Chapter 954 D-Day (15, 1200 Votes Plus Additional Content)

"The British surrendered!" The next morning, Ribbentrop rushed into the Führer's office like the wind, "Prime Minister Attlee sent me a telegram through Foreign Minister Eden, expressing his acceptance of our armistice conditions, and Black Cat returned to London today."

Hoffman nodded: "Have the security forces been dispatched enough?"

"The British Army's Second Army has complete control over the entire London, the Americans have been disarmed, and 100,000 American troops have been captured."

Hoffman shook his head: "I'm not asking about this... I'm talking about the security forces around Edward VIII. There will be no major turmoil overall, but don't let some conspirators take advantage of the situation. What if they treat Edward VIII like they did Marshal Pound?"

"This..." Ribbentrop said embarrassedly, "I'm not familiar with this. , Comrade Himmler has to worry about it. "

"So he can't just go back home like this. I suggest he stay in Berlin first and bring security forces back home. He can use his own people on the periphery, and we have to send our forces on the core." Hoffman put this matter aside first and asked, "What are the specific procedures and progress of the recent negotiations and agreements?"

"Tomorrow I will go to Sofia and formally sign the "Armistice Agreement" with Molotov, and then it will officially take effect. The Russians promised to hand over Stalingrad to us by the end of June and West Moscow to us by July 15... The Red Army will retreat to the designated position before the end of October. They will gradually retreat and we will gradually take over. During this process, Vlasov's troops are not allowed to enter."

Hoffman nodded and approved of the progress.

"The British text is being drafted, but Black Cat needs to be sworn in at the parliament and give a speech, and then send a formal representative to negotiate the armistice agreement..." Ribbentrop thought for a while, "It is expected to be officially signed on June 30th. The signing site is planned to be in The Hague, and the Anglo-French armistice agreement will also be signed together, and then the delivery will be gradual - we deliver food and other supplies to the British Isles, and they deliver fleets and equipment to us. I expect you will not get those aircraft carriers until the end of July."

"Can it be faster?"

"That may require some preferential conditions." Ribbentrop thought for a while, "For the land in Pakistan, they also want to get your guarantee and lower the price again. Now the Japanese have just occupied Delhi, and they are aggressive and scary. The British only have 50,000 to 60,000 remnants, which is not enough for the Japanese. They are afraid that the Japanese will go back on their word."

"Let them Don't worry, I will definitely help you, and we can talk to the Japanese about the price. The Axis Summit will be held in Cairo on August 15. Great Britain should send representatives to attend and communicate with the Japanese face to face, but..." Hoffman emphasized, "The aircraft carrier must be given to me as soon as possible. I hope that the aircraft carrier will carry the British negotiators to The Hague and hand it over to us as Britain's sincerity in achieving peace. You must make this clear to Mr. Eden."

"Okay."

Hoffman thought for a while: "Use my name to express condolences for the death of Marshal Pound. This is a real soldier. The reason why the Royal Navy is great is not because of certain warships, but because of generations of outstanding soldiers such as Nelson, Cunningham, and Pound. This inheritance and spirit can make the Royal Navy rise again-I didn't say that Britain can no longer build warships to arm itself in the future."

"Führer?" Ribbentrop expressed surprise.

Hoffman waved his hand: "Be lenient to the enemy if you don't want to fight the British and French in the future."

"I understand."

After Ribbentrop left, Hoffman pondered for a moment and found Otto Skorzeny, the captain of the Ranke Commando and SS Lieutenant Colonel.

After the Thunder Operation, the Ranke Commando took on the defense of the Norwegian heavy water plant. They fought for more than half a year and defeated the commandos sent by Britain and the United States one by one. Although the sacrifice was not small, the achievement was greater. However, the rescue of Mussolini, which made Skorzeny famous in history, was useless.

"Führer, is there a new mission?"

Hoffman nodded: "This mission is very special and important."

"I will resolutely complete the mission you assigned."

"Let's go to England. Have you forgotten your English?"

"England?" Skorzeny was stunned. "No, the team members often communicate in English."

"That's good." Hoffman changed the subject. "Last time you went to perform a sabotage mission with Martyr Rank. This time, it's the other way around. It's protection - protecting a king."

"Black Cat?"

Hoffman nodded: "That's him. He is an important figure in the Anglo-German reconciliation. You must ensure that he is not harmed. I will let you meet him before he returns to England. This time there is a favorable condition. Big C, who has repeatedly opposed you, should not interfere again."

Skorzeny breathed a sigh of relief: The heavy water defense battle was very difficult. The British always popped up from nowhere, making it hard to guard against, and all the masterminds behind the scenes pointed to Big C.

