By dawn, Lynn and his party had already trekked more than 20 kilometers in the ice and snow, which was only a moment's journey for the plane, and it did not exceed the effective range of a long-range artillery, but the bad weather and difficult road were testing the will and body of this group of Germanic warriors all the time. Fortunately, there were no wounded or sick in the ranks, and all of them were selected from among their peers, who had undergone rigorous special training and harsh war baptisms. Most of the time, they move forward silently, and only when they reach the steep places will they help each other, and use their team strength to overcome the obstacles of nature.

The snowstorm almost stopped, Lynn who was located in the back of the team walked to the side to rest, a few months of gentle dreams did not destroy his belief, but the lack of systematic training, the drive of physical decline is more obvious, although this road did not fall behind, but the task force members are carrying at least a dozen kilograms of equipment and materials, Franz also carries a lot of weight, but he is basically traveling lightly. For this situation, Lynn was both ashamed and alarmed. Fortunately, the biological age of this sturdy body is only 24 years old, and it has not yet fully reached the normal peak of an adult male surname.

Franz, with his personal bag on his back, followed him to the side of the road, and they all looked back in unison. Unconsciously, the sparse "sound of rain" disappeared from my ears for a long time, but it was difficult to tell whether it was because it was beyond the distance of the sound or because of the end of the obstruction by the personnel behind the palace. The snow had fallen all night, and the sight was so white that it was difficult to tell the boundary between the mountains and the flatlands in the distance, and clumps of fir trees, birches, and other boreal vegetation lay like abrupt rocks between frozen valleys. During the First Soviet-Finnish War, the Finnish soldiers took advantage of this natural environment to deal a heavy blow to the Soviet army, which was five times superior, and the whole world exclaimed - it was precisely because the performance of the Finnish warriors was too eye-catching, the top leaders of the Third Reich underestimated the combat capability of the Soviet army, and the blitzkrieg results in the early stage of the Soviet-German war, that they committed the taboo of dispersing their forces one after another, so that they lost the best opportunity to settle the battle in one blow...... Looking back and thinking about these now, there is some meaning in making amends. In Lynn's eyes, if the readers of the Red Empire had died years earlier, the direction of the Soviet political situation would have deviated greatly from history. From a relatively objective standpoint, he did not like Khrushchev's thinking on the Great Leap Forward, nor did he like Bolnerev, who inherited and carried forward the chauvinism of the great powers. The formation of the Cold War pattern was not only a product of the Truman Doctrine, but also the Soviet leaders who adopted the strategy of arms race, which also laid the groundwork for the collapse of the Soviet Union. In contrast, many people in the world felt that Beria, the reformist leader, was the key to taking the Soviet Union on a different path, and although he was the main executor of the "Great Purge", he personally opposed the consolidation of power in the extreme form of purges, persecutions, and killings, and advocated the reform of the old system, the development of the economy, and the priority of agriculture and light industry - in history, Beria repeatedly raised different opinions on whether the "Great Purge" was wrongly expanded and on the question of the socialist market, although he was severely criticized by Stalin for this, But his prestige in the party has risen greatly, and it can be said that he has received support in the party second only to Stalin himself. After Stalin's death in 1953, Beria took second place in the newly formed central leadership and placed the titular leader of the country, Malenkov, in a vassal position. In just three and a half months between this time and his arrest in June of the same year, he led and promoted a series of important reform and adjustment measures: in the area of redressing unjust, false and wrongful convictions, he issued an order requiring the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate several cases committed in the years before Stalin's death - the case of espionage by doctors in the Kremlin, the case of the staff of the Ministry of Security accused of establishing a Zionist counter-revolutionary organization, the case of the arrested staff of the Main Directorate of Artillery of the USSR Ministry of Defense, and the case of the "Migliel" in Georgia, The case against the former leaders of the Soviet Air Force and the Ministry of Aviation Industry and other major cases were retried, and the results of the retrial of these cases by the Ministry of Internal Affairs were reported to the Central Committee one by one, urging the Central Committee to rehabilitate them. Within a short period of time, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU approved the recommendation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the case of espionage of Kremlin doctors, namely, the release and complete rehabilitation of 37 doctors and members of their families arrested in connection with the so-called "doctor-saboteur case", and the criminal prosecution of former members of the Ministry of Security who tried to fabricate this case of provocation and grossly violate the laws of the Soviet Union. It was suggested that Ignatiev, the former Minister of State Security of the USSR, explain to the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU the extremely gross violation of Soviet law by the Ministry of State Security and the falsification of investigative materials, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs subsequently issued a circular to the whole nation rehabilitating the case. Immediately afterwards, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU rehabilitated the case of the "Migliel people" in Georgia and the case of the former leaders of the Soviet Air Force and the Ministry of Aviation Industry.

