Chapter 853: Turning Point (End)

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The news of the outbreak of the Battle of Tashkent quickly spread around the world, but who now has the heart to pay attention to an inland battle? All eyes were on Skorski, Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Provisional Government.

When nearly a million Chinese and Soviet soldiers strangled each other in the densely fortified area, and even repeatedly fought over a small uninhabited village, Sikorsky, who attracted the attention of the whole world, did not hurry, as if he did not know that Sino-European relations were on the verge of collapse. He stayed in Ahvaz and Riyadh for several days before flying to Cairo to meet Cunningham, who had blocked the canal. Although he did not convince the stubborn British admiral, he succeeded in reassuring the tens of thousands of Polish soldiers waiting here, convincing them to wait a few more days to find out the whole story. As he set off on his trip to the United States, reporters were mobilized, and many even rushed to the airport early to set up camp after learning that their first stop was not New York but Washington.

"Colonel Stilwell has sent observers to the Tashkent field, and as far as is known, Mr. Yang Qiu has committed six or seven corps in this direction, which is about sixty percent of the total Central Asian forces at present. Afghan, Iranian, Kazakh and Uzbek troops have all been involved, and two Polish brigades have arrived in Shymkent. He also persuaded the North Korean leader to send an additional army to the region and arrived in Irkutsk yesterday to begin habilitation training. ”

In his White House office, George Marshall stood in front of a map propped up with a rudimentary bracket to brief the president and cabinet members on the Battle of Tashkent. But Roosevelt had no interest in any of this, rubbing his knees gently and his gaze drifting. On the contrary, Heder, Henry Jr. and Donovan next to him listened with relish, especially when they learned that Yang Qiu not only used his own troops, but also drew troops from distant Korea, they were all surprised: "George, don't you say that the Chinese have won?" Because with the addition of the North Korean army, the total number of troops invested by Yang Qiu has exceeded 850,000. God, that's almost twice as much as Moscow! ”

"If the war is only a comparison of numbers, then no country can win Mr. Yang Qiu. It is a pity that although he has the initiative, Mr. Stalin clearly has his own advantages. Marshall shook the whip in his hand and lightly drew a circle around Tashkent: "Tashkent is a watershed in Central Asia, and from our preliminary information, Moscow has been building permanent fortresses here since 1925. It is known that there are three independent main fortresses, as well as a large area of fortifications. To the north, in the eastern forest area of Gerga, was Fortress No. 2, which guarded the passage south from Shymkent and had at least two 12-inch and eight 8-inch guns. South, here. Almazar, on the north bank of the Syr Darya, was Fortress Group No. 3, guarding the only bridge accessible from the south, with two 12-inch and 11 8-inch guns. The main fortress, Tashkent No. 1, is a larger and deeper underground fortress complex that extends 30 kilometers to the east into the eastern mountains. According to defecting Soviet officers, there were at least four 12-inch and nine 8-inch guns and 12 twin naval 5.1-inch naval guns, as well as at least three battalions of 8-inch mobile artillery. Although there are no exact figures, it is conservatively estimated that there were at least 700 or more 7.4-inch (120 mm) guns in this area. There is also unconfirmed news, it is said that here, there should be 1 more long-range naval gun of the 14-inch / L50 type, which was delivered by the British company Visker in the last war, which was originally used for the construction of Izmail-class battlecruisers! ”

"Vesque, isn't that British? Did they sell 14-inch naval guns to the Russians? Donovan was surprised, because he was in charge of intelligence late, so he was a little unfamiliar with the past.

Marshall explained: "Yes, at that time the tsar ordered a total of 76 doors, of which 40 were given to the Visker company. By 1917, the Visker company had delivered 11 doors, one of which sank with the transport ship. Mr. Stalin was also interested in battleships, and in 1933 he ordered the construction of three copies, but this was not done because the naval program was cancelled. At present, it is known that 4 gates were used for coastal defense in St. Petersburg (Leningrad), 3 in Sevastopol, 2 in the Omsk fortress, 1 in the Chelyabinsk fortress, and 2 more with bearings delivered by the Germans and two sets of British Lampo fire control systems are suspected to have been sent to China by Kolchak, and the last 1 is suspected to be in Tashkent. ”

"It's unbelievable that Stalin had so much heavy artillery." Henry Morgenthau Jr. was also surprised.

"Mr. Henry, the strength of the Soviets is underestimated! Stalin had a complete artillery system, and the British even found them using 9-point 2-inch, 9-point 4-inch and 11-inch guns. Last time it was because they did not expect the Chinese to cross Lake Balkhash, and at the same time poor logistics limited the movement of the army. The disadvantage of the aircraft was also very great, and after losing air supremacy, the army could only be passively beaten, which led to a serious defeat. Marshall continued: "So although Mr. Yang Qiu's army has broken through the Andijan and Dushanbe lines, and will soon be able to separate Samarkand from Tashkent, as far as Stilwell knows, they have obviously not penetrated deep into the core area, which means that the sacrifice has just begun. ”

"No wonder he needs so many troops and pulls forces from North Korea to help."

