Struggle in Soviet Russia

Tiger Head Fortress, Tiger Mountain position.

The pouring rain poured in from the shooting holes constructed of reinforced concrete, gurgling like a small stream in the individual passage of the fortress. Shirtless Japanese soldiers squatted in the aisle, sweating profusely, as if they had just taken a sauna.

Today is the day of the Da Zhaofeng. According to the order of the superior, the guards distributed cigarettes, snacks, and a small amount of fruit and candy. Once upon a time, the treatment of the Kwantung Army was very good. Such common things are not lacking, at least they can be Ensure the supply of grassroots troops. However, with the continuous defeat of the navy on the Taiping battlefield and the full-scale counter-offensive of the Chinese army on the frontal battlefield and the battlefield behind the enemy, the supplies that the Kwantung Army can obtain is becoming more and more scarce, which directly affects the material supply of each fortress. Therefore, Except for some special days, things like cigarettes and fruits are no longer available.

As early as two months ago, the Kwantung Army Headquarters issued an order to 17 fortified areas including the Tiger Head Fortress, requiring all the garrison troops to strengthen their alertness in case of a sudden attack by the Soviet army.

This section of the fortress position of Tiger Mountain is facing the direction of Tiger Valley. In this semi-underground artillery position, there is an artillery that claims to be the largest caliber in Asia. This thing alone weighs more than 300 tons. The diameter of the shells is more than forty centimeters, and the maximum range is more than twenty kilometers.

The reason why the Japanese placed the artillery here was to directly threaten the Iman railway bridge between Khabarovsk and Vladivostok in the Soviet Union, thereby cutting off the direct connection between the two places.

It was already late at night, but the pouring rain didn't mean to stop at all. The rushing sound of the rain falling on the slopes, through the sound effect of the underground passage, became more noisy and irritating.

A patrol of seven people walked past the door of the gun room. Someone stepped on the rainwater that had accumulated on the ground, making a clattering sound, waking up the two soldiers who were dozing in the gun room. In the darkness, someone spoke in an Osaka accent. The Japanese muttered something, and then a figure swayed in the darkness. After a while, a figure came out of the gun room and stood at the door, not knowing what he was doing.

After a few breaths, there was a rushing sound of water in the passage. It was obvious that this was a guy with no quality to speak of, and he even urinated at the door of the gun room.

"boom!"

In the sound of the water, a dazzling light suddenly flashed, and then, a deafening explosion came, and the top of the passage was shaken and dust rustled.

Amid this explosion, the patrol that had just passed by stopped, and several people sat up hula-la in the gun room, as if no one had figured out what was going on.

"boom......"

Another explosion exploded. This time, the explosion apparently exploded at the firing port of the heavy artillery. As the dazzling light flashed, a large number of broken shrapnel together with gravel and soil debris shot around in the artillery room. Dao's figure, who had just rolled over from the marching bed and sat up, was knocked to the ground by the shock wave caused by the explosion, and his life and death were unknown.

At this moment, the sound of the explosion was almost continuous, and the entire underground passage was full of echoes, and even the whistle of the patrol team could not be heard clearly.

......................................................

Moscow, Kremlin, Comrade Stalin's office.

Victor was sitting on the sofa in the middle of the office, silently looking at Comrade Stalin who was sitting across from him.

At this time, Comrade Stalin with a serious expression was looking at a telegram, which was sent from Khabarovsk, mainly the latest battle situation introduced by the Soviet Army Command in the Far East.

Judging from Comrade Stalin's expression, the content of the telegram should be good news. At least, the mood of the leader comrade looks good.

After waiting for about three or four minutes, Comrade Stalin finally turned his attention from the telegram. He handed the telegram to Victor and said, "Look at the latest battle situation in the Far East."

Victor took over the telegram, and before it was delivered to his eyes, Comrade Stalin continued: "The Japanese performance is obviously not as exaggerated as the Americans describe. To be precise, they are even vulnerable."

Victor looked at the telegram's masthead, and sure enough, the telegram was initiated by Vasilevsky himself. According to the telegram, the three fronts of the Soviet Far East had broken through Ergu one after another during the attack launched yesterday. The Japanese defense line on the other side of the Nahe River, Heilongjiang River and Ussuri River quickly bypassed the fortified area heavily defended by the Japanese army, successfully implemented a detour to the rear, and completely cut off the connection between the fortified area and the rear headquarters.

