Chapter 333: The British Army surrendered

"Tell Major General Donald that without my order, the 9th Infantry Division cannot retreat at all. I need them to target the position for at least 3 hours." Bill roared at the communications officer. In his plan, the 9th Infantry Division must persist until 2 pm. Only in that way can they persist until the arrival of reinforcements.

At 11:40 am on June 21, all five regiments of the French 3rd Marine Division landed. Almost at the same time, the 4th Marine Division also began to set sail, and they were estimated to arrive in one hour. Before that, the 3rd Marine Division must occupy a large enough landing ground, preferably occupying the port of Portsmouth, as that would be very helpful for loading and unloading heavy weapons.

"Order the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Regiments to continue attacking the British defensive positions, and must occupy their positions within one hour and drive all the British out of the beach. The 5th Regiment attacked the port and strived to occupy the port before the 4th Marine Division arrived." Before the division's direct troops were completed, Major General Irving, commander of the 3rd Marine Division of the French 3rd Marine Division, ordered.

Under Irving's order, the French army of four regiments launched a fierce attack on the British 9th Infantry Division. The 9th Infantry Division, which had already suffered heavy casualties, had to support it even harder under the fierce attack of the French army. Under the attack of the French army's superior forces and firepower, the 9th Infantry Division was driven out of the position in an established manner.

"Teacher, we really can't stop it. There are more than 2,000 people in the entire regiment, and now there are only more than 600 people left." A leader under Donald complained to him.

"Yes, division commander. The troops suffered a lot of casualties. Without reinforcements, we would not be able to hold on." Another regiment commander also complained.

"Gentlemen, I have to tell you with regret that General Bill means that we must persist until two o'clock in the afternoon, otherwise those who retreat without authorization will be dealt with according to military law." Donald said helplessly.

"What? Two pm? How is this possible?" the officers exclaimed. In their opinion, in the current state of the 9th Infantry Division, it is basically impossible to persist until two pm. It is not much different to ask them to persist in the position until two pm.

"Terminal Commander, the French are attacking, less than 500 meters away from the division command." The commander of the 9th Infantry Division's guard company hurriedly reported to Donald. Suddenly, the lower body was panicked and asked people to continue to resist, while some people thought there was no need to hold their positions.

"If we continue to resist the French army, I believe everyone knows that we are not opponents of the French army at all, then we will never have a good end. If we give up our position, then General Bill will not let me go." Donald said after thinking for a while.

"What should we do?" someone asked.

After looking at the people present, Donald said, "Since resistance is death, and retreat is also death, we might as well surrender to the French army. Everyone must understand the current situation very well. Under the fierce attack of the French army, our army can only be exhausted and will not be the opponent of the French army at all. Instead of being defeated and captured by the French army, I think we might as well take the initiative to surrender to them, otherwise the treatment we receive will be completely different."

It was a stone of fire that caused a thousand waves. As soon as Donald said something, everyone exclaimed. They had never expected that their division commanders would make such a proposal, which was really incredible.

However, after thinking about it carefully, there is indeed only one way now. However, there are still some officers who are unwilling to surrender to France against this proposal. Donald did not make things difficult for these people, but let them go. Of course, the army would not let them take them away.

Afterwards, Donald discussed the surrender with other officers. In the end, they felt that they would send someone to hold a white flag to serve as negotiator for the British army and pass on their request to the French army. If the French army could agree, they would take the initiative to put down their weapons and surrender to the French army.

"The commander of the division, a prisoner was captured on the front line. He said he was on behalf of the commander of the British 9th Infantry Division to talk to the commander about the matter." In Irving's temporary office, a low-level British officer with a tied body was brought to him.

"Who are you? What's the matter with me?" Although I'm very busy at work now, Irving still set time to negotiate with General Donald himself.

"Hello, General, I am Major Revett, the envoy of Major General Donald, the commander of the 9th Infantry Division of the United Kingdom. I am here to contact you on the orders of General Donald." Revett introduced himself.

