Marshal Sirte, the prime minister of France, was in a rather bad mood today. To be precise, he had been in a bad mood ever since the son of His Excellency the Keeper of the Seals, Viscount Delion, came to his house two days ago.

Not because the foreign secretary in his cabinet was intent on bringing him down and taking his position, but to be honest, he was not surprised, every politician has ambitions. He was in a bad mood because he smelled an ominous smell from the actions of the Foreign Secretary, an ominous smell from the court.

Without the implicit acquiescence of the king, Bixia, Guizo would never have dared to make such an obvious move, he could be sure of that. And since little Diliion ran over to tell the warning, it was obviously because he had found something in the palace.

As soon as he thought of this, the corners of the old soldier's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"Ungrateful fellow, you'll regret it sooner or later." He cursed to himself, and then quickly regained his composure.

He has not faced crises before, and the storms of the French political situation over the years, the ups and downs of the political arena for many years, have long since cultivated a calm mind that is almost untouched by external objects.

Swearing doesn't solve anything, action can't do it.

Although he did not know where the other side would start, he knew very well in his heart that if he wanted to sit back and wait for the other side to attack, he would be in a position of passive response no matter what, and there was a common reason between leading troops to fight a war and political struggle -- the side that had the initiative and could choose the time and place of the decisive battle on its own was the side with the advantage. In any case, the initiative should be seized into your own hands.

So, how do you gain the initiative?

That's exactly what he's been meditating on lately.

With his head down, he continued to work on the papers in his hand.

This is an official document from the colonies of North Africa.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, I hereby request your permission to allow us to assemble troops to break through and strike hard at the Islamic guerrillas who have crossed the border.

These lawless Arabs, who believed in evil doctrines, went into hiding in the Pall Empire (present-day Niger, Africa) to restore Liliang after being severely cracked down on by us a year earlier. Now, after a year of recovery, they have re-emerged, often launching small cross-border strikes that have spread around Algeria and have killed a large number of officials and local security personnel, causing great disruption to the local order.

Therefore, in order to restore the honour and majesty of France, we ask your permission for us to cross the border line and strike deep into the nests of these wicked elements—and, if necessary, I will destroy them once and for all by the most severe means, leaving no further trouble.

The time is fleeting, please approve it as soon as possible.

Governor of the Military Administration of Algeria, Marquis of Rabigunli, Duke of Isley, Thomas Robert Bijo. ”

During the July Dynasty, France intensified its colonization of Algeria and other North and West African regions, and provoked strong resistance from local Muslims, triggering a more than decade-long anti-colonial guerrilla war.

In the beginning, due to the inappropriate tactics and the flexibility of the guerrillas, the French army did not go smoothly and suffered heavy losses without success, but after Marshal Bijo became governor, he adopted extremely targeted methods of warfare to suppress them, and severely carried out brutal sweeps in the areas where the local partisans were active, and the bloodshed even provoked protests in mainland France.

However, under this bloody pressure, within a few years, the Arab guerrillas gradually lost their base and soil for survival, and had to gradually move outward, and the Niger region in the south of Algeria naturally became a major destination. The partisans continued to sneak back to their homeland to raid after resting in the area, which made the French army very tired.

Therefore, Marshal Bijo requested to expand the range of strikes, striking at the enemy's new lair.

After thinking for a moment, the prime minister wrote a note under the official letter. "Agree, overcome all difficulties and move on!"

He didn't do this just because of military considerations, but because of other considerations.

Weishenme before France did not do anything there?

Because Niger is close to Nigeria, which is a quasi-colony of the British.

The French army's large-scale advance towards Niger was bound to cause panic among the British, because Nigeria was now basically in the pockets of the British, and the French army's advance on Niger could easily be seen as a direct threat to Nigeria.

There is no doubt that this will provoke protests from the British, and France must back down under British pressure, and people will not ask "weishenme we are going to back down", they will only see that "in the face of British pressure, the weak and incompetent cabinet has chosen to back down, and the Foreign Secretary is the executor of this shameful policy." ”

He was not afraid of a worse reputation now, as long as his foreign secretary joined him in a worse reputation.

The power of the foreign secretary in affairs has been greatly weakened by his invisibility. Power brings influence, power is weakened, and influence will slowly erode, as long as he persists, his rival will soon slowly lose his qualification to challenge his boss.

After approving this document, he continued to review the other documents, and then felt that his eyes were a little foggy, so he put down his pen and half-squinted his eyes to rest for a while.

It's hard, but for a politician, this kind of "hard work of holding power" is the goal and motivation for him to fight for all his life.

After a short rest, he gently shook the bell cord on his desk, and the secretary soon came in.

He gestured lightly to the pile of papers on the desk that had been reviewed and redacted by him. "Copy each of these to the various receiving departments." , old and withered hands, already full of wrinkles.

