Chapter 265 Counterattack 10

"You demand that future borders be drawn in accordance with the provisions of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, is that correct?"

At 5 pm on September 11, 1939, after several hours of long waiting, Molotov, the Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, met the rather indifferent German Chancellor Adolf Hitler at 77 Wilhelm Street.

"Yes, leader," Molotov said after listening to the interpreter of the Soviet ambassador who accompanied Molotov, "This is a pre-agreed agreement between the two governments... I think Germany will not violate the agreement. ?”

"Of course Germany will not violate the agreement. We always keep our word!" Adolf Hitler suddenly slammed the table like crazy and stood up. "But what about the Soviet Union? Did the Soviet Union declare war on Poland as agreed? Today is already September 11, and the war has already started for 11 days! What are you, the Soviet Union, doing?"

"We...we are preparing." Molotov said expressionlessly, "Now we are ready."

"Ready for war with Britain, France, and Poland?"

"No," Molotov said, "the only enemy of the Soviet Union is Poland. If Germany agrees to demarcate the border as originally agreed, the Soviet Union will attack Poland within 24 hours."

He said attack, not declare war! The Soviet Union would go to war without declaring it, thus minimizing the risk of war with Britain and France.

Hitler and Marshal Schleicher, the Defense Minister beside him, looked at each other - the Soviet Union was indeed not worthy of trust! Schleicher could speak Russian, and he said in Russian: "Okay, you attack. But we are done... The Poles have just asked us for an armistice, and given the pressure we face on the Western Front, we intend to accept it. their request."

"An armistice?" Molotov was stunned, and his expressionless face also showed surprise, "The war is over?"

This is terrible! Molotov said to himself: Germany is going to make peace with Britain, France and Poland, so the Soviet Union will have to fight the Poles alone... No, it is probably not with Poland. Britain and France may support Poland!

Seeing Molotov's expression change from surprise to panic, Marshal Schleicher smiled as if he was mischievous: "The war is not over yet, and we will not let Britain and France off easily unless they agree to abolish Versailles." Treaty of Saint-Germain and give back everything they have taken from us over the past 20 years!”

Now that Poland has knelt down and has to fight the Soviet Union for its eastern territory, Germany's forces can be liberated from the eastern front and transferred to the western front. Under such circumstances, Germany would naturally have to raise the price for peace. Not only the Treaties of Versailles and Saint-Germain, but also what was taken from Germany under these two treaties must be returned, at least in part!

This means that Britain and France must not only return the former German colonies they occupied, but also return the reparations paid by Germany. It will even involve the sovereignty of Alsace and Lorraine!

In this case, the possibility of reaching a peace agreement between Britain, France and Germany becomes very low.

Molotov breathed a sigh of relief, as long as Germany, Britain and France continued to fight.

"But you, the Soviet Union, must provide us with oil." Hitler knew that now was a good opportunity to blackmail the Soviet Union, and he would not let it go. "We do not have much oil reserves and can only sustain the war for a few months. If you can give us oil every month Provide us with 500,000 tons of oil, and then we can continue the fight.”

"500,000 tons?" Molotov shook his head quickly, "This is impossible! The Soviet Union is going to war, and we ourselves need oil!"

Of course the Soviet Union has abundant oil production, but oil is a tool for Kadez's neck! How is it possible to give Germany 500,000 tons a month?

"Up to 200,000 tons," Molotov said, "you must exchange it for the machines we need."

Hitler glanced at Schleicher, who said coldly: "We are still fighting Britain and France, and the factories must run at full capacity to produce weapons! If you want machines, you have to wait until the end of the war. I think, You must not want the war to end soon, right?"

This is to blackmail the Soviet Union!

Molotov quickly understood what Schleicher meant. He was silent for a while and nodded as if reluctantly: "Okay, 200,000 tons a month, you can pay on credit!"

"It's 500,000 tons!" Schleicher said.

500,000 tons in January, which is 6 million tons in a year... However, Schleicher did not think that the Poles would be able to resist for 12 months. He estimated that it would be good if the Poles could withstand it for a month, and it would be a bonus if Germany could obtain 500,000 tons of oil in vain.

"Okay!" Molotov didn't think that the second Soviet-Polish war would last long - when Poland was defeated, the oil supply agreement would naturally be a piece of waste paper.

"But you must promise not to support Poland and Ukraine." Molotov also made the Soviet Union's request. Stalin was most worried about Germany providing advanced weapons to Ukraine and Poland for use against the Soviet army.

