Episode 55 The contest between Stalin and Shen Rongxuan

On June 22, when the first American freighter sailed out of New York Harbor and headed south for the Panama Canal, three portraits of Marx, Engels, and Lenin hung on the walls of the Moscow Kremlin, and a long conference table was filled with the most senior members of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

There are old men, middle-aged people, people in suits, military uniforms, and Zhongshan suits...... But everyone's eyes were on one direction, and they kept moving with that target. The members on the other side of the table only need to move their eyes, while the members on the other side of the table need to turn around and keep facing the person who is walking around the table with slow steps.

Their loyal eyes are firmly locked on the master of the entire Politburo, the entire Kremlin, the entire Moscow, the entire Russia, the entire USSR - Joseph? Stalin.

Although it was already summer, Stalin was still wearing high riding boots, trousers tucked into the boots, a tunic on his upper body, holding a pipe, pacing slowly, slowly swallowing the clouds and spitting fog.

"Helashaw......" Stalin stopped, turned slowly, glanced around the committee members, and said in a hoarse, listless voice, "Comrades, ......"

Everyone sat upright involuntarily, looking up at Stalin with as eager eyes as possible, anticipating his next words.

Stalin glanced at them lightly, then leaned on the back of their chairs, paced slowly, smoked slowly, and continued slowly:

“…… Our Red Army, which has been cultivated with a high offensive spirit, has scored brilliant results and proved with practical actions that the Red Army is the most offensive army on the Eurasian continent...... And now, the pace of the offensive has slowed down and stalled......"

As he spoke, Stalin took his pipe from his mouth and waved it slightly, meaning to reassure the generals not to be afraid. Several generals looked at each other, and their faces were bloody. Then, Stalin continued:

“…… It's nothing, it's not that our Red Army can't do it, it's that the front is stretched. Now the battle line is stable in the Hami-Yumen area. Our road transportation line is almost as long as that of the Ming bandit army. …… Moreover, the railway transportation lines of the Ming bandit army were also much shorter than ours. …… This poses a very serious problem. The same problems that had plagued the Ming bandit army before have now begun to plague our Red Army. ”

He smoked a few puffs of cigarette, then continued to pace slowly, and the members of the Politburo continued to "lock" him with their gazes, turning collectively like sunflowers.

“…… Comrades, the situation is serious for us. The two largest imperialist countries in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres are now united. Comrades, do you know how much military vehicles were ordered in the preliminary orders between Ming and the United States? ”

He stood still, his eyes suddenly sharpened, stared at the committee members, gestured with his pipe, and said fiercely one word at a time:

"Ten-five-ten thousand-thousand! Comrades, 150,000 military vehicles! …… What's even more terrifying is that such a huge order can be delivered in less than two months in the United States! Comrades, even if we, the Soviet Union, started the machinery of the whole country and produced it with all our strength for a year, we could produce so many military vehicles! Moreover, as long as the Ming Empire is willing, it can take out a large sum of gold dollars at any time and place two or three more such orders! This means that the Ming Empire will become the first country in the world to realize the motorization of the entire army! ”

The committee members present all looked at each other, and no one dared to answer. But a few clear-headed people already know that neither the United States nor the United States has made public specific numbers for orders. And Stalin must have gotten this figure from rather secret channels.

Stalin lit his pipe in the air and continued:

"In particular, there are 3,000 heavy-duty flatbed trucks on the order. Each heavy flatbed truck carries 35 tons and can carry one tank, or two armored personnel carriers. This meant that the tanks of the Ming bandit army would have much greater long-range mobility than the Red Army. And our BT-7 fast tanks in front of these cars simply became bulky guys. The Ming army will soon regain its superiority in maneuverability in Central Asia. The qualitative advantage of their tanks will also be fully exploited. And the inferiority of our tanks in firepower, armor, radio will also be exposed. …… Comrades, what do you think? ”

There was a dead silence among the committee members present, all looking at each other, and no one spoke.

After a while, Stalin's favorite general, bearded Marshal Budyonny, spoke:

"Comrade Stalin, we think that all the tanks of our army should be put on the radio as soon as possible. This is currently one of the fastest ways to increase the combat effectiveness of armored forces. ”

Seeing that Budyonny, who was known as a "cavalry faction" and his descendant, also had to speak for the armored troops, Stalin snorted and couldn't say anything, so he had to nod.

Another of Stalin's confidants, the chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, Kalinin, who wore glasses and a goatee and looked like a kind old pedant, spoke at this time:

"Comrade Stalin, and comrades, we should know that US imperialism is controlled by the big capitalists, who only recognize the gold dollar and not any moral allies. If Ming imperialism can buy these things with money, then our red USSR should be able to do the same. However, in terms of its own output, China is far above Ming imperialism. At present, Ming imperialism is nothing more than trying to win over US imperialism with a large amount of gold dollars, so as to surpass us in terms of war materials. And this must be their pipe dream.

