Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong

Chapter 155

In fact, neither of these two paths is easy to take.

What awaits Pétain is an unprecedentedly harsh alliance under the city:

"Pétain will maintain his rule, but Paris, northern France, the border areas between France and Belgium, Sweden and the Atlantic Ocean will become German-occupied areas; Italy will occupy the southeastern part of France, and the terms of the armistice will be discussed with Mr. Mo. The French army will be reduced to 10, with the 'occupation fee' determined based on the exorbitant franc to mark exchange rate to be paid out of the French budget.

The French Empire - in North Africa, West Africa and Indochina - would still be controlled by France (soon to have its capital in Vichy), and the French Navy would also be under French control, but would be disarmed.

All prisoners of war during the war, including Maginot Line garrison troops who had not yet surrendered, would fall into German hands.

In short, France would be weakened and humiliated, just as Sir Henry believed Germany was humiliated in 1918.

In fact, these terms are far harsher than those imposed on Germany at Retonde 22 years ago.

At that time, most of Germany's territory remained, and German soldiers were free to return to civilian life.

Now the richest part of the French territory would be occupied and 200 million Frenchmen would be imprisoned by the Germans with no provision for an alternative to these sentences. These 200 million people would constitute 5% of the French population but perhaps % of the normal French adult male. of a quarter. "

What awaited de Gaulle was an unprecedentedly harsh anti-war environment.

France, which lost its homeland, had colonies all over the world, but it lost the industrial base to support modern warfare.

Coupled with traditional anti-British sentiment, many French people regarded de Gaulle's "Free France" as a British lackey organization.

In their view, the war between Britain and Germany has nothing to do with France, and they can just sit back and watch the success or failure.

In adversity, de Gaulle did not give in to difficulties.

On July 1940, 7, at the insistence of de Gaulle, several "Free French" pilots followed the British Air Force and participated in the bombing of the Ruhr Industrial Zone in Germany.

De Gaulle declared it the beginning of the fight for "Free France."

This beginning is obviously more symbolic.

For a long time thereafter, de Gaulle and his troops seemed to be nothing more than a news stunt.

The Germans called them a terrorist organization, and the coalition equated them with the Polish exile army.

It was not until the summer of 1942 that "Free France" suddenly became the focus of media attention.

In that hot summer, Rommel launched a fierce attack on the Jazala defense line.

The "Free French" 1st Light Division, located at the southern end of the defense line, led by Koenig, defended Bir Hashem.

At the beginning of the war, their hard work did not receive the attention it deserved from the media in time.

Until people suddenly discovered that Bill Hashim was not only a bright spot, but also a focus.

For the soldiers of the Free French, it was a thoroughly bitter battle.

Afterwards, Rommel, who started out as an infantry tactics expert, had to admit that the defenders here were highly tenacious and highly professional:

"The battle was very fierce, lasting for ten days and ten nights. In the African campaign, such a tough duel was rare. The French defenders' defensive positions were very cleverly arranged, with small fortifications everywhere - trenches, trenches, Bunkers, machine gun bunkers, combat anti-artillery positions, etc. - all were covered with thick mine formations outside.

This line of defense has particularly good resistance to artillery and air force bombing...

In the few days before our attack on Bir Hashem, the main force of the British army stood still. This is really puzzling...

The French garrison's contact with the outside world has been completely cut off at this time, but it is really admirable that they can still fight so hard and unyielding...

In the early morning of June 6, the 11th Light Division began to occupy Bir Hashim.

Nearly 500 French prisoners of war fell into our hands, most of them seriously injured.

That morning, I went to inspect the fortress in person, and I couldn't help but be filled with emotion. This was my number one struggle in the African desert. "

De Gaulle said in his memoirs:

"At this time, the public in many countries began to pay attention to this, and Bir Hashem's French army became more and more the center of everyone's talk and newspaper news. Public opinion was ready to make a judgment. The question is whether our soldiers can still hold on with honor. .”

