In the dimly lit cell, Mussolini stared boredly at the cracks in the ceiling, and he was imprisoned in the basement of a villa not far from where he had been arrested. He wondered why the Germans did not immediately escort him back to Rome or take him to Berlin.

As he pondered, the basement door was pulled open from the outside, and a man in an Italian military uniform smiled and walked into the cell, a man with medals on his chest, looking even more imposing than Mussolini had been in power.

"Are you used to living here, my great leader, Mr. Mussolini?" asked Marshal Garibaldi, with his hands behind his back, as if admiring a work of art he had completed, admiring his former boss Mussolini, who was in prison.

Mussolini glanced at the smug former Italian field marshal and snorted coldly without speaking. His meaning is very obvious, that is, his opponent is the German Führer Accardo, not the former subordinate who stands here to show off his might. He didn't even bother to open his mouth to speak to the other person, because he looked down on this capricious villain who betrayed all of Italy.

He felt that if it weren't for Marshal Garibaldi, a wolf-hearted traitor, who had taken refuge in Accardo, he would have been the victorious side in this withdrawal from the Axis powers—Italy would have been able to safely withdraw from the world war and become a neutral free country.

"Guess why you were imprisoned in this little obscure place, but not sent back to Berlin or Rome?" Garibaldi seemed to care about Mussolini's ignorance, and talked to himself about the topics he was interested in and wanted to say: "Think about it, if it weren't for you, a genius who seeks his own death, how could I be where Garibaldi is today?"

"What if you sit in my place today? It's just a dog raised by the German Führer Accardo!" Mussolini finally spoke, his eyes adjusting to the light at the door, frowning and sarcastic: "I am not like you! I am at least the leader of a country! the leader of a country that was once independent!"

"No, no, no, I don't dare sit in your seat. Garibaldi waved his hand and denied that he had become the new leader of Italy. He seemed to have a sense of accomplishment in this matter, and defended himself with some pride: "Italy is a special time, and now it is a military junta." This government has I, Marshal Garibaldi, and there are no messy leaders or anything. ”

He pointed to the good-looking Iron Cross on his chest and continued: "You see, I appreciate my other status: the Iron Cross of Merit, an honorary citizen of Germany, and awarded by the Führer himself. ”

As he spoke, Garibal looked at Mussolini with some shamelessness: "I'm just a dog in your hands! All people are just dogs from you! But I'm smarter, and I know that the dog that is the winner is better than the dog that is the loser, at least better on the field." ”

Mussolini looked at Garibaldi, who was a little complacent in front of him, and an inexplicable anger erupted from his body, he gritted his teeth and shouted fiercely at this guy who seemed to be a little villainous: "You bastard! If you hadn't been in the way, Italy would have withdrawn from the war with dignity! How many people would have peace? I just want to seek the greatest benefit for the motherland, but what about you? You don't understand anything, fool! You have ruined Italy's hope of a peaceful exit from the war!

He has worked hard for the strength of Italy all his life, and he may seem to outsiders to be a despicable, unscrupulous dictator, but he does have the position and dreams of a generation of old Italian politicians. Sadly, these dreams and positions have left him with no choice but to choose his current path, and they have pushed him further and further down this path.

All the efforts for Italy, or in Mussolini's own opinion, all his efforts for Italy, were right. For the sake of this persistence and ideals, he is willing to take risks and give up his low-hanging fruit and fortune, which sounds very lofty, but behind the scenes, it is just a difference in personal pursuit.

Hitler was a vegetarian, Himmler was even called a model husband by those familiar with his private life, and when racism was like hunting animals, the madmen even brought the gas chambers of the concentration camps to the table as a topic of discussion. When they don't sin, they are almost all good people like the grandmother next door, and Mussolini is also such a person, he seeks power and fame, the kind of absolute ruling power that will never be subservient to others.

