Churchill's face suddenly turned gray-yellow, and there was only a buzzing sound in his ears, as if a gong was roaring in his head, and the blood was throbbing madly in his temples. He held his head in his hands and shook his body in pain. The sun shone in through the window, just in front of the British Prime Minister's face, and I saw bright teardrops, rolling in his eyes, and then rolling down his wrinkled face.

The American president's friendly eyes looked at Churchill and did not speak. For the British Prime Minister, who is immersed in grief, silence at this time is better than any comfort. At this moment. Churchill did not want to hide his shock, his pain, to the President of the United States. It's one thing to fail, it's another to be disgraced.

The loss of Tobruk was probably the biggest blow to Churchill since the beginning of the war. Not only is its military impact severe, but it also affects the reputation of the British [***] team. Ismay, who sat in an inconspicuous position on the side, also looked sullen. Today, 6 with 21 days, the Star Dynasty is not only the son of Tobruk's surrender, but also the life of Auchinleck, the commander-in-chief of the British forces in the Middle East, but this seems to be not enough, and it happens to be the life of him Ismay himself.

There was a deathly silence in the Oval Office. After a while, Roosevelt slowly turned his head and asked Churchill, "What can we do to help you?" ”

Churchill immediately replied: "The British 8th Army needs tanks." Give us as many Sherman tanks as you can and get them to the Middle East as soon as possible. ”

"Okay, I'll let General Marshall arrange this right away." The President of the United States immediately picked up the phone and ordered that General Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army, be sent for a visit.

A few minutes later, the tall, thin General Marshall walked into the office of the President of the United States. After listening to the request of the President of the United States, Marshall replied: "Mr. President, the Sherman tank has just been put into production. The first batch of several hundred vehicles has already been allocated to our armored division. ”

Roosevelt sighed, stroked back his thin, unkempt gray hair, and turned his wheelchair to his desk. "Gee, it's hot today," Roosevelt's voice suddenly looked tired, "Would you like to have some martini?" Checkmate? My martini was ok,"

"Couldn't be better, Mr. President of the United States."

"You see, bad news from the Middle East," said the American president, pushing the telegram into Marshall's eyes, "Cairo and the Suez Canal are threatened, and our British friends are in dire need of help." ”

Marshall drank his martini, thought for a moment, and said, "It is very difficult to take a weapon from the hands of a soldier. Looking at Churchill's anxious gaze, Marshall added: "However, we can send an armored division to Egypt." Little George? The 2nd Panzer Division, commanded by Major General Patton, was able to quickly set sail around the Cape of Good Hope. ”

"But, Your Excellency, know that it takes too long to transport a fully equipped division, including infantry, artillery, and logistics troops. Our British soldiers are racing against time to hold Egypt. Marshall couldn't make out the expression of the old man, who was surrounded by thick cigar smoke, as he spoke, but he looked eager with his arms outstretched: "What we need is a large number of weapons and equipment, especially tanks." ”

Marshall's inquiring eyes were on the President of the United States.

Roosevelt rattled the cold wine dispenser and poured it. "You should know what to do, dear George." Roosevelt said slyly.

"Of course, if Britain urgently needs such tanks, we will do our best to find a way," Marshall said immediately, "and in addition, we can give Britain 100 self-propelled guns of 105 mm caliber." ”

The Americans were greatly touched by their generosity in sending training equipment to Britain in a time of crisis. General Brooke later recalled with great enthusiasm: "I always felt that the loss of Tobruk, which I heard in the office of the President of the United States, laid the foundation for friendship and understanding between the two sides to a great extent. Churchill also praised his American friends for their compassion and chivalry.

However, this gratitude did not shake the British resolve to change America's "Europe First" strategy. At the 4th meeting of the military held that night, the talks focused entirely on the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East. The fall of Tobruk made it easy for the British to shift the Americans' thinking from attacking northwestern France to aiding the North African Mediterranean theater of operations. Go and rescue the British [***] team besieged in the Middle East. A blessing in disguise, Churchill probably did not expect.

Four days later, Churchill met for the last time with the President of the United States and his adviser Harry Brown. Hopkins had dinner in the room of the President of the United States. It was a spacious, bright room, and on the yellow wall hung a painting of the sea in a delicate and heavy golden frame: an English[***] ship was bustling over the ocean, moving at full speed, and the sky was covered by a storm, revealing a dim moon. Before the meal, Churchill stood in front of the painting and looked at it for a long time.

"Well, this painting is very much to your taste as a former naval officer, isn't it?" The President of the United States quipped.

