Bab 134: Chapter 212 Stepping Down and Succession
Early in the morning, French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud was awakened by the urgent knocking of his secretary. "Your Excellency, Your Excellency!"
Startled, Paul Reynaud grumbled and quickly got out of bed, walking briskly to open the door. "What's the matter?!"
The secretary, with an anxious expression, said, "Your Excellency, General Gamelin is calling. The Germans launched a full-scale attack on Belgium just half an hour ago."
"!!" Upon hearing this news, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud was momentarily stunned.
The English and French had been expecting Germany to continue its eastward advance after the Polish campaign, even though the Germans continuously transferred soldiers from the Eastern Front to the Western Front. Numerous sources had indicated that Germany was about to attack France, but many chose to ignore all warnings, behaving as if they were ostriches burying their heads in the sand, selectively turning a blind eye and deaf ear.
And now, these warnings had finally turned into reality, leaving Prime Minister Reynaud feeling lost.
It was worth noting that during the last World War, although France emerged victorious, it paid a considerable and painful price.
According to official statistics, France suffered an economic loss of 200 billion francs during the war. Ten thousand businesses were destroyed or damaged, and 900,000 homes turned into rubble or became unusable. In 1919, agricultural production was only one-third of the pre-war level, and the industrially developed northeast region became almost a wasteland. The four-year war resulted in the loss of 1.5 million lives, with countless others maimed. France, once a creditor nation before the war, became a debtor nation; loans given to countries like Russia, Austria, and Turkey before the war became worthless due to the disintegration of these countries.
Thinking about all this, Prime Minister Reynaud couldn't help but shudder. How long would this war last? Four years or five?
That young German Crown Prince was boldly claiming to defeat France within eight weeks, but the French authorities scoffed at this absurd statement. If there were the internet now, Wilhelm feared that French netizens would thoroughly criticize and mock the prince.
Who knows how many French youths would lose their lives this time? One million? Two million or three million?
However, what gave him a little peace of mind was that they had intercepted the German "Yellow Plan". General Gamelin, the French army commander, had personally guaranteed that he had complete control over every move the Germans would make. The German offensive would be stopped within Belgian territory and thoroughly defeated there.
"I hope so." Prime Minister Reynaud prayed devoutly in his heart. He still believed in General Gamelin's assurance. After all, unlike himself, who was a lawyer by profession, Gamelin was a seasoned veteran who had participated in the First World War, serving as the operations director at the French army headquarters and leading combat units at the brigade and division levels. He was a general with extensive combat experience.
In the previous war, the Germans used the Schlieffen Plan, which caused France significant losses. This time, the German "Yellow Plan" was a replica of the Schlieffen Plan. France couldn't make the same mistake twice.
"What else did General Gamelin say?"
The secretary, respectfully, said, "General Gamelin also mentioned that all German actions are proceeding according to plan. Please await good news, Your Excellency."
"That's good." Prime Minister Reynaud breathed a sigh of relief. "Go contact the office of the British Prime Minister. I want to speak with Prime Minister Chamberlain."
The secretary reminded cautiously, "Your Excellency, it's not yet five o'clock in England." There was a one-hour time difference between France and England.
"I forgot about that. Then have the kitchen prepare breakfast." Although he woke up more than an hour earlier than usual today, he had no intention of catching up on some extra sleep.
After washing up and having breakfast, it was only half-past six. Prime Minister Reynaud, anxious as he was, couldn't wait any longer. He instructed the secretary to contact the office of the British Prime Minister to check if Prime Minister Chamberlain had arrived.
The phone was quickly connected, but Prime Minister Reynaud heard another astonishing piece of news.
The Chamberlain government was facing a vote of no confidence!
As early as when Germany annexed Czechoslovakia, there were murmurs within the opposition party, claiming that Chamberlain's incompetence would lead the British Empire into an abyss.
Of course, at that time, these discordant voices were sporadic and had not yet gained momentum.
The subsequent Polish campaign, with the government's inaction, had garnered dissatisfaction from many. They watched helplessly as their ally was annihilated. Fortunately, most people remained "rational", and it didn't cause much upheaval.
The real breaking point was the recent "Scapa Flow Attack".
The British Empire was a maritime powerhouse, and its warships were its formidable claws. Suddenly, several of these claws were pulled out.
This incident caused a huge uproar throughout the United Kingdom. The anti-war faction protested more vehemently, while the pro-war faction shouted, "At this moment, we must unite to defeat Germany!"
In any case, someone had to take responsibility for this matter, in simple terms, someone had to take the blame. Naturally, everyone's attention focused on the current Prime Minister, Chamberlain, hoping he could provide an explanation.
A member of parliament quoted Cromwell's declaration during a speech in parliament: "You have been sitting here for too long, doing nothing good. Leave, and let us, in the name of God, tell you to get out!"
The next day, a vote of no confidence in the Chamberlain government was held in parliament. At that time, 40 MPs who had previously supported the government voted against it. Although the government ultimately won the vote of confidence, Chamberlain, already worn out by these successive events, had no intention of remaining in office. Moreover, his health was deteriorating; he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and needed surgery urgently.
Chamberlain hoped to form a Conservative government after stepping down, but parliament strongly demanded the formation of a coalition government.
Chamberlain wanted to ask the Labour Party to form a coalition government and inquired if the Labour Party agreed. The question was whether the Labour Party agreed to participate in a government led by him. If not, whether they agreed to join a government led by someone else. The Labour Party leadership promised to respond the next day.
The result was that the next day, Germany easily conquered Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands. Chamberlain had initially intended to continue in office until the new crisis was resolved. However, the Labour Party's response was that they agreed to join a coalition government but not led by Chamberlain.
So, Chamberlain summoned Churchill and Lord Halifax for a discussion.
The first topic they discussed was the current situation of Germany's attack on Belgium this morning. "Winston, have you ever thought about what would happen if the Allies were defeated in Belgium? What should we do then? Continue the fight?" Lately, Chamberlain had a lingering sense of unease. He always felt that the intelligence they intercepted about Germany's "Yellow Plan" might be a trap, but without concrete evidence to prove his suspicion, he could only keep it to himself.
"Of course!" Churchill responded without hesitation and with unwavering determination. "There won't be any 'what if'. The Empire must fight to the end and must achieve final victory. Because the British Empire cannot afford the cost of failure!" He couldn't even bear to think about how Germany would punish the British Empire if they won. So, the British Empire couldn't afford to lose; just like the last time, they had to crush Germany thoroughly.
Lord Halifax, on the side, silently nodded, agreeing with Churchill's statement.
Chamberlain sighed helplessly. "Which one of you will take the position of Prime Minister?" He said, glancing at Lord Halifax. Compared to the staunch pro-war Churchill, he preferred the relatively moderate Lord Halifax to succeed him.
Unfortunately, Lord Halifax straightforwardly shook his head and refused, "As a member of the House of Lords, I cannot successfully manage a wartime cabinet under any circumstances." In fact, this was just an excuse. The real reason was that he also had an ominous premonition. He didn't have the confidence to lead the British Empire to ultimate victory. Rather than leaving a lasting stench, he preferred to be a turtle and wait and see what happened.
"In that case!" Churchill stood up, using an incredibly firm and solemn tone. "I will lead the British Empire to fight to the end until victory!"
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