Imperial Elite

Chapter 152 Gaul Never Surrenders
Just as Winston was preparing to send the Gallic warships to the bottom of the sea with tears in his eyes, a small turmoil also occurred within the Gallic army.

The reason for the turmoil was simple: the fierce men who had once held bayonets and exchanged ideas with the Teutons in Paris had now become the main force in the Gallic officer ranks.

Even though the situation was already incredibly dire, these guys, who felt they had already died once in Paris and were lucky to have survived for so many years, had only one thought: if we could hold Paris then, we can hold Gaul today; it just means a few more people will die.

Since people are going to die anyway, and since I've already gotten my money's worth, I might as well start with myself.

So as the Teutonic armored forces advanced, the telegrams sent by the troops on the front lines were not cries for support, but rather "Long live the people! Long live the victory! Long live Gaul!" or they were informing the following troops of the size of the Teutonic attack force and warning them not to come looking for them too quickly.

Meanwhile, the soldiers who formed the core of the Gallic army were a new generation who had grown up watching "Hellgate: Paris" and "The Governor of the Planet". Although their morale was not high due to lack of training, they were still mentally prepared for battle when the Teutons came to their door. After all, there was no warp on Earth.

Especially those old friends that Joe had known back then, although many of them had either died in battle or entered the Teutonic prisoner-of-war camps after the main force was annihilated, the remaining ones still expressed their gratitude to Joe.

"Old Joe, we brothers are all still here. Before we die, you can cause trouble behind the Teutonic lines without worry. The Teutons will definitely not be able to spare anyone to cause you any trouble!"

Even the dozen or so infantry divisions on the southern Alps defense line that were holding off the entire Italian army's offensive declared that they could hold out here until the end of the world and did not need to send reserves to support them. They were determined to hold Paris!
In this atmosphere, Henry the Elder, whom everyone thought would command the Third Battle of Paris, suddenly announced a ceasefire and peace talks, offering conditional surrender. This naturally caused a small reaction among the Gallic army.

When many commanders received this order, they initially thought it was a trick by the cunning Teutons, until they heard the old general's speech on the public broadcast and realized that it was actually true.

After the initial shock of why His Majesty had surrendered first when they were ready to fight to the death, just as General Henry had feared, these officers immediately began to take action.

Because one of the conditions Henry reached with the Teutons allowed the Bunitania air force stationed in Gaul to evacuate within 12 hours.

So many Gallo army units that were relatively close to the Buntania airbase immediately rushed to the door and said, "Brothers, don't leave yet, take us with you, we are sworn enemies with the Teutons!"

Charles, in particular, was originally in Paris to see off the military attaché of the Bunitania stationed in Paris. However, as the plane was about to take off, the tall and strong Charles grabbed the military attaché's hand and jumped on the plane to go to London.

Some army units left the camp with their weapons and equipment, heading south to find ships at southern ports.

Although Paris had surrendered at this point, the colonies remained, Bonitania remained, and more importantly, Old Joe remained!

Paris is surrendering! Then I'll surrender to Wagner!
Among the various military units, the Air Force reacted the most strongly.

In previous battles, the Gallic Air Force was arguably the most tenacious and accomplished of all the Gallic forces.

Although they suffered heavy losses, at least on some fronts, they were able to briefly provide air defense for their ground forces in the face of the Teutonic overwhelming air superiority.

Even the ground troops who were bombed every day were grateful to the air force pilots. They could see the air force pilots' crazy, almost suicidal fighting style, and no one could ask more of them.

In this brutal battle, a number of ace pilots naturally emerged in the Gallic Air Force. The Teutonic pilots had only two opinions about these Gallic ace pilots: these Gallic people were either cruel and cunning or cunning and cruel, and they were all a group of bad guys who should be dealt with first and then judged.

When news of the armistice announced by General Henry arrived, the Gallic pilots made their decision almost without hesitation, faced with the humiliation of surrendering to the Teutons.

They approached the ground crew and said, "We have a combat patrol mission today, I'm going to take a look around in the air."

Faced with these pilots, the ground crew quietly prepared the aircraft for them and added auxiliary fuel tanks. Before they took off, they told them, "The fuel is full. It's enough to fly to London, but please don't get lost and not be able to get back."

Looking at these hardworking old colleagues, the pilot gave them a thumbs up, closed the canopy, and then piloted the plane into the blue sky.

However, not everyone had such a smooth journey. Since Henry had guessed that some people would disobey his orders, he sent out the military police and the commando unit to take control of the air force wing, or at least keep an eye on the aces.

As a result, some of the slower-moving aces were left behind in Gaul.

Unlike the air force pilots who could fly to London with a single tap of the accelerator, the situation for the Gallic navy was more complicated.

As the most technologically advanced and complex war machines, naval warships have never been something that one or two people can operate.

To get a ship moving, whether without the command of officers or the actions of sailors, these massive steel behemoths are nothing more than steel that can float on the water.

So on these warships, some officers wanted to sail away, even if it meant joining Bonitania, rather than surrendering like this. Other officers thought that since everyone had already surrendered, why risk their lives now? Who were they risking their lives for? They should all just give up.

