Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 160 Compiègne Forest

"Hoffmann, go see what's going on? Why is the carriage in such a mess?!" Manstein took off his glasses, put down the book in his hand, and called over his temporary adjutant.

"Sir, it's the Marshal's suite. Marshal Göring seemed to have a minor health problem yesterday," the adjutant reported as he entered and stood at attention.

"Health problems? Are they serious?!" Manstein frowned. Although he didn't like the other person, as a soldier of the Empire, he didn't want any high-ranking officials to get into trouble at this time.

“I’m not entirely sure, but according to his private physician, the Marshal only suffers from a slight case of neurasthenia and hypoglycemia.” The assistant paused, leaning closer to Manstein and lowering his voice, “However, I’ve heard some unofficial information…”

"Do you suspect you're cursed?! An exorcism ritual?!" Manstein clearly showed displeasure.

It would be a huge joke if word got out that a dignified marshal of the empire, the most powerful person under the head of state, would actually be chasing after something so illusory.

"What happened?!"

"I heard that His Excellency the Marshal saw some hallucinations, and that someone saw a fleeting figure in the carriage, and that footsteps inexplicably appeared on the ceiling..."

"Enough! We are German soldiers, are we to be frightened by such baseless things?" Manstein's expression changed from displeasure to disgust.

“Tell the staff that we’ll leave once we reach our destination.”

"Sir, we may have to stay a while longer." The adjutant placed a telegram on the table.

"I have just received news that the French have agreed to sign the peace treaty, and the head of state is on his way to the Compiègne Forest. He hopes to meet with you there before attending the signing ceremony."

Manstein probably understood his leader: France's surrender would elevate his prestige to its peak, while the fact that 300,000 British had fled would be of little concern to the people.

As the mastermind behind the breakthrough at Sedan, being summoned by the Führer at the signing ceremony meant that the French would undoubtedly be thoroughly humiliated.

At a time like this, one cannot spoil the leader's mood.

“Alright, we’ll leave a little later after we’ve met the Führer.” Manstein sat back down, looking at the box in his arms. “How much longer until we reach the Compiègne Forest region?”

"At the current pace, it should take less than a day."
-
At the very back of the train, a figure darted into the carriage displaying artworks.

Qin Hao took the water bottle and lifted a wooden box in the corner. The caretaker was curled up inside, holding Anna. Strands of hair were stuck to her cheeks on her delicate face.

The once neat uniform was now completely soaked with sweat, and the parts that clung to the body were wrinkled and stuck to the skin.

In late June, the weather was already very hot and humid, and the train carriage was poorly ventilated. The two girls were already pushing themselves to their limits in this environment.

"Miss de Gaulle, how are you feeling?" Qin Hao handed her the water bottle.

The caretaker took the water bottle and took a large gulp in a very unladylike manner. She then handed the bottle to Anna, who was already feeling dizzy and looked terrible.

Just as the administrator was at her wit's end, the person opposite handed Anna a bag of cold stuff and pressed it onto her forehead.

"Where did the ice come from?" The young girl's eyes shone with barely suppressed surprise.

"In the dining car, the Germans use it to chill their red wine. Göring really knows how to enjoy life."

"You went out?!" The woman looked at the person opposite her with an incredulous expression, never expecting that he would take such a risk just to get them some ice.

“I told you, we might not all know the Germans on this bus. Things aren’t as difficult as you think.” The next moment, the man opened his palm and stuffed another, slightly smaller bag of ice into the caretaker’s hand.

"Hang in there a little longer. I just heard a soldier say that the train is about to stop and we'll be able to leave here soon."

"So... what should we do next?" Miss de Gaulle held the ice cube in her hands, her watery eyes looking at the other person. She didn't know when it had started, but she always trusted the person in front of her to solve any problem. "Göring has acquired so many works of art; he'll definitely want to find a way to transport them back to Germany. Whatever the means of transport, let's try to steal one and sneak out!"

"That sounds dangerous."

"Of course, if we fail, we'll probably all be on the gallows." The man was unusually nonchalant at this moment, and his indifference to life and death made Miss de Gaulle's eyes light up.

For the first twenty years of her life, she was a well-behaved liberal arts student. She admired her uncle but had never met anyone like him.

She probably met someone today.

Whether or not she was able to escape, this period should have been the most wonderful time of her life.

After tilting her head and thinking for a moment, Miss de Gaulle raised her hand, took off one of her earrings, and handed it to the person in front of her.

Qin Hao looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"It's a ritual to pray for good luck. Take my treasure, and remember to return it to me when you get home safely." The woman's face was slightly flushed, but not because of the stuffy temperature in the carriage.

Qin Hao took the earrings, rummaged through his pockets, and embarrassingly discovered that besides a bunch of props, he had nothing truly presentable.

The next moment, he had an idea.

He spread out a sheet of drawing paper, held a pen in his hand, looked at the young girl in front of him, and quickly sketched lines with the pen.

Soon after, a portrait of Genevieve de Gaulle was painted.

The girl in the painting gently raises her forehead, gazing into the distance with a sweet smile.

“Miss de Gaulle, I don’t have anything of value, so I’ll exchange this for it.” Qin Hao handed over the painting, and the woman in front of him smiled like stars.

She happily put the painting away. "The title 'Miss De Gaulle' is too formal. Just call me Gina or Rere. That's what my family calls me."

"Also... could you tell me your name? I've been calling you 'sir' all this time... because if I fail, I'll never be able to ask again..." the young woman said, mustering her courage.

"They call me Pu..." Qin Hao smiled and shook his head, then pointed to himself, "Just call me Qin."

"Also, don't be so pessimistic, we still have a pretty good chance," Qin Hao said with a smile.

"The Germans look like they're going to some important gathering. Whatever they're doing, I'll make a scene and have more chances to escape in the chaos than you think."

"Yes, I'll do as you say!" The building manager nodded emphatically, then cautiously glanced out the window.

The surrounding woods became denser.

On June 20, 1940, the Foch carriage train entered the Compiègne Forest region.

The engineers laid the railway, and the Foch carriage, which had been used in the Franco-German signing ceremony in 1918, was towed in and installed separately. As part of a show of revenge, it would once again become the site for the signing of treaties between the two sides.

On the same day, a German delegation headed by Army General Wilhelm Keitel arrived.

The following day, German Führer Mustache personally arrived in the area to meet with a series of important figures, accompanied by Manstein and Göring.

On June 22, the French delegation arrived by car. The current French Prime Minister, Pétain, stepped out of the car with the assistance of Lieutenant General Charles Anziger.

(End of this chapter)