Trotsky and Sverdlov had long privately discussed under what pretext a certain immortal would object. They knew very well that a certain immortal was always opposed to an alliance with England, and that even Lenin could not convince anyone. If an immortal doesn't care, it's called strange.

So Trotsky and Sverdlov had previously discussed in detail the pretext that someone might use to oppose it. And the one that someone raised before is within the scope of their discussion.

Trotsky was quick to reply: "According to the communication between me and Mr. Churchill, the British government is ready to recognize the fact that Prince Alexei became the king of Norway!" ”

Trotsky's remarks immediately caused a sensation in the Politburo, because if he was true, then Britain had indeed made a big concession, knowing that they had not previously recognized the legitimacy of Prince Alexei.

And it was this sensational result that Trotsky wanted, because it showed that the majority of the Politburo members were satisfied with it, and it was tantamount to defusing the first offensive of a certain immortal.

It's just that what makes Trotsky strange is that Li Xiaofeng seems to be unfazed and has no reaction at all, which makes Lao Tuo very strange. But strange as strange, he still had to say what he should say: "That is to say, the greatest contradiction and disagreement between us and the British government no longer exists, and I think ......"

"Allow me to ask a question." Li Xiaofeng suddenly interrupted Lao Tuo's words and asked, "Can you introduce it specifically, for example, does Britain unconditionally recognize the legitimacy of Prince Alexei?" ”

Sverdlov replied to Trotsky: "Unconditionally, of course, as long as Prince Alexei admits to respecting the Norwegian constitution......"

Li Xiaofeng interrupted again: "Which Norwegian constitution, the bourgeois one, do you respect it?" ”

That's a good question. Because Prince Alexei if he recognized the previous Norwegian constitution. Then it means that he can only be a hypocrite. Aside from an empty title, there is little political power and little influence can be exerted on Norwegian politics. Is this what the USSR wanted to see? You must know that Li Xiaofeng's previous plan was to achieve the goal of controlling Norway through Prince Alexei. As Qiu Fatzi suggested, the Soviet Union and Prince Alexei will be marginalized in minutes, and will have no influence on Norwegian politics, so what does it mean?

So Li Xiaofeng immediately seized on this point to attack: "Our aim is to liberate Norway from the control of Western imperialism, not to seek an iron job for the descendants of the former Romanovs." The British paid only a tiny price. To legitimize the non-existent government-in-exile that he controlled, this kind of calculation is inevitably too inappropriate for us in the Soviet Union! ”

The expressions of the Politburo members immediately changed, and it was obvious that they had also thought of this problem under Li Xiaofeng's reminder, and I have to say that this is a pit at all!

Trotsky, however, was not nervous, for this was still to be expected, and he defended: "No, Norway of the future will be a coalition government." Our and their representatives share the responsibility to ensure ......"

Li Xiaofeng unceremoniously interrupted Trotsky: "Guarantee what? How much sincerity is there in the guarantees of imperialism? And even more so on the issue of Norway. We don't need guarantees from the British. Without Britain, we liberated the northern part of Norway and still annihilated the main German fleet. And what about the British? They had been defeated in Norway before, what did they do? Not even a piece of land to stand on! ”

Li Xiaofeng suddenly raised his momentum and said sarcastically: "The fact is that without us, the British can only look at Norway on the other side of the strait and drool, and can only silently bear the harassment of the German submarines that set sail from Norway, what influence do they have?" To put it bluntly, if Norway is to be liberated, there is no need to cooperate with the British at all, and the Germans can be driven out by the strength of the Red Army alone, and Norway is a dish on our plate, while the despicable British try to trick us into sharing with them. It's ridiculous that someone would be fooled! ”

Trotsky and Sverdlov's faces turned the color of pig's liver, which shows how embarrassed they were by what a certain immortal had just said. However, this did not mean that they would admit defeat, and Sverdlov immediately retorted: "This is simply crazy, if the forces of the Red Army can liberate Norway, then why don't we carry out the operation?" It turns out that without the cooperation of the British, we simply could not conduct any military operations in Norway! ”

Li Xiaofeng immediately retorted: "This statement is a big mistake, was the operation to sink the main German fleet carried out in Norwegian waters?" With the cooperation and participation of the British? ”

"That's the sea!" Sverdlov emphasized: "I'm talking about military operations on land!" ”

Li Xiaofeng smiled again: "It's just as feasible to launch an offensive on land!" As long as we deal with the German forces in Kursk, abandon the next stage of the Minsk counterattack, and transfer troops to Norway, we will be able to drive the Germans away in minutes. ”

Trotsky was about to speak, but Li Xiaofeng continued: "Of course, this will definitely come at a price, and it may give the Germans a chance to breathe. But, I will say, is there any country other than us that can launch such a military operation? Can the British? ”

Trotsky and Sverdlov stopped talking, while Li Xiaofeng smiled and said: "The facts are obvious, the British have no possibility of solving the Norwegian problem alone, they have not had such military strength in the last year or two, and the main forces of their army are all in the homeland, North Africa and Southeast Asia, and Norway is beyond reach!" But we are different, not to mention two years, in a year, as our reserves are armed, the Red Army will approach the size of ten million. At that time, we were not only capable of fighting the Nazis in Eastern and Central Europe, but also liberating Norway in Northern Europe. At that time, we didn't need to look at the faces of the British, and we didn't need to cooperate with them! ”

Sverdlov did not give up and said: "Wouldn't it be better to solve Norway earlier?" We could totally ......."

