81 – Episode 81 The Reigning Empire (2)
On January 2, 1917, Minister of War Marshal Hubert Riautey appeared before the French Parliament. To questions from lawmakers about the war situation, the marshal answered with just one sentence.
“This war has been lost.”
On January 5, 1917, the French government dismissed Foreign Minister Delcase, a hardliner against Germany, and replaced him with former Prime Minister Joseph Cairo, who was pro-Germany.
The signal this gave was clear.
The French Republic was leaning toward consolidation or submission.
The proof was that even the president, who insisted on standing up to Germany to the end, remained silent.
The British government felt a serious crisis.
“If the French give in, we will be left alone.”
“Let’s find out the true meaning of Paris.”
Viscount Francis Bertie, the British ambassador to France, visited the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and asked about France’s position.
“Is Paris willing to maintain friendship until the end of this war?”
“Both countries and individuals sometimes have to do things they don’t want to do. We know the time has come.”
The British Ambassador felt despair at Minister Joseph Cairo’s response. Although it was a euphemism, France was considering submission.
“It looks like the French will soon break out of the line. “Better prepare for the worst.”
The British government was also hit by a stray bullet following Viscount Bertie’s report and was thrown into chaos.
“If France breaks out of the line, how will we win this war?”
“We should do it like we did during the Napoleonic Wars. Even when Napoleon controlled the continent, we were still alive. They blockaded the seas until the end and made them beg for reinforcements. “Isn’t that how we got the truce in 1802?”
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“Do you know how long the truce lasted?”
The Treaty of Amiens, a peace treaty signed between Napoleon and the British Empire, lasted just one year. The truce concluded between the two parties on equal footing was bound to be broken at any time when the power dynamics changed.
Pigeon lawmakers argued that the honorable peace was nothing more than an illusion.
“Oh, so we lost? “I wonder if we Brits speak French.”
Members of the National Assembly fought day after day like a market over peace with Germany.
Still, it was not as dangerous as France.
People thought that even if France surrendered, it would not be enough for Britain to surrender. The British Empire had the sea and the world’s most powerful navy.
“So, let’s fight just enough to save our face, no more, no less. “Germany won’t be able to stick with us until the end, right?”
What the hawkish lawmaker said was not wrong. It was unlikely that Germany would go all the way before she overtook Britain’s naval power.
“What will you do if France hands over its fleet to Germany? “If Germany takes control of the Austrian and Italian fleets, as well as the remaining fleets of Russia and France, it will be able to rival ours.”
“Then we need to castrate the risk factors.”
While the British government was arguing, the French government delegation arrived in Switzerland.
In Switzerland, Archduke Ruprecht, commander of the Western Front, to whom the Kaiser had delegated full authority, was waiting.
As can be seen from the fact that he sent soldiers rather than diplomats as negotiation envoys, the Kaiser had no intention of normal negotiations with France.
When Minister Joseph Cairo asked about Germany’s strengthening conditions, Ruprecht answered with just one sentence.
“Unconditional surrender. “I understand that you are saying we will refuse to negotiate on any other conditions.”
“That is too much to say. “We are not defeated yet.”
“Then see you in a month.”
Ruprecht cut down France’s demands as if he had no intention of negotiating.
When France began negotiations with Germany, the British Expeditionary Force immediately began withdrawing its forces.
The 1st and 2nd armies stationed in France moved to Pas-de-Calais, close to the English Channel, for redeployment reasons.
The French government did not catch the British people who tried to throw in the towel and leave the ring.
As the British troops escaped, the front line collapsed at a faster rate.
On January 21, 1917, German troops entered Dijon, a city in south-central France. It was a place that could not be occupied in the last offensive. By the time the German army moved smoothly south to the Swiss border, France was virtually defeated.
“Report to Paris. “We are finished.”
Marshal Joffre conveyed words of despair and sorrow to Paris.
A week later, the two field armies of the Eastern French Army were trapped in the German army’s encirclement.
“This is a trial of the Franco-Prussian War.”
The German army triumphantly announced its victory.
Newspaper illustrations included numerous pictures comparing 1871 and 1917.
The scale of the encirclement was smaller than the German army had planned, but even this was a fatal blow for France.
There were now less than 100 divisions that France could use against the 240 divisions deployed by the Allies. Add in the gap in troops on the Italian front, and France’s destruction was only a matter of time.
In the end, the French delegation, which had refused to surrender unconditionally, also gave in.
“I will accept the conditions.”
The French government expressed its gratitude immediately after approving the negotiation plan accepted by the delegation.
When France, which had once competed with Britain for hegemony in Europe, collapsed, a superpower was born that dominated the European continent.
The country did not love freedom, nor did it desire equality or fraternity. They were an empire that just wanted to rule.
