On April 1, 1942, the Axis powers launched an April Fool's Day offensive on the Eastern Front and the Far East.

In the Far Eastern Theater, the Soviet Union continued to increase its troops, and compared with the declining performance of the Eastern Front, the Soviet Union actually went against the norm in the Far Eastern Theater, and the Trans-Siberian Railway kept delivering infantry divisions and cartloads of artillery shells from the central industrial belt day and night.

In the face of their own bombing, the Soviets also stubbornly dispatched thousands of sorties to guard this only lifeline, bombing during the day, repairing at night, bombing during the day, and smuggling them at night; they had no choice but to continuously transfer one division after another from the country, and in the hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of Far Eastern territory in the occupied areas, nearly 2 million Chinese troops had already gathered, while the Soviets' Red Army divisions numbered more than 2.5 million.

"Although the offensive of the Japanese army has been contained, the Soviets are likely to suffer a big defeat in the next April Fool's offensive."

At the regular military intelligence meeting of the base camp of the republic, Su Yuren of the Supreme Operations Department was using his baton to explain the current situation in World War II to the chairman of the National People's Congress and the generals of the republic.

Although China is temporarily away from World War II, it is destined to join it sooner or later, and World War II, which is far larger than the original history, is no longer something that anyone can avoid if they want to. The entire republican [***] side, from Zhang Shusheng onwards, has extremely high expectations for this war, and every routine military intelligence meeting can cause heated discussions. And Zhang Shusheng must come every time, less time to express opinions, more time to listen, and at most to make a brief summary speech at the end.

What Su Yuren is explaining is the situation in the Far East battlefield, which has been heating up very rapidly recently.

"Zhukov, with Komsomolsk as the center, built a solid new Far Eastern defense. This carefully constructed defense line was arranged along the water network around Komsomolsk, both in the choice of strategic location and in the layout of the defense line, which reflected a high level of military strategy. Zhukov, who was not known for his defense, was now forced to switch to defensive counterattacks after being repelled by himself after many counterattacks.

From the perimeter of Komsomolsk, there is a complex network of rivers and lakes, and in the face of Zhukov's carefully constructed defensive line, it is said that his frontal attack will be greatly limited. But ......"

Su Yuren's explanation paused slightly, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and continued, "However, judging from the information gathered by our intelligence officers from various sources, it is very likely that I will jump over the narrow strait from the direction of Sakhalin Island and launch a fierce attack on the defense line around Komsomolsk from behind. It is conservatively estimated that the army will mobilize at least 300,000 combat troops for this operation. ”

Speaking of Sakhalin, the faces of the generals present couldn't help but change slightly, and even Zhang Shusheng had a hint of discoloration in his eyes. The huge island of Sakhalin is one of the more famous places in the Far East territory of China that was taken away by the Russians. In the Sino-Russian Treaty of Yenching in 1860, the Qing government humiliatingly ceded Sakhalin to Tsarist Russia.

"I'll tell you something." Zhang Shusheng stood up, walked to the stage, pointed to Komsomolsk, then to Sakhalin, and said earnestly, "Comrades, everyone should know that these places used to be our Chinese territory. Although we have not joined the war today, I hope that you will understand what is the mission of an army shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation. It's very simple, our own territory, we want to take it back, not ours, we have to take it compulsorily, the grace of the Soviet Russians, in the future war, we should repay it. ”

"Yes, Chairman." The generals stood up and said.

Zhang Shusheng motioned for Su Yuren to continue, but the war minister asked the chairman to continue, because the military situation was basically finished.

"Then I will briefly say that in this April Fool's Day offensive, the biggest goal of the Germans is to take Leningrad, and the German army, which currently has a total strength of 1.5 million people, has launched a fierce attack on the Soviet army in Leningrad, and the pressure of the Soviets is very great, but the resistance is also very strong. The important surname of this war is almost second only to the Battle of Moscow, and the wrestling between the Soviet Union and Germany will affect the direction of the entire World War II.

