The citizens of Rome were simply not prepared for war, and they believed Mussolini's promise that the great city of Rome would never be involved in war as long as he remained in the city.

The great city of Rome has not fallen, this ancient city of countless wealth has been sacked many times in European history, and the ruins of the ruined Roman temple in the center of the city are the strongest evidence of the catastrophe it has experienced.

Could it be that Rome will be destroyed again by war, and where is Mussolini and where is our army, the citizens are hiding in their homes, listening to the dense gunfire in the city, and their hearts are filled with fear.

The city was not prepared for war at all, and although Ensign Lucheni had seen the information before, he was still very surprised when he saw it with his own eyes.

Lucheni fought in the French campaign, flew 69 combat missions in a Stuka dive bomber, and was awarded the Iron Cross of the First Class by the Air Force.

When he's not fighting, the Air Force Second Lieutenant likes to ride his motorcycle through French towns and cities, holding a camera to record the local customs, which is somewhat worthy of his pedigree.

Lucheni had seen the most elaborate and fortified fortifications of cities in France, and since the time of the Revolution, the French have had a proud tradition of building city barricades, and they even have experts to teach citizens how to build infantry bunkers out of sandbags, furniture, and other messy debris.

But when the German convoy entered the city of Rome, there was not a single decent military bunker along the way, and there were neither air raid trenches nor sandbag fortifications on either side of the street, and the city did not look like it was ready for war at all.

Despite the chaos in the old city of Rome, the traffic command facilities in the city were still running, and the loyal Roman traffic police did not leave their posts without permission, they stood in the command booth in the middle of the street, and watched in amazement as the German convoy flying the swastika flag galloped past the red light.

"Hey, I'm not mistaken, Cristiano." The officer grabbed his companion's arm and shook it as he shouted loudly.

"It should be the same as what I saw, Benedetto, but I suspect I'm wrong." Cristiano also had a look of astonishment on his face.

"It's a swastika, isn't it, Cristiano."

"Looks right, Benedetto."

"The car is full of German soldiers, isn't it, Cristiano?"

"Yes, I saw the machine gun too, Benedetto."

The two policemen looked at each other for a few seconds, and then rushed towards the telephone in the traffic booth.

"The Germans have entered the city, and they must report to their superiors immediately." Benedetto shook the handle of the magnet phone vigorously.

"Let me make a phone call first, and I'll take little Maria to Mrs. Golita next door before I go out." Cristiano pressed the phone receiver.

"We seem to have rushed through a traffic post just now, second lieutenant." Corporal Ruhl glanced at the mirror.

"Leave this alone, keep going, just keep going along this avenue, don't turn around, or we'll get lost." Second Lieutenant Lucheny shouted at Corporal Ruhl.

"You've reminded me three times, second lieutenant, that you're making me nervous." The Air Force corporal put his hands on the steering wheel and tried his best to keep the Fiat running in the middle of the road.

"These old houses make me feel uncomfortable, and I'm afraid I'm going to be ambushed." Ruhr looked at the three or four-storey houses on either side, some of which were built in the mid-19th century and still have the same appearance as they were more than half a century ago.

"Italians couldn't have reacted so quickly, trust me." Lucheni turned his face to comfort the driver.

"Be careful, there's a barricade ahead!" Ruhl shouted loudly.

The second lieutenant quickly turned around and found that the front sides of the road were blocked by trucks, leaving only a lane in the middle of the road for a car to pass through.

"Speed up!" Lucheni quickly pulled his pistol out of his holster.

"Looks like Italian police!" Ruhl saw several Italian police officers with rifles standing in front of the barricade, one of whom was holding a fast sign, shaking his arm and making an immediate pull over gesture.

"Didn't they see our flag?" Corporal Ruhl was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do.

"It seems that it is not possible to break hard, let the convoy behind stop." Lucheni saw five or six Italian policemen behind the barricade, pushing a three-wheeled motorcycle in the middle of the gap.

"Let's go a little further." Lucheni commanded.

"What the hell are you going to do, second lieutenant?" Ruhl looked at his commander in surprise.

"I think I can talk to them, get the troops ready for battle, and if the situation is not right, launch an attack immediately, without worrying about my safety, okay, just stop here."

"I also know Italian, let me go talk to them, you are the commander of the unit, you should not take such a risk." Ruhl stopped the car and grabbed the second lieutenant's sleeve.

"Do you know what to talk to them about? Because I'm the Commander, I should take this risk, I'm the one who brought you here, and it's my responsibility to solve the problems in front of me, and don't forget that we still have a mission to complete. Don't worry, our big army is right behind, and these people don't dare to do anything to us. If anything happens to me and the troops are under the command of Second Lieutenant Fred, do you hear them clearly? Lucheni looked at the two communications men in the back seat.

"Yes, and your orders are conveyed immediately, second lieutenant." A communications non-commissioned officer reported with a walkie-talkie.

"Good... Then I'm over. Lucheni closed the safety of his pistol, reinserted it in its holster, then pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, pushed open the door and stepped out of the car.

"Don't shoot." Lucheni shouted loudly in Italian, holding up his pale blue handkerchief.

"Don't fire!" The Italian police officer who led the team hurriedly pressed the barrel of his subordinate's gun.

