If the first phase of Annan's battle has basically ended, most of the remaining Japanese troops have been wiped out, and a small number of them escaped or hid in the jungle or went straight to the Japanese defense line in the Weijiang area.

The generals of the various departments of the National Defense Force can handle the remaining matters on their own, so Tu Sanpao will have some more leisure time. Master Pao never has the patience to deal with those trivial matters.

These matters are basically left to Deng Yinfan, the Chief of General Staff of the Southeast Asian Theater of the National Defense Forces, to handle. What the gunman has to do is wander around to show his presence.

The entire Southeast Asian war zone has entered a period of repair. The wounded in the southwest and southeast military regions have been sent back to the rear for recuperation. Some troops remain in Annan, while some troops return home on rotation.

Except for some troops that have been retained along the coastline and Weijiang line, the rest of the troops have entered the repair stage. This battle lasted too long, and if repairs were not carried out, it would be difficult for the soldiers to adjust mentally.

During the refitting period, the Southwest and South China military regions are also recruiting reserve troops. The new recruits will undergo three months of training and then go to the battlefield to make up for the losses of various units.

Now the first batch of supplementary troops has arrived. Under the leadership of veterans, they are constantly harassing the Japanese army through the Weijiang front to hone their actual combat capabilities.

The troops belonging to Qiang Ji, Nguyen Thu Ong and Bao Dai also began to be formed in the area occupied by the National Defense Forces. Or we can say that this is an Annan National Army unit affiliated with the National Defense Forces.

The difference is that some of the generals in these troops are controlled by people installed by Wang Wangyajiao.

The Annan campaign was higher than the previous stage, but Kanji Ishihara, who was running in both Afghanistan and India, was actively preparing to form troops to attack the Soviet Union.

The German liaison officer has already sent a telegram to report that Germany will launch a full-scale war against the Soviet Union at the beginning of next year at the latest. This is because Germany has not gained a strategic advantage in the Atlantic Ocean.

The large number of U.S. ships and fighter planes suppressed Germany's offensive momentum. The two sides fought several battles in the Atlantic Ocean, with each winning or losing. Hitler could not wait to obtain resources.

Although Europe's resources have fallen into Germany's pocket, most of Germany's resources now still rely on imports from the Soviet Union. But the Soviet Union itself is also forming troops to fight against Germany, so it is natural that resources will be withheld.

But in order to avoid Germany launching an immediate attack, the Soviet Union was still forced to export part of its resources to Germany. On the one hand, it was in exchange for funds. On the other hand, it was to avoid provoking Germany to launch an immediate war.

The Soviet Union is in a very difficult situation now. On the one hand, they have to prepare for the upcoming war. On the other hand, in order to avoid the war coming too early, they have to choose to fund their enemies in terms of resources.

Fortunately, the United States, Britain and other European exile countries finally sent some things and people to the Soviet Union. The nearly 300 fighter planes that arrived in the Soviet Union through Canada and the Bering Strait gave the Soviet Union a little more understanding of this war.

Confidence.

The British and French also continuously sent their pilots, tank drivers and other escaped soldiers to the Soviet Union, and a large number of technical personnel followed these people.

They will be responsible for building new tanks and fighter aircraft production lines in the Soviet Union, which will at least ensure that the Soviet Union can supply its battlefield needs for a period of time.

With the support of all parties, the Soviet Union has now received military assistance of more than 600 fighter jets and 200 tanks. At the same time, more than 4,000 technical and engineering personnel have entered the Soviet Union to help them build production lines.

As for artillery, the United States has allocated one hundred artillery pieces with a caliber of 100mm or more to the Soviet Union. These artillery pieces will arrive in batches via the Bering Strait to help the Soviet Union resist the upcoming war.

In the middle of the last month of 1939, Stalin finally ended his negotiations in China. He returned to the Soviet Union on the train with the agreement and the first batch of supplies promised to the Soviet Union by the Wehrmacht.

The vice chairman surprisingly did not choose to go back by plane, but chose to go back on the train with the weapons and ammunition that supported them.

"Comrade Stalin, we have made good progress this time! Although the conditions of the Wehrmacht are a bit harsh, we still got these weapons and ammunition. This is really important for the Soviets."

Bluher, who was accompanying him, saw Stalin lost in thought and couldn't help but said with relief: "At least, the coalition government gave us these weapons and ammunition, didn't it? Even though we suffered some losses in the negotiations, it was not to the point of breaking our bones.

The point..."

Stalin looked at Blyucher and smiled bitterly. The old general was a qualified soldier, but not a qualified politician. He still looked at many things in a military way.

"Comrade Blyucher, I am not surprised that China supports us." Stalin looked at Blyucher and said: "Due to geographical relations, the relationship between us and China appears complex and diverse."

"When facing foreign enemies, we are their natural barrier. Especially when it comes to wars on European land, they need us to be their barrier. Therefore, it is reasonable to provide us with certain support." Stalin said

Then he paused and continued: "What I was thinking about just now is how much the price we have to pay in this war will be..."

