The defense line built by the German and Italian coalition forces in Tunisia seems indestructible, but in fact there are already many internal contradictions, like a dangerous building that is about to collapse. The Italian army, a force that has always been in an awkward situation in the war, is now deeply trapped in an unprecedented quagmire of dilemma. Their supply lines are long and fragile, like candles in the wind, which may be extinguished at any time. The supplies were extremely scarce, the soldiers were unable to eat, hungry, and their morale was extremely low, like eggplant beaten by frost. In sharp contrast, the German army still maintains certain advantages on the battlefield with its efficient logistics support system and advanced and powerful military equipment. However, this advantage cannot cover up the deepening and difficult-to-bridge crack between the German and Italian coalition forces, which is like a chasm, lying between the two. General Messe, the commander of the Italian army, was a middle-aged general with gray hair and haggard face. He was sitting in a temporary and slightly simple command tent, his eyebrows tightly twisted into the character "Sichuan". In front of him was a huge North African battlefield map, with pushpins of various colors inserted on the map, marking the deployment of troops on both sides. His fingers slowly wandered on the map, from the area where the Italian army had weak defense and full of flaws to the defense line where the German army gathered heavily and was heavily guarded, and finally stayed on the route of steady advancement of the Allies. He knew very well that if he continued to resist like this hopelessly, the Italian army would undoubtedly be completely swallowed up and destroyed.

"General, we can't sit and wait for death anymore." Adjutant Antonio Vitali hurried into the tent, breaking the repressing silence. His face was full of anxiety and worries, and his eyes revealed a deep fear of the future. "The soldiers are no longer fighting spirit, like lambs to be slaughtered. Our ammunition is about to be sold out, and the food can only last for only two seconds. God. If this continues, we will all die here." General Messe slowly raised his head and looked at his adjutant, with a trace of painful struggle flashing in his eyes. Why doesn’t he know the current severe situation? But as a soldier, the word "surrender" is like a heavy shackle in his heart, tightly bound his heart. "But Vitali, surrender means betraying the Axis powers, our honor...what do we have been persisting for many years?" His voice was low and hoarse, as if squeezed out from the depths of his soul. "Honor?" Vitali was so excited that she couldn't help but interrupt the general, "General, what honor can be said in such a cruel and meaningless war? Our soldiers are suffering, their lives are Being ruthlessly consumed, like a candle in the wind, may be extinguished at any time. We are soldiers, but we are people first and foremost, we have the responsibility to protect them, not to let them die in vain." His words were filled with a hint of sob, His eyes were also slightly red. General Messe was silent, and his eyes slowly fell on the map again. Outside the tent, there were the weak coughs of soldiers and the dull roar of vehicles. The intertwined sound seemed to be the music of death played by war. After a long time, he spoke slowly, with a hint of helplessness and fatigue in his voice: "Call the main officers, let's hold a meeting and discuss countermeasures together." The meeting was held secretly in the tent, and the atmosphere was so tense that it was so depressing that it was breathless, as if the air was frozen. The officers sat around the table, each with a completely different expression on their faces, but one thing was the same, that is, their deep confusion and fear of the future, and their eyes were full of helplessness. General Messe took the lead in speaking. He analyzed the current severe situation clearly and in-depth in detail, and finally put forward the idea of ​​surrender with difficulty. As soon as this proposal exits, it is like throwing a huge rock on the calm lake, causing a thousand layers of waves in an instant. "Surrender? This is absolutely not possible!" A young and energetic officer stood up angrily, his hands clenched into fists, and his face turned red. "We are Italian soldiers, shouldering the honor and mission of the country. How can we go to the world with the honor and mission of the country. The enemy bowed his knees and surrendered? We should fight to the end, and we were wrapped in corpses! ” His voice was filled with reluctance and anger. "Fight to the end?" Another older officer laughed coldly, with a hint of mockery on his face, "What to fight? Our ammunition is only enough to support one day, and the food is only enough to last for two days. Do you want to Is it that the soldiers go to die without arming? What is the difference between suicide? " His words were like a sharp blade, stabbing the young officer in the heart. "But..." The young officer wanted to refute, but was stopped by General Messe. "I understand everyone's mood," General Messe said slowly, his voice low and firm, "but we must face reality. If we continue to fight, we have no chance of winning, and will only make more soldiers lose their precious lives and become wars. The victim. Although surrender is painful and humiliating, it is like spreading salt on the wound, it can at least save everyone's lives and give them a chance to go home alive." A trace of unbearableness and helplessness were revealed in his eyes. The officers fell into silence, and everyone was in a fierce ideological struggle deep in their hearts, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, after a heated discussion, most of the officers agreed to the proposal of surrender, with helplessness and relief on their faces.