"Have you ever thought that the war was won?" Garibaldi looked at Mussolini, already annoyed, for the main purpose of his personal visit—he liked to see his former boss provoked, annoyed by his successes and overcome. It's an indelible sense of achievement, and he enjoys the refreshment that comes with this kind of overtaking.

Like Mussolini, Garibaldi gambled. Mussolini placed his bet on Italy's swaying left and right for nothing, while he Garibaldi bet all his wealth on the German Führer Accardo. He was sure that the German Führer, who had been called a gift from God, would eventually win the war.

As long as Germany completes its external expansion and becomes the world's largest power, then the political status of the United States will be infinitely marginalized. Germany will become the de facto master of the whole world. At that time, Italy, the small henchman of the Axis powers, will naturally jump to the second position in the world.

Or, ideally, join the group of Greater Europe, merge into the family of European empires, and become the true masters of this world. For thousands of years, the dream of a unified Europe that the monarchs of every European country have aspired to is about to come true in the near future - Garibaldi, as the highest-level collaborator, will at least be the first prime minister or deputy head of state under the new big European system.

Unlike Mussolini, Marshal Garibaldi, who had always been subservient to others, did not see Accardo as a humiliation in the slightest, but instead saw a bright future: a dog for an Italian dictator was certainly not as comfortable as a prime minister for the whole of Europe. Even if this deputy or prime minister may be just a fictitious title, it is also a fictitious title above ten thousand people under one person, isn't it?

Thinking of this, he ignored Mussolini, who was a little stunned, and walked to the door before continuing to speak: "I asked you just now, and you haven't answered my question yet. Since you claim to be extremely smart, guess what...... Why were you imprisoned in this little obscure place, and not sent back to Berlin or Rome?"

The tone of his question was full of ridicule, and without waiting for Mussolini to answer, he began to answer himself: "Because whether it is our Majesty the King, or the consul of my military government, or the head of the Reich who sits in Berlin from afar." None of us want you to go back to any of the centers of power...... So you don't have much of a future left. ”

"No way! Don't think I don't know! This must be your fear, afraid that I will go back and take your place! No more, just give me 1 hour, and I will be sure to replace you! You are just afraid of this!" Mussolini proudly laughed at Garibaldi: "With me, you are always just an alternative!"

"Actually, it's a pity. Leader Mr. Mussolini...... Allow me to call you that one last time. Garibaldi turned around at the door and looked at Mussolini: "It was the German special forces who captured you, and I'm sure you've heard of some of them...... The 0th SS division, a special operations unit absolutely loyal to the Führer. Do you think, as a spokesman for a puppet regime, can I direct these Führer's personal guards, who usually don't even pay attention to the Wehrmacht generals?"

Mussolini was stunned for a moment, and after a while, as if he had lost all his strength, he sat back on the edge of his bed. He knew that Garibaldi did not need to lie to him, that the Führer who was far away in Berlin had no intention of seeing him again, and that he had hoped that he would persuade the other party during the meeting seemed to be really self-inflicted.

Walking outside the door, a German major general watched Garibaldi take out a cigarette from the cigarette case, smiled and reached out and handed over a very beautiful lighter, he gently rubbed the roller on the lighter, the beating flame burned, Garibal's first inhale, the cigarette in his mouth was lit.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, seemed to let go of something, smiled and nodded in thanks, "Thank you." ”

The burly-looking major general smiled, "We're friends, aren't we? You don't have to be friends like that, and sooner or later you'll know that it's worth it to be friends with me, Otto Skorzny. We do a lot of things for our friends, and we also take into account the feelings of our friends. The Führer asked me to convey to you that there is no need to worry about cooperation between us, and today we will demonstrate our sincerity. ”

After he had said this, he said no more, but the two SS officers standing behind him with their hands behind their backs immediately began their preparations. The two men put on gloves, then drew their pistols from their waists and walked into Mussolini's cell with a straight face.

"Long live Italy!" a desperate Mussolini shouted his last words, followed by four crisp gunshots: "Bah!" "Bah!" and the two men walked out of the cell and gave Skorzny a slight nod on the head.