"Yes." The secretary answered, walked over and took the papers, and then whispered. "His Excellency the Secretary of State for the Interior has arrived, and is in the waiting room."

"Very well, call him in." Mr. Prime Minister's tone was still a little tired.

"Yes."

His Excellency Chancellor Duchat, who was bald and stocky, soon entered, and he quickly saluted, with a smile on his face with a hint of apprehension, like a secondary school student meeting his teacher. "Your Excellency, I have come at your call......"

The prime minister raised his head and looked at each other coldly, his cold expression well concealing his exhaustion.

"I have something important to tell you." He then motioned for the other to sit on the couch across from his desk.

The minister sat down obediently, but looked at the prime minister flatteringly.

"Last time you reported the discovery of a traitorous group of the Bonapartist party, right?" The Prime Minister's tone was very calm. "And how many low-level people were captured?"

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." The minister laughed, "Under your wise command and guidance, my brave subordinates have shown their excellent talents......

The Prime Minister gently raised his hand to stop the other party's meaningless nonsense. "So, how is the interrogation of these personnel doing? Did you dig up any senior members? ”

The minister's jubilant expression just now instantly became a little embarrassed, but it quickly returned to normal. "As you know, these traitors are very cunning, very well-organized, they use pseudonyms for each other, and we are arresting low-level members, so we don't know much about it......"

"Needless to say, tell me what new progress and achievements you have made." The Prime Minister interrupted him with some impatience.

The minister hurriedly took out a few pages from his bosom. "This is an excerpt from the interrogation records of the traitors we have captured, and all the important information is recorded in it."

The Prime Minister beckoned, and the Minister walked up with a smirk and handed the document to the Prime Minister.

"In addition, several high-ranking personnel who have been confessed by the traitors, we have issued arrest warrants. Everywhere will pay close attention, and if there is a suspicious person who matches the characteristics, they will be arrested. ”

The prime minister picked up the interrogation transcripts and skimmed them casually.

"These Bonaparte believers, sure enough, can't be underestimated." He commented indifferently.

"Yes, the traitors are indeed cunning, but with you in charge, these rats will have to hide in the trenches forever...... "The minister still smiled flatteringly, "and we will keep an eye on them in the future, and if there is any trouble, we will catch them!" ”

The prime minister kept going through the records and did not speak.

"Mr. Kong Ze, whom I recommended to you before, is really shrewd and capable, this operation was planned and commanded by him, and the results are very remarkable, and he really did not disappoint you."

"Good." The Prime Minister nodded, "You can convey a commendation to him for me, tell him that I will prepare a medal for him, and that promotion is also waiting for him." ”

"He'll be very happy, and I'll thank you for him." The minister replied with a smile, "With your words, he will definitely do his best in the future......"

"Weishenme wants to sell all his might? Your Excellency? The Prime Minister suddenly spoke, but his eyes were still on the papers.

"Huh?" The minister, who was talking, was a little puzzled.

"The more cheerful these traitors are, the more Bixia will feel the importance of our existence, won't she?"

The Prime Minister's eyes were still on the document, and his voice was low, but it was like thunder in the Minister's ears.

He suddenly raised his head to look at the prime minister, his expression a little frightened. "You mean...... You mean ......? ”

"Did I say anything?" The Prime Minister suddenly raised his head.

Under the pressure of this terrible gaze, the minister broke out in a cold sweat again. "Of course you didn't say anything, I understand, I understand."

"Got what?" The Prime Minister's face seemed to be really strange, and then he looked up at the small wall clock next to him. "Your Excellency, think carefully about what to do in the future. To you, I am ...... Cough...... Ahem......"

The Prime Minister suddenly coughed violently.

"Your Excellency!" The minister was startled and hurriedly stepped forward.

"Ahem...... Ahem......" The prime minister was still coughing violently, and reluctantly finished speaking, "to your ...... Cough...... Credit, I am...... Never...... Never forget...... Ahem......"

"I see." The minister's face was now full of solemnity, and he held the prime minister's wrinkled hand tightly, "I have always remembered your support for me, and I am absolutely loyal to you!" ”

"That's good...... Ahem......"

During his lifetime, he witnessed the guillotine of Louis XVI, the fall of Emperor Napoleon, the funeral of the Bourbon Zuihou, and the death of the Russian Tsar who had set foot in Paris. He survived, getting more and more prominent, getting stronger and stronger.

Eventually, however, he will face time, humanity's worst enemy, and will be as helpless as the big guys.

Time, your ruthless hands, how many strongmen have been destroyed, how many feats have been destroyed!

When he left this office, His Excellency the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, who had always been subservient to the Prime Minister and looked like a lowly clerk, almost immediately regained his serious expression.

At 78 years old, is the Prime Minister really still a target worth following?

Maybe you really should listen to what that side has to say?