Some comrades may want to say, no, old horse. Didn't you say that only the 11th Army of the Germans went on the offensive? In this case, the German army and the Red Army are one-on-one, which is very fair, if Zhukov is fair and single-handed, Manstein catches the flaw, this is too much, I went to his Soviet Red Army troika, and it was a waste of fame!

Comrade, if you look at it this way, you will be wrong, the same army, the difference is huge. Let's put it this way, who do you think is more awesome than the commander of the Mongolian Navy and the commander of the U.S. imperialist Taiping fleet? These two look like half a catty against eight taels, but one side is half a catty of scrap iron, and the other side is eight taels of gold, is this the same thing?

Let's take a look at the configuration of the German 11th Army, which has the 22nd, 76th, and 239th Infantry Divisions of the Wehrmacht, the 6th Romanian Infantry Division, and the Romanian 5th and 8th Cavalry Brigades. Although the Romanians' combat effectiveness was limited, in terms of troop allocation, this 11th Army could actually be regarded as two armies, at least a particularly strong reinforced army.

Zhukov's 22nd Infantry Corps was not very strong, with only three standard infantry divisions. Even if you count the mechanized infantry regiment of the 4th Mechanized Army, which has already arrived on the battlefield, the strength of the two sides is far apart.

In the battle of the second day, Manstein threw three infantry divisions and two Romanian cavalry brigades in one go, so to speak, ready to slap Zhukov in the mouth. Under the cover of artillery fire, the Germans and Romanians continued to attack, repeatedly tearing the defense line of the 22nd Infantry Corps like a saw blade.

After a full day of fierce fighting, the 22nd Infantry Corps was outnumbered and had to abandon most of its positions outside the city and retreat into the city of Konotop. And what kind of person is Manstein, he is also an old treacherous and cunning man. Seeing that the Red Army was retreating, he immediately followed up. Ordering the troops to continue fighting overnight did not give Zhukov a chance to breathe at all.

Throughout the night, in the streets of Konotop, which were already dilapidated by shelling and air raids, the Reds and Germans fought in close quarters.

Shi Nengzhi recalled: "The German devil's offensive was very fierce, wave after wave, and they didn't give us a chance to catch our breath. From early morning until 10 a.m. the next morning, we were outnumbered and lost most of the Konotop ......"

From Shi Nengzhi's recollections, it can be seen that the battle was very fierce and tangled, and the Red Army was not an opponent of the German army, and was forced to abandon many positions, but fortunately, Konotop did not completely fall. A considerable number of Red officers and soldiers, including Shi Nengzhi, stubbornly held on to parts of the northern part of the city, including the railway line that the Germans most wanted to dredge.

And in the next few days. The battle over the railway line was about to heat up, and Manstein was desperate to drive the Red Army away, but the 22nd Infantry Corps was stuck there like a kraft candy.

This is a very critical and brutal offensive and defensive battle, and it stands to reason that the battle there should be watched by the whole world. But unfortunately, at that time, the eyes of the whole world were attracted to another battlefield, and not many people cared about the battle in Konotop.

On May 25, just as one foot in the Northern Hemisphere was about to enter summer. In the South China Sea, far from Kursk, under the cover of the Japanese Navy. Hordes of Japanese invaders are ready to march towards Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia......

Learwin looked at the sky outside the iron window, for a prisoner like her, freedom was naturally the most desirable. Especially full of wildness, I am afraid that she would rather be executed than imprisoned. However, M and MI6 didn't want to kill her, not because she had contributed much to the Empire. It's punishment in disguise, and these bastards just don't want her to be freed too soon.

Every day, at 8 o'clock sharp, she was escorted out of her cell by heavily armed guards and taken to the interrogation room, where two well-dressed beasts harassed her with all sorts of disgusting questions. This has been going on for two months.

Today, too, those two boring beasts are still the same:

"Name!"

"Age!"

"Origin!"

"Do you know what crime you've committed?"

"Do you know how much your actions have caused the British Empire?"

For all this boring question. Learvin was so tired that these idiots were simply teasing her, probably from such old-fashioned advice, and they had long wanted to take revenge on her.

And for these boring questions, Learvin did not answer them at all, because it was useless to answer, and the next day it was still the same.

"You think you'll be fine if you don't speak?"

"You think we're going to have nothing to do with you if you keep silent!"

The two beast interrogators constantly flexed their superiority, as if despising Learwin to the fullest could bring them great pleasure. In fact, it is also the case, few men up and down MI6 like Learwin, especially those who have worked under Learvin, all of them call her a "witch" without exception, and they all want to kill her.

For example, the two beasts in front of them were once teased by Li Erwen so that they couldn't take care of themselves, you must know that their backgrounds are not ordinary, they thought that entering MI6 was a big ambition, but who would have thought that they were tricked by a woman. How can this make a proud gentleman embarrassed?