Then, a group of officers thought, "Damn it, Paris is a bunch of vermin, especially General Henry, who is the vermin among vermin! We should uphold the law and liberate Paris!"

Then, with the arrival of the commandos sent from Paris, the situation became even more chaotic.

Henry had envisioned that since the navy was not preparing for battle and he had dispatched his strongest commando team, the scenario should have been that the commando team would descend like a whirlwind and take control of the fleet's high command.

Then they handed over the fleet themselves and gained peace.

As for what happens to Bunitania afterward, whether he dies or whose son he is, it's none of my business.

However, what Henry did not expect was that at this time, there were differing opinions within the navy and the fleet regarding whether to surrender. Everyone knew that whether to choose to surrender, take the warships to Bonitania, or even abandon ship and head north to recapture Paris, the options were all open.

First, you have to convince others to work with you, or at least not to interfere or hinder you while you're working.

So in the Gallic navy's home port, although there were no battle orders, all the warships had already lit their boilers and were ready for battle. However, this time their cannons were not pointed at the expected enemy ships, but at each other.

It was under these circumstances that the commando team entered the port.

Faced with this situation, the commando team was at a loss.

Yes, they were trained for the raid on Germania; they were a group of brave warriors who dared to parachute under anti-aircraft fire and launch a surprise attack on the Teutonic capital.

However, this does not mean that they dare to charge against warships that are clearly ready for battle and whose cannons are thicker than their own heads.

The arrival of these commandos directly escalated the situation.

Those officers who wanted to purge the Parisian traitors under the banner of "pacifying the land" and those who wanted to defect to Bonitania immediately flew into a rage. "Good! The Teutons haven't arrived, but the Parisian overseers have!" they exclaimed. "We knew why we were defeated so quickly and so thoroughly this time! It turns out there were bad people in the high command! There was a traitor!"
Forget all that nonsense! Anchors! Set sail! We're leaving port! Anyone who stands in our way is the enemy!

When the Paris faction saw that the radicals had actually taken action, they immediately followed suit, turning their turrets and targeting the ships that were preparing to leave.

We warned them that if they violated the ceasefire, we would open fire immediately.

In response to the warnings from the Paris faction, the radical warships also turned their cannons towards those warships, indicating that before wiping out the Teutons, they would not mind first eliminating some traitors who were trying to sell out their country and curry favor with the Teutons.

Although both sides acted tough and used very vulgar language, neither side chose to open fire until the last destroyer left its home port.

Then, not long after the radicals left the port, they spotted a fleet on the high seas, a fleet flying the flag of the Bunitania Navy.

They spotted friendly forces as soon as they left port, and the radical fleet happily sent a communication to the Bonitania fleet.

"This is the Gallic Navy, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The Buntanian fleet was not so pleased with the telegram from the radical fleet.

According to intelligence, the Gallic fleet should now be anchored in its home port, with the boilers not even lit, awaiting takeover by the Teutons.

How come it's not only not in a resting state, but it's already sailed out of port?

What is the situation?
What is this fleet's stance?!

Faced with the menacing Gallic fleet before him, the commander of the Bonitania fleet, who was preparing to carry out the ballista operation, hesitated for a moment before deciding to first inquire about the fleet's current situation. After all, fleet commanders were high-ranking officers and possessed basic political awareness.

After understanding the situation, the commander of the Bonitania fleet was first overjoyed, then overjoyed, and then overjoyed again. The Gallic Navy had split, which was probably the best news they had received in all of 1940.

So, after exchanging greetings with the radical fleet, inquiring about their destination, and sending a destroyer to guide them (and smuggle them out), the Bunitania fleet, having found that its target had been reduced by more than half, headed straight for the Gallic fleet's home port.

You surrender scum! Grandpa's here!

Although the remaining Gallic fleet in the home port had made some preparations for battle due to the previous mutual deterrence.

However, they relaxed after the radical faction's warships left.

After all, once the radicals left, they no longer needed to fight.

Then they saw a group of warships flying the Bonitania flag sailing towards them.

What are these Britannian warships doing here?
Soon, the Paris faction understood why these Bonitania warships had come here.

The Führer was furious about the raid by the Bonitania navy.

After all, although he invested a lot of money in the navy when he took office and reorganized the military, he did not.

However, given that the Bonitania Navy still possessed some strength, the navy rebuilt by the Führer primarily focused on commerce raiding, or simply put, surprise attacks.

Expecting a group of warships built from the outset to raid transport ships on the high seas to withstand attacks from the Royal Navy and escort army troops landing on the mainland of Bonitania is somewhat difficult.

To land in Buntania, a naval fleet is necessary, but it's too late to start building ships again now. By the time the ships are finished, Buntania's coastal defenses will already be as fortified as those in Kadian.

Therefore, it is necessary to find some existing fleets.

So where can we get our hands on an advanced warship that we can use right away?

That naturally meant Gaul, so the Führer was even willing to give up some of the more extreme terms in exchange for the Gallic fleet.

