Chapter 257: The End of France (27)

After sending Churchill away, Renault and Gamelin returned to their sluggish state, sitting silently in the office, lost in their own contemplation.

But they were thinking about the same thing, that is, why is this happening?

After World War I, Britain and France had clearly plucked out the teeth of the German tiger, but in just 20 years, Germany had grown teeth again, even sharper and harder than before, which was simply unbearable.

"Mr. Prime Minister." After a long time, Gamelin spoke first, breaking the suffocating silence. "Maybe we should talk to the Germans."

"You are crazy! Commander!!" Renault was like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and the whole person exploded. "It's only been a few days! Less than a week! The Poles still held on for 18 days! Do we, France, have to beg for mercy from the Germans if we can't hold on for a week?!"

Gamelin sighed. "The Poles held out for 18 days, but they were also destroyed." It's really ironic. A month ago, they watched their ally Poland being invaded by Germany but did nothing; they didn't expect the retribution to come so quickly.

When he heard "destroy the country", Renault's expression froze, and he leaned back in his chair dejectedly, muttering for a long time. "Then what is the commander going to talk to them about, is it a ceasefire or surrender?" At this point in the war, the Germans will definitely not agree to a ceasefire. After all, if they continue to attack, they can completely defeat France.

Gamelin said in a low voice. "We still have nearly three million troops, and maybe we can get a decent peace."

"Commander, you are so naive. There is no decent peace." Renault slapped his forehead weakly and couldn't help laughing bitterly. "There can't be any decent peace. Do you remember how we treated Germany 20 years ago?"

After the end of World War I, France, as a victorious country, was extremely tough when it came to sanctions against Germany. Not only did they demand a sky-high amount of compensation in the compensation plan, but they also forcibly divided Germany's colonies and territories. In addition, the German military defense was completely castrated.

Friends who know a little about the Treaty of Versailles should know that this treaty is actually a shackle that has left Germany with only one breath left.

The feeling given by this treaty is that France really wanted to suppress Germany to a desperate situation at that time, so that it could never rebound again. Of course, there is no love or hatred without reason in this world. France's eating is indeed very ugly, but the reason why France ignores its eating is also very simple.

The hatred between Germany and France was originally very deep. After the Franco-Prussian War, France actually lost its hegemony in the European continent, and can only be said to maintain its only historical glory. To put it bluntly, after Prussia turned into the Greater German Empire, the hegemony of the European continent once again fell into a battle. For the German emperor to be crowned in Versailles can be said to be a great shame for France.

Entering World War I, France initially intended to use World War I to recover the two territories ceded to Germany when it was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War. However, at the beginning of the war, the French army's defense line collapsed several times under the offensive of the German army, and the entire northern France was eroded by the German army, and was once pushed to Paris.

Later, Britain and France counterattacked, and the main battlefield from beginning to end was placed on French territory.

It was precisely because France took on the main battlefield in World War I. Compared with Britain and Germany, which used human lives to fill the war, France paid more for the entire north to be plundered by war. This is also the reason why France can stand in the first place to demand Germany to pay a sky-high compensation.

I didn't give Germany dignity at the beginning, so can I still expect it to give it dignity now?

People have been holding back their anger for 21 years, and they must want to kick France over and step on it hard, and it would be best if they never turn over.

"If it weren't for those idiots, things wouldn't have developed to this point!" Prime Minister Reynaud cursed fiercely after being bored.

He cursed not others, but Britain and the United States.

After the defeat, Germany became a lamb on the chopping board of the victorious countries and could only be "slaughtered" by them. Every country knows that Germany is a very warlike country. France proposed to disband the German General Staff.

The German General Staff is a senior military institution in the German army that plans and makes decisions on wars. It developed from the former Prussian Army General Staff and is a model for most contemporary military general staffs. The rise and development of the General Staff is the biggest advantage of the German army compared with its opponents. It is the most formidable part of the German army for more than two centuries and one of the most outstanding staff institutions in military history in the past two centuries.

Therefore, France wants to disband the German General Staff. The purpose is obviously to prevent Germany from provoking war again after recovering.

The German General Staff is the core department of the German army, in which many outstanding German military generals were born. Once it is disbanded, Germany's military and troops will be completely disintegrated. Germany also realized this, so Germany would rather die than surrender and oppose the disbandment of the General Staff.

At this time, Britain and the United States stood up to be peacemakers and opposed France's severe punishment of Germany. It's not because they are kindhearted and want to take a step back, but because of their national interests, they cannot allow Germany to suffer too much of a blow.

Britain and the United States are both countries that have made their fortunes through trade. Germany is a very important trading country for them. Although Germany's overseas colonies are not as good as Britain's, Germany has developed industry and a complete commercial system. If Germany collapses, the trade income of Britain and the United States will definitely be lost.

In addition to the common views between Britain and the United States, they actually had some different interests before. This made them have different views on the basis of opposing France's severe punishment of Germany.

In the eyes of Britain, since the First World War has ended, they must think about the situation after the war and the new pattern of Europe. After the end of World War I, although France suffered a lot of damage, it has begun to recover, and its strength and status are enough to threaten Britain's status. If this situation is allowed to happen. Then, it is very likely that Britain will have to face the pressure of France alone.

This kind of thing, Britain has seen it during the days when Napoleon ruled France. Therefore, Britain needs a Germany that can help it share the pressure of France. Such a Germany, naturally, cannot be weak after being severely punished, but must be a Germany that can stand on its own and has certain strength.

The United States also has its own situation. After the end of World War I, a voice began to become popular in the United States: return to the United States and don't get involved in European affairs. This voice was very widespread in the United States at the time. They don't want to see another war break out again. And the United States has already gained a lot in World War I. Whether it is international status or the benefits of actual trade. If the United States agrees to severely punish Germany, it is very likely to trigger another war. However, the United States also agrees to weaken Germany's military strength to a certain extent. But it opposes severe punishment.

If Germany was severely punished according to France's proposal at that time and was suppressed to the point of being completely exhausted, there would not be the dilemma today.

"In short, now is not the time to seek peace."