December 23 at 1:40 a.m., London, 10 Downing Street.

Churchill sat at his desk, a telegram in each hand, his gaze scanning the telegram through his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his face was cloudy.

Churchill's left-hand telegram came from Iraq, sent by General Wavell, and the telegram said that the German African Army had attacked Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, under the leadership of Rommel, and was now confronting the British and Iraqi troops near Baghdad, and a large-scale fierce battle was expected to break out after Christmas.

The strength of the Germans was three divisions, two of which were panzer divisions. The Luftwaffe had already stationed at the airfield in the Kirkuk area, north of Baghdad, abandoned by the British. Kirkuk was about three hundred kilometers from Baghdad, and the Luftwaffe could launch an air attack on Baghdad at any time.

In the small town of Habaniyah, near Baghdad, there is an aviation school of the British Air Force, which has 84 fighters of all types.

Thinking of the battle that was about to take place after Christmas, and of the War Secretary of State Eden's proposal to withdraw, Churchill rushed to his own vision and became more and more blurred.

"With our forces in Iraq, we will certainly not be able to resist the German attack, and the wisest course of action is to withdraw our troops from Iraq before they have suffered defeat and throw them into the East African theater to attack the Italians. Otherwise, if we disperse our limited forces on two fronts, we will inevitably lose enough troops on both fronts, and we will both fail. The Germans and Italians had enough troops to fight on two fronts. We don't. This must be taken into account. ”

Aiden's advice is pertinent. Churchill was impressed, but he thought that the opposition at home would impeach him if he knew that he had abandoned Iraq without a fight.

After all, the loss of Iraq would not only mean that Britain would lose valuable oil, but the Luftwaffe would also take the opportunity to easily cut off Britain's air ties with India.

What is even more serious is that Britain's prestige in the Arab countries of the Middle East will be lost, which is undoubtedly the most fatal for Britain, an old colonial country.

After thinking about it for a while, Churchill felt torn between a few sides. He simply turned his gaze to the telegram in his right hand.

The telegram in the right hand came from the commander-in-chief of the British forces in East Africa, Admiral Ochinleck.

Looking at Auchinlake's telegram, Churchill felt a little more confident in the prospects of war.

By this time, the Eighth Army had occupied all of Italian Somalia and had invaded Ethiopian territory, and was marching on Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on two fronts.

As the area of control expanded, and the battle line lengthened, Auchinleck kept urging him to send reinforcements to East Africa as soon as possible to expand the results of the war.

The Germans and Italians had conquered the Balkans, the Greeks had given up their resistance, and the Germans and Italians would soon be sending more troops into East Africa and the Middle East, and the situation facing Britain would be even more dire. The Italian army in East Africa had to be dealt with before reinforcements from the Germans and Italians arrived.

But reinforcements were moving across the ocean to East Africa, and the 2nd Panzer Division would have to arrive as soon as mid-January.

Judging by the situation that Britain is facing now. It seems that troops can only be transferred from Iraq to East Africa to reinforce the Eighth Army.

Maps of the Middle East and East Africa kept flashing through Churchill's mind, and Aiden's advice echoed in his ears again and again.

After weighing it up for a while, Churchill jerked the two telegrams in his hand onto the table.

Since Iraq can no longer hold on, simply give up.

Concentrate all your forces against the Italians in East Africa, and recover all the lost interests of the British Empire in the Middle East from the Italians.

As for those members of the House of Commons, if they want to be impeached, let them be impeached, anyway, it is not the first time.

Churchill made up his mind decisively and settled the last thing on his mind before Christmas, and instantly felt that his brain was occupied by the Sandman.

Taking off his reading glasses and rubbing his eyes, Churchill dragged his tired body out of the office.

After taking a comfortable hot bath, Churchill went into the bedroom, glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, and saw that it was already 2:20 a.m.

Getting under the covers, Churchill lay on his back on the bed with his eyes closed.

Christmas is coming, so it should be a few days of relaxation! With a beautiful vision, Churchill fell into a deep sleep.

After some time, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and two figures rushed into the bedroom and threw themselves on the side of the bed and gently shook Churchill's shoulders.

"Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Prime Minister" a hurried voice kept calling out to Churchill.

Churchill slowly opened his eyes, glaring at the secretary who had ruined his dream without a trace of emotion.

