"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. Although he can't recall it at the moment, Lin Wei can guarantee that he must know this person. The memory of two lives made Lin Wei very confident in his memory. If he had seen it before, he must have seen it before.
"Police officer in front, please wait a moment!" The guard who received the reminder from Lin Wei's eyes immediately understood and stopped the French police officer who was fifty meters ahead. The police officer who turned around immediately confirmed Lin Wei's own thoughts. This police officer turned out to be Officer Henry who was in Essen at the time. Thinking of Wu Lanfu, who had already become a rear admiral in the Naval Staff Department, Lin Wei's lips couldn't help but smile. A teasing smile.
Compared to Lin Wei's smile, Henry was not so relaxed. Henry, who looked confused, had obviously forgotten Lin Wei. It's no wonder that more than ten years have passed, but the young man in his twenties has turned into a middle-aged man in his thirties. In terms of temperament, Lin Wei, who has been the leader of the SS for so many years, is completely different from before. It is normal for Henry not to notice. What would a normal person do if he saw the secret police (Gestapo) of a hostile country in victory? He would be afraid, frightened, and trembled, and Henry was no exception, even if he had done the same thing as Germany now.
Most people would not be able to detect the differences between various departments of the SS without observing details, so Henry immediately thought that the Gestapo was looking for trouble. Although he was a little scared, Henry forced himself to calm down. They would not attack ordinary people, Henry thought to himself. Thinking of this, Henry asked, "Gentlemen, what can I do for you?"
"Chief Henry, it's been a long time since we said goodbye to Essen!" Lin Wei looked at Henry's police uniform. It was obvious that there were two more beans on the shoulders than the original uniform, although Lin Wei didn't understand France. The rank of the police, but except for the police who made mistakes, Henry must have been promoted according to normal procedures. France is such a big country, so it is a kind of fate that Lin Wei can see Henry from here.
"Who are you?" Henry asked. At this time, he still didn't remember who the familiar person in front of him was. But Henry was already a little frightened. He was once a French policeman in the Ruhr District Police Department. If the person in front of him was a German who had seen him before, this would definitely not be a good thing, but he thought that he had not done anything. Big bad thing, Henry calmed down again.
Lin Wei was amused for a while. Is he so scary? Lin Wei had no intention of revenge at all. I really don’t know why Henry is so careful. But it was funny, so Lin Wei still asked, "Chief Henry, don't you recognize me? I am Lampard & Krupp! We have met before!"
Henry's face suddenly became very ugly following Lin Wei's words, "You... leader of the SS!"
"That's right, the national leader of the SS!" Lin Wei said with a smile, "You look so ugly. It seems that apart from normal operations, our SS did not do any bad things in France! After we go back, give I'll check it out!" The last words were said to the guard next to him.
"Yes, leader, we will not forgive you for ruining the reputation of the SS!" the guard next to him said seriously. Looking at Henry who was still suffering from dementia, Lin Wei saw a rare acquaintance in France and immediately pulled Henry into the nearest cafe. I just wanted to talk to a Frenchman and ask him about his impressions of the German army now. Moreover, Henry was just a small policeman at the time, and it was impossible for him to do anything harmful and harmful in Germany.
What is the most fascinating thing about Paris? Eiffel Tower? Notre Dame? Paris Arc de Triomphe? France once conducted a survey among 160 tourists. Surprisingly, these were not the cases. The answer turned out to be Parisian cafes. If there were no cafés in Paris, Paris would be nothing lovely. Cafes are the backbone of France. If you randomly write a house number on a road, it will most likely be a cafe. Remove them and France will fall apart. Cafes are like another synonym for France, they go hand in hand. And there are so many differences between coffee shops, not only in decoration, appearance and size, but also in their respective histories, backgrounds, reputations and fates. Just like life, it is full of joys and sorrows.
At this time, Lin Wei discovered that if he wanted to find a well-known cafe, he would never be able to achieve his goal by walking alone. A car was not a problem at all for Lin Wei, the national leader of the SS. The guards immediately drove a car. Lin Wei's goal was the Latin Quarter on the left bank of the Seine. The cafes there were so famous that even Lin Wei, who came to France for the first time, had heard about it.
After arriving in the Latin Quarter, Lin Wei and the others went to a cafe called Flower God. The Flower God Cafe was a small store at the intersection of the road. It had an elegant appearance, with dark window eaves and white sunshade cloth, and outside the window on the second floor. The flower stand is wrapped with green branches and vines. Lin Wei took one look at the unique decoration and decided to put the place to entertain French friends here.
After entering the cafe, Lin Wei and Henry settled down. The guards sat down around Lin Wei unceremoniously. Seeing Officer Henry's surprised expression, Lin Wei explained with a smile, "There is equality within the SS. Yes, besides the guards are protecting our safety, at this time, I should listen to them!"
