Manstein looked a little older than his actual age, probably because he had been directing operations on the front lines. His silver hair gave him a great deal of personality, he did not have the standard, angular features of the Germanic people, but he had the pride, seriousness, and unbridled style of the Germanic and Prussian nobility.

"This is Marshal Manstein." Gu Xunlei took the initiative to help make an introduction, "This is General Modell." ”

Tan Renhao's gaze immediately fell on the German general behind Manstein's flank, and then he remembered the resume of Moder that he had read.

Unlike Manstein, Moder was born into an ordinary civilian family, and his father was a music teacher, and at best he was a middle-class man in Germany, which is very similar to Tan Renhao. After graduating from secondary school at the age of eighteen, Moder joined the German army, where he was awarded the Iron Cross in World War I and subsequently entered the German General Staff. This is a miracle for Moder, who was born a civilian and did not go to a military school. After the end of World War I, Modell's military career quickly fell to a low point, and he was not promoted to lieutenant colonel until seven years before the war, and only became a colonel two years later. Perhaps because of his civilian origin, Moder was appreciated and reused by Germany's new Chancellor (who was also a civilian), and was promoted to general a year before the war. Mobile station ap.. cn

In the early days of the war, Moder's performance was not impressive, and his stubborn and irascible personality was better known, and because of his origins, many other German generals (most of the German generals had noble blood) were a little less concerned about the little man, and even looked down on him. As a general, Modell's strategic vision is highly criticized. At the same time, however, his tactical attainments, especially defensive tactics, did not give him a chance to show himself in the early stages of the war. Until the time when the Russian soldiers came to the city of Berlin. Modell was at the top of his illustrious military career. In this fight against Zhukov, Moder's performance can be described as perfect. He used only one-third of the Russian army's strength to block the Russian advance, creating an opportunity for Manstein's counterattack, and at the same time, throughout the defensive battle, Moder also inflicted heavy casualties on the Russian army through sharp tactical counterattacks, and finally made a great contribution to the German army turning the tide of the war on the Eastern Front.

And it's this battle. More people recognized this unknown German general, and Moder became the number one "firefighter" in the German army. Whether on the Eastern Front or on the Western Front, wherever the fighting is tight, wherever the German defense line is in trouble, he will definitely appear there, and through his extremely ingenious and precise tactical command, he will break up the enemy's offensive and turn the tide of the war. It was this series of performances that made Modell the most powerful defensive general on the European battlefield.

As far as Ren Hao knows. Moder did not have a good relationship with Manstein, mainly in the defensive battle of Berlin, and Moder did not provide Manstein with his full cooperation. As a result, most of the Russian army successfully retreated. Of course, judging from the situation at the time, it was already rare for Moder to be able to hold the Berlin line, and he was not capable of cooperating with Manstein in a large-scale counterattack.

"This is ......"

"Talk about Renhao. Let's talk about generals! Manstein's Tang language is not very standard, "I have admired the name for a long time, and I have long heard of General Tan's series of outstanding performances in the Pacific Theater, but what I didn't expect was that General Tan was so young." In the words of your Tang people, what a hero! ”

"Marshal, you've won the prize!" Tan Renhao was very polite, but he was a little disgusted with the aristocratic temperament that Manstein showed all the time.

"Please be seated." Manstein was even more polite, "I heard that General Tan is coming to Tehran this time, so I have always wanted to have a good chat with the general." Listening to General Gu, it was General Tan who proposed the strategy of first the west and then the east? ”

"Actually, I'm just talking nonsense, as an admiral, I don't know much about land warfare." Tan Renhao also sat down. Gu Xunlei sat next to him, and Moder sat beside Manstein.

"That's what surprised me." Manstein nodded slightly with great grace, "Although General Tan is a naval general, in terms of strategy, the naval and land forces are connected.

From what Marshal Raeder told us, there are many young generals in your navy like General Tan. So, what does General Tan think about the current situation in Europe? ”

Tan Renhao didn't rush to speak, he was a famous German army general talking about land warfare, and he was simply getting an axe in the class.

"Marshal, we are beginning to discuss the situation on the European battlefield." Gu Xunlei came out to help Tan Renhao relieve the siege, "As far as we can see, the most important thing on the European battlefield now is the strategic bombing of Britain and the United States. ”

Manstein's facial muscles twitched slightly, and his expression darkened. Unlike the Tang Empire, the Luftwaffe was an independent branch of the army that coexisted with the navy and the army, and it had a great influence, especially the big fat man had a greater impact on the prime minister. The German Army commanded only the ground forces, and on the battlefield, the coordination between the army and the air force was not perfect, and it could even be said that it was full of contradictions.

"Talking about General, do you think that it is possible to force Britain to surrender by strategic bombing? Or will the strategic bombing of us by Britain and the United States eventually lead us to lose this war? Modell spoke at this point.

Tan Renhao glanced at Moder, and finally his gaze fell on Manstein. Actually, that's just my personal opinion. It took us more than a year to destroy Japan, and facts have proven that the effect of the tens of millions of incendiary bombs we dropped on Japan is obvious, and as a result, we completed the war against Japan without sending a single soldier to land in Japan. Of course, Britain was very different from Japan, and strategic bombing was only one of the key forces for defeating the enemy, not all the necessary conditions, and it was still impossible to defeat Britain if it relied only on strategic bombing and not on other forces. ”

"So, what kind of power do we need? Landing on British soil? Manstein also became interested.

"Against island nations like Britain and Japan, landing operations are the last step. As a matter of fact. There are many similarities between the UK and Japan. For example, both countries have received strong support from outside their own countries, and at the same time are very dependent on maritime transport, emphasizing the importance of sea supremacy to their own survival.

