The sun never sets

The British army was still fighting, but the French army had lost its will to fight. Even though they still had more than one million soldiers, they had no morale at all. The French soldiers surrendered to the German army on their own, and the trend of surrender could not be stopped. In the end, the French front-line commander had no choice but to follow the crowd and surrender.

However, before surrendering, the French handed over most of their supplies, weapons and ammunition to the British, which allowed the British troops to hold out longer.

While the British army was trying its best to resist, the British government urgently mobilized all ships and called on all those who owned ships to join the action of picking up British soldiers. The British Prime Minister emphasized that "the opportunity to evacuate should also apply to the French and Belgians."

But this was just the idea of the British high-level officials. In the actual evacuation process, British ships were always used to pick up British people first. Those ship owners and sailors braved the bombardment of German artillery to rescue people, not to promote the spirit of internationalism, but to save their fathers, brothers and sons.

In general, the British army's persistence had little impact on the war situation. It just withdrew a large number of local troops, and the troops recruited from India were thrown to the German army. After withdrawing the British local troops, the British Navy withdrew a large number of

of French troops.

Most of the French troops chose to surrender, but some were unwilling to enter the German prisoner-of-war camps. The world war lasted for four years, and more hatred accumulated between the French and German armies.

Although the Allies suffered an unprecedented defeat, the number of British troops wiped out was not large, and compared with previous major battles that often resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, the number of casualties was even smaller.

The British government seized on this and made a big fuss about it, claiming that the British army's retreat was a strategic victory.

The last time the Allies claimed victory by retreating was when they fought the Turks in the Mediterranean, when the British and French suffered 15 casualties, but at least they managed to evacuate all the troops. This time, the British government claimed a miraculous victory.

The surrounded Allied troops exceeded 120 million, and only more than 30 troops finally retreated to Britain. The rest either died or became prisoners of the German army.

Such victories do not need to happen many times. If it happens once more, the Allies will have to consider surrendering as they will lose half of their battles.

The surrounded British and French troops abandoned all their heavy equipment, and the retreating troops did not take any heavy weapons with them, only a rifle at most. Later, they were not allowed to take even rifles. The German army continued to attack, and more and more artillery joined the bombardment. In order to transport as many living forces as possible, the British let the soldiers board the ship with bare hands.

Because the retreat was led by the British government, the British naturally demonstrated their fine tradition of "selling out teammates", leaving 3 French troops in the encirclement and withdrawing all British troops.

This is understandable, but I don’t know if the French people who were left behind can understand it.

Ludendorff's "Emperor's Battle" plan was a great success, and the great results made all the German high-ranking officials ecstatic. If it weren't for the Kiel Harbor sailor mutiny, the German government would have declared that they had won the war.

While clearing out the British and French forces in Belgium, the German army should have taken advantage of the victory to capture Paris. However, due to a rebellion in the rear, the German army had to withdraw troops from the front line to quell the rebellion.

In addition, the German army also suffered heavy casualties in the "Emperor's Battle", and with the number of missing, the German army lost a total of 20 combat troops. Although it was only a fraction of the losses of the Allies, for Germany, which had already been depleted of manpower, the loss of 20 elite troops was almost impossible to be replenished.

This gave the US military time to turn Paris into a fortress. Most of the top leaders in the French government had completely lost confidence and wanted to surrender to the enemy. Even the former hero of Verdun, Pétain, believed that France could not continue to fight. But Joseph Joffre believed that it was still possible to fight. He ordered that all people in Paris over the age of 14 and under the age of 60 be armed, regardless of gender, skin color, or race.

Anyone who can hold a gun will be incorporated into the army.

The last time the Germans reached Paris, the French still had a lot of reserves and the British army helped defend. This time the French have the US army as an ally, but there are not many young men left in France.

Joffre wanted to turn Paris into a meat grinder, but Pétain and others firmly disagreed with this unreliable idea.

Chapter 676 Reasons

In Pétain's view, France had no more soldiers to fight with. The only option left was surrender. But Joffre disagreed with surrender. It was not that Joseph Joffre did not know the current situation in France, but that there were more than 40 American troops in Paris. Whether to fight or surrender depended on the Americans.

Moreover, France was not without any troops at all. The huge government army still had 13 infantry divisions left, and ten militia divisions could be armed in Paris. If all the women were armed, there would be seven or eight more militia divisions, and dozens of infantry divisions could be collected from the local areas to fill the gap.

