Chapter 134: Respective Plans

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Soviet Union, Moscow, inside the Kremlin. Stalin was with his confidant, Khrushchev.

“Do you think I don’t know what disastrous consequences such a purge will bring to the entire Soviet Union? You’re wrong! I understand these consequences better than anyone! But I still must do it!” Stalin glanced at the perplexed Khrushchev and said softly, “Comrade Khrushchev, you are still too young.”

He pointed toward Red Square outside and said with his chin held high in pride, “This is the most expansive country in the world! We possess vast territories that many countries have never had! With the resources in these territories, we can do things that many countries cannot!”

“Take Germany’s Führer, Akado, for example. He must be very envious of us. We had such a good hand from the beginning. We can develop what we need, seemingly at a loss, but actually taking full advantage,” Stalin said as he walked toward the window. “If it weren’t for our vast resources, would the Germans have given us so much technology?”

“But Comrade Stalin, what necessary connection does this have with our large-scale purge?” Khrushchev asked, not understanding.

“I am racing against time, Comrade Khrushchev! I am racing against Akado! If I first clean out the political enemies who constrain us, then we will have completed our plans first. At that time, the Soviet Union will be unprecedentedly powerful, possessing world-class technology provided by Germany and a vast territory where government orders are followed without question. Then, we can dominate the world!”

Stalin pointed to the map on the wall and said, “If Germany is slower, we can take Finland and Poland in one go, control countries like Romania, and become the hegemon of Europe! At that time, we can even take Germany and become the most powerful country in the world. Even the United States will not be able to compete with us!”

“But what if we lose? What if the Germans are faster than us?” Khrushchev asked urgently.

“With Poland as a buffer, we have a long time to make our own preparations! So it’s impossible for us to be slower than the Germans! As long as we speed up our internal cleansing and complete our plans before the Germans launch their next war!” Stalin said with conviction.

“Then what should be our next step? We’ve arrested a few old comrades in the party, and now the party elders are very dissatisfied with our actions. If this continues, we will lose our supporters,” Khrushchev asked.

“Then we will find a way to get rid of a big shot! Show those self-righteous idiots. Then they will know to shut their mouths,” Stalin snorted. “My thinking is very simple. The Soviet Union is only meaningful if it becomes the number one power under my leadership. If I am gone, then even if the Soviet Union is invincible, it will be of no benefit to me.”

“I understand! Long live the great Soviet leader, Comrade Stalin!” Khrushchev said, bowing his head, his tone filled with hesitation.

“I know you don’t really believe what I’m saying,” Stalin said, turning back. He walked to his desk, picked up a document, and handed it to Khrushchev. “Look at this, and you will understand.”

Khrushchev took the document with a look of confusion. After a few glances, he was stunned by the data. It was the expansion and development plan for the Soviet military, detailing the growth and strengthening of the Soviet armed forces.

In 1920, the Soviet Union had only 117 tanks, a number similar to Poland’s. At that time, the Soviet Union’s heavy weaponry could only be considered “decorations.” But just two years later, the Soviet Union had 700 domestically produced copies of the Renault tank and 400 German-provided P-1 tanks. And by 1926, the Soviet Union had already begun to design and equip more advanced weaponry on its own.

As of now, the Soviet Union possessed over 2,600 T-26 tanks. Including several older models, its tank numbers were the highest in the world. A total of 3,000 tanks made even France, which claimed to have the largest army in Europe, look pale in comparison. After meeting its own development needs, Soviet tanks were even sent to Spain and China to aid potential allies.

The growth of the navy was even more inspiring: with the launching of the Sovietsky Soyuz, the Red Army now had the courage to compete with the world’s naval powers. Following that, Soviet battleships came out of the shipyards and into the sea one after another, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Names that made British spies’ blood run cold and gave the British Royal Navy sleepless nights appeared one by one on the documents submitted to them: Sovietsky Soyuz, Belorussiya (this ship was originally named “Soviet Belorussia”; this text will henceforth use the abbreviated name for such warships), Ukraina, and Rossiya.

Although the main guns of the Ukraina had not yet been installed, and the Rossiya was still being fitted out, the Soviet Navy had never been so powerful. This made Khrushchev feel as if his own blood was surging.

The Germans had cleverly used a chain of interests to tie many countries to the war chariot of reviving communism. The boilers on the battleship Rossiya were purchased from a Swiss company. This half-a-million-pound contract allowed the Swedish company Brown Boveri to earn unimaginable profits.

