Stalin walked into the conference hall with a serious face. Senior generals from the National Defense Committee, the Red Army General Staff and all major military regions stood up to greet him.
Stalin came to the main seat between Voroshilov and Budyonny and sat down. He pressed his hands to indicate that everyone should sit down.
Stalin looked around the conference hall and saw that everyone's eyes were focused on him, so he said slowly: "Comrade generals, what do you think of the war between the Far East and Japan that has broken out now? What is the situation?
Why did more than a million mechanized troops withdrawn from Central Asia stay between Petropavlovsk and Omsk instead of choosing to decisively move eastward? Who can answer?"
Marshal Shaposhnikov, Chief of the General Staff, stood up: "Comrade Stalin, our hope that the Far Eastern Army and the Japanese Army will fight to the detriment of both sides will probably come to nothing. According to various circumstances, the Far Eastern Army is withdrawing from the Primorye and Amur areas, and
The direction of their retreat is Western Siberia. After repeated analysis, our General Staff believes that they are probably hoarding troops to launch an attack on our great Soviet Union!"
Due to the needs of the war, the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the People's Commissar of the Soviet Union awarded the rank of Marshal to Commander-in-Chief of the Ural Theater Timoshenko, Commander-in-Chief of the Central Asian Theater Kulik and Chief of the Red Army General Staff Shaposhnikov. Stalin intended to use new marshals,
Diluting the influence of Yegorov and Blyukher in the Far Eastern Army: Look, with Voroshilov and Budyonny, we have five marshals, while the Far Eastern Army only has two!
After listening to Shaposhnikov's report, Stalin was shocked: "How is this possible? Blyukher and the others still want Primorye, Amur and even the Kamchatka Border Region? If the Far Eastern Republic founded by those traitors loses its
Can the territory of the Far East still be called the Far Eastern Republic?"
Shaposhnikov solemnly said: "I'm sorry, Comrade Stalin, I don't know the specific situation very well. This is the only judgment that can be made based on all the situations that have happened so far. Although so far, there is no news to confirm it.
Our view, but after many consultations, our General Staff still unanimously determined that this should be a strategic adjustment made by the senior leaders of the Far East Republic, and from beginning to end, they did not announce it to the outside world, but only allowed the troops to assemble.
"Our intelligence personnel deployed within the Far East Army have received no news, and it seems they are not familiar with the specific situation. Perhaps we will only know the answer to the mystery when the high-level combat order in the Far East is issued. Our staff believes that this strategic plan
It should only be known to a few high-level people in the Far East, and this circle is all stakeholders, that is, the traitors that our Soviet must resolutely kill, and intelligence personnel cannot infiltrate or bribe them!"
"is that so?"
Stalin pondered for a while, then stood up and walked to the large map of the Soviet Union on the side of the rostrum. He looked up for a few times, turned around and asked again:
"How is the war in the Urals currently going? The war has lasted for more than fifty days, and more than 200,000 people have died. Is it true that Marshal Timoshenko has nothing to do against Yegorov?"
Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Chief of Operations Vasilevsky stood up and said in a deep voice: "The Ural Front Army has concentrated almost a quarter of the Soviet forces. Under the leadership of Marshal Timoshenko, it is launching attacks on the enemy every day.
The most violent attack, however, the opponent has complete river fortifications and also has superior fighter planes to support the attack. In times of crisis, they will even use tanks to assist. Therefore, so far, we have not made any progress.
"The General Staff had intended to open a gap from the southern front, enter Kazakhstan from the Uralsk plain area, and attack the Far Eastern Army's rear. However, it encountered an intensive attack by the South Chinese Army's air force. The South Chinese side dispatched more than 500 fighter planes at one go to attack us.
The troops crossing the river launched indiscriminate bombings, causing the railway bridge to be severed and all the pontoon bridges that had just been built destroyed. Later, the Air Force
We sent out reconnaissance planes to explore the situation on the Ural front line at the risk of being shot down, and found that the South China Army had built strong three-dimensional defenses along the Ural River. If we dispersed our forces to attack, it would create opportunities for the Far Eastern Army. If the Far Eastern Army
If we turn from defense to offense and suddenly break through the Kama River defense line, our defense line will be in danger of collapse as a whole."
Stalin looked at the map and asked: "What will be the consequences if more than one million mechanized troops are put into combat on the Western Front?"
