World War II: Starting with the defeat of the Desert Fox

Chapter 62 Abuse of Public Power for Private Gain

The next morning, Thorne went to the command post to handle routine matters as usual.

As I walked through the command post, I instinctively returned the guard's salute, but my mind was filled with complaints.

Thorne felt wronged, having inexplicably become a member of the Ochinlek faction to be purged.

Standing opposite them were Army Group Commander Montgomery, Middle East Commander-in-Chief Alexander, and British Prime Minister Churchill.

Is this even playable?

He was just a junior captain, and in principle, they only needed one order to kill him. Even if he knew there was a trap ahead, he had no choice but to jump in.

And afterwards, all they need to do is casually say "command error" and that's about it.

My life is in grave danger!

Thorne was determined not to let these powerful people easily control his fate, otherwise from now on, let alone getting rich, he would even have a hard time surviving.

Therefore, this battle is both a crisis and an opportunity for Thorne.

It all depends on whether you can seize it!

"Good morning." Thorne walked into the Industrial Liaison Bureau and greeted the people around him as usual.

"Good morning, Captain." Lieutenant Evans's face remained obsequious.

Thorne thought that if Lieutenant Evans knew that everyone from Montgomery to Churchill had become Thorne's enemies, he probably would have severed ties with them long ago.

"Captain," Major Scott called out as he walked out of his office when he saw Thorne enter, his tone quite serious, "Come in here for a moment."

"Yes, Major."

Thorne's heart tightened. Had something gone wrong?

Or did Montgomery order the restriction of his authority?

Or perhaps he should be expelled from the Industrial Liaison Bureau?

Upon entering the office, Major Scott instructed, "Close the door."

"Yes, Major." Thorne turned and closed the door behind him.

This is unusual; usually, this is done for military secrets that are not to be leaked.

Or perhaps, they didn't want Thorne to lose face.

Scott stared at Thorne for a moment, then his expression suddenly softened. He smiled, nodded to Thorne, and handed him a document:

"The barrel factory is doing very well, Captain."

"Since production began, they have produced 11 new oil drums. These new oil drums have been widely praised since they were put into use, and the replacement of old oil drums is an unstoppable trend."

"But that's far from enough, Thorne. I want you to keep track of the progress. We need at least 200 million."

Thorne's mouth was half-open; it turned out that this was what it was about.

But don't assume Major Scott was referring to "new type of oil drums"; he was referring to his shares.

It's now September, and Major Scott should have received his interim bonus by now.

His words, translated, mean: "The investment you introduced is good. Keep up the good work, follow it closely, and confidently expand production. That way, my dividends will keep increasing!"

"Yes, Major," Thorne replied meaningfully.

"I will continue to follow up."

"And I estimate that it's not just Egypt's Eighth Army that needs this new type of oil drum."

"And the UK itself and all the territories that belong to England, and even other countries."

Major Scott's eyes lit up instantly, and he nodded repeatedly, "You're right, Captain, I have high hopes for you!"

Thorne was about to leave when Scott stopped him again.

"Oh, right." He took a stack of letters from the drawer:

"This is a letter my father and his friend wrote to you."

"You can take a look when you have time, or you can just leave it aside."

There was some embarrassment in his voice. He wouldn't have done such a foolish thing if his father hadn't instructed him to personally deliver the letters to Thorne.

Thorne accepted the letter generously: "I will read every letter and reply to everyone, Major."

He even saluted Scott: "Thank you very much, Major, for maintaining my communication with my admirers."

Scott suddenly felt that everything made sense, and that he was even helping Thorne.

After Thorne left, Major Scott watched his retreating figure and nodded slightly: "That guy has potential!"

Thorne walked out of the office, nodding to his colleagues along the way, and finally arrived at his desk, on which lay a thick stack of documents that needed Montgomery's signature.

Thorne glanced at his sides, then casually opened his briefcase, taking out paper and pen while tucking two documents inside.

"This is so hard for me," Thorne thought.

If they wanted to acquire any equipment, they had to do it secretly. Otherwise, if Montgomery or other staff officers found out, the equipment would be unlikely to be issued to the demonstration regiment, but would instead be transferred to the 7th Armored Division.

Carrying the documents up the stairs, Thorne greeted Gray, who was studying the tabloid newspaper again, and then noticed that Chief of Staff Degangan was reviewing documents behind his desk.

Seemingly noticing the confusion on Thorne's face, Degangan looked up and explained, "The general has an important meeting, so I will temporarily take charge."

Thorne said "Oh," placed the documents in his hand on the table, and skillfully picked out some: "Brigadier General, major policy documents and reports, as well as purchases exceeding £5000, all require the General's personal signature."

Degang hummed in agreement, his hands still busy, but he gestured towards the empty space on the table to his left: "Put the documents that require his personal signature there."

Thorne added, "Some of these seem quite urgent, like the transfer of 200 artillery pieces to the 7th Armored Division. I'm worried..."

Degangan was taken aback. Indeed, they couldn't wait any longer; war was about to break out.

He stopped writing, took the document from Thorne, and got up to walk towards the conference room.

The one who was really anxious was Thorne. He was worried that if the two documents he had "inserted" remained there for too long, it would not only delay training time, but also increase the risk of being discovered.

------

In the meeting room, Montgomery continued his conversation with Churchill and Alexander from the previous night.

After a night of "rest and recuperation," Montgomery believed he had found a new breakthrough.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister," Montgomery said.

"Although I believe we can defeat the enemy, we all know that the battlefield is ever-changing, and no one knows what unexpected events might occur."

"One of Thorne's talents is to make the unexpected happen to the enemy."

"The previous two victories have proven this point, and I think it's an issue we can't avoid."

As he said this, he leaned forward and stared at Churchill:

"Simply put, Thorne's support will increase our chances of winning."

"While no one can be certain of the odds of winning, I believe the most important thing right now is to unite and defeat the enemy."

"Therefore, I cannot take that risk."

Churchill and Alexander exchanged a glance, seemingly having anticipated Montgomery's response.

The two exchanged a glance, and Churchill nodded slightly.

Alexander took a document from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Montgomery: "Take a look at this, General Montgomery!"

Montgomery opened the file and saw the first photo, and was instantly stunned.