Age of Rebirth

Breaking through the blockade of the German troops in the Ural Mountains, the remnants of the Soviet army paid at least tens of thousands of deaths. This road to West Siberia was opened with the young lives and blood of Soviet soldiers!

Towards evening, Stalin, who was still in shock, led the senior officials of the Soviet party, government and army, as well as the surviving Soviet soldiers. They did not dare to stop at all, and ran all the way to Kurgan, east of the Ural Mountains. Here, it is already West Siberia. , about 100 kilometers away from Yekaterinburg.

Finally temporarily escaped from the pursuit of hundreds of thousands of elite German troops, Stalin finally took a breather, and issued an order that the troops and the government rest in Kurgan for a day. Deploy defenses in Nizhny Tagil, Serov and other places east of the Ural Mountains to alert and monitor whether the German army will continue to pursue after crossing the Ural Mountains?

Kurgan is also a small city in West Siberia. However, thousands of residents did not show any enthusiasm for the arrival of soldiers from their homeland. On the contrary, they were quite disgusted, because these ragged and tired soldiers The Soviet soldiers not only occupied their own houses, but also filled their hungry stomachs with all the food that could be eaten at home, so that these residents who had little food for the winter immediately faced a cruel reality. How are you doing?Of course, due to the requirement of secrecy, the residents in Kurgan City who complained about the sudden defeat of the Soviet army did not know that their great leader, the savior of the Soviet people, Comrade Stalin .Right in the city, though, if the residents knew that such a big man was around.I'm afraid they won't welcome their leader who has little to do with him, right?

After resting for a while, Stalin was finally able to calm down temporarily and enjoy a hot dinner. Although the taste of food in Siberia did not meet the leader's appetite, he still ate with relish.

After dinner, Stalin braced his exhausted body.He must consider asking the guards to call all members of the Politburo who escaped from Moscow, as well as senior officers who can be contacted by the General Staff and various units, to his house for a meeting.Kurgan is only more than 100 kilometers away from Yekaterinburg. As long as the Germans are willing, they can come to Kurgan within a day.

besides.Stalin now had to face another practical problem.Anyone facing that Chinese Tang Qiuli, in addition, he should also know how many troops are available in his hand?

More than an hour later, the surviving members of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, senior officers of the General Staff, and the withdrawn army commanders dragged their feet into this fairly spacious room.There were less than 50 people in total, which made Stalin feel sad.At the beginning of the military meeting held in Moscow, hundreds of people attended each time, and they must be senior military officers and government officials of a certain level, but now, there are only a few dozens of people, and even a few people with the rank of colonel Officers are also eligible to attend the highest-level military meeting.Stalin, who was full of heartache, did not have any opening remarks, and said straightforwardly, "Comrades, it is undeniable that our great Soviet Union has suffered huge losses. Under the ferocious attack of German fascists, Moscow fell and the country fell. The Soviet Union has reached the most dangerous moment! "

Stalin's words did not cause the slightest disturbance in the minds of those who participated in the meeting. Everyone knew the reality, otherwise, they would not have come to Kurgan, a small city in a bitterly cold place in West Siberia. Seeing his own words, Stalin had no effect. What effect, his face darkened, and he changed the subject, "Comrade Rokossovsky, does your general staff know how many troops have retreated to Kurgan? What about the weapons and equipment?"...

General Rokossovsky, the deputy chief of the general staff who was asked, was obviously prepared, and replied in a low tone: "Comrade Stalin, all the personnel of the general staff have been dispatched. After preliminary statistics, the results have come out. There are about 100 Red Army soldiers in the Kurgan area, and they come from more than 500 units, and there are more than [-] designations, except that you sent Nizhny Tagil and Serov to the east of the Ural Mountains. The few division-level troops deployed on defense barely maintain their organizational system, while the other troops have lost their organizational system!"

"As for weapons and equipment, Comrade Stalin, the situation is very bad. We have lost all our planes, tanks and artillery. We only have more than three hundred trucks. About 70.00% of the soldiers have only light weapons in their hands. The rest are bare hands, light and heavy machine guns Together, there are less than 1 guns, and there is still a lack of ammunition. In addition, there are more than [-] wounded who need medical treatment, but we have very little medicine!"

