When Ismay worriedly walked into the command post cafeteria, he could hardly believe what he saw, a Churchill happily munching on fried bacon, saw him enter, and greeted him cheerfully waving a fork with a boiled egg. ◎

"Good morning, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Ismay bowed to Churchill and walked to the table.

"Good morning, Hastings, you went to Maidstone yesterday afternoon, how was it there, did you have breakfast?" Churchill swallowed the bacon in his mouth and said loudly to Ismay.

"Not yet, Your Excellency Prime Minister, I just rushed back from there, and it was terrible along the way, there were retreating civilians everywhere, and my car had a flat tire." Ismay sat down at Churchill's men.

"Ah, that's terrible, the bacon is good today, come with me for breakfast." Churchill put down his knife and fork, grabbed a slice of white bread from the bread basket on the table, and then took a butter knife and spread butter on it. At the Prime Minister's behest, the orderlies served Ismay an identical breakfast.

"Thank you, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Ismay was not pretentious, he took off his military hat and handed it to the orderly, then picked up his knife and fork and began to cut the food on the plate.

"Hastings, you don't look good, the milk is fresh today, you should give it a try." Churchill nibbled on a slice of bread and chatted with his chief of staff.

"Your Excellency, I'm very sorry, I think I have bad news for you." Ismay put down her knife and fork and pushed the plate aside. From the moment he entered the door, he had been hesitant not knowing how to begin reporting to Churchill.

Churchill is clearly in a state of excitement right now, and Ismay doesn't know exactly what's going on, but this is the first time Ismay has seen a smile on Churchill's face in a month. For a moment, it seemed that the ambitious, confident, capable and decisive Prime Minister of the British Empire had returned.

As the Prime Minister's closest friend, Ismay really didn't want to spoil Churchill's rare good mood, and the damage caused to this man by external and internal pressure during this time was too great, and he could not forget the scene he saw when the news of Somerville's death came, and he could not forget Churchill's gloomy and dejected face and the mixture of gloom and tyranny in his eyes at that time. and the sorrow and despair hidden in his clumsy back as he staggered out of the office with his head down.

But now, although there are still huge dark circles on his face, and his cheeks are still loose and drooping, no matter the flush on his gray-white face, or the shining eyes and bright smile, he is full of sunshine and vitality.

However, Ismay felt that it was his duty and obligation to let Churchill know the news he had brought as soon as possible. Looking at the radiant Churchill, Ismay felt a heavy sense of guilt in his heart.

"Oh? Did something go wrong? To the surprise of the Chief of Staff, the smile dissipated. Churchill put down the half-gnawed slice of bread, and he stared at Ismay, his brow wrung into a deep mark.

"Just last night, there was a massive riot in Maidstone. The outside mob smashed open the windows of the shops, ransacked every shop along the street, engaged in a shootout with the police, and burned down the local police station. Only one company of army soldiers was stationed in the area, guarding the city's munitions depots. The mob had a large number of weapons, and they killed the sentries. The munitions depot was looted, and the military food and clothing contained in it were swept away by the mob, but fortunately the soldiers finally held the ammunition depot, otherwise the consequences would not have been predictable. ”

Ismay stopped. Looking at the Imperial Prime Minister whose face turned gloomy. Churchill pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, picked up the cigar in the ashtray and struck a match.

"Go on. Hastings, I'll listen. Churchill said as he lit his cigar.

"I was living on the second floor of the Ranson Hotel in the heart of the city and witnessed the riot firsthand. At first, a group of civilians gathered around the entrance of the town hall after dark. The mayor was asked to provide them with accommodation and food, and the city hall personnel came out to explain that there were not enough reserves in the city and asked them to leave the city and seek help elsewhere. I don't know exactly what happened in the middle of the negotiation, but then the local police were dispatched, and the police brandished batons and began to disperse the crowd. There was a chaotic brawl at the scene, in which some civilians were injured. I only brought four deputies with me, and I simply couldn't come forward in the face of this situation.

The civilians brought in reinforcements, these were supposed to be fleeing National Guard soldiers, and I saw that many of them were still wearing SDF uniforms and holding standard military rifles. Without saying a word, they opened fire on the police, killing several patrolmen on the spot, and then a shootout ensued across an intersection where the policemen had only a few rifles and were quickly dispersed by the mob.

Then things got out of hand, and the mob began to ransack shops around the city center, breaking locks with rifles, breaking down doors and taking everything they wanted. I escaped through the back door of the hotel with my men and stopped a passing police car, who took us to a nearby barracks. Ismay slowly recounted his ordeal to Churchill, and he noticed that the British Prime Minister's jaw muscles were tense.

