Even though Alexander was very arrogant in front of Barton, in front of Alvin, a powerful son with a noble title, Alexander still had to show some affection.
Alexander was also born into a noble family. He attended the famous Harrow School in middle school and, like Winston, graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
The night was dark, with a bright moon on the horizon, a few remaining stars, and no wind. The desert night was quiet and boring. At the outpost about one kilometer away from the oil field, several British soldiers were drowsy and trying to cheer up.
No matter how spectacular the scenery is, you will become blind to it when you are in it, especially in the desert. The endless sand dunes can easily make people tired, especially for those who have been serving in the desert for several months, their days are like years.
"When I get back to the city, I must find a swimming pool and take a good dip. My hair is full of sand -" Simon Dick from Liverpool hugged his Enfield, his sight was unfocused and his eyes were dull.
Half asleep and half awake.
"I'm going to find a Persian bitch to have a good time. Can you imagine, I feel the urge to see the mare now -" Harry Gibson, also from Liverpool, was thirsty and 1800 members of the St. Helens Rifles Regiment
The soldiers have been on duty in the desert for more than a month, and everyone has reached their limit.
"Would you like to play a game?" Kenneth, who was only 17 years old, took out a deck of playing cards, which was one of the few remaining entertainment methods for soldiers in the desert.
"We are still on duty -" Simon was loyal to his duties and worried about being attacked by nomadic tribes.
The situation has been tense recently. British and American troops have been attacked one after another. The St. Helens Rifles are very nervous. Their mission is to protect the oil fields.
Alexander still attached great importance to the oil fields and did not dare to send British and Indian troops to protect the oil fields. Instead, he chose the St. Helens Rifles Regiment, which was composed entirely of British troops.
St. Helens is a rifle regiment in name. Before entering the desert, it was specially equipped with an armored battalion and equipped with more than 40 Matilda tanks, which greatly improved its combat effectiveness.
There is also an armored brigade stationed about 20 kilometers away from the oil field, which can provide support at any time if necessary. Therefore, the defensive pressure faced by the St. Helens Rifles is not great. How strong is the combat effectiveness of the nomadic tribes? It is impossible to resist.
The regular army is ready.
"Relax Simon, we have been here for more than a month, and we haven't even seen a rabbit. We will change defenses in another hour. If you don't want to play, get out of the way." Harry Gibson sat up and half
The body is exposed outside the bunker.
This is a temporary outpost. The so-called bunker is a sand pit dug in the ground, which can only accommodate one person. The mission of Harry and his team is not to defend, but to provide early warning.
The night in the desert is a bit cold, with a big temperature difference between day and night. Harry is not feeling well and has a bit of a cold. He is now wrapped in a marching blanket and has a blanket under his body. The flashlight tied to the helmet is emitting a faint light, which in itself
It is a serious violation of discipline.
When you are on duty, turn on the flashlight because you may not be able to see it from a distance.
Harry was not worried at all. He had personally killed two North Africans and considered himself to have rich combat experience.
"Be careful, maybe an officer will patrol later -" Simon moved to the side to make room for those who were willing to play cards.
"Ha, I bet that our officer is fast asleep and won't come to patrol at all." Harry was confident that he would not be afraid even if there was an officer patrolling. The discipline of the British army has always been bad, and the top and bottom are not straight.
Liang Wai.
The card stall was set up, and except for Harry, the other soldiers immediately gathered around.
It doesn't matter what you play, nor does the result. What matters is that you can kill time.
Simon did not participate in gambling, and looked at the rolling sand dunes in the distance. He took out a cigarette and lit it, and the green smoke curled up.
"A pair of K——"
"Ha, a pair of Aces, I won——"
"What are you doing? You're so bad at playing cards——"
Gambling was in full swing. Simon took his wallet out of his pocket, kissed the photo of his wife and daughter and stuffed it back. Suddenly there were some strange sounds in the distance, as if someone was moving on the sand dunes.
"Who! What person?" Simon loaded the gun, and the strange sounds and the noise of playing cards disappeared instantly.
"What's wrong?" Harry didn't put down the cards in his hand, his ears were filled with cigarettes, which were his trophies.
