On October 5, the Soviet Union summoned members of the Finnish government to Moscow and put forward a number of conditions to the latter on the question of revising the territory of the two countries. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info Finland first needs to retreat in strides on the Karelian Isthmus until it reaches a safe area 120 kilometers away from Leningrad. Second, in order to ensure the security of the Leningrad and Kronstadt naval bases from the sea, the Soviet Union also demanded that Finland cede four small islands in the Gulf of Finland and "lease" the Hanko Peninsula in the western part of the Gulf of Finland to the Soviet Union for 30 years, and at the same time allow the Soviet Union to build military bases on them. Finally, Finland needs to dismantle the "Mannerheim Line" in the Karelian Isthmus, on the grounds that it is not conducive to good-neighborly relations between the two countries.

Although the Soviet Union did not end up in this negotiation, but was willing to give the Finns double the area of territory as compensation, these conditions were still far beyond the scope of what Finland could accept. The land that the Soviets were going to compensate Finland for was almost entirely primeval forest with minimal exploitation, and it was useless for the Finns to get their hands on it. Karelia, on the other hand, was an important frontline for Finland, and not far from it was also Finland's economic and industrial boom.

The Hanko Peninsula, located at the southwestern tip of Finland, was leased to the Soviet Union for a military base, opening up a second front that would directly threaten the Finnish capital, Helsinki. As for the demolition of the Mannerheim Line, the Finns could not bear it at all: if I dismantled all the fortifications, wouldn't I be completely a fish on the chopping block? Will it be possible for Finland to retain its independence under Soviet military pressure?

Under these conditions, the Soviet-Finnish negotiations were bogged down in a quagmire from the very beginning. Finland promised to withdraw only 10 km from the front-line positions closest to Leningrad, while ceding 4 small islands in the Gulf of Finland; And on key issues such as the lease of the Hanko Peninsula and the dismantling of the defensive line, they were sternly refused. The two sides went back and forth for more than a month, and finally failed to reach an agreement due to too big differences. The little patience that Moscow had was quickly exhausted by the stubbornness of the Finns: since it could not be obtained at the negotiating table, then it should be resolved by force!

In a splendid conference hall in the Kremlin, Stalin, who had just celebrated his 60th birthday, was sitting upright at the head of the long table. Compared with when he took over the Soviet power 15 years ago, the angular lines of his countenance, which belonged to the middle-aged man, have been replaced by a slightly blessed roundness, which makes Stalin usually look less fierce and slaughtering, but adds a bit of old man's kindness and kindness. At this moment, however, Stalin's face was like a dark cloud; The look of anger that bloomed in those yellow-brown eyes made the several military and political dignitaries standing in front of him all shudder.

"Just two hours ago, the Finnish delegation broke off the negotiations and left Moscow by plane." Stalin spoke slowly in a low voice, and anyone could hear the undisguised hatred in his words, "The Soviets have made such great concessions on the territorial question, and are willing to compensate Finland with twice the land, but they have never accepted it!" The will of the Soviets to change the north-western borders could not be violated. Since the Finns do not agree, we will take matters into our own hands and take back all the territories that belong to us. ”

Nearby, Field Marshal Voroshilov's eyes rolled, and then he echoed with a look of righteous indignation: "I fully agree with Comrade Stalin's wise opinion. The insistence of the Finns on their refusal to cede southwestern Karelia and the Hanko Peninsula to our country is clearly a sign of contempt and contempt for the powerful Soviets! If this reactionary force hostile to the Soviet Union is allowed to continue to exist in Northern Europe, it will inevitably become a front-line springboard for imperialist aggression against the Soviet Union in the future. In order to guarantee the security of the Soviet Union, we must completely eliminate this criminal group of white bandits. ”

Hearing Voroshilov's words, the General Staff of the General Staff Shaposhnikov, the commander of the Leningrad Military District Meretskov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Molotov could not help but curse in their hearts. The army commander, known as the "Red Marshal", was of inferior talent, but he had already mastered the highest level of flattering and currying favor with his leaders: Stalin himself had not yet told the reasons for the attack on Finland, and Voroshilov, who was good at flattering, gave all the reasons to show how wise and far-sighted Stalin was in making this decision.

It is precisely because of this that Voroshilov, who was mediocre in ability, was able to rise to the rank of marshal, and in the stormy purge of the army between 1937~1938, he was able to stand still, and even his grace grew. The thought that such a guy could suppress himself in terms of rank and power filled Shaposhnikov's heart with indignation: in terms of commanding art, organizational ability, and seniority, how could this stupid bear be as good as a single hair of his own?

