In a tense and chilling atmosphere, following the commander's order, the group of Panther tanks that had been ready to go instantly made a deafening roar, and their muzzles were all aimed at the ancient city of Rome. In an instant, the fire flickered, and the cannonballs roared towards the historic city like angry steel behemoths. The cannon rain from the sky poured down like a violent storm, launching a brutal and inhumane bombing of the city of Rome. Dozens of tanks were like tireless war machines, firing shells crazily in a short period of time. Every time a shell was fired, it was accompanied by a huge recoil, which made the tank tremble slightly. The whistling sound of the shells streaking across the sky was intertwined with the loud explosion that followed in the city, forming a chilling death movement. In a short period of time, thousands of cannonballs rained down on the streets of Rome. Those ancient buildings were reduced to ruins under the impact of cannonballs. Stones, bricks and tiles flew everywhere, raising dust all over the sky. The residents of the city were caught in a huge disaster without any precautions. Cries and calls for help came and went, but were ruthlessly covered up by the roar of artillery fire.

At this time, the city of Rome had been bombed beyond recognition. The once bustling streets are now filled with ruins; the once bustling squares are now filled with bomb craters. Corpses were strewn across the fields, and the blood dyed the earth red, mixing with the flying dust to form a horrific scene. The billowing black smoke was like the devil's tentacles, rising from all over the city and filling the entire sky, as if it was about to engulf the city. From a distance, the city of Rome looks like a huge ruin that has been ravaged by countless cannonballs, which brings a strong visual shock and impact to people, making people deeply feel the cruelty and ruthlessness of war. Standing next to the command vehicle, Catherine stared at the scene in front of her, with a hint of coldness and determination in her eyes. Seeing the city of Rome gradually being reduced to ruins under artillery fire, he nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand vigorously and said in a firm and cold voice: "Order the armored troops to continue the attack and annihilate all the resistance elements without leaving any one behind. " "Including the king?" The staff officer on the side asked cautiously in his ear, with a hint of caution and doubt in his eyes. "It depends on his luck." The corners of Catherine's mouth raised slightly, revealing a sneer that made people shudder. In his heart, the empire was at a critical moment of life and death, but this **** old king jumped out and caused trouble for them at this time. It was simply unforgivable. He will never show mercy because of the opponent's identity. In his eyes, anyone who hinders the advancement of the empire will be ruthlessly crushed. As Catherine's order was issued, tanks began to charge forward like a torrent of steel. Their heavy tracks left deep marks on the ground, making a crunching sound, as if announcing their arrival to the enemy. The machine gunners on the tanks were also on standby, keeping their eyes fixed on the front, ready to fire at any time if they found any suspicious targets. At the same time, more than thirty Stuka bombers that had just arrived on the battlefield circled in the air for several times, found the target, and began to launch a fierce attack on the artillery fire points in the city. The unique scream of the Stuka bomber was like the call of death, making the defenders in the city tremble with fear. Bombs fell from the bomb bay of the bomber one after another, accurately hitting the artillery points hidden in the corners, instantly turning them into ashes. In the garrison camp of Rome, seeing the 26th Armored Division rushing towards them like a tide, the soldiers had looks of fear on their faces. Their eyes were full of despair and helplessness, and their bodies were shaking involuntarily.

They have heard countless legends about the German army. In those legends, the German army is like demons, with extremely terrifying fighting power, leaving no trace of armor behind wherever they go. Now, seeing with their own eyes the huge and majestic figure of the Panther tank rushing towards them, the defenders were so frightened that they could hardly hold the guns in their hands. They are well aware of the strength gap between themselves and the other party, and their hearts are filled with despair. "Major, what should we do now? We can't stop them at all. Should we surrender immediately or continue to face the enemy?" A second lieutenant officer looked at the major next to him anxiously, with a tremor in his voice. There were beads of sweat on his forehead, and there was deep fear in his eyes. At this life-or-death moment, he desperately hoped that the major could give a clear instruction. The major was also frightened and overwhelmed by the sight in front of him. His face was as pale as paper and his lips trembled slightly. His eyes were fixed on the group of tanks rushing forward, and his mind was in chaos. "I, I don't know. The order given to me by my superiors is to fight back." His voice was full of hesitation and helplessness. Obviously, he also knew that with their current strength, they could not resist the German attack. "It's better to surrender. We don't have any fighting power now. We are allies with them. We are just soldiers. Politics has nothing to do with us." After a brief panic, the major quickly recovered and suppressed the fear in his heart. He said decisively. He knew very well that in this situation, continuing to resist would undoubtedly lead to death in vain. Only by surrendering, might there be a glimmer of hope. "It's just that we resisted fiercely just now. Will they let us go? Will they accept our surrender?" The second lieutenant's eyes were still full of worry, and he frowned, with a hint of despair in his voice. After all, they had just engaged in a fierce firefight with the Germans, and he was afraid that the Germans would be angry and refuse to accept their surrender. "That's up to God, but I think resistance will be worse, so surrender." The battalion commander, Major, replied with a wry smile, and there was a trace of helplessness and sadness in his eyes. In the face of war, the fate of ordinary soldiers like them is often beyond their control. "Surrender, prepare the white flag." The major took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and then gave the order loudly. Following the major's order, the trembling soldiers who were holding their rifles breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, they don't want to fight each other from the bottom of their hearts. The cruelty of the war has made them feel extremely frightened. They are eager to survive, eager to return to their hometown and see their relatives. "The best thing is to surrender. If we fight back, we will definitely die miserably." A veteran said with lingering fear, his eyes full of fear. He has experienced countless battles and is well aware of the power of the German army. In his opinion, this surrender is the most correct choice they have made. "Are they so scary?" A recruit asked curiously, his eyes full of doubts. As a new recruit who had just joined the army, his understanding of war was only at a theoretical level, and he had no personal experience of the horrors of the German army. "Terror? No, they are simply demons from hell. They are too terrifying. I have seen a platoon dare to charge a battalion." The veteran seemed to have remembered something terrible, and there was a look of horror on his face, but in Amidst the panic, there seemed to be a trace of yearning. That experience was both terrifying and shocking to him. "Oh my god, so brave? How dare a platoon charge against a battalion? That's amazing." The recruit said with admiration. "There are even more powerful ones. Their tanks are simply too powerful. They can destroy enemy tanks at a thousand meters. A position like ours can be destroyed with at most one shot. If we had continued to counterattack just now, we would definitely have been shot." The veteran obviously understood it very well and spoke eloquently. The soldiers surrounding him all turned pale with fright, looking frightened. At this time, homemade white flags appeared on the Italian army's position.