British soldiers were not wealthy, so cigarettes became the best bet, and they were graded. One cigarette produced in the United States could be worth two cigarettes produced in the United Kingdom.
Cigarettes produced in Southern Africa have the lowest value because Southern African cigarettes only contain tobacco leaves and no other special additives.
"I really want to hear something -" Simon squinted his eyes and searched carefully, but found nothing.
There are still many small animals in the desert, such as rabbits, foxes, snakes, etc.
"Man, are you dreaming?" A soldier who was eager to turn over his copy said with ridicule.
"Poor Simon, you must be hallucinating-" Harry laughed, and the laughter spread far in the silent night sky.
"No, I really think I heard some noises. You all should be quiet for me -" Simon is very vigilant and never takes his own life for granted.
"You-" Harry was about to say something, when suddenly a muzzle flash flashed in the distance.
They are all soldiers, and they are very familiar with things like muzzle flash.
Harry didn't even have time to warn, a bullet accurately hit Harry's helmet, and then he heard the sound of gunfire.
Bah——
crotch--
The bullet penetrated Harry's helmet and penetrated Harry's skull. Blood spattered everywhere. Harry fell to the ground without saying a word. The blood spread downwards along the flashlight on Harry's helmet, and the light of the flashlight turned red.
.
"Enemy attack -" Simon's warning sound was heartbreaking. He raised his gun to fight back, but another row of machine gun bullets swept over him. Simon lay tightly on the ground. Several soldiers nearby had no time to react and were knocked to the ground.
.
At this time, there was suddenly the sound of violent horse hoofbeats, and a knight wearing a white turban and a sand-colored cape galloped past Simon.
All Simon could do was hold his head in his hands and huddle up tightly.
Colonel Thomas Duncan, commander of the St. Helens Rifles, was having dinner with Colonel Steele Taylor, chief of staff, when the gunfire rang out.
After the attack on the transport convoy, the connection between the oil field and Algiers was seriously threatened. Only one convoy traveled between the oil field and Algiers every day. Nearly 10,000 barrels of oil had been dug out in the oil field, but it could not be transported out. This
Worried Thomas Duncan.
"If we can't get the oil out, then our work is worthless, damn the Yankees, damn the North Africans, damn the Southern Africans - they are all enemies of the British Empire, and we should never have given up on the South in the first place.
Africa - "Thomas Duncan was restless, always feeling as if something bad was about to come back to life.
"Calm down, Commander. At least we can ensure the safety of the oil fields. The biggest problem now is that we don't even know who our enemies are. General Patton's approach is right. We should eliminate all threats around us."
Thoroughly clean it up." Steele Taylor cut the steak slowly. The steak was only medium-rare and bloodshot.
"Tomorrow I will apply for the air force to intervene and clear out the surrounding North African tribes. At least drive them away -" Before Thomas Duncan could finish his words, gunshots suddenly sounded in the distance.
"What the hell is going on?" Thomas Duncan rushed out of the office and stood in the corridor and roared wildly.
Thomas Duncan's office is on the second floor. Although it is difficult to build high-rise buildings in the desert, a building of two or three floors is not a problem.
"I don't know, sir, I'll send someone to check right away -" The officer on duty rushed out of the office disheveled, carrying his coat and gun belt.
"Get it done for me immediately, without any accidents!" Before Thomas Duncan could finish his words, the whistling sound of artillery shells suddenly came from the air.
Thomas Duncan's eyes were filled with despair for a moment.
This is not an attack at all, but a common death. As long as one shell falls in the oil field, the consequences can be imagined.
boom--
A cannonball exploded in an open space not far from Thomas, causing dust and sand to fill the sky.
Before Thomas had time to rejoice, several more shells fell.
This time it was more unlucky. A shell hit the open space where ammunition was piled in the center of the camp. After a violent explosion, it did not cause a fatal explosion.
Before Thomas had time to rejoice, a shell landed on the derrick not far away.
The derrick is a wooden structure.
The enemy frantically used shells such as incendiary bombs, and the fire was instantly ignited. More than a dozen British soldiers rushed over carrying sandbags. In the desert, sand is more effective at extinguishing fires than water.
