"Change the password?" Churchill frowned tightly and looked at the other party with blazing eyes, his eyes filled with disbelief and faint worry. You know, in many previous wars, the reason why the British army was able to predict and grasp many of the German army's movements in advance was because it successfully cracked the German army's codes. Without this key method, how could they have obtained so much accurate and valuable intelligence? That intelligence played a big role on the battlefield, allowing the British army to make response arrangements in advance and gain a certain advantage. But now, this code has been changed by the German army, which means that they have lost an important way to obtain German intelligence. It will be even more difficult to gain insight into the German actions in the future. For the British army, this is undoubtedly This is extremely bad news. "Yes." The officer in charge of intelligence felt Churchill's sharp gaze and felt frightened. He responded quickly, his voice trembling unconsciously. "Damn, that's why this sneak attack happened?" Churchill suppressed the anger that was about to burst out of his heart, and stared at the opponent with his eyes, as if he wanted to see through the opponent. He knew in his heart that the German army's sudden sneak attack on Gibraltar was most likely because they changed the password, which caused the British intelligence department to become blind and unaware of the German army's actions, which gave the German army an opportunity to take advantage of it. opportunity. Hearing this, the officer in charge of intelligence understood that at this moment, even if he had all kinds of reasons and excuses, he could not shirk responsibility and could only admit it. After all, the facts were right in front of him. Besides, he really didn't know how to explain this sudden situation.

After hearing this, Churchill rarely became furious as before, but looked at the other party unusually calmly. But beneath this calmness, there seemed to be a more turbulent anger hidden, making people feel even more depressed. "Do you know the reason?" Churchill asked coldly. Although his tone seemed calm, it revealed an unquestionable majesty. "The details are unclear. We are currently investigating. It is suspected that someone leaked our intelligence and the Germans noticed it, so they quietly changed the password." The intelligence officer in charge explained cautiously. He was also helpless. He really hadn't figured out the specific reason yet. He just speculated based on some existing clues. He felt that there might be a traitor inside, or there was a loophole in some link during the intelligence transmission process. This led to the leakage of intelligence, which made the German army aware that the code had been deciphered, which prompted them to quietly change the code. "In other words, the German army has already changed the password without our knowledge? Are you still kept in the dark?" Churchill's tone became colder, his eyes full of blame and dissatisfaction, and he stared at the other party. Sure enough, these words were like a sharp blade, stabbing straight at the officer in charge of intelligence, making him shrink his neck involuntarily, feeling as if he was half shorter, and he didn't even know how to formulate words to respond. . "Now, tell me what to do about Gibraltar? Do you know what it means if we lose this place?" Churchill's words hit the opponent again like a heavy hammer, leaving him completely speechless. He didn't know the importance of Gibraltar in his heart. Once it was lost, it would mean that the British army's strategic layout in the Mediterranean would be completely disrupted, the navy's supply lines would likely be cut off, and many subsequent military operations would be disrupted. It will be seriously affected and may even cause the entire war situation to develop in a direction that is extremely unfavorable to the British army. But to be honest, he really didn't know what to do now. After all, the German army's action was so sudden, and they lost their intelligence advantage. The current situation was too passive. "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, do you want the US military to increase its assistance?" the intelligence staff asked softly, with his head slightly lowered and a cautious look on his face. He was thinking in his mind that since it was difficult to solve the serious problems faced by Gibraltar with the existing strength of the British army, it would be better to try to get the US military to increase its assistance. In his opinion, the US military's military strength is quite strong. If it can get stronger support from the US military, even if Gibraltar is unfortunately lost, it will be able to take it back by relying on this powerful joint strength. Upon hearing this, Churchill sighed silently in his heart. Why doesn't he want the US military to increase assistance? He knew very well how critical the current situation in Gibraltar was. If he had strong support from the US military, he might be able to stabilize the situation or even turn things around. But he also knew the stakes. Once the US military is allowed to increase its assistance, it means that Britain's reliance on the US military will further deepen in this war, and I am afraid it will have to pay a heavier price by then. Not to mention that more benefits may have to be transferred to the United States during the war. Just talking about the post-war international structure, I am afraid that the status of the British Empire will be in jeopardy. After all, over-reliance on the aid of other countries will inevitably greatly reduce its own voice. The British Empire, which was originally superior in the world, is likely to lose its glory and become a second-class power. This is not what Churchill wanted to see. result.

