Rasputin of the East

＜ 192 episodes >

“Sir, this is it.”

Surrounded by bodyguards and aides, Huey Long touched the exhibited gun.

“It is said that this type of automatic rifle is in proper operation in the Russian Empire. It is common knowledge in modern warfare that automatic weapons are responsible for most of the firepower of an infantry squad, and gradually all firearms will converge to automatic weapons.”

“Hmm, can I shoot?”

“of course.”

Long grabbed the rifle that caught his attention the most and turned the gun round and round.

“The magazine has 20 rounds, and while using the 30-06 Springfield bullet, which is the current standard bullet, the recoil is greatly reduced compared to the existing M1918. In addition, it is possible to operate a gun grenade.”

“Is this a magazine? then…..”

how do you shoot A staff member approached Long, who was confused for a moment, and explained it to him.

“Grab the magazine and shoot. Yes, it is. Hold it like a pistol. If you pull the trigger slightly, it will fire semi-automatically, and if you pull it all the way, it will fire automatically.”

Knowing roughly how to fire this damn gun, Long pointed his gun at the target and pulled the trigger.

-Tata ta ta tatta tang!

As Long was about to reload the magazine, an officer in a military uniform walked in.

“Sir President.”

“Wait a minute.”

Long begged the staff to forgive him, put down his gun and turned around.

“Yeah, what’s going on?”

“The Russian Imperial Army suffered heavy losses at Hanau. It is said that one of the field troops was surrounded.”

“……What?”

***

“What do you mean?”

I looked at the Chief of Staff, but nothing changed. Tukhatsevsky replied calmly.

“The 5th Army is besieged.”

“If it’s the 5th Army, isn’t that the field army that Rokosovsky said he would put into the occupation of Frankfurt? That unit where the core forces of the Southern Front were gathered!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“By the way, how did you manage your troops so that the field troops were surrounded by their waists cut off during the offensive!”

“On December 21, 1939, the 5th Army reported reaching Hanau, encountering a large enemy force, the enemy was heavily armed with new anti-tank guns and thick trenches, and the resistance was strong.”

“therefore.”

“On December 24, the commander of the 5th Army, General Popov, reported the appearance of large-scale armored units of unknown origin and the appearance of new medium and heavy tanks. It was superior to the T-32 in terms of performance…”

“Bring the tactical map. I’ll have to see what the hell he’s been up to. Report the route of the friendly advance and the location of the identified enemy by the time reported.”

“The Fifth Army is basically a mechanized unit that is designed to press Frankfurt.”

“Shut up what you know.”

“The mission of the 5th Army was deployed where enemy defenses were weak, advanced to the depths of the enemy’s defenses and behind them, serving as a key force and a key maneuver reserve, used to extend tactical success to strategic units, and continued until December 20. This mission was deemed successful…”

“successful? Didn’t he fall into the trap because he was caught by the bait of Frankfurt?”

Tuhachensky kept his mouth shut as if he couldn’t resist.

“Summon Rokosovsky to Moscow immediately.”

“no.”

“Why not?”

“The war is not over yet. today…….”

“okay? How many supplies do Army 5 have now? fuel? ammunition? food? How many tanks are left? Can the 5th Army break the anvil on their own and escape? How about air superiority?”

“The Luftwaffe came out on a massive scale.”

General Novikov opened his mouth.

“Currently, we cannot guarantee the right to air in the airspace. Currently, allied air forces are being mobilized to drive out the Luftwaffe…”

“haha.”

A nonsensical laugh burst out of my mouth.

“There is no air right, and because it is near the end of the offensive, there is not enough ammunition, fuel, and parts. Didn’t you notice until the two flanks suddenly broke through and were surrounded? Considering the maneuverability of the German forces, the Germans would have started the operation on December 19 at the worst, but did you not even notice the German forces?”

“Starting on December 14, the German army had a massive replenishment of air power on all fronts. As a result, the entire airspace of the front was not able to properly reconnaissance… However, since this period was the same as when we completely occupied Fulda, we decided that the enemy had become very impatient.”

Novikov gave me some excuses, but at that I yelled.

“If air reconnaissance became difficult, we should have done ground reconnaissance! Where do you save the Spetsnaz under the direct control of the Front Army Headquarters? yes?”

“that…..”

“Report how many Strategic Reserves there are now, the annihilation of the 5th Army is now a constant. We need to fill in the hole created by the collapse of the 5th Army right now.”

“The cracks created by the collapse of District 5 are 170 km long. today…..”

“So, there is no reserve force to stop the collapsed defense line? None. is that? yes!”

“there is.”

“What did you say? Konef?”

Konev, who came to Moscow for a short time to discuss about the invasion of Bremen, heard the news and opened his mouth.

“Fulda, there is a Guards Tank Corps under the direct control of the Northern Front in Fulda. We are currently confronting some of the enemy forces, but the strength of the Guard Corps is enough to handle it.”

“The Guard Corps?”

“Yes, it is the Guards Corps.”

