On the afternoon of September 19, 1942, on the blazing sun on the coastal road, a convoy of mixed tanks and armored vehicles was advancing rapidly, rolling up the yellow sand, and soon they appeared in front of the position of the 7th Motorized Brigade of the 1st Armored Division of the British Imperial Army.

Captain Clark, who was leading his men to build a position, could clearly see through the telescope that this rapid armored formation was led by 8 Crusader tanks, followed by 16 M4 Sherman tanks, and in the middle was a water of Daimler-Dingo armored vehicles, all revealing their capabilities. Because he had not been notified of such a convoy, and because he had conveyed the order that he might meet the German African Army tomorrow, he became suspicious. He vigilantly signaled his men to prepare for battle, and at the same time lowered his body to see what was going on.

The other party seemed to be rampage all the way unscrupulously, and only stopped in front of the position, and an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel got out of a command-type armored car, holding the usual briefcase of the staff officer of the headquarters, and said to Corporal Adams, who was closest to him and was obviously a little stunned: "Hey, corporal, which part of you are from?" ”

"We are from the 7th Motorized Brigade, which part are you?"

"I'm Robin, Chief of Staff of the Royal Tank Regiment of the 1st Tank Brigade 42nd, where is your commander?" The lieutenant colonel, who was neatly dressed, had a shiny steel helmet, spoke a standard Oxford accent, and was full of aristocratic demeanor in his gestures, which made Corporal Adams, who had been in the dust because he had been fighting lately, look ashamed, and after hurriedly saluting, he immediately pointed his finger in the direction where Clark was lurking, and betrayed his company commander without hesitation.

Seeing that the situation had turned out to be like this, Clark could not continue to hide, and while suggesting that the people around him should not let their guard down, he trotted over to greet him. The other party lazily returned the salute, took out a document and handed it over: "Captain, I am Lieutenant Colonel Robin of the 1st Armored Brigade, this is my ID." ”

Clark opened the document and took a look, and sure enough, it clearly wrote the other party's military rank, position, unit and other information, from the photo to the steel seal, he couldn't see any flaws, it was very rude to check the officer ID card of a high-ranking officer on the battlefield, and he immediately returned the document to the other party. Before he could ask the other party's intentions, Lieutenant Colonel Robin bared his white teeth and said in an obviously domineering tone: "Why did you stop, didn't Chief Montgomery tell you to go after the Italians?" ”

"Long ...... Sir. Clark didn't know how to answer, but after thinking about it, he pushed the responsibility up, "There is an order from the superiors, let us build fortifications on the spot to defend against Guderian's troops." ”

"The Germans haven't come yet, so don't you care about the Italians yet?" The other party was obviously choked by this explanation, and asked in confusion, "That's not what the people at the headquarters said before I came, and they swore to me that they would deal with the Italians as soon as possible." ”

"Who knows what is going on above?" Clark smiled and spread his hands, indicating that he did not want to go further on this topic, and then the scene fell into a brief silence, only the surrounding soldiers cast curious eyes, and Lieutenant Colonel Robin asked, "How is your position structured?" ”

"Sir." Instead of answering the question, Clark asked, "What are you doing here?" ”

"Chief Montgomery is afraid that you will not be able to deal with the Italians quickly, so he has sent us to strengthen our combat forces." Robin seemed to have an epiphany, and pulled out the command's order from his briefcase. Clark gave it back to the other party with a cursory glance, he had never been in contact with the orders of the headquarters, and this was not something that his level should understand, so he couldn't tell whether it was true or false at all.

Clark looked embarrassed at this order: "Shangfeng has a rule that the whole division will build a defensive position on the spot, and all troops will guard the defensive area, and no vehicle shall act without authorization, and I will not let you go without receiving the order." ”

"What kind of bullshit is this?" The opposite side was visibly angry, "Do you want our tanks and armored vehicles to be parked outside?" Isn't it that as soon as the Germans came, we became their first target? ”

"Sir, if that's not the case, I'll help you call the upper up and ask about the situation......"

"Okay, please, don't make me wait too long."

Clark immediately trotted to the field telephone, picked up the microphone and said a few words, and then ran back: "Sir, the battalion commander said that he didn't know about this matter either, so let you wait a while, he will go and ask for instructions." ”

"Absolutely." Lieutenant Colonel Robin found a place to sit down at random, Clark obviously couldn't let the scene be too embarrassing, and he hadn't completely dispelled his doubts about the lieutenant colonel, and always felt that the timing of the other party's appearance was strange, so he chatted about homely things without words, and talked about Robin's accent, Clark had an idea, and said that although he grew up in Cambridgeshire and had come into contact with many students from Oxford and Cambridge universities, he could only understand and not speak the Oxford accent that was common on campus.

