Battle of the Third Reich

The pile of bad debts between France and the United Kingdom can be described with exhausted books. To be honest, Xu Jun doesn't want to be involved, because no matter whether he can mediate successfully in the end, he will definitely get a smell in the future.

As the leader of the European Union, Germany is very important to maintain the balance of power within the Union. If Britain and France suddenly fall in love with each other, it is not a good sign for Germany.

The two countries have loved and killed each other for centuries, and the hatred accumulated by the people is even deeper than that between the governments. If it was not for a Chinese emperor with two brains to provoke the world war, these two enemies might have been like that forever. Tangled to the sea withered rocks.

After the outbreak of World War II in history, although the brand of allies was hung between Britain and France, they rarely saw any tactical cooperation between the two sides on the battlefield.

In the Battle of Dunkirk, the cooperation between the British and French armies was only because everyone had no way to retreat, out of the instinct of mankind to warm up in a crisis.

In history, if there was no stubborn resistance from the remnants of the French army outside Dunkirk, where would the British have any chance to board the ship and escape, but to say that the French were willing to do so, it was a bit self-deceiving, in fact, in order to take the French together On the issue of retreat, soldiers on both sides almost broke out in the encirclement.

Although the British army took away a group of French officers and soldiers who rushed to the beach, they were sent back to the French port a few days later. These troops were almost completely wiped out in the subsequent French resistance.

These French troops who retreated to Dunkirk are full of veterans who have signed long-term contracts with the army. Most of them are professional soldiers who have received long-term military training. They are also the backbone and elite of the French defense force.

It was because of the series of tactical and strategic mistakes made by the French commander at the beginning of the war that these elite troops were lost in vain on the battlefield. Most of the newly formed troops in the later period were urban residents and peasants who were urgently recruited. Although they also received military training, their combat qualities and fighting will not be comparable to those of professional soldiers.

One or two soldiers often fled timidly in the later French operations, and as a result, the entire group, the entire row, and the entire company of soldiers abandoned their lines of defense.

The German first-line field troops did not like to recruit new recruits who had just completed the infantry training course. This is the reason, because these rookies who have never seen the brutality of war can easily collapse under the pressure of life and death.

In the mid-east of the Eastern Front in history, the German front-line field troops suffered heavy losses. As a result, many rookie newcomers were sent directly to the frontline, and some people were driven into madness after only four hours on the position.

German recruits on the Eastern Front are only eligible for approval by the veterans in the platoon until they have survived on the front line for weeks or even longer. Prior to this, they were only equivalent to a weapon or ration, and no one even bothered. To remember their full names.

Laival did not carry any particularly important mission this time. He mainly came to consolidate the good relationship with the individual of the German head of state. During the time Xu Jun stayed in France, Laval had visited his residence many times. Xu Jun also had the idea of ​​using this famous "legal rape", and a certain "between" was established between the two. friendship".

This French prime minister is a serious lawyer, and he understands how to treat people and knows how to vote for others.

He heard that the German head of state liked antiques, especially those from China, so this time he specially selected a batch of Chinese antiques of the best appearance from the warehouses of several museums in Paris, as a gift from the French government to the German head of state one's gift.

Xu Jun hasn't had time to appreciate these gifts, but with the French's ability to search in history, they do have a large number of cultural relics in their hands, and they can be sent as gifts. They have definitely been evaluated by experts. This fake came out and was sent to the German head of state, and that became an international scandal.

Laival was first founded by the workers' movement. At that time, he often litigated for the trade unions in Paris. He often declared himself a socialist in public, a lawyer serving the laborers, a proletarian brother and Comrade.

Perhaps at that time he did have some political ideals and ambitions, but at this moment Laval has transformed into a thorough political animal that can sell everything for power and status.

Xu Jun does not like these political speculators very much. They like to surround themselves with the strong and ingest power and benefits for themselves. There is no concept of loyalty in their minds. But if you can meet each other's needs, they will become the best pieces and accomplices.