The UK and Japan are also fundamentally different. Culture, beliefs. The morale and morale of the people, as well as the geographical location of the location, etc.

Tan Renhao also expressed his views without any reservations, "Through the war against Japan, we have summed up a lot of lessons and lessons. For example, while strategic bombing, seize sea supremacy. A complete naval blockade, submarine strangulation, harbor mine-laying, seizure of outlying islands, and gradual expansion of the bombing area were all key factors in defeating Japan. Among them, strategic bombing, naval blockade, and port mine-laying have the most positive significance, and these three are indispensable. ”

Both Manstein and Moder fell silent. The experience and lessons of the Tang Empire's strategic attack on Japan have long been summed up.

Combined with strategic bombing, a comprehensive naval blockade was another key factor in Japan's defeat, and its significance was even higher than that of strategic bombing. And to seize sea supremacy, it is necessary to have a strong navy. This key force was not lacking in the Tang Empire, which had the most powerful navy in the world.

But the problem was that Germany did not, and it was impossible for the navy of the Tang Empire to reach the North Atlantic in the short term. So. It will not be possible to completely blockade the UK.

"From my point of view, in the short term, the focus on the battlefield is still on the French side." Tan Renhao had already seen this, so he never thought that Germany could defeat Britain in the short term. "First of all, consolidate the battlefield on the Western European continent, as long as France surrenders, then Spain's withdrawal from the war will be a foregone conclusion, and then Italy's attitude will also be shaken, the British continental army will inevitably withdraw, and the United States will not be able to land in Europe smoothly. This will buy enough time for both of our countries. During this period, strategic bombing was used to undermine British morale and morale, and to disintegrate Britain's local industrial power, laying the foundation for the eventual victory over Britain. ”

"The key is U.S. action." Manstein's expression quickly returned to normal, "From the latest information we have obtained, the United States produced 1.3 million dwt of merchant ships in June this year, while our submarines sank only 600,000 dwt merchant ships in that month, and they suffered heavy losses. If we can't stop the United States from sending war materials to Britain, then we can't stop the United States from sending troops to the European continent. ”

"The best way to stop the United States from sending troops to the European theater is to defeat France quickly." Gu Xunlei also spoke, "Marshal, according to your estimates, when can you defeat France at the earliest?" ”

"It depends on our input. The biggest problem now is that a large number of our armored corps are deployed on the Eastern Front, and there is a serious shortage of tanks that can be put into the battlefield on the Western Front. In addition, there is the issue of air supremacy, and if there are not enough fighters and bombers, our offensive on the Western Front will definitely fail. ”

Manstein glanced at Moder and then said: "We are already preparing for the offensive, and there is still a shortage of five tank divisions, and when these forces are concentrated, the most can be launched around October this year." According to our estimates, if the French army does not organize resistance in the first place, we can reach Paris by the end of the year, and even if the French government flees to Marseille, we can hope to win by the middle of next year. ”

"Is this just the best possible? So, what about the worst possible? Tan Renhao felt that Manstein's estimate was too optimistic, because France had the largest army on the European continent (except Russia), and its number of tanks and artillery was not lower than that of the German army. It has been fighting with Germany for several years now, and it is impossible not to hold out for even half a year.

"The worst possible outcome is that we may not be able to get to Paris until June next year. The main question is whether we have enough tanks, artillery, bombers, and fighters, and if we have, we can quickly win, and if not, I'm afraid ......" Manstein did not continue, his meaning was clear.

Tan Renhao looked at Gu Xunlei.

"We can discuss this issue in detail at the meeting." Gu Xunlei smiled politely, and then stood up, "Marshal, this meeting is very critical for both of us, your problem is our problem, Tang De can only win by joining forces to fight, if we can help, we will definitely do our best!" ”

Hearing Gu Xunlei's diplomatic rhetoric, Tan Renhao immediately understood, obviously the conditions put forward by the Germans were more than that.

"What do you think of these two Germans?" After Manstein and Moder left, Gu Xunlei asked.

"One is a nobleman and the other is a commoner. It seems that the situation in the German army was very similar to that of the Reich Navy. Tan Renhao replied very directly. Why did Manstein and Moder repeatedly mention their lack of armor? ”

"Does this still need to be asked?" Gu Xunlei immediately laughed, "Let's go out for a walk." ”

The two of them came to the garden, the banquet was almost over, and many of the guests were leaving.

"Germany's main problem now is that its domestic tank production cannot keep up with consumption, and it has always insisted that an armored army should be left on the Eastern Front, and it is not comfortable with our proposal that the Imperial Army will help Germany hold the Eastern Front. As a result, the German army was limited in the number of tanks it could put into the Western Front. ”

"Then they mean that the Empire sent an armored unit to fight on the Western Front?"

Gu Xunlei nodded slightly. "It's not a big problem, in fact we have enough armored forces, but the problem is ......"

"Command?" Tan Renhao immediately understood.

"Yes, command, the Germans want us to only supply troops, not commanders." Gu Xunlei smiled bitterly, "Saying that dual command will only limit the combat effectiveness of the army." And Marshal Yan Dingyu is determined to arrange our commanders, otherwise he will not send troops to the European Western Front, and even the European Expeditionary Force that we have deployed on the German side will have to withdraw. ”

"And what about the outcome of the deliberations now?"

"The final decision will be made at the meeting, and the Germans should make concessions, after all, they also know very well that the Reichsman will not obey the command of the German Army." Gu Xunlei stopped, "Hey, don't talk about it, let's go back, anyway, this meeting will only last a few days, and we will know the result when the meeting is over." ”