Italian shipbuilding companies had gotten a piece of the pie from German trade contracts over the Austrian issue. They also reaped considerable benefits from the Soviet battleship program. The biggest benefit was that they managed to get the Soviet battleships to use their caliber for the secondary guns and to use original Italian-made main gun fire control systems.

This vast network of interests was woven so tightly by Akado’s German diplomats that no light could get through. The profits Germany earned from it were in the millions. It would not be an exaggeration to say that half of the money Germany used to rearm the Wehrmacht came from this Bolshevik country, the Soviet Union.

“Comrade Stalin! No one wishes to see a powerful Soviet Union more than we do!” Khrushchev said, respectfully placing the documents back on the desk. He stood at attention and said solemnly, “I swear to you! I will firmly support you! I will fight for my entire life to build the world’s number one power!”

“Comrade Kirov has left us. This is a great loss for us, Comrade Khrushchev,” Stalin said to himself in a very official tone. “The position he has left vacant needs to be filled by an equally great comrade.”

“I understand! Long live the great Soviet leader, Comrade Stalin!” Khrushchev said this sentence again, this time his tone was firm, resolute, and powerful.

Britain, in a secret military base on the outskirts of Birmingham.

An English weapons design expert in a work coat held up a vest covered in pockets and praised it. “Perfect! This vest is practically tailor-made for the soldier. Although it’s not good-looking, it’s very practical.”

“The shoelace-like adjustment straps on the sides leave space for sweat to evaporate. It can also be adjusted to fit the width of a person’s chest and abdomen,” another engineer added. “It has seven main pockets, and more can be added if necessary. A soldier can effortlessly carry over a hundred rounds of ammunition without it affecting his movement at all.”

An intelligence officer handed a file to the several British generals who were listening. “We hear that these small pockets are for a type of short magazine for a German rifle. This rifle is still in a stage of strict secrecy in Germany, so we haven’t been able to get detailed information. We only know that their internal designation for this rifle is G43, and it still uses the 7.92mm caliber.”

As he spoke, he pointed to a number in the file. “This is a batch of decommissioned materials that Germany transported to the Soviet Union via the Polish railway. Our people have obtained definite news from the Polish side. This batch consists of old, obsolete Mauser 98K rifles, about 30,000 of them. The destination is China.”

“It seems the Germans are still rational on the point of suppressing Japan’s rise in the Far East. Their interests are the same as ours. The difference is that the Germans play both sides, while we would prefer Japan to be a bit weaker than it is now,” a middle-aged man in the uniform of a British colonel said, stroking his chin. “However, they understand war better than I imagined. It seems that the German Führer, Mr. Akado, who once served as a soldier in the lower ranks, has had a certain impact on Germany’s rearmament.”

“So what is your conclusion, Colonel Montgomery? Oh, I almost forgot. Due to your focus on the German army and your research on tank warfare, you were promoted to Major General yesterday. Congratulations,” the lieutenant general said with a polite smile. “Your new uniform is probably on its way.”

“My conclusion is simple. The Germans are arming themselves, and they are very efficient. It seems their efforts have been successful. If the entire German army is at this standard…” Major General Montgomery pointed to a mannequin beside him. “Their combat effectiveness is already at least a little higher than our Expeditionary Force.”

“According to calculations and projections, about 50,000 of the new German G43 rifles are now in service. We are still investigating which units they have been issued to,” his aide added from the side.

Beside them, the mannequin Montgomery had pointed to was fully equipped with German gear. It was wearing the standard grey-green infantry uniform of the German Wehrmacht, a standard German M25 steel helmet (historically the M35), a canvas tactical vest over the uniform, and a standard Mauser 98K rifle slung over its back. It had a web belt around its waist, from which hung a bayonet, a gas mask canister, and an entrenching tool on its rear.

“We need to tighten the leash on this German dog’s neck a bit,” the lieutenant general said, looking at the fully equipped mannequin and nodding. “This watchdog for dealing with communism is getting more and more disobedient.”

Montgomery narrowed his eyes. “General, the navy’s attention is all on the Soviets right now. The empire’s military budget has been consistently tilted toward the navy. Parliament will not agree to us making another enemy.”

The lieutenant general sighed helplessly. “There’s nothing we can do about that either. In all of Britain, only a few people know that war is about to begin.”

He turned around and patted the shoulder of his brilliant subordinate, Montgomery. “But it doesn’t matter. What we need to do is simple. Get ready… and then beat the Germans down one more time. That will be enough.”