"What happened then, they stormed the munitions warehouse?" Churchill asked Ismay in a muffled voice as he bit out his cigar.

"Yes, I didn't expect them to be so bold at the time, and this is complete treason. The soldiers guarding the warehouses were taken by surprise, they did not even have time to pick up their arms, some were killed on the spot, and some surrendered to each other. Afterwards, the local police reported to me that some locals had shown the way to the mob, pointing out that food and clothing were stored here. The police chief reported that many locals were involved in the looting of shops and barracks in the chaos that night.

I retreated to the ammunition depot with my deputy, and I concentrated about a platoon of soldiers, and we held the area with concrete bunkers and five machine guns, killing seven thugs, who quickly gave up the assault on the ammunition depot. I stayed there with my soldiers until dawn when the riot was over. ”

"The police repelled the mob?" Churchill was somewhat interested.

"No, the people scattered on their own. They fled the city before sunrise, and some may have stayed, but we couldn't identify them from the citizens, because many of them were involved in last night's riots, and they didn't cooperate with the police investigation at all. Your Excellency Prime Minister, I propose that the military should be immediately mobilized to intercept the migration of refugees to the north. We must avoid what happened last night in the major cities of the North, where our most important production companies and supplies are located, and we must not allow these dangerous elements to approach those cities. Ismay made a personal suggestion to Churchill, and he remembered the scene of last night, he could only make a proposal to Churchill from a military point of view, and he also knew that a large number of Imperial citizens were involved, and it could not be handled simply and rudely, and it would be very tricky to solve.

"Well, I need to submit a detailed report from the cities along the way, and I have to gather the members of the wartime cabinet to discuss it. Come up with a proper solution. Now that the German landing was imminent, we had to concentrate all our forces on countering the German invasion. As for the current ......," Churchill looked down in thought for a moment, then raised his head to Ismay and said.

"At present, we can transfer part of the troops of Scotland Yard and the London garrison to support several important cities in the surrounding area, first ensure the stability of the area around London, issue a temporary martial law, strictly control the flow of people, and at the same time block the news to avoid panic in the society."

"Then will the law and order situation in the city of London be affected?" For the transfer of the London Police and Garrison. Ismay was a little worried, as some fleeing civilians had already entered London, and although the number was small, it was likely to be a hidden danger.

"Scotland Yard was able to overcome all odds. I believe in the competence of the Metropolitan Police in London. Now our task is to maintain the status quo, and when the German landing is thwarted, we will have enough time and forces to solve these problems, and when that time comes. Not a single criminal will be able to escape punishment, and what awaits them will be the unrelenting sanctions of the Empire. As long as we repel the German attack, everything will be fine. Churchill's expression soothed. He said confidently to Isme.

"Hastings, you gave me bad news that gave me a headache, but I have good news for you. I have just received a report from Washington that we have reached an agreement with the Americans, and the Americans have promised to give us the assistance we need, that the first batch of 200,000 rifles and 300 cannons has been loaded and shipped, and that weapons from the United States will continue to arrive in Britain.

Even better, the Americans promised to mobilize their destroyers to escort the convoy, and they had more than 200 destroyers, which were well equipped, well-equipped, and reliable. With the support of the Americans, the Germans could no longer cut off our supply lines.

By that time, we will be able to arm every British man, and form dozens of infantry divisions, and by that time the Germans will never again be able to set foot on this island.

We will also get more tanks and planes from the Americans, in the thousands, we will get enough food and supplies from the Americans, the British will no longer have to worry about hunger and scarcity, our tables will be full of American-made food, and the smell of American beef will come out of the housewife's oven. The British people will regain their confidence and fighting spirit, and the British Empire will never bow to the barbaric Germans.

When we have gathered enough strength, we will launch a counter-offensive against the Germans with our mighty allies, we will set foot on the continent again, defeat the invincible German army, I will take the arrogant blonde boy captive, let the soldiers drag him through the streets of London, put him in a cage at the London Zoo and exhibit it to all the Britons, and finally send him to the Tower of London to have his beautiful head cut off! Churchill's face was flushed, his mouth was foaming, and he was in a state of extreme euphoria, and he was already intoxicated with his delusions.

Before this, Churchill had actually subconsciously foreseen his failure, but his stubbornness made him refuse to accept this idea, and the fear of failure made him pray to heaven and hope for some miracle, only to wait for one greater failure after another.

