Tukhachevsky really doesn't want to leave, Kuibyshev will give him a good lesson in politics.

"You said that Denikin must be dealt with as much as possible," Kuibyshev said, "and we all agree on that. But I must remind you that your plans and plans are in line with the real situation. ”

Without waiting for Tukhachevsky to speak, Kuibyshev said to himself: "The actual situation is that our Southwestern Front does not have much advantage over Denikin's White Bandit Army. We lack food, weapons and ammunition, and especially experience in offensive operations. Is it a good idea to go on the offensive blindly in such a situation? ”

Tukhachevsky was speechless, because Kuibyshev was quite right, objectively speaking, the Southwestern Front faced many difficulties, and these difficulties were not easy to overcome. Regardless of the disregard, launch a counteroffensive, speak from the heart, and the result is unpredictable!

However, Tukhachevsky was not so easily convinced, and he immediately retorted: "The difficulties you are talking about are indeed objective, but they are not completely insurmountable. I believe that as long as we have a plan for a counteroffensive, the Central Committee will do its best to meet our demands! ”

These words made Kuibyshev and Stalin look down on Tukhachevsky for a while, you kid really use the Central Center as an ATM? What you want? Don't you know what the state of the economy of the whole country is? All aspects are tight, and if you occupy a little more, comrades in other areas will inevitably be a little more uncomfortable. Do you still have a big picture?

Well, even if you kid doesn't have a sense of the big picture, then you have to think a little bit about the central government, right? In such a short period of time. Where can the central government get you the supplies you need to launch a large-scale offensive operation? You're really moving your mouth. You have to let the central ministries and commissions break their legs!

Anyway, Stalin and Budyonny had a little opinion of Tukhachevsky at that time. has such a thought, no wonder this kid was able to defeat Kolchak quickly before, and his feelings are to be a shameless and shameless outstretched party!

They are even beginning to feel that part of the reason why their side is in a bitter battle is that Tukhachevsky is taking away resources that should have been supported to them. Even think that if they also had such sufficient resources as Tukhachevsky, they would have taken Denikin a long time ago!

It should be said that this idea is completely unreasonable, and Tukhachevsky got Kolchak. That's still a real skill. At that time, his 15th Group Army was not well equipped, its personnel were not sufficient, and he could not even eat enough. In this extremely unfavorable situation, Tukhachevsky was stunned that he managed the invincible Kolchak with his military genius, and I have to say that he is indeed very capable!

As for Tukhachevsky's clamoring to be a hand-out party just now, the reason is very simple, it is still the fault of Lao To, who made Lao Toto too anxious to end the civil war and start the world revolution, so he gave it to Tukhachevsky.

"As long as you have a feasible battle plan, as long as this plan can annihilate Denikin more quickly." Then I will do my best to support you at any cost! ”

In other words, it is to be given to others. Guns for guns, food for food. Let's put it this way, as long as Trotsky can do it, it will be fine!

However, such support cannot be put on the table, otherwise there will be suspicion of hillmanship. Although the Bolsheviks were rife with hill-hillism, they still had to pretend to be sincere and united.

And Tukhachevsky's stupid blurt out of the old bottom, which is somewhat unimportant, or lacks a city government. What's even more infuriating is that this guy didn't know that an unintentional sentence had pulled a lot of hatred for himself. He foolishly thought that this was a reassuring pill, and with this reassuring pill, Stalin and his gang should have no excuse to oppose him.

It's a pity that Tukhachevsky was wrong, and it was very outrageously wrong, and immediately Kuibyshev pushed him back: "We can't count on the support of the Central Committee in everything, and we can't just open our mouths to the Central Lion." We have to solve problems as independently as possible! ”

"But ......," Tukhachevsky was about to distinguish between two sentences, and Kuibyshev interrupted him again: "I think there is nothing to do, and it is better for us to fight based on the current situation, rather than pat our heads and come up with a battle plan that looks like a castle in the air...... In my opinion, a counteroffensive is necessary, but it is not yet time to carry out a full-fledged and thorough large-scale counteroffensive! ”

Kuibyshev's statement made his position clear, and he did not agree with Khachevsky's all-front counterattack or Stalin's style of fighting that continued to "grind foreign workers." On the contrary, he came to a compromise and put forward the concept of a limited counterattack operation.

Tukhachevsky naturally didn't like such a plan, but he couldn't completely deny Kuibyshev, after all, this seems to be the right thing and not the right person, and his opinion still has some truth.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "What's the point of a limited counterattack?" If the intelligence of the State Political Security Service is true, then the main forces of Denikin are about to move in the direction of the Black Sea and the Caucasus. If you can't keep them, fight a beautiful war of annihilation. That means the fight will continue, and we'll still have to fight him. And from the perspective of the overall situation, the significance of the Eastern Front army going south has been discounted, which is equivalent to letting him go before our eyes! ”

Kuibyshev shook his head: "This is determined by objective factors, for the time being, we do not have the ability to fight a war of annihilation, and we cannot rush it." And the annihilation of Denikin on the Black Sea coast or in the Caucasus is not unacceptable to us either. At least after converging the Eastern Front, we will have the strength to fight a war of annihilation! ”

Tukhachevsky still wanted to object, but at this time Stalin spoke: "I agree with Comrade Kuibyshev that it must not be rushed, I support an appropriate small-scale counterattack, but I am resolutely against a decisive battle regardless of it!" ”

Stalin supported it, and Budyonny naturally could not lag behind, and for a while Tukhachevsky was quite isolated, and suddenly his face became very ugly, and it took a long time for him to hold back a sentence: "I still insist on my opinion." We can't afford to wait any longer. Don't miss a chance! ”

"But we can't take risks recklessly!" Stalin emphasized.

Tukhachevsky glanced at Stalin and Kuibyshev with hatred. The hard Bangbang replied: "Then report our respective plans to the central government, and the central government will make a decision!" ”

When Tukhachevsky left the headquarters, a smile appeared on Stalin's lips, and he was quite satisfied with the matter so far. Twice in a row dismissed Tukhachevsky's face, so that his mention ended without a problem. This is quite significant, at least all the officers of the Southwestern Front know that the new commander-in-chief cannot help the general commissar. The Southwestern Front is still surnamed Stalin!

With this, Stalin was satisfied, and this time Tukhachevsky had to go to the Central Committee, and no matter what decision the Central Committee made, it was a blow to his authority!

It can even be expected that once the Central Committee makes a decision that is completely unfavorable to Tukhachevsky, then the fun will be seen!

Of course, this is quite unlikely, and the Trotskyists will do everything in their power to maintain Tukhachevsky's authority and ensure that he can truly control the Southwestern Front, so it is unlikely that Tukhachevsky will make the kind of decision that will discredit Tukhachevsky. Even if Tukhachevsky's plan was a piece of shit, the Trotskyists would say it was an unusual piece of shit. This piece of shit is better than the most delicious cake!

In a similar vein, when the Supreme Military Council discussed the dispute over the South-Western Front, the Trotskyists were adamant about Tukhachevsky, and strongly demanded an immediate and all-out counterattack. Fortunately, the mentor and Xiao Si are not vegetarians, and they saw the move and defused their powerful offensive.

Of course, I have to emphasize that the reason why the Mentor and Xiao Si were able to defuse the Trotskyist offensive so smoothly was that Trotsky was not there, and he could not rush to the meeting to support his henchmen and generals after stopping his work and being inspected by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"The opinion of the central government is that the conditions for a full-scale and large-scale counterattack are not yet ripe and the risks are too great. But continuing with the previous battle plan may have indulged Denikin. Therefore, after detailed research and discussion, the central government believes that the courage can be magnified a little bit, and a limited-scale counterattack can be carried out at certain key nodes, interrupting the rhythm of the Denikin gang's inescapable rhythm, and creating a Zào fighter plane for their annihilation in the future. ”

To tell the truth, neither Stalin nor Tukhachevsky was satisfied with this directive from the Central Committee. We have to amplify our boldness, and we say that a comprehensive counterattack is not feasible, and we must fight back, how can this battle be fought?

To put it bluntly, this is a painful resolution under the compromise of the skin, and it is a test of the understanding and execution ability of front-line commanders and fighters.

Well, it's really difficult, but this is a decision of the central government, so it can only be implemented, and it can't be discounted a little. So how do you do it?

There are two opinions, and Tukhachevsky's opinion is as bold as ever, and he believes that it is necessary to fulfill the instructions of the Central Committee, that is, the phrase "interrupt the rhythm of the Denikin gang and create a fighter plane for their annihilation in the future." To accomplish this, it was necessary to cut off Denikin's improvised route with a powerful counterattack, to increase forces in the direction of Salisk and to attack Astrakhan, firmly holding the two main southbound railway lines.

In Tukhachevsky's words: "As long as the passage to the south is blocked, it will be possible to create favorable conditions for the main force to encircle and annihilate Denikin!" ”

Increasing troops in Salissk, for which Stalin had no objection, the small city was really of considerable military importance, it jammed the line of communication to the Black Sea like a nail. But attacking Astrakhan, he did not agree at all.

It has been said that Astrakhan is close to the Caspian Sea, at the mouth of the Volga River, and in the previous battles, this important city had been captured by Denikin, and the British sent a steady stream of arms and supplies from the Caspian Sea through Iran to support Denikin. In a sense, with the defeat of Kolchak and the recapture of Orenburg by Blyukher, Astrakhan has become the lifeblood of Denikin. If this place is lost, Denikin's forces will be thrown into disarray, and there is even a possibility that they will collapse without a fight.

Of course, Denikin also attached great importance to Astrakhan, and stationed a strong military force around the city, and in order to capture it, the Southwestern Front may have to fully mobilize. And it must be noted that Denikin's main forces are still under the city of Tsaritsyn. And Astrakhan is southeast of Tsaritsyn. How to bypass Denikin's main forces to attack the city?

In Stalin's opinion. Tukhachevsky's attempt to attack Astrakhan was intended to change the soup rather than the medicine, and he was continuing his rejected plan for a full-scale counterattack under the guise of attacking Astrakhan!

"Ridiculous!" Stalin sneered, "Astrakhan is in the enemy's rear, how can we go and capture there?" I think this is simply selling dog meat on the head of a sheep, and you still want to go on a military adventure, and I am firmly against this! ”

Tukhachevsky, however, argued: "How is this an adventure? It's a draw from the bottom of the kettle! Don't you see the significance of the capture of Astrakhan? ”

Stalin sneered again: "I can't see it, I just see that it's an out-and-out adventure." So I am firmly against it, and I am against it to the end! ”

Tukhachevsky was very annoyed, and when he was about to say something, Kuibyshev interjected: "I am also against the fight against Astrakhan, and on this Comrade Stalin is quite right, what is the difference between the fight against Astrakhan and a full-scale counterattack?" This is completely contrary to the instructions of the central government! ”

Tukhachevsky said angrily: "If you don't fight Astrakhan, then how can you create the conditions for Zào to encircle and annihilate Denikin's gang?" Tell me, is there any other way? ”

There really is no other way, everyone knows that if you want to encircle and annihilate the enemy, you must tighten the encirclement. But now there is a super big hole in the encirclement, to put it mildly. If Denikin wanted to run, he would have been able to run away. Isn't this asking for your own life?

After a moment of silence, Kuibyshev spoke: "I think that it is possible to cross the Volga in the direction of Saratov and cut off the enemy's route from the city of the Urals. In this way, it can cooperate with the Eastern Front to annihilate part of the White Army in the south, and make a good start for the comprehensive encirclement and annihilation of the Denikin bandits in the future! ”

Stalin, Budyonny, and Tukhachevsky looked at each other, and no one expected that Kuibyshev would come up with such a proposal. How about this building? From a military point of view, sincerity is a chicken rib.

It is true that cutting off the communication line from the city of Ural to Tsaritsyn can indeed create problems for the White Army, and it can indeed cooperate with the Eastern Front to annihilate part of the White Army in the south. However, it must be noted that Denikin's main force is not in the Urals at all, there are only a few defenders there, and destroying them is not enough to inflict a heavy blow on Denikin!

Even as soon as the communication line from the city of Ural to Tsaritsyn is cut off, Denikin will immediately become alert, and may accelerate his inevitable pace, and it will be even more difficult to chase after him!

Tukhachevsky first objected to this construction, which, in his words, was of absurd military value and was simply useless.

But his opposition was invalid, and Stalin was struck when he heard this, the military value of this building was indeed average, but the political value was sufficient. Whether it was cutting off the lines of communication or cooperating with the Eastern Front to annihilate part of the White Army, it was an action of symbolic significance. It is very much in line with the requirements of the central government to carry out a limited-scale counterattack at certain key nodes.

The scale of such a counterattack is not large, and it hardly affects the battle under the city of Tsaritsyn, and it can also complete the tasks assigned by the central government, no matter how you look at it, this is a good idea! Since it was a good idea, Stalin naturally gave it his full support!

For this reason, he found many reasons to support Kuibyshev: "I think this plan is feasible, not only can it annihilate a part of the White Army, but it can also play the role of knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger, and after cutting off the line of communication, our troops can also cooperate with the Eastern Front to press the White Army from north to south, and even attack in the direction of Astrakhan!" That's a lot to count! ”

As he spoke, he ignored Tukhachevsky's dark face, and said with some excitement: "I think we can put pressure on three sides, our troops in Tsaritsyn are responsible for sticking to Denikin's main forces and preventing them from going north to reopen the lines of communication and quickly fleeing south." The troops in the Salisk direction should focus on strengthening their defenses and be prepared for a blocking battle. As for the troops in the Saratov direction, the task is heavier, not only to cut off the enemy's lines of communication, but when the time is ripe, it is necessary to bravely attack to the south and capture Astrakhan! ”

Stalin's battle plan, together with Tukhachevsky's opposition, was again presented to the Central Committee, this time after a whole night of arguing, and when both the Trotskyists and Leninists were exhausted, a compromise was reached again.

Stalin's battle plan was overhauled, but the details were revised to a certain extent, the attacking forces in the Saratov direction were greatly strengthened and would be under the personal command of Tukhachevsky, and the Red Army in the Tsaritsyn direction could not defend the city with peace of mind, and had to engage in counterattacks and stick to Denikin, who might escape, with practical actions.

The Central Committee was cautiously optimistic about this battle plan, believing that even if it did not inflict heavy losses on Denikin, it would be possible to fully recover the granaries of the lower Volga. It is even believed that if the Tsaritsyn direction is properly coordinated, the annihilation of Denikin is not impossible to achieve!

The question is, is it really as optimistic as the central government thinks? Will Tukhachevsky's troops really be able to land a left hook and keep up with Denikin's pace, and will Stalin and Budyonny really honestly cooperate with Tukhachevsky?

To be honest, this is really very unlikely...... (To be continued......)

PS: The state is very poor, these chapters are really awkward, everyone will just watch it......

Bow and thank you to Comrade hzwangdd and Comrade Juventus!