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Chapter 1584 Terrible Opponent

Moscow, Kremlin. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Stalin walked into the chamber with a solemn face, and was greeted by high-ranking generals from the State Defense Committee, the General Staff of the Red Army, and the major military districts.

Stalin came to the main seat between Voroshilov and Budyonny and sat down, pressed his hands on the ground, and motioned for everyone to sit down.

Stalin looked around the conference hall and saw that all eyes were focused on him, and then he said unhurriedly: "Comrades generals, what do you think of the war between the Far East and Japan that is now breaking out?" Why did the more than one million mechanized troops withdrawn from Central Asia stay between Petropavlovsk and Omsk, instead of choosing to move eastward decisively? Who will answer? ”

Marshal Shaposhnikov, Chief of the General Staff, stood up: "Comrade Stalin, the hope that we are counting on for the Far Eastern Army and the Japanese Army to fight for both sides is likely to be disappointed. According to various circumstances, the Far Eastern Army is withdrawing from the Primorsky and Amur regions, and the direction of their retreat is Western Siberia. Our General Staff, after repeated analysis, believes that they are most likely amassing forces and launching an offensive against our great Soviets! ”

Due to the needs of the war, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR awarded the Commander-in-Chief of the Ural Theater of Operations Timoshenko, the Commander-in-Chief of the Central Asian Theater of Operations Kulik and the General Staff of the Red Army Marshal Shaposhnikov with the rank of rank. Stalin deliberately diluted the influence of Yegorov and Blyukhel in the Far Eastern Army with a new marshal: look, with the addition of Voroshilov and Budyonny, we have five marshals, and only two in the Far Eastern Army!

Listening to Shaposhnikov's report, Stalin was taken aback: "How is this possible, do they want Primorye, Amur or even Kamchatka Border in Blyukher?" If the Far Eastern Republic founded by that group of traitors loses its territory in the Far East, can it still be called the Far Eastern Republic? ”

Shaposhnikov solemnly said: "Excuse me, Comrade Stalin, I am not very clear about the specifics, this is the only judgment that can be made in the light of all the circumstances that are happening at the moment. Although so far there is no information to confirm our view, our General Staff, after many consultations, has unanimously decided that this should be a strategic adjustment made by the top brass of the Far Eastern Republics, and from the beginning to the end, they have not announced it to the public, but only to assemble their troops.

"There is no news from our intelligence officers who have been planted in the Far Eastern Army, and it seems that they are not familiar with the specific situation, and perhaps we will only know what the mystery is until the moment when the high-level combat order for the Far East is issued. Our General Staff believes that this strategic plan should be known only to a few people at the top of the Far East, and that this circle is full of stakeholders, that is, traitors whom our Soviets must resolutely kill, and who cannot be infiltrated or bought by intelligence officers! ”

"Is that so?"

Stalin pondered for a while, stood up and walked to the large map of the Soviet Union on the side of the rostrum, looked up a few times, turned his head and asked:

"How is the fighting on the front lines in the Urals going so far? The war has lasted for more than 50 days, and more than 200,000 people have been sacrificed, is it true that Marshal Timoshenko has no way to take Yegorov? ”

Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Chief of Operations Vasilevsky stood up and said in a deep voice: "The Ural Front has concentrated almost a quarter of the Soviet forces, and under the command of Marshal Timoshenko, every day it is launching the fiercest offensive against the enemy, but the opponent has complete river fortifications, and at the same time has superior fighters to help, and in case of danger they will even use tanks to help in battle. So far, we haven't made any progress.

"The General Staff had intended to open a gap on the southern front, enter Kazakhstan from the plain area of Uralsk, and bypass the rear of the Far Eastern Army, but it was attacked intensively by the South China Army Air Force. The South China side dispatched more than 500 warplanes in one go to wantonly and indiscriminately bomb our river-crossing troops, resulting in the severance of the railway bridges and the destruction of all the pontoon bridges that had just been built. Later, the Air Force sent reconnaissance planes to investigate the situation on the Urals line at the risk of being shot down, and found that the South Chinese Army had built a solid three-dimensional fortification along the Ural River, and if we dispersed our forces to attack, it would create fighters for the Far Eastern Army. If the Far Eastern Army turns from defense to offensive and suddenly breaks through the defense line on the Kama River, then our defense line is in danger of collapsing as a whole. ”

