The real situation was far less serious than Churchill had imagined, at least not as he said, the French fleet was ready to draw a line with the Entente! The reason why the French navy did not respond to the British telegram in time was that Admiral Darlan, the principal of the French navy, left the port of Brest for Paris to discuss countermeasures. So there's no way to give feedback in time. However, this accident was not bad for de Gaulle, because after Darlan's departure, the head of the entire French fleet became Vice Admiral Lacroix, who had been the governor of the French colonies in Africa, with whom de Gaulle had established a very good personal relationship during his time in Africa. De Gaulle hoped that he and the Entente would seize the opportunity to persuade Vice Admiral Lacroix to lead the fleet to join the Entente. For this reason, de Gaulle also rushed back from the front to prepare for a face-to-face interview with him.

"Charles, I'm really surprised that you're here." Lieutenant General Lacroix did not meet de Gaulle inside the Brest naval base, but chose to stay in a hotel next to the military port. There was a tone of distrust in his words, and it was not normal for de Gaulle to come to see him in private instead of staying at the front at this critical time. "You certainly didn't come here on orders from the government or the Ministry of Defense, and if this matter gets out today, I'm afraid you will be punished very severely." Lacroix waved his hand and continued, "Explain your intentions, but I don't want to mention about the fleet today, you are the army, I am the navy, we are not a system, and this fleet belongs to the French Republic, and I, even Admiral Darlan, have no right to make my own decisions!" ”

"Okay, let's talk about something else, what do you think of the current situation?" De Gaulle's opening remarks were too much for de Gaulle to speak, but the French general soon found a breakthrough in the other direction. "You're in the Army, I think you should have more say in the current situation, why do you ask me?" Lieutenant General Lacroix asked rhetorically.

"That's good. I'll just say what I think, at the moment, our chances of winning are slim. The corporation has been hit hard. We have lost a lot of equipment and experienced officers and men, and the Germans are not standing still because they can't beat us. Rather, because of the relative lag in logistics and air support, their offensive was weak, and it took a maximum of 2 weeks, or even 1 week, for the Germans to restore supplies, and then they could restore supplies. With the exception of a few strong fortresses, everything else would be easily captured by the Germans like papier-mâché, and France was on the eve of collapse, and it was too late for everything to be reversed, even if China entered the war. "De Gaulle's words surprised Lieutenant General Lacroix, who was shocked by the straightforwardness and pragmatism of the other party." I have answered your question, so tell me that at this very moment, France is in the most critical moment. What will you do? Obey the government's orders or choose another way out? De Gaulle asked rhetorically.

"It's not something I can think about, I'm just a lieutenant general. You can't overstep your bounds. My task is to take care of this fleet in my hands, so that no accident will happen, no matter who wants to fight the fleet, the attention is doomed. Lieutenant General Lacroix replied with a blank face.

"No matter who decides, there are only two choices. Although the world is large, the only real decisive forces are the Central and Entente powers. It's impossible to stay out of the way, and the wallgrass is generally the fastest to die. Even if the fleet can sail out of the harbor behind us, then where can you go? Other French ports? Or a French colony? Or is it a base for the Allies or the Entente? Friends, remember. The power you have in your hands is your original sin, and it determines that you can't stay out of it, and you must choose between the two! De Gaulle said in a sincere tone.

De Gaulle's remarks hit the nail on the head, to make the French fleet finally join the Allied fleet. This is almost impossible, and the new French government will not be able to hand over the last formed strategic armed forces of France to the Germans, if it does, France will really become a vassal of Germany. The status is comparable to that of the current Italian puppet regime. On the one hand, the naval officers and men were worried that they would become cannon fodder for the Entente. On the other hand, the new French government wants to keep this force in its own hands and then sell it at a price. So the most likely path for the French at this stage was that of the centrists, and if the Germans agreed to keep the French fleet, then the French government would naturally be willing to leave the fleet in a military port in the west of France. De Gaulle, on the other hand, explained that it was impossible for this fleet to remain in the hands of the French!

"Think about it, friend, you are now like a child with a lot of gold coins in your hand. There is not enough strength to return the treasure in your hands. During the war, the Germans will control France's important ports and transportation hubs, your fleet will be under the threat of German artillery and aircraft, and they will definitely demand that the fleet be disbanded and disarmed. If that's all there is to it, what can you do if the Germans want to seize the fleet? Self-sinking? Germany can be salvaged. And with the addition of the Chinese Navy, the Allied fleet will be at a disadvantage, and they will certainly try their best to make up for this disadvantage, tell me, if you were Count Spee, then what would you do with the French fleet? De Gaulle continued.

"You want me to follow Meiying? And then send someone under the fence as cannon fodder? Letting decades of hard work of the French Navy go to waste? Lacroix's tone was still impulsive, but there was less resistance. Until the situation becomes clear, I just want these fleets to stay quietly in the harbor. The rest of the things are not for me to think about, and things don't necessarily go the way you envisioned, maybe there's a third way? I just hope you and your men and allies don't bother us! After Lacroix finished speaking, he signaled to see off the guest, he had already made his attitude clear today, and he also knew his position. That's enough, there's no need to stay! All he needed now was to wait, to wait for the results of the contacts between Paris and the Germans!

Lacroix was still hesitating, he still had a glimmer of illusion about the Germans. What is certain, however, is that the French fleet will not be incorporated into the Allied fleet. Of course, if something unexpected happens, it may be. After the talks, de Gaulle said this to Barton. The last sentence is a hint that the Entente should not act rashly! At the same time that de Gaulle was in contact with the naval fleet, and with the acquiescence of the French president, the capitulation faction, led by Petain, had already begun to make contact with the Germans.

