Cicada Moving

Chapter 1275 The Situation in 1941

Early one morning at the end of June 1941.

Rapid footsteps suddenly sounded in the military dormitory area. Gu Qi, who was on duty that night, came to the door of an official residence and knocked on the door.

Zuo Zhong was awakened by a knock on the door in the bedroom on the second floor. He suddenly sat up from the bed. He picked up his gun, put on his coat and walked downstairs. After confirming that there was no danger, he opened the door halfway and saw a panting man. old partner.

"Lao Gu, what's going on?"

"Deputy Chairman, the latest news from the Red Russian intelligence station is that just now, the Germans and the Red Russians started a war!"

Gu Qi handed over a telegram as he spoke. The expression on his face was very complicated, including excitement, shock, and some gloating.

Zuo Zhong quickly checked the telegram. Sure enough, as Gu Qi said, the Red Russian Station got the news of the war from a certain mole and took the risk to send the telegram.

A few hours ago, the German army launched a sneak attack on Red Russia with several armies and hundreds of divisions, and the World War finally started.

"Wait a minute, I'll go back to the bureau with you." Zuo Zhong said to Gu Qi as he turned and walked upstairs.

History has not changed here. The Germans still followed the "Barbarossa Plan" and rushed across the western border of Red Russia late at night in this early summer, catching the Red Russians by surprise.

In fact, after returning from Shanghai, Zuo Zhong asked the intelligence personnel stationed in Red Russia and Germany to pay close attention to the situation in the two countries, so he was not surprised at all when he received the news of the war.

When the two returned to No. 29 Luojiawan, the office building was already bustling with people. The little spies who had been temporarily recalled used various tools and methods to inquire about information, trying to obtain more information.

For example, how many troops and technical weapons the Germans have invested, the losses of the Red Russians so far, the current progress of the war, etc.

This intelligence determines the government's next foreign strategy. The phone number in the attendant's room is on the line at the moment, ready to receive reports from the military commander at any time. Countless people have been staying awake all night because of the war thousands of miles away.

However, due to the distance and the special circumstances of the Red Russia, the tentacles of the military command were not able to penetrate deep into the top management of Germany and the Red Russia. It was very difficult to collect intelligence. As the director of the Intelligence Division, Wu Chunyang was sweating profusely and kept roaring at his subordinates.

"I don't want explanations, I just want information!"

"If there is no information from the inside, then we will inquire around other sites in the United States and Europe. I will see the briefing in an hour."

Zuo Zhong passed by the door of a large office and had no intention of going in to say a word. He returned to his office and asked He Yijun to get the existing information and start browsing.

It has to be said that the Germans' strategic deception work was very successful. Except for Zuo Zhong, no one thought that the German army would attack Red Russia this year.

A few weeks ago, the German army transferred a large number of troops and materials to Yugoslavia and Greece. The Berlin media also announced in a high profile that Germany's next military operation target would be the Balkan Peninsula, which successfully confused the intelligence agencies of various countries.

Then, Germany deliberately leaked false intelligence, suggesting that Germany's real strategic target was the United Kingdom, and made many arrangements for this.

For example, the German troops stationed in France, Denmark, and Norway continued to conduct amphibious landing operations drills. Many troops received brand-new maps of the United Kingdom, equipped with English translators, and pretended to launch a large-scale attack on the United Kingdom.

A close comrade of a certain bearded man, the German Air Marshal, continued to send night bombers to bomb the British mainland, and several new airborne troops were formed.

Rommel's North African Corps was not idle. German soldiers conducted desert training in front of herdsmen more than once, and various engineering equipment was shipped from Europe to strengthen the German army's logistics supply capabilities.

In the latest intelligence, military commanders' agents lurking on Germany's western front discovered that the German high command had concentrated its troops 200 kilometers away from the border at a rate of one division every four days, giving priority to the formation of a third echelon.

After that, the German army assembled the second echelon at the rate of one division a day and a half, and the first echelon was assembled last. This was a standard echelon defense deployment.

