Transmigrated as the Crown Prince

After the military parade, Yannick and Pétain arrived at the Palace of Versailles in the southwest suburbs of Paris.

The Palace of Versailles is one of the famous palaces in Paris and one of the five largest palaces in the world (Forbidden City, Versailles Palace in France, Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, the White House in the United States, and the Kremlin in Russia).

There is a historical anecdote about the construction of the Palace of Versailles. In 1661, Louis XIV, who lived in the old Versena Palace and Fontainebleau Palace, was invited by Fouquet, the Minister of Finance, to attend a banquet in his newly built palace. The splendor of Fouquet's palace angered Louis XIV. Three weeks later, Louis XIV threw Fouquet into prison for corruption and personal gain and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Jealousy prompted Louis XIV to make plans to build a luxurious palace. Almost all the builders of the Palace of Versailles were the same people who built the palace for Fouquet. Therefore, the two buildings are similar in structure and style.

"It's so magnificent. It is indeed the most outstanding example of French classical art." Yannick walked slowly in the corridor of the Palace of Versailles, looking at the surrounding artworks, and couldn't help but sigh.

After walking for a while, they came to the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.

The Hall of Mirrors, also known as the Mirror Gallery, is regarded as a "treasure of the palace" in the palace of King Louis XIV of France. It is named "mirror" because its walls are inlaid with seventeen huge mirrors. , each mirror is composed of 483 lenses.

The design of this Hall of Mirrors is very particular. The seventeen mirrors are placed appropriately. A mirror at any position can completely reflect the dome of the Hall of Mirrors. Moreover, these mirrors also have the advantage of bringing the sunlight outside the windows and the scenery of the imperial garden into the hall. Even in the daytime, the interior is still bright. At the same time, the mirrors reflect the beautiful scenery of the garden, making it feel like being among indoor flowers. The entire hall is mainly decorated with gold inlays and mirrors, and is equipped with large crystal chandeliers. As long as you stand in the center, you can reflect different versions of yourself in each mirror.

Imagine that when the ball was going on, the bright lights illuminated the hall of mirrors. Everyone danced while looking at the scenes in countless mirrors, which were as illusory as they were illusory. This was a scene of extreme enjoyment for the royal family. Yannick couldn't help but sigh again. "The French nation is really a nation that knows how to enjoy."

Noticing that Petain on the side looked a little embarrassed, he explained with a smile. "Marshal Pétain, I didn't mean to humiliate you. I just admire these artistic masters."

When the First World War ended and Germany became a defeated nation, France designated the Hall of Mirrors to sign a peace treaty, the famous "Versailles Peace Treaty." The hall of mirrors still preserves the belongings of the representatives attending the meeting to commemorate the glory of the French and this important ceremony. "If I wanted to humiliate you and France, I would have the 'Foch Carriage' pulled out of the museum and towed to the Compiègne Forest, where a surrender ceremony would be held." On November 11, 1918, French Marshal, World War I The then Allied Commander-in-Chief Ferdinand Foch Foch, on behalf of the Allied Powers, signed an armistice agreement with German representatives in the Foch carriage at the Compiègne forest railway station in northeastern France. After the war, the Foch Carriage was placed in a museum.

"Your Majesty Marshal, do you know the difference between a statesman and a statesman?"

Petain shrugged. "What's the difference between a dog and a drowned dog? Those who are in power are called politicians, and those who are in or about to fall into the water are called politicians?"

Yannick smiled. "Your Excellency Marshal, what an interesting insight. To put it simply, politicians represent the interests of themselves and their groups, while politicians represent the interests of the country and citizens. In the words of Ming Dynasty, politicians are 'I would rather bear the burden of the world. "Don't let people in the world fail me." Politicians' success does not depend on me, but their skills must not be donated to others." Politicians come to the stage for ideals and want to use their own power to change procedures that are not in line with the operation of society and improve the political system. , for the benefit of the public, politicians can do it knowingly that they cannot do it, and the success does not have to be on me, they are people with a big picture; while politicians are in office just for the sake of being in power, and they are often motivated by the interests of individuals and their own small groups. Striving for fame and wealth without thinking about progress is what the so-called carnivore is despicable!

"Since Marshal Pétain wants to become a politician, I have to make enough profits. 500,000 barrels of oil a day for ten years. But it will not be cashed out until one year later."

Petain raised his eyebrows. "Then you are writing a bad check."

Yannick said extremely seriously. "So far, the checks I have written have never failed. The compensation will be reduced by 50 million per day. I will give you another 50,000 per day privately for ten years."

"..." Petain thought about it seriously, and it seemed that it was true. When the Crown Prince raved about destroying France in six weeks, many people thought it would become the best joke of the year. But what happened?

"You can also refuse. I will not embarrass the Marshal in the military. But in terms of economy, even if you are a true patriot, you have to consider how the country will live, right? Now that De Gaulle has started agitating outside, I guess your country is Some overseas colonies will remain 'well-intentioned' neutral, or surrender directly to Britain, right?

Under such a one-sided situation, your country's domestic economy will naturally not be much better. Maybe you can also experience the life that the German people have experienced, and taste what it feels like to have a piece of bread sold for tens or even hundreds of millions of francs. "

After a long silence, Petain spoke. "Eighty thousand barrels of oil."

"..." Yannick caught a glimpse of the twinkle in Petain's eyes from the corner of his eye. It seems that the marshal was very worried, right? Are you worried that you want too much and I won’t agree?

He had seen a sentence in the book "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty" before. "Interests, only sufficient interests can have the magic power to drive people. This is the true face of this world. It is extremely cruel, but extremely real."

The words of British Prime Minister Palmerston in the 19th century became the foundation of British diplomacy. "A country does not have permanent friends, only permanent interests." (There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.)

Yannick believed these words deeply. As long as there are enough interests in this world, some people can betray everything. The reason why there is no betrayal in front of me is not because of loyalty, but because the return rate of betrayal is not high enough. As long as the rate of return is ridiculously high, even your own father can sell it out.

So he agreed very happily. "No problem, 100,000 barrels, ten years. And the 50 million daily compensation just reduced is on the surface. I can secretly reduce another 50 million. I don't ask how it will be used." In other words, this 50 million Pétain would use it to line his own pockets and would not care.

At this time, in the British Empire across the strait, a group of senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office in London were having a heated discussion. "The world's fourth-largest navy cannot be handed over to the Germans, otherwise Britain will be doomed!"

Others have the same view. The British Empire is now hanging on by a thread. If the French Navy can be incorporated, it may be able to make a comeback.

However, some people question this idea. After all, the French Navy has declared to remain neutral (Yannick did not mention the plan to receive French Navy warships in order to deceive the British). Would it be possible to attack the French Navy at this time? Push them to the side of the Germans? The British Empire was having an even harder time.

Having said that, no one can guarantee that the French Navy's neutrality statement is true. If the French Navy uses delaying tactics and falls to Germany at the most critical moment, wouldn't the British Empire be even more passive?

Driven by this idea, all members adopted a unified plan to attack the French navy and prevent French warships from falling into the hands of the Germans.

Churchill sighed deeply. "That old fox Pétain has really given us a huge problem in England. I hope our French friends won't hate us for this for too long. Is Sir Cunningham ready?"

Sir Cunningham is the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet. Dealing with the French fleet in Toulon Port is what he wants to do now.

Sir Charles Forbes nodded. "Yes, the 'Ballista Plan' is ready."