Facing the unlucky guy in front of him, who was not too unlucky, Yang Zhen couldn't help but wonder a little viciously in his heart. Was it because this guy was currently dismissed from his post and was preparing to make meritorious service among the Soviet generals, except for the one at this time? It is estimated that besides the former commander of the Bryansk Front who is still hospitalized in Moscow Central Hospital, he is the guy who has lost the most troops alive.
The old man in Moscow sent him to preside over this negotiation. He wanted to take advantage of this guy because he had lost too much and did not dare to have any independent thoughts. They were specially selected to understand the German tactics.
It was a secret discussion, but Yang Zhen had no intention of looking down upon this guy. This guy was able to save his life even though he almost lost all his front troops, but he was transferred back to Moscow and served as a cold companion. Without being sent to the execution ground by that loving leader, there was no way he would have been able to do so without anyone within the Soviet army to protect him.
At least it shows that this guy has a protective umbrella within the Soviet army, and even after losing consecutive battles, he was sent out to negotiate with the Anti-Japanese Alliance. It also shows that their fatherly leader is not completely disappointed with him. I think he still has some use value, otherwise he would have been killed as the commander of the Western Front Army, and he would still be the commander of the Southern Front Army.
It doesn't matter if you offend this guy. If you offend the people behind him, I'm afraid the Anti-Japanese Alliance will be very uncomfortable. At least as a representative of the Soviet leader, if you treat him too coldly, it will make him very uncomfortable. In order not to cause trouble in the future. , Yang Zhen, at least on the surface, is quite enthusiastic about this guy.
Although this guy has not expressed his opinion for a long time, Yang Zhen can see that he is very moved, but maybe he suffered too much from the defeat, which has caused too many psychological shadows. He is afraid that there will be some omissions in this negotiation. Although this guy was a little moved when he went back to settle old and new accounts, he was obviously hesitant.
Faced with the contradictory expression of this guy who was obviously moved but hesitant, Yang Zhen did not embarrass him too much and said calmly: "Comrade Ryabyshev, these are just our ideas. If you agree, we can sign an agreement right away. As soon as the agreement is signed, the two parties can immediately hand over equipment and materials."
"Of course, if Comrade Ribeyashev still can't make up his mind, you can go back and discuss it. After all, this concerns both you and us. Will the traditional friendship between us be affected by any unpleasantness in some aspects in the future? This matter is also a factor related to whether the Soviet people can finally defeat fascist Germany."
"It doesn't matter, we are not in a hurry. We can patiently wait for the Soviet Union's decision, but I hope the Soviet Union can give a reply as soon as possible. After all, time waits for no one, and the war situation waits for no one, right? Dear Comrade Ryabeshev, you He is a mechanized army commander and can be said to be an expert in tank warfare."
"During the battles between the Western Front Army and the Southern Front Army, you have accumulated rich experience in fighting the German army. I hope you can carefully consider what the Soviet Union needs now compared to the supplies on those ships, and then Decide whether to agree to our suggestion."
Hearing Yang Zhen's unhurried words, this Soviet lieutenant general who had obviously received a lot of training in Moscow before coming because of the defeat, and who was still afraid to let go during the negotiations, also at this time Regardless of being polite, he left the venue with the excuse of going back to discuss things, presumably to go back to Moscow for instructions.
Looking at the back of the Soviet lieutenant general who looked a little hasty when he left, Yang Zhen shook his head. This man was bitten by a snake once and was afraid of ropes for ten years. If it were the decisive commander of the Far East Military Region, he would be here. After the negotiation, I'm afraid the agreement has been signed now.
The King of the Far East has been in the Far East and has never been transferred to the Soviet-German battlefield to participate in the war, so he lacks combat experience with the Germans. However, he always knows what the Soviet Union needs most now, and he will quickly respond based on this. To make a decision, of course the two people had different previous experiences, which was also the main reason for the Soviet lieutenant general's hesitation.
A veteran pre-war general who was almost unlimitedly trusted by the leader, and a rookie who had just lost a battle and was sitting on the bench. Both of them had high-level connections in the Soviet army and their status in the eyes of the leader. They are so different that they cannot be compared.
Lieutenant General Ryabyshev probably thinks that he can make decisions without consulting Moscow. If Moscow's requirements are not met, even if there are high-level figures in the Soviet army protecting him, I am afraid that the fatherly leader of the Soviet people will not be able to do this. He would not be spared even this time, and old accounts and new accounts might be settled together. It was precisely for this reason that the defeated general was so submissive and did not dare to go beyond the threshold.
In fact, this guy performed quite well at the beginning of the war. His mechanized Eighth Army stood out from the rout of the Western Front in the early stages of the war, and marched with minimal losses under enemy air attacks. After traveling more than 200 kilometers, they entered the designated defense zone in advance and successfully implemented a tactical counterattack.
Subsequently, he inflicted heavy losses on the German army many times, and caused several attempts by the German army to capture the army to fail. Without these two actions, he would not have been promoted to the position of commander of the Southern Front. Although he almost lost the main force of the Southern Front, He is certainly responsible for completely abandoning Southern Ukraine, but all the responsibility cannot be placed entirely on him.