According to the combat plan formulated by the General Staff, the combat plan adopted by the Soviet army was actually the German blitzkrieg mode. Separated from the field troops, first concentrate on solving the reinforcements of the Japanese field troops, and then turn around to deal with the dead fortress defenders.

At the same time, after the weather improved, the three Soviet air force groups carried out large-scale bombing and airborne operations to the important gathering areas of the Japanese army throughout the Northeast. Jilin, Jiamusi, Harbin, Mudanjiang, Qiqihar, Siping, Xinjing, Rajin, Chongjin, Wonsan, etc., almost the whole of Manchuria was caught in the flames of war, and at this time, the Japanese Kwantung Army Command had not yet judged that this wave of Soviet offensive was intended to demonstrate to Japan. , thus forcing Tokyo to make more concessions, or that the war between the Soviet Union and Japan has officially broken out.

Because all communications were interrupted, the Kwantung Army Headquarters could not understand the battle situation on the front line, and the news from the front line could not be passed back. Therefore, it was difficult for the Kwantung Army Headquarters to make a decision. In the end, the only decision that Yamada Otsuzo made was to command the general. As for how the front-line combat troops should deal with the current situation, the headquarters did not issue any telegrams.

Nowadays, the intelligence personnel of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau in the Far East, especially in Manchuria, are quite active, and the Japanese do not care about counter-espionage work at all. Therefore, the information that Moscow can obtain is quite sufficient, but the really valuable information is not. It is very scarce. As Comrade Stalin said, the seemingly powerful Kwantung Army turned out to be a paper tiger. This situation was beyond the expectations of the People's Commissariat of National Defense. Facing the Japanese army that was defeated everywhere, it quickly moved forward. The advancing Soviet troops no longer needed the so-called intelligence from the Foreign Intelligence Service.

"This is really good news for us," Victor smiled and said after reading the contents of the telegram, "If it has been going so well, I think maybe this battle can indeed be concluded within a month. ."

Comrade Stalin nodded, glanced at the telegram on the table that Victor had just put back on the table, and then picked up his pipe again, changed the subject while sorting the tobacco, and asked, "Tell me about your situation, Have you had any specific thoughts on the work in Karelia after all this time?"

"There are indeed some ideas," Victor raised his hand, took out his small notepad from his jacket pocket, took off the pen on the side of the notebook, turned to one of the pages, and said, "First of all, the question of the assistant, I It is hoped that Comrade Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov will be chosen for the second secretary."

"Oh, tell me your reasons," Comrade Stalin seemed to be surprised by Victor's idea. He stopped his movements and said curiously.

"I have carefully read the resume of Comrade Yuri Vladimirovich," Viktor said, "for a long time in the past, he has been engaged in the work of the Communist Youth League, whether it is organizational ability or external liaison ability. , should be more prominent.”

Comrade Stalin nodded silently. As a cadre of the Communist Youth League, the outstanding ability is not the two aspects of organizational ability and external liaison ability. If these two aspects are not outstanding, how can it be possible to serve as a cadre of the Communist Youth League for a long time?

"As you said before, the situation of the Karelian-Finnish Soviet Republic is rather special, and in the future, it will be a window to northern Europe and even the whole of Europe," Viktor continued, "In this case, we not only need to do The basic construction work in this area should also be done well in image promotion and external liaison work. In these two tasks, I lack experience, and I can even say that I have no clue. Therefore, I need Yuri F. Comrade Rakimirovich is capable of both."

Comrade Stalin still did not speak, he put the pipe in his mouth and made a continuing gesture towards Victor.

"Furthermore, Comrade Yuri Vladimirovich has been working in Karelia since '40," Viktor continued, "even during the war he never left the area, So he's more familiar with the situation there, and that's what I need."

"He is not only familiar with Karelia," Comrade Stalin said with a smile. "He is also very familiar with the cadres there. Don't you think that might be a problem?"

Comrade Stalin's meaning is very clear. During the war in the past few years, Andropov has been engaged in guerrilla work in Karelia, and for now, a large number of local cadres in Karelia are Growing up during the war, from this point of view, if Andropov served as the second secretary, his contacts in Karelia obviously had an advantage over Victor, the first secretary.