To be able to take revenge on Learwin openly and humiliate this woman head-on, gentlemen are quite happy. In fact, it took a lot of effort for them to get their hands on this job. The only regret for these two gentlemen is that they will be replaced from tomorrow, and there are too many villains who want to humiliate Learvin, don't they have to queue up?

However, today's state of Li Erwen is a little strange, in the past in the interrogation, she was also very calm, and it seems that she did not take these so-called gentlemen who show off their power seriously. And today, she is still very calm, and still does not take the gentlemen seriously, but the two who interrogated her can obviously feel that Li Erwen's mood is a little strange, calm with anticipation, and it seems that she can't wait to watch the show.

This chick's skull is broken? The two gentlemen looked at each other, they knew very well that Learwin would never want to leave the prison in her life, and she would not want to get out of the cell as long as she had too many MI6 secrets.

"You'll be happy for a few more minutes." Learwin suddenly spoke, "A few more minutes." You won't be happy. ”

The two gentlemen burst into laughter, and from their unbridled laughter, it was not difficult to hear that they did think that Learvine was crazy, but what frightened them was that their laughter had not yet ended. The door to the interrogation room was slammed open. The group broke in straightforwardly and startled the two goods.

"This is ......"

As soon as they wanted to speak, they were ruthlessly interrupted, not because someone stopped them, but because they were startled by the visitor. M came in person, and if Learvin was a witch, then M was a witch. No one dared to contradict the witch, and immediately the two gentlemen became more honest than quails.

Learwin smiled lightly, as if he had been waiting for M for a long time: "You're finally here!" ”

Not beat around the bush. M's feelings for Learvin are quite complicated, and she both admires Learwin's abilities but also troubles her eclecticism. In her opinion, Learwin was a double-edged sword, which was really difficult to control. Especially at this time, M didn't want to say anything more to Learvin, and said coldly: "The foreign minister wants to see you, come with me!" ”

With that, M just broke into the interrogation room as if he had just taken the lead. Rushed out again. As for Learvin, she smiled and motioned for M to bring the dogleg to unshackle her. On the other side, he said to the two gentlemen very gently: "Do you remember what I just said? You won't be happy for long. Tsk, how do you clean you up? I'll have to think about it! ”

Learwin turned over, and Japan's sudden invasion of Southeast Asia caught the British Empire by surprise. The defensive forces of the British in Southeast Asia are really not worth mentioning. In fact, when the first war reports were delivered to Churchill's desk, the Smoker Prime Minister was furious. Because the soldier buddies who never set the sun were so frustrated, they were simply beaten by the devil!

It is foreseeable that in the coming period, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will definitely fall rapidly, and the order of the entire Southeast Asia will be completely changed.

"Japan's provocations must be countered immediately. Our servicemen must show courage to defend the great empire. Even if you are outnumbered, you can't run away from the wind! I want to see the battle plan for counterattacking Japan in the shortest possible time! ”

The old smoker sat down with a sullen head and continued to criticize: "What the hell are the Foreign Ministry and MI6 doing? Japan has carried out such a major military operation, why hasn't it gotten a little wind before, is it that the intelligence departments are all rice buckets? ”

No one dared to confront Churchill, and the angry old man's poisonous tongue and critical strike rate were doubled, so the angry Churchill was greeted by silence. After a long time, a weak voice replied: "MI6 has made discoveries before, but the relevant departments have not paid attention to it and ignored this possibility!" ”

Churchill glared at the guy angrily, and said very dissatisfied: "Then you don't correct this mistake immediately, don't let those rice buckets continue to do bad things, I only need people who are really capable!" ”

It was Churchill's words that changed Learwin's fate, and she was released from prison and returned to MI6 again, and unlike before, her status was greatly improved. After some further communication with the foreign minister, she was immediately recommended to Churchill.

Years later, the old smoker recalled: "To tell you the truth, Miss Learwin's resume gave me a lot of headaches, and from the documents it seemed that she was a real troublemaker. Unruly and self-reliant, these are not good reviews. I would not have been willing to appoint this lady if there had been any other option, but I had no other choice at the time. ”

"But to my surprise, after talking to this young lady, I revised some of my opinions, and yes, she did have some mavericks, but this maverick was useful. For the British Empire, which was in danger during the war, this kind of maverick was needed, not a mediocre and conformist rice bucket. ”

In Churchill's meeting, Learvin gave him a great help, although the old smoker did not explain what exactly helped, but judging from his few words and later developments, Learvin seems to have been the key figure in the future United States declared war on Japan.

Immediately after this hasty meeting, Learvin was appointed as a special envoy, and immediately after leaving the Prime Minister's office in Downing Street, he set sail for the Far East, specifically Chongqing, China.

Yes, with Japan's sudden military action in Southeast Asia, China's political position became more important than ever. The first idea that Churchill could think of was to hope that Lao Chiang and the scraping army would put more pressure on the Japanese army and force the Japanese army to return to mainland China.

