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Text Chapter 839 Zhukov¡¯s Suggestions

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    Late at night, the Kremlin windows are covered with snow, and the faint light shines through from behind the cold-proof curtains, as if a sharp eye is watching the country all the time.

    Ever since the news came that the Kazakh Front Army had been annihilated, the lights here have never been extinguished.  Politburo members and senior military officers came here every day to meet and listen to instructions, and the Supreme Command replaced the Politburo and took over national affairs.  For the Soviet Union, the coldest winter in ten years was difficult to endure. The tragic defeat in Kazakhstan created a huge protrusion on the Eastern Front that had been operating for two decades.  Siberia and Uzbekistan cannot respond to each other, the Caspian Sea coast is facing threats, the Afghan front army is surrounded, the Persian front army has also exposed its huge side, and all the Central Asian republics are ready to move!

    Of course, this blow would not depress Stalin. What he was really worried about was how to handle the battle reports.  Due to the previous success, under his instruction, "Pravda", "Izvestia" and Tass News Agency all competed to report the important news of the Red Army's recovery of "land".  In the November newspaper, the Red Army armed with advanced gcism and Stalinist spirit is invincible!  is always victorious!  He used his fearless spirit to flatten enemy fortifications and bunkers one after another!  But just one month later, he was asked to change his tune and admit the defeat of the Red Army, and to admit that the decadent capitalist army was more powerful than the Red Army. Who could accept it?

    The Great Purge and countless absent Chekas have made the Soviet Union accustomed to silence, but who can guarantee that there will not be undercurrents surging quietly underneath?  Ivan Mir and Kuibyshev are examples of this.  Will the wave of Kazakh young people joining the Independence Army spread throughout the Soviet Union?  Will Ukraine, the breadbasket of Eastern Europe that has always been at odds with the central government, have problems?  There are also Finland, which threatens Leningrad, and Germany, which is becoming more and more powerful, etc., all seriously troubled Stalin!  Therefore, he was reluctant to disclose the disastrous defeat of the Kazakh front army.  But after all, paper can't stop the fire. Yang Qiu broke the news and asked the Americans to inspect the prisoner of war camp with their own eyes.  It was difficult for him to even accuse Yang Qiu of lying.

    These problems deeply troubled Stalin, even more anxious than the front that was already barely stable due to weather.  But it was hard to find anyone to talk to about these things, so he sat at his desk, holding a pen, and paused for a long time in front of the execution of Polish prisoners of war.  Beria was surprised when he saw this and wondered if the General Secretary was not planning to execute Polish prisoners of war?  He glanced at the director of the General Political Department beside him, Mehelis, and said: "Comrade General Secretary, before Germany entered Warsaw, China picked up many Poles, and now they have set up reception points in Iran. Maybe it won't take long for a group of Poles to appear in Iran.  A regiment composed of Poles like in 1918, if these prisoners of war continue to be retained, I am afraid.¡±

    "I know, you must deal with this matter." Stalin would not have a headache about how to deal with Polish prisoners of war. He heard that Polish resistance organizations were colluding with China.  He was so angry that he not only signed the signature, but also wrote his opinion on "expanding the interrogation" beside it before giving it to Beria: "This traitorous country born after the European War should be taught a lesson, and it should also pay attention to  Let¡¯s look at criminals from other parts of Central Asia.¡±

    Beria understands the meaning of "criminals". From the Soviet Civil War to the end of the Great Purge, millions of "criminals" were exiled to Central Asia to undergo labor camps.  In the past, there would be no problem in the remoteness of Central Asia. On the contrary, it could disrupt the population ratio of Central Asia.  But now it has become a war zone, and if restrictions are not imposed, trouble may occur.  "The General Secretary is right, let me tell you. We should learn from Germany and imprison all Poles in concentration camps!" Mehlis didn't care that Stalin unintentionally expanded the scale of executions of Polish prisoners of war. He also took pleasure in fanning the flames and used prisoners of war and  The Poles in the occupied areas joked about life and death: "This can also save food and support the front line. Hehehe, hehe."

    Stalin was anxious to admit defeat, while Beria was eager to execute Polish prisoners of war.  Addressing the rebel threat in areas controlled by Central Asia, both men ignored Mehlis.  Seeing that no one paid attention to his "joke", he could only laugh twice and said: "General Secretary, Comrade Motolov has sent a telegram back from Berlin. Hitler asked us to provide 2 million tons of iron ore and oil before March.  Nickel and chromium are also required.¡±

    "Insatiable greed!" Stalin cursed in his heart, but his face showed no expression. He picked up a handful of tobacco and stuffed it into the cigarette butt before standing up: "Comrade Beria, what do you think?"

