"It's been a nice day, Mr. Captain." Let. Admiral Degu stood on the aft deck of the battleship Dunkirk, watching with great interest as the sailors lowered the tail boarding ladder with great interest, and he couldn't wait to set foot on the land in front of him.

According to a deal Pétain had made with him privately, he would only have to serve on the land for four years, after which the government would transfer him back home and grant him the coveted rank of marshal. This is only a small part of the admiral's benefits, in addition to the necessary power and wealth, he is also allowed to know the full contents of the Franco-German secret deal, which is a political recognition of him, indicating that he will have the opportunity to enter the core of power at the national level, provided of course that he can successfully pass this test, but for the ambitious Jean. Admiral Degu said that as long as France and Germany were behind him, he could face all challenges calmly.

"Yes, very good weather, Your Excellency." The captain of the Dunkirk, Louis Brown. Colonel Corinne was on the sidelines. The captain had just learned from the admiral that he would be promoted to rear admiral after he took over as governor of French Indochina, and that he would also be given the post of deputy commander of the French Far East Fleet.

Because the formation of this fleet is a private transaction between Germany and France, and the news must be closely blocked both externally and internally, the navy has not mobilized any senior admirals except for the captains of these warships. Degu himself was an admiral, and he went to sea with the fleet on a mission that did not arouse other associations of the British at all. The fleet departed from the port of Toulon, ostensibly close allies between Britain and France, and spent the night in Alexandria, where it was incorporated into several ships of the Mediterranean fleet, which then passed through the Suez Canal and into the Arabian Sea.

When the fleet sailed out of the Gulf of Aden, something happened that surprised Louis and other French captains. Like a snowball, ships of all sizes are constantly coming from all over the world to round the fleet. Among these ships are large passenger and cargo ships, as well as some naval logistics carriers. The captains could clearly see that the passenger ships were full of French Army troops, and that the decks of some of the transports were full of tanks and trucks. This anomalous phenomenon of course aroused the suspicion of the captains of the navy, and some unbelievable rumors began to circulate in the fleet.

Because the order issued at the time of the departure of the fleet was to go to the colonies of French India (note: not French Indochina, but French India, where the French still had a few colonies. Evacuate a group of local French expatriates, but now this is the situation. It looks like an evacuation, it could be that there was a riot in French India, which they suppressed in the past. It is also possible that in recent years there has been a rise of independence in India, and it is said that there have been several small uprisings in the British-ruled areas.

Before the French sailors could complete the story, the astonishing news came that the British Royal Navy had attacked the French fleet on the night of the 17th, and the fleet stationed in Egypt and the port of Mürskebir suffered heavy losses, and the commander of the French detachment in Egypt, General Godfroy, committed suicide. By this time it had sunk into the icy waters of Alexandria with his flagship.

Immediately, the whole fleet was full of excitement, in addition to scolding the shameless British, some officers also shouted the slogan of turning around and going back to Egypt, and it happened that the fleet brought so many land forces. simply landed directly in Egypt, completely blocked the Suez Canal, and cut off the communication between India and the British mainland.

Let. Degu then stepped in to stop the commotion in the fleet. He still has important tasks to complete, which is directly related to his future, how can he allow things to happen. He also felt that the time had come. It was time to announce the truth of the mission to the officers and men, so he called a meeting of all the captains on the flagship Dunkirk, at which he took out the letter of appointment that Petain had given him, and announced the real destination of the fleet. He told the captains that the fleet would escort the convoy to French Indochina, that all the ships in the fleet would be integrated into the Far East Fleet, and that they would stay in Asia for a long time to protect French interests in the Far East against possible invasion.

As for why he kept it a secret from the captains before, let. Degu explained that this was mainly for the mission to be successfully accomplished, because such a powerful fleet going to Asia would definitely upset the local balance of power, so in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he chose to block the news to prevent any sailor from leaking to the ears of the British.

The British, for their part, had always opposed the strengthening of French military power in Asia, fearing that it would shake their authority there, so that once they discovered the true destination of the French fleet, the consequences were entirely conceivable. Now it has turned out that the fleet command was right in its scruples, and if the real plans had been made public at that time, perhaps they would have sunk in Alexandria by now, along with the Mediterranean detachment.

