With Malenkov's statement, Kosygin, Beria and others present were a little silent.

They also have a good understanding of the war situation in the Caucasus, and combined with their own work experience, they obviously deeply sympathize with the general secretary's remarks.

Indeed, for the current Red Empire, as the leader and main force of the entire socialist camp, the battle that broke out at its own doorstep did not crush its opponents all the way, but formed a stalemate with the West, and it was inevitable that it would be somewhat passive both in terms of propaganda and strategy. Although several of them are well aware that this is mainly due to the overall consideration of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the failure to exert all their strength in the Caucasus due to various considerations, it is not a good thing to say that it has been in the soft underbelly of the Soviet Union and Russia for a long time and NATO.

In short, what is the situation now, and what is the next step?

With the expressions of his old friends in his eyes, Malenkov first cleared his throat and raised his hand to the intertwined black and white pieces on the chessboard:

"The current situation in the south is indeed quite sinister.

For our country, the line from the Black Sea to the Caucasus is a very important strategic area; For some time to come, if we cannot withstand NATO's large-scale offensive, lose a large area of control from Bulgaria to the Caucasus, and retreat to the north of the 45th parallel, that is, the line between Moldova, Rostov, and Astrakhan, "as if the chess pieces on the chessboard are cities, Malenkov will give a few pointers from left to right," so that NATO will not only seize our main oil and agricultural producing areas, but will also further gain a springboard for attacking our deep regions. The situation will naturally become more critical. Although from the contrast of ground forces. I don't think NATO will be able to take advantage of anything in a land war. However, their air and sea strike platforms can more effectively launch attacks on our side in depth, and the after-effects of such attacks can be very amazing under the conditions of modern warfare.

In a word, we can neither afford nor lose in the Caucasian theater of operations, and this is indeed a definite reality. ”

Speaking of this, he probably saw a few old friends with stern faces, as if they were worried about the current situation, but Malenkov changed his words and asked a question in a raised tone:

"But everyone. If we think about it from another angle, what is the real motive of the Americans' large-scale offensive in the Caucasus and preparing to launch Operation Typhoon on an unprecedented scale?

In the struggle for the southern front, we can't afford to lose, but can the Americans afford to lose? ”

"Oh...... This question,"

Facing Malenkov's gaze, it was Kosygin who responded first, "The Americans can't afford to lose!" -- Because of oil. ”

"Yes, Alexey, you're quite right."

Clapping his hands with a look of arrogance, Malenkov couldn't help but stand up. Two steps to the huge map on the wall on one side of the living room, stretched out a large hand and slapped on a large area in the middle of the map:

"For the Western world, 'oil' is the crux of the matter!

In the face of the stalemate on the southern front, the seemingly menacing Americans can't afford to lose either, because they only have a few unusable allies in the vast expanse of the southern Black Sea, Turkey is just cannon fodder to fight for consumption, Iraq is forced to tie to NATO's chariot, as for Israel, hehe......

The Jews are very brainy, and they always only do what is best for them.

Therefore, the current situation is very clear, and the large-scale offensive of the Americans has just exposed their panic and worry about the situation in the south: once the frontline battle is lost, the Red Army can move southward in a big way, with the cooperation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Syrian Defense Forces, to sweep away the American troops in Iraq and Jordan, and then force the Americans' old henchman Saudi Arabia to break away from the Western camp. In this way, the shape of the Middle East will be reversed in an instant, and in the face of the heavy encirclement of the red iron stream, if the action in the Mediterranean direction also goes smoothly, how long can Israel's big satellite flag be raised in the Middle East?

Without the geographical and oil support of the Middle East, with the current oil self-sufficiency rate of about 50 percent for the Americans, although they can obtain some oil supplies from Canada, Africa, and South America, it is inevitable that they will suffer setbacks in domestic economic and strategic activities. Under such a premise, we can seize this favorable opportunity and choose the West or the East as the breakthrough point."

While making an impassioned speech and walking back and forth in front of the map, the general secretary's hand fell on the Western European continent, "The war situation in Europe in the west is also in a state of confrontation between the enemy and us, if we can withdraw from the Caucasus after a great victory and let the Middle Eastern countries assume the responsibility of resisting NATO's counterattack, then it is completely possible to sweep Spain on land and defeat Britain across the strait at the same time, and sweep away the remnants of NATO's forces in Western Europe in one fell swoop; In this way, we can not only push the battle line forward to the Atlantic coast, but also completely liberate the shackles of the Red Navy, and in the face of the Americans' maritime power, even if we are unable to launch an ocean-going attack on North America, it is completely possible to firmly defend the entire Eurasian continent and sit back and wait for the opponent to die. ”

"-yes, yes!"

