Lost and Spy

In March 1945, Eisenhower led the British and American Allied forces to successfully reach the Elbe River dozens of kilometers west of Berlin.

  The million-strong Soviet Red Army led by Zhukov also quickly pushed to the Neisse River line just a few dozen kilometers east of Berlin.

  The two armies have formed a two-sided attack on the capital of Nazi Germany. The two sides were once almost equidistant.

  With the weapons and equipment of the United States, Britain and other countries, especially the advantages of the air force, it is possible to try to capture Berlin before the Soviet Union.

  In fact, the British commander Montgomery also had this plan. The 1945st Army led by him launched an attack formation against Berlin in March 3, as if he wanted to be the first to pick the peaches.

  But at this moment, Montgomery received a telegram that stunned him.

  The telegram was sent by Eisenhower, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied European Theater, and stated that the Allied operations plan had changed and that the main direction of attack had been changed from Berlin to Munich and Leipzig in the southeast.

  As for the "capture of Berlin" that the British were obsessed with, Eisenhower said freely in his letter:

  "Let it be done by the Soviets."

  Eisenhower's telegram was an explosive event.

  Not only was Montgomery furious, but the leaders of the United Kingdom and the United States also expressed their incomprehension.

  After learning of the news, Truman commented that he had "no political sense."

  British Prime Minister Churchill bluntly criticized: "Once the Russians enter Berlin, there will be extremely serious political consequences. All of this will give the world the illusion that the world is conquered by the Russians."

  "Eisenhower is crazy." Tian Qi shook his head and said: "Berlin is the heart of Nazi Germany. Conquering Berlin is undoubtedly of extremely important political significance, but now, Eisenhower has given up this honor to others."

  "really?"

  Meng Shaoyuan was holding a pipe. He asked someone to get it for him. He had seen that many US military generals, including MacArthur, liked to use pipes. Master Meng also thought it was fun, so he asked someone to get one for him:
  "Everyone thinks that Eisenhower is a political idiot, but in my opinion, not only is he not a political idiot, but he can see further than his colleagues. Do you know what the price is to pay to capture Berlin?

  The imprisoned Germany, which is still fighting, has turned Berlin into a steel fortress covered with bunkers and barbed wire. In my opinion, the capture of Berlin will cost the Allies at least [-] soldiers. I think Eisenhower's idea is that when the war is a foregone conclusion, it is not in line with American values ​​to waste the lives of soldiers to fight for illusory honors, and it will not help his political future.

  As for politics, Eisenhower actually saw further. He realized that after the war, the division of German occupied areas between the eastern and western camps must be bounded by the Elbe River, which bisects Germany from south to north. In this way, even if the Allies went to great lengths to capture the city of Berlin, it would inevitably be handed back to the Soviet Union after the war. In this case, why bother making wedding dresses for others? "

  "What?" Tian Qi was shocked: "Germany will be divided into two?"

  "Definitely." Meng Shaoyuan was very sure: "There is another very important point. The US military has already begun to bargain with Nazi Germany on the surrender issue. When the German army is desperate, it will definitely take the lead in surrendering to the Americans unconditionally.

  As a result, the surrender ceremony to Germany will still be dominated by the West, and Berlin, which the Soviet Union fought hard to conquer, will be an empty city without political significance. "

  The course of events completely confirmed Eisenhower's judgment.

  In terms of political sense and judgment, Eisenhower far surpassed MacArthur.

  Just a few days ago, on April 4, US President Roosevelt died of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage in a hot spring in Georgia.

  On his deathbed, he wrote these two sentences:
  “The only thing holding us back from achieving tomorrow’s goals is doubt about today. Let’s move forward with strong and positive faith!”

  Vice President Truman took over as President of the United States.

  As President of the United States, Roosevelt led the Allied Powers in their desperate counterattack against the Fascists.

  And he fell on the eve of victory.

  Meng Shaoyuan stuffed tobacco into his pipe: "Lao Qi, when we go to the United States in the future, how to stay politically acumen and how to judge American politics is also a very important link. To put it bluntly, we need to be on the right team."

