Chapter Nineteenth: Paper Talks with a Basis

  Facing Sokolov's question, Chusinan hesitated for half a day and didn't say anything conclusive. Fortunately, the three Soviet military commanders in front of him were not in the mood to delve deeper into this issue at the moment. Under Chusinan's clever dodges and jokes, the matter was also glossed over.

  "Comrade Chu Si-nan," Ogarkov said after the first question of the meeting, "why do you think the German army will take the central breakthrough and right-wing envelopment approach to launch an attack?"

  "Why don't you ask me how I judged that they would attack during this time?" Chu Si Nan countered with a question instead of an answer.

  "This is simple," Akhromeyev said, "since the outbreak of war, I have been paying attention to studying Hitler. From my judgment, this guy is a thorough lunatic. He does things, whether it's politics or war, only looking at victory without considering the process or failure. I estimate that this time he launched a full-scale war against us, since it was launched in the form of a lightning war, it means to take us down in the shortest possible time. As for what Comrade He Ruxiao just said about logistical support, that is something a mentally normal military man would consider, but Hitler will not."

  "To take us down in the shortest time possible, the best way is undoubtedly to attack Moscow." Sokolov continued on Achromeyev's topic, "And to attack Moscow, we must break through the Western Dvina River and the Dnieper River defense line, which is the line we are defending. Now that it is summer, if the Germans want to take down Moscow before winter, they must launch this campaign in the shortest time possible, otherwise, once winter comes, the situation will be extremely unfavorable for them."

  Chu Si Nan listened and felt a deep admiration for the people in front of him, being able to see clearly the war situation under current circumstances was already an extremely difficult thing, if he wasn't from the future, he absolutely wouldn't have thought of these things.

  "What you've said is almost the same as what I think," Chu Sounan said after some thought. "As for why I judged that the German army would launch this attack with a central thrust and right-wing envelopment, it's actually very simple. They have a thorough understanding of our situation and know that our biggest problem now is a lack of troops, and the front line we set up between the Western Dvina River and the Dnieper River is too long. In this case, the defense of Smolensk appears even weaker. So, the German army has put its main effort into how to eliminate as much of our living force as possible in order to create favorable conditions for their subsequent attack. Therefore, for them, our several armies here have become the best entry point and also the most delicious meat to eat. In this battle, they not only want to defeat us but also thoroughly annihilate us. Under this strategic thinking, adopting a central thrust and right-wing envelopment tactic to encircle our garrison in the Smolensk region is undoubtedly the best tactic."

  Chu Si Nan's words were not very long, but they were concise and to the point, saying everything that needed to be said. The three people in front of him nodded in agreement, clearly endorsing this view.

  "Actually, there is a way to solve the current predicament of our army," Chu Si Nan sighed and said lightly. "After all, the Southwest Front Army is still there, and in our rear, there are several group armies being deployed. If the Supreme Command can make up its mind, abandon the passive defense on the Bryansk front, and order the main force of the Central Front Army and a part of the Bryansk Front Army to launch a surprise attack northward, cutting off the enemy's retreat route, then we may lose Bryansk, but we can keep Smolensk. Most importantly, we can counterattack and encircle the German army's central group, if this battle is won, it will directly destroy the German army's threat to us in the central region. In this way, the two wing combat groups of the German army, which have lost their central support, will face the threat of being separated and surrounded by us at any time, except for entering into positional defense, they will have no other choice."

  With the tactical idea of "concentrating superior forces and defeating them one by one" summarized by revolutionary predecessors in actual combat as the foundation, combined with his own comprehensive understanding of this war, Chu Si Nan was naturally able to speak eloquently, making the three "little generals" in front of him listen with rapt attention.

  "Comrade Chu Si Nan, your idea is not bad, but I'm afraid it's not that easy to execute," Akhromeyev said, shaking his head after careful consideration. "Not to mention whether the High Command can give up defending Bryansk, even if we encircle and annihilate the main force of the German Central Group, I'm afraid we still can't completely shake their central front line, after all, they have reserve troops."

  Chu Si Nan felt a deep sense of helplessness, he knew that Hitler had invested heavily in this war, and just the initial battle had mobilized most of his forces. Now, the reserve troops he still controlled only numbered twenty-four divisions. Twenty-four divisions sounded like a lot, but on the meat grinder-like Eastern Front, it was nothing. The Soviet Union, with its solid foundation, could easily mobilize dozens of army corps as soon as they freed up their hands. What could those twenty-odd divisions do against that?

  However, Chu Si Nan couldn't say this because he couldn't explain how the data was obtained. If things went wrong, he might even be mistaken for a German spy and taken away to a military tribunal. Clearly understanding the truth of the matter but being unable to speak it out loud is a feeling that can only be described as painful.

  "Never mind, it's all useless," Chu Si Nan said with a wave of his hand, "Anyway, no one trusts me now, and this war can only continue like this. Comrades, you three are my friends, you can bear witness to whether I'm right or wrong. I can assure you that the big battle will take place within the next two days, and within ten days, the weak defense line of Dritsa, Polotsk will be broken through by the German army, and our three armies in Smolensk will also be surrounded and divided at the same time. The only gain we'll have from this battle is a heavy loss. Well, I'm tired, I won't say more to you three friends today, hope we can meet again in the future, take care of yourselves."

  Chu Si Nan finished speaking, and ignored the three people who were staring blankly at him. He turned around and walked towards his own barracks. What he was thinking now was that it didn't matter whether Su Maozi was dead or alive, as long as they weren't beaten by the Germans, they wouldn't know why the flowers were so red. Since that's the case, everyone would just have to wait and see, anyway the facts would prove themselves, and when the time came, those defeated guys wouldn't be able to turn around and find him.