Throughout history, Stalin and his successors have been criticized for their approach to national policy, but in 1953 Beria also tried to correct this. He proposed that in the republics, cadres of local nationalities should be replaced by ethnic Russian cadres sent by the central government to control these republics, and that the mistake of forced migration of certain ethnic minorities should be corrected. He advocated the gradual restoration of relations between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia as fraternal countries, advocated the recognition of the model of socialism with Yugoslav characteristics, allowed the Eastern European republics, which were in a state of difficulty and turmoil at that time, to follow suit and carry out reforms, advocated the abandonment of Germany's policy of socialist construction, and strived to make Germany a neutral and unified country friendly to the Soviet Union.

If these proposals are adopted and actually implemented, not only Russia's reform will make great strides, but also the Eastern European republics, including East Germany, will accelerate the pace of reform, and it is difficult to say whether there will be a series of vicious events in history, such as the Hungarian incident in 1956 and the armed invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet army in 1968. In addition to correcting the wrongful convictions of the Stalin period, Beria also made efforts to expose Stalin's crimes and criticize the cult of personality. At his instructions, the press ceased to praise Stalin, so much so that in previous years Stalin's Pravda was mentioned 40 to 60 times a day per page, and Stalin's name was no longer seen, and the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, on the initiative of Beria, adopted the "Resolution on the Decoration of the Columns of Processors and the Buildings of Enterprises, Institutions and Organizations during State Holidays", which stipulated that the columns of marchers and various buildings should no longer be decorated with portraits of leaders during national holidays - however, At the July 1953 Central Committee Plenum, which denounced Beria, Beria's words and deeds against the cult of personality were fiercely criticized. Mikoyan said that Beria, the villain, "in the very first days after Stalin's death, advocated against personal superstition." Andreyev said: "Out of nowhere, a question of a cult of personality has arisen. Why is this question being asked? You must know that it has long been solved in the writings of Marxism...... And now the question of the cult of personality has arisen. This is Beria's doing. At this time, Voroshilov shouted loudly from his seat: "Yes." As a result, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU made a decision to revoke its previous decision to no longer decorate the columns and buildings of the marchers with portraits of the leaders, and the spectacle of people holding up portraits of the leaders is still a characteristic feature of the country...... In just over three months, Beria also led the reform of the State security apparatus, including the transfer of various "production, operation and construction units" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to various economic ministries, the transfer of the General Directorate of the Administration of Labor Camps and its branches to the Ministry of Justice, the suspension of the construction of non-urgent and necessary infrastructure projects by various units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the strict restriction of the powers of the Special Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; As a result of Beria's efforts, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued the Order on Amnesty, according to which more than 1.2 million prisoners in camps, prisons and camps were granted amnesty, accounting for nearly half of the total number of prisoners.

The reforms and adjustments that Beria initiated and were able to partially implement were seen by his colleagues as a betrayal of revolutionary principles, while others frightened them, who had committed unjust, false and wrongful convictions during the years of the Great Repression, whose crimes were unforgivable. Beria, who even Stalin dared to touch, could have used the various cases and the archives of various leaders in the possession of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which controlled him, to expose them one by one and put them to death by means of rehabilitating past unjust cases (although Beria had created no fewer unjust cases than his colleagues, since he controlled the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he would not touch the unjust cases he had created. This fear was the fundamental reason why they joined forces to get Beria out.

