The endless meeting finally came to an end, and Churchill shouted "adjournment" to end the meeting, which had caused great pain to the attendees.

Twenty minutes later, Churchill's sleek figure appeared at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, London.

Walking through the main entrance of the hospital, Churchill saw seven or eight hospital nurses placing a Christmas tree in the lobby.

"Merry Christmas, gentlemen." Churchill swept away the gloom of Jordan's independence and greeted the nurses warmly.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Prime Minister."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Churchill."

The nurses came forward to greet Churchill in surprise, and then scrambled to reach out to shake Churchill's hand, and the reporters who followed Churchill picked up their cameras to record the next warm scene.

After praising the beauty of the Christmas tree, Churchill waved goodbye to the nurses and headed straight to the upper wards of the hospital.

Two minutes later, Churchill walked into the third-floor intensive care unit 302, surrounded by reporters and doctors and nurses.

Standing by a hospital bed by the door, Churchill looked at an unconscious wounded man, his face covered with bandages, and only his nose and mouth exposed, and gently asked the doctor next to him about the wounded's condition.

"His name is Tony. Blair, the merchant ship he worked on was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank. He was lucky to be surrounded by flames by his good friend George. Bush, it was the wounded man behind you who rescued the flames. Although he survived, he suffered severe burns to his upper body. I was also blind in one eye. He is only twenty-one years old. It was disfigured by the Germans. He also ruined the second half of his life by the Germans. The doctor said regretfully.

"In this war, we have paid countless tears, sweat and blood, as well as the lives of countless young people, everything we have paid will be rewarded, and victory will be ours. Hitler and his accomplices, as well as the evil Germans, were bound to be punished with the harshest punishment in the world. Churchill said solemnly.

"Mr. Prime Minister, how long will this war be fought?" A faint voice came from behind Churchill.

Churchill looked back and saw that it was the man the doctor called George Churchill. Bush's young sailors.

"Mr. Prime Minister. How long will this war be fought, will it be four years, five years, or longer? Bush asked.

Churchill looked at the blank-eyed Bush and did not answer his question, but asked the doctor, "What kind of injury did Mr. Bush have?" ”

"I suffered an injury to my lumbar spine, and the doctor said that my lower body may not be able to take care of myself in the future." Bush preemptively said.

"Poor boy." Churchill sighed as he looked at Bush's immature face.

"This war may be longer than we think, and the same will be true for the Germans. No matter what, we have to have the belief that we will win. The sacrifice you and Mr. Blair made for Britain will forever be etched in the hearts of the people, and we will make the Germans pay tenfold and hundredfold sacrifices to repay what they owe to the British people."

"Ahh

"You let me go, I don't want to die. Let me out and put out the fire. Hurry up and put out the fire George, George, where are you? Come and save me. In another hospital bed, Blair suddenly woke up from his deep sleep, screaming heartbreakingly.

Churchill's body couldn't help but take two steps back in the sudden scream, and stepped aside to look at Blair, who was convulsing and yelling.

"Help me through, help me through." With difficulty, Bush propped himself up with his arms and shouted loudly to the nurse.

A nurse and doctor worked together to lift Bush to a wheelchair next to his bed, and then pushed him to Blair's bedside.

With tears in his eyes, Bush tightly grasped Blair's right hand, which was waving wildly, put his right hand wrapped in white bandages to his cheek, and said in a sobbing voice:

"Tony, I'm here. Don't be nervous, you'll be fine with me. ”

"George, is that you? I knew you wouldn't abandon me. Blair heard Bush's voice, and his manic mood gradually subsided.

"Tony, I'm here, don't be nervous, you're fine" Bush shook Blair's hand and comforted him softly.

"Mr. Blair has often had nightmares since he was injured, and he always dreamed that he was surrounded by fire, and only Mr. Bush could calm him." The doctor stood next to Churchill and whispered to Churchill to explain Blair's symptoms.

"It is the Germans who have caused all this, and they will be punished for it." Churchill clearly felt the strong brotherhood between Bush and Blair, and his voice was faintly nasal.

What does it mean to be touching? The scene in front of you is the best answer.

Reporters gathered around the bedside and imprinted the touching scene between the two young men on the camera negatives from different angles.