  "It's impossible to stand on the right side every time." Tian Qi muttered: "Who knows how to choose."

  "You have me." Meng Shaoyuan's voice was full of confidence: "I will help you and help my organization make the most correct choice."

  How to choose?

  Are you on the right side every time?

  That's really hard.

  Who dares to guarantee this?
  But think about it carefully, the young master has really never made a wrong choice in all these years!

  "Okay, I get a headache just thinking about these things." Tian Qi changed the topic: "According to your order, I have deployed manpower to monitor Manila. In the past two days, many mysterious people have entered Manila."

  "They were planning to assassinate Marcos." Meng Shaoyuan finally lit up his pipe.

  "Krahan Papa also arrived in Manila this morning." Tian Qi continued: "But the trouble is that we cannot arrest him directly, and it is also difficult to conduct all-round surveillance."

  This is the first time Tian Qi has performed such a troublesome task.

  He knew clearly what Crahan Papa and his people were doing in Manila, but they still couldn't touch him.

  You even have to protect this person.

  Once something goes wrong with Crahan Papa in Manila, it will probably cause quite a political turmoil.

  "What the hell."

  Meng Shaoyuan was not used to smoking a pipe, so he took out his cigarette again: "Where does Crahan Papa live now?"

  "Manila Hotel." Tian Qi said immediately: "After emergency repairs, Manila Hotel has officially opened to the public."

  "go!"

  Meng Shaoyuan stood up: "Old Seven, come with me to pay a visit to this 'venomous snake'!"

  ……

  Meng Shaoyuan's trip was still majestic.

  Two jeeps.

  As soon as they arrived at the Manila Hotel, the American troops in the car in front immediately jumped out.

  At this time, Meng Shaoyuan slowly got out of the jeep behind him.

  A guy wearing a windbreaker and smoking a cigarette approached Tian Qi:

  "He's on the fourth floor. He hasn't gone out yet."

  This is an OSS agent. Tian Qi didn’t say much and walked into the Manila Hotel with Meng Shaoyuan.

  It seems that this Crahan Papa is quite impressive.

  The entire fourth floor was occupied by him.

  "stop."

  Two fierce-looking men blocked their way: "Take the elevator, we've reserved it."

  Meng Shaoyuan smiled.

  Li Zhifeng on the side didn't say a word, he took out a pistol and put it to the head of one of the guys.

  The two big men changed color quickly.

  "I think you are mistaken. This is Manila." Meng Shaoyuan said unhurriedly: "Here, I am the only one who has the final say."

  Probably used to being arrogant and domineering in their hometown, these two people didn't even notice that the people coming were all American troops.

  And two of them are actually colonels.

  To be honest, this is something they really can't afford.

  "Step aside!"

  With Li Zhifeng's cold voice and the black muzzle of the gun, the two big men did not dare to make any rash move.

  Having already identified Crahan Papa's room, Meng Shaoyuan walked to the door of the room and knocked politely.

  The door opened and a guy with tattoos all over his face appeared: "Who are you?"

  Tian Qi kicked the door open.

  The tattooed man took several steps back.

  Meng Shaoyuan then walked in calmly.

  In the room, five or six guns were pointed at him.

  Meng Shaoyuan seemed not to have seen it at all: "Krahan Papa."

  The person he was talking about was the short middle-aged man standing at the window.

  "Yes, sir." Crahan Papa turned around: "Colonel Charles?"

  "Look, it seems that you have a certain understanding of me." Meng Shaoyuan turned a blind eye to the muzzles: "This will make it much easier for us to communicate."

  "What are you doing with your guns?" Crahan Papa said coldly to his men: "Do you know who the person is pointing the gun at? You know that as long as he gives the order, all of you will be thrown into the sea. inside?"

  His men put away their guns unconsciously.

  "Everyone, please go out. I will talk to Colonel Charles alone." Crahan Papa sent all his men out: "Colonel, what do you want to drink?"

  "Tea, green tea." Meng Shaoyuan found a sofa and sat down by himself.

