About two hours later, Montgomery, as the supreme commander of the British army in North Africa, personally delivered a speech: "As the supreme commander of the British army besieged in Alexandria, I have to make a painful decision for the sake of the future of my men, I declare that the 9th Army will cease its resistance and surrender its weapons to the German-Italian forces opposite. ”

He was supported by his assistant and almost fell to the ground, but he still insisted on finishing what he had to say: "You are all the most heroic soldiers, and it was my own clumsy command that brought you into a siege, in order to avoid a larger-scale tragedy, I have decided to sacrifice my personal honor, and give this humiliating and tragic order, hoping that my decision will not disgrace my motherland, and that my decision is correct." ”

Then the British troops stopped resisting, and then there were images of German soldiers everywhere watching a group of British soldiers walking out of their positions with their hands held high. Most of the Indian soldiers surrendered very simply, after all, it was already rare for them to be able to huddle in the trenches these days to give a personal show to the British, and now that they heard that they had a chance to live, they were naturally very enthusiastic.

Then there were German tanks and armored vehicles, surrounded by reporters, driving into the burning port of Alexandria. Dusty German grenadiers, armed with their weapons, staggered into the important port, a symbol of British rule in North Africa, in cars with mixed brands.

The grand parade into the city immediately began, and the German infantry in phalanx began to march with rifles and goose steps towards the fruits of their victory, while on either side of the road they walked were listless British soldiers, escorted by German soldiers with guns, to the makeshift prisoner of war camp.

Under the previously negotiated agreement, British officers were allowed to carry their own luggage, to be held with their adjutants, and all were allowed to wear ceremonial swords to heal the psychological wounds caused by the surrender. On both terms, British soldiers could return to their hometowns to participate in re-education through labor, rather than being sent to Poland as slaves.

As for the Indian troops who had left their homes for the British, a small number were to be sent back to Europe to enrich the ethnic composition of the concentration camps, and most were to remain in North Africa and serve a long and full decade of hard labor for the construction of a new railway from Tumud to the Suez Canal.

Rommel's convertible car rumbled through the army, followed by armored vehicles and tanks, and then captured radio communication command vehicles nicknamed "Mammoth" by the German nickname "Mammoth", who captured Britain, and many of the command guard vehicles, which were full of German grenadiers, looking to the sides with cold expressions at the lively British middle and lower rank officers.

Most of the vanquished looked depressed, but the victors weren't much stronger, their bodies covered in dust, the paint on their cars was cracked and peeling, and some of the tanks were covered with soldiers, as if everyone was exhausted.

"I think we're more decent winners than we are, at least we know to shave our beards every few days. When a British division commander saw German soldiers walking past him, he sarcastically said, "These Germans don't seem to care about anything but fighting." ”

As a result, the commander of the German grenadier division who was standing beside him to accept his surrender sneered when he heard the translation, and then replied: "The reason why we won is because we know that fighting with a beard will not affect the combat effectiveness, but I have plenty of time to shoot all the bullets in my hand when you shave." ”

Compared to the cruelty of the battle, compared to the bloody bombing, compared to the tragic fighting, the scene has a kind of medieval chivalry, the two sides shook hands civilly, and then chatted about the atmosphere, and then drank tea together decently to discuss the problems that arose in the battle just now.

Rommel's convoy passed through a phalanx of British prisoners and then stopped in front of the administrative building in the center of Alexandria, which was almost in ruins.

It was the first time the two men had seen each other face to face, and although they had seen each other countless times in the newspapers and in the intelligence services, it was really the first time they had met in the true sense of the word. For some reason, Rommel felt that this man had been a wall in his path, which he could not climb.

He pushed open his car door, jumped out of his car, and walked up to his old rival, Montgomery, surrounded by staff officers and guards. Meticulously raised his arm and gave a German salute: "Long live the Führer, it's a pleasure to meet you, General Montgomery." If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time the two of us have met, and it's a great honor. ”

"I am also honored to meet you, General Rommel! But this is not the first time that the two of us have fought each other, at least once in France. Montgomery's left and right trembled slightly, and Rommel also saw that the British general who supported the war in North Africa actually seemed to be in very bad health, and the blow of defeat and the crisis of the motherland brought him extremely great pressure, and also made the burden on his shoulders heavier than what Rommel carried.

He took a deep breath and motioned to his assistant to hand over the flag of the 9th Army to the German officer on Rommel's side before continuing: "On behalf of the 9th Army, I lead to you...... Wehrmacht Army Group L surrendered and now hand over the battle flag, which symbolizes the honor of our troops, in the hope that General Rommel will treat this trophy that belongs to you well. ”

Rommel stopped his assistant who was about to come forward with his hand, and then stood up and said to General Montgomery: "Your Excellency, Your troops have fought with my army from the vicinity of Tuniss to Alexandria, and as your opponent, I fully affirm your outstanding ability in battle command, and also fully affirm the combat effectiveness of the British 9th Army. ”

He pointed to the flag that was still pinched in the middle of Montgomery's assistant's hand, then stared into Montgomery's eyes and continued: "So, Your Excellency General Montgomery, I, Erwin Rommel, General of the Wehrmacht of the Third Reich, I beg you to hand over to me this flag, which represents the honor of all here, and stand upright!"

At his shout, all the German soldiers stood upright, although their clothes were indeed not very decent, some were wearing scarves, and some were still full of sand on their shoes, but they all stood upright, and the momentum was imposing. And the British prisoners of war also straightened their backs, and at that moment they seemed to have regained their souls, and if they had regained their form earlier, perhaps they would have been able to fight Rommel's troops in the ruins for a month.

Montgomery heard Rommel's words, and his eyes finally had a little more brilliance, he was almost nothing now, and his country, which had fought all his life, was now eager to hang him, but to be recognized by his former enemies was still a very precious comfort for a defeated general.

So Montgomery tidied up his military uniform, took the flag of the 9th Army in the hands of his assistant, slightly flicked the yellow ornamental tassel on the edge of the flag with his hand, walked in front of Rommel very solemnly, and handed the flag to the opponent wearing the uniform of a German general.

The surrounding reporters accurately recorded this rare moment, this is the first group army formed unit to surrender to the German troops since the start of the war, and it is also the first time that a general with the rank of general surrendered, so the magnesium lights kept flashing, accompanied by the sound of bang, these interviewers kept pressing the shutter in their hands.

"You are better at encouraging soldiers and inspiring their courage than I am, you are a natural general, and a natural star, and when you stand there, there are many admirers who are willing to die for you. Montgomery sighed, and really admitted his defeat, he had so few cards in his hand that he couldn't change what he was facing.

If he could get to know Rommel from another time and space, he would be best friends, because they all had the same tragic ending: neither of them had enough strength to realize their strategic intentions, and they both failed in their efforts. One of them was good at attacking and the other was good at defense, so Rommel in another time and space was defeated on the offensive road, and Montgomery in this life lost in the defensive position.

Rommel stood beside him, watching the troops in the distance rumble out of the city, and the banners of the Third Reich were hung on the surrounding buildings that had not collapsed. While posing handsomely to reporters, he said to Montgomery beside him: "That's because you haven't seen our great Führer, compared with him, you know that my set is just scratching the surface, standing next to the Führer, I even have a feeling that I have achieved a goal that I have not been able to achieve in my life." Standing by his side, I was truly invincible. ”

When Rommel said this, the whole city was still full of black smoke, and in some places there were still raging fires, all of which told people one thing, as if the Führer in Berlin would really be invincible!