In the face of the general secretary's strategic plan, Semyon Suslov nodded frequently on the sofa, although this plan is indeed very bold and risky (after all, Britain is a nuclear state), but I have to say that there is indeed a certain possibility of realization! But to his surprise, Malenkov's deduction was not over, he strode to the other side of the map and pointed to the east of Eurasia:

"Naturally, this is the case in Europe, but what about the Far East? - Pavlovich, you must be clear on this aspect," he said, looking at the bespectacled Lavrenty Beria, who nodded heavily to him, "For our eastern allies, we have added a lot to the previous agreements of military cooperation, and we are now in full swing. In contrast to the situation in Europe, in the vast East, Japan was the only country of concern among the Americans' allies; We have a lot to do in this direction, and we will have more support than France in the European theater.

For well-known reasons, China would be cautious about supporting any war against Japan, and our strategic plan in the Far East is based on it: a large-scale offensive against Japan would not only greatly contain the United States and make it struggling on multiple fronts, but would also help our allies in resolving the issue of 'secession,' or at least create favorable conditions for resolving it. ”

"Ah, yes, that's right!"

Kosygin, who had just heard about this magnificent strategic concept and was not entirely familiar with the war, finally heard the business field he was familiar with, "The issue of China's island splitting is fundamentally supported by the United States." Without the support of the Americans, these separatists will not be able to hold out for a month. ”

"That's true. So, based on all the above analysis, the current situation is like this: what we fear, in fact, the enemy is also afraid of, and it can even be said that it is stronger than our fear; If we can recognize this, then we will have the confidence and strength to face the difficulties head-on.

Taking a step back and putting it more harshly, even if the Americans bombed indiscriminately all the way and pushed the front to Rostov or Odessa, what would they do to us for a moment and a half?

At a time when they are mired in the mire of death on the southern front, looking at Stalingrad in vain, as they were decades ago, we can concentrate enough strategic assault forces, choose Western Europe or the Far East as the main battlefield, and give them a beautiful hook with the help of France or China!

As long as they can expel the Americans from Western Europe or the Far East through thunderous combat operations, once their activities are completely confined to the Western Hemisphere, where land, resources, and population are not dominant, and with the most vast Asian, Eurasian and African continental plates on the planet, even if they have more aircraft carriers, they will definitely not be able to contend with our huge camp for a long time under the fact that the overall strength of the two sides is decreasing day by day. ”

After saying this tirade, which ended with a categorical assertion, Malenkov's blazing eyes seemed to have a blazing fire burning; In the face of these old comrades-in-arms who have been in the same boat through thick and thin and have experienced the hardships and glorious years of the Red Empire together, the general secretary who is just wearing a nightgown is as murderous as a red giant holding a hammer at this time!

In the spacious living room, there was a strange silence for a while; Feeling the firm gaze of his old friends, Malenkov breathed a sigh of relief as if he had unloaded a thousand burdens, and his tone returned to his usual calmness:

"Comrades!

The future may be bright, but the road is bound to be tortuous. The real victory over an enemy, armed to the teeth, could not be achieved by heroic speeches, but by the hard work of all Soviet citizens. Of course, in terms of the current situation, if we want to open up a new situation in the Far East or Western Europe, we must first stabilize the situation in the Caucasus. ”

Malenkov's words were unanimously agreed by those present, so he continued:

"And this, frankly in my personal opinion, the role of Comrade 'Viktor Rezenov' in this is very important. Judging from some of the affairs that Pavlovich has handled, the number one ace of the Red Air Force, there are still many puzzling mysteries about him; But in any case, as an absolutely reliable and loyal member of the Red Army, his combat skills and war contributions are obvious to all.

The next question is, after the situation in the Caucasus has taken on a new look, where will our offensive spearhead be directed - the West, or the East?

This is an important question that deserves serious consideration and careful consideration. ”

It seemed to be caught in deep thoughts, and his vision went beyond the barrier of the small living room, and a thousand thoughts came to the general secretary's heart for a while; After muttering for a long time, he slowly said a sentence:

"For the next operation in the south, I think, we need a newly promoted lieutenant general of the aviation corps." (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you to the book friend *Devil Philanthropist* for the valuable monthly pass!