Henry smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Now I know why, after only twenty years, Germany has risen so quickly and attracted the attention of the world. France's failure was not unjust!" Lin Wei smiled and did not answer. I politely asked for a few cups of coffee. Cafes are the happiest place for French people to spend time after dinner. They chat, play cards, and smoke. Men and women talk, scream, and laugh. It is suitable for both young and old. Its existence and status in France are just like Germany cannot live without beer halls and sausages.
If the French fall in love with cafes because of their romantic feelings, German beer halls provide a place for busy Germans to relieve stress. Rigorous and rigid Germans, at work, After finishing, we really need such a place.
The atmosphere in the small cafe became subtle immediately after Lin Wei and several Germans wearing SS uniforms came in. Especially Officer Henry, who was wearing a French police uniform, immediately felt the eyes directed at him. body. Lin Wei was already accustomed to this kind of atmosphere, and all kinds of social activities, although Lin Wei was very annoying, at least they had tempered Lin Wei's calm face in battle.
As if he didn't see the people around him, Lin Wei and Officer Henry chatted indifferently, "Officer Henry, although our identities are reversed now, you should understand that Germany is very kind to France now. No We want the French to have an inch of their land. In fact, we have no hatred in the first place. It is just the British who are provoking conflicts between us for the sake of the balance of power on the continent!" Although it is an old tune, Lin Wei still wants to let the French know through this kind of public occasion that now France is the same as before, the only difference is that the ally is Germany instead of Britain.
"Yes, I didn't expect the British to be so selfish. Europe has allowed the British to play around with their unscrupulous methods for hundreds of years!" Officer Henry said, "General Wei Gang has revealed the situation at that time. This This failure was entirely caused by the selfishness of the British!"
In order to cover up the failure of France's strategy, Wei Gang shifted all the responsibility to Britain. Lin Wei naturally knew the trick, but this was a good thing for Germany. Lin Wei is still there all the time. To sow discord between France and Britain, "Yes, in fact, the more suitable ally for France is Germany rather than Britain. Our two countries have the most powerful armies in the world. As long as Germany and France cooperate, the European continent will completely defeat us." In this world, Germany and France are the center of Europe, and Europe is the center of the world. This result is the best for Europe. However, for their own interests, the British will never let the European continent be peaceful. This can be seen from the words of His Majesty Napoleon. You can tell by the encounter!" Lin Wei didn't say anything else. If there is no cooperation, then there will only be two tigers fighting and one of them will be injured, and Germany's opponent is the Soviet Union, not France.
The people around him changed from being reluctant to cutting back to thinking deeply. They may be considering Lin Wei's words. Maybe the cooperation between Germany and France can indeed calm down the European continent. If Lin Wei knew the thoughts of these French people, he would definitely feel funny. The defeated France is no longer Germany's life and death opponent. It may cause Germany trouble, but it will definitely not kill Germany. The Czech Republic and Poland, which France painstakingly supported after World War I, have been destroyed by Germany, and pro-French Lithuania has been occupied by the Soviet Union. France has no allies in Europe. Germany now has very good relations with Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland. After getting rid of the Soviet Union, it would be okay if France is willing to be the second best in Europe. If it continues to be greedy, it will only be asking for trouble.
Throughout the chat, which lasted more than an hour, almost every word Lin Wei said was inseparable from Britain. From the anti-French alliance during the Napoleonic Wars, to the Seven Years' War, to the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France, every sentence was inseparable from the contradiction between Britain and France. The enmity between Britain and France was no less than that between Germany and France. After Lin Wei's instigation, France formed the impression that since France must stand with Germany now, it should first deal with Britain.
When the sun was about to set, Lin Wei finally ended the chat as if he was doing a research report. The effect was remarkable. At least the French people who came out of this cafe didn't look very good. As long as Germany continues to provoke In addition, the Pétain government is already dissatisfied with Britain, and the effects will gradually show up; "Pay the bill!" Lin Wei shouted.
"I'll do it!" Henry said hurriedly.
"Dear Henry, you are my guest. Besides, this fee is nothing to me, and you still need to support your relatives!" Lin Wei refused, "We in Germany will soon start economic cooperation with France. ! You can treat me then!" Seeing Lin Wei's signal, the service lady came over immediately and quickly settled the bill.
Meeting Henry was just a small episode. The urgent matter now facing Lin Wei was undoubtedly the British problem. Lin Wei once thought that the failure of the Battle of Dunkirk and the heavy losses of the British Royal Navy off the coast of Belgium were enough to make Churchill step down. But now, Lin Wei is a bit whimsical, and the British determination to resist is unexpectedly firm. Neither domestic fascist parties nor Chamberlain could affect Churchill's determination to resist. In this case, things in France have gradually stabilized, and the solution to the British problem has begun to be put on Germany's strategic agenda.
The British problem must be solved before 1941. How to strangle Britain as quickly as possible has become an important problem faced by Germany now. Of course, the British Royal Navy cannot face the joint attack of the German and French navies, but it relies on the defense of the British mainland. It is still more than enough. If Britain makes a desperate move and transfers the Mediterranean Fleet, the obstacle to Germany will be even more obvious. Therefore, preventing the British Mediterranean Fleet from calling back is now Germany's first task.