"On June 6, the siege of Bir Hashem was completed... 'Hold for another six days,' the coalition command ordered Koenig on June 7. Six days passed.

'Stand for another 48 hours,' General Li Qi demanded. The fact faced at that time was that the losses and chaos caused by the enemy's attack on the Eighth Army were so serious that any relief or help was impossible, but Rommel was eager to take advantage of the chaos of the British army to rush in. Egypt, and so was extremely impatient with the resistance that pinned their rear and disrupted his lines of transport.

Bir Hashim became his biggest concern and main target, and he had visited the battlefield several times to prepare for another attack. "

"The fierce attack began on the 8th. The enemy's infantry, under the cover of heavy artillery and tanks, tried several times to break through this or that section of our defense line. Although they were brave, they failed.

We had to fight hard during the day and organize our positions hard at night.

The attack resumed on the 9th. The enemy artillery was reinforced with heavy artillery of larger caliber.

Faced with such powerful artillery fire, Colonel Laurent Chamberlain's 75mm artillery fire was difficult to resist.

Our people can only get no more than 24 liters of water every 2 hours, which is obviously not enough in such a hot climate, but we still have to stick to it.

As the British army gradually fell into chaos, Koenig's resistance became even more important.

All the news horns in London, New York, Montreal, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires rang out loudly: 'The heroic defense of the French army! ''Brilliant achievement! ''On the Bir Hashim Front the Germans were defeated! '

We have come close to the end to which we have always aspired, which is to achieve the great task of achieving a great period for our 'Free French' troops, however limited they may be.

Bir Hashem's artillery fire announced to the world the beginning of France's renaissance. "

When the coalition forces were completely defeated and the London media began to mourn these warriors, they fought their way through the encirclement and retained the spark of revival.

When he heard the news that the defenders had successfully broken out of the encirclement, de Gaulle couldn't help crying with joy.

They were once ignored, seen as a burden, and used as a gimmick. But now, they have become heroes around the world!

Even more legendary than the performance of the "Free French" troops on the battlefield was de Gaulle's achievements in the diplomatic field.

Compared to France, Rothover is more optimistic about China.

He has a unique view of history, believing that the center of world civilization is entering the Pacific era after experiencing the Mediterranean era and the Atlantic era.

China and the United States, two major countries facing each other across the ocean, are the key to future global stability.

At the same time, a China that maintains a special relationship with the Ugly Country will obviously help the Ugly Country deal with Mao Xiong and the United Kingdom.

Therefore, Rossifer tried his best to support China and gave it the status of one of the top four after the war.

Uncle Qiu and Uncle Si were naturally extremely unhappy about this, and even sneered at it.

De Gaulle seized on this dissatisfaction in time and worked hard to deal with the three powers.

Uncle Qiu sincerely hopes to win over France to balance China's international influence.

Therefore, Uncle Qiu not only tried his best to increase the influence of "Free France", but also vigorously assisted de Gaulle and Uncle Si to establish direct diplomatic relations.

And Mr. Si is also willing to involve France and change the four-power structure envisaged by the ugly country into a five-power structure.

Rosefort was once very disgusted with these small actions of Britain and the Soviet Union. Even until the moment when the coalition forces landed in northwest Africa and launched a large-scale counterattack, the U.S. diplomatic community was still looking for a replacement for "Free France."

After discovering that it was difficult to achieve this, the Ugly State resorted to the next best thing and worked hard to drive wedges within "Free France", create divisions, and cultivate alternatives to De Gaulle.

However, all the efforts made by Chou Country finally failed.

With the help of Britain and the Soviet Union, de Gaulle achieved a double victory. He forced the ugly country to accept France's return to the club of great powers, and at the same time made the great powers recognize that he and not others represented French orthodoxy.

In this way, de Gaulle established his historical position and saved his motherland.

The road from Normandy to Paris is bloody and winding.

"Free France" has come a long way.

Although the war against Germany is not over yet, it is clear that the overall situation has been decided.

The new government after returning to Paris sentenced Pétain to death. De Gaulle accepted the sentence, but then pardoned him.

