"No! You let me down so much!" After Lin Wei introduced the conditions listed in the armistice agreement, Gustav stood up angrily, "You have always made me proud! But Why did this meeting happen like this? If you were not my son, I would even think you were a French spy! If you don’t give me an explanation today, you will never have to return to Villa Hugel again. No, I don’t have a son like you!”
"Father, Lampard didn't mean it, you must forgive him!" Linda pulled on Gustav's sleeve to plead, but it had no effect.
Thyssen and Kodolpho, two old men who had always cared about Lin Wei, surprisingly did not come out to stop the angry Gustav this time. It was obvious that they were also very angry. According to the armistice agreement, Germany risked a full-scale war this time and gained nothing except Alsace and Lorraine. Moreover, Alsace and Lorraine were originally German territories. No compensation, no territory occupied, no benefits gained.
"This kind of armistice conditions cannot be accepted by Germany. It seems that we are preparing to fully occupy France!" Marshal von Blomberg, the commander, said gloomily. Hit? After Le died, no one could suppress the generals of the Wehrmacht. The officer corps of the Wehrmacht was no longer a group of yes-men.
"The armored cluster has lost most of its heavy weapons. Should we rely on infantry to fight?" Lin Wei asked rhetorically, "Of course France cannot afford a protracted war, but can Germany afford it? The United Kingdom has decided to resist, and we are still There is a more important thing to do, and that is to land in the UK. Our navy is no match for the UK. Even if we win the naval battle off Belgium, the navy is still no match for the UK in terms of total tonnage. If the submarine force is dug out, Germany will The strength of the navy is only a little more than half of the strength of the Royal Navy? The transport capacity can land two armored divisions at one time. The marshal doesn't think that Britain can be conquered by two armored divisions without support, does he?"
"Okay, let's not talk about our opinions. Can you pass the test of the people in Germany?" Thyssen mocked, "We have been waiting for twenty years and are always ready for revenge, but when that day actually comes, But you let our enemies go. I dare say that if you follow the conditions of the armistice agreement, you will face your assassins every day when you return to Germany! You are a traitor to Germany! No one will sympathize with your plight. Maybe the French will thank you, but all you will receive in Germany is endless hatred!"
Koldofu pulled down the reluctant Thyssen and said softly, "Little Lampard, we have watched you grow up. You have never let us down since you were a child. Compared to me and Thyssen's son, you You are smarter and more diligent, but what you did this time was too reckless, you should discuss it with us!"
"We have the command of three million French troops and the second-largest French navy in Europe. Isn't this more useful than an occupation zone that has no practical significance?" Lin Wei argued, "Even if we occupy the entire northern France, we It’s impossible to annex it to German territory, so what’s the use!”
"You brat, what are you talking about?" Gustave came up and wanted to teach his son a lesson. In Gustav's impression, this was the first time his son had lost his temper in front of him, and he must kill him. He has the majesty of a brat, but Gustave, who has been held back by his daughter-in-law, is obviously more than willing to do anything. Gustave was afraid that he would accidentally damage his grandson. For Gustave, who only had Lin Wei as a son, he now devoted all his energy to his grandson. Now that his daughter-in-law was pregnant, Gustav did not dare to act rashly, so he just screamed loudly.
Admiral Redl, who had been sitting next to him silently, said quietly, "Lampard, without any restrictions, just relying on a piece of paper, how can you believe that the French are sincerely helping us Germany? If the French Navy is at the critical moment Isn't the German Navy in danger if it always strikes back?"
"This..." Lin Wei suddenly lost his voice. He really didn't have any surveillance power. Will the French be so honest
"We can exchange the occupied areas for the full cooperation of the French army, but it is impossible not to station troops in France!" William II concluded, "Besides, after the baptism of war, we must obtain compensation from other places to allow the German war machine to Keep it going! How can we continue without reparations?”
After listening to William II's words, everyone was considering the feasibility. There was no occupation zone, which was indeed unacceptable. Moreover, Germany's military expenses must be compensated from France's reparations. Although the Juncker landlords were able to make up for this war, military expenditure, but they will definitely not do this.
"Our losses can be dealt with by the Jews in France. Anyway, the reputation of our National Socialist Party is bad enough for its treatment of Jews!" Lin Wei's meaning is very clear. He set off a wave of anti-Semitism in France and confiscated Jewish property. Replace military spending.
"No, reparations are necessary!" William II stood up on crutches and said, "Tell Pétain that the French treasury has 2,400 tons of gold, we don't want more, hand over 1,000 tons of gold! As Germany sends troops compensation!"
"However, after the French treasury was occupied by us, we only found less than a hundred tons of gold! The remaining gold may have been transferred abroad!" Lin Wei shook his head and said, "Things are a bit difficult to handle. If the international Do not recognize Pétain’s status in France!”
Dong Dong... William II pounded the ground with his crutches and said seriously, "Let them find a way. Only gold can save France. Otherwise, we would rather annex the entire territory of France without the help of the French navy!"
On the eve of its fall, France used cruisers to transport more than two thousand tons of gold from the Bank of France to the French island of Martinique. It is no secret now that Wilhelm II certainly got the news.
"Okay, Your Majesty, I am willing to take your words to Petain!" Lin Wei said. Following the words, Lin Wei slowly exited the conference room with a large group of people. After exiting the conference room, Lin Wei let out a breath and smiled: "Gold, why did I forget France's national gold reserve, but most of it?" If the land is exchanged for gold, it shouldn’t be considered a loss-making deal!”
There seemed to be a weird atmosphere in the entire conference room. As time passed, "Haha..." Suddenly there was discordant laughter, but it immediately turned into a burst of laughter. "Haha, Gus." "Taf, this is the first time I've seen that expression on your son's face. Don't look at little Lampard acting like a national leader outside. When you got angry just now, you immediately acted calmly!" Thyssen laughed so hard that tears flowed down his face. Out.
"Go away, old bastard!" Gustav, who was supported by Linda, said rudely, "Isn't it great that you scolded my son just now? Old bastard, let's settle the score!"
"Okay, Gustave!" William II said to Xini, "Your son is indeed good. Compared with the occupied areas, it is certainly better to be able to control the French army, but the way he does things is too childish. There are no restrictions or surveillance, and if the French army is allowed to regain its strength, Germany must station its troops near the English Channel, and compensation must be paid!"
After Lin Wei was reprimanded by his father, he immediately found the Pétain government that had regained control of Paris. After rushing into Pétain's presidential palace, Lin Wei said before he sat down; "Marshal Pétain, the armistice agreement, It’s been invalidated!”
"What?" Marshal Pétain, who was almost as old as William II, suddenly stood up, making Lin Wei worried. Marshal Pétain immediately proved to Lin Wei that he was in good health. He almost rushed over and shouted, "Why is this? We can talk about it again. As long as we don't occupy French territory, everything can be discussed!"
Lin Wei carefully asked Petain to sit down and sighed to himself, "Maybe you are weak, but you are still thinking about your motherland." It’s really puzzling what history has said about you. Putting aside the strange thoughts in his mind, "His Majesty believes that it is feasible for France to fully support the Empire's war in exchange for the occupation of French territory by the Empire!" Before Petain could be happy, Lin Wei said again, "But Germany must Station troops in France, and France must compensate Germany for its military expenses, otherwise, our government is likely to collapse, and the next government will start fighting France again!"
"So, how much compensation does Germany need from France?" Now that William II has made his move, Pétain can only passively accept it, because now France can no longer compete with Germany head-on. Since it is powerless, it can only try its best.
"It is said that France has shipped out two thousand tons of gold before the war. If this gold is handed over to Germany, we can enjoy complete peace between us!" Lin Wei said, "In several cities near the English Channel , Germany must station troops in Normandy and Dunkirk, and a division of troops must be stationed in Paris! At the same time, the armed SS can recruit troops in France!" William II was only prepared to ask France to hand over one thousand tons of gold. Wei immediately turned into two thousand tons. William II asked for troops to be stationed, but did not ask for troops to be stationed in Paris. As for the armed SS to requisition French people, it was Lin Wei himself who proposed it.
"Two thousand tons of gold? This is too much. France also needs gold to stabilize the country's order!" Pétain argued. Pétain did not have many opinions about Germany's garrison of troops near the English Channel. Now Pétain's argument at the negotiating table to force Germany to make concessions has been widely circulated throughout France. With most of France already occupied by Germany, Pétain's ability to do this was worthy of the French's hopes. But this does not mean that Pétain will obediently hand over the gold. France's loss of all gold reserves will inevitably lead to a deterioration of the economy. Although Pétain does not understand the economy, he also deeply understands the role of gold.
"How about one thousand tons!" Marshal Pétain suggested, "If Germany is willing to lower its gold requirement to one thousand tons, I would like to thank Leader Lampard!"
"Marshal Pétain, how dare I call myself a leader in front of you?" Lin Wei said quickly. In Lin Wei's eyes, Marshal Pétain, who is over eighty years old, can undoubtedly gain Lin Wei's respect. Although Lin Wei gave many cruel orders during the war, he still knew how to respect the elderly and love the young at the very least.
"France is willing to pay any price as long as it can continue to survive. What does my personal honor and disgrace matter to me?" Marshal Pétain seemed like a saint about to suffer at this time. Lin Wei couldn't bear to refuse, "Eleven hundred tons! This is just as much as the gold of the Bank of France! Marshal Pétain, don't make me look bad. You have to know that the current conditions are very favorable to France. In addition to the military needs, France Apart from helping Germany land in Britain, nothing has been lost. If France is willing, the Axis powers welcome France! You have to know that as the person negotiating this time, I will probably be assassinated as soon as I return to Germany!"
"Okay, eleven hundred tons!" Marshal Pétain gritted his teeth and agreed. Compared with gold, the French care more about the integrity of the country. What Lin Wei cares more about is how to transport the extra one hundred tons of gold back to the Krupp family without anyone noticing.