Marshal Shaposhnikov reported: "If the other party makes a calculation or not, and takes advantage of night or thick fog to suddenly launch a river-crossing operation, our Kama River and Volga River defense lines will soon collapse, and the cities along the Ural line will collapse in the Far East.
Under the impact of the powerful mechanized corps of the army, it quickly fell. According to the latest news we got
, the Japanese army has occupied Amur Komsomolsk and pushed into Khabarovsk from the north and south at the same time. However, the Far East Army has not made large-scale troop mobilization, and its intention to give up is already obvious. If the Japanese army does not win it with blood in these two days,
Khabarovsk, then we can basically conclude that the Far Eastern Army indeed has the intention to invade the West."
Stalin was silent for a long time. He returned to his seat and sat down. He picked up the cigarette butts on the table, slowly put in the shredded tobacco, struck a match and lit it. He took a deep breath and felt his mind became clearer before continuing to ask: "This news
Have you informed the frontline commander, Marshal Timoshenko?”
People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov hesitated, stood up and said: "Comrade Stalin, Marshal Shaposhnikov suggested that I issue a warning to Marshal Timoshenko in the name of the Supreme Command, but I think there is no way to do this."
Before knowing the enemy's true intention, it is better to act cautiously. Currently, all our fronts are attacking the enemy. If we suddenly switch from offense to defense, it will be a huge blow to the morale of the frontline officers!
"The troops in Central Asia in the Far East have just been transferred back to Siberia, and they still need to rest and prepare before they can go to the battlefield. Their location is actually more conducive to mobilizing to the east, and they may not necessarily attack in the Urals. Just imagine, our population
It is eight times theirs, their industrial base is five times theirs, and their mobilization capabilities are beyond their reach.
Such a huge contrast may not be invisible to the Far East high-level officials. Attacking westward can only be a path of no return for the Far East Army. On the other hand, Japan lacks sufficient mechanized equipment. If they invest 1.3 million mechanized troops
In the coastal area, it is completely possible to push the Japanese army into the sea, and it is not necessarily possible to take advantage of the situation to capture Manchuria and obtain Manchuria's food and material supplies.
"Comrade Stalin, Comrade Budyonny and I have discussed repeatedly. No matter how we look at it, they have no reason to provoke a war on the Western Front! I think we should follow the current strategy and replace defense with continuous offense until the mechanization of each military district
The troops are trained with indomitable momentum,
Break through the Ural defense line that the Far East has worked hard to liberate, then liberate Western Siberia, join the main force of our Central Asian Red Army in Eastern Siberia, eliminate the Far East Army in the north of Mongolia, and then send troops south together to occupy Mongolia and Manchuria, completely establishing our
Strategic Depth for the War in Europe.”
Stalin nodded and looked at Budyonny, a member of the Supreme Command who had recently received a cold reception. In the strategic decisive battle that affected the life and death of the Far East and Moscow at the end of last year, Budyonny led the Red Army with superior strength and lost to Yegorov.
His status in his mind plummeted. But Budyonni was just a decoration.
The front marshal of the Red Army, and like Voroshilov, was his staunchest follower, so Stalin did not make it too difficult and still made Budyonny the commander of the Moscow Military District, but took away his first deputy defense officer
The post of People's Commissar was handed over to the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Shaposhnikov.
Budyonny stood up and said sincerely: "Comrade Stalin, as far as the overall situation in the Far East is concerned, instead of wasting energy on a westward strategy with no hope of victory, it is better to burn everything and gain greater living space in the East. Ural
The region has natural barriers such as majestic mountains, rapid rivers, and terrifying swamps. It has inherent advantages in defense. If it launches an attack unrealistically, it will face a series of disastrous consequences.
"Our great Soviet Red Army is not afraid of the Far East attacking us. In fact, we hope that they will take the initiative to get out of the turtle shell so that we can find the fighter planes to destroy our opponents. I carefully studied the last battle and found that I
Stick to the positive
The decisive victory was a terrible mistake. According to the situation at the time, I sent the cavalry troops out to constantly harass their rear, and responded with countless trenches and anti-tank trenches on the front. With the weak logistics and military strength of the Far Eastern Army, it was not possible at all.
Our opponent of the Red Army!
"If the Far East Army launches an attack on the western front as the General Staff said, we can completely abandon some secondary areas, lure the enemy deep into the enemy's territory, trap them in front of our barriers, and then send cavalry with superior mobility to surround the enemy.
