Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

"Jingxuan, Keming, what do you think?"

Li Shimin was very curious, so he asked the surrounding ministers, intending to hear their thoughts.

Du Ruhui frowned and said in a deep voice, "I don't understand the industries of later generations, but food and money don't appear out of thin air."

"Germany is burdened with enormous debt, and its domestic economy is in complete disarray. Where does it find the resources to engage in these things?"

"Unless—" Du Ruhui stopped mid-sentence.

"Unless he never intended to repay the money in the first place," Li Shimin finished speaking for him.

I had to pay reparations when I was weak, and now that I'm strong I still have to pay? Isn't that just a waste of time and effort?

Once a nation is strong enough, those treaties will be nothing more than a piece of waste paper.

As Germany's national strength and military power grew, Butran openly tore up the Treaty of Versailles and announced the cessation of all war reparations payments!

Not only that, he also secretly developed military equipment and manufactured weapons on a large scale.

Some people must be wondering, if Germany openly broke the treaty and went on a crazy military expansion, would Britain and France just stand by and watch?

Are they really that stupid?

Yes, the British and French leaders were aware of this at the time, but did nothing about it.

The devastation of World War I instilled a profound fear of war in the public.

Any leader who advocates a hardline stance against Germany and wants to start a war will be immediately voted out of office by the people.

Therefore, the leaders of various countries at that time were either pacifists or, for the sake of votes, adopted a policy of appeasement.

"Huh?? You can do that?"

Ying Zheng scratched his head, feeling deeply shocked.

This was the first time he had ever heard that an emperor was elected by the people.

But then again, it does have some merit.

Having observed the celestial canopy for so long, Ying Zheng had come to a profound understanding of the extent of the drawbacks of the hereditary imperial system.

A country is strong when it has a wise ruler, but if it has a foolish ruler like Hu Hai or Yang Guang, the empire can be ruined in just over ten years.

Even Ying Zheng couldn't guarantee that all his descendants would be capable.

In fact, at this time, Butran was also feeling uneasy.

Germany had just recovered and its chances of winning were almost zero if it were to go head-to-head with Britain and France.

If Britain and France had taken a firm stance, even if it was just a few harsh words, Butran would have had to back down obediently.

However, the inaction of Britain and France gave Butran great confidence, allowing him to test the waters further.

In 1936, German troops occupied the Rhineland demilitarized zone, blatantly violating the core provisions of the treaty.

But France, with its massive standing army, did not fire a single shot and simply watched quietly.

Having succeeded in his gamble, Butrun's domestic prestige reached its peak.

"I've figured it out now; every era has its own idiots."

Upon seeing this, Liu Bang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This situation is all too familiar; isn't it just like the six provinces of Kanto back then?

Today they cede five cities, tomorrow they cede ten more, and in return, Qin takes an inch and then a mile.

Do you really think that feeding a hungry wolf a couple of pieces of meat will turn it into a watchdog?

They want you dead!

Having seen through the true nature of Britain and France as paper tigers, Butron completely let loose.

In 1938, Austria was annexed without bloodshed, and then through political means, Britain and France were forced to cede Czechoslovakia.

This is where an iconic scene was born: Chamberlain, waving toilet paper, proclaimed, "I have brought back a generation of peace!"

"What kind of bullshit peace is this? You just give them land because they want it? Why don't you dare fight them?"

Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes at the sight.

This cowardly and spineless behavior is no different from that of the bastards in the Song Dynasty back then.

It's even worse than the Song Dynasty, at least the Song Dynasty only chose to pay reparations because it couldn't win.

You call yourself a world power, how come you don't even have this much guts?

Using someone else's territory to curry favor, that's some real talent.

If we don't even save one generation, I'm afraid we won't even last a year!

[Butter stood at the window of the Prime Minister's residence, having already chosen his next target.]

He was no longer satisfied with acquiring territory little by little; instead, he wanted to fight for more living space through war.

In the early morning of September 1, 1939, a million-strong army had completed its assembly on the Polish border.

A tear appeared in the leaden gray of the sky.

Fighter jets screeched as they swept across the Polish plains, bursting into fireballs on the ground and sending dirt and grass flying into the sky.

Following closely behind, a black torrent of steel swept across the fields, its tracks creaking and groaning.

The Polish defenses were as fragile as paper in the face of such an offensive.

But the Poles also displayed remarkable courage, charging towards the tank formation with their sabers raised high.

The blade reflected its last rays in the morning light, then man and horse were smashed to pieces by the tank and disappeared beneath the rolling tracks.

Even having witnessed the Gulf War, people were still amazed by the terrifying nature of future nations.

The United States can easily muster hundreds of thousands of troops, and desert countries have over a million permanent troops stationed there.

How much food and supplies would it take to turn so many young men into soldiers and send them off to fight?

In just twenty-seven days, Poland, with its million-strong army, was declared lost.

After annexing Poland, Butrán's popularity in the country reached its peak.

But Poland was just an appetizer; Butran's real target was France to the west.

The humiliation of World War I must be repaid by France.

Large numbers of German troops began to concentrate on the western front, and the shadow of war loomed over the Franco-German border.

"How will France respond? Are they as vulnerable as Poland?"

"It shouldn't be that bad. Didn't the curtain say that France is one of the great powers of Europe?"

"But the German offensive was too fierce; it was what they called a blitzkrieg—who could withstand that?"

The people were buzzing with discussion, filled with curiosity about the impending great battle.

Meanwhile, the emperors, ministers, and generals of each dynasty were on tenterhooks.

They wanted to see how to withstand such a devastating German offensive.

France was well-prepared for Germany's aggressive stance.

The scene shifted, revealing the Great Wall of Steel stretching across the Franco-German border.

The camera pans down from the air, showing the defensive line stretching for hundreds of kilometers from the Swiss border all the way to Belgium.

The wall is three meters thick and covered with armored steel plates.

Every so often, a cluster of independent fortresses rises from the ground.

The camera then moves underground, where a small train travels through tunnels, transporting ammunition, supplies, and soldiers.

Soldiers' barracks, ammunition depots, power plants, medical rooms, and even canteens and recreational facilities.

This is not a defensive line, it's clearly a city buried underground!

This is France's answer—the Maginot Line!

France spent twelve years and 5 billion francs building this defense line, nearly emptying the national treasury.

They believed that no matter how aggressive Germany became, it would be impossible to breach this defensive line.

"My God, this is like a mountain rising from the ground..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened in shock when he saw this.

In order to capture Dadu (Beijing), the city was besieged for several months, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries.

But compared to this defensive line, it's nothing.

He finally understood why France, despite seeing Germany grow stronger, remained confident of victory.

It turns out they were holding such a trump card!