Li Xiaofeng interrupted him with a laugh, and said calmly: "Is there any decisive significance for us to liberate Norway now?" With the destruction of the main forces of the surface ships of the German Navy. The only thing the Germans could threaten our Arctic Ocean routes was submarines. And before because of our perfect escort and anti-submarine patrols. German submarines did not show anything at all. Not to mention the fact that the main target of German submarines was the British Isles, and the threat to us was not worth mentioning. And as our industry enters a wartime state in full swing, I believe that there will soon be no need for large-scale imports of foreign materials, and the importance of the Arctic Ocean route will be further reduced. Let's put it this way, the liberation of Norway now is more beneficial to the British, and it is chicken ribs for us. ”

After a pause, Li Xiaofeng said again: "It's not even just chicken ribs. It will also be a stumbling block. Even with the cooperation of Britain, the liberation of Norway will inevitably have to draw troops from the frontal battlefield, and now which theater of operations on the frontal battlefield is not tense, and the deployment of troops at this time will disrupt our military deployment, and may even bring big trouble to the ongoing Battle of Kursk! ”

Li Xiaofeng took a deep breath, looked at the Politburo members present very sincerely, and asked, "I really want to ask, is it really necessary to liberate Norway at this time?" Could it be that we really can't afford to wait even a year? ”

This time, neither Trotsky nor Sverdlov had anything to say. Because of this analysis, the liberation of Norway really does not make much sense. And the USSR really could afford to wait. After a short silence, Dzerzhinsky spoke first: "I agree with Comrade Andrei's analysis, now the liberation of Norway is neither meaningful nor necessary, both the USSR and the Norwegian people can wait!" ”

Not only Dzerzhinsky spoke, but even Frunze, who has never spoken much, spoke: "From a military point of view, it is not particularly appropriate to liberate Norway now!" ”

In fact, Frunze has already said it very euphemistically, what is not particularly appropriate? In fact, it is just inappropriate, it is just to take care of the face of Trotsky and Sverdlov.

There were already three votes against this, and immediately Ruzutak also disagreed, and the joint proposal of Lao Tor and Sverdlov came to naught. And when Churchill learned the news, he also sighed. Because this time he did put a lot of effort into convincing Trotsky and Sverdlov that he should have got his wish, who would have thought that someone would once again disrupt the situation. This made him think of what Learvan said about someone: "Andrey. Petrovich is the most dangerous enemy of the British Empire and the free world, not one! ”

Now, Churchill agrees with this statement, because someone is really too destructive, and he has repeatedly ruined his good deeds. If it can facilitate the joint liberation of Norway with the Soviet Union, it will not only allow the British Empire to immediately regain influence and control over Norway, but more importantly, it can relieve the urgent need of the fat man.

Recently, the war situation in North Africa is rotten, and Southeast Asia has been beaten by Japanese devils. He must make some inspiring achievements to defend his position, otherwise it will be a question of whether he, the prime minister of wartime, will be able to do it to the end.

Churchill thought that his only chance was in Norway, and if Norway was liberated, all the pressure and negative accusations would disappear, and he would have more time to survive until the United States entered the war. And now, that only chance is gone, and he has to find another way!

After smoking ten cigars, when a thick layer of soot accumulated on the desk, Qiu Fatman's bloodshot eyes were aimed at one place - North Africa!

With the exception of Norway, Qiu Fatzi thinks that only North Africa is a little sure, at least the enemy in this area is not so strong (honestly, whether it is the Italians or Rommel's desert legions, their equipment is really bad compared to the German army on the Eastern Front). If the British army had been subjected to the kind of blows on the Eastern Front of the Soviet Union, it would have collapsed in minutes. In fact, it also collapsed once, and in France, the Anglo-French army was not beaten to tears). With the superiority of the sea and air, if the ground forces can give a little strength and fight a turnaround, no, it should be possible to block Rommel, right?

For Qiu Fatzi, Rommel is really his magic star, and the man with a noodle ticket actually made the British Empire lose face, and he was defeated again and again. Just think that in this month, Rommel was promoted to marshal for the capture of the fortress of Topruk. Qiu Fatzi felt a hot pain on his face.