The police commissioner also discovered the identity of the comer at this time, and the police lieutenant colonel immediately broke out in a cold sweat, originally thinking that it was just a group of rebels supporting the rebels, but he didn't expect that it was a group of German soldiers who stopped him. It's like catching a lion with a rabbit trap and seeing that the hunter is about to become a snack for the prey.

When Lucheni stopped, the lieutenant colonel was still thinking about whether to retreat or fight the Germans, he only brought more than thirty officers armed with rifles, each carrying only fifty rifle rounds, once the two sides began to exchange fire, I don't know how many people here would be lucky enough to survive.

Seeing a German officer walking out of the car rekindled the Italian officer's hope, and the Germans did not attack, which meant that the other party did not want to be rude and wanted to negotiate with him.

"Hey! Reinhart! Good afternoon, gentlemen, I am Lucheny, a second lieutenant in the Luftwaffe. Lucheni walked up to the Italian officer, slipped the handkerchief back into his pocket, and then gave a neat salute.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Gasparé, Italian National Police." The lieutenant colonel gave a salute in return.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Ensign. If I'm not mistaken, our two countries are at war. "The lieutenant colonel tried to make a dignified and steady appearance, and under no circumstances could he lose face in front of a small German ensign.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you too much, Lieutenant Colonel, this involves military secrets, and knowing too much is not good for health." Lucheni said with a smile.

"You speak Italian fluently, Ensign Lucheni, wait a minute... Lucheny—" The lieutenant colonel frowned.

"Yes, you're right, I'm a grandfather and an Italian, who has a cigarette on him, can you give me one? I just finished pumping on the road. The German lieutenant did not hesitate to tell his identity.

Several Italian police officers on the side hurriedly rummaged through their pockets and scrambled to hand them to Lucheni. The second lieutenant of the Air Force looked around, picked out a pack of brands he hadn't seen before, and pulled out a cigarette from it.

"Thank you." Lucheni nodded politely in thanks, and the officer looked flattered and politely pulled out a lighter and lit a cigarette for the German lieutenant.

"It's a good cigarette, I love Italian cigarettes. Well, Lieutenant Colonel Gasparé, let's be blunt, there were seven cartloads of soldiers behind me, half of them SS Storm Commandos, and I'm sure you should know who they were. You can't stand up to our attack, this battle is pointless, you all have families, parents, wives, children, and they don't want to see you die here in vain. The war is coming to an end, our Afrika Korps has landed on the coast, and the city is bound to fall...", Lucheni said loudly to the police.

"What exactly do you want, Second Lieutenant Lucheny." Lieutenant Colonel Gasparé asked.

"I hope that you will surrender to us, and that the Germans will guarantee your personal safety in accordance with the Geneva Conventions." Lucheni replied solemnly.

"I won't give this order, second lieutenant, the Italian National Police will swear to ......"

"Then get ready for battle, Lieutenant Colonel, and before that, I want you to look back at these men of yours, whose lives are now in your hands."

"I see what you mean, Second Lieutenant, but you seem to have forgotten that you are in my hands now." Gasparé said with a pretense of ferocity.

"I have given the order before, as soon as you refuse to lay down your arms, they will attack immediately, don't underestimate the professional soldiers, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel. German officers were always ready to die for the Third Reich. Lucheni raised his head.

"Don't forget that you're also Italian." The police lieutenant colonel said urgently.

"I am an officer in the Luftwaffe, and I have taken an oath to His Excellency the Führer." The second lieutenant of the Air Force replied coldly.

"The Germans are ready to attack." At this point, a police officer exclaimed, and he saw a group of German soldiers jumping out of the truck.

"Looks like you're running out of time, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Okay okay, second lieutenant, I agree to lay down my arms, we surrender, all put down our guns, this is my order!" Gasparé couldn't hold on any longer, and he quickly turned around and gave his men the order to surrender.

At first, he was worried that his subordinates would resist, but then he noticed that the officers did not hesitate to put down the rifles in their hands, and they all had a relieved expression on their faces.

Witnessing the performance of his subordinates, the lieutenant colonel of the police also secretly rejoiced, if he really fought, how could he clash with the powerful German army with the poor morale of his subordinates.

"Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, I'm glad you made a wise decision." Lucheni took the pistol handed by Gasparé, then reached out and shook the hand of the police lieutenant colonel, then turned and waved his arm in the direction of the convoy, signaling that he had solved the problem here.

"Lieutenant Colonel Gasparé, there are some things I want to discuss with you." Lucheni turned to the lieutenant colonel.

"I'm listening, Second Lieutenant Lucheny." Lieutenant Colonel Gasparé's attitude changed quickly, and he had begun to learn how to be a model prisoner.

"Do you know the airport? There are shortcuts nearby. ”

"I know there are several lines, Mr. Ensign, one of my subordinates may know more about this, I can call him over." Gasparé replied.

"Very well, wait a minute, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel. I don't know if you are interested in cooperating with our German army. You know, we urgently need someone like you, who is familiar with the city of Rome, to cooperate with our occupation. I hope you can think about it, I personally think that this is also a disguised protection of the city and its residents, and if there is the cooperation of local officials, some unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts can be avoided. ”

Lucheni smiled and took a cigarette from Gasparé's hand, and the lieutenant colonel's twinkling eyes showed that the police commissioner was very impressed by his suggestion.

PS: I finally caught up, thank you for your understanding. (To be continued.) )