Moscow, Kremlin.

In the operational command room of the Soviet High Command, every move of all staff officers became cautious, and the originally loud voice became gentle.

The Supreme Leader, General Secretary Comrade Stalin, who is "loved" by the staff officers, is listening to the Chief of the General Staff Vasilevsky explain the latest developments in the war situation, and no one will choose to disturb the general secretary's interest at this time.

"The current situation is such that the 9th and 4th armies of the German Army Group Center have arrived in the vicinity of the city of Smolensk and are gradually engaged in battles against the Western Front." Hua Shufsky said.

Stalin held up the map table, looked at the location of Smolensk on the map and said: "It seems that it is really as they said on the radio, that the troops in our Minsk encirclement have been wiped out by them. With the addition of these two armies, the pressure on Zhukov ・・・・・・ comrades of the Western Front in Smolensk will be even greater, and perhaps in less than a week, Smolensk will miss and fall into the hands of the German fascists. ”

"We have enough reserves to provide to Comrade Zhukov and Comrade Yeremenko, and outside Smolensk will become the grave of the German army and a turning point in this war." Marshal Timoshenko said.

Stalin deeply resonated with Marshal Timoshenko's belief in victory.

"I've been studying the situation on the battlefield recently, and I've got a little bit of experience, and now I'm going to share it with you." Stalin said.

Vasilevsky and Marshal Timoshenko, who was standing beside him, quietly exchanged a look of embarrassment, and then looked at Marshal Shaposhnikov, who was sitting on the side.

Marshal Shaposhnikov, perceiving the plea in Vasilevsky's eyes, took the initiative to ask: "Comrade General Secretary. You are always there to give us the right guidance when it matters most. I hope this time will surprise us as well. ”

Pointing in the direction of Ukraine on the map, Stalin said: "The German offensive in Belarus and the Baltic region is fierce. However in the south. They only launched an offensive in Romania, and in Hungary they could only be described as harassment, and on the border between our country and Germany, where the Central Front was located, there was no movement. The comrades of the Central Front could only spend their days in a sit-in. Don't you think that's unreasonable? ”

Marshal Timoshenko shook his shiny head and said: "The General Secretary is right, we also think that this situation is very abnormal, and we have discussed the possibility of such a German doing so. ”

Stalin's face changed, and he squinted his eyes at Timoshenko.

"Say, what is the result of your discussion?" Stalin asked.

"We think. The first possibility is that, according to our intelligence, the Germans had only five Panzer armies. Among them, the Fifth Panzer Army under the command of Guderian fought in Romania, and the other four Panzer armies fought in the Central and Northern Theaters. Almost all the armored forces in Germany were composed of these five Panzer armies, and they had no surplus armored forces that could be used to launch an offensive in the area under the jurisdiction of the Central Front, and as for the German Sixth Army opposite the Central Front, we all know that twenty years ago, the last great war had proved that it was basically impossible to overcome the enemy's complete defensive line with infantry alone. That's why they didn't launch an offensive on the Central Front. ”

Stalin nodded expressionlessly. Then he asked, "This is the first possibility, and it makes a lot of sense." So what is the second possibility? ”

Vasilevsky did not notice the strangeness in Stalin's gaze, and continued: "The second possibility is that the Germans are preparing an incomparably large battle plan, and they ・・・・・・"

Marshal Shaposhnikov suddenly interrupted Vasilevsky and interjected: "After research, we believe that the Germans are planning a conspiracy, they will use an armored army in Romania, with a large infantry army, to contain our main forces in Ukraine, and then concentrate the powerful forces of three armored armies in the central direction to crush the Western Front under the command of Pavlov in one fell swoop, and then take advantage of the emptiness of our forces on the central front to rush straight to Moscow and occupy our great capital." But they underestimated the speed of our reaction, the efficiency of our organization, and the iron will of the General Secretary, all of which were blocked by the Western Front led by Zhukov in the Smolensk region.

As Comrade Timoshenko said, we would defeat them in Smolensk, and then launch a massive counteroffensive and enter the territory of Germany in one fell swoop. Smolensk will be a turning point in this war. ”

Timoshenko and Vasilevsky frowned, staring at Marshal Shaposhnikov, who was gushing and talking, with a look of suspicion crawling on their faces.

