"How is the problem changing?" Stalin said with some anger: "We have made all the efforts! It's almost impossible to push the gun to Churchill's head and let them change all this!"

This is actually the "appeasement" policy of Britain, the United States and France. It began before World War II, that is, to support Germany and support Japan after the defeat in World War I. Even Germany and Japan obviously had the intention to launch a war. They turned a deaf ear to other countries, especially the Soviet Union. At the last critical moment, Britain, the United States and France took action, making it the world's savior again.

The Maginot Line of Defense is actually part of this "appeasement policy".

The United Kingdom is an island country with a strong navy and air force, so I don’t worry that dirty water will spill on the United Kingdom after Germany becomes stronger.

The United States, located in the Americas, is similar.

The most worrying thing is France adjacent to it to the west of Germany, so France built an indestructible "Magino Line of Defense" on the borders of the two countries. The implicit meaning is: attack others and don't look here.

However, the "appeasement policy" of Britain, the United States and France is a bit of a trick. They did not expect that the "Magino Line of Defense" would be so vulnerable. After the powerful Germany first used them to destroy France in just one month, and then bombarded Britain on a large scale through the English Channel.

Now, it is time for Britain and the United States to end their hardships, because the "dirty water" finally flowed to the Soviet Union, and they would never be willing to let the Soviet Union escape so early.

After thinking about it, Vasilevsky said, "Comrade Stalin, so I think we need to make some gestures!"

"Position? What does it mean?" Stalin asked.

Vasilevsky couldn't help but hesitate. He was not sure what kind of reaction Stalin would have if he made this suggestion, because if this suggestion was rejected, it might even be labeled as a "traitor to the motherland."

But in the end, Huasilevsky decided to tell Stalin that it was time to talk about it.

"Comrade Stalin!" Huasilevsky pointed to the map and said, "If we give up Stalingrad, we will use the Volga River as the defense line in the east and the Don River as the defense line in the north, and the enemy and us will basically be in a stalemate!"

Stalin nodded.

Huasilevsky was right, it was very difficult to cross the river and carry out an attack, even the Germans.

There is only a gap of about 100 kilometers in this defense line composed of the Don River and the Volga River. However, if the Soviet army deployed heavy troops there... and Germany also lost heavy losses in Stalingrad and lost the momentum of offensive power, the battle situation would soon become cold.

"Then, it's time for us to negotiate with the Germans!" Huasilevsky suddenly said this.

Stalin was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Wasseyevsky with fierce eyes.

Zhukov next to him jumped up as if he was stabbed by a needle and shouted: "What? Negotiate with the Germans? This is not negotiation, this is surrender, it is a rebellion... You shameful traitor..."

However, Stalin seemed calm. He held his pipe in his mouth and stopped Zhukov: "Let Comrade Vasilevsky finish speaking, Comrade Zhukov!"

Vasilevsky couldn't help but feel a little numb because he knew that if Stalin acted so calmly, it would be time for him to be really angry, just as he was getting information about Stalingrad's about to lose.

Therefore, if my suggestions cannot satisfy Stalin, what will happen next will be unimaginable.

"That's right, Comrade Stalin!" Huasilevsky recovered his calm in two seconds: "I am definitely not proposing surrender, but we should consider one issue, that is, although Britain and the United States do not want us to escape from the German offensive so early, they also do not want us to fall in front of the Germans!"

Speaking of this, Vasilevsky paused to see Stalin's reaction.

Stalin didn't say anything and nodded slightly.

"So!" Huasilevsky continued: "Although we can't use guns to push Britain and the United States to make changes, we can make some gestures to make changes! The negotiations I mean is to make gestures..."

"I don't agree to do this!" Zhukov opposed: "We have always emphasized the need to fight with the Germans to the end. On the other hand, there have been many voices in the army that are similar to negotiations with the Germans or surrenders. If we do not stop them, the morale of the army will collapse, especially if Stalingrad falls, which will be even more serious. We have to negotiate with the Germans at this time, which will cause a great blow to our army. At that time, the Germans will not need negotiations at all, and they can directly defeat us!"

What Zhukov said makes sense. The order No. 227 issued by Stalin was to stop such negative thoughts, but if Stalin negotiated with Germany at this time...

"We don't need to let the army know, Comrade Zhukov!" said Vasilevsky: "That is a political strategy among countries!"

"Don't the Germans promote it?" Zhukov retorted: "They will regard this as a weapon, a more lethal mental weapon than tanks and aircraft!"

...

The two argued for a while and found that Stalin was sitting quietly on the chair and silently, so they did not dare to continue fighting.

The office was so quiet that even a needle could be heard falling to the ground. Their heartbeats were "knock" with the pendulum of the wall clock, and the "knock" sounds also followed the rhythm of "knock".

After a while, Stalin said: "I think we should carry out the two aspects at the same time, at the political level and at the military level. At the political level, we must force Britain and the United States to join the war, so that they can no longer stand by and watch..."

When Vasilevsky heard this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He knew that Stalin had agreed with his statement.

"On the military level!" Stalin glanced at Zhukov and said, "We must do a good job in the ideological work of the army and continue to implement Order No. 227. We must never allow the emergence of surrenderist ideas. In addition, we must also be prepared to defend the Don River and the Volga River. We must never allow the situation of breaking through by the Germans!"

The importance of this is beyond doubt, which is the basis for political negotiations with Germany.
Chapter completed!