Therefore, even though there were warnings from the northwest of the Republic of China, under the various strategic deceptions of the Germans, the top leaders of Red Russia judged that although there must be a war between Russia and Germany, it is not now.

The window gradually brightened, and the fiery sun rose from the horizon. Zuo Zhong looked tired and rubbed his temples. At this time, the phone on the table rang, and Lao Dai asked him to come see him immediately.

Teacher Ziyi summoned him, but Zuo Zhong didn't dare to neglect. He quickly collected the documents and went to the director's office, while thinking about how to answer the other party's inquiry.

Everyone in the government was probably waiting for news. Lao Dai was under great pressure. Sure enough, as soon as he walked in, Dai Chunfeng couldn't wait to ask: "Shen Zhong, how is the war between Germany and Russia?"

"There is no new news for the time being, but the situation is not optimistic. The losses of the Red Russians should be huge." Zuo Zhong gave his own judgment.

"Oh?" Dai Chunfeng's eyebrows knitted together and he raised his hand to signal him to sit down: "What's the reason? The committee and the officers need conclusive evidence. This matter is very important!"

Zuo Zhong half sat on the chair and replied respectfully: "The student said this based on the following three points. One is the successful strategic deception operation of the Germans, the other is the combat effectiveness shown by the German army in the past, and the third is the Red Russians' carelessness in underestimating the enemy.

However, students are still optimistic about the final victory of the Red Russia. The unique shadow army system of the Red Russia, strict grassroots organization, highly firm beliefs, and the modern industry built in recent years are all guarantees of defeating Germany.

Regardless of the fact that Red Russia is currently losing ground, once Mosk is allowed to breathe, the Germans will gradually fall into a disadvantage, and the major Western powers will not allow Germany to occupy Red Russia, which is rich in population, food, and mineral resources. "Zuo Zhong made some speculations about the German-Russian war based on the existing intelligence and the situation he had learned in his previous life. Lao Dai nodded while listening.

"Okay, you can put what you said into writing immediately, and I will take it to the official residence to meet with the commissioner."

After hearing the order, Dai Chunfeng had a hint of enthusiasm in his tone. If Zuo Zhong's prediction was consistent with the reality, then the military commander and him would have great credit.

As for whether the prediction was accurate, Lao Dai had no doubt at all. He had no doubts about Zuo Zhong's ability. This was the trust that had been formed over a long period of time. Since the other party dared to say it, he must be sure of it.

In the next few days, news from the front line confirmed some of Zuo Zhong's speculations. The poor performance of the Red Russians on the battlefield shocked everyone.

The Red Russian army was seriously ill-prepared when the Germans launched their attack. Many units were in a state of confusion, and the command system failed to respond effectively, resulting in huge losses.

In Belarus and Ukraine, the Red Russian army was suppressed by the rapid advance and encirclement tactics of German armored forces. Thousands of soldiers were captured and a large amount of equipment was destroyed or captured.

On the first day of the war alone, the Red Russians lost more than 1,200 aircraft, more than 500 tanks, several army groups were wiped out, and more than 100,000 people were killed or injured.

What is shocking is that more than 800 of the planes were blown up at the airport before taking off, and more than 400 planes that were forcibly taken off failed to cause any real damage to the Luftwaffe.

In addition to aircraft and tanks, the Red Russians also lost various types of artillery and other heavy equipment. The specific figures are difficult to calculate. No logistics officer dares to count battle losses on a battlefield with millions of people. That is asking for death.

Six days later, Minsk, the capital of the Belarusian region, fell, and the commander of the Red Russian Western Front was ordered to be executed due to poor combat performance.

Germany's undeclared war against Red Russia shocked the world. Even its ally Japan was shocked. After the shock, facing the weak Red Russia, the Japanese ambitions were defeated by the Red Russian army in the Battle of Nomenkan. It burned again.

In 1941, Japan was in a dilemma. The battle with the Kuomintang army in the south was in a quagmire. The underground party in North China was making raids everywhere. The Japanese army had insufficient logistical supplies and the morale of the high-level military was shaken.