But now, the fleet that had just been acquired... no, that was about to be acquired, had been sunk in the port by the Britannians. How could the Führer not be furious?

Another impact of Operation Catapult was that the radicals' original idea was to go to London and then establish a government-in-exile there to continue the fight.

However, after hearing that the Bunitania had actually done this, the radicals felt that London was not a good option either, mainly because these guys were really too inhumane.

So if we don't vote in London now, where else can we vote?

The answer is obvious: Go to Beihai! Find Old Joe!

Unbeknownst to Old Joe, the Gallic troops who were unwilling to surrender had already begun using various methods to head to NATO, preparing to continue their struggle with the Gauls.

The attitude of most Gauls towards these troops, who were clearly preparing to go their own way, was: troops? What troops? We haven't seen anything.

The ship owners in the southern ports responded, "We are currently restricted from entering the North Sea, so we cannot take you to NATO countries, not even if you point a gun at our heads. The Teutonic torpedoes and cannons are much thicker than yours! This is a matter of principle!"
However, if you accidentally switch to a ship from the Lake Kingdom to the North Sea from the Southern Dark Continent, the situation will be quite different. I'm going to transport some things from the Southern Dark Continent in two hours, and I'm going to have a sandwich on shore for the last time. Please don't sneak onto my ship and hide your things while I'm not there, and don't put your things in the empty second cargo hold, or the port authorities will fine you!
If things had progressed to this point, it would still be an inspiring story of patriots persevering and determined to rebuild their country.

However, the situation is a little different when there is also a role played by Brittania.

Although more than 50,000 Gallic troops also retreated to Bunitania during the previous evacuation, these Gallic troops, like the Bunitania troops, abandoned all their equipment during the retreat.

So now these people basically have nothing but military uniforms.

Coincidentally, the retreating Bunitania troops were in the same situation.

Because the previous expeditionary force had taken away almost all of Bunitania's weapons inventory, at this time Bunitania had only a little over a hundred heavy artillery pieces, let alone tanks.

Overall, their firepower was inferior even to that of a single Teutonic army group.

With their own people lacking equipment, the Gauls who arrived in batches naturally received no supplies.

The surrender of Gaul, in particular, meant that the Bunitanias' attitude towards these Gauls was far from friendly.

After all, we just sent an expeditionary force to help you, spending so much money and so many people died, and you just surrendered like that? Just surrendered?
The best army in the Old World, is that all?
So, for these Gauls, the Buntanians basically just gave them a piece of land to stay on. As for things like forming a government-in-exile and helping them rearm, the Buntanians' attitude towards General Charles, who represented this group, was always: "We're studying it, the committee has been established, and we're discussing it. You'll have to wait a little longer."

In short, they were just relentlessly spouting gibberish at the Gauls.

While they were frantically spouting rhetoric at the Gauls, what was London doing?

He was licking Old Joe's boots.

Ever since Old Joe replied with his telegram, London has been reporting to him constantly, as if to say, "Commander Joe, come back! Your loyal London is waiting for you."

There was no other way. After the surrender of Gaul, the only force left in the Old World besides the People's Revolutionary League was NATO under George H.W. Smith, which was the last force to resist the Teutons. And judging from the results of the war, that was the case.

The Teutonic tradition is no longer what it used to be, but you, old Joe, are still the same old Joe.

So London didn't have much to say. Hopefully, Joe can pull some strings for Bunitania out of consideration for their past relationship.

Regarding this, Old Joe said he wasn't a petty person. If he wanted me to come back and command the Bonitania army, he would say, "Sure, you join NATO and integrate your military system into the NATO command system, then we can fight together."

Regarding Old Joe's rebellious demands, some people think it's a matter of the big picture, while others think it's a sign of a stroke.

After all, NATO, an outer organization originally formed by the empire to counter the left-wing threat from the east, is now going to unify the command of the empire's army. Isn't this going against the natural order and disregarding human ethics?!
impossible! Absolutely impossible!
At most, a coalition command could be formed, with Joe Biden as the commander-in-chief, and the military system could be incorporated into NATO, or even just the army could be incorporated into NATO for unified command. But that is absolutely impossible.

Then, just as the negotiations reached a stalemate, someone broke the deadlock.

Having been rendered numb by the bureaucratic jargon in London, Charles soon discovered the minor dispute between London and Joe.

Then, Charles immediately did two things.

First, they declared the establishment of the Free Gauls, calling on all Gauls to stand up against the Teutons and fight for the liberation of their homeland. Gaul would never surrender!

Then, after integrating the troops that were continuously arriving in London into the Free Gallic Legion, Charles announced that in order to defeat the Teutons, he would lead the Free Gallic Legion to join NATO, and in order to fight more effectively, Charles agreed to incorporate the Free Gallic Legion into NATO's military system.

Charles's statement completely changed the situation. Although the Free Gallic Legion didn't have many members, this political statement put London under considerable pressure.

If Old Joe and Gaul get together, things could get very bad.

As a result, London's attitude began to soften rapidly.

However, Joe could no longer afford to negotiate with London, as the situation had changed slightly.

(End of this chapter)