Prussia’s dark shadow fell over the European continent.
*
France’s surrender did not mean the end of the war.
France was also not destined to escape the war.
The British fleet sailed from Gibraltar and entered Toulon, aiming its guns at the French fleet. Similar incidents occurred in major French military ports, including Algiers, Tunis, and Brittany.
“Either join the British Empire, or cross the trap.”
The British took a high-handed attitude and demanded that the fleet be handed over to the French Navy. The French asked for some time to discuss.
“I can’t give you much time.”
The British fleet aimed its guns and demanded a choice.
The French had no choice.
“We just follow Paris’ orders.”
“Does this mean you can’t get over the box?”
“That’s right.”
“Start shooting.”
The British did not show the slightest mercy to the French army, their one-time ally.
France’s state-of-the-art battleship Provence screamed under intense fire from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Her bridge was completely destroyed by the intense fire from close range, making it unrecognizable.
“Damn pirates.”
The French fleet, who had no idea that the British would react so calmly, unilaterally opened fire.
“Your Excellency Admiral. The French are waving the white flag.”
Admiral Carden, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, took one of his eye patches and covered one of his eyes with those words. He then put the telescope over his covered eye patch and answered.
“I can’t see anything with my eyes.”
The admiral’s actions were an exact imitation of the atrocities committed by Nelson in the past when he bombarded Copenhagen. This blatant action had one meaning.
‘We will not accept surrender.’
Even if you show sympathy clumsily, the French people’s desire for revenge will not go away.
The admiral thought that it was in the interests of the British Empire to thoroughly bury all the ships that had been attacked.
The officers also understood the admiral’s intentions and commanded the attack without saying a word. No one was happy to see the French battleships landing in the water one by one.
The British Navy’s surprise attack sank half of the French Navy. Even so, the French Navy, which had not recovered from the blow of the Battle of Dardanelles, was shattered from its spine.
France Joya was literally furious at this act of betrayal.
A statement condemning the British was issued in the French parliament, and British stores and British people were attacked.
“The French Republic declares the severance of diplomatic relations with the British Empire. The friendship between our two countries will never last, and it will never be restored!”
The citizens of Paris, who had been in despair as they surrendered to Germany, also came to their senses upon hearing this news.
“It’s unfair that we lost to Germany, but did we get stabbed in the back by British pirates?”
“Declare war on Britain!”
Regardless of the fact that France was not in a state of war, this humiliation could not be tolerated.
On February 3, the French Prime Minister paid a courtesy call on Archduke Ruprecht, commander of the German forces in Paris, and asked whether France could join the Allies.
“That is a question I cannot answer.”
“Good.”
The Prime Minister decided to appoint Minister Joseph Cairo as a special envoy and send him to Berlin.
Perhaps a crisis could become an opportunity.
The Prime Minister waited for Berlin’s answer with anticipation.
*
I scoffed at the idea that France wanted to join the alliance.
Why would there be any reason to accept France, which is already a dead body, into the alliance?
Then problems arise when removing the loot.
I conveyed my intention to the special envoy in just one word.
“Nein.”
All the chairs at the table called Alliance were full, and there was no chair for France to sit on. If there was a place for France, it was on the dishes on the table, not on the chair.
Why are you trying to be humble with people on the subject of snail cooking?
The French envoy was driven out empty-handed.
Still, I sympathized with him.
Seeing them being treated so harshly by Britain, whom I thought was an ally, I couldn’t help but feel pity.
‘Is it British tradition to beat France with its navy when it is about to collapse?’
When I thought about it, it was like that.
During the French Revolution, when France fell, Britain invaded Toulon and destroyed half of the French navy.
When France collapsed during World War II, the Vichy government came to prevent it from handing over the navy to the Nazis and destroyed half of the French navy.
I wondered if there was a rule that said something had to happen if France collapsed.
Of course, I’m just joking.
The reason the British did that was because they were afraid of the French fleet being handed over as compensation.
Unlike the similar navy of Nazi Germany, which operated a fleet of submarines, the Navy of the Second Reich, raised by Pal Byeong-shin, has a strong foundation and a significant scale. It was a weight class that could be immediately absorbed and used as a force if France handed over the compensation box.
Britain would naturally have been worried about this.
In some ways, it can be said that the motivation was stronger than when the Vichy French fleet was suppressed in World War II.
‘It’s a shame.’
If only the French fleet had been obtained, it would have been worth fighting for control of the sea.
But that didn’t mean the British had an advantage in the war or anything like that.
With France’s departure, the number of waters to be protected increased, but the number of ships to be protected decreased.
Even Britain’s strong maritime blockade was bound to have gaps.
If we continue to destroy trade for two years, they will raise their hands.
I celebrated my victory and poured a glass full of wine I brought from France.