The problem in the Far East is relatively simple, the strategic center of gravity of the Soviet Union is once again biased towards the Eastern Front, and Zhukov's situation will become more and more tight. However, with the will of the Soviets to fight to the death, I think that their resistance and determination to fight, under the leadership of Zhukov, will surpass the Eastern Front, and the Soviets and the two sides are on the Komsomolsk line, and it is likely to enter the stage of a general battle.

As for the Southeast Asian battlefield and the North African battlefield, it is currently a secondary battlefield, the summer in Southeast Asia is approaching, and the two sides intend to ease the war, and the North African battlefield, the British have been completely driven out of Egypt, and the Germans have obtained the coveted North African energy ......"

Zhang Shusheng briefly summarized it, and then asked the generals to discuss it. He sat there, listening to the discussion, and at the same time remembered the strategic situation of the whole World War II.

There was a point just now, he didn't say.

According to his predictions, the performance of the Soviets was far from the Soviets' family.

Once the Soviet Union was completely defeated and divided by the German Axis system, then Hitler, who was empty-handed, would take advantage of the threat of victory and launch a final attack on the British across the sea with the increasingly powerful European Army Corps and the Expeditionary Corps. With the strength of the British homeland, there was little chance that they would be able to defend against an attack of that magnitude, even with the English Channel in between.

Well, this war, this key point of World War II, has already appeared in the Soviets.

Zhang Shusheng predicts that, perhaps, the turning point of World War II will soon appear.

And at this time when the war was going on, Zhang Shusheng also understood that it was time for him to take the next move. Thinking of what he had done to the Germans, a sinister sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Zhang Shusheng is not the only one who understands the situation in World War II, as a potential victim, the British see it better than anyone else.

On April 15, 1942, the fifteenth day of the April Fools' Day Offensive, Churchill flew to the United States again and delivered an important speech at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., "The Nazis Will Destroy the World."

“…… Distinguished Gentlemen and Ladies,

I am here today to ask for help from the peace-loving people of America. The evil Nazists are leading their increasingly powerful Axis bloc to a mad sweep across Eurasia.

From Europe to the Far East, from Southeast Asia to the entire Strait of Malacca, their filthy figures are everywhere. They are killing, destroying these areas, killing the people of these areas. They will use these areas for their own use, and use the resources of these areas to alleviate the economic and social contradictions in the country, and at the same time to arm more troops again and accumulate strength for their next attack.

The current situation is very far from optimistic.

According to the information I just received when I left London, Hitler had lost patience with the war in Leningrad, and in order to completely solve the situation of this protracted war, a large number of biological and chemical virus weapons had been secretly transported to the front, and it was expected that by the end of the month at the latest, the Germans would launch a huge chemical virus war against the Soviets, and finally defeat the Soviets, drive them out of Leningrad, and drive them out of Moscow.

Allow me to reasonably assume that once the Soviets are finally defeated, the Germans and themselves will unite to endanger the entire Eurasian region, the Pacific and even the Atlantic region, and ultimately the lives and property of the American people...... I ask you, to support Britain, to the Soviet Union, to all those of the world who are fighting hard against the evil Nazism, to provide military expenses for the war, to provide weapons and equipment, and even to provide at least a hundred divisions of infantry......"

Churchill's unprecedentedly serious speech was frantically reported the next day by newspapers all over the United States, and even Canadian newspapers, all with one headline: The Nazis are coming.

The speeches at the Capitol were published in full in all major newspapers, and many well-known commentators even held that Churchill was not alarmist, and that although the great United States was far away from the Eurasian theater, once the war deepened and even the British and Soviets were completely defeated, the interests of the United States would be harmed to the maximum, and even homeland security could not be guaranteed.

In the face of an increasingly grim situation, many Americans have also begun to realize that World War II is getting closer and closer to the United States.

In the report, a well-known military theorist analyzed in detail that through coercion and coercion, the Germans will soon completely engulf the whole of Europe, and even the French have already set up a Nazi political axe. The so-called Charles de Gaulle's political axe was driven away in Southeast Asia and lost the last Vietnam.

