On Germany's eastern border, the small town of Pionki on the west bank of the Vistula River.

After the end of the Polish campaign, Germany and the Soviet Union, in accordance with the contents of the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact, redrew the national border with the northern border of Lithuania in the Baltic Sea coastal region and the Narev, Vistula and San rivers in Poland as the demarcation line.

With the new national border drawn, the town of Pionki was transformed from an inland town into a border town.

On July 20, the arrival of countless big figures in the German and political circles broke the tranquility of Pionki Town.

In Chen Dao's view, Pionji Town at this time can be said to be noisy with gongs and drums, guns and cannons, red flags, and crowds.

After twelve gun salutes, the German Führer Hitler took the shovel handed by his adjutant, walked to a large pit with a stone monument at the bottom, and waved the shovel to shovel the soil into the pit.

Behind them, countless reporters gathered around them, recording the rare scene with cameras and cameras in their hands.

Seeing the reporters surrounding them, Hitler and the others seemed to be 20 years younger, and the shovels in their hands were wielding even harder, and it took less than five minutes to fill in the big hole.

After the pit was filled in and Hitler delivered another impassioned speech, the groundbreaking ceremony was successfully concluded.

Under the envious eyes of Himmler, Goebbels and others, Chen Dao returned to Berlin with Hitler.

"Heinz, the Russians have agreed to a deal with us for T-34 tanks, but they say they won't be able to complete the deal until September at the earliest. And they don't want money. They asked us to exchange ten tanks with long-barreled guns for them. It seems that the Russian agents were not inefficient either. ”

"As long as they can exchange for T-34 tanks, it's perfectly fine to give them the same number of Type 4G tanks." Chen Dao said with a smile.

Before Chen Dao's words fell, the smile on his face suddenly converged, and it was replaced by a thoughtful expression.

"Why did they wait until September for the exchange? Could there be some conspiracy in it? ”

"What do you think is the reason?" Hitler asked.

"I guess they must be trying to use this time to manipulate the tank and modify a batch of shrunken T-34 tanks for us to deceive us." Chen Dao thought for a few seconds and said.

"Why do you think that?" Hitler asked curiously.

"Because I want to do it too." Chen Dao said with a wicked smile.

Hitler couldn't help but laugh too.

"Well, the task of refitting the scaled-down version of the Type 4G tank will be left to you, the special advisor. The Russians must be made to suffer a little. ”

"It's all on me."

Two days later, in London, England, in the wartime cabinet meeting room of the underground wartime command post just across the street from the Prime Minister's official residence at 10 Downing Street.

The walls of the conference room, which is more than 30 square meters, are covered with maps, one of the world maps in red showing the distribution of British overseas colonies around the world, and the other two are maps of Europe and Britain.

The room was crammed with tables and chairs, arranged in a "concave" shape, and five people were squeezed on each side, even the recessed part opposite Churchill had to be squeezed into three.

A group of smokers, led by Churchill, either with cigars or cigarettes in their mouths, turned a small conference room into a miasma.

Churchill flicked the ash in the king-size ashtray in front of him. To the Secretary of War Anthony. Aiden said, "Sir Dowding has finished talking about the readiness of the Air Force, and it is the turn of the Army. ”

Shortly after Churchill took over as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. kicked Dent, who had always been against him, and replaced him with his friend Anthony. Aiden took over as Secretary of War.

Aiden lived up to expectations and quickly won the trust of the British cabinet with his abundant energy and shrewd mind.

"The army is currently able to deploy thirteen infantry divisions and one armored division, and I have organized them into the Seventh Army, and I believe they will be the main force to resist the landing," Aiden said. In addition to the Seventh Army, we also have a Homeland Guard of up to 1.5 million people, and the enthusiasm of the people to participate in the war is very high, and the number of people who have signed up has only dropped in the last few days, and I think it is the reason for the peak. ”

Aiden glanced at Churchill at this, just in time to see Churchill pick up his cigar and take a sharp puff, and hurriedly changed to a relaxed tone and continued:

"Although they didn't even have military uniforms and had to replace them with armbands, their enthusiasm was high. Many came with their own personal guns, as well as bayonets, Molotov cocktails and homemade flamethrowers. After the delivery of 500,000 rifles from the United States at the end of last month, our equipment situation has been greatly improved.

We also had five divisions of the Free French government under the command of General de Gaulle, and although they lost all their heavy weapons when they retreated from the French mainland, they were fortunately regular troops, and their military quality was significantly better than that of the National Guard, and I think they would have been able to give them a head-on blow when the Germans landed. ”

Churchill turned his head to look at Charles de Gaulle, who was sitting on his right.