It was composed of the Guard Corps, 4 tank divisions and artillery regiments, and above all…

“There is a large deployment of the new MK-1 heavy tanks. They would be able to move rapidly from Fulda towards Frankfurt, reverse the enemy’s backstory and block the Hanau-Nuremberg corridor.”

“Isn’t it too small for that?”

This counterattack must be viewed as a devastating counterattack by the smallest Army Group unit, or no, the entire Axis force in southern Germany.

In fact, according to the report, it was confirmed that there was a miscellaneous mixture of Italian and British troops in addition to German troops.

But he asked if it would be like tossing a single corps of sugar into the sea water.

“Your Majesty, do you wish to rescue the 5th Army?”

“The 5th Army is the most elite unit of the Southern Front Army. It would be very disappointing to lose, but if the 5th Army is annihilated to save the Southern Front, you can abandon the 5th Army.”

“Then there is a way.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, but this will consume a significant portion of the Northern Front forces, and all campaigns, including the Ruhr vacuum scheduled for December, will be delayed…”

“Even if the Southern Front Army collapses, the operation is the same. I will give you the full power to mobilize units under Rokosovsky if necessary.”

Konef was not unaware of the implications of those words.

After all, even after saying these words, if Konef could not prevent the collapse of the Southern Front, it was a warning that we should go together at that time.

His master was such a person. When given a chance, he does not hesitate and gives all the authority.

As for the operation of the troops of the major generals such as Rokosovsky, Konev, and Mannerheim, he not only gave them almost full power, but also listened to their advice carefully on strategy.

However, as they enjoyed a wide range of powers, the responsibility for failure was heavy. Perhaps Rokosovsky, who made such a huge mistake, was the least relegated and the greatest purge. Novikov and others from the Air Corps had to be careful not to let sparks ignite themselves.

And to go out as a firefighter in this situation, no, to be a high-ranking general of the Russian Empire at such a time is the same as it is, but it is high enough that you have to add modifiers such as high risk high return, no, super, ultra, exa, etc. This means that risk and a high return in direct proportion to it are waiting.

A thorough reward awaits you only if you succeed. From generals to privates, he is very strict with such personal and personal punishments.

But what if it fails?

‘Then maybe I was a woodcutter like my father in the first place.

Konef secretly smiled bitterly.

***

At that time, the Japanese Empire, Tokyo.

“Did the British minister visit again, Your Excellency?”

“Yeah, they wanted us to declare war on Russia as soon as possible.”

“It is useless.”

“Yeah, it’s useless. In the first place, it was only natural to give priority to the United States, which continues to question the rights of the Empire in Gina.”

In the first place, the visit of the British ambassador was meaningless.

because it has already started

The Japanese military has been united for the first time in a long time.

The army did not want to fight Russia. There was only one thing they wanted. It was devouring China.

However, since the inauguration of the FDR, the United States has been arguing with the rights of the Empire in Gina.

‘Accept the Qing Dynasty, but stop the aggression in the area south of the Yangtze River.’

It wasn’t even funny. What are they trying to hold onto the emperor’s ankles?

Of course, America was serious. Many of the investments in cities south of the Yangtze River were made by American capital, but if the Japanese invasion focused on looting continued, the damage to the United States would not be small.

It was a situation that could never be overlooked from the American standpoint.

However, the Japanese Empire, which wanted to dominate all of China in the long term, literally ignored the request of the United States, and while President Huey Long had already decided to participate in the war internally and the war was boiling, Japan, a member of the Axis Powers and having exchanges with Mexico, was hostile. The Pacific Fleet was forward deployed and an oil embargo was declared.

And the American attack plan, which until then had been discussed within the military, and only a small part of it, quickly spread to the entire military and even to the cabinet.

In addition to the demonic persecution of the Empire and the wrath against the United States, the Cabinet was forced to agree with the just cause of the war against the United States with tears in their eyes.

No, it would be right to say that if I did not agree, I had no choice but to do so because I was in the mood to be stabbed. Surprisingly, both the army and the navy were agreeing to the war.

The army was shouting that it would be absurd to resign by accepting the US request from China, which they had fought to the best of their ability, and the navy, which had no need to establish a major because there was no navy in China, wanted to establish a major, and their pro-engineering tendencies Accordingly, there was no hesitation in attacking the United States, which explicitly supported Russia.

The Army said, ‘You must not fight Russia! However, the Chinese aggression must continue, so let’s fight the US!’, the Navy said, ‘Let’s fight Russia! And let’s fight America too!’

So the compromise the Cabinet came up with was to attack the United States.

“Russia, which had been winning at the same time, was defeated, so the possibility of the Savior’s war ending in a short time disappeared. Commander, haven’t you been preparing for a long time already?”

The situation Japan feared the most was the situation where it had to deal with the US and Russia at the same time, but the news of Russia’s defeat removed even their last psychological barrier.

That day, after the last conversation broke, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet Commander Isoroku Yamamoto sent a telegram from the headquarters.

＜The rise and fall of the empire lies in this sanctuary, so let each one fulfill his/her responsibility by renewing his/her mind.>