Chapter 450 Choice

May 15, 5:00 p.m. Paris France. Supreme Command.

"Damn it, I'm finally done. It's time to get off work." Marshal Eck, chief of the French army's general staff, said after sorting out the documents on his desk. These days, the progress of the French army is very smooth, and everything is proceeding according to their plan. Therefore, his work was much less, and his life was comfortable after all. He even planned a trip to Fontainebleau with his wife to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

Just as he was about to leave the office, his secretary, Colonel Patrick, hurried in with a telegram. Immediately, Eke had an ominous feeling. Because every time Patrick came to him like this, he was surprised that something unexpected happened in the frontline battle.

"Oh, dear Patrick, nothing will happen to the front line?" Eck said painfully.

Patrick was taken aback for a moment, not understanding what he meant, and said, "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, how do you know?"

"What? Did something really happen on the front line?" Ike stood up from his chair with a 'bass'.

Although he didn't know why Eck had such a big reaction, Patrick still replied: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, it is like this. We just received an urgent battle report from Iceland."

"Iceland? I remember that we only deployed a regiment and a small fleet there, right? Is there any war going on there? Is it the Icelandic rebellion or the pirate invasion?" Eck said with a smile.

"Neither. It was the Americans who invaded on a large scale. This morning, a large number of American fleets appeared in the waters of Iceland and carried out large-scale bombardment of Reykjavik. Now the US Marine Corps has begun to implement large-scale landings. It is estimated that they More than 30,000 troops have been invested. Our army is still resisting steadily, but due to the disparity in strength between the two sides, failure will happen sooner or later. Therefore, Colonel Bivis, the supreme commander stationed in Iceland, asked the General Staff to allow him and his troops Troops leave Reykjavik," Patrick said.

"Damn it, what do the Americans want to do when they arrive? Inform Colonel Beavis, let him decide the situation in Iceland according to the situation. However, whether they are fighting or retreating, they cannot leave the port to the Americans." Eck After thinking about it, he said.

"Okay, I'll send the report right away," Patrick said.

Eck nodded, and then said: "By the way, you should immediately send someone to notify His Majesty the Emperor, His Excellency Marshal Dugel, His Excellency Marshal Burt, and His Excellency Prime Minister Forbeck. We have to discuss this matter immediately. The place is Let it be at the Elysee Palace. His Majesty the Emperor should be there today."

"Okay, do you need me to prepare a car for you?" Patrick said.

"Yeah!" Eck nodded. Then he sorted out the materials, and ten minutes later, he left the headquarters and rushed to the palace.

After receiving the notice from Eck, Xiao Jie and others hurried to the meeting room of the Elysee Palace. When Xiao Jie arrived, Dougal and Forbeck had already arrived, while Eck and Burt were still on their way.

"See Your Majesty." Dougal and Forbeck bowed to Xiao Jie.

"Well, no courtesy. Do you two know what your Excellency Eke wants us to do?" Xiao Jie asked with some puzzlement.

"It's not clear yet. But I think there should be something wrong with the front line." Dougal guessed.

"Frontline? But wasn't it fine yesterday?" Xiao Jie said.

"We won't know until His Excellency Ike comes here," Dugel said.

Five minutes later, Dougal arrived. But Boult is still on the way because his Admiralty is far away from the palace.

"Since Eke has arrived, let's start without waiting for Marshal Burt. Eke, what happened to you looking for us so urgently? Is there something wrong with the front line? Is it the Swedish front line or Eastern Europe? Frontline?" Xiao Jie asked hastily.

"It's true that something went wrong on the front line. But it's not Sweden, nor Eastern Europe, but Iceland." Eck said with a wry smile.

"What, Iceland?" The three of Xiao Jie were very surprised.

"Yes, Iceland. This morning, the US fleet aggressively attacked Iceland. At present, the defenders are still fiercely resisting." Eck said.

"What are the Americans going to do? Do they want to use Iceland as a springboard to intervene in the war in Europe?" Xiao Jie said angrily. Seeing that the war in Europe is coming to an end, but if the Americans make a horizontal move at this time, it will have to be delayed for a while.

"If this is the case, it will be very bad for us. Our economy has already started to have problems, and the prices of some daily necessities have begun to rise. If the war cannot be ended before the end of this year, then our economy will suffer a lot. Trouble." Forbeck also frowned and said.

