Chapter 381: The French Special Envoy

In Führer Akado’s office, the French special envoy was constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead. From the moment he had walked into the Führer’s office until now, he had not yet spoken a single word. This was because Akado had not given him a chance to speak. He was playing chess with August. The two were engrossed, and the French special envoy did not dare to interrupt.

Akado liked chess. He liked to kill over and over again on the black and white squares. There was no smoke and no blood on the chessboard, but the most tragic battles could be fought out. He was obsessed with this game, from which he learned a lot of knowledge that could not be learned from books.

This was a new hobby he had developed after becoming the German Führer, and also a recreational pastime that Mercedes had taught him. But Akado was very obsessed with this game. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would always pull someone he knew to play a couple of games.

But don’t be fooled by the fact that Akado was leading Germany to such a great situation. His chess skills were probably at the level of a “stinky chess basket.” After a while, even Cindra, whom Akado had taught to play chess, was better at it than Akado himself. Akado’s reputation for being at the bottom of the chess rankings in the Reich Supreme High Command had also spread.

Who would be willing to play chess with a supreme leader who was always willing to take back his moves and cheat? To win was to be apprehensive, and to lose was even more shameful. From time to time, it would make the Führer unhappy in the afternoon, and he would be on tenterhooks during meetings. After a few times, everyone knew which was more important, and no one would go to “disturb” the Führer when he was resting.

So when the Führer wanted to play chess, Secretary Cindra would have many things to be busy with. The several all-powerful chiefs of staff and adjutants would also suddenly remember some forgotten military and state affairs. The more straightforward ones, like Anna, would simply not learn at all. And those who were pushed to the limit would simply ask for leave or take a bathroom break. In any case, the Führer’s free time was only a little bit each day. As long as they could get through it, it would be a matter for tomorrow.

Therefore, this hobby of Akado’s had no platform, until after August had become the Reich Chancellor. One day, the unsuspecting August was invited by Akado to play chess together. As a result, the two had fought a fierce battle for an hour, and surprisingly, neither could get the better of the other. For a time, this news had shocked the Reich Supreme High Command and had made Brauchitsch so curious that he had personally watched the two play chess. As a result, the result was that Field Marshal von Brauchitsch had been as embarrassed as the current French special envoy.

“No! Wait!” the Führer said loudly, holding his own bishop and cheating. “I made a wrong move! Can’t I just admit I made a wrong move?! I’ll move here! Here! One square less! One square less!”

This shout made the French special envoy’s whole body tremble. He swallowed hard and once again took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. This time, the fate of France’s future was on his shoulders. He couldn’t help but be extremely nervous. The current situation was that Germany had already occupied Paris, and the French had no choice but to bow their heads.

He now could finally understand the feelings of the Germans in 1918. That kind of humiliation and unwillingness filled his heart, making it difficult to breathe. His own nation was suffering humiliation, and he himself was the most direct recipient of this humiliation. If the civilians would cry because of the defeat, then he could even understand General Gamelin, who had committed suicide because of it.

As a result, just as this French special envoy was indulging in his own sorrow and grief, another voice came, pulling him back to reality. He saw the old Mr. August grabbing a chess piece carved with a horse’s head and saying with an apologetic look on his face, “Wait a minute! Wait a minute! I also made a wrong move with this step! You just took back your move, so this time you can’t not let me reconsider!”

This… is this the so-called all-powerful dictator of the Third Reich, Akado Rudolph? Is this the old fox, the Reich Chancellor August, who is said to be second only to one and above tens of thousands in Germany? The French special envoy’s head suddenly short-circuited. He had no choice but to reach for his pocket, wanting to take out his handkerchief to continue wiping his sweat.

The fingers that had touched the edge of his pocket sent back the information of contact. Only then did this French special envoy realize that his handkerchief had not been put away just now and was still clenched in the palm of his other hand. He quickly adjusted his posture to hide the panic in his heart and began to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“Phew!” Akado, who seemed to have lost the game, stood up, very displeased. He looked at the waiting French special envoy on the side with a constipated expression. “Oh, the French special envoy has been waiting for a long time. Is there anything you want to say? Our two countries are in a state of war right now. To send you here so rashly, I really can’t figure out your country’s intentions.”

