Chapter 894 Accident (End)

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, it may be too early to draw this conclusion." When no one spoke, Marshal Brooke had to stand up and retort, "We cannot infer that the German army is preparing to fight in America just based on the current intelligence and information. Although the ambassador saw it Rommel himself, the legendary landing commander-in-chief, although this nondescript American republic was established, and although the Germans sent a large squadron to the Americas, this was insignificant compared to the power Germany had at hand..."

"I know what you mean." Churchill waved his hand nonchalantly, "I didn't say that the Germans won't land. I only said that the Germans won't land in the short term. Otherwise, the German army will have to maintain the South American front and the European front. To maintain the Russian front, is Hitler a god? Does he have so much power? I think it is difficult for the Germans to launch a landing on Great Britain within 3 months. At most, the Americans have 2 ships. The aircraft carrier is in service, and our two aircraft carriers can also be in service. Together, they are enough to prevent the Germans from landing. "

"But the Americans will first put their power into South America, and we cannot count on their support."

"This is better. The U.S. military will increase its power in South America. Will the Germans follow? If they follow, the landing against us will only be postponed. If not, then we will wait for the destruction of the American Republic." Churchill waved his arms and The originally serious war issue was described as a game of stud, "We are lacking two things now, one is confidence and the other is time."

Everyone was silent.

"I know what everyone is thinking. I have also seen the Germans' peace terms. How should I put it..." Churchill considered his words and tried not to sound aggressive because he knew that his prestige was at stake due to consecutive defeats and misjudgments. As things get worse, he must rely on judgment and words rather than power to sway these colleagues. "This is a treatment that is only slightly better than surrender. We will lose the Royal Navy, our army and air force will be demobilized by more than 90%, and our There will be Germans stationed in the country, and soon the girls of Great Britain will throw themselves into the arms of German soldiers, and those fascists (British Fascist Party) will start to show off their power... And this is based on the premise that the enemy keeps his word. If Hitler If the agreement is broken again and our army is demobilized, what will happen then? Will we rely on the working class to march on the streets with their bare hands?”

Everyone was stunned by what he said. In retrospect, Hitler's credibility seems not to be very good. It has barely recovered a little recently, and it is not known whether he will return to his old ways.

"Gentlemen, accepting this treaty means that the 300 years of glory of the British Empire, the independence we have enjoyed since ancient times, our pride, our pound, and our constitutional tradition are so easily ruined in our hands..." Churchill squeezed out a few words Dropping tears, "I will probably have to cover my face before I'm buried after I die, because I really don't have the face to see the arrogant Duke Marco Barro. Should I tell him that the empire and glory he has worked for all his life will finally be ruined in my hands? Everyone, here It’s easy to sign a contract, but it seems even easier to be nailed to the pillar of shame in history!”

"But Your Excellency, we can't win now. After the British-Canada route is cut off, we can't get any US aid supplies. Everything else can be tolerated. Only the fuel reserves can only last up to 6 months. Without fuel, there will be no modern military machines... …”

"I know, I know." Churchill murmured to himself, "We have persisted for 5 years, can't we persist for 6 or 3 more months?"

"Persisting may lead to worse conditions and consequences." Aiden also advised him.

"But how are you going to persuade these millions of troops to lay down their weapons peacefully?" Churchill pointed out the window. "We have armed more than 3 million troops. They have good equipment and high morale. Now you tell them to give them a shot. What will the British people think if they don't surrender? Will the British Empire descend into a terrible civil war or guerrilla war?"

"Okay..." Attlee sighed, "What do you think?"

"If we continue to talk about peace talks, it is better to be prepared with both hands. It is better to delay it for a while." Churchill said, "Increase efforts internally to make coal-to-liquids, save every drop of oil as much as possible, and buy time for the Royal Navy to recover as much as possible, and the jets too. Let’s build it and see if we can make a difference.”

"What are your terms for peace talks?"

Churchill thought for a while: "Make a few important corrections:

First, Northern Ireland is still within the framework of Great Britain, and at most it is agreed that it enjoys autonomy;

Second, we can reduce national defense, but the German army should not station troops. Of course, they must use necessary ports, airports and camps, which can be performed with mutual agreement;

Third, we will not claim compensation from each other. We will exchange excess military supplies with Germany for civilian supplies at reasonable prices;

Fourth, in the future EU system, we should at least obtain the same political rights as France and not fall too far behind Italy - after all, the French were forced into Paris by Hitler to sign an alliance under the city walls, and the English Channel still blocked Hitler's ambitions;

Fifth, North India, that is, the territory controlled by our army around Karachi, South Africa, Rhodesia, the Panama Canal, and parts of Brazil are to be given to us. This is a necessary prerequisite for the survival and development of the British Empire;

Sixth, the US military stationed in the UK must have a reasonable solution, and our people who are unwilling to cooperate with the Germans should allow them to move freely to Canada on the premise of bringing their personal property..."