"I can represent Germany, but can you represent France? To be honest, I was very surprised that I was negotiating with a retired general. I always thought it might be Renault or something else. Ribbentrop, who represented Germany, was full of disdain and sarcasm when he saw Petain, who was already a little old and senile across from him! There was no doubt that Germany was on the verge of becoming the victor on the continent, and the Teutonic knights finally defeated their old enemy, France, decades later. What Wilhelm I once did will be repeated in the near future, and the glory of Germany will reach his peak.

"Renault is a thing of the past, and I came here to end the war and avoid unnecessary casualties. Your Excellency would not like to see more virtuous people die because of one or two of your inappropriate words, right? France was defeated, but the chips in their hands would still affect the course of the entire war. Even if Paris falls, we still have a large number of colonies in Africa, as well as an army, and a full French navy. If your conditions are too harsh, then it will definitely be a great disservice to Germany! Petain sneered.

France lost, but if it were to break the jar, it would definitely be able to tear off two more pieces of meat from the Germans! And now France also has something that the Germans are interested in, for example, that fleet. The greatest losses among the German navy, land and air forces were not the air force, which first went to war with the Allied powers, nor the army that commanded millions of armies and the Allied armies, but the navy! As the saying goes, a hundred years navy. The peculiarities of the naval class make it deplete quickly, and it is difficult to replenish. The French fleet at this time was determined by the Germans. And Petain clearly understood this, so he intended to bargain with the Germans around the navy.

The demands of the Germans were for the most part similar to those of history, except for the dissolution of the French team, the occupation of a third of France, including Paris, by Germany, and the surrender of all the French coast to Germany. Germany also demanded the dismantling of the lines of defense on the Franco-Belgian border and the Franco-German border. The French government was responsible for paying for the German occupation forces, and the biggest difference was also in the navy. The Germans demanded that the French fleet be evacuated to the French ports established by the Germans, and that some of the new warships be seized by the Allies, although the Germans promised to compensate them if they were damaged in future "use". But everyone can understand that the Germans are preparing to incorporate the French fleet under their command!

"These conditions are too harsh, especially when it comes to the terms of the French Navy, which are absolutely unacceptable! He is the link that guarantees the connection between us and the colonies. With the end of the war, our land forces can be reduced, but the fleet cannot be reduced, and it is even more impossible to give them to other countries!" Such harsh conditions were unacceptable to even Petain, and he categorically rejected the demands of the Germans.

"But how can the French government guarantee that this fleet will not fall into the hands of the United States and Britain in the future? Our negotiations with the French Government are premised on the fact that the French Government must renounce all hostile actions. And it can stop the crazy behavior of a small group of people in private. We can't ignore this hidden danger because of your assurances! The current French fleet is stationed too close to the British. This fleet can only be reassured by the ports that are placed under German control, this is the bottom line. The bottom line that can't be changed! If we can't do that, we'd rather destroy them all! Ribbentrop's almost roaring voice resounded throughout the chamber.

"The fleet could be evacuated from the port of Brest, but it could only be placed under the supervision of the French government, and these warships could be reduced in personnel and part of the armament could be dismantled. But at the station of the fleet, absolutely no virtuous forces are allowed. That's our bottom line. After saying this, Petain made a quiet gesture to indicate that he was not finished: "If the officers and men of the fleet know that they are going to the ports controlled by the Germans, then the best outcome is that these ships sink into the sea, and you will not be able to get them!" Give up, whether I promise you today or not, this result will not change. ”

In Petain's view, even if Germany temporarily occupied part of the French territory, it was possible to negotiate that the French government would be responsible for the military expenses of the occupation forces, but it was almost impossible to ask the French to hand over the fleet. Even if Petain had agreed, it would never have been possible.

"We can discuss other issues first, but the French fleet must be transferred from the port of Brest to other places within four days, and the French government must be prepared to stop resisting. And all military supplies were sealed and seized, pending acceptance by the Germans, and this period could not exceed a week. If it is not fulfilled by the expiration date, it is a sign of a breakdown in negotiations. Seven days should be enough time for you to change governments. Ribbentrop said.

"Paris can be declared an undefended city, the entire Eastern Front will do, but I'm afraid not on the Western Front, where the Anglo-American forces and De Gaulle are the territory, and they will resist until the last moment. It was useless for us to give orders. You have to solve this problem yourself. Pétain smiled wryly.

"That's good, take care of the northeastern region of France, and leave the problem of the northwest region to us to solve!" Ribbentrop nodded and said that the purpose of today's negotiations had been achieved, and judging from Petain's performance, the French agreed in principle in all respects, except for the naval problem, which could not be solved. This meant that Germany could occupy the most critical and central areas of France and build a breakwater to defend against the Allies' counterattacks. The resistance of the French Army would soon cease, and the Allies could bring back some of their elite troops from the front and then seize time to recuperate and prepare for the next phase of the fighting in the Middle East. Now that the Germans were at a crossroads, should they continue to bring down the British in one fell swoop, or should they prepare for the Indian campaign? Both plans have their own advantages and disadvantages. The German General Staff was also hesitating.

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the reward~~~, as well as the book friend I kill me, the blue of the seabed, weiyizhi, and the monthly pass support of the old road 6978 ~~~~~. (To be continued...... ）