"It's not just my taste, it's a true reflection of me," the British Prime Minister said, "but I'm an old ship now." I wonder if I can break through this stormy sea and reach the other side smoothly? ”

At the dinner table, the President of the United States and Hopkins tried to lighten up the atmosphere by talking about light-hearted topics. Of course, they understand the reason why the British Prime Minister is not in a good mood. The surrender of Tobruk's defenders reverberated around the world. The British Prime Minister has been criticized by British newspapers and even American newspapers. The newspapers used eye-catching headlines: "Britain is furious", "The fall of Tobruk could lead to a political axe reshuffle", "Churchill will be subject to a vote of no confidence", and so on. The British Prime Minister has seen reports from London in the US newspapers that the House of Commons has asked him to return home immediately "to answer the accusations made by MPs" and that this is "the most serious political crisis since he became British Prime Minister". These days, under the kind arrangement of General Marshall, the British Prime Minister and his entourage went to the south to visit and inspect the American [***] battalion. Although the climate was as hot as India, where the British prime minister had stayed, he lived happily, forgetting for a moment the unpleasantness of the Tobruk affair. Now that the visit is over, and after this dinner, Churchill is about to leave Washington and return to London to answer questions before his accusers, which cannot be said to be a joyous thing. The British prime minister has every reason to portray himself as "the most distressed Briton in the United States since Burgoin".

As it got dark, the British, escorted by a team of agents personally arranged by the President of the United States, safely boarded the plane and returned home. Looking down from the plane, the vast sky stretched out in all directions, appearing extraordinarily wide, and the whole earth was bathed in silver brilliance. As night fell, it seemed to cast a thin veil over Bai Yue's worries, and the British Prime Minister's mood gradually calmed down, and it was rare to have such a quiet moment to consider the defeat in North Africa. Even now, the British Prime Minister still finds it hard to believe that things could take such a turn for the worse.

The plane slowly landed at the airport, and Churchill and his entourage stepped out of the cabin. The Prime Minister's private secretary, Peck, who had been waiting at the airport for a long time, walked up with a large pile of newspapers in his hand.

"How's the situation at home?" Churchill asked.

Peck hesitated for a moment and handed over the newspaper: "The main situation is above, Prime Minister, let's get in the car and talk about it in detail." ”

As they spoke, they walked to the Prime Minister's special train parked on the side, Churchill did not have a special train, but later contacted President Roosevelt several times and found that his presidential special train was comfortable, practical, and very convenient, so the Prime Minister also equipped himself with a special train. It is a train connected by two Royal Train boxes, one for the Prime Minister's office and meeting room, and the other for the Prime Minister's Lounge. The most eye-catching furnishings in the carriage are the huge ashtrays.

On the train, Churchill lit a cigar and said, "The day after Tobruk's fall, I was on the phone with Aiden in Washington. According to him, the situation is quite stable. Of course, people are grieving, but not to the point of overthrowing the political axe, right? ”

Peck looked embarrassed and said, "You know, Prime Minister, we must not take it lightly, it is better to think about the problem more seriously." Peck then told the Prime Minister that the seat in the Essex constituency, not far from Churchill's own constituency, had previously been firmly in the hands of Conservative MP Malden, but now the officially nominated candidate had lost the seat to the left-wing nonpartisan candidate Tom? Dreberg's hand.

"In addition, the powerful MP of the Conservative Party, John? Wardlow Milne moved to 'distrust the command of the political axe in relation to the war'. You know, it's hard to ask the House of Commons to hold a vote of confidence right now. In this way, disgruntled parliamentarians can easily decide for themselves to have a vote of no confidence on the agenda. Peck said without worry.

Churchill dusted the long cigarette butt into the ashtray and waved his hand gently: "I understand, Peck." The fall of Tobruk contributed to the emergence of these two forms of discontent with the political axe. Rest assured, I am fully prepared to meet the new challenges of the Council. ”

The British Parliament building was crowded with people, and MPs gathered in twos and threes, talking and discussing. It will be interesting to see how the political axe will survive this impending political crisis.

The Wadlow-Milne MP sat in the back seat early, and the chairman of the Conservative Finance Committee was confident that he had launched the motion of no confidence. The motion was seconded by many leading figures in the House of Commons, such as Admiral Roger? Sir Keith and former War Secretary Hall Belisha. Moreover, the dissatisfaction of the whole country with Churchill's command of the war was very strong. So far, Britain has suffered a series of defeats and defeats: the fall of France, the heavy casualties at Dunkirk, the defeat in the Battle of the Desert, and especially the unexplained and difficult to explain the Battle of Tobruk; The desert army quickly retreated, returning to its old position of Matru two years ago, and seeing that this position would continue to retreat. If the El Alamein line could no longer hold on, Mussolini and Rommel would march into Cairo hand in hand, and who knows how this situation would develop if no strong measures were taken against the political axe? Wardlomiln was convinced that he represented the interests of the country, and he was well prepared for this statement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished parliamentarians: I would like to make it clear at the outset that this motion is not an attack on officers on the battlefield, but an explicit attack on the central institutions in London. Moreover, I would like to point out that the main reason for our defeat was on the side of London, and by no means in Libya or elsewhere. The first major mistake we made in this war was to have the Prime Minister also be the Minister of Defence. Wardlaw and Milne got straight to the point and the main question was drawn to everyone's attention. The lawmakers listened attentively with bated breath.

