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"The vanguard of the Southern Theater Command of France was killed 10,086 people and 100,023 were captured."
Baldwin's words left the cabinet members present dumbfounded. These fat-headed old gentlemen felt like they had heard a very ridiculous piece of news.
"Is today April Fools' Day?"
Minister of the Army turned to the Minister of the Navy sitting beside him and asked, the latter then seriously checked the calendar.
"No, April Fools' Day is on April 1st."
Minister of the Navy said with his characteristic damn tone.
"So, Prime Minister, what's the situation like on the front lines?" Wilt Chamberlain asked.
"You'd better see for yourselves."
Baldwin feels that it's more appropriate for them to personally see the battle report, after all, he finds the numbers on it absurd even when he looks at them himself. If it weren't for the people from the Military Intelligence Department repeatedly assuring him that this battle report is real, Baldwin would never believe the numbers on it. "I want to see for myself what the Germany people are capable of against the First Army of Europe."
Minister of the Army took the battle report and casually flipped open the first page. But when he saw the numbers on it, Minister of the Army rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, he froze for a moment, took a short and spasmodic breath, and stood rooted to the spot.
"What's wrong? Is there something strange?"
On the side, the Minister of the Navy, seeing his colleague motionless for a while, was curious about what was written on the report. Without saying a word, he took the war report from the Minister of the Army and started to read it.
His mouth opened as wide as a box, and he was stunned for a moment. Then he swallowed two or three times, as if his throat had gone dry.
"Hey, what are you two up to? You're both adults, yet you're making such a fuss?"
Austin couldn't stand it anymore. He got up and gestured to the Minister of the Navy to hand him the battle report. Unlike the Minister of the Army, he didn't seem lost in thought and cooperatively handed the report to Austin.
"Well..."
Austin was stunned, his eyes widened, and he was speechless for a while.
The battle report was quickly passed around among the attendees, and the members of the cabinet all reacted differently, but one word stood out, and that was "unbelievable."
Their mouths were so wide open that they could almost fit an egg in.
"Now you believe I'm not joking, right?" Baldwin asked, trying hard to hold back a smile as he looked at everyone's reactions. "Is this battle report really reliable?"
Minister of the Army still finds it unbelievable, not because he doubts the capabilities of the Military Intelligence Department, but because the battle report is simply too incredible. As a veteran of World War I, he has a good understanding of the combat capabilities of the French Army. Although these soldiers may not be as elite as the German soldiers they face, their fighting spirit is top-notch. Otherwise, the French Army in World War I would not have been able to endure such heavy casualties without surrendering.
"Absolutely confirmed, this is not just a piece of information; the reports from our spies in France and Germany have verified the reliability of this intelligence."
Upon receiving the affirmative answer, all cabinet members gasped in shock; they had not anticipated the war escalating to this extent.
"I initially thought that the French Army's special military operation would end swiftly. While I didn't believe the French Army could actually achieve a 'Speedrun Berlin' in one hour and twenty-two minutes as their media claimed, I did think it was quite possible for them to defeat Germany in three months. It seems I was short-sighted."
Minister of the Navy Some emotions.
"This is not your fault. I also did not expect the war to take this turn. I believe that most of us here thought the war would end quickly."
Minister of the Army Comforted, his words were agreed upon by most people. It is indeed difficult for them to imagine that the First Army of Europe could suffer such a big setback in the face of the constraints of the Versailles system on the defeated country.
"So, we need to take action.
I originally thought that France's special military operation would end quickly, and we wouldn't have time to respond even if we wanted to.
Since the Germans can temporarily hold back the French people, I believe it is necessary for us, the British Empire, to demonstrate our position as the arbitrator of European affairs."
Minister of the Interior said, "We must impose severe sanctions on the French people; their actions this time have gone too far, openly trampling on the territory of a sovereign country, violating the Treaty of Locarno's guarantee of collective security for Western Europe. Although the French people have not declared war, we all know what they are up to."
