The Rise Of Australasia

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On the morning of August 7, 1936, at half past eight, a thunderous rumble of armor suddenly resonated from the outskirts of Paris. The sound was earth-shattering, spreading panic among the citizens of Paris, who displayed expressions of terror and shock.

"The Germans are coming!" numerous Frenchmen fled in frenzy, with some hiding inside their homes, and others attempting to escape the city through various exits.

The noise grew closer, and already a great majority of the people in the northern suburbs of Paris had fled, emptying the area in a short span of time.

It was due to the evacuation that the people gradually got a clear view of the approaching military. The tanks bore the French National Flag, and the advancing troops behind them were none other than France's own military.

Our own people?

The citizens of Paris looked on in disbelief at the scene before them. After all the commotion, it wasn't the German Army causing the chaos but their own military.

But soon, the citizens of Paris grew suspicious again.

According to the rules of the French military, the army wasn't supposed to enter Paris so casually. Moreover, the government was implementing a defenseless Paris plan, making it even less likely for a sizeable armored force to be stationed within the city.

Furthermore, military entry into Paris required government authorization, which this military force clearly lacked, indicating that this action might well be a unilateral move by a commander or the military echelons.

If this were indeed a unilateral military move, then the intentions of this military force were troubling. The city they had entered uninvited was none other than the capital city of France, Paris, whose importance to the whole of France need not be overstressed.

All the more so, France had a long history of various coups and revolutions. The image of an army marching into Paris invariably led the citizens to recall past revolutions and coups.

This thought compelled several French people to hastily hide in more secluded corners of their homes, wanting to keep out of any possible world turmoil.

The good news was, this military showed no signs of actions against the citizens of Paris. Their objective had been clear from the start – the French Parliament and government located in the heart of the city.

Under the watchful eyes of Paris's citizens, a military force marched majestically toward the French government and Parliament, eventually encircling both entirely.

More than an hour later, upon receiving the news, President Albert appeared in the Cabinet Meeting with an iron-faced expression.

"I want to know which military force this is, and what exactly are their intentions?" President Albert demanded with a pale face, turning his gaze toward the upper echelons of the military.

Ordering the military into Paris without authorization could cause serious disruption to the order of Paris and also damage the credibility of the government.

What's more critical is that the motives of this military force were completely unclear. With the majority of Paris's garrison already withdrawn, this force could act unimpeded in the city, achieving whatever goals they wished.

"Your Excellency the President, among our forces stationed near Paris capable of fielding such a number of armored troops, it could only be the armored forces led by de Gaulle," said Minister of the Army Bellamy, equally grave.

The military had received no such orders, which meant that de Gaulle's armored forces were acting entirely on their own accord. Leading his troops toward Paris, de Gaulle's intentions were abundantly clear.

"Damn it, this is definitely a serious act of treason. What exactly is the military doing? Why did we only receive news about the armored forces entering Paris after the fact?" Knowing that the military force entering Paris was led by de Gaulle did not alleviate President Albert's complexion but rather intensified his anger.

Upon hearing President Albert's questioning, Chief of General Staff Gamelin seemed embarrassed as he explained, "Mr. President, according to the General Staff's plan for the retreat of the Paris garrison, de Gaulle's armored forces were meant to start retreating southward today.

But because the speed of the armored forces far surpasses that of the regular infantry, they could easily conceal their movements."

President Albert's expression softened slightly after hearing Gamelin's explanation and he continued to inquire, "Regardless of de Gaulle's intentions, do we have enough military force in Paris to withstand this armored force?"

"I fear not, Your Excellency," replied the Minister of the Army Bellamy, shaking his head with a look of helplessness, "According to our retreat plans, the military forces in Paris have been completely evacuated.

The only troops we could possibly mobilize within the city now may just be the government department guards."

Ironically, it was the French government who had shot itself in the foot.

What was intended to be a plan to display good intentions to Germany had inadvertently facilitated de Gaulle's move to lead his troops into Paris.

What's even worse, the forces de Gaulle led were France's most elite armored troops, with fighting capability far beyond that of regular army forces.

Even if there was an infantry force of comparable size, the vast difference in firepower would make it impossible to stop de Gaulle's forces.

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"Damn it, what on earth is de Gaulle trying to do? Doesn't he know that leading the military into Paris on his own is grounds for a military tribunal?" President Albert said with a somewhat somber expression, enunciating each word.