Wardlaw-Milne noticed the effect and couldn't help but rejoice in his heart. He paused slightly and cleared his throat. This is another trick in the speech: to get away with it.

He went on to elaborate on the "enormous responsibilities" of those who concentrate on those in charge of these two roles. "We must have a strong full-time person to chair the Chiefs of Staff Committee. I ask a man of courage and not being held back by any party to appoint army generals, navy generals, and so on. He dared to let the generals of the navy, army, and air force do their work according to their own plans without inappropriate interference from their superiors. Above all, I ask a person to retire if he fails to achieve what he is asking for. …… We have suffered losses both from the Prime Minister's lack of careful scrutiny of domestic affairs and from the lack of proper instructions from the Secretary of State or other officials in charge of the armed forces. …… It is clear to any civilian that the series of disasters of the past few months have in fact been the result of fundamental failures in our wartime administration. ”

Sir Milne's words were sharp. The audience nodded their heads frequently, and there was a buzz of discussion.

Jazz grew more and more triumphant. Regrettably, he went on to say: "It would be a desirable motion if His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester agreed to appoint His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army without any other administrative office." ”

These words were like a hornet's nest, and there was an uproar in the council chamber. A wave of panic and embarrassment swept through the lower courtyard, and a noisy voice shouted, "This guy must be a stupid donkey!" The people shouted this for a full minute.

Milne knew he was speechless. He realized that his suggestion was tantamount to implicating the royal family in the responsibility of causing a serious dispute. Moreover, the appointment of the Supreme Military Commander, who enjoys unlimited power, is associated with the Crown Duke, which seems to have a certain sense of egotiability, which cannot be tolerated in this parliamentary state. Milne couldn't help but sweat, and his upper and lower jawbones trembled. He bred up his spirits and forced himself to keep the House of Commons listening to him, but his foolish suggestion undone his efforts and his influence plummeted.

Roger? Sir Keith then made a statement, seconding the motion. The admiral was an old friend of Churchill at the Battle of Gallipoli. He was deeply unhappy that he lost his temper at every turn and had a bad relationship with the chiefs of staff, and was later transferred from the post of commander of joint operations. Unlike Milne, in his speech, he argued that Churchill interfered too little, not too much, with the combat planners.

A member of the Reading Labor Party politely interrupted his speech: "I am sorry, Your Excellency, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the original sponsor proposed a vote of no confidence on the grounds of the Prime Minister's undue interference in military command; The seconder, your support, seems to be due to the Prime Minister's failure to adequately interfere with military command. Don't you think your argument is out of tune? ”

The marshal ignored him, gave him a blank look, and went on to say: "We hope that the prime minister will arrange the domestic affairs and once again unite the people of the whole country to accomplish this arduous task." ”

Another Labour MP interjected at the wrong time: "The motion is against the political axe's command and dispatch of the war." If this motion is realized, the Prime Minister must resign; But have you heard, this noble and chivalrous parliamentarian is appealing to us to let the prime minister stay in office. ”

The marshal was furious: "If the prime minister had to resign, it would be a sad disaster." ”

People who are supposed to have the same point of view blame each other. And just like that, the debate fell out from the start.

Churchill sat in the front row with an imperceptible smile on his face. These contradictory statements gave him a bottom in his heart.

The debate on the second day was even more varied and full of surprises. One parliamentarian even proposed to remove all British generals from their posts and replace them with Czech, Polish and French, "who knew how to conduct this war, but ours did not". Some criticized the British [***] team as "dominated by class prejudices", and if Rommel had served in the British [***] team, he would have been a sergeant at best.

Eventually, Churchill began to reply, and he was calm and sophisticated, confident that he would be able to pass the hurdle. It was clear to him that the critics were very weak in finally proposing an alternative to the construction of surnames. In his reply, Churchill did not justify the fall of Tobruk, admitting that he did not expect such a thing to happen, but instead enumerated the contradictory and erroneous claims of his opponents. Here again, Churchill showed his eloquence and spicy, witty, confident style:

“…… In short, we are fighting for our survival, for a cause that is more precious than life itself. We have no right to imagine that we will be victorious; Victory is inevitable only if we do our duty. Serious and constructive criticism, or criticism in a conclave, has great merit; However, the responsibility of the House of Commons is to support the political axe, or replace it. If the House of Commons cannot change the axe, it should be supported. In wartime, there is no intermediate scenario that can be carried out! ……”

(To be continued)