Don't underestimate the country of Germany, because of all the countries, there is probably only this country that originated from Prussia, and it is a country with a history of military construction that is longer than the history of its founding. The original emperor of this country led the army to capture the French emperor all the way, and after hitting the French capital Paris, he ascended the throne at the Palace of Versailles in France.

Now everyone knows why the Treaty of Versailles weakened Germany so much. To a greater or lesser extent, there was an element of retaliation from the whole of Europe against the rapid rise and expansion of the German Empire. Of course, now that Accardo had torn up the Treaty of Versailles, and Paris had become a German city, it took the Germans twenty years to wash away their shame and complete the steps of revenge.

Since the time of the Teutonic Knights, the German sword has been fighting for land for the German plow, and now the German sword has been submerged in the long river of history with time, and the Teutonic knights have also replaced their horses with the new King Tiger tank produced by Porsche. Armed to the teeth by modern technology, these warriors conquered vast territories that they had never dared to imagine before with a speed that their ancestors never had.

Stretching from the icy North Atlantic Ocean and the British Isles to the capital of a neighboring country, Moscow, the empire now has territory so large that anyone looking at the map has an inexplicable sense of admiration.

Now, standing on the top floor of a church on the Baku plain, Manstein observes with a telescope the clouds of black smoke rising in the distance. His artillery unit was bombarding the lines of the Soviet Red Army, and even though negotiators from the other side had arrived to try to negotiate a peaceful handover of the Baku oil fields, he still did not pause his offensive, and even made the offensive more fierce for some reason.

The place where the general was located was still very decently furnished, with a clean tablecloth on the table and warm coffee on it. Such a well-appointed general is rare at the front, but on the other hand, Manstein was equally meticulous in his military planning. He demanded that his troops be as meticulous as a clock, and that they should be as precise and punctual as a clock. That's why his battles were so regular, and his victory was taken for granted by others.

He didn't want his marshal to be ordained after a peaceful surrender ceremony, because he was a German general and could not afford to negotiate his promotion. In his heart, what he longs more for is to rely on combat to make achievements, which is the reserve that a professional soldier should have.

Moreover, Manstein could not tell whether the other party came to negotiate whether he really wanted to buy himself a way to live, or whether he planned to delay some time. He even wondered if the Soviets lacked the explosives to blow up all the facilities in Baku in a short time, so they had to delay the time to plan a more perfect plan for destruction.

So he did not leave his opponent any time, but while the negotiations were still ongoing, he opened the prelude to attacking the defense line around the Baku oil fields. For Manstein himself, this was just a very ordinary order from him as commander-in-chief of Army M, but for the soldiers of Army M, it was a bloody battle.

Hordes of soldiers jumped out of their foxholes after a round of artillery bombardment and charged at the enemy positions, machine gun bullets flying densely in the open space between the two armies, splashed with dust and blood everywhere, any such battlefield can be described as hell on earth, and it does not seem excessive in the slightest, because this is a real hell.

Before the barrage formed by the shells was completely dispersed and the smoke was still filled, the German troops had already rushed into the trenches of the Soviet soldiers under the cover of more than a dozen assault guns, and the two sides fought a fierce battle for the trenches. There is no trick in this, it is a battle for corners, and the sacrifice of life one by one.

In ten minutes, the Germans lost almost 100 men here, but they broke through a gap about two kilometers wide in the wide frontal defensive position. The grenadiers are working hard to expand this breakthrough, and once this breakthrough is expanded, the armored forces that the Germans will be able to rush to the town behind the Soviet army along this gap, and use it as a node to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Soviet army.

"Order the artillery directly under it, open fire on the main defensive positions of the Soviet troops on both flanks. Hit an ammunition base to cover our infantry to expand the results. Manstein put down the binoculars in his hand, turned sideways, and instructed his entourage: "Let the 8th SS Panzer Division advance to the breach, don't waste time." ”

As he uttered these commands, he tossed the telescope in his hand to an adjutant behind him, and then walked down the spiral stone steps in the highest spire of the church with some trepidation, tapping on the stone steps with the heels of his leather boots.