They firmly believed that the life-and-death test friendship between Bush and Blair would surely become the best deeds that moved Britain in 1940.

Churchill could not bear to disturb the two young men who only looked at each other, and quietly left the hospital room.

The reporters followed suitably and walked away, and it was an accident of an accident to be able to get the kind of news that was touching enough to make the front page before Christmas, and not to ask for too much.

Churchill visited the wounded in three more wards, left the Royal London Hospital with countless propaganda materials for the journalists.

When Churchill returned to 10 Downing Street, it was already in full bloom.

After dinner, Churchill sat in the living room with the staff and chatted a few words, and then went into the office to review the papers.

Tomorrow is December 24, Christmas Eve, and the children will come to visit them, so be sure to finish all the work today and make time for the children.

By the time Churchill took off his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, it was 0:30, and December 24 had arrived.

Habitually taking a comfortable hot shower, Churchill changed into pajamas and lay down on the bed.

It's Christmas. It's finally time for the holidays.

Churchill fell into a deep sleep

In the early morning of December 24. Winston Churchill, the wartime prime minister of the British Empire, was immersed in a sweet sleep. Iraqi Prime Minister Rashid. Ali. Gallani, however, was so excited that he couldn't sleep, recalling the history he had witnessed in the last twenty years.

In 1920, Iraq was completely freed from Turkish control and became a British "Mandate" like the Kingdom of Jordan.

The Iraqi people were not weak and could be bullied, and with hatred for the British, a massive public revolt broke out in Iraq.

In August 1921, Britain had to allow Iraq to declare independence in the face of a strong Iraqi people. The Kingdom of Iraq was formed, and the Faisal dynasty was established under British protection in an attempt to pacify the growing wave of independence in Iraq.

However, Iraqis are not incompetent Jordanians, and led by countless enthusiastic progressives, Iraqis are not satisfied with nominal independence and continue to build wave after wave of independence.

After the unremitting struggle of the Iraqi people, Britain, whose national strength had been greatly reduced due to the impact of the economic crisis, chose to give in, and Iraq finally gained full independence in 1932.

From a political point of view, however, Iraq was too far away from Germany. Too close to the UK.

Under the pretext of protecting oil supplies, Britain set up an RAF base in the town of Habbaniah, 97 kilometers from Baghdad, with more than 1,000 air force personnel stationed.

This is an almost rogue behavior towards the British. The Iraqis, who lacked armed forces, temporarily chose to compromise.

The Iraqis were at peace with the British at the Habbaniyah base until the winter of 1940, when an incident occurred that outraged all Iraqi nationalists and people of lofty ideals.

The Axis forces crossed the Suez Canal and invaded Palestine, and Wavell led British troops in Palestine and Jordan to flee to Iraq.

Rashid and all the Iraqis had thought that the British forces were simply taking a route from Iraq to the port of Basra and then leaving by boat.

Only a small number of the British went to the port of Basra, but the main force remained near Baghdad.

Not only that, but the British also brought in troops from Australia, New Zealand, and India to gather in Baghdad and pose for a decisive battle with the Germans in Baghdad.

What made Rashid even more unbelievable was that the British actually proposed that the Iraqi army accept the unified leadership of the British and fight the Axis ** to the end.

Whenever he recalls this request of the British, Rashid is filled with emotion.

Having forcibly left a military base of the Royal Air Force on the territory of Iraq, the British were not satisfied.

Forcibly ordering troops stationed in Palestine and Jordan to break into Iraqi territory, the British were not satisfied.

Forcibly sending troops from Australia, New Zealand and India to land in Iraq, the British were not satisfied.

The British now want to forcibly take over the Iraqi army, to use the Iraqi capital as a battlefield, and to put innocent Iraqi lives and property in the clouds of war that have nothing to do with them.

Isn't there a word shameless in the dictionary of English gentlemen?

What kind of country do they think of Iraq? Is it South Africa? India? Egypt? Or Jordan?

As the prime minister of Iraq and a veteran Arab nationalist, he absolutely cannot watch the thousand-year-old city of Baghdad destroyed by war, nor can he ignore the safety of the lives and property of Baghdad citizens.

When patience does not solve the problem, the only way to resort is to force.

