"Doesn't the United States care about the Middle East? Let's see, which side are they willing to save? "Rubyanka, the usual arrogant voice came from it, and this voice was none other than the chairman of the KGB who could go to heaven without two eggs falling. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

At the same time as the Middle East war, when the United States and the Soviet Union were facing each other at sea and in the air, and when the Arabs and Israel were playing out their dogs' brains, the KGB launched a plan that had been being studied to attack the two weakest pro-American countries, Thailand and Ethiopia, and to take advantage of the wind of the Middle East war to complete its own strategic offensive plan.

At the same time that Brezhnev greeted the foreign ministers of France and Italy, Serov contacted Goryunov and Meshatsev and carried out wave after wave of agitation through Soviet radio and Pravda. In Pravda, Goryunov used a large-page report accusing the United States of unilateral protection of Israel, which caused the outbreak of war in the Middle East, and at the same time, the Fifth Fleet approached the war zone, obviously wanting to directly intervene in the war.

This was the public opinion of the Soviet Union before the arrival of the French and Italian ambassadors in Moscow, and the desire for a tough statement from the Kremlin was growing louder, and at the constant request of Egypt, Brezhnev sent a direct message to Nixon, emphasizing that Israel had violated UNSCR 338 and proposing that the United States and the Soviet Union jointly deploy peacekeeping troops along the ceasefire line. Brezhnev declared that if the United States rejected the proposal, the USSR would consider unilateral actions.

At the same time, the commander of the Soviet Navy, Gorshkov, issued an open order for naval infantry divisions to board ships and prepare for an amphibious operation on the Israeli landing, indicating the determination of the USSR to directly intervene in the war in the Middle East. Under these circumstances, half a month after the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, the choice before Brezhnev was whether the Soviet Union would join the war or not.

For the first time since becoming Soviet General Secretary, Brezhnev faced such an unprecedented dilemma, which his predecessor Nikita Khrushchev faced during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Now that it was on him, he felt a pressure that he had never felt before.

He knew that now the cadres of the entire USSR were watching themselves, waiting for their statement. Among them are Shelepin and Kosygin, whom he has always regarded as opponents. There are also the leaders of the major powerful departments, and their eyes are on themselves.

Brezhnev still has two rivals, and now is not the time for the Cuban Missile Crisis, Khrushchev has already killed all of his opponents, and his position is not as secure as his predecessor, at least not yet. If you make the wrong choice, you don't know where the world will go.

"I'm better than him, and the victory is mine." In the Kremlin late at night, Brezhnev, under invisible pressure, walked up and down his office, always believing that he was better suited to lead the Soviet Union than Khrushchev. He is the leader of a powerful country like Stalin, not Khrushchev, who only confronted the United States with his mouth.

Early the next morning, when the special plane of the foreign ministers of the two countries landed at the Moscow airport, they were deeply shocked by the first piece of news: Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev ordered that the Soviet Navy, Army, Air Force, Territorial Air Force, and Strategic Rocket Force of the Soviet Union enter a state of second-level combat readiness, and that the personnel on duty on combat readiness strictly guard their posts, command and communicate smoothly, closely grasp the enemy's movements, and find out the enemy's intentions. Gather troops; distribute war readiness materials, and pay close attention to the implementation of logistics, equipment and other support; rush to repair weapons and equipment; Preparations for emergency expansion have been completed, and border troops in important directions will be fully manned according to wartime establishments.

Throughout Moscow, the KGB Interior Guard appeared at major intersections, checking incoming and outgoing vehicles. People in various military uniforms were spread all over Moscow, Lubyanka issued orders for strict management to prevent the emergence of rumors, rallies, etc., which had a negative impact on the country, and the KGB ordered citizens through radio stations to strictly observe order and not to cause chaos in the country at this time.

"Is the USSR really ready for war?" The French foreign minister said worriedly to his counterpart, "This is not good news, especially for our two countries." ”

"Yes, if it really starts, the position of our two countries is awkward." The Italian Foreign Minister nodded heavily.

France is in the power of the Left Alliance, and the situation in Italy is more straightforward, with the Catholic Democratic Party and the Communist Party having a clear duality, almost similar to the two-party system in the United States. In this case, there are strong pro-socialist forces in both countries, so once the United States and the Soviet Union go to war, it is not certain whether the two countries will be attacked by the Soviet Union or the United States.

"I didn't expect that Brezhnev, who looked so mild-mannered, would be held hostage by the hardliners in the Soviet Union." At this time, the Italian foreign minister felt a great responsibility for himself, believing that it was an attempt by the hardliners of the Soviet Union to coerce Brezhnev.