"Yes, because his new unit won't be operational until at least May, so he needs more fresh troops, like Poland." Marshall paused, looking at Roosevelt, who remained silent.

Roosevelt didn't believe that Yang Qiu contacted Poland because of insufficient troops, so he looked at the window and asked, "Has Hopkins arrived in Moscow?" ”

"According to the schedule, he will fly from Helsinki to Moscow this afternoon." Huddle looked at his watch and replied.

"And what about him? How much longer? ”

Marshall knew exactly who he was: "Our plane has spotted him and is expected to arrive in an hour. ”

"One hour." Roosevelt muttered softly to himself, pushed his cart to the special low coat rack under the gaze of everyone, took off his coat and slowly put it on. This strange move puzzled the three of Huddle, because even if they wanted to pick up the plane in person, the White House would not take half an hour to drive from the airport. What's more, because of the disability of both feet, even if Churchill and Yang Qiu came to visit, he would wait to be received in the White House.

This personal move to pick them up was undoubtedly telling them that Roosevelt was very, very serious about Sikorsky's arrival.

Seeing this, Huddle immediately picked up his briefcase, and asked before putting on his top hat: "Mr. President, Mrs. Yang Qiu and Foreign Minister Mr. Gu Weijun are still waiting for your reception." ”

"Please let them wait a little longer, I need to see Lord Sikorski first. I'm sure they'll understand. Roosevelt didn't look back, rejected the advice of the seers Gu Weijun and Miao Luo, and walked out in a wheelchair by himself. Henry Morgenthau Jr. knew his mind best, so he hurriedly stepped forward and took the initiative to push the wheelchair.

The unexpected appearance of the presidential motorcade at the airport immediately caused a strong agitation. American journalists, who have always been known for their audacity, tried to infiltrate the airport by all means. But this time they were disappointed, and Roosevelt, who was at a critical time in the campaign, unceremoniously used the military to quarantine the reporters and wait with Secretary of State Huddle for the plane to arrive. Half an hour later, as a beautiful Chinese Meteor-5 intercontinental airliner with a phoenix fuselage painted on the runway slowly landed, the reporters who were shouting and scolding immediately fell silent, and hundreds of cameras were pointed in the same direction.

But unfortunately, Sikorski had just shaken hands with Roosevelt, and before he knew what to say, the two of them hurriedly entered the airport VIP lounge next to them with their assistants.

When the reporters were in a hurry to get their ears down, Sikorski was already sitting on the couch. The long-haul flight made him look a little tired, but his brain was running fast, and after thanking Hurdl and the others, he first opened the conversation: "Thank you for welcoming me personally, it is a great honor for me and my partner." ”

"This is as it should be, and as the president of the U.S. government, it is my consistent position and duty to help the free countries that have been invaded." After Roosevelt made two high-sounding words, he asked about Sino-Polish cooperation with some urgency. From seeing him in person, Sikorski knew what he wanted to know. The Polish government-in-exile needed not only China, but also Britain and the United States, not to mention that there was no need to hide it now, so he immediately looked around: "Mr. President, I need a projector. ”

"Projector?" Roosevelt was puzzled, but told Huddle to find a movie projector.

Soon, the soldiers brought the projector from the airport cinema, and after hanging the curtain, Sikorski solemnly asked his assistant to take out a few boxes of copies. So many copies of the movie made Huddle and the others secretly wonder, and they all guessed what was inside. They didn't have to guess for long, though, and soon the lights dimmed and the exact same scene as London appeared!

One hour, two hours, three hours.

All the reporters looked anxiously at the door of the room that had not moved for several hours, and if it were not for the shining bayonets of the guards, someone might have taken a risk. But there was silence in the room, and the bloody and brutal images on the curtain touched every heart, even Roosevelt lost his mind. It wasn't until the lights came on that he suddenly came back to his senses and beckoned Huddle and the others to go out first.

Huddle, Henry Morgenthau Jr. and others were also stunned by the picture, and finally understood why Sikorski would rather risk offending Britain and the United States than cooperate with Yang Qiu. You know, killing prisoners in war is nothing, but even civilians, scholars and priests who are not soldiers are deliberately slaughtered, which makes it very difficult for them to accept, not to mention being photographed!

When only Sikorski and Roosevelt himself were left in the room, he coughed lightly, looked at the carnage scene frozen on the screen, and quietly clenched his fists: "This is a disaster!" I'm sorry Mr. Sikorski, but I beg your pardon for saying that. I know that this is a very painful thing for you and your country. But did you know? Mr. Yang Qiu handed this over to you, I'm afraid it's not so simple! Once they are published, I can't predict the consequences. Maybe Europe will fall into a catastrophe! ”

Sikorski had already thought it all out before he came, as a veteran politician, how could he not understand Yang Qiu's thoughts? But as Jin Bihui said, China cannot get rid of its identity as an Asian country no matter what. That is to say, no matter how much Yang Qiu tosses, Europe is still the world of Britain and France. Judging by the current situation, if he does not take this step, then Poland will have to make an alliance with the executioners who slaughtered their compatriots.