“My Führer,” the French special envoy had no choice but to say this title that made him a little depressed, as he was under another’s roof. “Some people in the French government who love peace and hope that the people of Germany and France can become eternal friends hope that you can be generous and have your army stop its advance. We will give you and your Reich a satisfactory return.”

His words were as humble as could be, because he had also received an order from his home country yesterday. Now, in the areas under French actual control, the most influential person was the old Marshal Pétain. He had predicted that the German armored forces would destroy France before March. So he had hoped to immediately open negotiations with Germany to preserve the last bit of France’s blood and bone.

“Let’s hear it. I’ll only give you this one chance. If you can’t satisfy us, then there’s no need to talk about the rest. It’s enough to speak with cannons,” Akado said with a smile, pulling open the curtain on the wall to reveal a huge map of France. “What can France give us, and what does it want from us?”

“France must exist. The current German-occupied areas will all continue to be controlled by the German army. France, as an ally of Germany, will join any of Germany’s alliance agreements. How about this condition?” the French special envoy asked, gritting his teeth and frowning.

“Not very good…” Akado shook his head, and his face also became no longer kind and amiable. He thought for a moment and then said, “Let’s talk again after my troops have taken Lyon. Or rather, after my troops have flattened France, we won’t need to continue talking.”

“My Führer! I have come here this time with the greatest sincerity to make this request to you!” the French special envoy said, almost crying. “If you really want to destroy France, then please shoot me now. I really don’t want to watch my own country disappear before my own eyes.”

“Look! I have never had any intention of destroying France,” Akado said, pointing to the map. “France is being attacked from two sides, but we hope more to maintain a permanent peace with France and are more willing to have the relationship between the two countries tend toward stability.”

“But France must pay a price to ensure that it will not pose a threat or harbor thoughts of revenge against Germany in the future,” he said, looking at the French special envoy with a cold expression and in an icy tone. “We want absolute control over the regions including Paris, Lyon, Dijon, Orleans, Rennes, Caen, Nantes, Bordeaux, and so on. France is not allowed to have an army and must be forever under the protection of Germany. The navy and air force will all be handed over to the Imperial military for management and command. Cede Monaco, Nice, Toulon, Marseille, and other regions to Italy. Then France will receive the protection of Germany and will become an ally of the Third Reich.”

“The price… isn’t it a bit… high?” the French special envoy asked, gritting his teeth and with tears in his eyes. “What’s the difference between this and destroying France?”

“The difference is that about half of French territory will still be under the management of the French government led by Pétain. This way, France has not been destroyed and will also receive its own benefits and compensation overseas because of the invincibility of the Third Reich!” Akado said, tapping the map. “Germany will recognize most of France’s overseas colonies and will guarantee the absolute security of these colonies.”

“My Führer, I cannot make this decision,” the envoy replied, wiping his tears with a handkerchief. “I must contact my home country. No Frenchman can make this decision. Even if this decision can save the country of France, the person who signs this peace treaty will also be hanged in front of the French people.”

“I think it’s just the opposite,” August suddenly spoke up. “To use up all one’s resources is not a wise choice. If such a situation were to occur, then there would be no need for negotiation at all. Britain is just like that. They are not willing to negotiate and pursue peace. In a few months, you will see what the difference is between a surrendering France and a non-surrendering Britain.”

“France hopes to have its own independent army. At the very least, the navy should be left with some warships for self-defense! And we have not been defeated by the Italians. Why should we cede territory to Italy?” the French special envoy asked, as if he felt very wronged, his face full of grief.

“This is the benefit of joining the ‘Pact of Steel’,” Akado said, also feeling very helpless as he brought up this matter. “Although for various reasons, Italy has not been able to help us as an ally in many times, at a moment like this of sharing victory, we will also generously take into account the feelings of our allies. Of course, if the new French regime has various interests and needs, the Third Reich will also generously fight for its allies.”

“I hope we can truly move toward peace,” the envoy said, preparing to leave. He did not want to stay here for another minute. This place was not only full of humiliation and blackmail, but it also made him feel oppressed and bullied.

“I hope so,” Akado nodded and signaled for August to see the French special envoy off. When the two had walked out of the room, Akado finally sat back down in his seat. He sighed, looked at the map on the wall, and said to himself, “Mussolini, I have given you great face and benefits. At the very least, when it doesn’t matter, you can help me fill a labor shortage of one million.”

At this moment, Mussolini, who had just landed at an airfield on the outskirts of Berlin, let out a heavy sneeze.