Order No. 227, in a nutshell, demanded that the Soviet army defend the Motherland to the death, no matter how many casualties it took, in the face of German aggression, and not to take a step back. Officers and political workers who retreat without permission will be considered "cowards" and "traitors" and will be dealt with by military law.

In fact, this was the result of Stalin's own mistakes, or miscalculations.

Because of the victory in the defense of Moscow, he had the heart to underestimate the enemy, and launched a rash attack on the German army despite the opposition of the staff officers, and even mocked the staff committee triumphantly when he won a brief victory in the early days of the attack on Kharkov.

But soon he was slapped in the face by the Germans...... The Germans surrounded the Soviet troops, who had broken through to the Kharkov campaign, and annihilated hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops at a small cost, seriously weakening the Soviet reserves in the south.

More importantly, Stalin misjudged the strategic direction of the German army, believing that the German army would attack Moscow instead of Stalingrad next.

It was not Stalin's miscalculation, but Hitler's intention to put Army Group Center and even Army Group South in a posture of attacking Moscow.

Stalin was clearly deceived, so on the one hand he gathered his forces in Moscow and did not dare to move, and on the other hand attacked Kharkov in the south.

As a result of the defeat of Kharkov and the encirclement and annihilation of hundreds of thousands of people, the Soviet Union had a situation similar to that of the Transcaucasian battlefield in the entire south, including the Caucasus: the empty forces could not stop the frantic counterattack of the German army.

In this situation, Stalin's Order No. 227 came into being.

The reason for such a brutal order was simple: if the Soviets continued to retreat, strategically important cities would fall, and morale would be severely damaged throughout the country.

Under this high-pressure order, General Tyulenev made every effort to build a defense in Baku.

In fact, it was Budyonny who gave advice to General Tyulenev at this time.

"Comrade Budyonny!" General Tyulenev called Budyonny before the withdrawal to Baku: "I hope to get air cover from the 4th Air Army!" You know, now the situation is dangerous, the Germans are pressing towards Baku, we can't let them take Baku! ”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and while Tyulenev was puzzled, Marshal Budyonny replied: "Comrade Tyulenev, I know that the Fourth Air Force should provide you with reinforcements, but it is not yet time!" ”

"Comrade Budyonny......"

"Listen to me, Comrade Tyulenev!" Marshal Budyonny interrupted Tyulenev: "I know what you're thinking, you'll think I'm looking for an excuse not to provide reinforcements!" ”

"No, no......"

"Don't deny it!" Marshal Budyonny did not give Tyulenev a chance to explain: "This will not do me any good, because as you said, the Germans are marching towards Baku, and at a very fast pace, maybe in a few days they will reach Baku!" ”

After a pause, Marshal Budyonny continued: "Well, what good will it do me if I do not reinforce the Transcaucasian Front?" The rout of the Transcaucasian Front, followed by the North Caucasian Front, and if the Germans captured Baku, the USSR would be in danger due to lack of energy, what good would it do me? ”

General Tyulenev was quickly relieved that Budyonny was right, and Budyonny, as a Soviet marshal, would not benefit him at all.

"Well, Comrade Budyonny......"

"Do you remember what we did before the Battle of Moscow?" Budyonny asked: "I mean when we retreated all the way to Moscow!" ”

"You mean Kiyono Fortified?" Tyulenev asked.

Marshal Budyonny did not answer, he was just silent for a while, and then he diverted the topic: "1200 km, by the time the Germans arrived in Baku, they were exhausted, and our opportunity to counterattack had arrived, understand?" ”

As if he understood something, Tyulenev replied: "Understood, Comrade Budyonny! Thank you so much! ”

Perhaps because of the authorities, General Tyulenev, who had been so badly beaten by the Germans, had almost lost confidence in himself and his army.

But now, reminded by Budyonny, he suddenly understood what he was going to do.

On the one hand, he asked his troops to constantly cause some trouble on the way of the German army's advance, such as blowing up bridges, planting mines, and occasionally ambushing or something.

However, the impact on the German army was not great, because the German troops of the 7th Airborne Corps actually parachuted into the rear of the Soviet army after the airborne, and they not only occupied the Caucasus Mountains, but also took the initiative to occupy the communication arteries at the foot of the mountains with the Caucasus as a base.

Therefore, most of the Soviet army's actions such as bombing bridges and laying mines were useless work, and the German army advanced eastward at a speed of 100 kilometers a day along the highway controlled by the Airborne Forces.

On the other hand, Tyulenev asked the soldiers to start the evacuation of the civilians, demanding that the walls be cleared as before the Battle of Moscow.

This point was relatively well done, and the ammunition and fuel in the warehouse were all burned out in one go, even the food in the hands of the people.

But they can't do anything about the crops that are growing in the field...... The Soviets also wanted to burn all these things, but they simply couldn't do it when they were scattered in the ground, or they didn't have time to let them do so, and the Germans were already behind them or even on the flanks at any time.

Finally, there is the defense of Baku.

General Tyulenev, like Marshal Budyonny, was born in cavalry, and he was distinguished from Marshal Budyonny in the ...... He did not realize that the cavalry was no longer suitable for the battlefields of this era, which is one of the reasons why Tyulenev would send a cavalry division to Novorossiysk to meet him.

Needless to say, one of the cavalry divisions that Tyulenev was proud of was defeated in Novorossiysk, and a division of only a few hundred men fled back to the front around the Caucasus.

At this time, of course, Tyulenev did not dare to have his previous thoughts, and after communicating with Budyonny several times or asking for advice, he used the terrain to dig trenches and build layers of defense thirty kilometers away from Baku.

"Strive to hold every line of defense for ten days!" Budyonny said to Tyulenev: "In this way, it will take at least a few months for the Germans to reach Baku, and then our reinforcements will arrive!" ”

"Thank you very much, Comrade Budyonny!" Tyulenev replied.

He had never taken Budyonny seriously before, and even secretly competed with Budyonny because both of them were commanders of the front.

But now Tyulenev finally understood the gap between himself and this old marshal.