"Taylor, Taylor, find me the damn artillery positions and destroy them completely -" Thomas's eyes were splitting, the fire spread quickly, and pouring sand had no effect. Suddenly, the wind started, and the wind helped the fire.
Spread more rapidly.
"Send Matilda out immediately, I need some time-" Even if Taylor was a mathematician, it would take time to calculate the location of the artillery position.
It also takes time to start a tank.
The temperature is relatively low at night in the desert, so Matilda also needs to warm up the car according to the procedure when starting it.
Before Matilda could move, the fire on the derrick continued to spread through the countryside and was finally beyond control.
Woo——
Another round of shells flew over with a breathtaking scream.
Boom boom boom——
This was definitely premeditated. The enemy even knew the structure of the camp very well. In the center of the camp, next to the ammunition, there was a pile of oil that had been mined but had not yet been transported away.
A shell accurately landed in the middle of the oil barrel. After a violent explosion, the oil barrel was thrown tens of meters high with flames. The oil in the oil barrel was ignited before it hit the ground, like a huge firework.
There was an explosion in the air, and bits of oil fell into the camp with flames. The fire exploded instantly, and the situation was completely out of control.
"Tyler, Taylor, think of a way -" Thomas was completely desperate. The fire was out of control and the oil field was over.
"There's nothing you can do, let's go, our place is going to burn down soon -" Taylor said this and turned around to run. When he reached the stairs, he slipped and fell to the ground.
It was obviously difficult for Taylor to get up. He had fallen hard just now.
However, Taylor did not stop. He struggled to stand up and then walked down the stairs. The door next to him opened and the disheveled officers rushed out of the room and fled. Unfortunately, Taylor was squeezed to the ground.
"God, help me -" Taylor's voice was lost in the heavy footsteps.
Thomas ignored Taylor. He put his coat on his head and rushed downstairs in three steps at a time. After leaving the small building, he realized that all his shoes had escaped.
Who could care about shoes at this time? The whole camp was in chaos and everyone was running away. Matilda, who had just finished warming up the car, was the most violent. An officer tried to stop a Matilda.
reached, but was directly knocked down by Matilda.
Matilda didn't pause at all, and with full power, she ran over the officer and two British soldiers who were panicking. She rushed out of the camp and disappeared into the boundless darkness.
Thomas fell to his knees as if he had lost his soul, not wanting to say a word.
Lost, completely lost.
That night, less than ten men of the St. Helens Rifles died in the enemy attack.
However, more than 70 people died in fires and various accidents.
The fire continued to burn for a week. After the fire was extinguished, part of the ground in the camp was even burned into glaze.
This is also thanks to the oil field temporarily suspending production after the attack on the transport convoy.
Otherwise, if the oil well is ignited, the losses will be immeasurable.
At this time, Alvin went to Alexander's office and put forward his suggestions to Alexander.
"Yes, General, if you are willing, Adan Oil can accept the mining work of the oil field -" Alvin raised his hand to prevent Alexander from interrupting: "-Listen to me, General, whether you admit it or not, if you
If we insist on exploiting it alone, not a single barrel of oil will reach Algiers. On the contrary, if Adan Oil takes over the exploitation of the oil field, the United Kingdom can enjoy about 30% of the revenue from the oil field."
"Only 30%? You've calculated well!" Alexander sneered, refusing to accept Alvin's proposal.
"Thirty percent is better than zero percent." Alvin was not in a hurry. Just now, Alexander sent two divisions to the oil field, preparing to retaliate against the armed forces surrounding the oil field.
The British have gone crazy and no longer target the nomadic tribes for revenge, but all armed forces.
"This is just my suggestion. Of course you have the right to disagree - but I want to remind you that a mere North African oil field cannot change anything. If Adan Company is willing, it can make you lose all your money. Adan Company is just
Because of the friendship of allies, I am extending a helping hand to you." Alvin took it easy. He was really not a threat. If Adan Company lowered its price, the British would really lose everything and not make a penny.
Free trade, after all, is a commercial practice. Adan Company’s price reduction is for competitive purposes, and the federal government of Southern Africa has nothing to do with it.