Since he joined the army, he has been taught that company to company and battalion to battalion can only attack when the strength of the troops is equal, otherwise the attack will be an act of seeking death. And there must be artillery and air force support, otherwise we must not attack. When the enemy charges, you must retreat and do not fight with the enemy who is looking forward to death. This book was recently updated in ##六@@九@@书@@!! Updated! It is these so-called "tactical principles" that lead them to be called the "noodle army" by the armies of other countries, which means that their combat effectiveness is as fragile as noodles. At this moment, facing the approaching German army, they chose to surrender. In their opinion, this may be a wise choice, but it is undoubtedly a shame for their country and army. However, in the face of cruel war, the instinct of survival often overcomes everything. Outside the city, the tank group of the 26th Armored Division was getting closer and closer to the defenders of Rome. The roar of the tanks was deafening, as if it was about to shatter the entire earth. The commanders stared closely at the enemy ahead through the periscope, with their fingers on the fire button, ready to give the enemy a fatal blow at any time. When they saw the white flag slowly rising on the city wall, the tank group did not stop advancing immediately, but continued to remain vigilant and slowly approached. It wasn't until it was confirmed that the other party had indeed surrendered that they gradually slowed down. Catherine sat in the command vehicle and looked at the white flag on the city wall with a satisfied smile on her face. He won this battle with an absolute advantage. Although he knew that this war was far from over, this victory undoubtedly cleared away some haze for the empire. As the tank group slowly drove into the city of Rome, the German soldiers did not react much to the scene in the city, and they were even used to it. There were ruins and corpses everywhere, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gun smoke and blood. They moved forward cautiously, always alert to possible dangers. The surrendered defenders were standing aside at the moment, their heads lowered, their eyes filled with shame and helplessness. They looked at the German soldiers with mixed feelings in their hearts. They once fought to defend their country, but in the face of the cruel reality, they had to choose to surrender. In this war, no one is the real winner. Both the victorious German army and the defeated Roman city defenders paid a heavy price. And those innocent people became victims of the war. Rome, this ancient and beautiful city, has lost its former glory under the baptism of war, leaving only ruins and endless pain. Perhaps, only when the war truly ends, can this land regain vitality and peace. At this time, inside the armored command vehicle, there was a busy and orderly scene. A combat staff officer hurriedly walked up to Catherine, saluted a military salute with an upright posture, and reported: "Your Excellency, Marshal, the enemy is surrendering to us now. Do we accept it?" Catherine frowned slightly, looked away from the battlefield situation map, looked at the staff, and asked calmly: "Have the senior officials of the Kingdom of Italy caught him?" "We didn't catch them, they ran away." The combat staff officer looked a little nervous and responded quickly. "You bastard, you actually let them run away." A trace of unwillingness flashed across Catherine's face, her fists clenched unconsciously, her tone full of annoyance.

"What should we do with these people who surrendered?" Seeing that the marshal was in a bad mood, the combat staff felt slightly frightened. However, due to his duty, he still asked again. Catherine thought for a moment, squinted her eyes, and said coldly: "Accept it, killing them is of no use. Send someone to ask where those high-level officials have fled. If anyone is willing to tell their whereabouts, they can be rewarded. " "Yes, Your Majesty Marshal!" The combat staff nodded quickly and responded, then turned around and left quickly to carry out the order. After the staff officer left, Catherine held the latest telegram in her hand and said slowly: "Let's go into the city. The Supreme Command just sent a telegram appointing me as the commander of the Southern Theater Command. Italy will be under my jurisdiction." Hearing this, the faces of everyone in the headquarters instantly showed a hint of joy. This is undoubtedly great news for them, because the positions of all of them here will be improved with Catherine's promotion. However, Catherine immediately changed the topic and said solemnly: "Don't be too happy. The Supreme Command will not give us any additional soldiers. All the troops we need are recruited and trained from Italy and other countries." At the end of the sentence, there was a hint of helplessness on his face. After everyone listened, their originally excited expressions gradually solidified. After messing around, they finally had to deal with these Italian troops. To be honest, the Germans really didn't want to deal with them. It would be much better to replace them with a group of French troops than these Italian troops. At least the French army's combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of the Italian army, and its frontal offensive capability is still very strong. These Italian troops did not know how to fight without artillery fire, and did not dare to charge without tank cover. "Okay, don't complain. At least you have one more star on your shoulders." Catherine interrupted everyone's teasing and said seriously: "From now on, the entire army is ordered not to bully women or those who dare to trample on them. Kill without mercy." "Yes!" everyone shouted in unison. (End of chapter)