In addition, France can recruit colonial troops from all over the world, just like the British. The French government has recruited many blacks into the army before. Although those blacks are not very obedient and like to force themselves on local French women, they are still soldiers after all.

Compared with the crisis of national extinction, those problems are not problems.

After the German army broke through from the left wing, not only the British were shocked, but the American government was also shocked. Congressmen in Washington had a fierce argument. Some believed that the war in Europe was irreversible, while more believed that a million troops should be sent to Europe immediately to form a new line of defense.

London and Washington had an urgent contact, and finally both sides decided not to retreat from the European continent. If France could not be defended, they would retreat to Italy and Spain to continue fighting.

In a word, as long as you persist, there is a way.

Italy:..........

Spain:...........

Britain and the United States paid too much for this world war, and the sunk costs are too high, so now they are in a difficult situation, this is from an economic perspective. From a geostrategic perspective, Britain cannot accept the unification of Western Europe, and the same is true for the United States.

If Germany unified Western Europe, what would the UK and the US have to do with?

There is already a [Human Innovation Alliance], is there going to be another [European Overlord]?

Mutiny in the German port of Kiel

The news leaked out, which helped Britain and the United States to continue the war. Such a big thing could not be concealed, not to mention that the German Soviet regime later issued an open telegram to the outside world, saying that it wanted to turn the whole of Germany and even the whole of Europe into communists.

The British government regretted deeply after receiving the news. If they had known earlier that there was a problem in the German rear, they would have fought to the death in Calais Port, even if it meant sacrificing several battleships.

But it is too late to say anything now. Downing Street can only persuade the Americans to send troops to Europe while conducting diplomacy around the world and stepping up the production of weapons and equipment. Light weapons are fine, Britain has plenty of them, but it is mainly the heavy equipment, including artillery, tanks and trucks, which were completely lost in Belgium, and now there is not much heavy equipment left in the UK.

But this is not a problem. The United States is now the Arsenal of Democracy, a superpower that produces 4000 million tons of steel annually. As long as there is technology, it is not a problem to produce machine guns and cannons. If there is a need, it is no problem to produce airplanes and tanks.

The United States did not produce tanks before because it did not need to, and it could rely on the production capacity of Britain. Now that the war situation has changed suddenly, the United States has included the production of tanks in its production plan.

The British government asked the United States to ship more troops and more weapons and equipment to Europe, and these were not a problem.

Before the outbreak of the war in Europe, the United States had more than one million soldiers in the army, and twice as many militia and national guards. After preparing to intervene in the war in Europe, the US government trained a large number of troops and was originally preparing to send another 500,000 troops to Europe. Now Britain asked the United States to send a million troops, but it was just adding 500,000 to the original number.

While German tanks were advancing, the U.S. military was also transporting weapons and ammunition to Europe non-stop. Countless troops and equipment were transported to France every day. In order to speed up the transportation of troops, the U.S. government requisitioned a large number of ships, including fast luxury cruise ships.

By the time the German army cleared out the British and French forces in Belgium, the number of American troops had surged to 85, and the rate of increase was still increasing. The world's first industrial power has such profound strength and foundation.

War is a collision of systems. The side with stronger overall strength often wins, but there are also unexpected situations. The Allies were obviously stronger than the Central Powers. On the Western Front, the British, French and American coalition forces also seemed stronger than the German army. However, unexpected situations occurred.

Afterwards, the Allied Powers found out the reason: the People's Revolutionary League had sold a large number of active equipment and strategic grain reserves to Germany, which enabled the German army to win the "Emperor's Battle" with unstoppable momentum.

The US government had no doubts about achieving final victory in the war. Germany's manpower had been exhausted, and there were rebellions in the rear. Even the epic victory in Belgium did not reverse the Allies' strategic predicament.

You know, the United States has not yet made a real effort. The United States has only two million troops now. If necessary, the US government can train another two million troops.

The only thing that worried the United States and the Allies was the Human Revolutionary League behind Germany. Before the Human Revolutionary League sold weapons, equipment and food to Germany, the German army was in extreme distress. Not only was there a lack of food, but the number of aircraft and tanks could not compare with the Allies.

At the most difficult time, the German army had less than 30 tanks left. The rest were either destroyed on the battlefield or broke down during the march.

At one point, the German Air Force had only 2200 aircraft left, which was at an absolute disadvantage compared to the Allied Powers' huge number of more than aircraft.

The bigwigs in Washington and Downing Street believed that if the Human Revolutionary Alliance had not been behind the scenes to support the Allies, the German army would have been defeated. If the Human Revolutionary Alliance continued to support Germany, or even personally participated in the battle, the outcome would be uncertain.