If he didn't know, or if no third party saw it, maybe he would have buried this secret forever, but now Sikorski nodded sincerely: "I know, but Your Excellency the President, please also consider the feelings and dignity of our Polish people." Before I saw it again, I didn't believe it was true, and I was willing to accept any arrangement from the allies, but now the original version is still in Beijing, and Mr. Yang Qiu still has the spy photos of the execution order in his hand, with the signatures of some people and the execution list, and the location and means of burying the body are also recorded in detail. And more than a thousand copies have been sent to many, many countries. ”

Sikorski's remarks were undoubtedly telling Roosevelt that it was now impossible for Poland to cooperate with the Soviet Union, not even him, because too many Poles had already seen these images, and if the United States forcibly stopped it, I am afraid that it would only drag the United States into a larger whirlpool.

When Roosevelt heard this, he secretly took a breath of cold air, but he didn't expect that so many copies had flowed out. You know, at that moment just now, he did think about stopping it, but now I'm afraid he has to think about the consequences of stopping it. You know, at the moment he is at a critical moment in the election campaign, and the American people, although they are seriously isolated and do not want to participate in the war, are very resolute in their opposition to the Soviet Union and against the GC. The events in Finland, in particular, led to a sharp drop in Moscow's image. So even if Sikorski was forced to take back all the copies, the original in Yang Qiu's hands could still set off a storm.

What's worse is that he also took the initiative to meet Sikorski! This in itself cannot clear the identity of knowing the insider.

Thinking of this, Roosevelt suddenly laughed at himself: "Maybe I should have closed the airport." ”

Sikorski did not answer, turned around and took out a thick stack of transaction lists from his leather bag: "This is also what the Chinese obtained from the director of the Ivanmir Bureau, which details the transactions of the Soviet Union and Germany in the last year." Judging from the list of transactions, Stalin, the executioner, had already handed over about 5 million tons of crude oil and at least 7 million tons of ore to the Nazis! And His Excellency Yang Qiu asked me to convey to you that he has received unconfirmed information that the three countries of Soviet, German and Japanese have reached an agreement on the division of Eurasian forces! GC International is also calling for support for the Nazis in Europe and around the world, and is encouraging workers to start work in occupied areas, including our own, to help accelerate production and arm the Nazis! But he also needs definite evidence for this news, so he is trying to find a way to investigate. ”

Sood!

Roosevelt did not believe that the Soviet-German alliance would be sincere, and there were irreconcilable personal contradictions between Hitler and Stalin, but the news still took him by surprise! Because even if this is fake, Moscow, which has lost troops on the Eastern Front, is no longer able to maintain confrontation with Germany, and even must make a complete concession in the crucial Balkans! And Hitler didn't even need a war to get the resources of the USSR, Romanian oil, Spanish tungsten mines, and so on! Coupled with the fact that Stalin was certain to continue to compromise with Berlin before settling the East, Hitler, who had benefited from it, had every chance to extend his claws to France, Spain, the Balkans, North Africa, and even Greece and the Persian Gulf region.

A Germany without limits would be terrible! For the United States, it is not terrible to lose France, it is not terrible to lose Germany, but even if it can wait for the Soviet-German war to start a war, Stalin, who has been dragged down by the East, will not play any role in consumption, but will cheapen Germany in vain and eventually dominate the entire European continent! Now, he somewhat understood why Yang Qiu had delayed his alliance strategy, because he was waiting! If Britain and France fail and watch from the sidelines, then he can ally with Germany and divide the Eurasian market with the Urals and the Caucasus as the boundary.

The Asian market was gradually embraced by Yang Qiu with the Central Asian War, and if Germany dominated the European market again, the United States would not be able to become a real world power even if it had strong manufacturing capabilities. So at this moment, he was a little sluggish, and his dream should be that Germany should destroy the European system of Britain and France, Japan challenge and consume China's maritime power, and finally the United States intervenes to obtain the greatest benefits. But for now "I beg your pardon, I need to arrange something first." Roosevelt took a deep breath and slowly pushed the wheels and knocked on the door.

Roosevelt pushed open the door, walked to the door and gently took it, and looked at the three of them with an extremely serious face: "Mr. Huddle, please help me contact Hopkins immediately and cancel my trip to Moscow!" Temporarily stop all communication between the American government and Moscow and recall the ambassador! Henry, help me contact Yang Qiu's wife and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I will meet them tomorrow. Also, to contact Congress, I need to give a speech as soon as possible. ”

All three of them could understand Roosevelt's mood at the moment, and in any case, he had to stop contact with Moscow at this time, and at least put on a high posture. But what about the rest of the story? Without the containment of the Soviet Union, can Britain and France stop Germany?

"These have nothing to do with the United States for the time being, and the most important thing now is that this is me personally, and it is also an opportunity for you and the United States of America!" Roosevelt pushed the wheelchair with a serious gaze...... (To be continued.)