Soon the Prime Minister roared: "Rommel must be stopped, a turnaround must be fought in North Africa!" ”

The question is, who has the ability? Before, Rommel had made a cadre of the British Army very faceless. So much so that now the British Army has developed Rommel's phobia. In the face of this cunning fox. Most of the British generals' rhetoric was pessimistic.

Even Qiu Fatzi himself expressed pessimism and distrust of the army generals, and he believed that he needed to find someone with courage, wisdom and determination to take on the task of defeating Rommel. And such people, are there any?

Some comrades may say, yes, isn't Montgomery the best candidate? As latecomers, of course we know about Montgomery, but as the authorities, Bole is not so easy to do!

At least in June. Qiu Fatzi has not yet made up his mind to become "Bole", he still tries to solve the problem with the original team, but he will soon find that this will not work.

Leaving aside the problems of the British for the time being, let's return to Kursk, where the fighting has entered its final stage, which, of course, is also the bloodiest and most brutal.

In late June, no matter what the wolf's den and the General Staff say, Paulus was already clear. Not only was it impossible for his troops to continue the attack, but they were already in a predicament of being surrounded. What's even more terrifying. Food and ammunition were scarce day by day, and his troops had to fight not only the Red Army, but also hunger, fatigue and wounds. And the latter is clearly more difficult and terrible than the enemy on the frontal battlefield.

Anyway, Paulus had no good way, he wanted to withdraw, but the Führer wouldn't let him withdraw, and Ubolevich stuck up like a dogskin plaster, and he couldn't shake it off, so he couldn't withdraw at all. Now he has been tormented by various reports of casualties and complaints of not having enough to eat.

At this time, Paulus did not have the vigor to replace Guderian, and his sunken eyes looked like a skeleton or a walking corpse. He can only get rid of this big trouble as soon as possible, even if he is allowed to go back and continue to be a staff officer!

Just when Paulus was at his most desperate and helpless, Bock finally brought him good news: "The Führer has agreed to your retreat!" ”

At that time, Paulus was really crying and laughing, and there was a magic horse for agreeing to retreat at this time? How to withdraw, now the Red Army is sticking up like kraft candy, if you want to withdraw, prepare for a strong man to break his wrist!

Yes, Paulus was quite unoptimistic about the future, and he believed that if he wanted to bring his troops out, he would have to pay a heavy price, and if he didn't get a single army, he would have to throw them in. It's just that there is a problem with his estimate, because Ubolevich has now accumulated enough strength, and he wants to escape, not to say that it is more difficult than ascending to the sky, but it is definitely much more difficult than he estimated.

On June 30, Paulus issued an order for a general retreat to the group, asking a part of the rearguard to show the spirit of "heroism" and stay behind to drag the Red Army to cover the main retreat. At the same time, he demanded that the main forces retreat as quickly as possible in the direction of Konotop.

German Corporal Scholz recalled the situation: "When we were asked to stay and break the rear, all the people in the company were silent, even if it was said that they could retreat after completing the blocking mission, and that reinforcements from the 11th Army would arrive. But we all know that that's! ”

Schultz lit a cigarette and took a hard puff: "What was our situation then?" Only 300 grams of brown bread were supplied a day, and there was not even a drop of butter to accompany the bread. All of them had green light in their eyes, and some of them even started shaking their legs when they stood up. And what about our enemies? The soldiers are strong, like calves, and the Russians are not short of ammunition, and more importantly, they have more tanks. ”

Schultz spat out a smoke ring: "Staying is equivalent to sending death, do you think anyone wants to die?" So when the order from the higher authorities came, a considerable number of people became angry, and they strongly questioned the order! Of course, it is not to question the retreat, but to question why the decision to retreat was made so late, if only it could be half a month earlier, even if it was a week earlier! At least then we still had gasoline, and now, most of it is reserved for tanks, and cars are all abandoned on the spot...... What, you ask, why didn't we destroy those cars? Joke, what do we do to destroy these cars? All ammunition is extremely valuable and cannot be wasted! ”

Schultz looked indignant, he snuffed out the cigarette butt fiercely and continued: "No cars, no livestock...... Yes, all the animals were slaughtered and stewed. The retreating soldiers had to race with the Russians tanks and cars on two legs. And those of us who stick to it can save some effort, anyway, the Russians won't let us go! ”

Scholz's words are not wrong at all, how could Ubolevich let Paulus go, it took so much effort and two months to leave this group of enemies behind, how could he let it go?

At the same time as Paulus retreated, Ubolevich threw out his last cards and ordered the troops that had just been reinforced to him to immediately prepare to pursue the enemy under the cover of mechanized troops. At that time, he gave a death order to all the front-line commanders: "You have only seventy-two hours, and within seventy-two hours, you must be ready for the final decisive battle, and once you receive my order, you must catch up with the enemy and divide and surround him." There are no conditions for this, and any commanders and fighters who fail to complete this task will be held accountable for military and political responsibility! (To be continued.) )

PS: Bow and thank you to llkkjjllkkjj and Comrade Juventus!