When Marshal Graziani returned to his makeshift office, he had not even had time to take off his coat when he saw a German officer hurrying in. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

The other party stood up and saluted, and then informed Marshal Graziani of a message that he didn't react to for a while: the Germans were going to counterattack!

Although the British army numbered more than 30,000 soldiers, Rommel believed that his troops had gained a tactical advantage by waiting for their work.

He also had more tanks in his hands, so he could counterattack the British army, thwart the opponent's tank forces, and then drive them back into Egypt.

Compared to the British army that Matroux had advanced all the way to Bardi, Rommel's army had been resting in Tobruk for two full days, and they were well armed and in high spirits.

One of the main reasons was that Rommel knew that the opposing army's troops were actually scattered along a long supply line and did not concentrate them in time.

"What do you say? General Rommel changed his mind? Marshal Graziani still didn't quite believe his ears.

He had just returned from Rommel, and it was clear that the other side had just shown little interest in counter-attacking. Now the other party has suddenly changed his mind, which makes it very difficult for him to believe.

The German officer, who was standing opposite Marshal Graziani, nodded and said to the Italian marshal: "Yes! Marshal! We're already preparing to fight back, and we'll be on the way in an hour. ”

"Uh, I wonder how many troops General Rommel needs me to support him?" Marshal Graziani suddenly realized that the other side might have come to him, to borrow some much-needed troops.

Although Italy had just suffered a crushing defeat, he had no problem raising 20,000 men in Tobruk.

Although these soldiers had been frightened by the British, strength was strength after all, and he had secretly decided in his heart that if Rommel borrowed 5,000 men, he would give them generously......

But if Rommel wanted to take all the Italian troops away, he would have to refuse them, even if they canceled the counterattack.

"Troops?" The German officer apparently did not think of the idea of borrowing the Italian army, and Rommel did not give him such an order.

"Didn't General Rommel say he wanted me to help?" Seeing the puzzled look on the other party's face, Marshal Graziani had no choice but to speak and follow the temptation.

Sure enough, the other party was as good as a stream, nodding and admitting that he had come with a request: "Yes!" We have one thing we need your help with. ”

As soon as the other party said that he had come with a request, Marshal Graziani had an expression of "I know" on his face, waiting for the other party to say what he wanted.

"General Rommel wants the Italian troops to give way to the road and not to delay our march! And as much as possible, after the start of our counterattack, to ensure the safety of the transport line! The German officer spoke.

"What?" Marshal Graziani felt that the expression on his face was clearly insufficient, and he looked at the other in disbelief, hoping to see something in the other man's face.

Clearly, this effort has failed...... So he had no choice but to ask, "That's all?" Nothing else? ”

"Nothing else!" The German officer smiled slightly, and replied easily.

After all, this kind of contact without asking for anything is a very easy thing, and the other party will usually agree to the conditions immediately and let himself go back to his life.

Sure enough, Marshal Graziani did the same: "You go back and tell General Rommel, and I will give the order at once to let our troops give you the road......"

The German officer put his hand on the hood of his large-brimmed hat, signaled, and then turned away.

Marshal Graziani saw that the other party was really leaving, and helplessly grabbed the phone in front of him, and ordered over there: "I am Marshal Graziani, and I order my own people who are retreating to give way to the road!" Go both sides forward! ”

"Why? Marshal? The other side of the phone felt that this order was a little inexplicable, and opened his mouth to question such a sentence.

"The Germans want to ...... Going to Baierdi! So get out of the way and give them use! If we retreat, let's go both ways! Without telling his men that the Germans had begun a counterattack, Marshal Graziani changed his words and replied casually.

After that, he hung up the phone, kneading the bridge of his nose with his fingers tiredly. His tens of thousands of troops were being chased by the enemy and retreating, while the Germans were planning a counterattack.

This is really not just a simple matter of losing face for him. In a small corner of his heart, he was even worried, worried that the Germans would not pay the price for their rashness and recklessness.