De Gaulle hurriedly returned the smile with goodwill, since his exile in London to organize the "Free French Government", only the British government led by Churchill recognized the Free French government led by him as the legitimate French government, and all countries in the world except Britain recognized the Vichy France led by Petain as the official French government.

"The problem facing the Army at the moment is the lack of heavy weapons, General Ismay, is there any way you can solve this problem?". Churchill nodded to de Gaulle and asked Admiral Ismay, the representative of the British Chiefs of Staff.

"We can't produce enough heavy weapons in a short period of time, and we can only make up for it by other means." Ismay said.

"What's the solution you've come up with?"

"Poison gas, since we declared war on Germany, in order to prevent the Germans from using poison gas against us in the war, we have also prepared large quantities of mustard gas, chlorine gas and phosgene. The gas is now stored in various warehouses of the bomber unit and at various airfields near the beach. Whenever the Germans landed on them, our bombers and pesticide sprayers would spray them with poison gas. Let them know we're awesome. Ismay said.

"Good. Three more days. 900 anti-tank guns of various calibers will be shipped from the United States, and you and Anthony will have to be ready to receive them and put them where they are most needed. Churchill said.

After Churchill finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Admiral Beckhausen of the Admiralty.

"We now have 1 cruiser and 23 destroyers escorting ships in the western waters. Also on escort duty were an aircraft carrier and 12 destroyers on the Tyne River.

Not only that, but we have 10 destroyers at Dover Harbor and Portsmouth, 1 cruiser and 3 destroyers on the Thames, 3 cruisers and 7 destroyers on the Humber, 9 destroyers at Harwich and two cruisers at Rossith that can be used against the German landing.

In addition to them, we have 5 battleships, 3 cruisers and 9 destroyers at the Scapa Bay base. At the end of this month, 12 destroyers will rush back home from overseas to support us, and in short, we have an absolute advantage in the navy. Beckhausen said.

"The Royal Navy will be our greatest reliance, and I have always believed in that." Churchill said and looked at MI6 Chief Menches.

"You tell everybody. What are our enemies doing now? ”

"We all know that the Germans are now waging a psychological offensive against our nationals, claiming that Germany will not land on British soil, that what they want is peace. But this was not the case, the Germans had built a large number of field airfields in the north and north-east of France and Belgium, and their reconnaissance planes would reconnoiter our southern coast as soon as the weather permitted. They also collected a large number of ships in France and Belgium, and I don't think they were acting in preparation for our counter-attack on the continent. ”

Mencies's words caused a burst of laughter in the conference room.

Churchill also had a contemptuous smile on his face.

"The propaganda methods of the Germans are so shoddy that they think that by releasing 500 prisoners of war, they will deceive us and make us think that they are genuinely seeking peace. They are just too naïve. ”

As soon as Churchill finished speaking, a soft cough sounded. Churchill looked at the owner of the voice, and it was Evans, the chief of MI5.

"Mr. Chancellor, the German propaganda methods certainly cannot deceive us, but neither can we be unguarded. According to my investigations, there are many nationals who are listening to Deutsche Welle radio station, and I have found some details in the first two Luftwaffe airdrop leaflet operations that are not in our favor. ”

"What details?"

"I found that on the nights of July 18 and 20, when the Luftwaffe dropped leaflets, many of the citizens of London were no longer panicked when they fled the air raids, but took a walk as calmly. Some citizens even stood in the street waiting for the German leaflets to fall, while others even continued to sleep at home.

It's understandable that the people listen to Deutsche Welle because the Germans interview a captured expeditionary soldier every day on the radio, but I don't think the citizens of London are doing us any favors, and we have to find a way to reverse the situation. ”

Churchill raised his left hand and touched his full forehead, a worried expression on his face.

After a few seconds of silence, Churchill said: "I'll figure out how to deal with this matter, you go on, what else is the latest information?" ”

MI6 Chief Menhes said: "The Germans reported an important piece of news in the newspaper yesterday that the Germans were building a Black Panther line. ”

"The Panther Line? In what place? Churchill had a sense of foreboding.

"In eastern Germany, along the Soviet-German border from the Baltic Sea in the north to Hungary in the south, Hitler and Goering, Himmler, Goebbels and Hess, the heads of the German government, collectively participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the defensive line." Menchis said.

Menheath's words hit Churchill on the head like a slap in the face, Churchill felt the darkness in front of him, his throat tightened, and the countless black miasma in the conference room invaded his lungs, and Churchill covered his mouth and coughed violently.

Everyone in the conference room hurriedly gathered around, beating the back and handing the water, and it took a long time for Churchill to return to normal.

"The Germans actually built a defensive line on the Soviet-German border, what do they want to do?" Churchill said angrily.