As "fallen soldiers" who had been expelled from Germany, Lynn and his colleagues did not say who they supported in the Soviet Union's power, all they could do was to kill the leader of Soviet Russia who was most detrimental to the revival of Germany, and then do everything possible to escape from danger and save themselves. Staring at the east for a while, Lynn's vision was tired from the excessive monotonous color, he vaguely saw a gray dot fluttering, but he felt that this seemed to be a visual deviation similar to the principle of snow blindness, he asked Franz to help distinguish it, and without waiting for Franz to speak, a task force member in front of him shouted and said, "There are enemy planes!" Take cover! ”

In times of war, such alarms are often heard on both the Eastern and Western fronts. This time, however, Lynn heard the voice neither panicked nor hurried, and he turned his head to see that the 11 men marching in a column were walking unhurriedly towards the woods beside the road. After the overnight trek, almost all of them had a layer of edelweiss on their hats and coats, and it was not easy to distinguish them from the surrounding snow at a distance, not to mention that the flying machine that appeared in the eastern sky did not come straight to them, and by the time the roar of the engine penetrated into their ears, Lynn and the others were already standing under the shelter of this small cedar tree.

Also a propeller aircraft, the Soviet-made single-engine fighter is significantly different from Lynn's familiar Messerschmitt and Focke-Woolf in silhouette, and the red five-star on the fuselage used to be a childhood yearning, but at this moment, he has a strange, heartfelt resistance to the shape and color of the logo.

In the absence of external interference, the Yak fighter flew somewhat dullly in the airspace of several hundred meters in a low temperature environment, and it did not fly in a single line, but changed direction every once in a while, and carried out reconnaissance and patrol back and forth, without the caution and panic of burglars. A few months ago, in the area of the border between the United States and Mexico, American fighter jets also entered Mexican airspace in this uninvited way. The disparity in strength between the two countries was also very large, and the Mexicans, who loved corn and peppers, were indignant but could only put on a show - Lynn later learned that the Mexican officers who had marched to the border that day had not done anything to astonish the world. He and his soldiers stood in front of the cross-border US special patrol, and without a single bullet interfered with the plan of the US military to penetrate further into Mexican territory, but the US troops who took other routes still advanced dozens of kilometers from the border, searched some villages, and set up guards at the junction to check them, and did not withdraw to the United States until five days later.

Soviet planes cruised overhead, and the task forces who had taken refuge in the woods seemed accustomed to the situation, sitting against the fir trees, munching on the cold rations, melting the frozen drinking water in the kettle with their body temperature, and occasionally whispering to their companions. Except for the rotating sentry, they hardly looked up at the arrogant posture of the Soviet planes, nor did they bury their heads in wiping their weapons. They rested calmly and patiently, and waited until the Soviet planes left and no more mechanical roar could be heard in their ears, and then they continued westward with their equipment on their backs.

During this short day, which lasted only five or six hours from dawn to dark, Lynn and his wife witnessed a total of seven Soviet planes flying over Finnish territory, which had no intention of camouflaging at all, and most of the time hovered in the lower airspace. The Finnish side did not send a single plane to expel or inspect the situation, and there were no Finnish military posts and barracks on the ground, and the rare wooden houses in the woods were empty, as if the Finnish side had abandoned this cold and barren territory in the northeast of the country, which was in stark contrast to the Soviet Union opposite, with its many sentry posts, roads and railway arteries.

As night approached, the task force at the end of the team called out in a tone of surprise, "Hey, guys, look, it seems to be Chief Karol and their ......"