At the same time, the atmosphere in Cunyunsheng's command center seemed particularly relaxed and pleasant, which was in sharp contrast with the depression of the German and Italian coalition forces. At this moment, Cun Yunsheng was standing in front of a huge combat map, listening carefully to the intelligence officer's report. "Commander, according to the latest information, there are serious differences and contradictions within the German and Italian coalition forces, especially the Italian army. Their morale is extremely low and they are almost on the verge of collapse." The intelligence officer said in a hurry. Cun Yunsheng nodded slightly, and a hint of undetectable smile appeared on his face, as if everything was within his expectations. "As expected, the Italian army has been in a difficult and difficult situation, as if they were struggling among thorns. Their supplies could not keep up, and the soldiers were tired of war. It was only a matter of time before the differences arose." His voice was calm and confident. "Then should we increase the offensive efforts, break through their defense line in one fell swoop and give them a fatal blow?" the intelligence officer asked anxiously, his eyes flashing with excitement. Cun Yunsheng pondered for a moment, then said calmly: "Don't act rashly and act impulsively. Although they had differences, the combat effectiveness of the German army should not be underestimated. They are a group of well-trained tigers. We attack rashly, and it is very likely that Being in a hard battle will not be worth the loss. Pay close attention to their movements first and see how the situation will develop, and then wait for an opportunity to move." His eyes revealed caution and wisdom. At this moment, a correspondent soldier hurried into the command center and handed a telegram to Cunyunsheng. Cun Yunsheng took the telegram and browsed it quickly. The expression on his face instantly became a little surprised, but he quickly returned to calm. "What's the matter, commander?" the intelligence officer asked curiously. Cun Yunsheng handed the telegram to the intelligence officer and said, "The commander of the Italian army sent someone to send a request for surrender. They want to negotiate with us and seek a peaceful solution." His tone was filled with surprise and expectation. . The intelligence officer took the telegram and showed a surprised expression after reading it. "This is too sudden, General, what are you going to do? How should we deal with it?" There was a hint of nervousness and confusion in his voice. Cun Yunsheng smiled slightly and said, "This is a good opportunity, but we cannot take it lightly, we must be cautious. I send Adjutant Li to negotiate with them, and we must ensure the smooth progress of the negotiations. At the same time, we will strengthen our vigilance to prevent the German army from jumping over the wall in a hurry. Mad actions." His eyes revealed decisiveness and firmness. Adjutant Li, a smart and capable young officer with rich experience, immediately led a negotiation team to set off after receiving the task. They met representatives of the Italian army at the agreed location. The representative of the Italian army was a colonel named Giorgi Mancini. He looked a little nervous and his hands were trembling slightly unconsciously, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes, as if he had removed a heavy shackle. After a few greetings between the two sides quickly got to the point. "We are willing to surrender," Colonel Mancini said, with a hint of trembling in his voice, "but we have several conditions. First, we hope that the Allies will guarantee the safety of life and basic rights of all surrendered soldiers so that they can gain humaneness. Secondly, we hope to be properly placed, and not treat us as prisoners of war, like criminals; finally, we hope to end this war as soon as possible so that our soldiers can return home and reunite with their families as soon as possible. "His eyes were filled with expectation and desire. No mistakes, one song, one content, one in 6, one book, one bar, one reading! Adjutant Li listened carefully and said, "I will report to my superiors about your conditions. But I can guarantee you first that the Allies have always abide by the rules of war, uphold the humanitarian