Chapter 16 16 Divergence
Separated from Accardo, Sickt walked back to the headquarters of the First Division with some decline, saw Harmon who was studying the map, and saw his confidant general, Sickt nodded with satisfaction and sat down at the table.
"Accardo disappointed me. Sickert opened the military kettle on the table and sighed after taking a sip of water.
Harmon was stunned for a moment, and looked up at Sickert: "What's the matter? Lieutenant Colonel Accardo messed up the mission you gave him?"
"Nope. Sickert shook his head, looked at the combat map and raised his eyebrows: "What do you think of the combat capabilities of the 15th Armored Division?"
"Very strong, this division is equipped with a lot of armored reconnaissance vehicles, and the trucks are three times the size of our first division, although most of their division is still ordinary infantry, but the mobility of the 103rd and 105th regiments I have visited, it can be described as terrible. β
"In other words, the cars that Accardo bought are better than the bikes and horses I equipped?" asked Sickert with some displeasure.
Wiping his sweat, Harmon knew that Sickert's stubbornness was extraordinary, and said helplessly: "Of course, if there is fuel, their mobility ability is indeed better than our 1st Division, but the logistics supply is sometimes not timely, so I am confident that the 15th Division can be defeated in a real combat environment." β
"You're right! And the analysis is very good! Continue to develop the 1st Panzer Division according to my plan, and I will try to expand your division with another ten bicycle companies, and equip it with 500 more horses. Let your mobility be further improved. Sickert said with a smile, then looked at the map, pointed to a point on it, and asked with interest, "In the afternoon, you are going to take this place?"
"Yes, General!" said Harmon with a nod.
"Good luck with your might!" Sickert smiled and walked out with his hands behind his back.
Harmon wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and sighed: "Give me another thousand bicycles? What are you kidding, you might as well equip me with twenty trucks, and our division's high-power radio and generator can only be dragged by horses." β
However, his voice of lamentation was extremely low, and he couldn't help but envy Accardo who dared to speak out, not everyone dared to speak their minds in front of their superiors, at least not Colonel Harmon.
"General, will Germany be equipped with a large number of automobiles and armored vehicles to rearm itself?" A French reporter stepped forward with bad intentions, holding a small notebook and staring at General Sickert, who had just walked out of the command headquarters.
This is a linguistic trap, and if Sickert says that Germany is indeed equipped with a large number of armored vehicles and automobiles, then it is undoubtedly an admission that Germany is rearming itself.
"Cars, armored vehicles, things that waste fuel and have no practical effect, can only be used to deliver milk to my troops!" Sickert was in a bad mood, his face was cloudy, and he pointed to a truck not far away and replied loudly: "To hell with these things!"
His words made the American reporter who was standing aside and ready to watch the show cover his mouth and laugh, this American reporter is a big beauty, her golden wavy hair flutters with laughter, and she is very good-looking.
The French reporter touched his nose, but it was a satisfied expression, because all countries are equipped with these new weapons on a large scale, and only the commander-in-chief of the German Wehrmacht stubbornly looks down on these weapons, and it seems that Germany's backwardness is doomed.
"Sir, what did Your Excellency General say?" A soldier saw Accardo coming over with a gloomy face, and stood up and saluted, "When will we be able to get the car?"
Looking at the hopeful soldiers, Accardo stopped, hid the negativity on his face, and immediately returned a very standard military salute: "We will soon have cars, armored vehicles, and in a few years you may be able to drive tanks, and then we will be the most powerful army in the world!"
"We are already the most powerful army!" the soldier stood up straight with confidence: "I hope you have always been our commander!"
"Yes, I hope you trust me, support me, as always!" said Accardo, who had found the fruits of his hard work, a force that had a keen sense of what they needed and a thirst for the equipment. The hard work he has put in over the past few years has been worth it and has paid off.
Hitler returned to square one, the illusion of an irreversible history for Accardo had now dissipated, and General Sickert's stubborn obstruction had disheartened him, but he had now found his purpose.
Thinking of this, Accardo looked at Gehr, who was following him, waved his hand, and said, "Gehr, I'll go and find Ensign Grace in a while, and I'll say I want to see her." β
After saying that, he took out the leather gloves stuffed into the armed belt, slapped them twice on his trouser legs, cleaned up the dust, then put the gloves on his hands, sat in the open-top car on the side, and said to Gehr, who was sitting in the driver's seat: "Send me to the regimental headquarters of the 103rd Regiment first, where I will wait for Second Lieutenant Grace! Remember, don't let anyone know, I'm looking for her." β
The car started and the soldiers around him cheered when they saw Accardo's car, and Accardo personally selected them and trained them to become the backbone of the Wehrmacht, and he gave these soldiers a new lease of life.