    Beria, who just guessed wrongly, had to cheer up, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "The Germans have seen that we cannot threaten them for the time being, so they can continue to threaten us with confidence. But I think they should refuse appropriately and let them know that we  The Soviet Union is not threatened." Seeing Stalin's face softening, he changed the topic slightly: "Of course, the current situation is very complicated, and we cannot completely reject it, so my opinion is that we cannot agree to it readily in terms of materials, but we can allow it.  The comrades of the gc international echoed Germany's actions and directed their attention to the West."

    These words touched Stalin¡¯s heart. Although he had lost nearly two million troops since the war, with the help of the weather, the Soviet Union had not yet arrived.At the moment of life and death, what is most needed now is to increase the number of armed forces as soon as possible and strive to complete the assembly and launch a counterattack before spring.  What's more, Germany is too ambitious, and giving too much raw materials will also pose a threat to itself, so Stalin agreed with his method and instructed: "You will go to Comrade Kalinin later and ask him to mobilize the gc international as soon as possible. International Fighter  The International Brigade model in Spain is very good and should be mobilized again to defend the Soviet Union. As for the Germans." Stalin paused for a moment, holding his pipe and looking at the map for a while before continuing: "Please tell Germany, Comrade Molotov,  We will be able to ask GC International to call on more workers in the occupied areas to help them resume work. Materials can also be delivered in half the quantity, but they must provide 1,000 109 fighter jet engines and send experts to help us improve the design of the fighter jets.  , it would be best to replace some much-needed aluminum.¡±

    The shortage of aluminum in the Soviet Union is very serious, and aluminum has now become an important heavy metal from a minor material before the war. No country will export it, so Stalin made this request.  After the two of them finished recording, he knocked off the ashes and turned around and asked, "Comrade Mehlis, you are the director of the Political Department. What do you think about the battle report?"

    Mehlis is uneducated and has no skills, but there are talents who are serious about politics.  Hearing that Stalin's tone meant to admit the invasion and defeat, he was horrified and waved his hands repeatedly: "General Secretary, you must never admit defeat in the battle! If you admit it, it will affect morale and fall into the trap of imperialist propaganda."

    "Oh, really?" Stalin knew very well who Mehlis was. If he hadn't been loyal, he would have kicked him out of Moscow long ago.  So he turned to look at Beria: "What's your opinion?"

    Beria was also worried about morale and internal chaos, but he was much smarter than Mehlis: "I think the invasion should be acknowledged, but the number of casualties should not be announced in detail. This can not only mobilize the country's determination to fight the invasion. It can also reduce  It will have a small impact on the morale of the Red Army officers and soldiers, and it can also curb the rebellious mentality of ethnic minorities." One wanted to announce it, and the other did not think it should be announced, which made it more difficult for Stalin to choose.  Just then, there was a knock on the door.  The secretary walked into the office with Zhukov, who had just returned from the front line.

    Seeing Zhukov, Stalin smiled more on his face, which made Mehlis secretly jealous and deliberately pretended to be very concerned: "Thank you, Comrade Zhukov, how is the situation on the front line?"

    "Comrade Stalin, please rest assured that the weather has helped us stabilize the Kazakh and Siberian fronts west of the Aral Sea, but Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan are still very serious." Zhukov came back this time to report on his work and hope to persuade Stalin to retreat from Tashkent and other places again.  .  So after saluting, he didn¡¯t waste any time, walked to the map, pointed to the report and reported: ¡°Intelligence shows that the enemy is taking advantage of the winter opportunity to increase the strength of Turkestan, Andijan and Afghanistan. The current known strength of the troops in the first two places has increased to 5.  Army, and one army has arrived from Afghanistan, and the situation is very critical."

    After listening to the report, Stalin asked: "Comrade Zhukov. When you said you wanted to see me on the phone, did you just want to tell me this?"

    "Yes!" Zhukov made no secret of his concerns about the southern route of Central Asia: "Comrade Stalin. The situation in the Tashkent area is very critical now. I think Tashkent should be abandoned immediately to preserve the viable forces and destroy and dig out all railway bridges from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.  , deploying the main defense line to the Karakalpakstan region between the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea, and do this.¡±

    Before Zhukov could finish speaking, Mehlis, who had always been very jealous of him, suddenly interrupted and said sarcastically: "Comrade Zhukov, do you want to give Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to the Chinese? If we lose here, what will happen to Afghanistan and Iran!"  "

    Stalin¡¯s face was also very unhappy. He didn¡¯t expect that Zhukov was so anxious to see him that he actually persuaded him to give up such an important place as Tashkent.  Although he didn't show it on his face like Mehlis, he was very dissatisfied in his heart. He was pacing back and forth with his pipe and combing his beard with the cigarette holder from time to time.  After a moment, he suddenly stopped and looked directly at Zhukov with stern eyes: "Do you think Comrade Apanashenko and others cannot hold the Tashkent Fortress?"