Everyone hurriedly stopped and turned around, and in their sight, several black dots loomed at the foot of the valley to the east, and from a distance, it looked like a few grains of sand had fallen on the snow. Lynn hurriedly opened the binoculars case and picked up the military binoculars, which felt like ice cubes - in order to prevent them from freezing together with his skin, he had to put the telescope a little farther away and observe it quite awkwardly. There were only three horsemen, all of whom were dressed in Soviet military uniforms, galloping quickly in the snow, and the mouths and noses of people and horses were exhaling hot white air. There are two more people...... Was it to serve as a scavenger or had he already died in battle?

Syllable! Syllable!

Two scattered gunshots echoed in the valley in the distance, and Lynn was taken aback: the Soviet cavalry actually chased directly across the border!

The leading officer was not there, and Lynn naturally gave the order: "Guys, that should be Lieutenant Colonel Karul and them, let's find a place to set up an ambush position to meet them!" ”

The task force did not obey the order, and one of the bearded men stepped forward and said, "Sir, you and your comrades go first, and we will pick up Chief Karur here!" ”

A task force member who was probably only a lieutenant spoke to Lynn in such a non-negotiable tone, and he was really unhappy, and retorted, "I am the Supreme Commander here, obey my orders!" ”

The task force hesitated for a moment, then gave in: "Then you command in the back woods, and we will fight on the front line." ”

On the battlefield, Lynn's style has always been decisive in attack, resolute in retreat, and judging the situation is also his consistent confidence. The current situation does not tolerate swaying and hesitation, the other side is cavalry, not to mention speed, and the endurance should be much better than that of a hiker. Therefore, either use an ambush to catch the opponent off guard, or simply hide in the depths of the mountains and forests that are difficult for cavalry to reach.

"There are only a few people here, what kind of first and second lines!" As she spoke, Lynn looked around and chose a wooded area near a mountain to the north as a blocking position. If the battle situation is extremely unfavorable, then you can also follow the mountain to avoid the impact of the opposing cavalry.

Just as the group was speeding towards the woods, they suddenly heard the neighing of horses and the dull sound of horses' hooves on the other side, and Lynn was greatly surprised, if the Soviets detoured from the other side with fast horses, the situation would be very bad!

A swarm of bees rushed into the woods, and the task force and accompanying intelligence officers hurriedly unloaded their heavy burdens and took up their weapons to stand on guard. The sound of horses' hooves approached quickly, and it was possible to observe the cavalry coming from the west without using binoculars, and the warm clothing made them look like bear bags, and the spears were slung on their backs. Also facing the cold winter and low temperatures, the Soviet and German [***] people on the battlefield can generally maintain their military appearance, and these people in front of them are like a group of bandits and horse thieves.

"It's Finnish! Probably the Border Patrol! The task force next to him whispered.

As he spoke, the "horse thieves," numbering less than twenty, stopped diagonally opposite the woods, and the leader also took a telescope to look to the east where the gunshots were heard.

They are also planning to come to an ambush war? Will it help the Soviets to arrest fugitives or to deal with Soviet cavalry?

A series of questions suddenly popped up from Lynn's mind, Marshal Mannerheim, who was admired and supported by the Finnish military and civilians, was forced to go into exile under the pressure of the Soviet Union, and the Finns, who had lost their vitality after several years of war, still had the courage to argue with the Soviets?

As she questioned this, Lynn heard another task force member whisper, "Looks like we're lucky!" The Finns have always shown no mercy to the Russians who crossed the border, regardless of their small numbers, all of them were sharpshooters. ”

Holding a telescope and looking into the woods where the Finns were hiding, they could no longer be seen from the outside, and then turning his gaze back to the east, where three horsemen galloped in front of him, followed by a large group of men and horses, and there were fifty or sixty men, to say the least. The battle would have been promising if the Finns had helped, but ...... If the Soviet Union had put pressure on it, or even attacked Finland in the name of shielding the murderer, the Finnish political axe would certainly not have the confidence it had in 1939. In such a foreseeable prospect, did the Finnish patrol really dare to shoot at the Soviet cavalry crossing the border?

(To be continued)