The three of them had discussed the situation on the battlefield collectively before, but the conclusion was completely different from what Marshal Shaposhnikov said.

It's just that, out of respect for this veteran marshal, and at the same time convinced that the old marshal was not confused to the point of nonsense, neither Marshal Timoshenko nor Vasilevsky refuted Marshal Shaposhnikov.

Stalin also had great respect for Marshal Shaposhnikov, the only person in the Soviet military and political hierarchy who was allowed to smoke in front of him.

Patiently waiting for Marshal Shaposhnikov to finish speaking, Stalin smiled and asked kindly: "Dear Marshal Shaposhnikov, do you have any other views other than these two points?" ”

Marshal Shaposhnikov looked at Vasilevsky and Timoshenko and shook his head.

"There is no other opinion, the two explanations just now are all our judgments."

Hearing Shaposhnikov's words, Timoshenko and Huaszvsky reluctantly shook their heads.

Seeing the actions of Timoshenko and Vasilevsky, the smile on Stalin's face was even brighter.

Marshal Shaposhnikov then asked: "Does Comrade General Secretary have a different opinion?" ”

Hearing this question from Marshal Shaposhnikov, Hua Xianvsky suddenly realized.

Only then did he deeply understand a mantra often said by the old-timer, Marshal Shaposhnikov.

"When speaking to the general secretary, we should pay attention to ways and means."

When I hear this phrase as a whole, I often understand it as a need to respect Comrade General Secretary's status as supreme leader. Be polite in your words. Don't always be like the hot-tempered Comrade Zhukov. He often expressed opinions contrary to those of the General Secretary, so that the General Secretary could not step down from the stage in public.

The real way and method is not only to prevent the general secretary from stepping down, but also to appropriately create opportunities for the general secretary to show off his ・・・・・・ and to show off his lofty image of wisdom, decisiveness, foresight, and foresight.

Vasilevsky collected his joy of "one epiphany" and looked at Stalin again. Sure enough, seeing the general secretary's eyebrows fluttering, he said confidently: "The German troops in the central direction have already reached Smolensk and penetrated about 500 kilometers deep into our national border. To the north, Germany's Army Group North entered our borders at about the same distance. Only in the south, the German Army Group South was slow to move, and the German troops in Romania were slow to advance, so that our Ukrainian line of defense formed a huge salient, and our right flank of the Ukrainian units was exposed to the German Army Group Center.

This situation must have been deliberately created by the Germans, and by the guy with the mustache. I can assure you that their aim is after the capture of Smolensk. Send at least one Panzer Army to the south and make a detour to the east bank of the Dnieper. Detour to the east of Kyiv, cut off our southern border in one fell swoop, and in Romania, the retreat of all forces on the territory of Hungary, and fight a super-large-scale war of annihilation. “

Hearing Stalin's deafening speech, among the three, Timoshenko and Warsonsky were indifferent, only Marshal Shaposhnikov frowned and said: "With this possibility, are the Germans too confident in their own strength?" ”

Stalin saw the shocked expression on Marshal Shaposhnikov's face, and the pride in his heart was even more irrepressible.

"You think about what the Germans did not so long ago, they quietly sent the 1st Panzer Army north, wanting to outflank the retreat of our Northwest Front. They can go north, and they can also send troops south. Have you seen "Mein Kampf"? I don't think you have seen it. ”

The realm of being an official had just reached a qualitative improvement, and Hua Xuanvsky hurriedly shook his head, and then looked at the two marshals, Timoshenko and Shaposhnikov.

Timoshenko didn't say a word, just stared at Stalin, waiting for Stalin to give an answer.

Looking at Marshal Shaposhnikov again, the old marshal first shook his head, and then asked solemnly: "I haven't seen it, what does it say?" ”

Seeing the stark reactions of the two veterans, Vasilevsky felt as if he had learned another trick.

The three of them stared at him, their eyes full of desire to learn, and their vanity was immediately greatly satisfied.

In "Mein Kampf", Hitler has already said that attacking us is an established national policy, and the most important goal is Ukraine, and he needs Ukrainian coal, wheat and various rare metals to support his war machine. He will not let Ukraine go, the Germans will inevitably go south, outflank our troops on the southern front, and seize Ukraine. ”

Vasilevsky suddenly burst out a sentence in his heart and blurted out to Stalin.