"Hopefully, these Germans will really make a difference, at least, not to be as ugly as we are." Marshal Graziani put down his finger rubbing the bridge of his nose and said to himself.

……

"Stop moving! Stop moving forward! "On the road covered with yellow sand, such a shout of order echoed in front of the marching ranks of the weary and ragged Italian troops.

The routs, who had just retreated from the front line, stopped their tired footsteps, and then stood crookedly.

Several people sat down on the ground because they were tired, and they looked curiously in the direction of the shouting, not knowing what this order would make them do.

"Get out of the way! Let it out! An Italian officer with a dusty face, tiredly conveying the order he had just given.

The soldiers from the Italian 10th Legion, who had no combat effectiveness at all, reluctantly began to move their steps after hearing this order.

They didn't want to fight anymore, as long as they didn't turn back to fight the British, it wouldn't hurt their face in the slightest to get out of the way.

"Stand up! Get out of the way! Hurry up! We're going to make way for the troops going to Baierdi! Hurry!" Seeing that there were still people sitting on the ground, the officers began to urge them to leave the road again and again.

"Sir, who wants to go to Baierdi to cut off the queen for us at this time?" A soldier asked lazily as he got up from the ground.

"I don't know......" The officer looked at his troops, and the expression on his face was even more ugly than that of his own mother.

The troops had retreated all the way from Bairdi to here, exhausted and desperate. All they need now is to get into Tobruk and get some rest.

As for the fighting...... Most of the Italian soldiers had lost even their own weapons, and their combat effectiveness was completely negligible.

Not to mention turning back to fight the British army, it is a miracle that these soldiers do not surrender or break up now.

"Buzz!" Suddenly, there was a commotion in front of the Italian troops, and then the Italian soldiers, who had just retreated from the road to the side of the roadbed, saw troops on the exact opposite route to them.

A washed, but still shabby, German open-top whizzed past them, and in the car sat a German officer who was looking at them with his eyes.

Before they could get a better look at the German officer, another truck whizzed by, and the smoke and dust that rolled up made everyone's eyes squint involuntarily.

Then they saw a tank more powerful than the M11 tank they had ever seen and envied, and rumbled past them.

On the side of the turret is painted in white paint a simple swastika that is the identification mark of the German Afrika Korps.

In fact, the emblem of the German Afrika Korps is a white coconut tree, but this emblem is marked on the front of the vehicle, so the Italian soldiers on both sides can only see the white German coat of arms.

The German infantrymen sat on top of roaring tanks with Mauser rifles, looking down at the hordes of Italian infantry beneath the roadbed.

One after the other, these German tanks, interspersed with trucks and barrel trucks, spread to the end of the road, as if endlessly.

"Italians?" Looking at the sides of the road, the Italian soldiers who were curious to observe them, the German infantrymen sitting in tanks, squinted their eyes and asked their comrades through the scarves around their mouths.

"Isn't it! There were so many of them, how could they be defeated by the British? Another German soldier, holding a rifle, said mockingly.

Obviously, these German soldiers, who had defeated the Poles and the French along the way, could not imagine at all why the Italian army, which numbered at least several thousand men in front of them, did not turn back and fight.

"It's a shame to be like a beggar, to be like this." As if looking at the ants at their feet, the German soldier finally concluded.

"Germans? Their tanks are beautiful! At the same moment, on the roadbed, an Italian officer squinted at the German No. 3 tank shrouded in smoke and dust, and exclaimed.

"Isn't it!" Another Italian officer exclaimed: "This is the soldiers, what is the difference between our group of people and beggars?" ”

In the same way, these Italian soldiers did not understand why they could see a different temperament in these German soldiers who were advancing along the road to Baierdi.

This momentum made thousands of German soldiers dare to attack an enemy several times their size, and make these German soldiers believe that they can win the final victory.

At this very moment, two completely different armies passed by east of Tobruk.

A force of more than 50,000 men was routed all the way from Matrou, leaving Bairdi behind and retreating westward, not daring to stop even Tobruk.

Another force attacked again in the direction of Matroux, and in front of them was an enemy ten times their size.