"The Empire will soon grant more military and economic assistance to your government to help your government resist Japanese aggression...... At the same time, I hope that your country will be more proactive. If Southeast Asia loses, it will mean that your country will be completely isolated from the circle of civilization by Japan, and it will be very difficult for Japan to help you......"

Lao Chiang was very distressed by the female envoy's speech, and although he was glad that he could finally get more benefits from the British, he was undoubtedly embarrassed by the British demands. To be honest, he really wants to take the money and not do anything. In recent months, the military pressure on Chongqing has been greatly reduced, and the Japanese have been drawn to the Communists, and he is genuinely happy to do so.

But now, the British asked him to take the initiative to attack, and threatened him with aid, which made him very unhappy. But he was unhappy and couldn't resist, and this feeling of pain and happiness made him very entangled.

Note that Learvine has more to say than that: "We hope that your country will organize an expeditionary force to fight in Indochina to fight with our army. Working together to maintain the security of Indochina and prevent the unrestrained expansion of Japan......"

Lao Jiang really didn't want to agree to this request, for him, the army in his hand was the root of his life, and letting him send troops to work for Britain was really more painful than cutting his flesh. And Learvin seemed to know this, so she immediately added: "This will directly affect whether our country continues to give military and economic assistance to your country, and our country needs allies, not oil bottles......"

Lao Jiang was a little embarrassed. But the situation is stronger than people, after a struggle of ideas. He gritted his teeth and agreed to the request of the British, but the old fox was also very smart, and he took the opportunity to say: "Although our country has a large population, the supply of troops is not a problem, but the industry is weak, and it really does not have the ability to arm an army on a large scale. The existing strength of the scraping army was already very difficult to deal with the million-strong Japanese army. Can your country be responsible for the equipment and supply of the expeditionary force? ”

Churchill agreed to Lao Chiang's request, because objectively speaking, the bald head did not lie, and the industrial capacity of the government of the Republic of China, especially the industrial capacity of the central government in Nanjing, was really scum, and even light weapons could not be made. If you want Huaxia to help. That's only going to get some blood.

And Churchill felt that this bit of blood was not necessarily from the British Empire, first of all, military aid was never gratuitous, and the Americans were shouting about Lend-Lease, so the British Empire should also lend-lease! When the war is won, it will be enough to come back from China with interest.

Second, the British Empire is not capable of arming the army for the time being, and at this time, the British Army is short of guns and artillery to exchange garbage from the United States for emergencies, where can it manage the life and death of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. In the end, it was not the Americans who paid for the guns, but it was a big deal to do Roosevelt's work and include China in the Lend-Lease Act. When the time comes, the British Empire will not pull out a dime, and it will still be able to leave benefits.

I have to say that Churchill was too shrewd, and the little abacus was crackling. At the first moment of Japan's invasion of Southeast Asia, in addition to declaring war on Japan with the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Free France, it immediately contacted the United States and asked the United States to immediately impose an economic blockade on Japan. The United States was asked to immediately impose an all-round embargo on Japan's steel, oil, and grain.

Did Roosevelt agree? Naturally, they agreed, and in history, Japan did not move Southeast Asia, and the United States and Britain imposed an embargo on it.

Even the United States not only imposed an economic blockade, but also issued a stern warning to Japan, demanding that the devils immediately restrain themselves from the precipice, immediately stop their aggression in Southeast Asia, and apologize. It's just that the devil is willing to spit out the fat he eats. Especially when the devil finds out that the power of the British in Southeast Asia is simply vulnerable, he will only be more unscrupulous, how can the prodigal son turn back.

On 1 June, after Churchill personally met with Roosevelt again on a warship in the Atlantic, the two imperialist hooligans had reached a preliminary agreement, and the Americans expressed their willingness to arm the Chinese Expeditionary Force, but at the same time proposed that he must have a share of the pie in the new order of Southeast Asia in the future.

Of course, Roosevelt did not say so much, but talked about ending colonialism and giving the Asian people autonomy back. However, Churchill knew very well that this was actually a disguised urge for the British Empire to make concessions, which means: "It's okay for me to pay, but your British Empire always has to give me Uncle Sam a little benefit, right?" In this way, I won't force you, you just have to withdraw from Southeast Asia automatically! ”

It's very simple, the withdrawal of the British will naturally create a power vacuum, so who will fill it? Looking around the world, who else can there be but the US imperialists?

Churchill was naturally reluctant, but now that the situation is stronger than others, if he does not agree, then Southeast Asia will not really have it, and if he agrees, Britain may only need to cut meat and make profits, and some interest base can be left.

After some bargaining, the two hooligans reached an agreement, and soon a steady stream of arms and supplies from the United States was sent to China, and an expeditionary force full of pathos would soon be armed.

When Li Erwen left Chongqing, she looked at the mountain city suspiciously, and she didn't understand why this backward country and this decadent political party would fall into someone's eyes. Why? (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you to hzwangdd and Comrade Juventus!