"The general secretary is right, fortunately there is a reminder from the general secretary, otherwise we will fall into a major crisis."

Three eyes fell on Vasilevsky's face.

Timoshenko's eyes were filled with shock.

Stalin's eyes were full of approval.

Marshal Shaposhnikov's eyes were full of surprise.

Stalin said: "Now that it has been established that our troops on the Southern Front are facing a major crisis, what are you going to do? ”

"I will draw up a battle plan at once, and I will not let the Germans succeed in their tricks." Vasilevsky said.

"What instructions does the general secretary have?" Shaposhnikov said.

"I'll just give you a hint, and you don't forget that the right flank of our army in the south is exposed to the Germans, and the right flank of Army Group Center is also exposed to us, and you can make a fuss about this." Stalin said.

Vasilevsky rolled his eyes, and suddenly made a look of sudden realization.

"I understand what the general secretary meant, thank you for the reminder."

Stalin smoked his pipe and felt more comfortable than ever.

"I remember you told me that the 10th Mechanized Army has broken through the German defenses, stormed the city of Pustoska, and is engaged in street battles with the Germans, how is it going?"

Marshal Shaposhnikov said: "It's not going well, you know, there is the presence of the Polish governor in the city of Pustoska, and in order to protect him, the German troops are going crazy, and we need more time to deal with them." ”

"I understand what the Germans were doing, and the rotten Iron Cross Act, which they enacted, but it didn't make any sense. Deal with them as soon as possible, I'll wait for you to bring me news of victory, and give you another forty-eight hours, is that enough? ”

Having received an affirmative answer, Stalin left satisfied.

Seeing Stalin leave, Marshal Timoshenko turned around and went to the toilet, leaving only Vasilevsky and Marshal Shaposhnikov.

At the signal of the old marshal, the two walked to the empty lounge.

"Dear Comrade Vasilevsky, I am really pleased with your performance today, you have finally taken a gratifying first step." The old marshal said.

"It's all thanks to your guidance in the past that I have today's promotion." Hua Shufsky said.

"Compared to the stubborn Comrade Zhukov, you finally did not disappoint me. I'm old, I'm not in good health, and I could fall down at any moment. Before I fall, I can see you take this crucial step, and even if I die tomorrow, I can close my eyes peacefully.

However, I would like to remind you while I still have the energy to make some unconscionable sacrifices, not for personal gain.

Making sacrifices is just a means, and our ultimate goal is to bring us closer to the Supreme Leader, so that the Supreme Leader can accept our reasonable advice, and will not let his own temperament mess up to the detriment of the interests of the country.

This is what we do, although it will make many people misunderstand us and think that we are sycophants. However, we must be firm in our conviction that we are sacrificing our image for the sake of the interests of the country and the people, and we should not shake our conviction because of external interference. Again, I'm old and may die at any time, and the future of the country will be entrusted to you. ”

Hearing Shaposhnikov's earnest confession, Vasilevsky was interrupted by Timoshenko, who rushed into the lounge, before he could be moved.

"You two used to be hiding here, and you say, what are we going to do now? Develop a new combat program in accordance with the instructions of the General Secretary? Marshal Timoshenko said angrily.

"What nonsense are you talking about, my dear Comrade Timoshenko, take out the "Guillotine Plan" that we formulated a week ago, and show it to the General Secretary with only a slight revision, what other plan is being formulated?" Shaposhnikov said.

"You even remembered Project Guillotine, I thought you forgot. We can all see this special battlefield form. But you pretended to be a fool in order to make him happy, and I was so disappointed. Timoshenko said.

"Dear Comrade Timoshenko, I have said many times that you should pay attention to ways and means when talking to the general secretary, but you never listened, and you also disappointed me." Shaposhnikov said.

"Sycophants." Temoshenko snorted coldly and turned to leave.

"Seeing it or not, this is a misunderstanding." Shaposhnikov shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly to Vasilevsky.

"I saw it. Revising Project Guillotine is simple. However, before the guillotine plan, we still have to deal with the enemy in Pustoshka first. ”

"The general secretary has set a time limit of 48 hours, of course we have to carry it out, you hurry up and convey the general secretary's instructions, so that the comrades of the Northwest Front Army can hurry up." (To be continued.) )