When he took office, what he inherited was a mess. The entire front aviation force was destroyed, two army groups were surrounded by the Germans, both group army commanders were captured, and more than half of the remaining four group armies were lost. Such a mess, coupled with the supreme commander-in-chief His subordinates were giving unrealistic and blind orders, so if he could manage like that, he was barely doing well.
In terms of overall strategic thinking, he has never thought about defense in war. Most generals have not yet learned how to defend. On the bare Ukrainian plains without any barriers, it is considered rare that he can persist for more than two months. To be honest, his fighting skills were not bad, but he had not yet learned how to fight defensive battles and retreat.
And this is not his fault alone, it is a common fault of most Soviet generals at present. Not only him, but also all the famous generals of the Soviet army are now suffering from defeats, and the few who can win the battles are limited. A famous general, but because of his superiors, he became a shooting star prematurely. He was either in a prisoner of war camp or in an encirclement circle.
His biggest problem was that after his old superior in the Western Front was shot, he seemed to be too restrained. He knew that it was impossible to complete the order, but he did not dare to make any effort to fight for it. Being dismissed from his post was not too unjust. , compared to his old colleagues in the Western Front, he was already much luckier.
In contrast to Yang Zhen, who was somewhat sympathetic to this guy, the commander of the advancing army looked at this guy's back and frowned: "It's hard to imagine that such a hesitant and indecisive style can actually lead an army of hundreds of thousands. The performance of the front commander."
"I dare not make any decisions. This is not what a front commander should do. If the Soviet generals commanding on the front line are like this, the current war situation in the Soviet Union is not optimistic. No wonder they are losing one battle after another. There is no initiative at all, it would be strange if we don’t lose this battle.”
After a moment of silence, the old commander turned his head and looked at Yang Zhen in front of him, sighed inaudibly and said: "What do you think of the current war situation in the Soviet Union? Judging from the current war situation, will the Soviets be like France last year? , was completely defeated under the attack of the German army."
"According to your statement, the Soviet Union is doomed to fail in the ongoing Vyazma and Bryansk battles. One front army has been completely wiped out, and most of the two front armies have been encircled. It can be said that this battle has reached the end of the war. It was already quite clear at this time, and in addition to these troops, the Soviet army used to defend three entire front armies in the direction of Moscow, leaving only a few remnants and defeated generals."
"If the current situation cannot be reversed, according to the speed of the German offensive since the outbreak of the war, it may be difficult to defend Moscow if it continues like this. And once Moscow, as the political core and transportation hub, is occupied by the German army, Then even if the Soviet Union can continue to resist by relying on its geographical advantages, the Soviet Union will still fall into a certain degree of chaos."
"Once Moscow is lost, it means that the most economically developed areas in the western part of the Soviet Union will be completely cut off from the eastern part. It will be difficult to hold on to the areas east of Moscow that are still holding on. Whether Moscow can be held on, for the Soviet Union It is very important in the future war situation. But judging from the current development of the war and the losses of the Soviet Union, can Moscow be able to hold it?"
"If defeats like Minsk, Kiev, Smolinsk, Uman, and Vyazma are fought a few times, the Soviet Union may not have many troops to defend the eastern region even if it has a vast territory and abundant resources. Even if the Americans give No matter how much equipment there is, if the Soviet Union’s front-line generals are like this one, they will probably still lose the battle.”
"According to their current style of play, no matter how many troops they have, they will not be enough to fill it. If they are unable to change the war situation, the situation in the Soviet Union will deteriorate to an irreversible situation. When we went to study in the Soviet Union, we could I didn’t expect that the Soviet Red Army, which seemed powerful at first, would be so vulnerable.”
Obviously, although he is quite dissatisfied with some of the practices of the Soviets, this old commander has studied in the Soviet Union for many years. Many command methods and abilities were learned in the Soviet Union. Coupled with many years of propaganda, he has no confidence in the Soviet Union. There is still a certain amount of emotion.
Moreover, the old commander is more worried about the chain reaction that will occur once the Soviet Union is defeated. He knows very well that once the Soviet Union is completely defeated and occupied by Germany, then its failure will not only be as simple as the Soviet Union's demise, but also the subsequent What will come will be the foreign aid channels that the Anti-Japanese Alliance is fighting for, which will be completely cut off.
At the same time, it will also have a very adverse impact on the overall world structure. Japan and Germany, at least for now, are still allies. Once the German army fully occupies the Soviet Union, the northwest region, currently China's rear area, will be under the influence of the German army. Under the front.
Even if the German army retreats 10,000 steps and does not attack the Soviet Union, then the Japanese army will mobilize its forces, use its alliance with Germany, pass through the Far East and Siberia of the Soviet Union, and use the railway network in the Soviet Union to quickly detour to Central Asia or Outer Mongolia. Within the territory, it avoids the natural dangers of northwest China and penetrates directly into China's rear area.
The failure of the Soviet Union will affect the whole body. Not only will the poor and weak China's peripheral strategic pattern completely change for the worse, it may even be completely faced with a flanking attack by two military powers. This is very important for the current situation. For China, it will be a real disaster, and this worry is not groundless or unfounded.