"Really? That's a coincidence. Lieutenant Colonel Robin suddenly became enthusiastic: "I studied at Cambridge for several years, but unfortunately I didn't know you at the beginning." ”

As he spoke, he took out two packs of Italian cigarettes from his briefcase, and greeted the soldiers around him with a smile: "Come, taste them all, the best Italian goods are all captured by us, much better than the Yankees' camel brand." The soldiers glanced at Clark, and then they all stared at the cigarettes with fiery eyes, and Clark had no choice but to distribute them on the spot, and the battlefield was soon filled with smoke-filled joy.

After a circle of cigarettes, Lieutenant Colonel Robin and Captain Clark, who had never known each other just now, now seemed to have become familiar old friends, and began to brag and chat, Lieutenant Colonel Robin was quite eloquent, and loved to show off, and vigorously talked about his life at Cambridge University: the most high-end bar near the school, which not only had the best Scotch whisky, but also French brandy and dark beer from Hesse and Bavaria in Germany, which were rare in other places, Then he said a few words that all men understand, and amused all the soldiers around him.

Poor Clark was born in a civilian family, and becoming a captain was the result of many years of struggle, how could he have had the opportunity to see the life of high society before, and the bars, dance halls, pachinko rooms, and racetracks mentioned by the other party just now were all places where he had only heard the name or had seen him from afar at most, and he usually did not dare to go in to consume it. However, the places mentioned by Lieutenant Colonel Robin are indeed the most high-end, luxurious, high-grade and popular places in Cambridgeshire, not only with the right name, but also with the location, façade, and scale. As for the gentle hostesses, showy backup dancers, amorous fashionable girls, etc., Clark is far from knowing the inside story, and now he can only stare at the round eyes and listen to it, how dare he think about these things before?

The soldiers were envious of Chief Robin's experience and affair, but Captain Clark was indignant in his heart: "People are really angry compared to people, this is obviously a noble son and playboy, I don't know what way to go, I got mixed up with the lieutenant colonel at a young age, and I have been serving in the troops directly under the headquarters, looking at his unashamed appearance, maybe he is still an out-and-out straw bale." ”

But thinking about it like this, the idea of stammering can't be suppressed all of a sudden, everywhere has relied on the door these years, who knows when these big names will soar in the future? Churchill was also a bohemian playboy in his youth, and is he not yet the Prime Minister of the British Empire?

After a while, the other party showed an obviously impatient look, and began to frequently take out his pocket watch to look at the time, Clark's eyes were sharp, and he recognized at a glance that it was a gold Rolex pocket watch, which was said to be a limited edition to commemorate the coronation of King George VI in 1937, he had only seen it on the brigade commander, and he did not doubt that this was a high-ranking officer, and all his vigilance and doubts dissipated at once.

He did talk to the battalion commander on the phone just now, but the battalion commander clearly told him that the brigade headquarters and the armored unit had already gone forward to pursue the Italians, and now they couldn't be contacted at all, so he let him judge the truth of this matter for himself, and he could neither offend anyone nor delay the matter, and the so-called further instructions from above were completely fooling Lieutenant Colonel Robin, and all he wanted to do was to leave the other party to interrogate the situation and see if there was any problem, so there would be no response at all. After talking about it for so long, if there is really a problem, it should be exposed, although this sir's personal life is not very reliable, but this is not exactly the style of the British aristocratic officers - it seems that he is completely distracted.

"Captain Clark, it looks like you don't need reinforcements, I should lead the troops back, you just go back and tell you that the brigade commander I've been here." Lieutenant Colonel Robin, who was probably familiar with Clark, knew that he couldn't make excessive demands so as not to hurt his temper, and rarely didn't get angry, "In case he asks questions, you'll say I'm going to search for the Germans' reconnaissance unit." ”

"Don't, don't!" Clark thought to himself, if this is going to happen, if the brigade commander comes into contact with the lieutenant colonel in the future, how will he explain this? It is a small matter to be disciplined by yourself, and it is a big deal to miss the orders of the headquarters. "You better go over, it's important to carry out the mission, after all, this order is only for the vehicles of the division, and of course the formation of the headquarters is not restricted."

"Then I'll go first." Before leaving, Lieutenant Colonel Robin shook hands with him warmly, "When the war is over, I invite you to have a drink in the best pub in Cambridgeshire......"