gnovel Chapter 27 "Hans the Salesman"
Chapter 27 "Hans the Salesman"
Borg Arab, two fighter jets swept low overhead with a whoosh and a gust of wind.
(The image above shows the British Super Marlin Spitfire fighter plane, which arrived in Egypt in large numbers after August 1942 to fight against the German Bf 109. This aircraft was the core of the British air force.)
Thorne had been here before, but this time it felt completely different.
Previously, you would be questioned and have your identity verified for at least ten minutes at the gate of the military camp. Now, you only need to put on your military cap, stand tall, and stride forward.
The guard did not stop him, but stood up and saluted him.
As he entered the military camp, the soldiers who were conducting tactical training all turned to look in Thorne's direction.
Thorne overheard people whispering:
"Is it him?"
"Yes, that salesman."
"My God, he single-handedly defeated an entire armored regiment!"
……
Even more remarkably, as Thorne passed a unit in marching formation, he noticed that Thorne's instructor clearly called out the commands:
"stand at attention!"
Turn right!
"salute!"
……
Hundreds of British soldiers saluted Thorne in unison, their eyes following his movements as if they were being inspected by him.
Thorne awkwardly raised his hand in return, initially even making a mistake by habitually using the Eastern military salute. Realizing this, he quickly turned his palm outward to switch to the British military salute.
(The image above shows a British military salute. Army and air force personnel turn their palms outward to show that they are not holding weapons, which is a sign of safety and friendliness. Navy personnel turn their palms down to avoid their superiors seeing their dirty hands from repairing ships.)
This made Thorne somewhat embarrassed, as a captain didn't know how to give a military salute.
But the soldier's eyes were full of kindness and a smile, as if to say:
"After all, he's never been a soldier."
"The important thing is that he defeated the Germans and saved our lives!"
"Yes, this is the kind of grassroots officer we need. He is not like those aristocratic bureaucrats who come out of military academy and only care about appearances and dogma."
Thorne later learned that the soldiers had given him a rather interesting nickname: "Hans the Salesman".
This means that the salesman wasn't selling oil or anything else, but rather "Hans"!
--------
The "Wartime Industrial Liaison Bureau" was located in the same building as Montgomery's headquarters. The entire department consisted of only seven people and was situated on the first floor near the outer wall.
From the arrangement principles of officers' quarters, Thorne knew that this meant it was not valued, because the area near the outer wall was always the hottest.
This is no small matter in the desert.
When Thorne reported to Chief Major Scott, after a brief welcome, he specifically explained the rapidly rising temperature due to direct sunlight:
"The fact that our department is in this position does not mean that we are unimportant."
"Most of us are expatriates, understand?"
"They procure urgently needed supplies and sometimes oversee important companies to ensure quality."
Thorne asked, "Including fuel?"
Major Scott had a cold. He took out a handkerchief and rubbed it hard against his nose, then looked at Thorne: "Of course, that includes fuel."
Thorne then realized that this department was indeed unimportant, at least to the military.
For example, the Bureau of Industrial Liaison dispatched supervisory personnel to oil giants to oversee their production, but the military received inferior oil adulterated with impurities, meaning they failed to fulfill their intended role.
Everyone knows what happened.
Major Scott ignored Thorne, rummaged through a pile of files on his desktop, and tossed a portion of them onto the table:
"Every day there are documents that need the general's signature."
"Your task is to deliver them to the general and bring them back."
"The task is simple, but there can be no mistakes, understand?"
"Understood, Major," Thorne replied, stepping forward.
Scott waved impatiently at Thorne and then focused on his nose, looking as if he wanted to twist it off his face.
Thorne carried the documents up the stairs, thinking that this might be a position Montgomery had specifically arranged for him.
The position of industrial liaison officer allows Thorne to conduct business legally.
Thorne's daily routine of simply having Montgomery sign documents left him with no real power, thus preventing him from using the Bureau of Industrial Liaison for personal gain.
At the same time, this job also allowed Thorne to frequently appear before Montgomery and offer him advice.
perfect!
However, Montgomery underestimated Thorne. Thorne didn't need real power to "use his position for personal gain"; he only needed some information.
Just then, Thorne arrived at the entrance of the command center.
He straightened his uniform and strode toward Montgomery, who was reading a newspaper: "General, there are some documents that need your signature."
Montgomery grunted in response and mechanically signed the document.
Suddenly he remembered something, looked up and saw Thorne standing next to him.
"Hmm." A hint of surprise flashed in Montgomery's eyes. "I almost forgot that you officially started your military service today."
He shook hands with Thorne: "Welcome, Captain. How's your first day?"
"I haven't had a chance to integrate yet, General," Thorne said truthfully.
Montgomery laughed: "It's alright, take your time, we have plenty of time."
Then, his gaze shifted, and he picked up several newspapers from the table, handing them to Thorne: "Don't you want to look at your own deeds?"
Thorne took it and glanced at it.
The first one is the Eighth Army News, which has the greatest influence in North Africa.
This newspaper was distributed to every infantry platoon in the British Army in North Africa, and they were required to circulate it among themselves, meaning that every soldier had to know about it, including those colonial soldiers who could not read English.
Its front page featured Thorne's story:
"Some of us may know about salt marshes, but none of us have ever thought of using them as traps."
"Captain Thorne has an idea."
"He proved to everyone with extraordinary courage and wisdom that Rommel was not invincible."
……
A whole bunch of things, accompanied by a photo of Thorne.
Others include the English-language newspaper "Al-Colombia" and "Al-Partisan," and even the Egyptian-based newspaper "Al-Ahram."
"You're a celebrity now," Montgomery said with a smile.
"To be precise, they are heroes of the Eighth Army Group."
"The key is that you know how to speak to the public or what kind of image to maintain in the future."
"Of course, General." Thorne frowned slightly.
This was not what he wanted, as it meant he would become a role model for the entire army, standing in the spotlight, with no blemishes allowed, including in the business world.
However, the cutthroat competition in the business world is as common as breathing air, and sometimes extreme measures are necessary.
Montgomery was pleased with the result and handed Thorne a cup of coffee.
"I asked Major Scott, and he said you don't have much work to do in the Industrial Liaison Department."
"Therefore, you can also serve as my advisor."
"Also, you'll need to cooperate with media interviews when necessary, no objections, right?"
Then he said "Oh," and added, "Of course, I'll give you double the salary; you'll get £52 and 10 shillings a month."
After saying that, he waved his coffee cup at Thorne and said, "You're welcome!"
Thorne remained silent.
Isn't the main point that I need the time and freedom to manage my own oil company?
Now that he's an industrial liaison officer, an advisor, and also has to give interviews, it's probably difficult for him to even go back to the company.
He felt as if he had fallen into a trap set by Montgomery and was unable to escape.