"I think they were afraid that the Soviets would attack them from behind, so they decided to build this line." Ismay said.

"The Germans were warning Stalin. There is only one explanation. Aiden said.

Churchill bowed his head in pain. Then it jerked up again. Eyes slowly swept over the faces of everyone in the conference room, their eyes full of anger, grief, and disappointment.

Just when everyone thought that Churchill was going to make some astonishing remarks, Churchill said weakly: "This is the end of today's meeting, and the meeting is adjourned." ”

Dragging his bulky body, Churchill returned to his office and strode over to the bookshelf behind his desk to pull out a book.

If Hitler had stood by Churchill's side at this time, he would have been amazed, and Churchill was holding an English version of Mein Kampf.

Churchill threw Mein Kampf on his desk. With his hands on the table, he stared condescendingly at the big words "Mein Kampf" on the cover.

It was in this book that the mustachioed guy across the Strait repeatedly declared that Germany's living space was in the East, in the Soviet Union.

As long as Britain insisted, persisted, and persisted under its own leadership, and persisted until the mustache could not bear to attack the Soviet Union, and both sides would lose the war, Britain would be able to win the final victory in the war and maintain its position as the world hegemon. He will also receive great honor and prestige for leading Britain to victory in the war.

But now the Germans have begun to build a defensive line on the Soviet-German border, and that hateful mustache has personally attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

What does Germany want to do? Should Germany abandon its established national policy of attacking the Soviet Union? Turn your head and go all out against the British? Or do you want to defeat Britain first and then make a move against the USSR?

Whatever is the kind of war that might lead Britain and Germany into a protracted war, and the war between Britain and Germany will last a few years? Four years? Five years? Or six years?

How many British ** people will pay with their lives for this? 800,000? Nine hundred thousand? Or a million?

How did the war get to this point? Is this out of your control?

What to do? Churchill suddenly felt his brain hurt.

Three days later, Chen Dao hurried from Kiel to the Berlin Chancellery.

When Hitler saw Chen Dao, who was in the dust, he split his head and said: "Heinz, the British have finally fought back." ”

"I've heard, what about the casualties?" Chen Dao asked.

"The RAF bombed Essen in the Ruhr area last night, but under the interception of anti-aircraft guns and fighter jets, their bombs were dropped on residential areas, and the Krupp factory was only shattered with some glass, and some houses were damaged, seven residents were killed and 24 were injured, and the casualties were generally minor." Goering replied preemptively.

Chen Dao saw Goering's depressed expression and knew that he must have felt unhappy because he had lost face in front of Hitler.

"I think this bombing by the British is an opportunity for us." Chen Dao said.

Hitler nodded expressionlessly and said: "I also think it is an opportunity, the British have always liked to accuse us of fascism in front of world public opinion, flaunting them as the side of justice, and now is a good opportunity for us to fight back." I think it's time to put Operation Shackles into practice, don't you think? ”

"I also think it's time, through Operation Shackles, even if we can't occupy the moral high ground, we can bring an invisible shackle to Churchill, so that he can fight us with shackles in the future, and he can't use his full strength." Goering said.

Chen Dao thought for a few seconds and said, "I agree with you, it's just that last night's bombing also exposed a problem. ”

"What's the problem?" Hitler asked.

"We can't put all our eggs in one basket, and our industrial hub shouldn't be just the Ruhr area. The British made their fortune as pirates, and gentlemen are just their appearance, and shamelessness is their connotation. We can't rest our homeland security on their unsubdued moral level, we should build a second or even a third industrial center in a safer place, such as Austria or the Czech Republic, in short, we need to be prepared. Chen Dao said.

Göring's heart suddenly blossomed, the Czech Republic is home to the Škoda Arsenal, and the headquarters of the Solon Group is located in Vienna, Austria, if these two places can really be built into a new industrial center, it means that endless marks are rolling in.

"Heinz has a lot of point, and I think it's necessary. Britain can set an example for us. British industry is spread across the globe. India, South Africa, Canada, and Australia all have them. We should learn from the long-term approach of the British. Goering volunteered.

Hitler thought for a while and said: "I will think about this matter for a while, you will first prepare the "Shackles Plan", and I will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Propaganda Department to cooperate with you. ”

In the early hours of 26 July, in the underground headquarters opposite 10 Downing Street, Churchill was once again awakened by the sound of piercing air raid sirens.

He leaned his head on the head of the bed with his hands in his hands, listening carefully to the sounds outside.

Was it a bomb or a leaflet dropped by the Luftwaffe this time? Bomb hopefully?

It backfired, and until the air raid sirens went out, Churchill did not hear the explosion he had been waiting for.