    His irritation is justified, because Tashkent is a real fortress!  Although it was not as old as Sevastopol for hundreds of years, after learning that the National Defense Forces had built the Andijan-Khujan Fortress ten years ago, he also ordered to use the fortress foundation left by Tsarist Russia to repeatedly strengthen it. With a large number of fortification troops, the overall defense capability was very good.  Strong, that's why they are unwilling to withdraw their troops, hoping to turn Tashkent into a bone spur that makes the enemy uneasy.

    But Zhukov looked fearlessly and insisted with his head raised slightly: "Comrade Stalin, if Kyzylorda is not lost, it is okay to hold on to Tashkent. But after losing here, the enemy can start from a front line hundreds of kilometers wide.  At any time, the army will attack the southern railway line. Once the railway is cut off, General Apanashenko will be alone again! More importantly, the Afghan Front has been surrounded. If they fail, Marley's enemy forces can  Go northAttack Bukhara and threaten the flanks!  Therefore, Tashkent must be abandoned, otherwise it will be another fiasco in East Kazakhstan!  "

    The Battle of East Kazakhstan was already a thorn in Stalin's flesh. After hearing this, he finally couldn't help but get angry. He interrupted angrily: "Comrade Zhukov, you have to be clear about one thing! Every inch of land in the Soviet Union belongs to the Soviet people, and we have no rights."  Go give up!"

    Stalin¡¯s anger made the atmosphere in the room tense. Even Beria, who wanted to interrupt, kept his mouth shut. Mehlis even looked at Zhukov with gloating.  But Zhukov was determined to finish what he said: "Comrade General Secretary, I am a soldier! I am always ready to implement the highest decision of the headquarters. Since you appointed me as the commander of the front army and deputy chief of staff, then I should fulfill my duties."  Notice of danger! It is impossible for the Afghan front troops to come back. If the British are not considered, their only way out is to break through to India! Without the Afghan front to cover the south, the Tashkent fortress is just a big tomb! And we can¡¯t take out much now.  Strength! We have lost nearly 2 million in the early stage, and Persia and the Caucasus are holding back 800,000. The existing troops need to stabilize Kazakhstan and Siberia first. After losing Kyzylorda, the defense of Karakalparastan will require at least 10 divisions!  So at most you can only send 6 more divisions to Tashkent. Of course, you can also mobilize the troops on the European border and Leningrad, but what will happen to Germany after these troops are transferred? What about the Finnish passage? So I think that since the temporary  If you don¡¯t use too much force, it¡¯s better to withdraw from Tashkent, so that you can gather 40 divisions in Karakalpakstan to launch a counterattack against Kyzylorda and create a gap in the enemy¡¯s Kazakh salient!¡±

    "Nonsense! What nonsense!" After Stalin heard him repeatedly insisting on abandoning Tashkent and abandoning the only heavy fortress city in eastern Central Asia that can significantly consume the enemy's strength, Stalin angrily rebuked: "Tashkent is a fortress! A real fortress! Use five  Thousands of workers, and more than a hundred fortress cannons over 152 mm! You actually want to give it up for nothing? This is a crime, it is a crime!"

    Zhukov is also anxious. In a fortress war of attrition, we must first ensure that the roads are clear. If the railway is cut off, it will not have any attrition effect at all, and hundreds of thousands of troops will be lost in vain!  So he risked his life: "Comrade Stalin! If you think that I, the commander of the front army and deputy chief of general staff, are talking nonsense, then what else do you want me to do? I request that I be sent to the front line of Tashkent. I will contribute more there than in the ice and snow of Siberia."  .¡±

    When these words came out, Beria and Mehlis were stunned. They didn't expect Zhukov to dare to contradict Stalin's absolute authority!  Suddenly, the room became eerily quiet, and only heavy breathing could be heard.

    Stalin was furious. You must know that Zhukov is not at the bottom of the Nokan Gate victory. At most, he can only be regarded as a genius before the war and has contributed to Afghanistan's persistence, but it cannot affect his decision-making.  So he waved his hand roughly and did not give Zhukov a chance to speak: "Comrade Zhukov, I think you should go back and calm down. We can do it without Comrade Lenin, and we can still do it without you!"

    "Comrade Beria, regarding the battle report, please follow your own instructions. Tell the comrades from TASS that I will personally address the people of the country tomorrow. Okay, it's very late and I need to rest." Staling didn't give Zhukov any chance to continue speaking.  After taking care of Beria, he immediately turned around and went back to his room to rest, and deliberately slammed the door with a loud bang
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