Chapter 12 Mud

　　"One, two, three, push!"

　　"One, two, three, push!"

　　Colonel Brausic stood in the drizzle, shouting loudly over and over again, directing several people to push out the car stuck in the mud.

　　"Buzz! Buzz!" The engine let out a heartbreaking roar, but it still couldn't take the bulletproof car weighing a few tons out of the muddy pit. The lines on the wheels that were used to increase friction had been filled with mud.

　　Rommel wiped the rain off his face and couldn't help complaining. "Did these Slavic bears have their brains soaked in mud? This place is also called a road? I think this is a living swamp." His pants have been horrified by the splashing mud. The original black fabric became a dirty khaki.

　　Guderian next to him smiled bitterly. "I really admire Napoleon for being able to hit Moscow in such a difficult place." He felt like something was stuck on the soles of his boots. He tried to pull up his boots, but he saw only his feet. The shoes were still buried deep in the mud. With a sigh, he could only step on the cold mud and bend over and pull his shoes out.

　　"Hey, what are they doing?"

　　Under the surprised eyes of several Germans, a group of Soviet soldiers began to take off their uniforms and put them under the wheels under the order of their commander.

　　Seeing the Soviet soldier shivering in the cold rain in a thin vest, Manstein couldn't help muttering. "I'm done, they treat their soldiers like beasts. Are these soldiers pigs? It's better to cut the branches on the side of the road to cushion the wheels."

　　Rommel and Guderian's eyes widened suddenly. "Then why didn't you say it earlier?"

　　Manstein stroked his nose with an innocent look. "I just wanted to see when these Slavics would do, and they came up with this idea. It seems obvious now that they are much stupid than I thought. It's a good phenomenon, I hope they can keep this state. Don't you think so too, that's why you also didn't say this method earlier?"

　　Rommel and Guderian glanced at each other, nodded, and said in unison. "Of course."

　　If it was a German highway, this distance would certainly not even take an hour, but it took them five or six hours to reach the next station. Except for Wilhelm and the driver, everyone in the group was extremely tired, and became a puddle of mud, with Colonel Brausic speaking hoarsely from all the cold.

　　Fortunately, the Soviets arranged for everyone to take a hot bath comfortably and change into clean clothes before getting on the train again.

　　Wilhelm summoned them to his compartment and poured a glass of wine for several people himself. "Are you tired?"

　　Rommel asked curiously. "Why doesn't Your Highness want to go to Moscow by plane?"

　　Wilhelm smiled. "Why, blaming me for being too capricious?"

　　Rommel shook his head hurriedly. " I Dare not."

　　Wilhelm didn't delve into it and explained casually. "The reason why I embarked on this road is to give you a personal experience of the road conditions in the Soviet Union. Surely you are already impressed?" These people will be the main force of the offensive in the future. I hope this trip will give them a deep understanding. The vast expanse of the Soviet Union and the various difficulties we will encounter .

　　Everyone nodded. "Yes, this can't be called a road at all. The drainage ditches in the German countryside are much better than this. I don't understand why these people don't repair the road, don't they find it troublesome?" Although no one said it out loud about what they were "thinking". With slogans like "build roads to get rich," it's obvious that building a road can at least facilitate your own travel. Don't these Slavs even understand this simple truth?

　　"Maybe this kind of obstacle is their national defense project? After all, those who wants to attack them will definitely suffer on such bad roads, or even be stopped." The French emperor Napoleon's conquest of Russia ended in a disastrous defeat. These muddy roads also made him suffer.

　　Wilhelm knew that the maintenance of roads in the Soviet Union today is several times more troublesome than other places because of the climate, so the main roads far from the city are mainly dirt roads. He lowered his voice and asked solemnly. "Everyone, if we were to attack the Soviet Union, what should we do if we encounter this situation?"

　　"..." Everyone couldn't help but peek at each other, wondering how His Royal Highness would ask such questions. Attack the Soviet Union? It is a big problem to protect itself with the current German national conditions, and it is  impossible to even imagine an attack on another country now. Finally Colonel Brausic spoke in a low voice. "His Royal Highness, I think there are only two ways. Either let them repair the road, or to avoid the rainy season." After he said that, he felt that the first method was a bit nonsense. His Royal Highness is the German Crown Prince and not the price of Soviet Union. Yes, why would they obediently repair Soviet roads?

   　Wilhelm nodded slightly. "It's not impossible  to build roads. Avoid the rainy season..." It's even easier. If the original time-space Germany were not dragged down by the pig teammate Italy, it would not be impossible to reach Moscow before the rainy season. At that time, the German army assembled more than 5 million troops, preparing to attack the Soviet Union in April 1941.

　　But when, everything was ready in Germany, Italy was repeatedly beaten by British troops in southern Europe, and Mussolini, who could not hold it back, asked for help from Hitler.

　　It was the end of June after the Germans defeated the British in Greece. One important factor ignored by the top German leaders was the rainy season in the Soviet Union. Every July and August are rainy seasons in the Soviet Union, and roads  in the Soviet Union are not very good. At that time, the roads will become very muddy, which will affect the advancement of the German army. On June 22, the German army aggressively attacked the Soviet Union. Although the German army achieved an initial victory, it subsequently encountered a rainy season, which gave them headaches.

　　But this time Wilhelm had no plans to form an alliance with Italy, at least not the Italy led by Mussolini.

　　"Geer, go and ask the Soviets if we can leave tomorrow morning." He did not bring the four beautiful secretaries with him on this trip. Instead, he found a reliable clerk from the intelligence office, who was also a secretary, bodyguard and translator.

　　Soon Geer returned to report. "His Royal Highness, the Soviets agreed, and the train will start at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning."

　　"Oh, the Soviets are really responsive." The Soviets originally arranged the plane, but they immediately replaced it with a special train with a word from Wilhelm. However, Wilhelm did not directly board the Soviet special train at the Su-Poland border, but asked them to take the train to the next railway station and then board the train. Although the excuse was to appreciate some of the Soviet border, the Soviets still agreed without hesitation, and they still suffered on the road. And now he changed the departure time according to his request.

　　this is really not like the style of the so-and-so elder brother communist country to show such hospitality to the prince of a capitalist monarchy country! !