The pile of bad debts between France and Britain can be described as innumerable, and to be honest, Xu Jun doesn't want to get involved at all, because no matter whether he can successfully mediate in the end, he will definitely be stained with a fishy smell in the future.

As the leader of the European Union, it is important for Germany to maintain the balance of power within the Union. If Britain and France suddenly become in love with each other, it will not bode well for Germany.

Britain and France have loved and killed each other for centuries, and the grudges accumulated by the people are even deeper than those between governments.

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

In the Battle of Dunkirk, the cooperation between the British and French armies was only because everyone had no way out, out of the instinct of human beings to huddle together in the midst of a crisis.

Historically, if there was no stubborn resistance from the remnants of the French army outside Dunkirk, where would the British have had any chance to board the ship and escape, but to say that the French were willing to do so would be a bit self-deceptive, in fact, for the question of whether to retreat with the French army, the soldiers on both sides almost broke out in the encirclement.

Although the British took a group of French officers and soldiers who had arrived at the beachhead, they were returned to French ports a few days later, and these forces were almost completely wiped out in the ensuing resistance on the French mainland.

The French troops who retreated to Dunkirk were full of veterans who had signed long-term contracts with the army, most of them professional soldiers with long-term military training, and they were also the backbone and elite of the French defense force.

It was because of a series of tactical and strategic mistakes made by the French command in the early days of the war that these elite troops were lost in vain on the battlefield. Most of the newly formed units in the later period were urban residents and peasants who had been urgently recruited, and although they had also received military training, their fighting qualities and fighting will could not be compared with those of professional soldiers.

In the later stages of French warfare, one or two soldiers often fled timidly, resulting in entire squads, platoons, and companies abandoning their defensive lines.

The German front-line field units did not like to replenish the recruits who had just completed the infantry training course, and this was the reason, because these rookies, who had never seen the cruelty of war, could easily have a nervous breakdown under the pressure of life and death.

In the middle of the war on the Eastern Front in history, the German front-line field troops suffered heavy losses, and as a result, many rookie newcomers were directly sent to the line of fire, and some were driven crazy after only four hours in the position.

German recruits on the Eastern Front would only be eligible for the approval of the veterans in the platoon if they had survived a few weeks or more on the firing line, and until then they had been equated with a weapon or ration, and no one would even bother to remember their full names.

Reival did not carry any particularly important mission this time, but mainly to consolidate good relations with the German Führer personally. During the time when Xu Jun stayed in France, Reival visited his residence many times, and Xu Jun also had the intention of using this famous "traitor", and a certain "friendship" was established between the two.

The French prime minister is a serious lawyer who knows how to deal with people and knows how to do what others like.

He heard that the German Führer liked antiques, especially those from China, so this time he specially selected a batch of Chinese antiques in the best condition from the warehouses of several major museums in Paris as a gift from the French government to the German Führer.

Xu Jun hasn't had time to appreciate this batch of gifts, but with the French in history, they do have a large number of cultural relics and treasures in their hands, and they can be given as gifts, which have definitely been identified by experts, and if they take a fake and give it to the German Führer, it will become an international scandal.

Reival first started out in the workers' movement, when he often litigated for the trade unions in Paris, and he often presented himself in public as a socialist, a lawyer for the working people, and a brother and comrade of the proletariat.

Perhaps he did have some political ideals and ambitions at that time, but at this moment, Reival has transformed into a complete political animal, the kind 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, take power and benefits for themselves, and have no concept of loyalty in their heads. However, if you can achieve what the other person wants, they will become the best pawns and accomplices.

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

Petain is old, less intelligent and less energetic than before, and he has been able to secure the presidency of France on the basis of fame, connections and political experience accumulated over a long period of time.

But the prime minister is at the helm of the actual government, and it is foreseeable that in the next few years, the core of power in the French government will slowly shift to Reival.

"We are recruiting shipbuilders in large numbers, and we are also receiving technical support from the UK." After speaking, Reival turned his head and glanced at the admiral sitting next to him.

"The biggest difficulty now is the problem of funding." Reival turned his head and went on to say to the German Führer: "So President Petain is going to issue another batch of government bonds in March of this year. ”

"How much?" Xu Jun put down the teacup in his hand and picked up the cigar on the side of the ashtray.

"About thirty percent." Reival replied.

"1.5 billion francs?" Viscount Wood's mental arithmetic skills seem to be good.

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

"I hope so, Mr. Prime Minister, but I also hope that it will not affect our previous agreement." Xu Jun took a puff of his cigar after speaking.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, in accordance with the agreements previously signed between the two countries, the delivery of ores, raw materials and civilian commodities to Germany in January will be shipped on time, and the list is attached to the diplomatic letter of yesterday." Reival replied.

Xu Jun turned his face to look at Verle with an inquiring gaze, and the latter nodded affirmatively to the Führer.

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

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

"If there are any difficulties, I hope they can be raised as soon as possible, and we can help the UK solve them together." The Führer said polite words that were not nutritious.

"Thank you very much, and 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 production of steel and coal mines, preparing to recruit 55,000 to 70,000 workers in France." Xu Jun turned his gaze to Reival.

"If the salary is right, 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 existed before the war, the number of unemployed workers in France in 1939 had reached 350,000, and now because of the population movement during the war, this situation has become even more serious.

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

The average French worker only cares about how to fill the belly of his family, and as for whether he earns francs or marks, this is a matter that he will only think about after he has eaten enough.

In fact, French workers are not averse to working abroad, after all, the French economy has been in a slump for a long time.

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

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

In addition, the suppression of left-wing workers' forces in France after the First World War, the exploitation of French capitalists became more unscrupulous, and many low-level workers were paid only enough to support themselves every week, which forced many housewives to find ways to work in various factories and workshops, which further exacerbated the shortage of jobs.

In the mid-to-late thirties, the French economy entered a vicious circle, with factories tightening production, workers' wages falling, social consumption began to decrease, and the products produced could not be sold, so production continued to shrink.

Before the war, French industry, once one of the largest in Europe, was in serious decline, and its total industrial output was far behind that of Germany.

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

Now, however, with the opportunity of large-scale rearmament, France's industrial potential is beginning to recover slowly but steadily, and if it will not return to the level of its peak in the twentieth century, it is at least hopeful.

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