"The commander of the Kyiv Special Military District, General Semyon-Timoshenko, I think he is competent for the command of the Northern Front. Shaposhnikov pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke, "Comrade Timoshenko is good at logistics organization and material dispatch, and can fully tap the combat potential of each division, and this advantage is just applicable to the current Karelian front, so that the superior forces and heavy equipment of our army gathered there can play their due role.www.biquge.info As long as this is done, the Finns will no longer be able to hold back our attack. ”

Stalin smoked his pipe silently, and in his heart he already had some agreement with Shaposhnikov's proposed candidate. Timoshenko, 44, was a military supporter of Stalin when he was still in his prime, and rose to prominence as commander of a cavalry division in the Russian Civil War. For more than a decade, he served as army commander, commander of the army group, deputy commander of the front army, and in 1937 succeeded the executed General Jonah Yakir as commander of the Kiev Special Military District.

On September 17, 1939, it was the 600,000 Red Army commanded by Timoshenko who crossed the Curzon Line and handed Poland a slap in the back from the east. And the operation was perfect: the Red Army captured nearly 200,000 Polish officers and soldiers in 10 days, at a small cost of no more than 10,000 casualties, and added 150,000 square kilometers of land and 15 million people to the Soviet Union.

As one of the very few high-ranking front-line generals who survived the Great Purge, Timoshenko had enough seniority and prestige to command the northern campaign. And his respect and respect for Stalin for 20 years also made Stalin extremely comfortable, and he did not have the strange feeling of appointing other people to military power. If Timoshenko's military capabilities are exactly what Shaposhnikov claims, then he is the best candidate to succeed Meretskov.

"But Comrade Stalin, even if we appoint a new commander, it will be difficult to start an offensive on Finland immediately. At present, in the two main offensive areas of the Karelian Isthmus and the eastern part of Lake Ladoga, our troops are suffering heavy losses in personnel and equipment, so it is likely that our troops will have to suspend their advance for some time to come, waiting for the necessary replenishment of personnel and materiel. Shaposhnikov did not stop his words, but made his attitude clear to Stalin directly. Although Shaposhnikov knew very well that the last thing Stalin wanted at this time was the prolongation of the war against Finland, as chief of the General Staff, he had to assume his due responsibility to the army and the country from a military point of view.

Stalin's pupils shrank, and a sharp cold light flashed through his eyes. But he didn't say anything, just nodded calmly. As a veteran who followed Lenin in the founding of the Soviet Union, Stalin was not as liberal as Trotsky, but he was by no means a pure politician who knew nothing about military affairs; During the Russian Civil War, Stalin held the post of political commissar of the Front, and participated in all the battles from the Battle of Tsaritsyn to the Battle of Warsaw. At this point, Stalin could clearly feel that Shaposhnikov's last addition was a piece of contradictory advice. If the Red Army continued to fight the Mannerheim Line, it was very likely that it would suffer an even greater defeat, and then the situation would be even more difficult to control than it is now!

"The work of replenishing troops and equipment to the front is to rely on the comrades of the General Staff. I hope this time doesn't last long. Stalin said. Shaposhnikov nodded respectfully, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. His greatest fear was that Stalin would ignore the situation at the front for political reasons, and it now seems that the defeat did change Stalin's military attitude.

After exchanging some specific details with Shaposhnikov, Stalin immediately turned his attention to the members of the Central Committee, represented by Kalinin. The defeat of the attack on Finland not only disgraced the Red Army, which had a great reputation, but also plunged the Soviet government into an unprecedented embarrassment, and the smell of the attack on Finland even exceeded that of the partition and annexation of Poland three months earlier. However, Stalin, who had been politically experienced for a long time, had already had a way to deal with it, and he soon instructed the members of the Central Committee to carry it out according to his will.

First of all, Kalinin, as the nominal supreme leader of the Soviet Union, should completely change the current propaganda tone. He wanted to let the Soviet people and the whole world know that the Finns had secretly built their Mannerheim Line very strongly, but that all this information had not been sent to the glorious and correct Party Central Committee because of the deliberate concealment of the imperialist spies hidden in the army, headed by the despicable Tukhachevsky. Coupled with the terrain that was cunningly destroyed beyond recognition by the Finns, as well as unpredictable bad weather, the Red Army did not achieve a decisive victory on the Karelian Isthmus front for the time being.

Even so, in the face of the impenetrable walls of capitalism, which were no less powerful than the Maginot Line, the heroic Soviet Red Army dealt a heavy blow to the Finnish white bandits in a month-long offensive. At present, the Finnish army has suffered 50,000 casualties, almost twice the losses of the Red Army. After the Red Army's brief adjustment period is over, the red flag will inevitably fly high in the presidential residence in Helsinki.