While the followers of the Nazi Party were still hiding their heads and tails in the Wehrmacht, some grassroots officers were praising Accardo's exploits, which was also the result of Accardo's secret concealment in the tack plan, and many soldiers were required to memorize Accardo's life before being assigned to the army, and Accardo's heroic story was widely circulated in the Wehrmacht and was well known.
So it's only natural that some Wehrmacht soldiers don't know much about General Sickert, but almost all of them can tell a story about Accardo, such as how he was promoted for saving hundreds of people in the gas, and how he once had a fight with the logistics chief for getting an extra truck for the soldiers.
In the afternoon, Grace and a young captain* were interrupted, and Gehr smiled and walked behind Grace and tapped her epaulettes with his hand: "Second Lieutenant Grace, I know you're busy right now, but General Sickett has something important to look for you!"
"General, what is the General looking for me?" Grace looked puzzled, but she still stood up, twisted her massive body, and followed the emaciated Gehr away, while the captain who had been with Grace* shrugged helplessly and continued to drink his coffee.
"Lieutenant Colonel Accardo, I guess it's you looking for me, let's say, what is it that makes a lieutenant colonel like you in power think of me as a little lieutenant like Grace?"
Accardo pointed to a few remittance slips on the table and looked up at Grace: "A few days ago, your baron's father suffered from pulmonary edema, and a mysterious person paid 210,000 marks for your family's medical expenses. β
"Lieutenant Colonel Accardo, I think you bribed the wrong person! I was picked up by General Sickert, and I would never betray him for a little money! Besides, when I received an unknown remittance, I had already told General Sickt in private! He knew about it!" Grace sneered, turned and walked out.
As he walked, he said in a mocking tone: "Now that I know who is kind enough to help, then I can rest assured, and I will slowly return the money to you, generous Lieutenant Colonel Accardo! As for why you have so much money, you have to think of a reason and explain it to General Sickert!"
"Very good! worthy of Sickert's most trusted secretary! I really admire him!" Accardo clapped and laughed, then looked at Grace, who was looking back at him in confusion, and slowly pointed to the remittance slips on the table: "I advise you to take a closer look." β
Grace frowned, turned around, walked to the table, picked up the money order, and only looked at it for a few seconds before his face turned pale.
"Since you want to pay back the money to the creditor, I kindly found the address for you, good fellow, a large sum of 200,000 marks, still mailed to your father and your brother from Paris, France. No more, no less, exactly 100,000 per person. Accardo smirked evilly, as if he were a demon from hell.
Walking up to Grace's side, Accardo shrugged his shoulders: "The mailing address is very clear, the Ninth Section under the French intelligence service, you can get away with it, but the Gestapo will shoot all your family members tonight, the crime is clear and very bad, treason." β
"You're framed!" said Grace, staring at Accardo with hatred.
"Think about your fiancΓ©, he has only joined the Gestapo for a few days, and I am going to arrange for him to go on a mission to the Soviet Union, presumably you don't want your lover to die in Siberia, right?"
Grace looked at Accardo and said viciously, "Despicable!"
"Okay! I'll admit I'm mean! I can only show my last chip. Accardo spread his hands and said, "If you are willing to cooperate, I can give you ten million dollars after the deed is done." β
"What the hell are you asking me to do, poison General Sickett?" Grace was taken aback by such a large sum of money, and looked at Accardo in shock, a little flustered.
"No! you don't have to do anything! just hide something from me when you report on some of my work!" Accardo said with a smile.
"You're going to let me go with you to embezzle military money?God! you're going to be shot! I'm going to be finished with you!" Grace glared at Accardo, as if he didn't believe that Accardo was a corrupt official.
"Embezzlement of military spending? German military spending is not enough for expenses! Ensign, how much am I going to embezzle enough to be worth the ten million dollars I promised you? Do you have what it takes to make half of the Wehrmacht drink the Mistral without being discovered?" Accardo laughed at Grace's speculation.
"So, what are you asking me to hide for you?" asked Grace, a little calmer, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Accardo is like a seductive criminal demon: "I want to secretly purchase cars and artillery to equip the Wehrmacht, this slightly radical plan General Sickt does not agree, so I plan to do it myself!"
"That's it?" Grace let out a sigh of relief, "You're scared to death! No problem! I can help......"