Stalin looked at the map and asked: "What will happen if those more than a million mechanized troops are thrown into the fight on the Western Front?" ”

Marshal Shaposhnikov reported: "If the other side has the intention to take advantage of the night or dense fog to suddenly launch a river crossing operation, our defense lines on the Kama and Volga rivers will soon collapse, and the cities along the Ural line will quickly fall under the impact of the powerful mechanized corps of the Far Eastern Army." According to the latest information we have received, the Japanese army has occupied the Amur Komsomolsk and is simultaneously pushing into Khabarovsk from the north and south, but the Far Eastern Army has not made a large-scale troop movement, and its intention to abandon it is already obvious. If the Japanese soldiers take Khabarovsk without blood in the past two days, then we can basically conclude that the Far Eastern Army really has an attempt to invade the west. ”

Stalin was silent for a long time, returned to his seat and sat down, picked up the cigarette butt placed on the table, slowly put in the tobacco, wiped a match and lit it, took a deep breath, felt a clearer mind, and then continued to ask: "Has this news been communicated to the commander-in-chief of the front, Marshal Timoshenko?" ”

People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov hesitated, stood up and said: "Comrade Stalin, Marshal Shaposhnikov suggested that I, in the name of the Supreme High Command, issue a warning to Marshal Timoshenko, but I think it is better to be cautious before figuring out the true intentions of the enemy. At present, all our fronts are attacking the enemy, and if we suddenly switch from offensive to defensive, it will be a huge blow to the morale of the officers and men on the front line!

"The troops in Central Asia in the Far East have just been transferred back to Siberia and still need to rest and recuperate before they can go to the battlefield, and their position is actually more conducive to moving to the Eastern Front, and they will not necessarily attack in the Urals. Just imagine, our population is eight times theirs, our industrial base is five times theirs, and our mobilization capacity is beyond their reach. On the other hand, Japan lacks sufficient mechanized equipment, and if they throw 1.3 million mechanized troops into the coastal area, they can completely push the Japanese army into the sea, and it may not be possible to take advantage of the situation to take Manchuria and obtain food and material supplies from Manchuria.

"Comrade Stalin, I have repeatedly discussed with Comrade Budyonny, no matter how you look at it, they have no reason to provoke a war on the Western Front! I think we should still follow the current strategy, replace the defense with a continuous offensive, and wait until the mechanized units of the various military districts are trained, that is, with an indomitable momentum, break through the Ural defense line painstakingly managed by the Far East, and then liberate Western Siberia, join forces with the main force of our Central Asian Red Army in Eastern Siberia, wipe out the Far Eastern Army in the area north of Mongolia, and then move south together to occupy Mongolia and Manchuria, so as to thoroughly lay the strategic depth of our war in Europe. ”

Stalin nodded, looking at Budyonny, a member of the Supreme Command, who had recently been given a cold reception. At the end of last year, Budyonny led the superior Red Army to defeat Yegorov in a strategic decisive battle for the survival of Moscow in the Far East, and his status in Stalin's mind plummeted. But Budyonny was a façade-dressing Marshal of the Red Army and, like Voroshilov, his staunchest follower, so Stalin did not make it too difficult and still made Budyonny the commander of the Moscow Military District, but took away his post of First Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, which was given to Shaposhnikov, General Staff of the Red Army.

Budyonny stood up and said sincerely: "Comrade Stalin, as far as the overall situation in the Far East is concerned, it is better to break the cauldron and gain more living space in the East than to waste energy on the strategy of westward expansion, which has no hope of victory. With its majestic mountains, rushing rivers, and terrifying swamps, the Urals have an inherent defensive advantage, and an impractical attack would face a series of disastrous consequences.

"Our great Soviet Red Army is not afraid of an attack from the Far East, in fact we want them to take the initiative to come out of the shell of the turtle, so that we can find the fighters to destroy the opponent. I took a closer look at the last battle and found that my obsession with a head-to-head victory was a terrible mistake. In accordance with the situation at that time, I sent out cavalry units and constantly harassed their rear, and on the front I responded with numerous trenches and anti-tank trenches, and with the weak logistics and military strength of the Far Eastern Army, it was no match for our Red Army at all!

