Charles de Gaulle, a towering figure nearly two meters tall, looked down at Li Lei, the Chinese Ambassador to the UK. The Oriental man stood calmly and composedly in the rainy night, showing not the slightest hint of agitation. This demeanor gave de Gaulle a sense of reassurance, while simultaneously bringing a sudden wave of weariness over him.

"I thank the Chinese government for its goodwill toward France," de Gaulle replied. "But I do not wish to promise anything."

"You can come find me whenever you are interested," Li Lei answered. With that, he waved goodbye to de Gaulle and turned toward his car. Soon, the car began to move; its headlights illuminated the road surface as it drove away into the deep, dark distance.

De Gaulle closed the door and returned inside. He had intended to drink a little more, but a wave of exhaustion surged up, and he walked straight to the bed and lay down. By the end of the Battle of Dunkirk, de Gaulle had been appointed by Reynaud as the Under-Secretary of State for National Defence and War. Precisely because of this, de Gaulle knew that the French government was already prepared to surrender.

Before deciding to take the plane provided by the Chinese Volunteer Army to the UK, de Gaulle had not slept for days. After arriving in the UK, he still hadn't been able to sleep well. Now, de Gaulle felt as if the heavy stone that had been pressing on his chest had loosened. Drowsiness struck, and in the blink of an eye, he fell into a deep sleep.

On June 21, the peace conference between France and Germany officially convened. Hitler specifically demanded that the negotiations take place in the Compiègne Forest, at the very location where Germany had signed the armistice in 1918. Although the French Prime Minister was unwilling to accept such conditions, France was no longer in a position to refuse.

On the morning of the 21st, Hitler arrived at the Compiègne Forest. His expression was solemn, but his steps were light. Behind Hitler followed a group of Nazi Germany's upper echelons. At this moment, their attitudes were filled with genuine awe and excitement.

Many of the generals in this group had accepted Hitler's financial gifts before he even gained power. When it came to buying people's hearts, Hitler never had any moral cleanliness. In this respect, he was vastly different from his rather ascetic and dull private life. As for Göring and others, they treated Hitler with the mindset of an investment. They appreciated Hitler, but deep down, they always held a sense of superiority.

However, these people no longer harbored such sentiments. Even in their wildest imaginations, they could not have envisioned Germany achieving the results it had today. For the past few hundred years, France had relied on the geopolitical design left by Richelieu, striving to prevent the emergence of a unified state in the German region. Even when a figure like Bismarck appeared, Germany had not been able to truly defeat France.

But Hitler had done it. Germany had thoroughly defeated France. Hitler had not only defeated France but, through diplomacy and war, had constructed a fascist alliance including Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe. In the past two thousand years, only the Roman Empire and Napoleon had achieved such a feat.

Hitler stopped in front of a stone monument. Engraved on it was a passage: "Here on the eleventh of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German Empire... vanquished by the free peoples which it tried to enslave."

Reading this passage, Hitler felt no anger, only an indescribable sadness and a mild joy. Hitler recalled the day he heard the regimental chaplain announce Germany's surrender. He was temporarily blinded by a British gas attack and lay in darkness when he heard the news. Hitler had wept aloud, pounding the hospital bed with all his might. The innocent bed made a pitiful creaking sound; that helpless noise and the feeling of despair could still be recalled with clarity.

Now, seeing with his own eyes the place where Germany had surrendered back then, and this stone monument that couldn't even be called arrogant, Hitler only felt that what had happened in the past was ridiculous. Sadness and pain were feelings only the weak possessed; true strongmen would only struggle unceasingly. Having successfully walked to this point, Hitler realized just how ridiculous the past victors and losers were. Those high and mighty people, those who thought themselves extraordinary, were nothing but a bunch of laughingstocks. Hitler didn't even have the interest to mock them now.

The railway carriage in which the Armistice of Compiègne was signed in 1918 had been specially pulled out of the museum and parked precisely in its 1918 location. All the decorations inside the carriage remained unchanged, exactly as they were in 1918.

As Hitler approached the carriage, the German military band began to play. The Nazi German elites following Hitler suddenly saw him turn around. They thought Hitler was going to deliver a speech to them. Unexpectedly, Hitler turned to the German soldiers, waved in greeting, and shouted, "The Fatherland thanks you!"

After speaking, Hitler stepped onto the carriage with brisk strides and sat down in the very seat occupied by Marshal Foch back then.

The meeting did not last long. Hitler merely sternly rebuked the French representatives for France's act of instigating the war. This statement wasn't exactly wrong; it was Britain and France that had declared war on Germany first, not Germany on Britain and France. Then, the agreement was brought out and placed before both parties. Hitler did not participate in these trivial matters; he stood up and left the carriage, handing the subsequent work over to the Nazi high officials.

Next, Hitler took his favorite chief architect, Albert Speer, and the sculptor Arno Breker, along with some close Nazi Party members, and flew to Paris.

This group was not large, and Hitler did not hold a grand parade. Upon landing, Hitler, along with Speer and Martin Bormann, got into a Mercedes and began touring Paris.

After the car passed the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe, Hitler, together with chief architect Speer and sculptor Arno Breker, looked out at the Eiffel Tower from a nearby observation deck and took a photo together.

As everyone got into the car to head to Notre Dame de Paris, Hitler remembered something. He touched his pocket and then said to the people in the car, "Does anyone have any money? Lend me 10 marks."

These words stunned everyone in the car. Like Hitler, they didn't usually carry small change. Moreover, coming to France, they hadn't thought about spending money. They rummaged through their pockets; although Martin Bormann had money, it was all large denomination bills.