The US military is very wary of the People's Army's combat effectiveness, and even more wary of China's nearly endless manpower. According to European standards, China can easily mobilize its 2000 million troops. Even if it is 1000% off, it is still ground forces.

Quantity is quality, and the quality of the People's Army is not bad. The American soldiers who have fought against the People's Army have a deep understanding of this.

Will the Human Innovation Alliance fully support Germany?

In the eyes of the politicians and politicians of the Allied Powers, no. The British and Americans saw clearly that the People's Revolutionary League was just using Germany to drain Europe's vitality, and in essence it was still serving the interests of the People's Revolutionary League.

The [Human Reform Alliance] also does not want to see Germany unify Western Europe. Once you understand this, you will know that the Allies will eventually win the final victory.

Of course, knowing is one thing, but we still have to do our diplomatic work.

The day after the fall of Calais, British Foreign Office Under-Secretary Johnson again went to Moscow to meet with Chairman Lin.

Chapter 677 Debt Restructuring

Johnson was a top student who graduated from Cambridge University. When he came to Moscow, he had a very pleasant conversation with Lin Yongchang and the two established a relatively close friendship.

The plane landed at an airport outside Moscow. Johnson got out of the plane and immediately felt the power of Russian General Winter. It is also very cold in the UK now. Many places are covered with ice and snow, but none of them are as cold as Moscow.

It's cold here.

On the way from the airport to the embassy - Britain has not yet recognized the People's Revolutionary League, but the British embassy has moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow - Johnson carefully observed the situation along the way.

Although it was winter, there were many pedestrians on the streets, but most of them were in a hurry. Judging from their complexion and clothing, they were obviously doing well, at least better than the people in London. Compared with the last time Johnson came, the situation in Moscow was much better. There were no hungry workers or protesters on the streets, but there were many cars and trucks.

Of course, the most common are horse-drawn carriages, and the number of cars and trucks is less than one-third of that of horse-drawn carriages.

Johnson stayed in Moscow for two days and then got the opportunity to meet Chairman Lin. On the way to the Kremlin by carriage, Johnson saw another side of Moscow. There were soldiers and police standing in rows along the way. Inside the Kremlin, there was a sentry every three steps and a guard every five steps, which was full of a solemn atmosphere.

Although they were brought in by the guards, Johnson and his party were still searched several times. The last time, a large wolfhound sniffed around them, and only after finding nothing unusual was Johnson allowed in.

These things made Johnson smell something strange. Could it be that there was another assassination in the Kremlin?

Johnson knew that there had been a rebellion in Russia a few months earlier, and that a number of assassinations had taken place. After suppressing the rebellion, Chairman Lin had many people shot, and even more were exiled and sent to labor camps.

But it had been several months since the incident, so why was the Kremlin still so hostile? John had some guesses in his mind.

He was led into the waiting room by the guards. There were various snacks, dried meat and preserved fruits on the table in the room. The cabinet beside was full of various fine wines, and the bookcase was filled with various books. Among these books, Chinese and Russian accounted for the majority, and there were also a few books written in German or English.

Johnson picked up the goblet and poured some Erguotou, a famous Chinese liquor, into it. Erguotou tastes spicy, but in this cold winter, having a glass of strong liquor is the best thing.

There was a piano in the inner part of the waiting room. As a nobleman, Johnson could play the piano, but his mind was now full of thoughts on how to convince Chairman Lin and he was in no mood to listen to the beauty of the melody.

Although he has a good relationship with Chairman Lin and has kept in touch with him for some time, that is a personal friendship, and what he wants to talk to him about now is national affairs. For a politician like Chairman Lin, personal friendship can have some influence, but it will definitely not be too much.

More than an hour later, the guard pushed the door open and said, "Mr. Johnson, Chairman Lin is waiting for you."

Johnson put down the newspaper in his hand and followed the guards into the Prime Minister's office.

"Ah, Johnson, my friend, we meet again."

Lin Yongchang's attitude was no different from last time, and he even seemed more enthusiastic. He walked out from behind his desk, shook Johnson's hand, and said, "I didn't have time to reply to the question you mentioned in your letter last time, so I'll take this opportunity to talk about it together."

Seeing Lin Yongchang so enthusiastic, Johnson felt relieved.

"Economic issues cannot be viewed in isolation, but must be combined with national policies and the international environment..."

Johnson quickly interrupted Lin Yongchang, "Mr. Prime Minister, let's talk about business first!"

