Although the uniforms were torn and the paratrooper helmets were too ugly to look at, the German soldiers still walked to the airport in a neat formation with their heads held high.

Colonel Smith waited outside the wall with a group of officers looking dejected.

Major Sleiman stepped forward and exchanged a salute with Colonel Smith, saying, "I accept your surrender, Colonel, and we will give you the treatment you deserve!" ”

Colonel Smith nodded, and replied with some embarrassment, "I have to admit that you guys played well, Major. As a soldier, I salute you! ”

Colonel Smith saluted and shook hands with several German officers, and then at the sound of an order, the British and Greek soldiers came out of the airport in groups and placed their equipment on the ground.

This was the first time Qin Chuan had seen a scene of being a prisoner in this way...... It is usual to fight to the death and then raise your hands and surrender on the battlefield.

However, this was not surprising, as Crete was an island, an island with no way out, and the defeated British and Greek soldiers had no choice but to surrender.

The Germans took over the airfield without any problems, and the British did not even destroy the equipment and supplies in the warehouses at the airfield, much to the surprise of Major Kleiman.

"The British still have some manners!" Major Kleiman said this after looking at the list of supplies.

"I don't think that's demeanor!" Qin Chuan said: "They are just worried that we will be angry after blowing up the materials and equipment!" ”

"Uh-huh!" Major Kleiman hadn't thought of that.

Qin Chuan was no stranger to this, the British often did this when facing the Japanese on the battlefield in Burma, and the 7th Armored Brigade, the main armored force, was a unit transferred from the 7th Armored Division.

The German soldiers were very busy receiving the airfield, and the Rommel command on the other side immediately cheered when they heard the news, and a few staff officers even forgot to sprinkle a large pile of documents into the air and let them fall like snowflakes.

Rommel looked calm on the surface, but inside he was agitated because he knew what it meant...... The victory in Crete not only represented the re-establishment of the German supply lines, but also predictably reduced the pressure on the supply and logistics of the Afrika Korps, but also reduced the living space of the British army and even posed a threat to their supply lines.

Of course, the Germans were still unable to blockade Port Said from a base in Crete...... The German fighters had a short range and could not travel between Port Said and Crete, but at least they could make the British uncomfortable.

"General!" The staff officer duly reminded Rommel: "Shouldn't you send a telegram to the Yuan Min?" ”

"Oh yes!" Rommel then came to his senses.

Rommel straightened his uniform, walked to the radio and said in a grand manner: "Dear Führer, first of all, I must apologize for the concealment, in order to be able to achieve the suddenness of the battle, I am sure you can understand, if our plan is known to the Italians in advance, it will soon be on the desk of the British, so I have to do it."

Now, we've won!

Yes, we successfully captured Crete at a very small cost.

I'm sure this will affect the situation in Africa, and maybe it won't be long before I can send you a telegram from Cairo to report back to you! ”

As Rommel expected, Hitler would not mind Rommel's previous "concealment" in the face of this victory, and Hitler even said that this was the informal characteristic of a "genius commander", and even joked: "I am looking forward to the next concealment like this, because it will bring me dozens of times more victory!" ”

(Note: Crete is more than 30 times larger than Malta)

Of course, if the Germans and Italians fail to capture Crete this time, that would be a different matter.

Then Rommel took the general's hat from the hanger, put it on, and buckled himself with an armed belt.

"Where are you going, General?" The staff officer asked suspiciously.

"Crete!" Rommel said, "I can't wait to go there!" ”

"But the General!" The staff officer said: "The battle has just ended, and there are even British fighters in the sky!" ”

"That's just right!" Rommel said: "I was just trying to see how they shot down the British fighters!" ”

So Rommel's plane landed at Irak airport just over an hour later, when the runway at Irak airport had just been repaired.

"Well done, soldiers!" After stepping off the plane, Rommel made an impromptu speech to the soldiers as usual: "I have never been so confident of victory as I am now, not because we have taken Crete to improve the situation, nor because we have eliminated how many enemies and occupied how many lands, but because of you, you have made me believe that all obstacles in front of us will be crushed, you are the elite of the Reich, the pride of Germany, the victors of the battlefield!" ”

The German and Italian soldiers could not help but cheer loudly.

Major Kleiman welcomed Rommel into the headquarters, and Rommel saw the bandage on Qin Chuan's left arm at a glance, and he pretended to have a shocked expression: "Second Lieutenant, you surprised me so much, there is still someone who can hurt you?" ”

The officers and men in the headquarters couldn't help but laugh.

"How?" Rommel patted Qin Chuan's shoulder: "The injury is not serious!" ”

"No, General!" Qin Chuan replied: "The medical soldier said that it will only take a few weeks to return to the original state!" ”

"Good!" Rommel said, "I don't want to lose a brainstorm, there are still many battlefields to come, second lieutenant!" ”

"Yes, General!"

Qin Chuan noticed that the officers around him all cast envious glances at him.

Qin Chuan knew what they were thinking...... Rommel was a popular man next to Hitler, and Qin Chuan was valued by Rommel, which is indeed a great thing.

But Qin Chuan didn't feel that there was anything to be proud of, because his vision was completely different from that of these officers...... They are thinking about making meritorious contributions, but Qin Chuan is thinking about how to win this battle that is almost impossible to win (if he does not win this battle, Qin Chuan, as a German soldier, will almost be finished).

Therefore, Qin Chuan will not care about the appreciation of Rommel or any other general, from Qin Chuan's point of view, Rommel is just a chess piece, and even Hitler is ...... And Qin Chuan is the one who plays chess, that is, the person who can change something, but other people don't know.

"So, gentlemen!" Rommel sat down in his chair, leaned back and cocked his legs a little proudly: "Now, it's time to discuss how to run Crete!" ”