"If the Far Eastern Army launches an offensive on the Western Front, as the General Staff said, we can completely abandon some secondary areas, lure the enemy deep into it, trap the enemy in front of our ramparts, and then send cavalry with superior mobility to surround the enemy's rear, then the Far Eastern Army, which has lost its logistical supplies, will surely face a heavy defeat! It seems to me that it is not difficult to deal with the mechanized forces of the Far Eastern front, the key is to choose the right tactics! ”

A smile of satisfaction appeared on Stalin's face: "That's right, Comrade Budyonny, you can learn from your failures, this is a quality that a good commander must have, and I hope you will be able to prove yourself in the next battle." Comrade Zhukov, what do you think about this issue? ”

Zhukov, who was named by name, stood up: "Comrade Stalin, I think we should take precautions and first draw elite troops from various military districts and assemble them in the area on the west bank of the Vyatka River, building fortifications and training at the same time. If the Far Eastern Army attacks from east to west, the fortifications we build will make the opponent suffer, and if the enemy does not attack, we will have enough tanks and armored vehicles to equip our troops and launch a counterattack closer to the Urals. ”

Stalin's eyes lit up: "This is a good idea, what we waste is nothing more than some building materials, and in exchange for the overall strategic initiative, the initiative is in our hands!" Comrade Zhukov, I would like to appoint you as the commander of the reserve front, commanding the mechanized units of the Red Army as a strategic reserve. ”

Seeing the jealous looks on the faces of the two marshals Voroshilov and Budyonny, Zhukov hesitated a little: "Comrade Stalin, I have never commanded a combat unit of such a scale in the past, and I am afraid that I am not competent for the job of commander of the reserve front. ”

Stalin took his pipe and walked up to Zhukov: "I am now announcing the decision on behalf of the Politburo, you just need to answer yes or no!" As for experience, these are not problems, the key is that commanders should keep a clear head at all times. Of so many commanders of the Red Army, I think you are the most suitable! ”

At this time, Zhukov could no longer shirk his resignation, and immediately solemnly stated: "In this case, I accept the appointment, and I promise to lead the troops to completely and completely destroy the Far Eastern Army and completely restore peace and tranquility in the Soviets!" ”

......

Nanhua, Xinjing, Xiaonanhai.

An Yi, who was listening to Zhou Chong'an's report on financial work, received intelligence feedback from the Far East and was taken aback: "Zhukov is the commander of the front army?" We're in trouble! ”

Zhou Chongan asked strangely: "Is this Zhukov amazing?" ”

An Yi nodded: "This is a very formidable opponent, he is good at using practical experience to train the army, can well coordinate the actions of infantry, artillery, tank and aviation, has the outstanding ability to organize and command the operation of the large army, in training and combat in-depth reality, decisive style, won the support of officers and soldiers." What is particularly rare is that this person has deeply understood the essence of Tukhachevsky's strategy of great depth, likes to concentrate on using tanks to make breakthroughs in depth, and has made new plays, so it can be said that he is the culmination of Soviet military thought. If I say who I am most afraid of among the Soviet generals, this Zhukov is undoubtedly in the first place! ”

Zhou Chong'an's eyes widened: "Is this Zhukov really so terrifying?" ”

"You just have to think about it, being able to contradict Stalin many times without being punished in the case of the Great Purge, but instead rise in rank, is enough to prove that this person is extraordinary. Previously, the Far East gave back information that this person had trained recruits in the Leningrad Military District and the Belarusian Military District, mainly with the Air Force and armored units, and that the general units would soon be able to form combat strength. Since joining the Soviet Red Army, the troops he has led, without exception, have all become trump cards, and this time he reorganized the army, he did not shy away from his relatives, and transferred all the troops he brought to his side and reorganized them into mechanized troops, and we are very likely to confront this person in the future. An Yi explained solemnly.

Zhou Chongan was a little worried: "This Zhukov is so difficult, do we need to notify the Far East to pay more attention?" ”

An Yi waved his hand: "Yegorov and Blyukherr both know this person, they will naturally be careful." And I wonder who will win and who will lose when Marshal Egorov, who co-created the theory of operations in great depth with Tukhachevsky, against Zhukov on the battlefield? It was bound to be an earth-shattering battle! ”

Speaking of this, An Yi closed his eyes and fell into a deep reverie.