"What did the intelligence department do? Why haven't they found out the intentions of the Americans?" Xiao Jie said angrily.

"The intelligence department has done its best. For this reason, the intelligence department has lost many agents. But the Americans are very secretive about this plan, so the intelligence department cannot get accurate information for a while." Eck explained.

At this time, Boult finally arrived. "What's the situation in Iceland now? What should we do? Do we need the navy to attack the US fleet?" Boult asked as soon as he came in. He had already learned the news of the United States aggressively attacking Iceland on the way.

"Eke, what measures do you think we should take now?" Xiao Jie looked at Eke and asked.

"I think we should send a report to the front-line generals, asking them to increase their offensive efforts and try to end the war before the United States intervenes in the European war." Eck said.

"Is that all? Then leave Iceland alone?" Boult asked.

"It's not that we don't care about it. It's that we simply can't spare any troops to manage it now." Eck explained, "According to our information, the US fleet attacking Iceland includes two fleets, and there are already about 30,000 marines or infantry. And , and a large number of troops are gathering in the United States. If there is no accident, these troops will also be sent to Iceland."

"But if there are only two U.S. fleets, I think the navy can completely eat them up," Bult said. It had been a long time since the Navy had fought a major battle, and it made his hands very itchy. Due to the recent period, France's strategic focus has been on the army. Therefore, the Navy has maintained a defensive posture.

"Marshal Boult, how many troops are you going to deploy to deal with these two American fleets?" Xiao Jie asked.

"The main force of the Atlantic Fleet can be moved northward. The defense of the strait will be handed over to the Mediterranean Fleet," Bult said.

"Then the combat mission of the Mediterranean Fleet is a bit too heavy. They not only have to maintain the blockade of the Azores, but also are responsible for the defense of the strait." Xiao Jie said with a frown.

"I think the Mediterranean Fleet should be able to take on it," Boult said.

"I think this is too risky. What if the United States attacks the Azores again? Don't forget, our enemies are not only the United States, but also Canada. Although their naval strength is not as strong as the United States, they can still pose a threat to us. Threat." Dougal also said.

"I think we can ignore the war in Iceland for the time being. The army stationed in Iceland has already blown up the port of Reykjavik, and the Americans can't use Iceland as a springboard without two or three months. If If we hurry up, we can definitely end the war within this time." Eck also said.

"I agree with Eck. In addition, our Western Allied Forces have landed in Sweden, and we can put the main force of the attack on Norway. In that way, two months is enough for us to kill Norway. Only in Norway Deploy a certain amount of troops on the coast, so even if the United States occupies Iceland, it will not pose too much threat to us." Dugel suggested.

"Forbeck, what's your opinion?" Xiao Jie asked.

"I also agree with Marshal Eck. We should still focus on ending the war in Europe and adopt a defensive posture against the US military. As long as we can ensure that the Azores, the English Channel and the North Sea are still under our control, For us at this stage, that is enough. After all, it is not the best time for us to fight against the United States and Canada~lightnovelpub.net~Forbeck also expressed his opinion.

"So, Boult, what's your opinion?" Xiao Jie asked.

"Your Majesty. I still think we should take the initiative to attack the incoming American fleet. The best defense is offense, and continuous offense. Even if the purpose of the Americans' attack on Iceland is not to intervene in the European war, if they still stand in Iceland If we have a firm foothold, it will not be conducive to us regaining control of the entire Atlantic Ocean in the future," Boulter said.

Xiao Jie was silent. Undoubtedly, both sides had their reasons. Well, now he has to make a choice. With France's current national strength, if it insists on quelling the war in Europe first and living with the United States and Canada, then it must take a defensive position against the attack of the United States. If the US invading fleet is to be attacked, the war in Europe will definitely be affected. The war will drag on for longer, which is not in the interests of France.

After a long time, Xiao Jie finally made a choice: "Order the generals on the front line to step up their offensive efforts and strive to end the war in Europe within three months. At the same time, send a report to Field Marshal Monty asking him to send heavy troops to attack Norway." , to fortify the coast after the fall of Norway. As for the navy, fortify the Azores, the English Channel, and the North Sea. Be sure to keep these places under the control of the Imperial Navy."