This is French wisdom, just like the secrets they hid when they originally designed the Maginot Line.

Compared to the UK, France is actually pretty good.

As of the beginning of the 20th century, Britain was undoubtedly a transcendent existence in the great power game at that time. This transcendent status lasted for hundreds of years.

Starting from the destruction of the Armada in August 1588, it achieved the starting point in the War of the Spanish Crown from 8 to 1701, and then started the British separation and balance, manipulated the history of Europe for more than 1714 years, and reached its climax in the smoke of the Napoleonic War.

At its peak, Britain covered the world, controlling 4000 million square kilometers of territory with less than 3530 million native people and a colonial population of 4.4 million. This was how the empire on which the sun never set was born!

However, no matter how powerful a country is, it is inevitable that it will be helpless when it comes to an end. After experiencing the baptism of the second industrial revolution, the world pattern has ushered in a reversal.

The British Empire was in decline in the smoke of the Boer War. After the glory of the Victorian era, there were two consecutive world wars. Behind these blows, isn't it the cause and effect of the reshaping of the world structure?

The overlord is weak, attracting competitors to spy on him!

Vested interests suffered a critical blow, and emerging powers went on a rampage in order to establish new rules. In the end, two rampages ushered in inevitable results.

Then, the world changed!

In the cycle of cause and effect, we either go with the trend or fight against the trend. How many heroes spilled their blood, and how many heroes turned into bears!

On September 1938, 9, after difficult negotiations, Chamberlain returned to London. As soon as he got off the plane, facing countless surging crowds and expectant eyes, Chamberlain excitedly picked up a piece of paper in his hand and waved it, saying "This paper Above, is the signature of the German head of state.

Then he was full of confidence and said:

I brought an era of peace.

Peace, the word that the British kept chanting, the words settled, and there was thunderous applause. Britain won, in a seemingly peaceful way!

It's just that this method is unreliable in the era of competition and competition. As for the source of unreliability, it is the German head of state who is not a man of his word.

Just five months before this paper was signed, Germany claimed that it was ready for military action and was ready to solve the persecution problem in one go, citing the persecution of the Germans in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.

The national issue became rampant in Europe after World War I, when the 14-point principles led by Woodrow Wilson, the leader of American idealism, took root in the hearts of the people. With the blessing of this raging nationalist movement, many problems in Europe after one stop have It arises from nationalism, which will be analyzed in a subsequent topic.

Germany's bold declaration plunged Europe into the haze of war. At a critical moment, a mediator appeared.

He is the head of state of Italy, Uncle Mo, who has a good relationship with Uncle Xi!

Under the leadership of Uncle Mo, British Prime Minister Chamberlain, French Prime Minister Daladier, and German Head of State Uncle Hitler played mahjong in Munich.

At the mahjong table, the four people were divided into three groups. Hitler was aggressive and kept yelling "Hu".

Uncle Mo was aggressive from time to time, intentionally or unintentionally helping Germany. Britain and France exchanged glances and gave away a lot of money.

In this way, after a game of mahjong, Britain and France used the method of persuading Czechoslovakia to give up Sudetenland and take care of the so-called peace in Europe. They satisfied Germany's request, were generous to others, and gave Uncle Xi a sweet taste.

Mr. Xi, who took advantage of the sweet spot, immediately stated that he would not make any new European territorial claims in the future.

Seeing that Hitler was interested, Britain and France said they wanted to sign and stamp it!

Under the auspices of Britain and France, Germany and Britain and France signed declarations respectively, expressing their hope that issues should be resolved through consultation and that Europe would never go to war again.

Never fight again, isn’t this what Britain and France want? Uncle Xi used a piece of paper to deceive Britain and France, which also made Chamberlain extremely happy!

But is peace really reliable? The answer is of course unreliable!

Only half a year later, Mr. Xi brazenly tore up the agreement and annexed the entire Czechoslovakia in one go, letting the whole world understand that this guy was really greedy.