This judgment is wrong, who can coerce the general secretary? Serov also did not have the ability to do this, this was Brezhnev's own decision, he decided to adopt a confrontational strategy, and the tough statements of the major departments only gave him a reasonable excuse.

When the Soviet Union pressed the United States, it was the Brezhnev period, and it was this general secretary who was silent and mild-looking, who adopted the strategy of going head-to-head with the United States and personally opened the prelude to the Soviet Union's global offensive. The strategic offensive of the USSR began in the hands of this man, not Stalin, who was led with an iron fist, nor Khrushchev, who could only threaten the United States with nuclear weapons. At the time of the two men, the Soviet Union was still weak and could not confront the United States in an all-out way. It was only during the Brezhnev era that the Soviet Union had the strength to confront the United States head-on, and he also adapted to this situation and started the confrontation.

"Welcome, the general secretary is waiting for you inside." Serov, who was standing at the door of the Kremlin, showed a light smile, greeting him as if he was very familiar with the other party, he had actually just arrived, and as the tallest guy of the Soviet hardliners, it was completely unjustifiable for him not to show up on this occasion.

This is Brezhnev's office, where he spoke with Nixon a year earlier, kicking off a détente between the United States and the Soviet Union, and only a year later he made an unprecedentedly tough statement here. Today, Brezhnev is here again to greet the foreign ministers of France and Italy.

All of Europe is watching Moscow and Washington, the Kremlin and the White House, and they all know that the outcome of the foreign ministers' visits will determine whether or not they can avoid a clash between the two camps. Everyone eagerly awaited the good news that these foreign ministers could bring, and at this time they missed the empty words of their foreign affairs department, or at least it proved that the world was peaceful.

"Peace? This must be premised on the fact that the United States has withdrawn one after another, and this is not Cuba, and the current Soviet Union is not the Soviet Union of 11 years ago, and we are already stronger than ever, and the people are eagerly awaiting our statement. Serov kept fiddling with the Damascus steel knife in one hand, and at the same time objected, "I want the Soviet Union to show its will for peace, and clearly tell you that it is impossible, the president of the United States once every four years, in addition to the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and the Soviet Union is not like this, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union carries all the expectations of the entire Soviet people, and pushes us into a corner, and we do everything." ”

Ustinov and Andropov beside Serov were silent, but they all looked at the foreign ministers of the two countries with indifferent eyes, they and Serov agreed that the Soviet Union had retreated for more than twenty years, and this time they were not ready to retreat.

"General Serov, do not mix your personal feelings. I believe that General Secretary Brezhnev is also peace-loving. "The Italian Foreign Minister set his sights on Brezhnev. The latter shook his head and said, "Comrade Serov's words are quite right, we are burdened with the expectations of the state, as well as international responsibilities to the Arab world, and the USSR has no reason to retreat." ”

"Our Soviet nuclear bombs have bombed cities with a population of more than 100,000 on the earth ten times, and even if they fight, no force on the entire planet is the opponent of the Soviet army, who will take the initiative to show weakness to an opponent weaker than themselves?" The secretary of the Central Committee, Ustinov, shouted in very fierce words, "Ten minutes into the war, the US Navy in the entire Mediterranean Sea will not exist, and this does not require nuclear bombs, this is the reality." ”

"The eleven-nation coalition has nearly one million troops, and Israel will be consumed sooner or later if it drags on, don't look at Israel's defense line that looks solid, that is for the Arab army, and the Soviet army can wipe out Israel in one day." Andropov looked like a scholar, and his words were still a real threat.

One by one, the members of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union made the foreign ministers of the two countries sit on pins and needles, and finally leave the Kremlin to report back to the country.

"You told Kissinger that if they continue to fight, they will have to face Arabs dozens of times larger than their own population, how long can the American airlift last?" Facing the backs of the two, Serov reminded of the demographic contrast between the two sides. Although the Israeli army, which has now shifted to a defensive position, has played a good exchange ratio, it is useless.

"Our two countries bind their allies to sign a ceasefire agreement through the United Nations." Nixon sighed, he had just sent off the foreign ministers of Great Britain and the Federal Republic of Germany, and the foreign ministers of both countries, like their counterparts in Moscow, explained the current situation. War of attrition is the favorite mode of warfare of the Arabs, because they are many people and many countries. If it continues, sooner or later it will be consumed with Israel.

Washington then authorized the Sixth Fleet's carrier battle group to leave the waters south of Crete and sail westward. As a result, the tension in the Soviet-American confrontation was quickly eased. This decision gave the US aircraft carrier battle group room to maneuver and deprived the Mediterranean detachment of its aiming target. From another point of view, this move by the United States undoubtedly sent a signal to the Soviet Union to ease the situation. (To be continued.) )