain and Russia, but will also be demanded by the German government because of its current decline on the battlefield; Colonies, reparations, and even cession of land. will inevitably appear in the armistice and treaty of the other side. The Treaty of Frankfurt, signed in 1871, had already humiliated France's land reparations, and had fallen from its position as the hegemon of Europe, and had lost its former glory. If a similar peace treaty were to be signed now, the fate of France would be almost unthinkable.

However, if the fighting continues, the astonishing decline shown by the two main forces of the Entente between Britain and Russia at present makes it difficult for France to see the dawn of victory. In fact, as early as the end of the Franco-Prussian War, France realized that it would be difficult to compete with the rising Germany on its own, so it put forward the famous concept of "idealistic and sword-grasping" army attack. the intention to rely on the spiritual will to compensate for material deficiencies; and looked everywhere for anti-German allies, tying the Russian giant and the British Empire to their chariots one after another. Arguably. The unwavering belief in the offensive spirit of the officers and men of the Army, and the two solid and powerful allies of Britain and Russia, were the key forces that dared to stand up against Germany and reject its ultimatum before the war.

At present, the mystery of the French Army's "desperate attack" has long been proven to be a pile of waste with the hundreds of thousands of corpses they have fallen under the guns of the Germans; And the allies they rely on are even weaker than the other. Russia, known as the European road roller, was directly knocked to the ground by Germany with half a hand; The British fleet, which had dominated the seas for more than 300 years, was also defeated by the German navy, which had been in power for less than 20 years. Britain and Russia have both suffered serious defeats in the areas they are most proud of, and how can France alone have the confidence to hold on? The German army in the city of Paris at present has made a breakthrough with a new type of weapon; If Paris falls into the hands of the enemy, the German army wins the war, and France wants to sign a peace treaty with it, the price it will have to pay is much worse than now!

The night breeze was blowing and the chill was invading, and the small living room fell silent for a while, and only the ticking of the clock in the corner could be heard.

"Alexander, does General Xia Fei have any plans for dealing with it?" After a long silence, Viviani broke the silence in the room and spoke to War Secretary Millerand.

"According to the strategy previously laid down by the commander-in-chief, it was to prepare to consume the Germans with a long delay under the city of Paris, and to turn the city into a magnet for the Germans to attack; After we have assembled a few new elite armies, we will attack from the left and right flanks and concentrate them near Paris. Millerand replied, but there was a hint of bitterness in his words: "However, now we have little chance of realizing this plan. It is estimated that it will take until November for the new force to become combat-ready, and Paris will have a hard time holding out until that day. ”

Millerand paused, and then said: "In fact, even if there is no problem with the supply of our war materials, and the British Expeditionary Force is confident and bold to send to the European continent because of its firm grasp of sea supremacy, we will not have the strength to launch a counterattack until the end of this year." Our losses in the early border battles were simply too great. Tens of thousands of good French soldiers, who fell meaninglessly at the guns of the Germans in a physical charge, and another hundred thousand were taken prisoner, all of them trained true warriors; If you want to make up for the huge gap caused by their losses, it is definitely not something that can be achieved by a short period of mobilization and expansion! ”

"Can we first get in touch with the Germans and see what kind of conditions they are proposing?" Organiel spoke suddenly. Seeing that everyone's faces changed suddenly, Organiel hurriedly added: "Of course, this is only a tentative contact, and it does not mean that we are ready to negotiate an armistice. During this time, our factories will continue to produce guns and ammunition at full capacity, and the army will not give up resistance. ”

Viviani's eyes flashed, and he said slowly, "Not bad. Rather than staying in the rear and waiting for the battle report from the front, it is indeed better to find out the attitude of the Germans. The Germans should have felt the heroic indomitability of our French nation in the previous battle, and if they could have given us relatively decent terms for an armistice in the eyes of the overall situation that would not provoke a new round of Franco-German hatred...... I don't think it's an unacceptable option to end this catastrophic nightmare. ”

"Your Excellency, the Germans have stolen Alsace and Lorraine from us for more than 40 years, and they have long been the bitter enemies of our France; And now they are burning and looting in my French land, committing the monstrous sins of the devil! Are we just going to put up with it? Our sacrificed soldiers, lost land, ruined wealth, these losses must be compensated by the Germans for every penny! Hearing that Viviani was inclined to talk about peace, Labor Minister Martin was shocked and spoke out in disagreement, "Although the current situation is difficult, we should not give up on it." ”

"Bianfoni, it is now necessary to get rid of the idea of holding a victory parade on Unter den Linden four months ago. As a politician, rational speculation is always higher than impulsive national feelings. Viviani had a look of pain in his eyes and said, "I'm going to contact our ambassador to the Netherlands and ask the Dutch to find out the attitude of the Germans on our behalf." ”

――――――――――――――

The red sun is rising, the orange light is endless, and in the luxurious and spacious study room of the Charlottenburg Palace, German Chancellor Holwig and Emperor Wilhelm sit opposite each other; In front of them, an open letter lay quietly in the middle of the desk.

"Half an hour ago, my little Mary's cousin sent me this letter, saying that the large number of casualties caused by the Franco-German war was contrary to God's mercy, and that we hope that our two governments will consider the people and put an end to this bloody war that will only bring killing and destruction." Wilhelm II picked up the letter in his hand and raised it, his face full of joy that could not be concealed, "These French people are finally going to be unable to support it." Although the victory came a little later than the Schlieffen plan had stipulated, it was in the hands of my German people! ”

Holwig whispered, "No wiser than Caesar." Previously, the Netherlands had always avoided the dispute between Germany and France, lest it fall into the whirlpool of struggle between the two great powers; This time, they took the initiative to write such a letter of mediation to His Majesty, which was almost certainly commissioned by the French government. However, this does not mean that the French have reached a point where they cannot support it. If they had surrendered sincerely, they would have issued a statement to stop us, without having to communicate it in such a subtle way through the letters of Queen Guò Wilhelmina. It seems to me that the voices of resistance in France are still in the majority; And the French government did this in order not to be discredited to us, lest the Reich make it impossible for them to step down after the news was announced. ”

William raised an eyebrow, and a continuing look came out of his eyes. (To be continued......)