In the rear, the Far East Army, which has lost its logistical supplies, will surely face a disastrous defeat! In my opinion, it is not difficult to deal with the mechanized troops in the Far East, the key is to choose the correct tactics!"
Stalin showed a gratified smile on his face: "That's right, Comrade Budyonny, you can learn from failures. This is a quality that an excellent commander must have. I hope you can succeed in the next battle."
Prove yourself. Comrade Zhukov, what do you think of this issue?"
Zhukov, whose name was called, stood up: "Comrade Stalin, I think we should take precautions and mobilize elite troops from various military regions to gather on the west bank of the Vyatka River to build fortifications and conduct training at the same time. If the Far East Army
If we attack from east to west, the defenses we build will make the opponent suffer. If the opponent does not launch an attack, then after we obtain enough tanks and armored vehicles to equip our troops, we can launch an attack closer to the Urals.
Fight back.”
Stalin's eyes lit up: "This is a good idea. What we waste is just some building materials, and what we get in exchange will be comprehensive strategic initiative. The initiative whether it succeeds or not is in our hands! Comrade Zhukov,
I would like to appoint you as the commander of the Reserve Front to command the mechanized troops of the Red Army as the strategic reserve. What do you think?"
Seeing the jealous looks on the faces of Marshals Voroshilov and Budyonny, Zhukov hesitated: "Comrade Stalin, I have never commanded a combat force of this size in the past. I am afraid I am not qualified to be the commander of the reserve front."
For this job, Comrades Voroshilov, Comrade Budyonny and Comrade Shaposhnikov are all more experienced than me and more suitable than me."
Stalin took the pipe and walked to Zhukov: "I am announcing the decision on behalf of the Politburo. You only need to answer whether you are willing or not! As for experience, it is not a problem. The key is that the commander must keep a clear head at all times. In this case
Among the many Red Army commanders, I think you are the most suitable!"
At this time, Zhukov could no longer refuse, and immediately made a solemn statement: "In this case, I accept the appointment, and I promise to lead the troops to completely eliminate the Far Eastern Army and completely restore peace and tranquility in the Soviet Union!"
...
Nanhua, Xinjing, Xiaonanhai.
An Yi, who was listening to Zhou Chongan's report on financial work, was surprised when he received intelligence feedback from the Far East: "Zhukov has become the commander of the front army? Now we are going to be in trouble!"
Zhou Chongan asked strangely: "Is this Zhukov great?"
An Yi nodded: "This is a very formidable opponent. He is good at using practical experience to train the army. He can coordinate the actions of infantry, artillery, tank troops and aviation very well. He has outstanding talents in organizing and commanding large army operations. In training
In-depth practice in combat and decisive style won the hearts of officers and soldiers
Support. What is particularly rare is that this person has understood the essence of Tukhachevsky's deep strategy, likes to use tanks intensively for deep breakthroughs, and has new uses. It can be said that he is the master of Soviet military thought. If
"Who among the Soviet generals am I most afraid of? Zhukov undoubtedly ranks first!"
Zhou Chongan's eyes widened: "Is this Zhukov really so scary?"
"You just need to think about it. He was able to contradict Stalin many times without being punished during the Great Purge, and instead his official rank was promoted. This is enough to prove that this person is extraordinary. Previously, the information fed back by the Far East was that this person had been in Leningrad one after another.
The Belarusian Military District and the Belarusian Military District train new recruits, mainly for the air force and armored units. Generally
The troops can quickly form combat capabilities. Since joining the Soviet Red Army, all the troops he has led, without exception, have become aces. This time when reorganizing the army, he did not shy away from relatives and mobilized all the troops he led.
He will be around and transformed into a mechanized force. We will most likely face this person in the future." An Yi explained solemnly.
Zhou Chongan was a little worried: "This Zhukov is so difficult to deal with. Do we need to notify the Far East to pay more attention?"
An Yi waved his hand: "Both Yegorov and Blyukher know this person, so they will naturally be careful. And I want to know what Marshal Yegorov, who co-created the large-depth combat theory with Tukhachevsky, is doing.
Facing Zhukov on the battlefield, who will win and who will lose? It will definitely be an earth-shattering battle!"
Having said this, An Yi closed his eyes and fell into deep reverie.