Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 338: Secret talk (medium)

The pile of bad debts between France and Britain can be described in a plethora of books. To be honest, Xu Jun doesn't want to mix it up, because no matter whether he can mediate successfully or not, he will definitely get a fishy 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 become in love with each other, it is not a good sign for Germany.

Britain and France have fallen in love and killed each other for centuries, and the enmity accumulated by the people is even deeper than that between the governments. If it hadn’t been for a certain Chinese emperor who had been instigated to provoke a world war, these two enemies might have Has been entangled like that until the sea is dry and the rocks are rotten.

In history, after World War II broke out in history, although Britain and France were branded as allies, they rarely saw any tactical cooperation between the two sides on the battlefield. Basically, they played their own roles.

In the Battle of Dunkirk, the cooperation between the British and French armies was only because everyone had nowhere to retreat. It was due to the instinct of mankind to hug and keep warm in the crisis.

In history, without the stubborn resistance of the remnants of the French army outside Dunkirk, would the British have any chance to board the ship to escape, but to say that the French were willing to do so, it would be a little bit self-deception, in fact, whether to bring With regard to the French retreat, the soldiers from both sides almost broke out in the encirclement.

Although the British army took away a group of French officers and soldiers who had 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 operations.

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 forces.

Because of the series of tactical and strategic mistakes made by the French commanders at the beginning of the war, 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 quality and fighting will could not be compared with professional soldiers.

In the later period of the French army, one or two soldiers often flee timidly. As a result, the entire squad, platoon, and company of soldiers abandon their defense lines.

The German front-line field troops don't like to supplement the recruits who have just completed the infantry training course. This is the reason, because these rookies who have never seen the cruelty of war are prone to mental breakdown under the pressure of life and death.

In the middle of the Eastern Front War in history, the German front-line field troops suffered heavy losses. As a result, many rookies and newcomers were sent directly to the line of fire. Some people were driven crazy after only four hours on the battlefield.

The German recruits on the Eastern Front are only eligible for the approval of those veterans in the platoon only if they have survived the line of fire for a few weeks or even longer. Before that, they were only equivalent to a weapon or ration, not even Someone will bother to remember their full names.

Laval did not carry any particularly important mission this time. He was mainly to consolidate the good relationship with the German head of state. During Xu Jun's stay in France, Laval visited his residence many times. Xu Jun also had the intention of using this famous "traitor". There was a certain "establishment" between the two. friendship".

This French Prime Minister is a serious lawyer, who has a deep understanding of how to deal with people and how to do what others like.

He heard that the German head of state likes antiques, especially those from China, so this time he specially selected a batch of best-looking Chinese antiques from the warehouses of several major museums in Paris as a gift from the French government A personal gift from the German head of state.

Xu Jun hasn't had time to appreciate these gifts, but with the ability of the French to search in history, they do have a large number of cultural relics in their hands, and those that can be given as gifts have definitely been identified by experts. , If you take a fake and give it to the head of state of Germany, it will become an international scandal.

Laval first started with the labor movement. At that time, he often litigated the trade unions in Paris, so he often advertised in public as a socialist, a lawyer serving the laborers, and a proletariat. Brothers and comrades.

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

Xu Jun doesn't like these political speculators very much. They like to surround themselves with the strong and draw power and benefits for themselves. There is no concept of loyalty in his mind. But if you can meet the opponent's needs, they will become the best pawns and accomplices.

Laval was listed in the list of the most useful personnel in Xu Jun's notebook, together with Marshal Badoglio of Italy.

Betain is old and has no better brains and energy than before. He can sit firmly on the throne of French president, relying on the reputation, connections and political experience accumulated over the years.

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

"We are recruiting shipbuilders in large numbers, and at the same time we have received technical support from the United Kingdom." Laval said, turning his head and glanced at the admiral sitting on the side.

"The biggest difficulty now is the problem of funding." Laval turned back and continued to say to the German head of state: "So President Betain plans to issue another batch of national debt in March this year."

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

"About thirty percent." Laval replied.

"One and a half billion francs?" Viscount Wood's mental arithmetic skills seemed good.

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

"I also hope that, 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, in accordance with the agreement signed by the two countries, the ore, raw materials and civilian commodities to be delivered to Germany in January will be shipped on time. The list is attached to the diplomatic document yesterday." You answered.

Xu Jun turned his face and looked at Weierle with questioning eyes, who then nodded affirmatively to the head of state.

"Where is Britain?" Xu Jun looked at Viscount Wood.

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

"If there are any difficulties, I hope that they can be raised as soon as possible, and we can help Britain to solve them together." The head of state said innocuously.

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

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

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

Most of the domestic industrial and mining enterprises in France have resumed production at this time, but there is still a large number of unemployed people in society. In fact, this problem has already existed before the war. The number of unemployed workers in France in 1939 It has already reached three hundred and fifty thousand, and now because of the population movement during the war, the situation has become more serious.

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

Ordinary French workers only care about how to fill the belly of a family. As for whether they are earning francs or marks, this is a question that they have to consider after they are full.

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

In order to prevent the continued devaluation of the franc, politicians and capitalists began to work together to limit industrial output in an attempt to artificially create social deflation.

Limited output directly leads to a decline in corporate profits~IndoMTL.com~ Losses can only be allocated to production costs, and the first is the wages of workers.

Furthermore, the left-wing labor force in France was suppressed after the First World War, and the exploitation of French capitalists became even more unscrupulous. Many low-level workers were paid only enough to make ends meet on their own every week, which forced many housewives to find ways to enter. Various factories and workshops labor, which further aggravated the shortage of jobs.

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

Before the war, the French industry, which was once the largest in Europe in terms of scale, had actually been in a severe decline, and the total industrial output value had fallen far behind Germany.

This directly affected the development and update speed of French armaments, and ultimately led to the failure of the French army on the battlefield.

However, with the opportunity of a large-scale reorganization of armaments, France’s industrial potential has begun to slowly but steadily recover. Although it cannot return to the level at its peak in 2009, at least it has been seen. Kind of hope.

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