The secretary clearly saw several black lines on Churchill's forehead, and the Prime Minister was clearly unhappy with his actions.

Met with Churchill's questioning gaze, the secretary quickly explained the reason why he had ruined Churchill's dream.

"The German Foreign Office and Jordan have just issued a joint statement that Jordan has gained full independence under German protection."

The bad news brought by the secretary woke Churchill in an instant.

"The Germans did not have a mandate in Jordan?" Churchill asked eagerly.

"No, it's real independence." The secretary said.

As if he had not heard the secretary's words, Churchill then asked: "The Germans will not garrison troops in Jordan?" ”

"No, the German government claims that it will not set up any kind of military base in Jordan." The secretary said.

Churchill's eyes suddenly became flustered, and his eyes rolled wildly in his sockets.

Oops! Oops! Oops!

When Churchill heard the sad news of the Jordanian people's independence, he kept crying out in his heart, and all kinds of British and Jordanian pasts immediately popped up in his mind.

In 1920, the Conference of San Remo made Palestine a British mandate.

In 1921, Britain divided Palestine into two with the Jordan River as the boundary, and the western part is still called Palestine. The Emirate of Transjordan was established in the east. The British established a semi-autonomous sultanate here. Abdullah I, the second son of King Hussein of the Hejaz Dynasty, was appointed chief of the Emirate of Transjordan. Britain recognized Abdullah as the ruler of Transjordan. Abdullah recognized the British Mandate.

By 1923, Britain had taken full control of Transjordan's politics and economy under the spell of carrots and sticks. The Arab Legion in Transjordan was commanded by the British, the royal family was financed by the British government, and foreign affairs were handled by the British governor-general.

For the royal family and the people of Jordan, the so-called independence and autonomy only exist in legends, and the British Empire is the real owner of this land.

In 1928, the British government forced Transjordan to accept the 20-year British Pact. Completely legitimize British rule over Outer Jordan.

Countries like Jordan, and indeed the entire Arab world, deserve only to be vassals of civilized countries like the British Empire, and the whole purpose of their existence in this world is to provide the British Empire with cheap goods and labor, and to provide the British Empire with dumping grounds for products.

This ingrained thought was deeply ingrained in Churchill's mind.

The Germans did not play their cards according to common sense, and the consequences of their indiscriminate play were very serious, and it was bound to trigger a chain reaction in the Arab world, where the wave of nationalist independence was rising, and if this wave of independence continued, the rule of the British Empire in the Arab world would no longer exist.

Thinking of the series of evil consequences that Jordan's independence would trigger, Churchill's fat body involuntarily jumped out of bed.

"Gather the Cabinet members, I'm going to have a meeting."

Rome, the capital of Italy, Palazzo Venezia.

Mussolini, who had been busy for most of the night, escaped the warm embrace of his mistress Petache. Walking into the office with the scent of powder, he was stunned by the bad news that Ziano had brought.

After frowning and thinking for a few seconds. Mussolini burst into laughter. "Let me guess that the Germans must have set up a military base in Jordan under the pretext of protecting Jordan from the British threat, am I right? It was impossible for the Germans to give up such a big piece of fat as Jordan, and Hitler was not a philanthropist. ”

Ziano's answer instantly made Mussolini feel that his intelligence had been greatly tested.

"Jordan has gained real independence, they have completely autonomous political, economic, military, and diplomatic rights, and all German troops have withdrawn from Jordan. The German Foreign Ministry sent a telegram hoping that we would be able to establish fair diplomatic relations with Jordan as soon as possible. ”

"Hitler, that idiot, that idealist, does he understand what politics is? Who does he think he is? Savior? Didn't he think about the consequences of doing so? Mussolini shouted angrily, holding his head in anger.

Ziano had a worried look on his face.

"The Germans have put us in complete passivity. Stimulated by Jordan's independence, Libya and Egypt, as well as the Palestinians' ambitions for independence, will surely swell, and they will pin their hopes for independence on the Germans, who in their eyes are really saviors. ”

"What are the Germans kidding if they want us to recognize Jordan's independence? No way, I would not have established diplomatic relations with Jordan, I, unlike Hitler, I am not an idiot. Mussolini said.