But this was just the beginning. On September 1939, 9, shortly after the annexation of Czechoslovakia, Germany once again used its weapons to impose its sharp blade on Poland!

This time, Germany was well prepared. Mr. Xi, who was flirting with Mao Xiong, took advantage of Mao Xiong's distrust of Britain, France, and Poland to reach a non-aggression agreement. Then he calculated that Germany was weak in Britain and France, and attacked Poland, detonating the war.

The war resumed. Based on the agreement with Poland, Britain and France had no choice but to declare war with Germany. The Second World War began!

The British and French, who once had thousands of houses full of lights and longed for peace, reluctantly began to fight.

But this challenge started with a sit-in. The soldiers in the trenches kept whispering and cursing in unison.

The protagonist who was scolded was Chamberlain, a person who once made them revel.

When I type stupid and put a full stop at the end, everyone understands that Chamberlain is not stupid!

People who can be politicians and politicians are lying if they say they are stupid. They don’t understand calculations and don’t distinguish between gains and losses. How can they be the boss?

But the British at the time didn't think so. At that time, they mainly attacked Chamberlain on two points.

The first point is stupidity. He criticized his credulity in Mr. Xi, saying that he sacrificed the interests of small countries, indulged the invaders, and used appeasement to fuel German ambitions, which was the key to triggering World War II.

The second point is naivety. Uncle Xi is famous for being unfaithful, but he still trusts him?

The first statement is very realistic, result-oriented, and more critical.

The second argument is very idealistic, morally oriented, and more defensive.

After the two statements were superimposed, there was a modern version of the story of "The Farmer and the Snake", which also gave Chamberlain a reason to defend himself: I am noble, simple, and loyal, but But no one can defeat the despicable ones.

In turn, he strengthened his contempt for Uncle Xi and showed more sympathy for Chamberlain's naivety.

But, is this really the case?

Diplomacy between great powers is never about personal interactions. Mr. Xi may be dishonest and cunning, but Chamberlain just does bad things with good intentions?

Britain, which has dominated the world for hundreds of years, has a high political position. There are countless historical practices to prove it, and there is also a famous saying to prove it!

There are no permanent enemies, no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Moral good intentions and ideals are never in the dictionary of British politicians, so if you think about it in another way, you may understand the truth.

The truth is that Chamberlain, as the helm of an empire, was never easy.

He can disguise himself as a loyal gentleman and a naive old man, but pragmatic diplomacy is his style.

The Earl of Halifax, the Foreign Secretary who worked closely with Chamberlain, was not a simple man either.

This person who was valued by Uncle Qiu and affectionately called the "Holy Fox" was a top player in pragmatic diplomacy.

With these two people at the helm of Britain and presiding over diplomacy, do you think they are naive? That is really an insult to our ancestors.

Under the noble and weak appearance, the use of diplomatic methods is the origin of their diplomatic game.

As for the origin of this noble and weak diplomacy, is it more related to helplessness?

Under the leadership of Chamberlain, who became the eldest son in May 1937, Britain was an empire that seemed to maintain its charm but was actually full of crises.

Britain relied on sea power to make its fortune. Sea power was its lifeline. If sea power flourished, Britain would not weaken.

This is also the root cause of the rise of Britain in the Age of Discovery.

After the great geographical discovery and the advancement of navigation technology, the long coastline changed from a barrier hindering human communication to a highway accelerating globalization, fully embodying the advantages of the British island country.

Having a high-quality coastline does not require the strategic choice of land and sea like land-power countries and peninsula countries, giving the UK the possibility to focus on the sea.

What's even more valuable is that Britain's geographical location happens to be on the European continent. Facing the intersection of the New World and the world market, most powerful countries in Europe must pass through Britain as long as they go to sea. (Except Spanish Mediterranean coast)

This allows the UK to use the lowest cost to maximize the cost-effectiveness of its navy and easily control the maritime lifelines of other European powers.

Relying on its natural strategic advantages and using a balanced continental approach, Britain prevented the birth of a continental hegemon and was able to expand overseas.