"Economic issues are the real thing. Military issues determine the survival of a country, while economic issues determine the stability of a country. In most cases, military issues are actually economic issues. Without strong economic power, it is impossible to develop a strong military power..."

"Your Majesty Prime Minister!"

Lin Yongchang stopped his long speech with some regret, "Okay, let's talk about the business you mentioned first."

Johnson's face turned serious. "The British Empire strongly opposes your country selling planes and tanks to Germany!"

"Well, then what?"

"Your country's actions have resulted in heavy casualties among the Allies. The war, which should have ended this year, may be dragged on until next year, which will result in more suffering and casualties among the people."

Johnson said seriously: "I cannot understand such behavior."

"Johnson, my friend, I think you should understand that this is all business."

"Commercial activity?"

"Yes. The Allies paid with gold and silver, and the Union sold weapons and other supplies. These are all business activities. Does the British Empire oppose normal business activities?"

"This is not a normal business practice. According to international practice, neutral countries should not import weapons to belligerent countries."

"You've already said it's wrong. The United States provided weapons and equipment and loans to Britain and France without participating in the war. Isn't this against international practice?"

"That's different," Johnson knew the other party was right, but he could only bite the bullet and refute: "America is for justice and fairness..."

"Haha, the United States is for justice and fairness?" Lin Yongchang laughed several times and interrupted Johnson. "My friend, let's not waste time on this kind of issue. You and I both know that if we only consider our buttocks and not our heads, this kind of

It's impossible to argue about the problem. Let's talk about something more practical."

Johnson sighed, "What will it take for your country to stop supporting the Allies?"

"That's right, let's be practical and not talk about those empty words."

Lin Yongchang smiled and said, "Our demands are simple. First, the UK must recognize the Human Innovation Alliance. Second, the UK and France must agree to the alliance's restructuring of its debts."

During the reign of Nicholas II, the Russian Empire owed a huge sum of money to Britain and France. It was really huge. The total debt exceeded $70 billion, and if the loans from Britain and France to the Provisional Government were included, the total debt exceeded $100 billion. The interest alone exceeded the fiscal revenue of the Russian Empire every year. This was really outrageous.

Lin Yongchang asked the Ministry of Finance to sort out the debts and cut off a lot of unreasonable debts. Those projects with unclear accounts and no aid were also cut by the Ministry of Finance. As a result, Russia's loans to Britain and France were reduced by more than half, from 70 billion US dollars to 30 billion US dollars.

However, Britain and France did not agree to the debt restructuring of the alliance. With $40 billion missing, neither London nor Paris would agree. The Allies were fighting the Central Powers and could not come to the door to collect the debt armedly, so the matter was stuck.

Chapter 678 Resources

"The British Empire can recognize the Human Innovation Alliance."

Johnson thought for a moment and said, "The debt issue requires professionals from both countries to discuss it." He shook his head, "But it is impossible to reduce the debt by half. There has never been such a thing."

"Can we sit down and talk slowly?"

"We can't wait. If we continue to talk slowly, the Germans will occupy all of France."

Lin Yongchang said indifferently: "That doesn't matter. The territory of Napoleon's Empire was much larger than that of the current German Empire, but it was still defeated by Britain in the end. As long as the German Navy cannot defeat the Royal Navy, Britain will be invincible."

The British Royal Navy is much stronger than the High Seas Fleet, but that is based on the fact that Britain has more warships. In the Battle of Jutland, the British Royal Navy suffered greater losses despite being stronger, which shows that the High Seas Fleet's combat efficiency has surpassed that of the British Royal Navy.

If Germany annexed France, Italy would certainly not be able to withstand it, and the German navy would be strengthened. After integrating the power of Western Europe, the speed of the German Empire's warship construction would also increase. If the number of battleships in the High Seas Fleet caught up with that of Britain, the outcome of the naval battle would be hard to predict.

"Don't we still have the United States? Britain and the United States are invincible when they join forces...the High Seas Fleet can never defeat them."

Johnson shook his head again. If the United States and Britain join forces, they will certainly be invincible. However, there is always a problem with the alliance, who is the leader? The size of the United States is four or five times that of the United Kingdom. If we only count steel production, the United States is six or seven times that of the United Kingdom and its colonies. With such strong strength, can the United States be willing to be Britain's younger brother?

This is simply impossible, even if we share the same language and ethnicity.

"Mr. Chairman, if the Empire does not accept the proposal to reduce the total debt to 30 billion US dollars, will the [People's Revolutionary League] continue to provide assistance to the Allies?"