  Crahan Papa was startled: "Ah, Colonel, there is no tea here."

  "Then you shouldn't ask me."

  Meng Shaoyuan smiled lightly: "This is not a good way to treat guests."

  Crahan Papa poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Meng Shaoyuan: "Colonel, you are an interesting person."

  "Of course, many people have said this about me." Meng Shaoyuan was not polite and took the drink: "However, if you make me unhappy in my territory, I will become less interesting."

  "Ah, yes, Colonel." Crahan Papa said seriously: "I came to Manila from my hometown to find my relatives I lost in the war. In any place, it is necessary to abide by local laws. Yes. Don’t worry, Colonel, I won’t cause trouble here.”

  He clearly came to assassinate Marcos, but now he said it so seriously that Meng Shaoyuan almost thought he had made a mistake.

  "You are from the Narendasan family." Meng Shaoyuan did not go around in circles with him: "I have also heard that there seems to be some unpleasantness between the Narendasan family and the Marcos family. Ah, I really shouldn't get involved with you. thing, but it happened to let me know that Chief Executive Marcos was also coming to Manila.”

  Speaking of this, he glanced at Krahan Papa's left hand, and indeed there was a little finger missing: "What I admire about you is that your surname is not Narendasan, but you are loyal to this family, huh , there are not many people like you left.

  If you were in another place, not only would I not stop you from doing something, on the contrary, I would even help you. Unfortunately, this is Manila, and I am the top security and defense officer in Manila. I must ensure the safety of Manila.

  Stop hiding it, Crahan Papa, nicknamed ‘The Viper’. This name makes me feel...how should I put it, ridiculous. "

  When he said the word "ridiculous", the expression of Crahan Papa, who had been calm and collected before, changed.

  "Really, I really think it's ridiculous." Meng Shaoyuan didn't pay attention to the change in the other person's expression: "Many people like to use this nickname. It sounds majestic. In fact, animals like venomous snakes look very afraid of people. In front of experienced hunters, it is a fun thing.

  An experienced person can easily pinch the seven inches of the venomous snake and pull out its fangs. In China, many people also like to soak venomous snakes in wine. After soaking them for a period of time, they can treat many diseases including rheumatism. So, why this nickname? "

  How could Crahan Papa have imagined that the other party would actually say such a thing?

  He forced a smile and said, "Colonel, you really know how to joke."

  "I joke with my friends, but never with people I don't like. It just so happens that you are the person I don't like." Meng Shaoyuan took out a cigarette, lit one for himself, took a puff and said, " I am here today to tell you that I am the emperor of Manila. Here, my words are orders and no one can disobey them.

  I don't care what conflicts Marcos has with you, but Marcos cannot make any mistakes in Manila. You cannot be kidnapped, assassinated, or even threatened verbally. Once I leave Manila, it's not my business. If someone does something that makes me unhappy, I will make them pay a heavy price. "

  "Colonel, I don't know what you mean by that." Crahan Papa said tit for tat: "I came here and reported to General MacArthur in advance. You probably also know that the US-Philippine coalition forces in Baguio are still fighting The Japanese army fought fiercely, and the Narendasans were America’s strongest supporters and allies.”

  Meng Shaoyuan said "Oh": "What do you want to tell me? The United States needs the Narendasan family, or is it threatening me? The United States does not need the Narendasan family and can still win. And Narendasan Family, but cannot leave the United States for a day. You must understand this.

  Well, even if what you said is right, but as I just said, this is Manila and this is where I have the final say. When I feel unhappy or uncomfortable, I will let someone mysteriously disappear here anytime and anywhere. I would be yelled at by General MacArthur and even punished, but other than that? "

  This is Na Chiguoguo's threat.

  Crahan Papa's face turned a little pale. He had never met such a person before.

  "Okay, I think I've said all I have to say." Meng Shaoyuan stood up and pressed the cigarette butt on the sofa. Suddenly the sofa smelled of burnt smell: "I am very ungrateful, and I also Quite a rude person, aren't you, Crahan Papa? Remember, tell the hotel and pay for the sofa!"