Looking at the words December 24 on the calendar, Rashid sneered.

Churchill and the British should be asleep, waiting for their Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas.

When the pagans wake up, they will understand the truth that the Arabs are no more than Christmas

In the port of Basra, southern Iraq, in the headquarters of the British Middle East Army.

Admiral Wavell, commander-in-chief of the British garrison in the Middle East, put down the withdrawal plan in his hand and looked at his watch with a yawn.

At 1:42 a.m., it's December 24th.

Yesterday after receiving the order to withdraw troops from London, Wavell was extremely emotional after reading the telegram, and the remaining one-eyed almost blew himself up.

Why didn't the order for the withdrawal of troops be given earlier? Why not give the order to withdraw troops at a time when German troops had just entered Iraq? It was issued when the German army had already reached the outskirts of Iraq.

It is a full 500 kilometre distance from Baghdad to the port of Basra.

The armies of the Germans were armored and motorized, while the British forces in Baghdad were at least half infantry and could only march on two legs.

There were no positions to use on the retreat to Basra, and the infantry on the march would be a one-sided massacre if caught up by the German armored forces, and even cause a major collapse of the troops, not to mention the Luftwaffe attack in the sky.

Even if the army were able to evacuate safely to the port of Basra, it would only be the first step, and it would take a long time for more than 50,000 people to board the ship and evacuate.

How to stop the pursuing Germans at boarding time was also a very difficult problem.

In view of the urgency of the situation, Wavell immediately ordered the staff officers who were waiting for Christmas to make a plan for the withdrawal overnight.

After being busy for most of the night, Wavell led his staff to formulate a withdrawal plan of marching at night, blocking in sections, and waiting for an opportunity to ambush.

If this plan can be carried out, the British army in the Middle East will be able to withdraw from Iraq with the loss of at most some covering troops, and if the German general named Rommel on the opposite side is paralyzed in pursuit, his own troops can ambush him fiercely and educate him about the serious consequences of despising the British.

"Send this plan to Baghdad at once, and if conditions permit, let Lieutenant General Taylor start executing it tonight, in short, the sooner the better, our time is very short." Wavell ordered.

Wavell moved his tired body, and then said, "Gentlemen, you have worked hard, go and rest." ”

General Wavere, commander-in-chief of the British Middle East Army, fell asleep peacefully at the end of the day's work, but Rommel, commander-in-chief of the German Middle East Army, was so excited that he could not sleep.

Rommel walked excitedly in front of his headquarters in northeastern Baghdad, occasionally urging his adjutants.

"You go and ask the communications battalion, did the Iraqis send a code?"

The adjutant asked more than a dozen times to no avail.

Rommel watched the minutes and seconds pass anxiously, could it be that the matter was exposed? Otherwise, why don't you send a signal?

Rommel speculated wildly.

"Report, we received the password on that agreed channel, here's the translation."

A communications staff officer ran to Rommel's side and said.

The adjutant quickly took the telegram and handed it to Rommel, who saw in the moonlight a large line written on the telegram:

Arabs don't do Christmas.

"I received a code, order the 90th Light Division to set off, and give me the headquarters of the 7th and 10th Armored Divisions."

At 4:05 a.m. on December 24, Rommel's order opened the door to kill, and 96 howitzers of two armored divisions, as well as countless mortars and infantry guns, spat out tongues of fire.

The trajectory of the flares streaked across the night sky, and countless shells flew across the terrifying trajectory to the south.

As far as the German soldiers could see, the front lines northwest and due north of Baghdad had turned into a sea of flames and flashes, and the British positions on the opposite side had turned into a sea of fire.

Billowing smoke rose into the sky, turning into black clouds that obscured the moonlight in the sky.

Under heavy artillery fire, the positions of the 6th Australian Infantry Division and the New Zealand Division were blown to pieces.

With the longing for Christmas Eve and Christmas, countless Australian and New Zealand soldiers were shattered along with their positions, and their souls fell into the arms of Satan, saying goodbye to Christmas forever.

Ten minutes after the shelling began, more than 300 No. 4 tanks of the 25th Panzer Regiment and the 7th Panzer Regiment leaped out of the German positions and charged (to be continued......