"Major Rivet, I feel very strange. Now our armies are in a state of hostility. In a minute, soldiers will be killed by the other soldiers. It is really hard for me to think that at this time, the division commander Donald of your division will send someone to contact me." Owen asked with some confusion.

"General, this is the only thing. Under the fierce attack of your army, our 9th Infantry Division had suffered heavy losses, but the commander of the theater General Bill asked our division to hold its position until 2 pm. Whether we are on our side or on your side, we think this is impossible. General Bill also issued a death order. If our division retreats without authorization, the entire division will be sent to the military court. So in order to find a way out for the soldiers, our division commander will send me to contact you." Rivet explained to Irving.

"Oh, then what does General Donald mean?" Irving asked with interest. He had actually guessed that Donald's intention was nothing more than asking the French army to agree to the conditions they proposed, and then they surrendered to the French army. Irving agreed with this phenomenon very much. In this way, his army could reduce a lot of unnecessary losses, so why not do it?

"General Donald means that if your army can ensure the safety of the division and provide life guarantees, and effectively treat the wounded, our army will take the initiative to put down our weapons and surrender to your army. However, one thing needs to be noted is that we cannot be regarded as prisoners of war for your army. After the war is over, your country must unconditionally release us and compensate us for a sum of money." Rivet said.

"So? Although I am very willing to agree to you, this matter is not something I can decide. I must report to the headquarters." Owen thought for a while and said.

"How long will it take?" Rivet asked anxiously.

"You need to wait a little while, it will take up to half an hour." Owen said with a smile.

"Okay, but please hurry up. General Donald is still waiting for my reply? Another point is that we are preparing for negotiations, so should the attack on the front line be stopped?" Rivet said. The French attack was too fierce. Almost every minute, British soldiers were bleeding and sacrificed, which Rivet didn't want to see.

"Sorry, Major, I can't agree to you, because our attack will not stop until your army has truly surrendered." Owen insisted.

In response to this, Rivet had to nod his head helplessly to express his understanding. He only hoped that there would be a result as soon as possible, so that his comrades would sacrifice less.

Irving's telegram was sent directly to Eck. After Eck received the telegram, he immediately met Xiao Jie and told him about the 9th British Infantry Division.

As the war against Britain went smoothly, Xiao Jie was also thinking about how to deal with Britain after the war. The best way was to support a pro-French British government and indirectly rule Britain. Those who acted as assistants to French rule Britain needed to find it well. In the war, British officials or soldiers who could surrender to the French army were undoubtedly Xiao Jie's best choice. So Xiao Jie immediately instructed Irving to agree to the surrender of the 9th Infantry Division of the UK, but Donald's request needed some modifications. For example, the officers of the 9th Infantry Division of the UK could enjoy the treatment of French officials, while ordinary soldiers needed to obtain various materials for survival through labor. After the war, France would release all officers and soldiers of the 9th Infantry Division of the UK, but France would not compensate them. If they were willing, they could hold some official positions in the French-led British government, etc.

After receiving Xiao Jie's instructions, Owen immediately conveyed Xiao Jie's meaning to Rivet.

"General Irving, I need to report to General Donald. Only when he agrees, our cooperation can continue." Rivet said a little apologetically.

"It doesn't matter, but you must make a decision early. Our attack will not stop during this period. If our army completely defeated your army before he agreed to our request, then I think there is nothing to talk about." Owen said with a slight threatening tone.

"I will tell General Donald." Rivet said. Then he left. At this time, time is life and he can't afford to waste it.

After listening to Rivet's report, Donald immediately summoned the officers who agreed to discuss with the French position. After a brief discussion, they reached an agreement, that is, to accept the French conditions fully and surrender to the French army. After all, the last one they could hold some official positions in the new government and the army after the war was over, which was very attractive to these people.
Chapter completed!