"Mr. President, I'm afraid we must prepare for the worst," Prime Minister Reval said gravely. "de Gaulle is a die-hard Faction of War Advocate. His bringing troops into Paris is certainly not for peaceful negotiations with us.

I suspect there is a high probability that de Gaulle is contemplating a military coup, establishing a military government directly like what happened in Spain."

"How dare he?" President Albert said in disbelief upon hearing Reval's bold speculation. "With just an armored force? Isn't he afraid of retaliation from the other Paris garrisons?"

"Although I don't know why de Gaulle is doing this, I guess his goals shouldn't differ too much from what the Prime Minister has estimated," said Gamelin, Chief of General Staff. "Mr. President, I suggest we temporarily flee Paris and reorganize forces in the southern region of the city.

As long as we can ensure the loyalty of the Paris garrison, de Gaulle's single military division won't be able to stir up any trouble in Paris."

President Albert nodded and quickly agreed to General Staff Chief Gamelin's proposal.

For President Albert, since the decision to relocate the capital to Tours had already been made previously, abandoning Paris decisively during this crisis wasn't such a difficult choice to make.

After all, de Gaulle only had one armored division. No matter how strong the armored forces were, the numerical difference made it impossible for de Gaulle to take total control of Paris.

Once President Albert took control of all the Paris garrison forces, he could take Paris back and have de Gaulle, the traitor, court-martialed by the military tribunal.

Just as the French government resolved to temporarily evacuate Paris, the armored division led by de Gaulle was gradually approaching the French government and Parliament.

Without any hesitation, this military division took control of the French Parliament and completely blocked off the government buildings.

It is worth mentioning that to prepare for German actions, the French government's emergency plan to evacuate Paris had been rehearsed several times in advance.

This indeed provided the French government with a way to escape Paris, and they were full of hope for it.

But when they arrived at the secret passage, they found that Deputy Defense Minister Ron had already prepared a group of soldiers waiting there.

"Ron? Why are you here?" President Albert asked somewhat anxiously.

"To round up the traitorous government, of course," Deputy Defense Minister Ron said with a smile, his words causing a change in expression among the Dove faction.

"Traitorous government, what are you talking about?" Prime Minister Reval asked sharply. "de Gaulle has become a traitor; do you intend to follow in his footsteps?"

"Traitor?" Ron laughed coldly as if he had heard a funny joke, his piercing gaze turned to Prime Minister Reval and asked, "Doesn't the Prime Minister think that those of you intending to surrender to Germany are the real traitors to France?

And you, Marshal Pétain. Our country paid such a high price to defeat Germany in the past great war. It's only been a mere 20 years, yet you disregarded our nation's sacrifices and actually want to proactively surrender to Germany.

As a soldier, I am ashamed of you. France needs a hero, not cowards like you. While I'm in a good mood, you'd better lay down your arms and surrender. I will give you the treatment you deserve and ensure you face the most just sanctions from the Parliament."

"Damn it, you really are in league with de Gaulle, you damned traitors!" President Albert, upon hearing Deputy Defense Minister Ron's statement, could not help becoming angry.

Having been the President of France for so many years, especially after gaining an overwhelming advantage in the power struggle between the President and the Prime Minister, President Albert had not heard such provocative words for a long time.

Looking at the Deputy Defense Minister, whom he had virtually promoted himself, President Albert said through clenched teeth, "Ron, leave now, and I will pretend nothing has happened."

"It's too late, Mr. President," said Deputy Defense Minister Ron with a smile, shaking his head in a mocking manner. "The moment you planned to surrender France, things had already become irrevocable.

As for you, my dear superiors, wait quietly for your trial!"

As he spoke, Deputy Defense Minister Ron waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to take control of President Albert and his party.

Seeing Ron getting serious, President Albert finally panicked and said urgently, "Deputy Minister Ron, things have not reached the point where a civil war is inevitable.

Moreover, even if you can control the government, you can't control the millions in the French Army. If you trust me, I can convene a Cabinet Meeting to renegotiate the future of France."

"We will control the military ourselves and don't require the President's help. As for you, Mr. President, just stay with these guys for a few days," said Deputy Minister Ron, shaking his head, showing no trust in President Albert's words and decisively refusing.