"But this will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the Germans and affect our relations." Ziano said cautiously.

"Don't reply to the proposal of the German Foreign Office, you can find a way to delay the time, the longer the better, preferably until we get rid of the British troops in East Africa, so that we don't have to look at the faces of the Germans anymore." Mussolini said.

"Okay, I'll try." Ziano said.

In contrast to Italy's pushback, the other Axis members sent congratulatory messages to the reborn Jordan after receiving a diplomatic note from the German Foreign Office.

The Norwegian Government, Germany's hardcore ally, first sent a congratulatory message to the Jordanian Government, expressing its heartfelt wishes to the Jordanian people for freeing themselves from the colonial rule of the shameless, insidious, cunning, and vicious British Government, and sincerely hoping that the Jordanian people would be able to build Jordan into an independent, prosperous, and beautiful homeland under the wise leadership of King Abdullah I.

The Norwegian Government has also pledged to discuss with the Kingdom of Jordan the exchange of ambassadors after Christmas.

The Norwegian government was followed by a congratulatory message from the Hungarian government

The Romanian government sent a congratulatory message

The Bulgarian Government sent a congratulatory message

The Government of Yugoslavia sent a congratulatory message

Even the government of Greece, a non-staff member of the Axis powers, sent a congratulatory message

As the first non-Axis member to send a congratulatory message, the Turkish government's congratulatory message caused a real stir internationally.

After receiving congratulatory telegrams, King Abdullah I of Jordan could not help but feel emotional.

In front of the British, even if they have the support of all Arab countries, they will never dare to show the slightest independent mind in front of the British, let alone take action, and they are not like the whole family was "accidentally" killed.

In front of the Germans, on the contrary, it is impossible to be independent if you want to, and if you are not independent, the outcome is likely to be "accidental".

is also a big country from Europe, why is there such a big gap in life?

Jordan's independence and the messages it received were like a hammer hammer to the hearts of every member of the British Empire's wartime cabinet.

The conference room at 10 Downing Street was a gloomy fog.

From Churchill downwards, every member of the meeting had a pimple on his forehead.

"What can we say at this time? Do we want the Jordanian government to abide by the British Pact signed in 1928, reject independence, and be a puppet under our mandate?

We have no other way but to use force to solve the problems of the Middle East. Deputy Prime Minister Attlee said.

Thinking of the strong pressure on the British-army in the Middle East, Churchill turned his eyes to War Secretary Eden.

"The situation we are now facing in the Middle East is very serious, we are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of public opinion and military, and we do not have enough strength to resolve the chaos in the Middle East." Aiden said.

"This move by the Germans will inevitably gain support in the Arab world, and those Arabs will fall to the Germans like dominoes, and even if we can defeat the Germans in the future, I am afraid it will be difficult to suppress the wave of Arab independence."

Churchill glanced at Attlee dissatisfied, and then said, "We are not here to complain, but to solve the problem, and any of you has the means to solve the problem." ”

"I think there is only one way, to mobilize all the troops that can be mobilized to go to the Middle East, to defeat the Germans, to deter the Arabs." Attlee said.

"I object, our supply lines are too long, we have to make a detour to Africa, and we will also encounter attacks by German submarines. Even if we were able to safely transport our troops to the Indian Ocean, we would have to face two theaters of war, the Middle East and East Africa. Judging from the current situation, Iraq will certainly not be able to hold on, but the situation in Ethiopia is favorable to us, what we should do is to concentrate our forces to deal with the Italian army in Ethiopia first, and as for Iraq, I suggest abandoning. Aiden said.

"Once we give up on Iraq, we may never have a chance to go back." Attlee said.

"Rather than letting the Germans eat all our troops in Iraq and then occupy Iraq, it is better for us to give up on our own initiative, at least to keep those precious forces and preserve our strength for future counteroffensives.

I would like to advise you that if we want everything, then we will not get anything. We are now lacking in strength, so we can only choose to give up. Aiden said.

Aiden's last words deeply touched Churchill, and remembering his decision in the morning, Churchill said ruthlessly: "I agree with Aiden's suggestion, and the War Office immediately informs General Wavell to draw up a plan for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and to transfer all troops to East Africa, so that we will win back from the Italians because of the interests we have lost to the Germans." (To be continued......)