81_81266 In the dim light, a middle-aged man and an old man sat face to face, silent on a copy of the Draft Franco-German Peace Treaty in their hands.

The old man's face was full of furrows and looked distorted in the light, and the young man's face was not very good, so it was also more sickly. The two of them had been sitting there for at least ten minutes, but they still didn't say a word.

After a long time, the young man could not help but speak, "Marshal Petain, has the matter come to this point?" he grabbed the old gentleman's hand, and his tone was full of unwillingness and helplessness.

Yes, this old man was the famous French Marshal Petain. In that year, as the German army made good progress in the early stages of the Battle of Verdun, General Dibay asked for a retreat, and Petain's troops, who were resting in the rear, were urgently transferred to the Verdun front on February 24, 1916, to take over the responsibility of holding the fortress of Verdun. Immediately, this Petain officially appeared on the stage of history, showing his outstanding tactical command skills.

By the time Petain arrived, the French army was in dire straits, with many parts of the line torn apart and a fortress that had been considered impregnable fell into German hands. To make matters worse, Petain contracted pneumonia the day after he took office and had to command the rest of the battle from his hospital bed. Fortunately, Petain, who was in a high fever, immediately grasped the crux of the problem - artillery and logistics, so that the brutal battle could continue.

He put forward the famous defensive slogan "They can't get through guò", which became the battlefield motto of the French army at that time. In addition, in order to prevent the French army from demoralizing, Petain also persuaded Xia Fei to adopt a troop rotation system, so almost all the French army experienced this brutal battle and accumulated experience.

Under his stern leadership, by the time he replaced General Cali as commander of Army Group Center on 1 May, Verdun had turned the corner. And, as General Nivelle, who had taken over command of his Second Army, Petain continued to exert influence on the battle of Verdun. Four months later, the French launched a major offensive on the Somme, the Germans stopped the attack on Verdun, and the Battle of Verdun ended in victory. As the "victor of Verdun", Petain became a national hero of France and became famous all over the world. Regarded as the "savior of France".

"De Gaulle, we have tried our best, but we still cannot save our great France. Marshal Petain had a beautiful mustache, and he looked good when he spoke, but now the old man's face was full of exhaustion, and his voice was not loud: "It's time to give France a decent ending." ”

"If, if we can hold out for two months, then American aid will come and we will be able to hold the line......" de Gaulle said with hatred. He was a staunch fighter and had always fantasized that American aid would soon arrive, dragging the war into the way it was during World War I.

"You're too impulsive, young man. Pétain smiled, though reluctantly, but still very calm: "It's not the same as the last war. ”

"Why is it different?" asked de Gaulle, frowning.

"Back then, we were fighting in Belgium and some border areas, and it was naturally attritional. Even if we shatter those areas, we will not have irreparable losses. Pétain was very straightforward, and said without the slightest shy away: "We can afford to wage war on someone else's land, or on an already barren land." ”

He pointed to a small map of France next to him and continued: "But, de Gaulle. If we continue to fight now, where will we be? Paris, Lyon, Chalon, Dijon, Rouen...... Even if we win this war for four years, what will be left of France?"

"The British and Americans naturally want us to continue fighting, and only a fool would use all his belongings to help others fight a war that they don't know whether to win or lose. Petain sneered and said, "Take the French for fools?

"What do you mean?" asked de Gaulle, frowning.

"Boy, you're still too young! Learn a little!" Petain laughed and said: "The British have long known that Germany is rising, and part of the external support for the rise is still provided by the British! These damn British are playing the strategy of letting Germany and France contain each other, so the British have been helping the Germans cover for the implementation of the "Treaty of Versailles" back then. ”

"How come? Aren't the English now beaten and can't hold their heads up? Could it be that in order to destroy France, they don't even want their own way of living?" asked De Gaulle again, puzzled.

They helped the Germans to cover up, but they didn't expect that the Soviets were also helping the Germans to cover up, but they didn't expect the Germans to hide so many things in secret!" Petain sighed helplessly and said: "This Accardo is not simple...... He had been preparing for this day since 1923, and he had been preparing for 15 years, so how could he lose?"