Churchill was on the verge of collapse by then, and he began to numb himself with alcohol and a lot of cigars in an attempt to make himself forget about the crisis in front of him. But this morning's report, like the first light in the darkness, gave him hope again in the abyss of despair. Like a straw grasped before a person drowns, Churchill has pinned all his hopes on this straw.

One moment he was already devastated, and the next day he immediately received exciting news. He believed that this was not an accidental coincidence, but a foreshadowing given to him by God that the harsh trials of him were over and that he would be relieved from his suffering. And they will be rewarded handsomely for passing the test.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, is this true? Are the Americans willing to support our weapons and equipment? It's so good that with the support of the Americans, we're going to continue this war until one side falls completely, and I'm sure it's Germany that falls. Ismay was deeply moved by Churchill's words, who had always had an extraordinary contagion that would convince you that what he said would come true.

"Yes, not just support, but we want to involve Americans directly in this war. However, it takes some skill and some time. However, this support is now enough to rearm a large army. So I let you not rush to deal with the chores, and our goal now is to keep the Germans on the other side of the channel before reinforcement arrives. When the crisis is over, we can slowly solve the problems at home and send all the traitors to the gallows. Churchill spat at the smoke smugly, and Ismay nodded his head with a look of realization.

The Chief of Staff and the Prime Minister have relieved themselves of the burden on their minds. Feeling an appetite, he hurriedly ordered the orderly to deliver a new piece of food, and the two of them shook off their cheeks and feasted on it. The two sides opened their hearts and talked happily with each other. By the time breakfast was over, it was past ten o'clock in the morning. The two of them talked and laughed with their full stomachs and walked into the conference room of the underground command post.

It was a daily meeting of the Chiefs of Staff, and there were no major issues to be discussed, because it was a wartime meeting of the Cabinet Military Committee. They are more like professional advisers to the various services in the wartime cabinet, and their task is to advise the ministers of the various services in the cabinet and receive orders from the cabinet. There is a staff team of the headquarters to make plans and the like. There are operations divisions of various branches of the armed forces, which only assist the Cabinet in making military judgments and decisions, and serve as a bridge between the Cabinet Ministers and the military. As is customary, such regular meetings are generally just to update each other on developments and to exchange some up-to-date information. Take a bunch of Churchill's bizarre orders, spend some time choosing the most outrageous ones to deny, and then happily go back to their respective homes to find their own mothers.

But when Churchill walked into the room today, he found that there was something wrong with the atmosphere in the room, and several chiefs of staff were gathering around the map table in the corner of the room, pointing around the map. Seeing Churchill enter, Baron Annside, who had just been promoted to field marshal, stepped forward and put a document in front of Churchill with a serious face.

"This is the report we have just received, the garrison squad remaining at the Sandwich barracks, and in the early hours of this morning found that the shore of the town of Deere, about 15 kilometers to the southwest, was lit up, and the air defense order was seriously violated. The Sandwich Barracks did not pay any further attention.

But in the morning, the watchman on duty noticed something suspicious, and a number of plumes of smoke rose in the direction of the town of Dire, and it seemed that there were ships sailing on the sea. They contacted Fort Dearburg again, only to be told that it was just a passing convoy of transports, telling them not to care. The garrison squad leader at Sandwich was very alarmed, and he thought that something must be wrong, and since he only had five men and could not go to check it out, he sent a report to the Kent command post. The Kent Command Post forwarded the report to the Dover Command Post, but due to a communication outage, they sent the report to the Army Communications Service for relay. My adjutant happened to be at the communications office when he saw the telegram, and he thought there was something wrong with it, perhaps a suspicion of the Germans, or a feint before the landing. ”

Churchill took the report, read it carefully from beginning to end, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"It was evident at first glance that this was a clumsy trap on the part of the Germans, who wanted to draw our attention to Diere, where there was at most a German special commando, and they landed in small boats, and attacked the garrison at Dearburg, deliberately creating a bunch of flaws for us to discover, and inducing us to move our troops there, and then take the opportunity to land in Dover. This tactic is so clumsy, the shore of Dill is full of sand and shallows, and it is not suitable for the landing of troops at all, but we cannot leave the Germans alone and transfer an elite army...... A battalion, a battalion to Diel, and drive the Germans back to the sea, but I suspect that by the time our troops arrived, the Germans would have retreated. So the army was ordered to draw an infantry battalion from the nearest unit to Dire. Churchill read the order to the secretary on one side, and the chief of staff of the Army himself signed it after the other party had finished drafting and typing.

"Next, I'm going to tell you a big piece of good news." Churchill sat down at the chairman of the conference table and proudly announced to the chiefs of staff who were sitting precariously. (To be continued, please search, the novel is better and updated faster!)