Stalin's face became gloomy, and then General Rokossovsky's words pushed their hearts into the bottomless abyss, "These problems are not the most difficult. The biggest difficulty right now is food. The supplies that the troops brought with them when they retreated were only enough for about three days. Comrade Stalin, as you know, the weather in West Siberia is severe winter..."

General Rokossovsky didn't say anything further, but everyone knows that after three days, everyone will face the real problem of starvation. There was a suppressed silence in the room, and Stalin's face turned pale, and his heart , It hurt like a tear.

When staying in Yekaterinburg, there were still more than 20 soldiers on hand, and troops who broke out from the Moscow battlefield were brought together one after another. However, in just a few days, only a few days left. There are more than 9 people in A, which is less than one percent compared with the more than 900 million troops of the Soviet Red Army in its heyday!

There are more than 9 people, and there are more than 1 wounded. There are no heavy weapons, no medicines, and only enough food for three days. So, what about after three days?Food is a more terrible enemy than Germans and Chinese!

The members of the Political Bureau of the CPSU and officers who participated in the meeting all had gloomy faces, and a breath of despair permeated their hearts. Stalin forced himself to say: "Comrade Rokossovsky, your General Staff is in charge , reorganize all the Red Army units that have withdrawn to the Kurgan area as soon as possible, and form several full-staffed combat divisions to take on combat tasks, and the existing officers of the General Staff Headquarters will serve as political commissars at all levels!"

"Except for a few divisions responsible for guarding the direction of the Ural Mountains, the other troops are all in action. In Kurgan and the surrounding areas, in the largest range, all local residents are armed to collect food, which is all edible food. We must make it clear to the people that this is a responsibility that must be borne for the survival of the Soviet Union! We must warn the troops not to cross that damned 81st parallel of longitude west, and not to offend the Chinese!"

Stalin's words were very noble, but everyone present was like a mirror in their hearts. What kind of military collection of food? To put it bluntly, it was open robbery. However, no one raised any objections. After all, this is the only way out. Otherwise, including Comrade Stalin, more than 9 Red Army soldiers will starve to death in the severe winter of West Siberia. As for the local residents, sorry, they can only bear the painful price for the survival of the Soviet Union!

"There is a solution to the problem of troops and food for the time being. Next, let's focus on how we should go next!" Stalin said in a gloomy voice.

There was an unbearable silence, "How to go?" At a loss, all the people who participated in the meeting were at a loss. They couldn't go back to Moscow, and further east, it was the territory of the Chinese, except to spend the severe cold in West Siberia. What else is there to do besides winter?

Molotov, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, had an idea in his heart, but he dared not say it. Faced with the silence, Stalin became angry, "Comrades, in the most critical moment of the great Soviet Union, you should fully Use your wits instead of being silent!"

"Report!" The sound of the report from outside the room broke the unbearable silence. A major officer walked in covered with snow. Stalin's heart tightened. Down news, huh?

General Rokossovsky, the deputy chief of staff, and the temporary supreme commander of the army, asked majestically, "Which army do you belong to? What's the matter, don't you know that a military meeting is being held here?"

The officer's face was blue from the cold, and he said with trembling lips: "Comrade General, I am a battalion commander of the Far East Front Army. My troops are responsible for the security of Kurgan City. The soldiers found a light aircraft landing on the snow outside the city. , There were two people on the plane who said they were special envoys sent by Tang Qiuli, Vice Chairman of the Military Commission of the Chinese Government, and wanted to meet Comrade Stalin!"

"What? The Chinese?" The news, like a heavy bomb, made the Soviets dizzy, and there was a burst of noisy discussion. At this time, what is the special envoy of the Chinese Tang Qiuli here for?

"Where are those two Chinese?" Stalin asked ahead of General Rokossovsky. With his political experience and wisdom, he vaguely guessed the purpose of Tang Qiuli's special envoy. The light in his eyes flashed, obviously, his thinking was similar to Stalin's.

"He was held in a room in the city by our soldiers!" The major officer replied.

"Okay, Comrade Major, send those two Chinese to me right away. Remember, be polite!" Stalin kindly ordered the officer. The major officer was obviously flattered, that is, in Kurgan Otherwise, as a small major and battalion commander, he can still hear the orders of the supreme leader with his own ears!

"Let's adjourn!" Stalin said to those present at the meeting. "Comrades Molotov and Comrades Rokossovsky stay!"

(To be continued)