"Then you can't be asked to do anything groveling, Marshal!" said de Gaulle, frowning, "Come out of here with me, go to our overseas colonies, and let that guy from Darlan carry the black pot himself!"

"Hahaha!" the old marshal laughed, looking much happier, but still waved his hand and said: "No one can take care of this matter! If I don't have this old bone left in France, who can control the Germans and the French themselves?"

"And what is your reputation, Marshal?" asked de Gaulle, still with some reluctance.

"Fame? Let's be honest. I'm more optimistic about the Germans than the British. Petain closed his eyes and continued: "It is my personal choice to be a traitor to France, if I choose wrong, my life will be ruined, and if I am right, then I will be a hero to save France." ”

"But a traitor is a traitor...... There is nothing to explain. Pétain smiled self-deprecatingly: "I am old, and I can't fight anymore, so I am more accustomed to this method, and the righteous but bumpy road depends on you young people to go." ”

"What is this?" said de Gaulle, with some chagrin.

"What's the best place for a defeated France. Petain stood up and walked out with his hands behind his back: "Let's bet on both sides to see who can bring France out of this quagmire." ”

He went to the door and glanced back at de Gaulle: "You set out at once, flee to Toulon, and then rush to England, where you will raise the banner and form Free France to continue the resistance." As for me, I will stay and see if this head of our country is the destined ruler of the European continent. ”

France was defeated this time, but defeat also had the benefit of defeat, and the rapid rout allowed France to retain its blood and bones, and also stabilized its shape, and withdrew from this world war in the fastest and easiest way, which does not seem to be bad news for the French people.

Moreover, Marshal Petain's idea of surrender split the internal forces of France, dividing a neutral military boss, a loose alliance of naval commander-in-chief Darlan and the capitulatory Pitain, and a main battle faction led by the young officer de Gaulle, Free France.

This is the first move made by France after the defeat, to see how Germany, as the victorious power, took the move, the bargaining chip is the territory ceded by France, and the content of the bargain includes the size of France's army, the ownership of the navy, and what about the overseas colonies...... These issues are the main points of the confrontation between the two sides, and how to conclude negotiations in favor of the French is a matter for the diplomats.

In Berlin, the capital of Germany, Accardo was having dinner with Mussolini, elegantly cutting the steak with a victor's smile on his face. Mussolini was gushing over there, seemingly unconcerned about steak and all sorts of delicacies.

He boasted of Italy's fleet, claiming that his navy already had sea supremacy over most of the Mediterranean, he praised German export ME-109C fighters and hoped to buy more new German weapons, and he talked about the importance of the alliance between Italy and Germany, and declared that he was willing to stand in solidarity with German allies.

"All right, Mussolini leader. I know that Italy is not ready for war, and I know what is happening in Italy right now. I know even more about these questions than you do!" Accardo interrupted Mussolini's boasting as he cut the steak: "If you sign all 50 contracts, then Marseille is yours." If you don't think it's right, act like nothing happened. I'll leave for Paris tomorrow, so you'd better give me an answer tonight. ”

"40 copies! I really can't make the decision about the requisition of factories and airports and ports. Mussolini smiled bitterly and pleaded: "I really envy you, you are now the head of state who can influence the decisions of Italy and Germany." ”

"I am not the leader of the Italians, on the contrary, Mr. Mussolini, you are! I can only seek the well-being of the German people, and the Third Reich is not a good place, and since we have fought for our allies, we must get back what we deserve. Accardo said solemnly: "The Third Reich is invincible because they trust me and worship me as a god, and I am worthy of this faith, right?"

Mussolini looked at Accardo and finally sighed, took a thick stack of papers, and began to sign his name, while his assistants behind him stamped the Italian seal on each of them.

"I really envy those Germans, they have a great leader. After Mussolini signed his last name, he was so tired that he threw away his pen and said with a deep sigh.

"I am even more fortunate that I was born into a great nation. Accardo said with a smile