Laval is on the list of the most valuable people in Xu Jun's notebook, and is placed with Marshal Badoglio of Italy.

Petain is old and his mind and energy are no longer as good as before. He can sit firmly on the throne of the French president, relying on his long-established reputation, contacts and political experience.

However, in terms of actual government operations and other issues, it is the prime minister who is in charge, and it is foreseeable that in the next few years, the core of power of the French government will slowly shift to Laval.

"We are recruiting a large number of shipbuilders, and at the same time we have received the technical support provided by the United Kingdom." Reival turned his head and looked at the admiral sitting on the side.

"The biggest difficulty now is the financial issue." Reival turned back and continued to the German head of state: "So President Betten is planning to issue another batch of national debt in March this year."

"What is the specific quantity?" Xu Jun put down the teacup in his hand and picked up the cigar beside the ashtray.

"About thirty percent." Laival replied.

"1.5 billion francs?" Viscount Wood's mental ability seemed good.

"The Minister of Finance and National Economy, Mr. Katara, believes that the economic situation in France will improve this year." Raval added.

"I also hope so, Mr. Prime Minister, but I also hope that this will not affect our previous agreement." Xu Jun finished taking a cigar.

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, according to the agreement signed by the two countries, the ore, raw materials and civilian commodities that will be delivered to Germany in January will be shipped on time. The list is attached to the diplomatic document yesterday." Laival replied to .

Xu Jun turned his face and looked at Weierle with interrogative eyes. The latter nodded affirmatively to the head of state.

"What about Britain?" Xu Jun looked at Viscount Wood.

"There is no problem, Your Excellency, we will strictly abide by the previous agreement." Viscount Wood responded respectfully.

"If there are any difficulties, I hope to be able to raise them as soon as possible, and we can help Britain solve them together." The head of state said a nutritious polite statement.

"Thank you very much, I will convey your kindness to Prime Minister Chamberlain, Your Excellency." Viscount Wood is also a veteran.

"This year we plan to continue to increase the output of steel and coal mines, preparing to recruit 55,000 to 70,000 workers in France." Xu Jun turned his attention to Laval.

"If the salary is appropriate, I believe there will be many people willing to sign up." The French Prime Minister replied.

Most of the industrial and mining enterprises in France have resumed production at this time, but there are still a large number of unemployed people in society. In fact, this problem already existed before the war. In 1939, the number of unemployed workers in France has reached After 350,000, this situation has become more serious because of the population movement during the war.

Germany has recruited more than 100,000 laborers in France in recent months, most of which have been digested by major military and chemical companies.

The average French worker only cares about how to fill the belly of his family. As for whether he earns francs or marks, this is a question that he has to consider after he has eaten.

In fact, French workers do not resist going to work abroad, after all, the French economy has been sluggish for a long time.

In order to prevent the franc from continuing to depreciate, politicians and capitalists began to work together to limit industrial output in an attempt to artificially create deflation in society.

Restricted output directly leads to a decline in corporate profits, and the losses can only be allocated to production costs. The first burden is the wages of workers.

Coupled with the suppression of the left-wing workers in France after World War I, the exploitation of the French capitalists was even more unscrupulous, and many low-level workers were only able to earn their own weekly wages, which forced many housewives to find ways to enter various factories. And workshop labor, this has further exacerbated the shortage of jobs.

In the middle and late 1930s, the French economy entered a vicious circle. Factories tightened production, workers' wages fell, and social consumption began to decrease. The products produced could not be sold, so they continued to tighten output.

Before the war, the French industry, which was once one of the best in Europe, had actually severely declined, and the total industrial output value was far behind Germany.

This directly affected the development and renewal speed of French armaments, which ultimately led to the defeat of the French army on the battlefield.

But now, with the opportunity of large-scale armament restructuring, France's industrial potential is slowly but steadily recovering. Although it cannot return to the level of the peak of 29 in the short term, at least people have seen this hope.

PS: Thank you for your support, the author will continue to work hard.