Chapter 477: The Determination of the French

Paris has always been known as the romantic city, and its exquisite and elegant architecture and the scenery on both sides of the Seine River have always been a place for people to linger. The French love romance www.biquge.info is known all over the world. It's just that this also makes the combat effectiveness of the French* army always not very good. Except for the time of the Napoleonic Empire, when the French* army was invincible across Europe, the rest of the time, the French army performed very badly, and in the Franco-Prussian War, it was beaten by the Prussians and begged for mercy, and even the emperor was captured.

In this world war, the French* army also did not do very well. After the outbreak of the war, the reorganization of the French Army was not completed. As a last resort, the troops that had not yet been reorganized had to be put on the battlefield to resist the German attack. This, combined with strategic mistakes, resulted in heavy casualties in the early stages of the war.

Had it not been for the timely reinforcements of the British Expeditionary Force and the problems with the German Army's strategy, France might have lost the war.

Even now, the Germans had advanced to the Marne, just a few dozen kilometers from Paris. This is undoubtedly a mortal threat to Paris. If the Germans made another breakthrough, they might have pushed the front directly under the city of Paris. When the time comes, this beautiful city will be destroyed in the flames of war.

The current situation is also very unfavorable for France. The Russian allies on whom they relied fell directly, and the newly formed Brazzaville Russia, even made peace with the Germans and withdrew directly from the war. The whole of Russia, now in a pot of porridge, could no longer be expected to contain the Germans. As a result, France had to bear the intense pressure from Germany on its own.

Although, the number of expeditionary forces sent by the British to France has increased to more than one million. The total size of the French Army has also been mobilized to more than two million. However, whether they could resist the German attack, the French generals had no bottom in their hearts.

It's just that the British are obviously unreliable. The Royal Navy, which was once the world's first, was actually defeated by the German Navy, and the main force was annihilated, and it seemed that it was only one step away from being defeated. This made the people in France even more panicked, and some senior officials of the French government even began to declare that there was no possibility of winning this war, and that if they wanted to protect more interests of France, they could only make peace with Germany. Of course, this is not the mainstream view. Most of the French high-ranking officials and army generals still wanted to continue to resist.

After all, they knew very well that with the greedy character of the Germans, if they made peace with Germany, they would inevitably be slaughtered by the Germans. This is undoubtedly unacceptable to France. What's more, they still have so many armies now, so they want to fight again.

When Winston Churchill, the British Admiralty, went to the United States to discuss the purchase of warships, the British Foreign Office also contacted France, hoping that the French Navy would fully support the British Navy and fight a decisive battle with the German Navy.

However, the French side did not immediately agree to this.

Before the rise of Germany, France was also a maritime power second only to Britain. Especially during the reign of King Louis XIV and Napoleon's Empire, it once competed with Britain for maritime supremacy. Of course, in the end they failed. Coupled with the German threat to France, France was able to shift its focus to the construction of the army.

But even so, France retains one of the world's top five navies. Because France also has vast colonies overseas, the security of those colonies is also very important to France.

"Gentlemen, Britain has made a formal request to us to have the cooperation of our navy in order to defeat the German navy and turn the tide of the war. What do you think we should do? Do you want to accede to the demands of the British? "French President Raymond? Poengaré asked.

"Your Excellency, I think we should cooperate with the United Kingdom. Now, we are allies. In the war against the Germans, we had to work closely together. Only in this way will it be possible for us to defeat the Germans and win the war. "Prime Minister René? Viviani was the first to speak.

"Yes, Your Excellency. I am also in favor of cooperating with the British Royal Navy and finding a way to defeat the Germans. Although, the Royal Navy has already failed once, and the losses are very large. If, as they say, a batch of warships can be bought from the Americans, plus our and the capital ships of the Italians, they are fully capable of fighting another decisive battle with Germany. If we can win this time, then our disadvantage will be greatly improved. "Secretary of the Navy Victor? Gagnur said.

"Will the Americans sell battleships to the British? Even with the addition of us and the Italians, it will be very difficult to defeat the Germans! "Minister of War Alexander? Millerand was worried.

"Indeed, the Germans were too strong. So, I'm worried about that as well. "Foreign Minister Theophel? Delcasse said.

"No matter what the odds are, you always have to give it a try. Otherwise, we will have to sit back and watch the Germans' superiority continue to expand and eventually lose the war! "René? Prime Minister Viviani said.

"Yes, I fully agree with His Excellency the Prime Minister. The French Republic has reached its most critical moment, and we must do everything we can. Otherwise, you will definitely fail in the end. "Raymond? President Poincaré said.

Now France, although the combat effectiveness of the troops is not strong. However, their determination to fight is undoubtedly strong. The French knew that if they didn't fight hard, they would have to taste the consequences of the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War again. Even, this time the Germans' demands will be even more harsh than after their defeat in the Franco-Prussian War.

With the support of both the president and the prime minister, the rest of France's cabinet ministers naturally have no other opinions.

Immediately, French President Raymond? Poincaré signed an order to form an alliance with the British Navy and fight the German Navy. This time, the French Navy will send all ten capital ships, as well as 15 light cruisers and 30 destroyers to join the coalition. You know, this is already the transfer of all the main forces of the French Navy. If it fails again this time, the French navy will be devastated from now on.