Stalin slowly stood up and said in a steady voice: "This is the situation of the negotiations, Comrade Molotov has done his best, and in my opinion several other articles are acceptable, and even the terms of compensation, armaments, and armies are relatively slightly better than we expected, which shows that Hitler is sincere in negotiating peace, at least in the short term, and no one can say anything about long-term things, and we cannot pin our hopes on the enemy's soft-heartedness." Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoThe only problem is the demarcation of the borders - on German terms we would have to lose Central Asia, Moscow, Stalingrad and the lower Volga valley, and I am deeply saddened by the fact that as General Secretary of the Party. ”

Everyone looked up at Stalin and found that his eyes were full of tears rolling, and they tried their best to prevent the tears from rolling down, and all the Politburo members were sad and had the urge to cry out loud.

"Comrade Stalin, we cannot accept such a humiliating peace, let's fight the Germans to the end!" Andreyev, a member of the Politburo in charge of agriculture, suddenly said, "The Germans will not be able to achieve their goal unless they step on our corpses." ”

"Yes, Comrade Stalin, let's continue to fight, fight a vigorous battle for the defense of Stalingrad, and let the people of the whole country see our determination." Khrushchev was the second to echo.

Stalin shook his head slightly: "I understand your thoughts, but this war cannot be fought any longer, the Red Army has suffered continuously, the people are extremely suffering, the industry and agriculture have been completely destroyed, we have tried all the forces and means that can be used, but the enemy's strength is too strong, and if we continue to fight, we will not see the hope of victory in the short term, but there will be the danger of the destruction of the party and the country." We resisted to the end, and Hitler certainly had to pay the price, but the White Russians and separatists were very happy...... Moreover, Anglo-American imperialism is not necessarily without the same attitude of schadenfreude. ”

Voroshilov stated: "I agree with Comrade Stalin's opinion that the idea of fighting for the defeat is a seriously irresponsible attitude towards the revolution, towards the people, and towards the cause of the party, and if we end up in a pool of blood, who will inherit and hold high the banner of communism? Who will defend the brand-new cause pioneered by Comrade Lenin? Who is responsible for the history and future of the Soviets? ”

Kalinin and Mikoyan stood up and expounded their opinions on temporarily avoiding the limelight, waiting for the opportunity, and getting through the difficulties together, starting from the preservation of vital strength.

Molotov stood up and said: "I would like to remind your comrades of the fact that Britain is also facing an armistice, which means that the Germans, with the exception of the United States, across the Atlantic, can put all their forces on us; If we can quickly conclude an armistice with Germany to gain respite, I think Germany will turn its guns on the United States and fight for world supremacy, exactly as it was at the end of World War I. If Germany succeeds in the end, its power will also be weakened, and in the future we will be able to obtain better positions and conditions when our strength has recovered. ”

Zhdanov commented: "The present situation reminds me of the fact that Comrade Lenin decided to accept the Brest Pact against the consensus of the people, which won space for the development of the nascent Soviets, and we urgently need to recuperate and heal the wounds of war. Comrade Stalin's decision is aimed at the overall situation and the future, and I believe that it should become the consensus of the whole party. ”

Stalin nodded: "Since everyone has spoken, then I will add a few more words." Although the treaty made a substantial adjustment of the borders, it was advantageous that the two main parts of the Soviets, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks, were still in one organizational structure, and that it would facilitate the unification of the progressive and revolutionary forces of our development; Second, although the western border has been fixed, there is still room for adjustment in the eastern and southeastern borders, and we can join hands with the Chinese revolutionary comrades to focus on eastern affairs. In the end, as the general secretary of the party, I bear the main responsibility for this decision, and no matter what history says about me in the future, I can accept it calmly. Let's vote on the basis of the principle of democratic centralism, and comrades who agree to this treaty, please raise your hand! ”

He was the first to raise his hand, and the others followed, including Andreyev, who had just objected, and Khrushchev, who had just raised his hand highest.

"Comrade Molotov is invited to contact the German side, we will first withdraw from Stalingrad, achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, preserve the living forces, and then sign the official text." After Stalin finished speaking, tears welled up in his eyes, "I hope that all comrades, the whole party, and the people of the whole country will remember today's humiliation...... I ......"

He staggered and collapsed, and everyone hurriedly summoned the doctor, who showed that there was nothing serious, but the doctor said that the recent continuous work and poor mood had affected Comrade Stalin's health, and hoped that he could take care of his health and relieve the pressure of work.

"Has the Party Central Committee decided to cease the war?" Vasilevsky received a call late that night at the General Staff.

