In front of the world-famous Colosseum in Rome, the capital of Italy, three German officials stood side by side, attracting the sideways of the surrounding passers-by.

Standing in the center was a German rear admiral, flanked by a naval captain and an air force captain to his left and right.

Less than ten meters in front of them, an Italian naval major held a Leica camera and kept adjusting the focus to the three of them, and the moment he pressed the shutter, a smile appeared on the corner of the Italian major's mouth, and he saw the German rear admiral standing in the middle quietly raise his arms and erect a scissor hand behind the heads of his subordinates on the left and right.

There was a clear click, and the camera clearly recorded this precious picture.

The three people in the photo are naturally the trio of Chen Dao who are absent from work for no reason, and they have visited the 7th Air Defense Battalion who went to North Africa all the way to Italy, and unfortunately they "got lost" in Rome, the capital of Italy.

For two days, Major Totti drove a Fiat sedan with three men in the city of Rome and got lost.

Under the leadership of Major Totti, the four of them got lost to the Pantheon, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Peter's Basilica and other places of interest in Rome, and by the way, they also studied the tip of the tongue of Italy.

During the period of getting lost, Chen Dao fully carried forward the spirit of a local tyrant who spent a lot of money, took the initiative to bear all the expenses of the four people, killed the Italian lira equivalent to 40,000 marks in two days, and bought countless souvenirs, leaving an indelible impression on Major Totti, who dealt with him for the first time.

Happy times are always short-lived, after two days of lost life in the ancient city of Rome. The trio and Major Totty parted in tears. In the port of Naples, southeast of Rome, the troop carrier Poseidon set sail for Tobruk, Libya.

They were accompanied by nearly a thousand reinforcements of the Italian Army.

Two o'clock in the afternoon. The Poseidon departed on time.

As the supreme commander of the Italian army of Poseidon, Major Piero from the 17th Pavia Infantry Division of the Italian Army fully showed his hospitality qualities no less than Major Totti, and took the initiative to find the trio of Chen Dao to chat and relieve boredom, adding a lot of fun to the trip of the three of them to North Africa.

Major Piero is well-informed, constantly explaining the customs and customs of various parts of Italy along the way, and Chen Daosheng has decades of more knowledge than ordinary people, and after a few hours of chatting, the two have become long-lost confidants.

After dinner, Major Piero had to leave beforehand. Chen Dao and the three of them took a walk on the deck.

The Poseidon was passing through a strait at this time, and Chen Dao pointed to the land on the right side of the strait and said: "If I guess correctly, the land on our right should be Sicily, and the mainland of Italy on the left." ”

"I never figured out, why did we go to North Africa to fight for the Italians?" Captain Lorenz said with a frown.

"This is the fourth time you've asked this question in three days." Captain Bach teased.

"You are wrong, we are not fighting for the Italians, we are fighting for Germany." Chen Dao explained.

"I don't think so, we have no interests in North Africa, except for the Suez Canal, but even if we control the Suez Canal. I'm afraid it will also be handed over to the Italians, and we will have to work hard for nothing. Captain Lorenz said.

"We went to North Africa to fight not just for the Suez Canal. It's because Chen Dao looked back at the Italian soldiers walking around them, and said, "It's getting dark soon, let's go back to the cabin." ”

Five minutes later, in a four-person cabin inside the Poseidon, Chen Dao continued to explain to Captain Lorenz: "Although there are such enthusiastic and energetic excellent soldiers as Major Piero and Major Totti in the Italian army, it still can't hide the fact that the Italian army, especially the Italian army, is a scumbag. ”

Captain Lorenz and Captain Bach looked at each other in confusion, and Captain Bach then asked, "What do you mean by the five scum?" ”

Chen Dao blinked his eyes and brushed his thoughts, and patiently explained: "Taking the German Army as a reference, assuming that the combat effectiveness of the German Army is one hundred, then the Italian Army is the scum with only five combat effectiveness, referred to as the five scum of war. ”

Captain Bach and Captain Lorenz nodded in unison, indicating that they had learned a new term with His Excellency the Learned Commander.

"The Italian Army is a war scum, they can't deal with the British army in North Africa at all, and if we don't take the initiative, they will definitely not be able to hold North Africa with their strength. Once North Africa is lost, it is only a matter of time before Italy is lost, and the positions of the countries and regions along the Mediterranean, such as Vichy France, Spain, and the Balkans, will certainly fall in favor of the British.

Now the total number of British troops stationed in Egypt is only about 50,000, and we are to attack at the weakest of their forces, to drive the British out of the Mediterranean, which is the least laborious and the most profitable, and if we miss this best opportunity, the British troops stationed in North Africa will soon become 500,000, and by that time everything I have just said will become a reality. ”

"You can think of our operation in North Africa as a trip to the beautiful Nile. There we can take a group photo under the pyramid of Khufu, or we can follow Napoleon's feat of shelling the Sphinx, what can't be thought of? Captain Bach shrugged his shoulders and said.

"Relax, don't be nervous, just think like him." Chen Dao said and stood up and walked to the hatch, "I'll go to the toilet and come back immediately." ”

As soon as Chen Dao's hand touched the handle of the cabin door, he heard a loud "boom" in his ears, and the ground under his feet suddenly shook.

Chen Dao felt a huge force coming from under his feet, and his body involuntarily flew out, slamming into the wall of the cabin.

After the impact, Chen Dao slid to the ground softly with his eyes full of Venus and spurted nosebleeds, and the whistling of the wind and the roar of war drums could be heard in his ears

In a dizziness, Chen Dao felt someone hold his arms and drag him outward.

After being dragged on the ground for as long as a century, Chen Dao noticed that someone seemed to be taking off his boots.

After the two obstructive boots were taken off, Chen Dao suddenly felt that he would fly.

Before Chen Dao could fully enjoy the pleasure of soaring clouds and mist, there was a loud "poof", and endless coldness surrounded him.

Chen Dao came to his senses in an instant, and he found that countless salty and astringent seawater had poured into his nose and mouth.

I'm in the sea! Waving his limbs and flapping in the water a few times, Chen Dao controlled his sinking body and immediately figured out his situation.

As soon as he spit out the seawater in his mouth, Chen Dao saw a person pushing a lifebuoy and swimming to his side, it was Captain Lorenz.

Captain Lorenz put a life buoy on Chen Dao, and together with Captain Bach, who swam later, he pushed Chen Dao to swim desperately away from the Poseidon troop carrier.

"The ship is sinking, we must get out of here at once, or we will be swept up in the whirlpool." Captain Lorenz shouted hoarsely.

Behind the three of them, the tall hull of the Poseidon troop carrier slowly fell to the right, and under the reflection of the ship's lights, countless black spots fell into the dark and cold sea like dumplings, and it was the Italian soldiers on the ship who had no time to escape.

Five minutes later, the Poseidon lay completely on its side on the sea, sinking to the bottom of the sea with countless Italian soldiers and sailors who had not had time to flee (to be continued......