spirit, and will treat everyone who surrender well." Soldier. As for other conditions, further consultation is needed, and we will try our best to meet your reasonable demands." His tone was sincere and firm. The negotiations went smoothly, and the two sides reached a preliminary consensus on some key issues. Adjutant Li reported the negotiation results to Cun Yunsheng. Cun Yunsheng expressed satisfaction with the negotiation results and showed a gratified smile on his face. However, things didn't go that smoothly. The Germans soon learned that the Italian army was preparing to surrender, and they felt extremely angry and shocked, as if they were betrayed beasts. The German commander General Anim, a general known for his toughness and decisiveness, immediately held an emergency meeting. "The Italians are simply a group of cowards!" Anim slapped the table angrily, and the documents on the table were scattered all over the ground. "How can they surrender at this critical moment? This is a betrayal of the Axis powers, and it is not possible. The sin of forgiveness!” His face turned red, and his eyes were filled with flames of anger. "General, now is not the time to be angry," said a staff officer calmly. "We must find a way to stop them from surrendering, otherwise there will be huge loopholes in our defense and easily broken through by the Allies." His voice was calm and calm. , trying to calm Anim's emotions. Anim took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, his chest undulating violently.

"You are right, we cannot sit idly by. Send troops to the camps that surround the Italian army and prevent them from contacting the Allies. If they dare to resist, destroy them, and leave no one!" His eyes revealed coldness and Decisive. The Germans acted quickly and decisively, and they quickly surrounded the Italian army's camp. The Italian soldiers were frightened by this sudden change, like frightened birds. They picked up their weapons one after another, ready to resist in a hurry, their faces filled with fear and helplessness. General Messe was anxious when he learned that the German army had surrounded the camp, as if he was an ant on a hot pan. He immediately contacted the German commander and tried to convince them not to act too aggressively. "General Anim, we just don't want to make unnecessary sacrifices anymore," General Messe said on the phone, with a hint of pleading in his voice. "This is not a betrayal of the Axis powers, we just want to end this cruelty War allows the soldiers to survive. "His eyes were filled with helplessness and pain. "End the war?" Anim sneered, "You are escaping at the last minute, it is the act of cowards! In the war, there is only victory and death, no surrender! You must give up the idea of ​​surrender immediately, otherwise I will order an attack and let you Pay a heavy price! ” His voice was filled with threat and anger. General Messe was in a dilemma. He neither wanted to let his soldiers clash with the German army and die for nothing, nor did he want to give up the plan of surrender, so that the soldiers would lose the opportunity to survive. He knew that once a war broke out with the German army, the Italian army would face a catastrophe and be wiped out. At this moment, the Allied forces learned that the German army surrounded the Italian army camp. Cun Yunsheng realized that things had reached a critical moment, like an arrow on the string and had to be fired. If action is not taken in time, the Italian army's surrender plan is likely to fail and may even trigger a larger and more cruel battle. "Immediately warn the Germans," Cun Yunsheng said decisively, with a firm and powerful voice. "Tell them that if they dare to attack the Italian army, we will regard it as a declaration of war against the Allies, and we will immediately launch a full-scale attack and let them Try our awesomeness! "His eyes reveal fearlessness and courage. At the same time, Cunyunsheng ordered the troops to be prepared for combat and ready to support the Italian army at any time. The Allied warnings put Anim in hesitation. He knew that once the war with the Allied forces was in full swing, the German army would face tremendous pressure and be attacked from both sides. He had to reconsider his actions and weigh the pros and cons. (End of this chapter)