"Yes! Comrade Stalin demanded that the news be sent to Comrade Zhukov as soon as possible, that the troops and people be withdrawn from Stalingrad as soon as possible, that we inform the German side early tomorrow morning, and then strive for a ceasefire as soon as possible. ”

"Yes, I resolutely obey orders!"

"Führer, my esteemed Führer......" Early in the morning, Hoffmann had just gotten up, and Ribbentrop called in, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I must report to you that Molotov has accepted the armistice on behalf of the Soviet side, and is ready to hand over Stalingrad to us first." ”

"Good!" Although Hoffman still seemed a little awake, the news made him happy, "The long and torturous war on the Eastern Front is finally coming to an end!" ”

"Führer, I must congratulate you on your unprecedented success, far surpassing all heroes. Having a leader like you in Germany is like finding light and finding the right direction in the darkness. ”

"Alright, alright." Hoffman smiled, "I will sign the memorandum of understanding with Molotov as soon as possible, and at the same time, I will let the high command arrange an armistice." ”

"Marshal...... A message came from Berlin that an armistice was about to be set off, and from 12 noon we could no longer attack the Stalingrad direction. ”

"Really?" Manstein took the telegram and read it several times, and laughed, "The Russians finally couldn't stand it anymore, informed the ministries, and then prepared to negotiate with the Russians about the specific ceasefire." Note that you can't let your guard down in case the Russians cheat. ”

Receiving the armistice telegram from Political Commissar Ganganovich, Zhukov, Vatutin, and Rokossovsky were stunned for a moment, and then all of them gloomed. Zhukov has been worrying about the battle situation for the past two days, his eye sockets have sunken deeply, his beard is unshaven, there is only deep helplessness in his eyes, and the whole person is haggard

"Alas......" sighed

Vatujin slammed his fist on the wall: "Hate ah......"

"Comrade Ganganovich, are we going to take this order?" Rokossovsky shuddered, "Do you want to send a telegram to Moscow first, expressing our determination to live and die with Stalingrad?" ”

Zhukov knew Rokossovsky's careful thoughts, shook his head, and said sharply: "Don't think about it, since the Party Central Committee has made a decision, we must obey it unconditionally, and we should care about how to retreat properly." In order to prepare for a treacherous attack by the fascists, I suggested that the troops continue to consolidate the defense of the city, slowly retreat and join up with Comrade Yeremenko. In addition, we must work with the grassroots cadres to settle the masses and inform them to bring their personal belongings and retreat with the troops......"

"Are these masses going to be transferred? How to settle in the future is still a big problem. Vatutin sighed, "There is a lack of food and clothing in the rear, and there may not even be a place to live, how can so many people be resettled?" ”

"Publish the news, we will take away those who are willing to go with the Red Army, and we will not force those who are unwilling. All operations must be managed by the troops, and a part of the troops can be withdrawn from the outer defense line to escort the masses first, and it is important to remember that there must be no chaos, let alone rumors. Ganganovich frowned and said, "Otherwise, it will be punished as a collaborator and the highest security measures will be implemented." ”

"Yes!"

"Engineers and skilled workers in factories, teachers in schools and other intellectuals have to find a way to move to the rear, and they will be needed for the reconstruction of the country in the future." Since he advocated the withdrawal of troops, it was to be Guanganovich as the main one, and he confessed, "The local government will mobilize both the Communists and the Komsomol members, and ask the Red Army to send competent personnel to assist." We have to do a good job of policy propaganda, the Soviets are just an armistice, not a surrender! ”

"Resolutely complete the task!"

At 12 noon on June 6, 1944, the war between the Soviet Union and Germany for nearly three years finally gradually fell silent, and the loudspeakers in Stalingrad broadcast over and over again the "Letter to the People of the Whole City" jointly signed by several major leaders, and there was a cry everywhere, but after a year and a half of encirclement and confrontation, both party cadres and ordinary citizens were actually mentally prepared for this, although there was some commotion, but the overall situation was quite good. The Germans gave way to a passage for Red Army trains and ships to move, and on Zhukov's orders, the Red Army delivered part of the perimeter defenses, and on the whole both sides were relatively calm.

The officers and men of the German army and the Russian People's Liberation Army watched the evacuation of the Red Army and citizens with mixed feelings, and then burst into violent cheers.

Although there is still an exchange of fire in the Moscow direction, the Central Asian direction, the Transcaucasian direction, everyone knows that the moment has finally come to the final end of this long war.

In the afternoon of the same day, Molotov and Ribbentrop signed an armistice memorandum in Sofia and exchanged views on the preparation of the final text of the peace treaty.

Although the Treaty of Sofia had not yet been written and entered into force, everyone understood that the Great War had passed its turning point, and all eyes were set to the west......