Military theorists believe that once Hitler coerced the whole of Europe, with his own help and with the disregard of the Chinese, succeeded in dividing up the Soviet Union and distributing the huge benefits of the Soviet Union to its European allies, then the foreseeable British battle would be staged in an instant.

Once Britain is captured, then, the huge Axis Nazi legion, in addition to pointing its guns at China, the United States will be its next largest and most likely opponent on the whole world.

At that time, not only will all Pacific and Atlantic interests be lost, but even the battlefield will burn to the United States.

However, what is completely unimaginable is that, apart from the American public opinion that the Nazis are harmful, the majority of the American people do not want to join the war, they only support the political axe to support those Allies, and oppose the political axe to send troops. They believe that if the situation continues to deteriorate, then the US political axe should strengthen its homeland defenses...... Not only public opinion, but also the whole United States panicked, and the American political axe led by Roosevelt has also come to make a move.

"Mr. President, Prime Minister Churchill's speech is likely to become a fact, of course, the time when the Germans or themselves point the spearhead of the war at us may be a year or two years, but even if the war does not break out in the end, all the interests of the United States in the world will be lost, and the long-term development of the United States will be seriously threatened."

At the White House, a special meeting of senior generals of the three armed services is being held, and President Roosevelt is personally present. Discussions are under way on the urgent war situation to which Churchill referred. Secretary of the Army Stimson and Army Department Chief of Staff Gen. Marshall led the high-level military meeting.

"Mr. President, I propose the immediate establishment of a wartime joint operations command and the establishment of a joint staff meeting to strengthen the military command and combat system, so that our military forces can respond quickly in the event of an emergency." Stimson suggested with a serious expression.

"Yes, Mr. President, and, even if we do not send troops to war, it is necessary to devise a vast war aid program to raise aid to the British and Soviets to the level of wartime emergency." Marshall, as Chief of Staff of the War Department, although he did not have actual command of the army, knew very well what the United States should do at the moment, and his advice was clear: if you don't want to get involved in the war too early, then you should let others hold out longer.

"My generals, I saw the vast plan you put forward one last time before the meeting. Once this plan is launched, the entire United States will enter the countdown to joining the war, and there will be no way back. Roosevelt tapped lightly on the table, and from the bottom of his heart, he actually advocated war, and believed that the United States should join the war, but the current domestic situation, "We lack a sufficient excuse to persuade the American people to support the war." Perhaps, then, when you have perfected this plan, I can sign such a plan as soon as the situation calls for it. ”

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

As soon as Roosevelt's words ended, all the generals attending the military meeting stood up, looked at the president in a wheelchair, and applauded enthusiastically.

"Dear Mr. President, once this great Roosevelt Plan is finally signed by you, it will be the most important step in changing the world for the United States since the outbreak of World War II." Admiral Ernest, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Navy, saluted.

Roosevelt struggled to his feet, saluted back, and said earnestly, "The interests of the United States are above all else." ”

On April 27, 1942, at about 3 o'clock in the morning.

The Luftwaffe used a large number of night planes and long-range artillery to pour tens of thousands of tons of chemical shells into Leningrad, and Hitler, who was desperate for the victory of the Soviet Union, finally signed and approved this crazy slaughter plan for the millions of Soviet troops cowering in the ruins of Leningrad.

The sleeping Soviet Red Army, although awakened by the sound of violent air raid sirens, did not expect that Hitler would dare to launch such a huge chemical warfare.

The Soviet Red Army and armed civilians, who were negligent and lacked anti-poison tools, suffered the most serious and unexpected losses since the beginning of the defense of Leningrad.

Large numbers of Soviet Red Army troops fell in the ruins, in the trenches, and on combat posts.

The casualties may not have been enormous, but the chaos caused made the original defensive positions useless.

In 1942, late on April 30, the German regiment finally stormed Leningrad.

(To be continued)