"I know you have comrades-in-arms and brothers who died at the hands of the British, but I hope you can finally let it go." Hoffman sighed, "British-German reconciliation is a difficult process, much more difficult than Franco-German reconciliation, because both sides have The war has lasted for four more years, all kinds of war tactics have been used, and countless families have been destroyed by the war. From the perspective of European unity and post-war reconstruction, reconciliation is necessary. I hope you will remain humble and peaceful when performing your tasks. Be patient and don't think of yourself as a winner, let alone use words like surrender and defeat to irritate the British - if you don't want future generations to fight again, the outcome of the war is already obvious, so why bother using your words to attack the enemy. To rub salt into the wound?"

Skorzeny reluctantly agreed to this request, took a deep breath and said: "If the mission is completed, can we go see the cemetery of martyr Rank? I want to bring his remains back."

"It should be so. I will visit the UK in September and October. Then I will visit his grave with you and remember his heroic deeds."

"Thank you, Führer!" Skorzeny saluted and then withdrew.

While Hoffman was racking his brains for the British aircraft carriers, someone in Italy also took a fancy to these two aircraft carriers.

Knowing that the British were about to armistice and seek peace, Mussolini was as triumphant as if Italy were the main victor. Strange to say, Italy has always been afraid of the British rather than the Russians. When it saw the British Empire, it could not straighten its back or raise its head. When Cunningham succeeded in his surprise attack on Taranto, half of the Italian navy was crippled. In the early days of the North African campaign, it was The British Army was defeated repeatedly, and the Italians were afraid of the British to their core. Now that this long-standing enemy has finally fallen, how can Mussolini not be overjoyed?

Mussolini, who has entered the "summer break" mode in advance, is on vacation at the "Summer Palace". Knowing that he loved the sea, in 1927 King Emmanuel III of Italy lent him his beach villa, Castel Pocciano, near Rome, which soon became the leader's "summer residence." For more than ten years after that, he would come to Castello Pocciano every summer to take care of state affairs while on vacation.

During his vacation, he spent several hours every day lying on the beach in the sun, immersed in fantasy, or reading newspapers. Only when the weather cools down does he convene a meeting with his staff to discuss state affairs every night. Compared with the usual long and endless talks, this kind of meeting usually only lasts for 1-2 hours. He will go with his lover before 9 o'clock. Seeking pleasure - this is also the reason why Hoffman complained in front of Ciano that the leader only spends 1-2 hours a day handling state affairs. If Hoffman himself was in the Berlin Chancellery, he usually worked 10-12 hours a day - he knew very well that he had no talent, only hard work.

Every time he came to Castello Pocciano, Mussolini neither wanted to call anyone nor was disturbed, and Roman officials did not dare to call him. His main task is to have fun, and running the country is just a part-time job. But today it was the other way around. He asked the butler Pollato to call Ciano: "Ask him to come and discuss something with him."

Polato's main responsibility was to answer the phone and deal with the women who broke through the layers of security to appear in front of Mussolini - not including the leader's wife Laguerre. In the eyes of the servants, the Mussolinis were an interesting pair: Lager was a farm girl who spent almost all her time raising five children for Mussolini at home. The leader's authority seems to evaporate in front of his wife, and he doesn't dare to talk back to her at all, showing a rather henpecked "style." Not only the leader, but also his friends and bureaucrats, big and small, were afraid of Raghur. But one good thing about Lager was that she had heard many rumors that Mussolini was out looking for women, and she didn't seem to care as long as she wasn't caught red-handed.

Pollato was surprised when he received this request. It was not until the mistress of the summer palace, Clara Bettasi, who was 29 years younger than the leader, coughed that he realized that he was distracted and hurriedly agreed.

Ciano arrived quickly after receiving the call. He was a little uneasy along the way. He had not yet made a final decision, and was even worried that his meeting with Kesselring would be known to the leader. But after meeting Mussolini, he realized that he was wrong.

The leader said nonchalantly: "There will be an armistice with Britain soon. We are also a victorious country, and the spoils cannot be too small. You go and talk to the head of state. Italy does not want other compensation. I hope to get British Guiana and an aircraft carrier." "

Ciano's face suddenly turned pale and he screamed: "Leader, this request..."

Mussolini waved his hand nonchalantly: "I know it's a little difficult, but how can you show your level if it's not difficult? You will also be a leader in the future. How can you make everyone support you without outstanding achievements? Well... ... If we really don’t have an aircraft carrier, forget it. We must get Guyana down—Italy cannot live without its territory in South America.”

Ciano accepted this hot task and left with all his worries...