Dalacci was originally just a colonel and staff officer of the Spanish Republican Army, and the loser stayed in the rear to deal with various plans. But with the outbreak of war, more and more senior officers were transferred, and Daraci, who remained behind, became a rare candidate for senior commander of the People's Guard.

Today, Daraci has been unusually promoted to major general of the Republic, leading a 50,000-strong national guard. And the defense line that Daraci is responsible for is the second front west of Madrid. This line of defense, built on the Manzanares River, with an even 50,000-strong civilian guard, is the most promising of the three lines west of Madrid to hold back the German-Spanish combined.

Just 2 days ago, the German-Spanish Combined Corps, which had not moved all this time, suddenly attacked. Not to mention the fall of all the forward positions in the west, the first line of defense of Madrid's three lines of defense also quickly collapsed. As the commander of the second line of defense, Daraci couldn't imagine why the first line of defense, which also had 50,000 troops, couldn't hold out for even 2 days.

Still, Daraci didn't have time to think. The highly-anticipated front-line defense zone has been lost, and all Madrid can rely on is the second- and third-line positions. And the second line of defense, which has the Manzanares River as its backing, is obviously more reliable than the third line of defense.

Daraci was a little excited, and he suddenly found himself in a pivotal position. Perhaps, his command will determine the outcome of the Battle of Madrid. The first time in my life I commanded a troop to fight, it was such a crucial battle. In the dark, Daraci felt that this might be the opportunity left by God for him, an opportunity to leave a name in history!

"Someone!" Dalaqi held back the excitement in his heart and said: "Organize the retreating defeated troops, and I will use them to form a new reserve." ”

After thinking about it, Daraci said to the liaison officer who came over: "Also, send a report to the headquarters in Madrid for me, and ask them to mobilize reinforcements to my defense line as much as possible." If you can, you can also transfer troops from the third line of defense. After all, our Manzanares River defense line is much more valuable than the third line of defense. ”

While Daraci was immersed in the fantasy of fame in World War I, on the other side of the second line of defense he was in charge of, many black "iron blocks" and dense figures had quietly appeared.

It was 7 o'clock in the evening, and as night fell, many of the soldiers of the National Guard had just finished their dinner, and they gathered in twos and threes to brag and chat. The soldiers in charge of the sentry also stared at the dark river with a hint of sleepiness.

For two days, too many of the routed troops who had escaped from the front line waded across the riverbank. The soldiers standing guard have also changed from a careful check at the beginning to a quick check now. The front line was defeated so quickly that many of those who fled back did not even know what was going on, so they hurriedly fled with the crowd. And the sentinels in charge of the investigation quickly got used to the flow of people coming in batches, and they didn't bother to get nervous.

They were not formally trained soldiers, although they carried guns and ammunition provided by foreign countries, and wore fairly formal uniforms. However, they are far from meeting the criteria for being an army. Neither the remnants of the soldiers who fled on the other side of the river, nor the sentinels stationed on the Manzanares River, met the quality requirements of a regular army.

An army capable of defeating the enemy on the battlefield must have strict discipline, fine traditions, and indomitable will. In addition, it is inseparable from flexible and professional command, reliable logistical support, and perennial professional military training. Officers and men of the real army must be familiar with the use of every weapon and equipment in their hands and be able to complete the offensive and defensive tactics assigned by their superiors. An army's intelligence system, command system, and combat units must be integrated. The military attainments of officers, the individual qualities of soldiers, and the trust and cooperation between each other must also be cultivated over a large period of time.

And none of all this is possessed by the so-called People's Guard in front of us. What's even more ridiculous is that their commander, Major General Daraci, is still counting on them to counter Rommel's elite divisions. Anyone with a modicum of common sense would accuse this of fantasy, but Dalachi, a general who only knows how to talk on paper and has a staff background, has no self-knowledge.

When Daraci fantasized about those temporary militiamen from all walks of life, who had never been exposed to military training or even used guns, to block Rommel's two-month reorganization of the German-Spanish Combined Corps, he had already been labeled as a soldier on paper. And fantasize about mobilizing more troops for him to command?! Dream on! If it weren't for the emergency, it would not be possible to change the general. The Madrid command would have kicked the "staff general" away a long time ago.

........

On the other side of the upper reaches of the Manzanares River, dark shadows gradually emerged. By the time the Standing Guard soldiers finally caught their attention, the pitch-black steel chariots had broken through the night, revealing their hideous fangs.

"Tank!" With a heart-rending shout, the originally lazy and harmonious People's Guard camp was instantly enveloped in a panicked atmosphere. And the German No. 2 tanks that broke out of the night immediately launched fierce strafing on the unsuspecting People's Guard.

"Zizi.......zi It took less than a minute for swaths of People's Guard fighters to fall amid the foul sound of machine guns. The German No. 2 tank was like a reaper, taking a large number of lives, leaving a pool of blood all over the ground.

"Where's the heavy machine gun, come here!" Several officers who reacted quickly also tried to resist.

"Crackling ......." The few machine guns that had long been erected next to the river bank began to fire.

"It didn't work! We were deceived that the few machine guns that the Germans sold us were too small in caliber to penetrate their tanks. "When you see the bullets from the machine gun, leaving only a spark around Tank 2, even the most calm fighter should collapse.

The few old and old machine guns, which were sold by the Germans to the Human Guard at a high price, could not penetrate their tank armor even at close range. And the grenades and other weapons have long been taken away by the troops heading south. In other words, the troops left in Madrid did not have weapons that could be used to penetrate German tanks!

To add to the despair of the National Guard, the Germans clearly had more tanks than meets the eye. In the distance, more and more No. 2 tanks showed their massive size of more than 4 meters. Gradually, many other low-profile chariots began to appear.

Then the Nationalist soldiers in khaki uniforms began to appear, but it was farther away.

The People's Guard on the east bank of the Manzanares River finally began a massive collapse. In the face of the endless German tank No. 2 and the national army destroyer tank No. 1, the desperate People's Guard fighters raised their hands.

Embarrassingly, no soldiers immediately came to accept their surrender. Because the German armourers of the Nationalist Army, who were the follow-up infantry, were still slowly approaching this side, and Rommel's only three German infantry battalions were even more unfought.