Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 162 I Respond to Your Prayer

1940 6 Month 21 Day.

The president's special train, "America," departed from Berlin and arrived in Compiègne, France.

A specially made Mercedes SUV drove into the station, and a mysterious and important figure boarded the vehicle, surrounded by eight bodyguards.

As the convoy drove out of the station, a fleet of planes roared overhead.

The German 2nd Air Fleet dispatched 12 Bf 109s to patrol the area, and any aircraft attempting to approach it would be shot down without mercy.

Inside the Mercedes SUV, the short man straightened his collar and pulled back one of the curtains.

The area outside was guarded by heavily armed soldiers, and machine gun positions and 88mm anti-aircraft gun positions could be seen at intervals along the roads on both sides.

However, the Führer with the mustache was slightly surprised to see the armed soldiers standing guard by the roadside. All around him were heavily armed SS soldiers, but there wasn't a single field soldier.

He took off his glasses and looked at Deputy Head of State Rudolf Hess, who was the main entourage member for the signing.

"Hess, why are they all SS men? Where are the combat troops?"

Rudolf Hess glanced at his supreme leader but did not rush to answer.

As someone who spent time in prison with Hitler and the actual writer of "My Fight," his political acumen far outweighed his military talent.

After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he finally spoke.

"My Führer, what His Excellency Göring means is that the SS is the most reliable option to ensure your absolute safety."

Then, the nominal deputy head of state, who was actually the secretary, added, without missing a beat, "Of course, Himmler thought so too."

The man with the mustache nodded, neither confirming nor denying, but from his subtle gestures, Hess knew that the other man was quite satisfied.

"Hess".

"Yes, my leader."

"What's our itinerary like this time?" The short man closed his eyes as he spoke, seemingly thinking, or perhaps dozing off.

"Go to Compiègne first to meet our representatives. Several gentlemen from the General Staff are waiting for you at the headquarters."

"There's a small buffet dinner tonight, and some of our young officers are very eager to hear your voice."

"The departure is scheduled for noon the day after tomorrow. Preparations are underway at the airport, which is five kilometers away. Marshal Göring will be returning to Berlin on another plane. He is carrying some personal belongings and needs more space."

"Also, regarding tomorrow's signing ceremony, would you like to meet with the French representative? Pétain is here..."

"No! I won't see them! Cowards have no right to meet me!" The man with the mustache suddenly opened his eyes, exaggeratedly waving his hand and then pulling it back to his chest. The whole process was very dramatic, just like being on a speech stage.

"I want the French to know that they are alive only because of us. And the shame of 1918 will be completely washed away tomorrow!"

At this point, the man with the mustache was clearly eager to express himself. He pulled out a pen from his pocket and waved it in his hand like a pointer. "Just like I said, a festering wound must be burned clean with a branding iron! The first step in the rise of Germany is to completely erase the shame of the past."

He then turned to Göring and said, “Tell him to restore the furnishings in that carriage to how they were in 1918. Remember, exactly the same.”

It was commonplace for the mustachioed man to make sudden, whimsical requests, and Rudolf Hess was used to it; after all, he didn't have to rack his brains over these difficult problems.

He nodded. "As you wish, my lord, I will convey your message to the Imperial Marshal."
-
Bang!

The sound of the train colliding with the tracks rang out, and the train came to a stop at the makeshift platform in the Compiègne Forest.

Outside the window, German slogans echoed. After checking Anna's condition one last time, Qin Hao placed the sleeping girl and the chilled red wine into a hidden cabinet.

"Alright, if everything goes smoothly, when our Sleeping Beauty wakes up, she might already be on her way home," Qin Hao said, looking at the girl in front of him.

"Qin, why do you say that?"

“I heard before that Göring would be transporting these artworks to Berlin by plane. Coincidentally, I have some flying experience.” Qin Hao made a “little bit” gesture.

Miss de Gaulle covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide open.

She had considered all sorts of possibilities regarding their escape, but she never realized the other party would be so audacious.

Hijacking a German plane!

Thinking of this, the caretaker was both nervous and excited. Even when she hid herself in the cabinet, her body was still trembling with excitement.

Holding the small pistol in his hand, Geneviève de Gaulle looked out through a small hole in the cabinet; the other two cabinets remained silent.

She just didn't know if the man was looking at her too.

Bang! The door on one side of the carriage opened, and soldiers came in!
The female administrator held her breath, feeling her heart pounding. Officers kept shouting in German as soldiers carried boxes off the train and loaded them onto freight cars outside.

Someone came over; several SS soldiers came to the cabinet, only a few centimeters away from him.

Clang! The cabinet was lifted up, and Genevieve de Gaulle felt a slight sway around her. Through the small hole, she could see two other trunks being carried down as well.

"Be careful! There are valuables inside, don't bump into anything!" She could even hear the officers outside shouting this.

As the car started, she could clearly feel herself moving.

The scenery along the road flashed by, and every now and then one could see German positions with guns and ammunition.

After about 15 minutes, the view suddenly opened up, and a small airport came into view.

The wooden crates in front of her were being moved onto the plane one by one, and the cabinets were being lifted up again. Amidst the chaotic noise, she could feel herself being carried onto a large transport plane.

when!
The hatch closed, and darkness returned to our view.

We made it up successfully?!

So smoothly?!
Geneviève de Gaulle could hardly believe his eyes.

An all-powerful super agent, a little princess-like younger sister, and a thrilling journey.

In her mind, it was almost a perfect adventure, like a Wizard of Oz that belonged only to her.

On the other side of freedom, a bright future seems to be beckoning her.

Click! The sound of the hatch opening interrupted her idyllic reverie; the soldier from before had returned.

"Wait a minute! We need to carry something back!" someone shouted.

"What's going on? It took so much effort to carry it up here!" someone complained from the side.

"It was His Excellency the Imperial Marshal's idea. He said that the carriage needed a piece of French furniture, something similar to that from 1918."

"Good heavens! Do we have that kind of thing here?"

"Let's see if we can find anything similar, at least one of them should be carried over."

German soldiers' conversation could be heard from the doorway, and then a terrifying scene unfolded.

The cabinet containing Anna was carried out by the soldiers again, loaded onto a truck, and drove away with a roar.

boom! ! ! !

Geneviève de Gaulle felt a buzzing in her brain, her hands and feet suddenly turn icy cold, and she almost instantly lost the ability to think.

Anna has been taken away?!
What should she do? !

What could she do?!

Surrounded by Germans, it seemed there was no other way.

The thought of her cousin's unknown fate felt like a knife had been plunged into Geneviève de Gaulle's heart.

Having exhausted all other options, the young woman could only kneel on the ground, close her eyes, and pray to heaven.

"Great Lord, I beseech your protection..."

"I pray to you, grant me wisdom and the courage to face my enemies..."

“I pray to you, if this is a trial you have allowed, I beg you to send down saints to guide my eyes.”

"I beg you, I wish to follow you..."

Click!

A crisp sound echoed in the cabin.

Someone answered her prayer.

The man with the scar on his face broke open the cabinet and came out.

At the hatch, the man stuffed detonators into his clothes.

When the hatch opened again, light shone in… the silhouette with its back to her was dazzling and glaring.

(End of this chapter)