The Mediterranean strategy was first proposed by the German Navy. The core idea is to seize air superiority over the UK and land directly on the British mainland. If this cannot be achieved, the necessary forces should be immediately invested in North Africa to quickly attack the British forces in North Africa and the Middle East, and completely control the Mediterranean area. The navy believes that the British army It is not strong in the Mediterranean region. As long as the German armored forces were invested, victory could be achieved in the short term. This would be a heavy blow to British morale and would have huge political implications, including the possibility of forcing Britain to sue for peace. Even if Britain does not seek peace, it will make Britain's connection with its eastern territories more difficult. In this way, Britain will not have the strength to continue to resist, and at the same time, its development will fall far behind the Axis powers. Even if it still does not surrender, then it will take action to land in Britain. It won't be very difficult anymore.
To cut off the Mediterranean fleet's return support, there is one place that cannot be avoided, and that is Gibraltar! Gibraltar is located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and on the north shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, straddling the throat of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its strategic position is very important. Gibraltar covers an area of nearly 6 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 30,000. The Strait of Gibraltar is 90 kilometers long and 12 to 43 kilometers wide. It is the only sea passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar was incorporated into Spanish territory in 1501. In 1702, France and Austria resorted to war to compete for the succession to the Spanish throne. Britain, the Netherlands, and Austria formed an alliance. Their coalition forces conquered Gibraltar in 1704 and established a military fortress. In 1713, Spain signed the Anglo-Spanish Treaty with Britain and ceded Gibraltar to Britain. In 1830, Gibraltar became a British colony and major naval base. Since then, all military and political affairs in Gibraltar have been overseen by the Governor appointed by the British royal family. However, Spain never gave up its demand to regain Gibraltar.
But Lin Wei immediately thought of the Spanish dictator Franco and the Portuguese Salazar. Although Franco and Salazar were dictators, they were indeed pro-Germany, but maybe the two countries were not strong in national strength. Too timid, they were always skeptical of Germany's request to join the war because they were not sure that Britain would fail. Personally speaking, Lin Wei admired Franco very much for establishing a relatively stable dictatorship, successfully avoiding World War II, and using the Cold War to win support from the United States after the war. This is not something ordinary people can do. However, the reason why Spain has developed is entirely due to the decades of Franco's dictatorship that maintained Spain's stability. As for the Spanish Civil War, both sides were divided and there was no just side. The left-wing parties killed no less people than Franco and others.
Unfortunately, Lin Wei is now a German, and Spain's current attitude has undoubtedly hindered Germany's plan. Cutting off the return of the Mediterranean fleet will undoubtedly be of huge benefit to Germany. Not to mention the impact on the British mainland, but talking about the situation in the Mediterranean region, it will become very beneficial to the Axis powers.
First, Italy's security is guaranteed, as it only needs to block the entrance to the Mediterranean to achieve considerable stability. This can free up the Italian navy and air force to join the Atlantic War. The army only needs to protect Morocco and the Middle East. It can also save more troops to participate in the defense of the European continent, plus other axis countries in the same situation. They are all in a relatively safe environment, and such a powerful collection centered on the German army will inevitably make the Soviet Union feel less confident in estimating the possibility of victory in its initiative to attack Europe. At the same time, the Axis countries can maintain the advantage of ground forces in Europe at all times.
Second, safe production space and resource supply. A considerable part of Germany's production is not carried out in the country, and the Mediterranean region has become a relatively safe space, so as to provide more production capacity, and at the same time, it also includes the labor force that Germany needs most, released due to the reduction of danger. Although the oil production in the Middle East was not very high during that period, it was still considerable, allowing the Axis powers to obtain more sources of oil. In addition, its non-depleting oil reserves would also increase more production with increased exploitation. At the same time, it also obtains other more resources and the huge role that nearly 200 million people can play in a safe environment. At least Romania is no longer the only source of oil thus greatly enhancing the security of fuel supplies.
Third, although the Axis powers' occupation of the Mediterranean and the Middle East would not collapse Britain, its political impact was also immeasurable. Even if the Soviet Union did not carve up the Middle East like Germany did with Poland, or go south through Central Asia to gain access to the Indian Ocean. It will also carefully consider Germany's policies. There is no reason to see that the Soviet Union's military preparations are bound to challenge the power of the Axis powers. And with the strengthening of the Axis powers. The balance of power becomes more difficult to break. To put it simply, the Soviet Union did not have the courage to take the initiative to attack, at least when the Axis powers were on the rise. Rather than engaging in an unpredictable war with no certainty of the final benefit harvest, it would be more tempting to adopt a method that can easily obtain other benefits at little cost. Of course, the Soviet Union's defense against Germany will not be reduced due to any circumstances, but this is purely out of fear and waiting for the opportunity for Germany to be weakened.
The matter in France is almost settled, William II will return to Germany soon, and Hitler's body has also been found. Taking advantage of the opportunity that William II is still in France, Lin Wei must immediately convince William II to agree to take immediate action against Britain.