Hans. Balk had just passed his nineteenth birthday, and by the next month he would be a two-year veteran, an honest peasant boy who did not understand what National Socialism was, but that did not prevent him from exercising his loyalty to the beloved Führer.

Balk was dressed in a crisp black ceremonial uniform, with a triple pack hanging from a white armed belt, and a chrome ceremonial rifle in his right hand, standing in the corridor on the third floor of the headquarters with his legs apart, staring at the front with his eyes firmly in sight.

That painting is definitely crooked. Bakr pondered to himself.

He tilted his head slightly and glanced at his companion on the other side, and the Brandenburg boy seemed to sense his comrade's gaze, and immediately looked in the direction of Bakker. Buckle snorted at the opposite wall, then tilted his neck, the other clearly not understanding his hint, and frowned in confusion.

Buckle repeated it again, and the child's eyes were even more dazed, and the SS private could only pout helplessly, shrugging his shoulders slightly to indicate that it was okay.

At this time, the door of the office next to him suddenly opened, and the two guards quickly withdrew their gaze and puffed out their chests.

"Hey! Leenhardt! The SS colonel stood at the door, saluted, and respectfully stepped back and closed the door to his office.

Dogen turned and tugged at the hem of his uniform, glanced at the guards on either side, and then walked away towards the end of the hallway. But after taking a few steps, the colonel suddenly stopped, and he turned back to look at Buckle again, and then turned back to the private.

Buckle felt a little nervous, he didn't know what the top boss had noticed, he was worried that his small action just now might have been noticed by the colonel, and the cold sweat on his back began to run out.

Dogan stood in front of the tall young soldier, then reached for the collar of Bakker's uniform and gently removed a thread. The colonel looked down at the white thread in his hand, dusted the soldier's collar with satisfaction, nodded slightly at Bakker, and then turned and strode away.

Seeing the colonel's figure disappear around the corner, the SS private breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Hey! Leenhardt! At this time, the door of the office opened again, and the guards quickly resumed their eyesight.

"Yes, I will, my Führer, goodbye." Major Randolph stood respectfully in the doorway and replied, then gently closed the door.

The SS major tugged at the hem of his uniform, glanced at the guards on either side, and strode away. But after taking a few steps, the major suddenly stopped, and he turned to look back at Bakkel, and then turned back to the private.

"Which direction did Colonel Dougan go just now?" Randolph asked.

Buckle blinked, then shook his head at the end of the hallway.

"Very well, private." Randolph glanced in the direction Buckle pointed, then turned and walked briskly away in the opposite direction.

"The follow-up work in Italy is very heavy, and the high command has already sent a second group of personnel to Rome. Quchreel sent several telegrams in quick succession today, asking for advice on the disposition of the high-ranking prisoners. Willle held a cup of green tea and expertly skimmed off the tea leaves floating on the liquid surface with the lid of the cup.

"The plan that we had earlier, because the situation has changed now, needs to make some changes in the details." Brauchitsch said calmly.

"It's true, the situation in Italy is much more complicated than we expected at the beginning, and after a coup d'état, all the problems have now been exposed." Keitel frowned and said that he had rushed back from Milan overnight without having had time to change his uniform.

"The Italian royal family has taken refuge in the Vatican, and the Church can only choose to shelter him, which involves the authority of the Pope and the Holy Divinity of the Church, and they will definitely not compromise with us in this regard." Bormann fiddles with the lid of a celadon teacup as Wierle fiddles with it.

"The Pope is already secretly courting us, so I don't think we can push them too hard." Goebbels said, stroking his chin.

"The Pope's side aside, this Italian king is a huge hidden danger, he played a key role in this coup, and someone must come out to take the relevant responsibility." Ribbentrop said, pointing to the tablecloth.

"Ribbentrophe..." Xu Jun knocked on the table top, and everyone turned their eyes to the Führer on the main seat.

"I've got a case in mind about this, and I understand what you're trying to say, but we can't do that right now." Xu Jun stood up and walked to the wall, pointing to the hanging map of Italy.

"We can't invest too much in Italy, the country must restore order as soon as possible, a stable and peaceful Italy is what we need now, and I will not approve any plans and orders that could lead to civil strife in Italy." Xu Jun paced back and forth in front of the map with his hands behind his back.

"It's a good thing that Mussolini fell into our hands, and the people in charge of the Eye of Odin have to take credit. What is that Italian baron called... Pietro's, be sure to reward him heavily. Xu Jun looked at Weierle and said.

"Yes, my Führer, I'll take care of it." Werler replied with a chin head.

"Very well, the King of Italy, let's not think about it so much, since he likes to stay in the Vatican, then let him live there all the time. With regard to the invitation of the Pope, Ribbentrop, you reply to him on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that I have agreed to visit the Vatican in the middle of November, when I will discuss with His Holiness the Pope specifically his concerns, in a more moderate language that fully expresses our goodwill towards the Church. Xu Jun walked to the stenographer's desk, looked down at the minutes of the meeting, and then smiled encouragingly at the secretary.

"At the moment the situation in northern Italy is better, the market has stabilized and the prisoners of war are well cared for, but in the southern coastal areas the situation is different, our troops have not yet arrived there, and it is reported that the security situation there is deteriorating sharply. Of course, these problems are not difficult to solve. What I'm trying to say here is, the port of Taranto. Xu Jun slapped the location of Taranto on the map.

"Half of the Italian Navy's fleet is docked in this port, and all the large ships and submarines are concentrated, and these are the problems that we must solve as soon as possible." The Reich Führer clenched his fists and shook them in front of his chest.

"The attitude of the Italian Navy is very unsatisfactory to me, they are still dreaming of bargaining with us, I will never make a deal with these traitors, although they have made a choice in our favor, but I cannot agree with and support this blatant betrayal of the country. I have already ordered the navy to blockade this harbor with all its might. Xu Jun turned to look at Colonel Phil, the naval liaison officer, who was sitting on the wall of the conference room.

"Our combined fleet with the British and French has now taken control of the waters off Taranto, and we guarantee that not a single warship will be able to leave this port until the problem is resolved." Colonel Phil stood up and bumped his heel in a respectful reply.

"This fleet is very powerful, which we lack now, and the first step that needs to be solved now is how to completely seize control of the fleet from the Italians." Xu Jun walked back to the conference table.

"So I decided to re-establish Mussolini and keep him as Prime Minister of Italy. In order to retain power and position, I am sure that he will be willing to enter into any deal with us. His enemies were all exposed in this incident, and in order to protect themselves, they became extremely crazy and ferocious, and if Mussolini lost our protection, he could lose his life at any moment. Xu Jun glanced at everyone, satisfied with the surprised looks on their faces.

"Of course, we can't forget to tie a rein to him, the former Minister of the Interior... We almost killed him at the airport. Xu Jun raised an eyebrow.

"Ivano. Bonomi, Your Excellency the Führer. Wehrle reminded.

"Bonomy, a socialist, a social reformist bent on overthrowing Mussolini's rule. This is a man who has the full qualifications and ability to replace Mussolini, and the only thing he lacks is the strength behind him.

He doesn't please the Italian military much, but it doesn't matter, as long as he can please us. Xu Jun laughed when he said this, and everyone present also let out a tacit laugh. (To be continued.) )