"Comrades, the means used by the enemy, we can also use them. And once we use the same means to neutralize the advantages of the Ming Empire, then the whole is still on our side. The Ming Kingdom was a drunken country, and their people were spiritually degenerate, living a corrupt life, advocating material enjoyment, and having no spiritual pursuits. Their rulers are extremely weak internally. We, the Soviet Union, have been tested by the domestic revolutionary war, and our cadres and people have long been tempered with a strong will. We can work hard and be simple all over the country, cut down on food and clothing, and spend more money than Ming Guo to buy supplies. And Mingguo can't. The slightest reduction in their standard of living will expose the weakness of the rulers, who are in a hurry to compromise with us. Besides, the big capitalists who controlled the Ming Empire would not allow such a large amount of money to be made by the United States. ”

Everyone understood. Kalinin's meaning is nothing more than this: Ming Guo made an order with the United States, and we, the Soviet Union, could also place an order with the United States. Anyway, the United States is a neutral country, and the two countries have not declared war, so it depends on who can buy whom. The Soviets could tighten their belts and go hungry to save money to buy supplies, while maintaining extremely high production themselves. And it is impossible for the Ming Kingdom to tighten its belt, go hungry, and serve the war like the Soviet Union. This would shake the foundations of the Ming kingdom's rule.

Admittedly, there is some truth in Kalinin's statement. That's the truth, but most of you think it's a bad idea. A border war that was originally not big has become a waste of national strength on both sides, and it is up to them to see who will die first. Moreover, the United States alone has been fattened.

That's a bad idea.

Stalin waved his pipe and shook his head.

Everyone knows that Kalinin's proposal was rejected. Next, no one dared to speak.

Stalin paced for a while, suddenly stopped, took a puff of his cigarette, and said slowly:

"Comrades, we can declare war on the Ming Kingdom."

Such a sentence made all the committee members look at each other, and they looked at each other, all making sure that they had heard correctly.

Stalin, as if realizing that he was speaking too hastily, waved his pipe again and said slowly:

"Of course, we can secretly contact Mingguo. We can retreat some distance to the west, give up some of the land that has been liberated, and give it back to them. The condition is that the two sides conclude a treaty, and the Ming State will recognize the ** of the Ili Kingdom. And the Ming army should know that this war is far in the northwest, and even if it continues, it is impossible for them to win. …… We can warn them that if we are not able to agree to an armistice by mid-July, then we will declare war on them. And at that time, the two countries became belligerents, and most of the American supplies had not yet left the port - that is, could no longer leave the port. The Ming Kingdom will rely on its own strength to fight against us. ”

He looked around at the committee members and said slowly:

"That is my proposal to the Committee. Comrades can discuss it. ”

The committee members looked at each other, and Kalinin said earnestly to the members on the left and right:

"Comrades, can we make a better proposal than Comrade Stalin? I agree. ”

Immediately after, there was a scramble of voices:

"I agree."

"I agree."

"I agree with ...... too"

"And my ......"

Kalinin turned to Stalin and said:

"Comrade Stalin, after a vote of the committee, unanimously agreed to this proposal."

Stalin took a puff of his pipe and nodded:

"Good."

……

On June 23, a threatening "proposal" was sent to Shen Rongxuan's desk through the Soviet intelligence network in Daming, and then through the East Factory.

Shen Rongxuan stared at the letter on the table, which was unsigned, and felt anxious for a while. He covered his face with his hands, let out a long breath, and leaned wearily back in his chair.

Stalin was too bad. I didn't expect him to use such a trick. If he really did this, then the procurement plan that Daming had just launched could not be counted on at all. Now, not even a single cargo ship has arrived!

He closed his eyes and thought about it for a while, then reached out and rang the bell and called in for the secretary.

"Change the schedule for me," he said, "and invite the German ambassador to lunch at noon." In the afternoon, I took an hour out to meet with Xiang Xiaoqiang, commander of the People's Guard, and Princess Liaoyang, deputy commander. ”

"Yes, sir."

After the secretary went down, Shen Rongxuan thought about the next specific steps. The purpose of the meeting with the German ambassador was to test the possibility of the Ming Navy leasing a certain German military port and blockading the Soviet Union's access to the sea in Europe. The purpose of meeting Xiang Xiaoqiang and Princess Liaoyang was to find out the recent movements on the Japanese side through them and see if it was possible to reach some degree of alliance with Japan.

Shen Rongxuan said in his heart: Stalin wants to play hooliganism, and I am not at the mercy of this.