On the other hand, look at his competitors France, Spain and other countries!

The continental shocks they faced from time to time prevented them from fully operating overseas. Even if they devoted themselves to colonization, they would always fall behind the British.

However, the invention of a new technology put an end to all this, and this invention was the railway! The roaring railway, the long railway, and the efficient railway have brought the world from the era of sea power to the era of equal emphasis on sea and land.

The rise of the invention of railways made it possible to efficiently integrate land resources. With the rapid pace of railway construction, the once traditional land powers have prospered with the blessing of railways. Typical representatives of this are Germany, the Soviet Union and the United States. !

Why is the German state so efficient? In addition to the unique bureaucracy, it is also related to the focus on railway construction!

The reason why Mao Xiong can still be strong even when the system is backward and revive in the age of Mao Xiong is closely related to the railway connection of the vast land.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Xiaobao was able to defeat Mao Xiong because the Siberian Railway had not been completed and Mao Xiong had limited strategic projection capabilities. However, after the railway was successfully built, when Mao Xiong and Neon competed, Neon had little chance. No.

In addition to neon lights and furry bears, the rising star Ugly Country is even more impressive. It is a country that pays equal attention to both sea and land!

The rise of railways allowed new manufacturing centers to take shape. The Ruhr area in Germany and the Great Lakes region in the United States established the world's manufacturing centers.

Leveraging railways has smoothed global logistics channels, allowed emerging countries to develop their manufacturing capabilities, and increased their mobilization capabilities.

On the other hand, the UK is completely different!

A country that was once a beneficiary of sea power, but after the return of land power, was constrained by its small homeland and lost its competitive advantage.

Although sea transportation is fast, it is still much less efficient than railways. The problem of Britain's scattered colonies around the world also highlights the problem.

This is why the United Kingdom has built many railways in India, hoping to make India another economic sector besides the British mainland.

However, the colonial nature and the colonial nature of the British made this move still powerless.

There is data to prove that this is hopeless!

In the mid-19th century, Britain's coal production accounted for two-thirds of the world's coal production, and its pig iron production exceeded that of the rest of the world combined. It was a completely transcendent existence.

But in 1914, after the second industrial revolution, the coal output of Germany, Europe's biggest challenger, reached 2.77 million tons, which was on par with the United Kingdom. What's even more exaggerated is that Germany's steel output exceeded the United Kingdom, France, and Russia combined. Reaching 1760 million tons.

What is this concept? On the European battlefield, which is predicated on a large-scale land war, Germany's strategic resource advantages are beyond the capabilities of the United Kingdom.

This is also the key to Britain's transformation from glorious isolation to alliance and confrontation. It is beyond its capabilities and Germany is too strong!

Subsequently, the United Kingdom participated in this war that cost itself a lot but gained little!

Before World War I, Britain's hard power was not as strong as that of Germany and the U.S., but its World Bank status and vast colonies still gave Britain a transcendent status. But after the war, the British found that this status had become the U.S.'s, and their own It also owed a lot of foreign debt.

And all of this is firstly related to the excessive war consumption, and secondly to the British colonial control model!

War consumption: In 1913, before the outbreak of World War I, British defense funding was 9100 million pounds, accounting for 12.3% of fiscal expenditures.

By 1918, it had become 19.56 billion pounds, accounting for 80% of the fiscal expenditure in the same year. This was only war funding. Together with other expenses, the British economic situation became worse and worse, and the British national debt also increased from 6.5 million pounds before the war. 74.35 billion pounds after the war.

After this round of war, Britain suffered heavy losses!

Colonial control model: Although after World War I, Britain still had the possibility to maintain its hegemony with its vast colonies.

However, the national movement triggered by the United Kingdom alienated the British overseas territories, so that before the Second Station broke out in 1939, the British colonies of South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and even Ireland became fully autonomous territories.

Historically, Britain's colonial management model was to cultivate local forces in the colonies, cooperate with a small number of British civil servants, and repackage the continental balance of power policy in the colonies. It achieved the goal of using limited military power and relying on sophisticated balance of power checks and balances to maintain the empire. The purpose of peace under government.