However, several high-ranking Soviet officials agreed with Voroshilov's attitude. Finland's refusal of the Soviet Union's demands this time was undoubtedly extremely presumptuous, and it almost took off its shoes and slapped the Soviet Union in the face. What kind of country is the Soviet Union today? With a population of 170 million and a standing army of 3 million, the total output of heavy industry in 1938 even surpassed that of Germany; Romania, Turkey, Iran, and other countries bordering her were all treading on thin ice under her might, and the three Baltic states did not even dare to let out a fart, so they accepted the Soviet Union's request to station troops on their territory.

Now, a small light industrial country, whose total population is not as large as the Soviet standing army, dares to abandon the will of the Soviet Union and the goodwill it has unleashed; If this is not repaired properly, how can the majesty of a great power belonging to the center of the world's proletarian revolution remain?

"Comrade Shaposhnikov, how is the readiness of the army, when will our army be able to launch an offensive against Finland?" Stalin turned his head and looked at his chief of the General Staff with the calm that had returned to his normal time. Shaposhnikov, a mild-mannered and erudite man, and Stalin, a Georgian shoemaker, always had a unique respect for gentlemen and gentlemen, which allowed the former to escape the purge and remain at the center of Soviet military decision-making for the past few years. Although he was not a mere lackey of Stalin like Voroshilov, Stalin always trusted him: perhaps the bloody dictator also understood that he had to rely on a group of talents to make the country truly develop.

"Dear Comrade Stalin, we have basically transported all the minority units that the Leningrad Military District needs, we have already transported them to the front. More than 80% of the weapons and ammunition needed for the offensive have been completed, and the rest are being shipped intensively. It is expected that by the end of this month, our army will be able to complete all preparations for the offensive. Shaposhnikov replied respectfully.

As early as the beginning of October, when the Soviet Union began diplomatic negotiations with Finland, Soviet troops began to prepare for military action after the breakdown of negotiations; The commander of the Leningrad Military District, Meretskov, drew up the battle plan even earlier, and waited for the General Staff to transfer troops and turn his plan on the sand table into reality. At this moment, the Soviet Union had amassed more than 300,000 troops on the north-western frontier line, organized into four army groups, and only waited for Moscow to give an order, so that they could rush forward and tear apart the Finns' paper-like fragile resistance.

Stalin nodded in satisfaction, a smile on his lips. Shaposhnikov's organizational skills had always reassured him, and in less than two months, preparations for the offensive at the front were completed. This time, I must let the Finnish gangsters know the fate of the mantis arm as a car: Russia has always been a loser if it earns less on the road, and a small country still wants to kick its nose in front of it, and it is simply impatient!

"But, Comrade Stalin, does this offensive plan really need to add more troops?" Seeing that Stalin's mood was cloudy, Shaposhnikov hesitated for a moment, but finally cautiously suggested, "At present, there is information that Finland has also started a national mobilization called training since the middle of last month. Not only did they recruit a large number of reservists, but they also formed a transport medical team of women and the elderly to augment the front-line combatants. Therefore, I think it would be better for our troops to be cautious and delay the offensive a little. If our army can gather 18 more infantry divisions and 4 tank brigades, the victory over Finland will be within reach. ”

"Comrade Shaposhnikov, I think your thoughts are a little pessimistic. The Finnish standing army is only 32,000, and even if he mobilizes it, how many troops can he reach in the end? What's more, our army also has the absolute equipment advantage of heavy weapons, which is enough to crush the Finnish army. Meretskov pouted disapprovingly. As commander of the Leningrad Military District, Meretskov was soon to take command of this large army and march north, which made him instinctively resistant to Shaposhnikov's cautious instinct. What's more, this is clearly a battle with an extremely disparity in strength, and his own population is at least 3 times that of his opponent. In the case that the quality of the firepower of this side still has an absolute advantage, the flying dragon riding face, tell me how to lose?

Stalin bowed slightly, and the expression on his face already showed that he agreed with Meretskov's opinion. In terms of population and heavy industrial strength, Finland is even inferior to the three Baltic states that the Soviet Union had just succeeded in blackmailing, so how could she dare to engage in a head-to-head confrontation with the Soviet Union? Perhaps if the Soviet army fired a shot into the air, the inward-looking Finnish government would immediately give in. Taking a step back, even if Finland did put up desperate resistance, Stalin had the right cannon fodder ready: the Tatars, Uzbeks, Kazakhs and other minority units currently being mobilized to the Leningrad Military District were all victims of Stalin's plan. These people were the destabilizing factors of the Soviet regime, and this time they were cut off one by one by the hands of the Finns! (To be continued.) )