Seeing that none of them had any, the driver suddenly said, "Mein Führer, I seem to have some in my wallet." He then fished out a wallet and handed it over.

Hitler took a 10-mark note. Before he could say anything, Martin Bormann handed the wallet back to the driver and stuffed a 100-mark note into the driver's hand.

Speer then asked, "Mein Führer, why do you need this?"

Hitler smiled. "I heard that when visiting Notre Dame, if you give the old doorman a tip, he will lead us to some hidden rooms and tell us stories about them."

Everyone in the car was stunned; they hadn't expected Hitler to be so familiar with Notre Dame de Paris. The car stopped at the entrance of Notre Dame, and official personnel were there to welcome them. The guide was not an old doorman, but a staff member of Notre Dame.

Hitler shook his head slightly, then took the lead, personally guiding his German entourage like a tour guide. Listening to Hitler describe the architecture and rooms of Notre Dame one by one as if listing his family treasures, the entourage was truly astounded by his amazing memory.

Then Hitler stopped and pointed to a wall, asking, "Is the room here gone?"

The French staff member hurriedly explained, "Mr. Führer, there was originally a room here, but it was sealed up with a wall during repairs."

Amidst the exclamations of the German entourage, Hitler laughed heartily. "See, I am so familiar with this place. Even though this is also my first time here."

After visiting Notre Dame, Hitler led his entourage to Les Invalides. Before Napoleon's tomb, Hitler placed his cap over his heart and bowed. All the entourage could see that Hitler was genuinely paying his respects to a great man he admired. Facing Napoleon's sarcophagus, the German entourage naturally felt solemn as well.

Hitler gazed blankly at the circular crypt. Facing the sarcophagus of the Emperor of the First French Empire, he stared for a long time, then closed his eyes, as if engaging in a spiritual communication with Napoleon in the unseen world. When he opened his eyes, Hitler said to Napoleon's sarcophagus, "This is the finest moment of my life."

After speaking, Hitler turned to Giesler (the architect) and said calmly, "You shall build my tomb."

The entourage was stunned. The current Hitler undoubtedly stood on equal footing with Napoleon. At such a height, for Hitler to calmly mention his own death—this composed attitude filled the attendants with awe and respect.

Hitler then turned to his private secretary Bormann and said, "Move the remains of Napoleon's son from Vienna to be beside his father."

Just as Hitler completed his one-day tour of Paris and was boarding the plane at the heavily guarded airport, He Rui, far away in China, rubbed his stubbly chin and issued an order to the Military Commission: "The operation to liberate Annam begins immediately."

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Shiguang immediately handed the prepared announcement to He Rui. He Rui picked it up and looked it over. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the Chinese government did not recognize the Vichy government. Given that the French government no longer existed, out of a responsible attitude, China would take over the former Indochina Federation and assist it in becoming an independent country.

"Very good. Send it," He Rui said, signing the word "Agreed" and his name on the announcement.

Whether it was the members of the Military Commission or the Foreign Ministry, everyone had things they had to do immediately, and the comrades stood up to leave one by one. Li Runshi stayed behind. Although he had participated in these tasks, he hadn't expected things to change so quickly. What originally seemed like a momentous event had been completed in just these two months.

After a moment of silence, Li Runshi asked, "Chairman, if we liberate the entire Indochina region, will the British reaction be significant?"

"That is the British's problem," He Rui stretched. After liberating the entire Indochina, the distance between the Chinese fleet, now possessing Cam Ranh Bay, and Malaya and Indonesia would shorten by over a thousand kilometers. The Chinese Air Force could reach the combat zone within two hours. Britain and the Netherlands would definitely feel immense pressure.

Li Runshi continued, "The United States will strengthen its military forces in the Philippines. Do we need to accuse the US of unauthorized actions that are destroying the security situation in Asia?"

"Of course," He Rui replied calmly. He knew very well that the US would not only strengthen military forces in the Philippines but would also try to come up with some South China Sea security agreement or the like with Britain and the Netherlands. In the eyes of the US, China definitely coveted Southeast Asia. If China could have designs on it, couldn't the US?

If the US didn't do this, He Rui would actually be disappointed.

Li Runshi continued to ask, "Chairman, the Combined Fleet has returned. Should we send two new aircraft carrier battle groups to welcome them?"

"Of course," He Rui again expressed a positive attitude. Having said this, He Rui asked, "When do you head south?"

"I will head south together with the Army units," Li Runshi replied. He had been appointed as the General Commissar for this southern operation and would be responsible for political work in the future territories.

He Rui had great confidence in Li Runshi, so he didn't bring up work matters anymore. instead, he voiced his inner worry. "Runshi, watch your health. The climate in the south is very different from Henan, and also quite different from Hunan."

Seeing He Rui's sincerity, Li Runshi was also somewhat moved and smiled. "Chairman, I have been inoculated with every vaccine available."

"Still, take care of yourself," He Rui urged again. Recently, He Rui felt that his body was aging very quickly, which forced him to consider the matter of a successor. Among all the candidates, He Rui naturally hoped Li Runshi could succeed him. However, while He Rui could make decisions on other matters within the Party, the matter of a successor was different. The Civilization Party was an industrialized political party; if the next leader was decided by the previous one, it would become a hereditary system.

If Li Runshi wanted to win in the Party's internal election, he had to win enough support on his own. He Rui could give Li Runshi the opportunity, but the rest was up to Li Runshi's own efforts.