The Minister of Health, Walter, said angrily. He is a staunch pacifist, and in his view, the actions of the French people are blatant aggression, tantamount to starting a war, so naturally he is extremely opposed to France's actions. "That's right, our British policy on European affairs has continued the tradition since the time of Elizabeth I, to maintain the balance of power on the European continent and prevent the emergence of a strong and unified country there, which has always been our consistent goal."
"Since the French people want to break this balance, we naturally have to stand against them."
Baldwin agreed with this view.
"We have set the tone for helping Germany, but there are obviously many issues to be discussed about how to help Germany."
"Do we really need to intervene? It seems like the German people can defend themselves against the aggression of the French people."
Minister Walter is not very willing to send British troops, after all, he is a pacifist and it would be great if he could mediate.
"You are being too naive, Minister Walter."
Minister of the Army feels it's necessary to give this guy a lesson, "Don't forget, even with the signing of the 'Anglo-German Naval Agreement', The German Armed Forces only have 200,000 troops, which is not enough to form a coherent defense line. As long as the French people continue to deploy troops, it's very easy to break through their weak defense line and then rampage freely in Germany's rear."
"Don't be fooled by the fact that Germany won a big battle. As long as their military remains at only 200,000, they cannot achieve ultimate victory."
"What should we do then? Should we relax the restrictions on the German military numbers?" asked Wirt.
"Not to mention, Germany is a country of 60 million people, and rashly allowing them to increase their military numbers may lead to unpredictable consequences. This matter must be carefully considered.
Baldwin rejected this idea.
"What then? Since the Germans are definitely not to be beaten, yet we cannot allow them to increase their military numbers, nor can we have our mighty British Empire intervene personally. Being behind the scenes is different from being on stage."
Walter is somewhat worried. "What I mean is, we can engage in a trade of interests with Germany, using the expansion of the military as a condition to seek more benefits for the British Empire. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and Germany will have to give something in exchange for wanting to expand its military."
Baldwin laughed and said, "As a seasoned politician, even helping others comes with a fee, right?"
"Besides, we can also provide weapons to Germany. Our army happens to have a lot of outdated heavy weapons in the arsenal. Instead of letting these things gather dust in the warehouse, we might as well take advantage of the situation and give them to the Germany people."
"However, isn't Germany not allowed to equip heavy weapons?" Walter still looked silly, making everyone present laugh.
"Don't worry about this issue. We can completely sign a new treaty with Germany to allow The German Armed Forces to equip heavy weapons purchased from abroad. This way, we can bypass the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and prevent Germany from becoming too powerful."
Baldwin tried to maintain his expression and explained to the naive Wirt, "There is a question, will it be too late for the German people to expand their army now that the war has already begun? Training soldiers further may be too late," said the Minister of the Army.
"This is indeed a problem. Why don't we discuss it with Germany? If they lack troops, the British Empire can lead the small Allies and the country in the north of Europe to send troops as volunteers to join the National Defense Forces. I believe they will be very willing." Prime Minister Baldwin said, turning his gaze to the Foreign Minister Chamberlain.
"This matter will be handed over to Sir Austin to handle. You have more dealings with the German people, and I heard that the new Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Forces is quite familiar with you."
"Don't worry, Prime Minister, I will definitely handle this matter well."
Chamberlain immediately accepted the task. He had long wanted to intervene in the Franco-German conflict, and Baldwin's proposal was in line with his intentions.
"Very good. With the ability of Viscount Chamberlain, I believe we can quickly reach an agreement with the Germans. By expanding the military and providing weapons, we not only supported Germany, struck at France, but also helped clear the domestic inventory, achieving three goals in one stroke." Baldwin is very satisfied with this decision.
"We are fighting for the peace of Europe," corrected Wirt. "You're right, we British people are fighting for the peace of Europe."
Baldwin laughed heartily.
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