"Of course we will not support them," Hitler said. "You can rest assured that our German Empire is principled in doing things. We will abide by our agreements and consider the interests of our allies. We are not as dishonest as some countries. "

Molotov certainly knew which country Hitler was talking about that didn't keep its word. But he wouldn't argue with Hitler. Although he paid 500,000 tons of oil, he got Hitler's guarantee and reached an agreement on the division of Poland. His trip to Berlin was basically a success.

Now the Soviet Red Army can attack Poland and Ukraine with confidence.

…

"What? You Poles want to cease fire with Germany?"

Almost at the same time when Molotov met with Hitler, Polish Foreign Minister Joseph Beck also arrived in London and told British Foreign Secretary Viscount Halifax that the Polish government was ready to cease fire with Germany.

The Viscount immediately felt like beating up the Pole in front of him. The world war started because of you Poland, and now you can stop if you want! You can stop, but can Britain and France stop?

"This is a separate peace!" Viscount Halifax said seriously, "If you do this, the British Empire will never regard Poland as a friend!"

Joseph Beck cried, "Viscount, you should know that the Soviet Union is about to attack us, they want more land than the Germans... Are you willing to declare war on the Soviet Union?"

Declare war on the Soviet Union? Germany is already almost unmanageable, and declare war on the Soviet Union?

Seeing Viscount Halifax remained silent, Joseph Beck said, "We Poles have no choice. We don't have the capital to fight on two fronts. We can only concentrate our strength to deal with the Soviet Union."

"How can you defeat the Soviet Union?" Viscount Halifax looked at Joseph Beck coldly, "This is completely impossible! You have only one way out, which is to meet the requirements of the Soviets and then concentrate your strength to fight Germany! As long as you defeat Germany, everything you lost can be taken back from the Germans!"

Beck shook his head repeatedly, "This is unrealistic. Viscount, we are facing an unprecedented and terrible Germany! Although Marshal Rydz-Smigwi has been planning a counterattack, we all know that Poland was defeated, defeated on the first day, and was completely defeated by September 5... Marshal Rydz-Smigwi's counterattack will never happen, because it only exists in his fantasy."

Joseph Beck and most of the senior officials of the Polish government are actually "Pilsudski's colonels" and all understand military affairs. And they have many friends in the army. By September 5, they already knew that Poland had lost miserably and Warsaw could not be defended. That’s why the government decided to move to Lublin.

As for the Polish counterattack and the Vistula miracle, these experts and insiders would not believe it at all. As far as they know the Polish army, even if they can organize a large-scale battle, it will take at least ten days and a half months to prepare. By then, the Germans will have destroyed the Prussian Army and the Poznan Army, so what can they use to fight the battle?

So when Rezdz-Smith told them that the Germans were ready to negotiate on the basis of the 1918 Polish-German Border Treaty, everyone asked Rezdz-Smith to accept it immediately - no matter whether the Germans would raise the price in the end, as long as they did not attack Warsaw now and were willing to let go of the remnants of the Poznan Army and the Prussian Army so that they could resist the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union. Then Poland still has a chance of survival!

As for the Germans' request to occupy Eastern Galicia (referring to Austrian Western Ukraine) and Lithuania (including Neuwis), Rez-Smith-Western and Beck and others thought it was acceptable, because "occupation" was not "cession" after all, and sovereignty still belonged to the Polish Federation. The German occupation was only to prevent the Soviet Red Army from entering, which was actually a protection for Poland.

As for whether the Germans could be asked to leave there in the future, it was not something to be considered now. Now Poland only had to consider resisting the invasion of the Soviet Union. If Poland lost this war, it would really be in danger of national extinction.

"Viscount," Joseph Beck said to Halifax at the end of the talks, "Why can't Britain and France make peace with Germany? The war started because of Poland, and now Poland has agreed to restore the 1918 border... Is it necessary to continue the war?"

Yes, why is it necessary to continue the war? Many British, French, and Dutch and Belgians who are about to be involved in the war will ask this question.

Viscount Halifax glared at Joseph Baker fiercely, "Do you think the world revolves around Poland? Do you think this world war is just for Danze? This is a world war, a war that will determine the world's leadership for the next hundred or even two hundred years! If Germany becomes the winner, then you Poland will become a geographical term! You don't even know this, and you want to coexist with Germany, which is really stupid!"