The battlefield in front of him made him not arouse any interest, he had seen the German army fighting in France, he had seen the classic encirclement battle fought by the German army on the vast Ukrainian plain, and he personally commanded the bloody offensive and defensive battle of the Crimea, and now the battlefield is like a child playing a game, revealing a childish feeling.

If this battle was to be the decisive battle for his promotion to marshal, he himself felt that it was a bit too child's play. He knew the importance of the Baku oil fields for the German army, and how important his army group was in the Caucasus to the entire empire. But he still has some regrets, regrets that those opponents who deserve respect have left the stage of this world war one by one.

Walking down the spiral staircase, Manstein even felt a little lonely and helpless, the war went on step by step, although the German victory made him feel happy and fulfilled as a general, but there will still be a day when it will come to an end. He feared that day and was a little afraid of his life in peacetime.

Manstein stopped until he reached the door of the church, which was filled with guards protecting the commander of the army group, and the town was surrounded by at least 1,000 German officers and soldiers, some of them workers of the army group, others of the guard units responsible for security.

Dozens of German guards, who were standing around the church with guns on their backs, saw the commander come out and immediately stood upright, and several of the leading officers raised their right hands and saluted. Manstein waved his hand to signal everyone to finish, and then asked the people around him again: "Have all the representatives from Baku been arranged?

"General, according to your orders, the entire venue has been put under martial law, and it is impossible for the people inside to release the results of the negotiations, whether it is war or peace, except for the Führer, Berlin will not get the news until a few days later. One of the deputies replied softly to Manstein.

This matter was personally ordered and arranged by the Führer, and of course the whole army group M was to be done as a top priority, and many nobles and not very loyal personnel who were arranged within the army, Manstein made excuses and arranged for them to go to the front. Even the juniors that General Brauchitsch had placed beside him were sent by him to the logistics side to supervise the transportation.

After all, he Manstein was still Führer Accardo's man, and he knew better than anyone how terrible the Führer was, and he knew better than anyone else that everything about himself came from Führer Accardo's promotion and trust. He knew better than Rommel and Guderian, the two recognized confidants of the Führer, how terrifying the man in Berlin really was. If he had to choose, he would rather face Zhukov and all of Stalin's generals at the same time than against Führer Accardo.

Only he knew that the scythe was actually a strategic arrangement devised by the Führer, only he knew how long the Führer had been preparing for the counterattack against Ukraine, and only he knew what kind of seeds the German army had been planted by the man who never seemed to dictate to the army.

"This matter must be kept completely secret, all telegrams sent back to Berlin must be strictly controlled, and all letters sent back to Germany must not mention the negotiations on the Baku oil fields, do you understand when I say that?" Manstein thought of this, and began to feel a cold sweat on his back. He was the one who knew Accardo the most in the entire German army, and therefore the most loyal to Accardor - and of course, there were others who were also loyal, such as Kluger in Army Group F.

After saying that, he continued: "If you don't understand, then I tell you, you have to personally deploy these works, and supervise the completion of these works strictly. If these things are not done well, then it is I who will deal with you, and it will be the Führer who will deal with me......"

He looked at his subordinates, then touched the Iron Cross hanging on the other party's chest with his hand, and slowly stated his thoughts: "I'm afraid of being hated by the Führer, so I'll dispose of you first, as for how to deal with ......"

"General, I understand!" replied the deputy in a slightly trembling voice, "I will go and strengthen the guards around the negotiation site, three times...... No! five times! Then I will supervise all the stations and personally check the contents of every telegram!"

Manstein finally nodded in satisfaction, and then walked to his car: "Go, don't let me down, if you succeed, I will let you get a good military management position in Baku......"