Steel Soviet Union

Naturally, it is impossible for a small tank lieutenant colonel to criticize Supreme Leader Comrade Stalin, but the content of the fatherly message written in the editorial seems to Malashenko to be almost crazy.

Even though the Germans suffered their biggest defeat since the launch of the war of aggression in the winter of 1941, it is undeniable that Germany at this time still had the most elite army in the world, as well as a An equally powerful and abundant air force.

Defeating such a slightly wounded German army in 1942 was nothing more than a dream. To Malashenko, this kind of joke sounded a bit like the third brother of later generations claiming to be the best in Asia and the third in the world. the taste of.

The editorial board of Pravda can arbitrarily change and add to the content of its interviews according to actual needs, but Malashenko, who has personally experienced the power of his fatherly comrade in this era, who is more powerful than the emperor, However, I do not believe that this editorial was written in conflict with the opinions of my loving father Stalin.

If you really want to do something like this and publish it on the front page of Pravda, the only result is to be shot. Malashenko will not believe that the editors of Pravda have such courage even if Malashenko is killed. Even if you think about this editorial, you can do it with your feet. I guess it must have been written in accordance with the opinions and instructions of the Supreme Leader.

But in this case, the situation that the overly optimistic father Stalin has to face will be very big!

"No! It shouldn't be like this, Comrade Commander! The battle situation shouldn't be understood like this!"

Malashenko, who was holding the newspaper tightly in his hand and almost crumpling it into a ball, looked a little bit gloomy. Zhukov, who was sitting behind the table, saw all this and remembered it in his heart. The subtle sparkle in his eyes disappeared in an instant. .

"Comrade Malashenko, there are only you and me here, but I remind you to be careful with your words! There are always people with evil intentions who want to frame you!"

He admired Malashenko very much, a young man who admired him, Marshal Shaposhnikov and other senior Red Army generals. Zhukov, who cherished talents, did not want to see Malashenko, who had a bright future, ruined. A few quick words at the moment.

Going forward a few years to the era of the Great Purge of Counterrevolutionaries, those few words Malashenko just said were enough to be labeled as questioning the leader by people with ulterior motives. They were also summarily interrogated and recorded by the Counterrevolutionary Committee, and then directly dealt with. It collapsed on the grass.

Hearing the words from Zhukov's mouth, he was instantly shocked. Malashenko, who was so shocked and outspoken, almost forgot about the background of the era in which he lived.

Although the Great Suppression of Counterrevolutionary Forces has passed, the situation of the German troops pressing into the border has made the atmosphere within the Red Army somewhat different. The glasses of being wary of traitors surround everyone all the time.

"I just made a mistake, Comrade Commander! But, we should prevent certain things from happening, right? If the situation continues like this, then..."

The more he spoke, the worse he felt. Malashenko closed his mouth when he stopped suddenly. Malashenko really didn't know how to describe what he wanted to express in his heart at this moment.

If you say the wrong word, someone may hear it and use it to frame yourself. Malashenko does not want the truth that too much words lead to mistakes to be fulfilled in his own body. If this is the case, then he will not come to see Zhukov this time. It’s really not worth the gain.

After listening to Malashenko's incomplete speech, he was able to connect it into a sentence based on his understanding of the battle situation.

To be honest, Zhukov, who has a clear understanding of the overall strategic overall situation, knows it very well.

The Germans at present are not only not completely defeated and on the verge of destruction as advertised in newspapers and believed by Stalin, but they are also accumulating very strong offensive energy and plan to launch a powerful counterattack after the snow melts in 1942.

In 1941, less than 30% of the German divisions whose numbers had been identified were severely damaged and destroyed. Zhukov did not believe that the remaining 70% of the German troops could be completely frozen to death and disabled by the Soviet winter.

After the snow melts in spring, what will the 70% of the German troops who have been recuperating for several months do after being replenished?

According to the war thinking that the Germans have always pursued, Zhukov can almost guess what these fascist troops will do next.

After shaking his head slightly, Zhukov sighed softly. After being convinced that Malashenko's belief was strong enough, Zhukov slowly poured out the information he thought he could reveal to Malashenko after some inner screening.

"The Supreme Command hopes to win the initiative in the strategic situation in 1942, rather than being in a passive state and being beaten everywhere like last year."

"You don't need to think too much about strategic issues, Malashenko, this is not something you should think about. Return to your troops and lead your soldiers, they now need you to lead them to victory."

After finishing his sentence, Zhukov paused for a moment with a heavy heart, and with his eyes flashing as he considered numerous intertwined and complicated matters, Zhukov was indeed somewhat touched by Malashenko's words.

"There will be an important meeting at the Supreme Command soon, and I will be there to try to win something. Now take your troops to report to the Southwestern Front Headquarters. Marshal Timoshenko has been waiting for you there for a long time."

""

If Malashenko, who had Zhukov's words in his mouth, was still ignorant, he would be asking for trouble.

Malashenko, who did not want to ruin his impression in Zhukov's mind, could only reply silently with a standard but somewhat sigh-like solemn military salute, and resolutely turned around and prepared to leave in the office where the needle could be heard. go.

"etc"

Just as Malashenko reached the office door and put his right hand on the door handle, Zhukov's sudden opening from behind once again stopped Malashenko in the room.

"The things were just delivered not long ago. Originally, I planned to have someone deliver them to you, but now that you're here, you just brought them back. This is the reward you deserve."

Malashenko turned around and walked back to his desk. He saw in Zhukov's hand a golden medal that he had just taken out from a small box. A red communist flag and a sharp red star were engraved on the medal. On the outside, the profile portrait of the founder of the Soviet Union is engraved in the center of the medal and shines brightly.