However, if the US military is not requested to increase assistance, Gibraltar will be in great danger based on the current difficulties faced by the British army. Once Gibraltar is lost, the consequences will be equally disastrous. The British army's strategic layout in the Mediterranean will be completely disrupted, the navy's supply lines will be cut off, and many subsequent military operations will be difficult to carry out. The entire war situation will develop in a direction that is extremely unfavorable to the British army. Thinking of this, Churchill felt exhausted both physically and mentally. The position of Prime Minister is not as comfortable as it seems on the surface. Every day, he has to face various difficult problems and weigh the pros and cons. A slight mistake may lead to disaster. "I will solve the matter of contacting the US military." Churchill frowned slightly and said solemnly. He knew that no matter whether he decided to let the US military increase its assistance in the end, he had to first communicate with the US military to understand the situation and see the other side's attitude and how much support it could provide. "However, what you have to solve is to find out who leaked the information." Churchill's eyes instantly became extremely cold, staring at the other party closely, and said in a stern tone. He knew in his heart that the current crisis in Gibraltar was largely caused by intelligence leaks that caused the German army to change their passwords, which in turn made the British army unaware of this large-scale German operation. Therefore, the insider who leaked the information must be found out and severely punished, otherwise similar situations may happen again in the future, which will really cause endless troubles. "Yes." The intelligence staff member hurriedly responded. He knew very well that since the Prime Minister had given such an order, he must go all out to complete the task. If he couldn't find out the reason, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to survive. . … "Gibraltar is going to be lost?" Roosevelt sat at his desk, holding the telegram he had just received tightly in his hand. His face was full of shock and his eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't believe what was conveyed in the telegram. information. The loss of the Suez Canal already made him extremely angry. The Suez Canal is an important waterway connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Its strategic position is extremely critical. Its loss will have a huge impact on the entire war situation and the layout of . interests in the Middle East. Who knows, now we are faced with the possibility of losing Gibraltar. This is simply outrageous. Gibraltar is also a strategically important place, guarding the throat of the Mediterranean. Once lost, the consequences would be disastrous. "Yes, now the four-nation combined fleet is attacking Gibraltar. Not only that, the German army is also attacking Gibraltar. The situation is very bad." Marshall said with a serious face. He knows that the current war situation in Gibraltar is very critical. The violent attack launched by the four-nation joint fleet from the sea is enough to cause a headache. Coupled with the coordinated attack by the German army from land, the defenders of Gibraltar are facing a flanking attack. It is extremely difficult to hold on to a difficult situation. "This action of the German army is really unexpected." Marshall frowned and continued, "The intelligence department did not receive any information." He also felt very puzzled. In the past, although there were certain problems in obtaining intelligence from the German army, Difficulty, but for such a large-scale military operation like this one, the intelligence agency did not notice any movement in advance. This is really abnormal. In this regard, Roosevelt did not blame the CIA. He knew in his heart that blaming now would not help. The top priority was to find a way to solve the mess in front of him. "Gibraltar cannot be lost. Once lost, Spain will definitely fall to the German army. This is not good news for us." Roosevelt said solemnly. He knew in his heart that Spain's attitude was crucial in this war. If Gibraltar fell, Spain would probably see the strong strength of the German army and the development trend of the situation, and choose to side with the German army. In that case, the entire Mediterranean The situation in the region will become more complex, which will have an extremely negative impact on the strategic layout of the United States and allied forces. "Continue to send people to negotiate with Franco, let them continue to remain neutral, and deploy more fleets to support the United Kingdom. Gibraltar must be defended." Roosevelt made a decision immediately. He thought that he must first stabilize Spain so that they would not easily fall to the German army, and then strengthen Gibraltar's defense by sending additional fleets to support the United Kingdom, so as to be able to defend this key strategic location and avoid further deterioration of the situation. . "clear." … The war in Gibraltar has entered the most critical moment. Every minute and every second, the air seems to be filled with extreme tension. The British Governor-General stood in the command post with a solemn expression, clutching the telegram sent by Churchill in his hand. It clearly required him to hold on to this place and not to flinch at all. Therefore, even in the face of this extremely difficult situation, he could only grit his teeth and persevere.

This is not only obedience to superior orders, but also related to the honor of the British army and the direction of the entire war situation. "Your Majesty the Governor, the German offensive is very fierce. It is very close to us and we may not be able to defend it." His subordinates hurried in, their faces full of tension and anxiety, and their voices were trembling as they reported. He had just returned from the forward position and witnessed the turbulent and fierce German offensive with his own eyes. He knew that with the current strength and defense situation of his own side, it would be extremely difficult to resist the German attack. Hearing this, the British Governor's face instantly turned blue and white, and his ugly face seemed to indicate the extreme struggle and uneasiness in his heart at this moment. Of course he knew what this meant. Once Gibraltar could not be defended, the consequences would be disastrous. The British army's strategic layout in the Mediterranean region will be completely disrupted, and the navy's supply lines will be cut off. More importantly, this will be a major humiliation for the British army, and its impact on the war situation will be even more devastating. "Continue to hold on and wait for reinforcements to arrive." After a long time, the British Governor seemed to have exhausted all his strength before he slowly took a deep breath and said firmly. He knew in his heart that at this moment, there was no other better option except to wait for reinforcements. Even if the hope is slim, we have to fight for this last chance. "But, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on until reinforcements arrive." His subordinates looked helpless and said with a wry smile. Why didn't he want to hold on until the reinforcements arrived? If there was even the slightest chance that he could hold on, he would not say such depressing words. It's just that the German offensive is too fierce, and after a long period of consumption, our own troops and supplies are running low. It is really difficult to continue to support it. "The telegram sent by the Prime Minister requires us to hold on." The British Governor shook his head helplessly. He knew that what his subordinates said was the truth, but he knew even better that surrender was absolutely impossible. As the British Governor-General, he shoulders the important task of guarding Gibraltar. How could he give up so easily? This is not only related to one's own reputation, but also related to the dignity and honor of the entire British army. Hearing this, the several officers in front of them looked at each other, with helplessness and determination in their eyes. They said nothing more, just nodded silently, and then turned around to urge their subordinates to continue to hold their positions. At this moment, everyone knows that although the situation is extremely serious, they must continue to grit their teeth and persevere, even if they fight to the last man, for the sake of the possible arrival of reinforcements, to fulfill the Prime Minister's order, and for the honor of the British army. Never take a step back. (End of chapter)