Stormy Weather Chapter 2 A "Secret" Harmful Power

  In mid-to-late September 1941, on the smoky Soviet-German battlefield, some new changes seemed to have appeared. After the initial smooth and unstoppable offensive, the German army's further offensive seemed to become difficult overnight.

  After the final victory in the Battle of Kiev, the German army began to shift its focus from the southern front and redirect it towards Moscow. On September 30, under the guidance of the "Typhoon" operation plan developed by the German High Command, the Central Group of the German Army launched an attack on the Bryansk region. The original purpose of this operation was to use the Southern Shock Group as the main force to break through the defensive lines of the Soviet Bryansk Front and encircle and annihilate it, then have the rapid troops bypass Moscow from the south and southeast. According to the intelligence in German possession, the Soviet Bryansk Front defending this line only had three armies: the 50th, 3rd, and 13th Armies. In this situation, the German army was superior in both manpower and weaponry, and winning the war should have been a sure thing.

  On the evening of September 31, the second tank group of the German army on the central road successfully broke through the defense lines of the Soviet 50th and 13th Armies, advancing to the rear of the main forces of the Soviet Army, basically achieving a strategic split in the Bryansk Front. On October 3, the German army occupied Orel. It was also on this evening that Generaloberst Weichs and Generaloberst Guderian, the highest commanders of the Southern Strike Group Army, received news that left them almost stunned: after nearly five days of attacking, their troops suddenly found themselves surrounded by Soviet forces.

  At the same time, in the newly established command post of the Soviet army in Borokhov, Comrade Stalin was enthusiastically talking with a group of his front-line commanders. Almost everyone could see that this was the most excited the hot-tempered leader had been since the start of the war.

  "Comrade Stalin, this time I must criticize your solo action," suddenly said He Ruxiao, who had been following the conversation with a smile, "although your visit to the front line can greatly boost the morale of our soldiers and set a good example, it's undoubtedly too dangerous. The German planes have not stopped bombing this area for two days, what if..."

  What Khrushchev said made Chu Shin-nan, who followed Stalin, feel extremely disgusted. Is this what you call criticism? This is simply flattery, bootlicking and eulogizing. This shameless little man is probably the most shameless person in history.

  Today, Stalin's mood is obviously very good. He waved his hand to interrupt Khrushchev's words and chuckled: "Comrade Khrushchev has always been so rigid and dogmatic, I think he will soon be no different from Comrade Suslov. However, this time's criticism, I accept it. Don't say it's a criticism, even if it's a penalty, as long as I can see this victory with my own eyes, I'll take it willingly. We need a victory so much, and this one comes at just the right time. How could I miss this opportunity?

  Stalin's words won the approval of everyone, especially the generals and marshals in military uniform. Since the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, there had not been a single small victory on the Soviet side.

  "Comrade Stalin is absolutely right, this battle must not be missed, otherwise it will become a lifelong regret, especially for a military man." Standing beside the lean "Grey Cardinal" Suslov was the renowned Soviet Marshal Zhukov. This iron-blooded general, famous for commanding large-scale battles, did not know the story behind the decision-making of this battle. Therefore, he admired Comrade Stalin, who had "single-handedly" planned this battle: "The counter-attack and encirclement tactics used in this battle are absolutely brilliant. If we hadn't anticipated the enemy's moves beforehand and made a decisive strike, it would have been impossible to succeed. It should be included in military textbooks as a classic example."

  Zhukov's words won the unanimous approval of all the military personnel present, which made Stalin feel complacent. Indeed, for almost everyone, they would have thought that the decision to launch this campaign was made by Stalin himself. Initially, at the military meeting of the Supreme Command, many experienced old generals had strongly opposed this decision. Now, the iron facts are before our eyes, and it is impossible not to admire them.

  Stalin was a man of introverted and violent personality, who, although holding absolute power in the Soviet Party and state hierarchy, harbored deep-seated inferiority complexes. He had no great talents to speak of. In military affairs, he was not as capable as Tukhachevsky, let alone Zhukov or Budyonny; in theoretical knowledge, he did not match "Grey Cardinal" Suslov or Trotsky, whom he overthrew and ultimately had assassinated in Mexico; in terms of personal connections and prestige, he was far inferior to Kirov, who was mysteriously murdered. He managed to maintain his position at the top of the power pyramid solely through his iron-fisted rule and ruthless tactics. Now, with this opportunity to prove his military prowess, how could he not be overjoyed? It was precisely for this reason that he would ignore almost everyone's opposition and insist on leaving Moscow to observe the war from the front lines.

  However, those who are familiar with the inside story know that the formulation and planning of this campaign were not done by the great Comrade Stalin himself, but by a Chinese young man behind him. It's just that this achievement was taken away by Stalin.

  Stalin burst out laughing heartily, he could feel that Zhukov's words were sincere, which made him feel very comfortable and want to laugh loudly. But suddenly a strange feeling rose in his mind, this feeling was hard to describe, just like when facing a sumptuous feast, suddenly finding a fly in one's own plate, so disgusting, so uncomfortable.

  Where does this feeling come from?

  Stalin frowned and looked around, first catching sight of Belya hiding at the back of the crowd, then spotting He Luo Xiao standing opposite him with a smile on his face. He felt that these two people were laughing, but not in an honest way - it was a mocking laughter. Who were they mocking? Of course, it was Stalin himself. Among all these people, only these two knew the secret of Chu Si Nan, and what kind of deception lay behind this deeply meaningful victory. They were mocking him for cheating his way to military achievements, when in fact he knew nothing about military affairs, yet still pretending to be a hero.

  Stalin's good mood vanished in an instant, his eyebrows, which had relaxed with military victories, furrowed again. He suddenly had an idea, an impulse, a murderous impulse.

  To conceal his emotional turmoil, Stalin puffed on his new pipe and turned sharply away.

  At this moment, Chu Si Nan suddenly saw the strong murderous intent flashing in Stalin's eyes. He didn't speak, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He knew he was one step closer to his goal.

  Tukhachevsky was right, a great dictator like Stalin is cold-blooded and will not hesitate to swing his butcher's knife to cover up a small secret, even if it means slaughtering those he once trusted most. Once you grasp this temperament of his, it won't take much effort to cut off his left and right arms.