Transmigrated as the Crown Prince

Chapter 268: The End of France (38)

At this time, Guderian's armored forces, which were rampaging all the way on the other side, also rushed to a small city called Stensford, more than 20 kilometers away from Dunkirk.

The few garrison troops here had long been deployed to defend Paris, leaving only the trembling French civilians hiding behind their windows watching the steady stream of German troops entering the city. Some timid people even blocked the door with sofas and tables. The family hid in the narrow toilet and shivered, constantly praying to God to save them and the Almighty God to bless them. They were afraid that the German army would rape, loot, burn, kill and rob everyone... In short, there were too many reasons for these French people to be afraid.

If communications at this time were as developed as in later generations, they would have discovered that the German army was advancing all the way, except for destroying the resisting French army, and basically did not harm the civilian population.

Yannick had already issued an order. Unless there was resistance, the German army was strictly prohibited from harassing civilians. Rape and robbery were even more serious crimes. He wanted to create the image of the German army as a "civilized and mighty army"; after all, in the eyes of others, Poland was the instigator of this war, Britain and France were accomplices, and Germany was forced to resist.

Although the current situation is that Germany is a bit over-defended, there are no countries involved in this war; even many people in the occupied areas have not shown any special condemnation or disgust towards Germany; among them, the German army's strict discipline Self-discipline is one of the reasons.

After entering the city of Sternford, the German army quickly took over some important departments in the city, such as the city government, power plant, water station, bank, police station, broadcasting building, etc.

In the city palace, Guderian met a group of trembling government officials. An official in his sixties introduced himself shakily. "Hello, General, I am Alfred, the mayor of this city."

Guderian nodded. "Hello, Mayor Alfred, I am Guderian, commander of the 19th German Armored Corps."

Everyone looked at each other, as if they couldn't believe that such a general was rushing to the front with the troops. Mayor Alfred quickly flattered him. "Your Excellency, General, is really brave and mighty. He takes the lead. I admire him very much!" Everyone agreed.

But Guderian is not here to listen to their flattery. "Mayor Alfred, gentlemen, you are all the elites of Sternford, and you have played an indispensable role in making Sternford prosperous." He has said these words several times. The universal template designed by Dr. Goebbels himself can be used in new places by simply replacing the local place names. "It was not our intention to come to France or to Sternford; Germany and France were traditionally friendly countries, and every time we met at war it was because of mistakes made at the instigation of the British.

We are not here to destroy and destroy, what we need is a stable and prosperous Stenford, and the citizens of Stenford also need a peaceful and healthy living environment, right? Of course, this is inseparable from the cooperation of all the elites. The positions of everyone sitting here remain unchanged. Stensford should continue to be managed by you. I wonder what you think? "

"Great General Guderian, your decision is so wise."

"We must manage Sternford in an orderly manner and never cause any trouble to your army."

All politicians are actually the ones who make the most of the situation. What they are best at is "knowing the current affairs." If you have a gun to your head, you will see that he "awakens" faster than anyone else. But now after hearing Guderian's words, everyone who was originally frightened suddenly relaxed. It seemed that the Germans not only did not kill them, but also continued to reuse them.

Therefore, Guderian's words won a round of warm applause from everyone. Of course, Guderian couldn't tell whether these people were sincerely convinced or unwilling to admit it, but he couldn't control so much, even if these guys seemed honest on the surface. Just don't cause trouble for him. There will be administrators to deal with these people after the war is over.

Mayor Alfred suggested after giving other instructions. "General Guderian, it's getting dark now. Let's arrange accommodation for your army."

"Don't bother." Guderian shook his head. Their vanguard has a division of troops, and there are not enough hotels in this small city to accommodate them.

Guderian also knew that his soldiers were extremely exhausted after several days of continuous fighting and marching. It stands to reason that they should be given an ideal rest environment, but this was related to the discipline of the German army and could not be compromised at all.

He came to the Stensford map on the wall, looked at it a few times, and pointed to several places. "Mayor Alfred, we want to requisition this park, the stadium, and the nearby open space, which is enough for our army to set up camp."

Mayor Alfred couldn't help but widen his eyes. He was going to sleep on the street. "Are your troops going to camp outside?"

Guderian nodded. "Yes, this is the discipline of our army. We cannot disturb the people."

Everyone looked at each other again. What kind of army is this? It never commits such a crime. This is the legendary spirit of chivalry!

Mayor Alfred said again. "Then let's make arrangements for you, sirs."

Guderian shook his head again. "No, I'll sleep wherever my soldiers sleep."

"!!" Everyone was completely shocked. A military commander actually ate, lived, and shared joys and sorrows with his soldiers; such a general, such soldiers, and such an army are destined to be invincible and invincible. Everyone secretly lamented in their hearts that Britain and France were going to be defeated this time. Such an army could not be defeated by the British and French forces.

Guderian came to the park, walked through the gate, and saw a cabin not far away. An old man in his fifties was sitting in front of the cabin, quietly watching the German soldiers walking around.

Not far from him stood a German soldier, staring at the old man with a wary expression.

Seeing this, Guderian couldn't help but wonder. "what's the situation?"

The adjutant waved to the soldier, who ran over and saluted. "General, he is the guardian of this park. We found an old rifle in his house, but it has no bullets." He said and handed over a rifle.

Guderian took the rifle and took a look. "Type 1886 Lebel rifle." This rifle is a manual bolt-action rifle launched by France in 1886 and developed by Colonel Nicolas Lebel. The gun used gunpowder developed by Paul Vienna and was the first and most successful smokeless powder firearm in history.

During World War I, the French army planned to replace Lebel rifles in large numbers with Mle 1917 semi-automatic rifles. However, soldiers generally felt that the gun was too bulky and long, and therefore difficult to operate and maintain in trenches. Based on these problems, the French army has been unable to find a suitable substitute to replace the Lebel rifle.

He found the year of manufacture on the stock. "1913?" This means that this gun and its owner most likely participated in the last war.

After waving his hand to ask the soldier to retreat, Guderian walked up to the old man. "Participated in the last war?"

The old man nodded silently.

Guderian handed the Lebel rifle back to the old man and sighed. "Everything in the world is so unpredictable." The last war lasted for four years, but Germany failed to conquer France and was even defeated in the end. Who would have thought that this time it would take just one week to decide the fate of France.

"Thank you." The old man happily took the rifle and replied. "It's not that things are unpredictable. I already knew that France would not survive."

"Oh? How do you say this?"

The old man sighed. "Your Excellency, General, do you know how many times France has had its first government since the end of the last war?"

"It seems like a lot." Guderian shook his head. "But I haven't paid any specific attention to it."

The old man held out five fingers. "Fifty presidential administrations. In just 20 years, there have been fifty presidential administrations. The average life span of the cabinet is 6 months. The longest-lived presidential administration only lasts for two or three years, and some can only last a few months. , the shortest-lived Zhengfu only existed for 2, 3, 4 and 5 days! What do you think such a Zhengfu can do?!"

The more the old man talked, the more excited he became, and he raised his voice angrily. "The country's authority is constantly wavering, and its leaders are constantly changing. It would be better for a country like this to really disappear."

Listening to the old man's complaints, Guderian was filled with joy. If most French people have this idea, there will be no large-scale resistance even after being occupied.

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