As soon as he entered the officers' room of the Prince of Wales, Colonel Ritchie saw a group of senior military and political officials sitting around a card table watching Churchill first play backgammon with Ambassador Wynant.

The Prime Minister wore a grey dark striped jumpsuit (Siren, which is said to have been invented by Winston Churchill, which means alarm). This kind of clothing can be dressed quickly, and it can be worn over any outfit and has a lot of pockets. So it's very popular in the UK at the moment, and as soon as the air raid sirens go off, everyone can quickly put it on and flee to the bomb shelter), and they are having fun with a cigar in their mouths.

Seeing Phillips and Richie enter, Churchill pointed to the couch beside him and motioned for them to wait a little longer until he was done with the plate.

Richie curiously leaned over to the table and looked at it for a moment. As a recognized backgammon master on board, he soon discovered that Churchill's level was mediocre. The chubby Prime Minister seems to be fond of the "stop the enemy's progress" tactic, but this tactic doesn't always work. Richie estimated that if Wynant had been replaced by him, he would have beaten Churchill by at least six or seven pounds in one night.

I don't know if Ambassador Wynant is really not at a good level, or if he intends to give in, this game of chess is very lively. The two sides happily doubled and doubled the stakes, and it took almost 20 minutes to decide the winner. After settling the score, Churchill happily took a few Canadian banknotes and a few shillings of change from the South China Special Ambassador, and gave up his seat to Sir Cadogan, the permanent undersecretary of the Foreign Office.

"Mr. Captain, I heard that we might encounter a German submarine tonight?" Churchill asked nonchalantly as he put the change in his Siren-Suit's pocket.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Colonel Ritchie did not dare to slack off in the slightest, and replied respectfully: "I received a telegram three hours ago that the SC-89 transport formation had found traces of German submarines in our intended course. ”

"Roger (Field Marshal Case) thinks the Prince of Wales can handle it, what do you think as its captain?"

"The Royal Navy has never feared any enemy, Your Excellency Prime Minister, whether it comes from above or below water." Field Marshal Case and Admiral Pound were watching, and Richie certainly couldn't afford to fall for the prestige of the navy. He first sang a high-pitched sentence, and then changed the tone and said: "However, once we encounter a German submarine, even if the anti-submarine operation is successful, our whereabouts will be exposed." It is likely that we will be constantly harassed by German submarines on our next trip. The Prince of Wales is confident of beating them, but it will take more time and affect the time it will take to reach Plasenxia Harbour. ”

General Phillips secretly applauded Ritchie's reply. In this way, the reason for changing the course is not that he is afraid of German submarines, but that he disdains to waste time on German submarines, and Marshal Case must not be able to pick out the thorns.

"Your Excellency, Colonel Ritchie and I both believe that getting to Plasenxia as soon as possible is the core of this mission, and there is no need to worry about a small circumstance." Phillips struck while the iron was hot and added.

Churchill nodded in satisfaction and said to Rich, "In the future, you can decide this kind of thing yourself, and you don't need to ask for our opinion." Now you are the captain of the ship, we are just passengers, how can a captain listen to the passengers. ”

Richie breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and was about to take his leave and return to the bridge to adjust the course, when Churchill spoke again, "I asked Phillips to bring you here, because I have something else to explain." During this meeting, we will have a large mass on board the Prince of Wales, and Ambassador Wynant has received a call back from the White House, which will be attended by President Roosevelt himself. Tomorrow Hollis (Assistant Cabinet Secretary in Wartime) and the Protocol Department will start arranging this, and you will need to cooperate a little more. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Richie gave a standard naval salute, "The Prince of Wales will be in the best shape to welcome the American guests." ”

"Very well, go get busy, Colonel." Sending Richie away, Churchill sat back down at the table, "Alexander (Sir Cadogan), there's a problem. What do you think would be better for me to wear when I meet Mr. Roosevelt? The protocol staff told me that no British prime minister had ever visited a U.S. president on a warship. Last time George VI wore a navy gown, but you know he's the king and I'm just the prime minister (the King of England and the President of the United States are both heads of state, but the prime minister isn't). ”

Sir Cadogan, who has been involved in international diplomacy since 1909, is one of Britain's most experienced diplomats. He was capable, practical, and good at responding to the policy tendencies of his superiors, and was a good hand at handling specific foreign affairs.

Both the former foreign secretary, Viscount Halifax (the Conservative bigwigs, Neville Chamberlain and George VI, had intended him to be prime minister in the wartime cabinet, but it was not possible because Churchill had enlisted the support of the Labour Party). He is now ambassador to the United States, and is now Foreign Secretary Aiden, who is regarded as the most important aide. Churchill came to the meeting on his behalf this time to draw on his diplomatic experience and ability to handle specific matters.

"Your Port Authority uniform is good." Cadogan thought for a moment and gave the answer. Of course, he wasn't really talking about the uniform of the Port Authority, but Churchill's dark blue coat with a double row of copper buttons. Churchill wore this dress to many military events, and many British media dubbed him "Port Authority" (Churchill wears this nondescript uniform in historical photographs of the Atlantic Conference).

"Alexander, that's a very informal attire." Churchill was somewhat puzzled by Cadogan's suggestion.

"But you look more like an ex-Navy officer when you put it on, don't you?" Cadogan's answer made everyone in the audience laugh. The term "former navy" has long been a semi-open secret in the top echelons of British politics.

Since the United States remained neutral for the time being, most of the telegram exchanges between Churchill and Roosevelt were conducted on a "private" basis. In this way, both sides can bypass the trouble of reporting to their own parliament or cabinet to a certain extent.

In order to get close to Roosevelt and gain greater support, Churchill referred to himself in those telegrams as "former naval personnel" (Churchill had served as naval secretary and Roosevelt had served as assistant secretary of the navy, both former naval personnel), rather than British prime minister. For now, this diplomatic trick seems to have appealed to Roosevelt, who used it more than once in his call-backs. Cadogan clearly wanted to use the veteran to create a more relaxed atmosphere for the first meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt.

"Okay, okay." Churchill also smiled and accepted Cadogan's professional advice, "Then go and help me find a navy hat, it seems that my new top hat will not be needed this time." ”

On the Atlantic, Churchill worked seemingly casually around the table to finalize his itinerary and dress. In Washington, John, who was struggling with Roosevelt's travel plans. Before dinner, Hopkins had just laid him a big puzzle. How to make Roosevelt appear unnoticed on the heavy cruiser "Augusta" in the Agin Haw Bay of Newfoundland.