As for Germany, Germany's vision cannot be limited to France alone. On the western front, Britain still refuses to surrender, and on the eastern front, the Soviet Union's three million troops on the border make it even more difficult for Germany to sleep and eat. Germany must be ready before 1941. Solve Britain's problems once and for all. Otherwise, victory in this war would be out of the question. The United States and Britain are flirting with each other, and Germany is not unaware of it. On the contrary, Germany has always paid great attention to the movements of the United States.
In the United States, the German embassy, under Charge d'Affaires Hans Thomson, was spending every dollar they got to support the isolationists, allowing the United States to remain out of the war, thereby causing Britain to lose confidence in continuing the war. . Among the documents seized from the German Foreign Ministry, many were reported by Thomson on how the embassy was working to manipulate American public opinion against Hitler. Le advantageous correspondence. That summer, American political parties held elections, and Thomson concentrated all his efforts on influencing the foreign policy platforms of each party, especially the foreign policy platform of the Republican Party.
For example, on June 12, he sent an "urgent" coded telegram to Berlin, saying that a well-known Republican congressman who cooperated "closely" with the German Embassy was willing to invite 50 isolationist congressmen to join the Republican Congress, so that They were able to work the representatives into favoring an isolationist foreign policy for $3,000.
Thomson's report said the same man also asked for $30,000 to pay for ads in American newspapers that would run full page with the headline "Keep America Out of the War!" "
The next day Thomson wired to Berlin to report a new plan. He said that through an American literary and art manager, he found five famous American writers to write several books that "I hope will have great effects." He needs $20,000 to carry out this project. A few days later Ribbentrop agreed to allocate the money. "
Hit? One of Leer's first public statements about his desire for peace talks with Britain was to Carl von Wiegand, a reporter for a Hearst newspaper. It was published in The American in New York on June 14. Two weeks later, Thomson informed the German Foreign Ministry that he had printed 100,000 more copies of the interview. He said: I was able to further persuade the isolationist Congressman Torkelson through a secret agent to record the head of state's visit in the Congressional Record on June 22.
This once again ensures that the interview notes can be disseminated as widely as possible. The German embassy in Washington grasped at every straw. Sometime that summer, the embassy's press attaché forwarded what he said was a suggestion from radio commentator Fulton Lewis. The press counselor described him as "an admirer of Germany and the Führer, and a very respected American journalist."
The Führer should call Roosevelt... which goes something like this: "You, Mr. Roosevelt, have repeatedly appealed to me and often expressed a desire to avoid a bloody war. I have not declared war on Britain; on the contrary, I have often emphasized that I do not wish to destroy the British Empire. . I have repeatedly asked Churchill to be sensible and to reach a decent peace treaty, but this request was stubbornly rejected by Churchill. I realized that if I issued an order for a full-scale war on the British Isles, Britain would be attacked. A serious loss. Therefore, I ask that you contact Churchill and persuade him to give up his senseless stubbornness." Of course, Lewis added, Roosevelt would give a rude and spiteful reply; but that would not matter. Such an appeal will inevitably leave a deep impression on the people of North America, especially the United States... But Hit? Le did not receive Lewis's advice because at that time Hit? Le is dead.
Hit? Le did not adopt Lewis's suggestion, but this did not delay Lin Wei's adoption. Lin Wei was willing to do anything as long as it could slow the United States into joining the war. The question now is, how can we reach the United States safely? With such doubts, Lin Wei walked out of Pétain's presidential palace.
Wandering aimlessly on the streets of Paris, Lin Wei, who was wearing a black SS uniform and escorted by several guards, quickly aroused the excitement of the surrounding crowd, but most people just looked at it in surprise. After taking a look, it’s time to do whatever you want. The content of the armistice agreement has been spread, and Germany's magnanimous attitude has reduced the hatred of the French people. Although they have not completely let go of their grudges, under the guidance of the Pétain government, Lin Wei believes that France, which is tied to Germany, will Automatically let go of hatred.
"Not just the United States, if possible, I really want to set foot on the land of the Soviet Union to see with my own eyes how far the Red Empire's military strength has reached!" Lin Wei wandered aimlessly, his head did not stop for a moment, Lin Wei now The changes caused were nothing more than the Battle of Dunkirk. The United States and Britain were still as close as they had been historically, and the Soviet Union was gradually encroaching on eastern Germany. Germany's strategic environment has not improved at all. The method of temporarily avoiding a two-front war is like Hit? As Russia did, it suddenly attacked the Soviet Union while Britain had not recovered. However, this has proven undesirable.
"Mediterranean strategy? No! But France can help!" Lin Wei suddenly remembered the non-mainstream strategy proposed by some people in Germany. However, once this Mediterranean strategy is implemented, it will definitely affect Germany's military strength and give the Soviets an opportunity to take advantage of it. Now if France's power is added, the Mediterranean strategy is not impossible.
"Huh?" Lin Wei suddenly found that the person in front of him looked very familiar, but he couldn't seem to remember where he had seen it before, but the back figure in a police uniform made Lin Wei feel very familiar.