Under such circumstances, how could the Tokyo base camp not be excited to see Germany defeating the European elite of Red Russia like chopping melons and vegetables.

The Japanese cabinet immediately held an imperial meeting to discuss the next move of the Japanese army and determine whether to coordinate with its ally Germany. As a result, the Japanese cabinet turned its spearhead again and prepared to go to war with Red Russia again.

The Kwantung Army was gearing up and down, hoping to take advantage of the Russian-German war to completely resolve the threat posed by Red Russia to Manchukuo and Goryeo and avenge Nomenkan.

Tokyo, Prime Minister Fumiya Konoe's residence.

Sorge and Fuichiro Hayashi said goodbye in front of the door. One of them is a close aide and friend of Konoe Fumiya, and the other is an important political ally of Konoe. This visit was invited by Konoe to participate in Japan's war preparation meeting against Red Russia. .

After the two left, Mosk and Yamashiro received a piece of top-secret information almost at the same time, which contained the "Outline of Imperial National Policy under Changing Current Situations" that had just been adopted by the Japanese cabinet, and even the corresponding military deployment.

The Kwantung Army will organize pre-war mobilization in the name of "exercises". The mobilization is divided into three preparation stages and is expected to mobilize 700,000 people, with the intention of completely wiping out the Red Russian military power in the Far East and occupying the outer Northeast within 6 months.

Ryosuke Hase in Shanghai and Fu Ling in Tokyo have also sent back information one after another. Japanese troops stationed in the pass and on the mainland have recently made changes.

Not only that, double agent Xiao Qingmin found out through the senior Japanese military officials in Harbin and the Koryeo Restoration Organization that the Kwantung Army ammunition depot in Koryeo had accumulated a large number of bullets and artillery shells, far exceeding the amount needed for daily combat preparations.

As time entered July, martial law was suddenly imposed throughout the Puppet Manchuria. Five garrison regiments were tasked with strengthening public security, and hundreds of thousands of peasants were forced into labor.

Originally, these things were good news for the government. The Japanese army's use of force against the Red Russians would inevitably reduce investment in the battlefield of the Republic of China. However, due to the chain reaction, many things changed.

No one expected that the first impact of the war between Germany and Russia would be on the international pharmaceutical industry. Penicillin, a new type of anti-inflammatory drug, was available but priceless. Businessmen from various countries waved their money but got nothing.

This led to a consequence: the affordable medicines sold by the Zuo family to the government at low prices were "robbed" many times, and the warehouses were "burned" many times, causing complaints from the front lines.

What’s even more serious is that reliable intelligence shows that the Japanese and Germans are eyeing Australia’s penicillin factories and want to steal the formula, strains and production processes.

Statistics show that the emergence of penicillin has significantly reduced the mortality rate of wound infections in European battlefields from 20% before the war to 3%, and the mortality rate of sepsis from 50% to 10%.

For Japan and Germany, which have precious human resources, penicillin can allow more veterans to return to the battlefield and enhance the combat effectiveness and morale of the army. It is an extremely important strategic material.

Blocking someone's money is like killing your parents. After receiving the news, Zuo Zhong became anxious and immediately applied to take people to Australia to prevent the two countries from attacking pharmaceutical companies.

In order to maintain confidentiality, the operators will transfer to New Zealand and sneak into Australia in batches using fake identities and smuggling methods to minimize the risk of exposure.

Moreover, Zuo Zhong had not seen any of his family members except Zuo Jun for many years since last time in Shanghai. This trip coincided with both public and private matters.

Half a month later, a cruise ship departed from the port city and its destination was Waitemata Port in Aklan, New Zealand's North Island. There were many more Asian faces among the passengers than before.

① In the Red Russian Army, the division will have two deputy division commanders, the regiment will have two deputy commanders, and so on, until the platoon-level unit has two deputy platoon commanders. This system can be rapidly expanded during the war.