But this peace has a premise, that is, Britain has the ability to maintain collective security and allow the colonies and autonomous territories to develop relatively stably.

In short: Each colony and dominion (except Asan) is Britain's war partner. In foreign wars, it provides human and financial resources to the empire, and after winning the war, it reaps war dividends.

This is a cooperative relationship under subordinate rule.

A cooperative and reciprocal relationship based on mutual needs.

The prerequisite is that the military power of the British Empire is sufficient to deter challengers.

However, the world war changed this logic!

The British Isles were once the center of the world, with first-level power. However, after the revival of land power, they became a weak force against land power. Britain needed more power from its colonies and dominions to win the war.

This puts the UK in a dilemma, because any payment comes at a political cost.

In the past, the colonies and dominions were able to reap dividends from the war, and they did not need to negotiate terms. But now that the dividends are gone, do you want compensation?

To compensate with money, Britain had no money and could only expand the political rights of its colonies and autonomous territories.

Moreover, large-scale mobilization during the war will also make people in the ruled areas dissatisfied and awaken their self-consciousness. Then, division will inevitably become a trend!

Moreover, the tragic casualties of World War I also dealt a heavy blow to Britain's core local forces!

The British Empire lost 103.1 million young people and an entire generation, in exchange for a crumbling empire.

Just to protect the former glory of the empire? Are they willing?

The bloody lesson tells them that there is no winner in a world war, and if we fight again, we will all perish together.

As a result, anti-war became the consensus of the British natives!

This is also the root of the post-war British yearning for peace and their rejection of meaningless wars and sacrifices!

This consensus later became the basis of British public opinion and forced politicians to follow it.

Looking at it from this perspective, Chamberlain’s choice can be seen!

First of all; the rise of land power caused Britain to lose its hegemonic advantage.

Secondly: war consumption caused Britain to lose its financial advantage.

Again: mobilization based on war gradually led to calls for independence in the British colonies and dominions, and political exchange became inevitable.

Finally: the sacrifice of a generation allowed pacifism to prevail in Britain.

The British Anti-War Quartet was Chamberlain's Quadruple Dilemma and the source of appeasement in the British Empire.

After talking about the British problem, everyone's consensus is, don't fight, don't fight!

So if you look outside the UK and see what the world is like, you will understand another reason why you cannot fight.

This means that there are too many snoops, all hoping to eat British meat, and if one mistake is not made, everything will be lost!

The British Empire was once very powerful. This power gave Britain many allies in Europe and Asia!

This was the case at both ends of the Eurasian continent.

To the east, China was once Britain's ally in containing Tsarist Russia, but later became Neon after the rise of Neon.

To the west, the Ottoman Turkish Empire was once an ally of Britain, and its purpose was also to curb the expansion of the woolly bear.

But times have changed, and relationships have also changed. The guests who once filled the court when they were strong have become the guests who take tea when they are weak.

One station ago, Britain was still an ally of Neon. Britain also had many allies in Europe such as France, Italy, and Russia. Even ugly countries could help Britain on the other side of the ocean.

These contributed to Britain's victory in World War I.

However, the tragedy of World War I and the subsequent weakening of Britain made the revival of land power faster and faster.

The European balance of power that the UK was committed to building allowed the UK to choose to be open-minded when facing France's complete liquidation of Germany. However, Germany ushered in its rise in an abnormal way and was extremely committed to revenge.

Britain also offended France because of this. Although they still formed an alliance in the end, they were more superficially inseparable.

Similarly, Mao Xiong also changed his name and became a strong man who fought against the entire Western world.

But this country, under the pragmatic leadership of Stalin, passed several five-year plans and transformed into a behemoth.

Even Neon in the Far East, as its strength grew, began to look less and less to Britain and began to seek hegemony in the Eastern Pacific.

As for the ugly countries that once helped each other, although they share the same culture and race, they have always held high the anti-colonial banner and strived to dismantle the British colonial hegemony.