Since the commander of the fleet said this, the captains did not have the courage to complain, and the order was clear, so they carried it out honestly. It is said that life in Asia is quite comfortable, at least better than in France in the chaos of the present, and besides, this is not a vacation, this is to defend the country, and as a naval officer, you must get used to the four seas as your home.

Next, let's . The captains' jaws dropped even more when Degu pointed out to them that there was a transport ship in the fleet carrying a German unit, and that the French navy must be warmly received and the sailors restrained, and that they must not cause any trouble, or he swore that the commander in charge would get out of his unit immediately.

The admiral said that he could understand the emotions of his subordinates, but as a French naval officer, he had to have a holistic view of the big picture and not let bigoted hatred cover his eyes. Before the departure of the fleet, Germany had secretly ceased war with France, and close negotiations were now under way between the top leaders of the two sides, and with the efforts of Marshal Petain, the Germans had shown some willingness to ease relations with France.

The army soldiers on the ship outside were former prisoners of war who had been shoveling in the camp a few weeks earlier, and the Germans were willing to release them and agree to rearm them to defend the French colony. This is clearly an act of goodwill. Now that the Germans have already expressed their sincerity, how can the noble French not show that the German troops on board this time are tasked with escorting a high-ranking German mission, which will cross the border of French Indochina to war-torn China, and all French troops have the duty and responsibility to ensure the safety of these personnel, regardless of the point of view.

Jean Degu reminded the captains that this was not an act of weakness. Rather, it was a cooperation of equal status, which was a rare opportunity for France to re-examine the question of their status as a defeated country. If this mission is successfully completed with the help of France, it will certainly have a good role in promoting the negotiations between France and Germany. Finally let. Degu repeatedly reminded the captains that they must explain the meaning to their subordinates, and let them understand that everything they are doing now is to save their country.

Because at that time France had already torn its face with the British, and the fleet, of course, could not pass through the zone of control of the British Far Eastern Fleet. Although according to the strength of the British Far East Fleet at that time, the French fleet did not pay much attention to it, but when going out, some unnecessary troubles could be avoided or avoided. So the fleet did not pass through the Singapore waterway. Instead, after crossing the Sunda Strait in the Dutch East Indies, the French fleet finally reached its first destination, Jakarta, after thousands of nautical miles.

Rested for the day in that bustling city, replenished fuel and supplies. and with the rest of the German mission, Field Marshal Blumberg was invited by Degu to board the flagship of the fleet, and also gave the commander's bedroom in the best conditions on the ship to the field marshal.

"That's what he said at the time. I think there's some truth to that. It doesn't fit our German aesthetic, but there is some truth to it. Field Marshal Brumberg climbed up the aft deck of the Dunkirk from the Senior Officers' Passage, followed by an adjutant carrying briefcases, two French sailors in white summer uniforms, carrying the marshal's suitcase.

"Your Excellency Admiral, this is really a beautiful and elegant warship, and I am a little reluctant to leave her." Brumberg saw Jeandegu standing on the side of the ship chatting with the captain, and he greeted enthusiastically and loudly.

"I'm also reluctant to leave this battleship, but it's a pity that we all have a duty to do, Your Excellency Field Marshal." Let Degu give a military salute to Brumberg, and the German marshal happily raised the marshal's cane in return.

"It's a shame I didn't have breakfast with you today, but we can find a place to have a drink when we get ashore." Jean Deju smiled and said to Brünnberg in fluent German.

"I look forward to your invitation, Your Excellency Admiral, no, now I should address you as Your Excellency the Governor." Brumberg replied in the same fluent French.

"You are so humorous, Your Excellency Marshal, your men and guards have all landed, it will take some time to unload the equipment, we have prepared a comfortable villa for you in the city, and my subordinates will arrange the rest." Let. Degu said to Brumberg with a smile.

"The car is ready, General." Let. Degu's lieutenant ran up the gangway to report to the new governor.

"Then, Your Excellency Marshal, allow me to invite you to set foot with you in this French overseas territory." Let. Degu made an inviting gesture to Brumberg.

"It is my pleasure, Your Excellency the Governor." Brumberg straightened the collar of his military uniform and followed Jean. Degu walked down the gangway.

With the arrival of these two men, a new page was turned in the history of Asia.

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