At the same time as the propaganda of public opinion, Stalin also instructed Voroshilov, who was in charge of national defense, to show his muscles in front of the three Baltic states. The defeat of the Soviet army in the north to Finland is very likely to make these small countries that have already been garrisoned by the Soviet Union have a sense of vacillation and luck, intending to get rid of Moscow's control. Stalin, on the other hand, wanted to strangle this sign in the cradle, so that several small countries could always feel who had the final say in their own borders. According to the timetable set by Stalin, the three countries were to join the Soviet Union "on their own initiative" in the autumn of 1940, and this plan must not be delayed by the defeat in the Winter War.

Finally, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, led by Beria, has stepped up domestic surveillance and dealt with those who "spread rumors" on the issue of the Winter War. When Stalin said these words in a cold voice, everyone present could not help but feel a chill in their hearts. With the general secretary's statement, it is likely that the gulags will usher in a new round of influx.

"Comrade Mikoyan, you may encounter some trouble in your foreign trade work in the future." Stalin looked at Mikoyan, who was on the edge of the crowd, and said slightly apologetically. As the Soviet Union was re-isolated internationally, more than half of the trade that had been established with the West was bound to be lost; Mikoyan, on the other hand, has been working diligently in his position in charge of trade for the past ten years, and has made important contributions to attracting foreign investment and promoting economic development in the Soviet Union. Even though Stalin is now a dictator of the Patriarchal style, he still feels a little guilty about Mikoyan, a docile horse.

"It is difficult for the Soviets to mend relations with Western countries such as the United States and Britain in a short period of time. In order to reduce the losses of the Soviets, I think it is necessary for us to develop more trade cooperation with the Germans. Comrade Mikoyan, can you tell me what is the main form of trade between the Soviets and the United States and Britain at present? If the target were to be shifted to the Germans, would there be a mismatch between the needs of both sides? Stalin asked.

In the face of Stalin's warm advice, Mikoyan could not help but feel great happiness and vanity. He struggled to control the surprise in his heart, and after a slight groan, he said, "This should be an effective remedial strategy. At present, the Soviet Union's foreign trade is mainly the export of grain, minerals, oil and other raw materials, and then the purchase of light industrial consumer goods from Western countries, as well as heavy industrial machinery with relatively high technological content. Germany was originally the largest supplier of precision heavy industrial machinery in our country, but it was inferior to the West in the output of consumer goods. Although Germany was at war at this time, the demand for various industrial goods was also quite strong, but as long as we provided them with the raw materials on which they needed to continue the war, the Germans would meet our trade demands. ”

"I remember that at the beginning of October, you and Comrade Molotov signed a trade agreement with the Germans on behalf of the Soviets, right? With this foundation, it is believed that there will be no obstacle to the renewal of the treaty in the future. Stalin smiled slightly and said in a happy mood.

"You're right. The Soviets did conclude a trade agreement with the Germans after the Polish campaign, and the total amount of goods exchanged for the next six months would be no less than 150 million marks. If the losses caused by the hostile relations with the United States and Britain were to be basically compensated, the Soviets should conclude a monthly trade with Germany in the amount of 50 million marks in goods. ”

In contrast to Stalin's optimism, Mikoyan's face was a little solemn at the moment, and he said again: "But this time, the Soviets have a small political weakness. As a result of the defeat of our troops on the Finnish front, the attitude of the Germans towards the Soviets may well have tended to be brutal; And the Soviets' all-out hostility with the United States, Britain and other Western countries will also tilt the dominance of Soviet-German transactions in favor of Germany. Therefore, I estimate that it will be difficult for us to take advantage of the Germans as we did in the past. In order to get the supplies that the Soviets need, we will most likely have to pay more goods. ”

Stalin was stunned, and the ease at the corners of his mouth quickly disappeared. He suddenly discovered that the defeat of the Soviet army on the Finnish front would also have extremely bad results for Soviet-German relations. The relationship between Moscow and Berlin is a fragile union of interests, rather than a true ally that can be trusted with each other; If one side is in trouble, the other side will certainly not hesitate to take advantage of the fire and rob it, tearing its dying companion to pieces and eating it as food.

During the previous Polish campaign, Germany could not figure out the details of the Soviet army, and had to sacrifice a lot of interests in order to stabilize the red giant bear. Now that the clumsy combat power of the Soviet army has been completely highlighted by the failure of two consecutive rounds of attacks on the Mannerheim Line, how could the Germans not have evil thoughts in this situation? (To be continued.) )