From this perspective, after one stop, Britain's international checks and balances have collapsed, and the international environment has become crisis-ridden. There are enemies, potential enemies and avengers spying on Britain's huge colonies everywhere.

Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United States, the four major powers, saw the evil intentions in their eyes, and the only allies they could count on were France, a weak and seemingly distant country, and Italy, the speculator who swayed from side to side.

France's helplessness is that it is a beneficiary of the colonial system and must side with Britain, but its strength is not enough to protect Britain.

What should Britain do like this? It looks like he has two allies, but he is actually fighting alone!

What is the reason for him to fight alone? Is it just a high-quality asset of the British Empire spread all over the world?

Germany is committed to revenge and spying on the British mainland.

Neon is committed to expansion and spying on the interests of the Far East and Asanyang.

Chouguo has a bigger appetite, and everything he has will be mine when dad gets old.

The furry bear also has a big appetite, but he still has to wait and use some strength.

This was the situation in Britain before World War II. Crisis was everywhere, wars were rising one after another. If you were not careful, the wall would fall and everyone would push back, and everything would be lost.

What would you do if you were Chamberlain? The answer may be confusion!

But since Chamberlain took over the mess, he used his last perseverance to try to maintain his empire.

The United Kingdom is a country that is well versed in great power diplomacy. Based on this, the balance of power strategy that has been used for hundreds of years has emerged.

But what should we do when the balance of power and checks and balances no longer work? The answer is appropriate redistribution of interests and maximum diplomatic results at the minimum cost.

Because international competition still follows the law of the jungle and has its own set of biological chains.

If the hegemony at the top is a lion, it cannot eat tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves without restraint.

So what can be eaten and what can be given up are only carnivores.

The tragic lessons of the First World War made the British lion understand that if he really had to fight with a pack of wolves, he would be covered in bruises.

Similarly, all tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves also understand that the end result of biting each other is for people to take advantage of them!

As a result, many countries have begun to think about containing conflicts. Typical examples are Britain, France and the Soviet Union, which are still recovering.

While many countries are trying to contain themselves, there are also countries that are hoping to advance rashly.

This country is Germany, the ugly country where neon, Italian monks are dormant.

How to handle relations with a country that is as restrained as you are? How to appease countries that are adventurous?

That's what Britain needs to figure out.

The old hegemon continues to weaken and new forces continue to rise, all with the purpose of dividing Britain's =assets. Britain cannot stay out of the matter and can only lead ambitious countries to conflict with each other.

Then, the British sexy operation began!

In 1931, the little book began to act rogue, and Britain remained unmoved except for appeals.

Because he knows that Britain has entangled interests in China, and so does the ugly country!

In the following years, Neon made further progress and pressed forward step by step, posing a huge threat to the structure of the Far East. Britain remained unmoved, not only because it was unable to cope with it, but also because it wanted to use its strength to gain strength.

The British plan to let the Ugly Kingdom make the first move, so that the Ugly Kingdom and Neon, who hope to control the Pacific Ocean instead of the British, will fight each other.

Judging from the final results in the Far East, the British plan was successful. The only regret is that the ugly country was very strategically determined and did not end soon.

Similarly, Britain treats Germany negatively on the European continent and allows Germany to stir up war in Europe. The reason is the same!

Europe is not where Britain's core interests lie. Wherever Britain appears, the only thing it needs to do is to contain it and maintain it.

As long as Germany does not declare war, Britain will not take the lead in fighting Germany, nor will it intervene in Europe.

If all this continues like this, Britain will still be able to maintain a balance of power and avoid a huge defeat.

But no one expected that a madman appeared!

The Treaty of Versailles signed after World War I gave rise to nationalism and extremism in Europe.

Among them, the Germans, who suffered humiliation in the Treaty of Versailles, were the most eager for revenge.

Then, Germany welcomed the madman Mr. Xi!

Why Uncle Xi is successful is because of his political skills!

