If France faced Germany alone, the French might as well surrender outright; cooperating with Britain might give France some confidence, but if they suffered setbacks on the battlefield, their morale would still collapse; bringing in the Soviet Union meant that even if France suffered setbacks, it would still have a chance to keep resisting.
That was why Prime Minister Daladier had made the news public, even deliberately creating the impression that the Soviet Union would enter the war in order to bolster domestic morale.
To be sure, no matter how things changed, France was bound to suffer grievous losses in the end. But as France's leaders, they did not want to surrender.
This concerned the dignity of all France.
After all, since modern times, France had always been one of Europe's most powerful nations. It could also be called one of the most important cores of European civilization, with French culture influencing all of Europe.
France's historical and cultural brilliance was also its greatest pride. Aside from dead Rome, no country in Europe could be mentioned in the same breath as France.
Therefore, Prime Minister Daladier did not want to bear the infamy of history and become France's "sinner."
He told France's senior officials, "It is only a matter of time before the Soviet Union enters the war. We must hold on until that moment arrives. Therefore, the front lines must be watched closely. There can be no slipups that let the Germans bring the flames of war onto our soil!"
Far East, Hailar.
At this moment, Lieutenant General Komatsubara Michitaro, commander of the 23rd Division, and Major Tsuji Masanobu both wore exceptionally grim expressions. Five days had passed since they had taken the initiative to provoke the war, yet not only had the 23rd Division failed to make much