Ten minutes later. Churchill was lying at the head of the bed in his pajamas, with an extra leaflet that his secretary had just picked up.

The first sentence of the leaflet made Churchill frown.

"The shameless Royal Air Force has defied international conventions and brazenly targeted residential areas to bomb them."

Churchill was relieved after a moment's thought, the target of the RAF's planned bombing was the Krupp factory in Essen, which was a night bombardment, with the interference of Luftwaffe anti-aircraft guns and fighter jets, and the factories were adjacent to residential areas, so it was understandable that the RAF bombers threw bombs in a panic.

Churchill figured out the joints and went on.

"The western district of the German city of Essen was bombed, and seven civilians died. Twenty-four people were injured, including two children and four women. ”

"The German government has always wanted to live in peace with the British government. Even in a state of war, it was a war between knights and gentlemen, a war between civilized people. ”

"The German government strongly condemns the fact that the shameless Churchill government took the lead in breaking international conventions and targeting residential areas to carry out bombings, breaking the bottom line of human morality."

Churchill sneered contemptuously a few times, and said in his heart that if the condemnation worked, what else do you need the army for? What do you need airplane artillery for?

"The German government solemnly promised the innocent British people that the German government longed for peace and had no intention of attacking the British mainland, and that the Luftwaffe would only throw leaflets to the British mainland to convey the goodwill of the German people."

Churchill continued to sneer that the German government had no intention of attacking the British mainland? What are you trying to do with the airports you built in France and Belgium, and the large number of ships you have in France and Belgium? This deception is simply too shoddy.

"The German government has issued a grave warning to the shameless Churchill government that compensation and apologies must be made to the German civilians who died in this bombing, otherwise the German government will postpone the release of the second batch of British Expeditionary Force wounded indefinitely."

Oh no, there was trouble, Churchill felt his heart pound a few times. He was well aware that the German Government had promised to release the second group of wounded British Expeditionary Force on 15 August, and had already published the names of the men through leaflets and radio, but now

Churchill by this time seemed to have seen the protesting crowd surround 10 Downing Street, forcing himself to apologize to the Germans.

Churchill frowned, shook his head, dispelled the illusion in front of him, and pursed his lips tightly to look at the large print at the end of the leaflet.

"The German Government has issued a grave warning to the impudent Churchill Government that if the Royal Air Force again targets residential areas in Germany, the German Government will compensate for the execution of a British prisoner of war for every German civilian killed, with priority given to the downed RAF bomber pilots, effective from 1 August."

Before he could read the last word, Churchill's round body flew up from the bed like an electric shock, and his body fell under the bed as light as a swallow.

Unable to wear slippers, Churchill rushed to the bedroom door and shouted, "Gather the members of the Cabinet for me, I want a meeting." ”

Berlin, in the office of the Air Force Command Goering.

"Churchill must have gone mad at this time. How the hell did you grow your head to come up with such a vicious solution? I can already imagine Churchill being chased and scolded by the families of countless British prisoners. Goering smirked as he smirked as he sipped his cigar.

Chen Dao sat opposite Goering, lying on his back in a chair, with his feet on Goering's desk, and said lightly: "Let me give you an analogy, and you will understand the principle." ”

Goering immediately pricked up his ears and put on an expression of humility and inquiry.

"You can think of the Churchill government as a group of policemen, Churchill as the sheriff, the English Channel as a square, the European continent as a building, we are a bunch of bandits hiding in the building, and the Führer is the bandit. The British prisoners are hostages in our hands, the British people are the families of the hostages, and a bandit who will not use the hostage to threaten the police is not a good bandit, and a bandit who will not use the hostage's family to disgust the police is not a professional bandit, the reason is as simple as that, do you understand? ”。

Goering raised his hand as if to say something, but he couldn't make a sound.

After taking a few sips of coffee, Goering regained his ability to speak.

"Don't let the Führer know this principle, the Führer has a moral purity, can't you use a civilized analogy?".

"The British call us fascist gangsters, and I want them to know that gangsters are not easy to mess with." Chen Dao snorted coldly and said.

"What if that group of police officers rushed into the building at all costs?"

"It's simple, rip the ticket. In this world of the jungle, whoever is ruthless enough can live. ”

"You're ruthless enough, let's say, what are we going to do next?" Goering asked angrily.

"The Panther defense line and the kidnapping plan can only be regarded as two slaps to Churchill, nothing and we will use the mace to stimulate him next. There is no greater humiliation for a national leader than the loss of territory, and the next thing we have to do is to occupy a piece of British territory, which must be a territory that can make Churchill feel pain, such as the island of Malta. (To be continued......)