Internally, he incited sentiments of revenge, created a militant image, and gained votes by satisfying public opinion.

Externally, he held high the banner of peace, used peace and national self-determination to break up the joint resistance of hostile camps, and used referendums to continuously strive for the reunification of the German nation.

Later, it was supplemented by economic cooperation between Germany and the United States, and large-scale borrowing was used to develop the economy, restore people's livelihood, and reshape the armed forces.

These three tricks gave Uncle Xi an advantage.

Internally, Uncle Xi became a German hero, and countless people followed him crazy.

Externally, with the cooperation of extreme ideological trends, there are many people in Britain and France who complain about Germany. Their sympathy for the split with the German nation puts the British and French rulers under unexpected pressure.

This pressure is also evidenced by events!

For example, during the Sudetenland crisis, Herzog, the leader of the British Dominion of South Africa, publicly stated that if Britain was involved in a war with Germany due to the Sudetenland issue, South Africa would not be able to guarantee support to the British Empire.

Similarly, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as autonomous territories, were not interested in a European war with Germany.

This series of statements highlighted the divisions within the British Empire. If Chamberlain chose to go to war at this time, what would be the consequences?

There are two choices before Chamberlain!

First, try your best to avoid war, maintain fighting without breaking up, and stop the situation when enough is enough.

Second, the fish dies and the net breaks the net, but there is a prerequisite, and victory must be achieved.

Such a dilemma, is it actually a good choice for someone else?

Maintaining the fight without breaking the situation could allow Chamberlain to gain public support, gain the understanding of the Dominion, and avoid war.

If we start a war brazenly, we will be doomed if we lose!

Based on this, the policy of appeasement emerged, which in hindsight is extremely confusing.

From the perspective of the weakening British Empire, Chamberlain made a very wise choice at the time.

Because if he starts a war, it will be like stabbing other countries in the back and giving the Dominion a chance to start a fire in its backyard.

In order to continue fighting without breaking up, and in order to maintain its strategic initiative, Britain could only appease, maintain relations, and divert trouble to the east.

The aggressive Uncle Xi is undoubtedly cunning!

He accurately calculated the war-weariness within Britain and France, as well as the overflowing sympathy supported by idealism, and turned Germany into a victim of World War I. Not only did he occupy the moral high ground, he also took advantage of the situation to create a rift between Britain and France.

With a flag that restored the unity of the German-speaking ethnic group, Britain and France made concessions and ushered in a bloodless conquest.

Britain and France, who were still deceiving, could not prepare for war seriously. Because they are really preparing for war, the surging public opinion in the country is enough for Chamberlain and Dallas to drink.

If others don't fight, aren't you just looking for trouble if you prepare for war?

The shrewd Hitler forced Chamberlain to comply with public opinion and public opinion, and acquiesced in his own way.

Faced with this, Chamberlain's only request was that Germany's expansion must stop within a certain range and in a certain direction.

The key to the success of this strategy lies in the interpretation of these two definitions!

What is a certain range?

Which direction is a certain direction?

Where is Uncle Xi's goal?

After asking three questions, this operation seemed to be clever from the perspective of the time.

Chamberlain thought he had found the direction and scope of Germany, as well as its goal!

Of course, this is also related to Uncle Xi’s constant deception!

While Britain and France were appeasing, what Germany was doing was very thought-provoking.

Uncle Xi's successive actions gave Chamberlain a mixture of joy and sorrow!

The good news is: the target is clearly directed at the furry bear, and it is a confrontation between the camps. If this is true, it is of course a good thing.

The worry is: the truth of international politics is never ideal, but reality. The so-called agreement may also be a trap.

Chamberlain hoped that these three countries could work together to attack the east, let Germany move eastward, and let neon move north. Wouldn't his own interests be preserved? You can also sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight, which is a great pleasure!

In the same way, Britain can maintain its detached identity and serve as a bargaining chip for both parties to participate when the time is right.

As for when to participate, after Germany and Neon declare war on the furry bears, it may be the best time!

(End of this chapter)