Chapter 53: Telegram
Fortunately, the baker's concerns did not become reality. The British air forces never showed up, and after half an hour, the soldiers began to relax... Since the planes hadn't appeared by then, it meant they had successfully fooled the British.
Perhaps out of curiosity or boredom, Werner started rummaging through the truck, searching through this and that... Everyone assumed Werner was just killing time, thinking that the boxes either contained ammunition or canned corned beef captured from the British.
Canned corned beef was a standard ration for the British army, with some cans produced by the British company Libby and others by Fray Bentos. These companies were mainly based in British colonies like Burma, Australia, and India.
However, Qin Chuan guessed that the cans probably weren't produced in India, as cows are sacred in India, and the British wouldn't be foolish enough to set up a beef canning factory there.
Qin Chuan had once tried one of these corned beef cans out of curiosity. The taste was a bit strange—the beef had been ground into a paste, so it lacked the texture of real beef... But most military rations were like this. The primary concern was whether soldiers could quickly eat and replenish their energy during brief moments in battle, with taste being secondary.
In this regard, corned beef was an excellent military ration because it didn't even require chewing—you could just swallow it in large bites. It also contained essential salts, proteins, and other nutrients. If time allowed, it could even be spread between two slices of bread to make a beef sandwich... German soldiers liked doing this, which was why the trucks were loaded with boxes of corned beef.
At that moment, Werner shouted in excitement, "Look here, I found something good!"
The baker teased, "Did you find Vivien Leigh?"
The soldiers couldn't help but laugh.
"No!" Werner shook his head mysteriously. "But it's as sweet as Vivien Leigh!"
With that, he pulled out his right hand from the box and opened it in front of everyone, revealing a handful of chocolate. A few pieces even fell from Werner's hand onto the truck's floor due to the shaking.
The soldiers let out a cheer and rushed to grab the chocolate from Werner. Werner simply moved the box to the center of the truck and opened it... My God, it was a full box of chocolate—nothing could be better than this.
Qin Chuan grabbed a handful, eagerly unwrapped one piece, and shoved it into his mouth. Immediately, a long-missed sweet aroma filled his senses, with a hint of coffee bitterness, instantly reviving his strength.
"We should hide it!" someone suggested.
"Good idea!" Werner said, grabbing two handfuls and stuffing them into his backpack before closing the box and putting it back where he found it.
For a long time afterward, this box of chocolate became a psychological comfort for the soldiers. It was the only thing that could bring them joy amid the monotonous and perilous battles in the desolate desert.
The convoy continued eastward, occasionally encountering a few British vehicles controlled by the roadside... There was no need to think too hard about it. These vehicles were originally heading to Tugla, but the British hadn't realized that the "Matadors" coming their way were actually driven by the enemy. They approached without any defense, only to be captured before they knew it.
The Germans dealt with them simply... as before, they disarmed the British and took all their supplies, even their water and food, before driving them into the desert... Whether they survived depended on their own luck. But this didn't seem like much of a problem, as long as the British weren't too foolish, they'd know to stay by the roadside and wait for other British forces to arrive.
With the trucks, the pace was much faster. After just over an hour, they reached Lucadai, 67 kilometers from Tugla.
This time, it was even more exaggerated than taking Tugla... The convoy drove straight into the town, and along the way, groups of German soldiers jumped out and took control of the stunned British soldiers.
This was clearly the result of Colonel Slein's strict communication control.
The so-called communication control not only meant that the Germans didn't use their radios, but they also destroyed all the British radios they could find. Additionally, as they advanced, scouts cut every telephone line they saw... Coupled with the fact that only two hours had passed since dawn, the British at Lucadai had received no warning at all.
The Germans only captured a dozen vehicles at Lucadai since it was just a transit point, not like Tugla with a large convoy stranded. However, they still found a warehouse similar to the ones in the previous strongholds, filled with gasoline and other supplies.
Later, Qin Chuan learned that the British referred to these strongholds as "boxes," meaning containers filled with "gifts"... It was a fitting metaphor since supplies were the most precious "gifts" for an army.
It wasn't until then that Colonel Slein allowed the radio operator to contact the command center.
Shortly after, they received an angry telegram from Rommel: "Colonel, I just received news that the British have taken Tenggetengel. Have you been driven into the desert by the British? I originally hoped you could hold Tenggetengel for three days so we could completely crush the main British forces, but clearly, I expected too much from you. It hasn't even been a day, and you've been defeated by the British, who themselves are crumbling before the main forces. You should be ashamed..."
"General!" Colonel Slein replied, "We've just captured Lucadai!"
Rommel apparently didn't know what Lucadai represented. Without a second thought, he replied, "Oh, really? So should I commend you for this? The focus is on Tenggetengel, Tenggetengel, Colonel. You lost such an important strategic point, yet you boast to me about capturing a trivial village?"
This was typical of Rommel's personality—sharp and unforgiving.
"General!" Colonel Slein wasn't bothered by Rommel's harsh words because he was confident. He replied, "Lucadai is not just a trivial village; it's only two hours away from Tobruk!"
"What? What did you say?" Rommel asked, "Did you say Tobruk?"
Rommel might not have known Lucadai, but he was very familiar with Tobruk, as the port of Tobruk was one of the ultimate goals of his counteroffensive plan. As mentioned earlier, a significant portion of the desert combat supplies and reinforcements were dependent on sea transport. Tobruk, located on the border between Libya and Egypt, was not just a good deep-water port and fortress; more importantly, it was a perfect springboard for an attack on Egypt.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone