Li Xiaofeng admired His Royal Highness the prince a little, he didn't care at all about the more important throne issue of normal people, but was extremely concerned about the name of a Bolshevik, you don't know whether to say that this product is stupid or a pure noble person with pursuit.

Anyway, Li Xiaofeng would definitely not be as stupid as this one, but since Alexei really wanted such a name, he was also happy to satisfy the other party.

However, how to satisfy Alexei also requires skill, and it is clear that His Royal Highness the prince belongs to the kind of master who is very old-fashioned and more serious. If Li Xiaofeng gave him the title of Bolshevik without saying a word, not only would it not make him happy, but it might do bad things.

Why? Alexei has always considered the Bolsheviks a high honor, an all-round affirmation of a person. And the reason why he did not receive this honor and recognition was only one reason, there were certain things in his actions and thoughts that did not meet the standards of the Bolsheviks.

It is clear that Alexei believed that only if he met such standards could he be worthy of the title of Bolshevik. If an immortal casually gave him the title of a party member, it seemed to him not an affirmation, but a charity, a blasphemy against the glorious title of the Bolshevik, and it was light to be angry at that time.

Naturally, Li Xiaofeng would never make such a mistake, and how to make Alexei happily accept the title of Bolshevik, and how to make His Royal Highness the prince better serve the party, depends on his level.

Li Xiaofeng straightened his colors and asked Alexei very seriously: "Comrade Alexei, what do you think is a Bolshevik?" ”

Alexei was stunned, thinking that this was some immortal testing him. He immediately replied in a serious manner: "The Bolsheviks must have a deep understanding of the core ideas of Marxism. Understand the nature of class. He was full of sympathy for the proletariat and determined to fight for the realization of the ideal communist society for the rest of his life. ”

Li Xiaofeng nodded, and continued to ask quietly: "Do you know what Marxism is?" Comrade Alexey? ”

This question was asked to the heart of Alexei, who had been studying the complete works of Marx assiduously all these years, and that was quite insightful. It's a pity that the people around him have not been interested in his research, and no one wants to listen to his nagging. Now, at last, someone is willing to listen to him. Do you think he can be upset?

At the moment, His Royal Highness the prince was talking non-stop, and he was excited to meet his bosom friend. To be honest, Li Xiaofeng is really not interested in Ma Zhe, and His Royal Highness the prince is really in-depth in his research, and his understanding of some issues is probably still above him as a member of the Politburo. If you really want these two people to sit down and talk about Ma Zhe, it is estimated that a certain immortal will be exploded.

Fortunately, this is not a matter of sitting and discussing, but a one-sided conversation between the activists who joined the party and the organization, and a certain immortal hardly has to say anything, just listen quietly. And don't forget. The level of a certain immortal pretending to be forced is very high, on some key issues. It can also plagiarize the views of some communist masters of later generations.

Therefore, in the eyes of Prince Alexei, a certain immortal is completely superior, able to explain theoretical issues in simple terms, and his ability to connect with reality is much more than him, and more importantly, this master is also willing to listen to his personal immature ideas. Do you think he has a bad impression of a certain immortal?

Anyway, after this exchange, Prince Alexei is so comfortable! Sincerely regards someone as a mentor, and a certain immortal is naturally disrespectful to this.

However, the core problem has not been solved, and Alexei still does not understand why his application to join the party has always been rejected.

Li Xiaofeng asked again: "Comrade Alexey, what level do you think your understanding of Marxist theory is, and which is higher or lower than that of ordinary party members?" ”

Alexei frowned, don't underestimate this prince, he is not stupid, on the contrary, he is still very smart. It was the teachers of Lenin and Trotsky who could transform him and impress him and the theories of Marx, not brainwashing like mantras.

He still has the ability to observe and analyze objectively, and this is what troubles him the most -- in his opinion, those around him who have successfully joined the party are not as good as him at all, they know nothing about theory, and the motive for joining the party is not to fight for the communist ideal, but to climb up. To be honest, His Royal Highness the Prince looks down on this kind of person.

But what makes Alexei hurt is that these people who are not as good as him have joined the party, and he is still standing outside the door, why is this? Although he constantly used his theoretical level to persuade himself, in the final analysis, there was still a thorn in his heart. This is also the reason why he asked a certain immortal to understand.

Li Xiaofeng said with a smile: "Comrade Alexey, to tell you the truth, your understanding of Marxism is far beyond that of ordinary party comrades. A considerable part of the comrades, far behind you in this regard. If you just look at theory, you would have joined the party ten years ago. ”

Alexei's heart suddenly felt that his long-unresolved problem finally had an answer, and he quickly asked: "In that case, why has my application been rejected for the past ten years?" ”

Li Xiaofeng quickly turned on the pretending mode again: "Theory is theory after all, and practice is the only standard." In view of the complexity of the current revolutionary struggle, how to recruit party members is a major matter that has a bearing on the life and death of the party organization. The reason why you have failed to apply again and again is nothing more than two problems: first, no matter what, you are a member of the former Romanov family, your composition is too high and too complicated, how to identify whether you are really close to the party organization, it takes time; Second, for some special reasons, we can't let you move closer to the party organization for the time being, and this is what I will explain to you next. ”

For the first reason, Alexei also knew it in his heart, he could think of it, and for the so-called second reason of a certain immortal, he couldn't feel the slightest wind.

Li Xiaofeng smiled and continued to flicker: "Back to the question I asked you just now, what kind of person do you think is a real Bolshevik." Your answer is good, understand the theory of revolution. Practice revolutionary practice. Be ready to fight for lofty revolutionary ideals. These three criteria are met. I think that's the real Bolsheviks. ”

After a pause, Li Xiaofeng asked again: "As for those ritual things, do you think they are necessary conditions?" At least in my personal opinion, it is not necessary, and a person who really wants to fight for revolutionary ideals will not pay much attention to that kind of thing. And for those who pay special attention to rituals, I don't think it's good for him to approach the starting point of the organization. I believe that you, Comrade Alexey, are not the kind of superficial people either! ”

This made Alexei's heart flutter. There is also a bit of a sudden enlightenment: "It turned out that I was the image, if I really strive for the communist ideal, then whether there is that ceremony, whether it can be affirmed by others, is it important?" ”

At this time, Li Xiaofeng continued: "Of course, for those who sincerely want to get closer to the organization, the organization will not be stingy with a simple ceremony, after all, this is also a kind of spur and honor, which can better unite comrades around the organization. ”

There was another pause. Li Xiaofeng continued: "The reason why your application was rejected is not because you are not up to standard, Comrade Alexei. It is not because your composition needs to be examined further, but because it is for the needs of the overall situation of the revolution. ”

The overall situation of the revolution, which immediately aroused Alexei's interest, he really couldn't think of any ability to influence the overall situation, but he felt that there was no need for someone to fool him. Fortunately, Li Xiaofeng soon revealed the mystery:

"For the sake of the revolutionary cause, many of our comrades have had to go incognito into the enemy's interior, and these unsung heroes are not worthy of admiration? Previously, we also planned to let you take on the same task, after all, your special status will make it easier to win the trust of the enemy. If it weren't for the sudden outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, if Norway hadn't been invaded by the Nazis and that British imperialism was ready to stir up good intentions, I'm afraid that after a while, the organization would have secretly talked to you and given you a secret mission! The reason why I don't openly develop you to join the party is to protect you! ”

Alixie was moved, quite a little suddenly enlightened, and even a little complacent, the emotional organization valued me so much, the reason why he did not accept my application to join the party was that there was a more important task to be entrusted to me.

How so? Alexei's previous doubts and dissatisfaction immediately disappeared with the wind, and were replaced by vigorous fighting spirit, and His Royal Highness the prince really wanted to show his skills and do something right away.

Of course, he also had a little regret, if it were not for this matter in Norway, could he have become a glorious underground worker, contributing to the revolutionary cause on the secret and fierce underground front, anyway, he felt excited when he thought about it.

If Li Xiaofeng knew that his flickering almost made His Royal Highness the prince's brain hot, and he was ready to devote himself to the hidden front, it was estimated that a certain immortal would smack himself a few times. Fortunately, the final result was perfect, Alexei thanked the organization for its trust in him, and resolutely obeyed the organization's arrangement, and even when a certain immortal said that he would secretly recruit him into the party, he also said that there was no need for such a ritual, in Alexei's own words: "I am already a Bolshevik physically and inwardly, and I don't need any rituals!" ”

A few days later, in the presence of members of the Politburo, the former crown prince swore an honorable oath to the party flag and became a Bolshevik.

Years later, those who witnessed the scene were still amazed, such as Sverdlov, who recalled: "When Comrade Andrei proposed to accept Alexei's application to develop him into a party member, I thought he was crazy. Letting the former crown prince join the party is maddening to think about. However, it turned out that this was a good move, and Comrade Alexei played an important role in the spread of communism and the socialist movement in Norway, directly preventing this neighboring country from throwing itself into the imperialist bloc of encirclement and blockade of the Soviet Union......"

At that time, it was not only Sverdlov who was shocked, but even Lenin, and it is well known that the Mentor did not have a good impression of the Romanovs. Back then, if it weren't for the tempting proposal of an immortal, he would have directly ordered that family to be sudden. Hearing that the Politburo was preparing to admit Arichei into the party, the mentor, who had just returned to Moscow, wrote a letter directly to the Politburo, expressing his misgivings about this determination.

So did the tutor's doubts finally dispel it? It must have been dispelled, and a certain immortal personally arranged for Alexei to communicate with the tutor, through in-depth exchanges. The Mentor could see that the former crown prince was indeed a true revolutionary.

For this result. The Mentor is rejoicing. He wrote in his diary: "If even a former member of the royal family like Alexei can succeed in transforming him from an exploiter into a laborer, he will be able to willingly fight for the revolution." So what else can't we do in the future? Although I have been emphasizing the inevitability of the revolution, I could feel that victory was not so far away! ”

It was not only Lenin who was encouraged, but even Alexei was quite excited, and many years later, when he recalled the exchange with Lenin, he still said with great emotion: "Comrade Lenin is a good teacher. It's a good friend. The few days I spent talking to him solved a problem that I would have struggled to solve in my lifetime. He told me in the simplest language what life is and what revolution is. It's no exaggeration to say that the rest of my life has been completely different because of his influence......"

Of course, it was a certain immortal who benefited the most, he almost achieved his goal, and Alexei's success in Norway in the future also served as an achievement to strengthen his position in the Politburo.

However, at that time, Li Xiaofeng was not happy for a long time. Having solved Alexei's problem, he hurried back to Bryansk. The battle situation over there is really not particularly ideal.

Operation Lightning, led by Tukhachevsky, turned into a complete disaster, as one airborne division, four airborne brigades, and more than 30,000 men fought against the most elite German armored corps under extremely unfavorable conditions.

Although the fierce battle lasted only 36 hours, it was no less bloody than the historical Battle of Stalingrad. According to post-war statistics, of the more than 30,000 airborne troops involved in the operation, about 20,000 survived after the war, and more than 13,000 were killed. And about one-third of the 20,000 people who survived were seriously injured and never had the possibility of falling from the sky again.

In other words, the airborne forces of the Soviet Union before the war lost two-thirds in this battle, which was a great loss of vitality. It was not until 1945, after nearly four years of recovery and adjustment, that the Airborne Forces returned to the level before Operation Blitzkrieg.

Of course, it is inappropriate to talk only about losses, and the blitzkrieg also had certain results, the heroic Red Army airborne troops dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's armored forces with flesh and blood, and with the mechanized troops of the Bryansk Front, which arrived later, left part of the main German forces on the battlefield, although they failed to fully achieve the operational objectives, but also severely damaged the first and second tank clusters of the German army.

According to Guderian's statistics, after the Battle of Zephyr, his armored group suffered heavy losses, with a total of two armored divisions and one motorized infantry division (about one army) annihilated, in addition to a considerable number (35% of the total pre-war equipment) tanks, automobiles, and artillery were abandoned or destroyed. The 2nd Tank Group lost almost half of its combat effectiveness, and between late 1941 and June 1942, it lost the ability to continue the offensive.

Note that this was only the loss of Guderian's 2nd Tank Group, on the other hand, Kleist's 1st Tank Group suffered even greater losses, with a total of three Panzer Divisions and one Motorized Infantry Division annihilated, and about half of the equipment discarded and destroyed.

After this battle, although the Bryansk Front of the Red Army failed to annihilate the main forces of the German 1st and 2nd tank groups, it also inflicted heavy losses, drove the enemy out of Russia, stabilized the central front, and laid a good foundation for the spring offensive of 1942.

For example, the 1st Guards Mechanized Army, which was put into the battlefield at the end of the campaign, immediately became the spearhead of the attack, and in accordance with the instructions of the Military Commission, after driving the enemy's first and second tank clusters out of Russia, it immediately swung its division south and killed Kiev from the oblique stab. Thus kicked off the prelude to the battle in the final stage of the first defense of Kyiv.

Let's talk about the situation in Kyiv first, after entering December, Shaposhnikov's life is very difficult, Russia's winter is fatal, and Ukraine's winter is not comfortable, especially after being surrounded and blocked, that day is even more difficult.

Millions of people have to find ways to eat, dress, and heat, although eating and dressing temporarily is not a big problem, but heating is really fatal. In October and November, the fuel reserves of Kyiv citizens were basically exhausted, and the air transport had never heard of transporting coal, and the consumption ratio was too low.

Since December, the Kiev military and civilians have had to start cutting down trees and collecting wooden furniture to chop firewood. But how long can that last, and soon, it will not only be trees and furniture that will be "chopped", but only some wooden buildings. An ancient city was demolished to a miasma.

But it's not a long-term solution, after all, the winter is still long, and you can't tear down all the houses, right?

So there is only one way out of Shaposhnikov: "The situation in Kyiv is getting worse day by day, there is a lack of food, medicine and coal, and millions of Kyiv people are in danger. Kyiv can only be saved by lifting the enemy's siege. I hope that the Military District Command, the General Staff and the Military Commission will discuss this issue as soon as possible, and the longer it drags on, the more serious the consequences! ”

In fact, whether it is Triandafilov or Tukhachevsky, or the Military Commission and the Politburo, they all hope to relieve the siege of Kyiv, but the problem is that they are powerless. A large number of enemies have gathered in both the Minsk and Bryansk directions, and too many troops cannot be drawn from there, otherwise the front will have to open the skylight again.

That is, the victory in the defense of Bryansk and the heavy damage to the enemy made the Red Army breathe a sigh of relief, but there was a debate in the Politburo about whether to immediately relieve the siege of Kiev...... (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you to the sweet potatoes in the melon field, the lost remnant maple, the SS guard flag team and Comrade Juventus!