He made seven or eight opinions in one breath. Everyone thought that the Prime Minister was not a messy person. It was obvious that he had thought deeply about the content of the peace talks. Many of his opinions were close to everyone's heart - negotiations always involve back-and-forth and bargaining.

"Then just wait and see?"

"Pay close attention to the situation in South America..."

Just in the middle of speaking, the confidential secretary suddenly handed him a note. After reading it, his eyes lit up: "I want to tell you some good news. The Russian counterattack has achieved results in the past two days. They have broken through the passes of the Caucasus Mountains. , the main force of the Red Army was continuously marching towards the Caucasus steppe. The Red Army on the Stalingrad and Astrakhan lines in the north also launched a counterattack. Under the attack from two directions, the German army and its servants were unable to withstand it and were repulsed by 100-150 people. kilometers, at least 150,000 troops retreated..."

Everyone was doubtful. Marshal Brooke knew that the Red Army had been planning a counterattack, but he did not expect that the situation would be so big. He looked at the map and found that this strategy seemed interesting.

"Never mind whether the Russian counterattack can be effective, at least Hitler's energy and pace will be hindered. At least, the German army's loss of Transcaucasus is not a fabrication by me, right? At least the encirclement of the German army in Central Asia is not a fabrication, right? At least the Turks were beaten violently Isn’t this a fabrication? Gentlemen, the Russians are in a much more difficult situation than we are. Aren’t they still gritting their teeth and persisting? The news that Stalin wanted to negotiate for peace broke out last spring, and they are still talking about it for a whole year. Why?” Churchill's voice raised an octave, "This is a responsible attitude toward the country, the people, and history. Who doesn't want to strive for better conditions?"

Everyone nodded. Although everyone had always looked down upon the Bolsheviks, the Red Army's recent counterattack had blinded many people.

"In addition, since we are talking to the Germans, we also need to show our attitude." Churchill rolled his eyes and thought of another strategy, "The man in prison can be released, and a group of captured German pilots can also be released. ——The kind that can’t fight again, show your sincerity with humanitarianism.”

The so-called man in prison refers to the former deputy head of state of the National Socialist Party, Rudolf Hess, who flew to Britain alone to negotiate. Hitler directly declared Hess crazy to cover up the impact, but was Hess crazy? Crazy, the British know very well that this person has long lost his use value, so it is better to hand it back to the German side now.

The above decision was approved by the cabinet after discussion, and the three military chiefs Pound, Brooke and Porter also agreed.

While Churchill was persuading everyone with his eloquence, Hoffman was also listening to Zeitzler's report.

"Führer, the Eastern Front is slowly retreating according to the current deployment of Marshal Manstein, but there is also an accident."

"What accident?"

"A Cossack division did not obey the command and did not retreat decisively because it was difficult to leave its homeland. It held on to its position and was eventually destroyed! As a result, it blocked the opponent for three more days. In addition, the Russians dispatched new heavy tanks, and our army suffered a lot of losses."

"That's what the Cossacks are like. They are brave only when they are brave, but they are not very flexible in their thinking. Give them more pensions and commend them when they are due. Those who can die generously are brave men! As for the tank, is it an IS-2?"

Zeitzler looked like he had seen a ghost: "Has anyone reported it to you?"

"The tank has a little extra information." Hoffman smiled slightly. Sometimes it is important to maintain a sense of mystery in front of his subordinates.

"If the difference in crew quality is not taken into account, the overall strength of this IS-2 tank exceeds that of the old Tiger tank, and it is obviously an indisputable fact that the T-43/85 overwhelms the No. 4G. The battle damage caused by the IS-2 is 1:1.5, It takes 1.5 of our tanks to destroy one enemy tank. Without Tiger 2 and Leopard, we would be completely passive in the tank field."

"Don't worry, it's not as scary as you think. The Russians don't have many new tanks and they don't pose a fatal threat." Hoffman said with a smile, "Besides, we have more than just this strength, Guderian's Thor's Hammer is It’s a trump card.”

"Thank you for your foresight in deploying this army group."

"How many more days will it take according to the battle plan?"

"It will take 10 days for Thor's Hammer to enter the battlefield. Marshal Manstein is preparing to retreat for 12 days. He is preparing to abandon Grozny tomorrow..."

"Very good, I believe him, let the Russians charge..." Hoffman laughed, "There are times when Stalin cries."

"The U.S. fleet broke into the Indian Ocean, and Marshal Horikichi personally expressed the hope that we would provide emergency assistance."

"Is there such a thing?" Hoffman thought for a while, "The fleet cannot be dispatched for the time being. The air force stationed in the Middle East can help the Japanese army. You must have an overall view. The Indian Ocean, as the main artery for exchanges between the two countries, must not be lost."