Stalin said, leaning on the chair and rubbing his eyebrows. And Blyucher also fell into silence. If it comes to other Blyucher, he may not know, but if it comes to the war now facing the Soviet Union,

Bluucher knows this better than anyone else.

How much price will the Soviet Union pay for this war?! Everyone is thinking about this question, but no one has given an answer. Blucher simply did not dare to think about this question.

Privately, Blyucher also discussed this issue with Tukhachevsky, the youngest marshal of the Soviet Union. And their conclusion was: the entire Soviet Union!

This conclusion made them sad. But there was nothing they could do. If Germany had not captured Britain, it might have maintained appropriate military strength in Europe in the face of the threat of the English Channel.

But now there is almost no threat to them in the whole of Europe. The British and French forces in the Middle East are like castles on the beach, turning into piles of gravel under the tide of German attacks.

Even countries like Japan have entered Afghanistan. It is conceivable how weakened the British military power in the Middle East has been.

"Comrade Stalin, I have discussed this issue with Comrade Tukhachevsky..." Blucher was silent for a while and said: "In our opinion, this problem is completely unsolvable."

"The Soviets have no other way to go. We have to bite the bullet and fight. Maybe the entire Soviet Union will be sacrificed, but at least we have a chance to win the war..."

Stalin did not express any opinion on this, he simply remained silent.

"The United States, Britain, and China will not let us fail easily. With their support, we may pay a huge price, but we have a chance to win the war." Bluher paused.

Said: "Otherwise, the entire Soviet Union or Russia... can only become a German colony."

Stalin sighed. The situation in the Soviet Union was different from that in other European countries. At least Hitler still saved some face for those countries and supported a puppet regime.

But for the Soviet Union, it may not be so easy to talk about. Especially the Soviets. Once the Germans invade and win, any fool can imagine what will be waiting for these Soviets.

"Comrade Blyucher, I learned an old saying during this trip to China. I think maybe this sentence can best express my current mood..." After a long time, Stalin sighed: "Do your best and listen to fate...

"

At the same time, in the German-occupied areas of Poland, a large number of German army units were slowly gathering. Tanks, fighter planes and a large number of infantry units were watching the Soviet army on the opposite side with eager eyes.

"How many troops have the Germans gathered now?!" In the Soviet-occupied areas of Poland, the person in charge of Soviet defense was the representative of the headquarters of the Supreme Command, Marshal Vasilevskiy of the Soviet Union.

"So far, there are at least more than 700,000 people, and more than a thousand tanks. According to the intelligence department, they also have more than 7,000 artillery pieces and nearly 400 fighter planes..."

Standing in front of Marshal Vasilevsky were Soviet Marshal Govorov, commander of the Leningrad Front, General Maslennikov, commander of the 3rd Baltic Coast Army, and Ye Ye, commander of the Baltic Coast Campaign Army of the 2nd Baltic Coast.

General Liao Menke.

There are also General Bagramyan, commander of the 1st Baltic Front, General Chernyakhovsky, commander of the 3rd Belarusian Front, and Admiral Tributz, commander of the Red Flag Baltic Fleet subordinate to the commander of the Leningrad Front.

And now Vasilevsky has as many as 900,000 troops. Trotsky spared no effort to arm this frontline force, giving a total of 10,000 artillery pieces of various types and more than 2,000 self-propelled artillery pieces.

and tanks, as well as more than 1,500 fighter planes of various types.

Trotsky and Stalin's only request now is that these four aspects can withstand the German attack from Poland to ensure that the Soviets have more time to prepare for war.

After the Soviet-German partition of Poland, the Soviet Union got 51% of its territory from Poland. It took South Bessarabia and North Bukovina from Romania, and it took Karelia, Sara, and Riba from Finland.

Qi Peninsula and other territories.

This restored the Soviet Union's strength to a certain extent, but it was far from enough to fight Germany.

"The task given to me by the committee is to keep these Germans out of the Soviet Union. We will never allow them to enter our territory and launch aggression."

Vasilevsky and the front commanders under him were almost all generals who had been promoted urgently. When it came to achievements and war experience, they were still too shallow compared to old people like Tukhachevsky.

But Tukhachevsky and others were almost all left in Moscow to provide combat advice to the Soviet top brass. Trotsky and others believed that these talents were the key to the final decisive battle of the Soviet Union, so they were not allowed to easily

set foot on the battlefield, but chose to let them stay in Moscow to form an army armed with new weapons.

Vasilevsky was somewhat ambitious, but what he didn't know was that opposite him there were about 3.2 million German ground troops entering the Western Front. At the same time, there were hundreds of thousands of Romanian, Hungarian, and

Slovak and Italian troops, and Finland were organized to launch an offensive from the north.

In Vasilevsky's view, even if it could not stop the German attack, it could at least delay the German attack. At the same time, it would cause a large number of casualties to the German army.

"Comrades, the fate of the Soviet Union is now in our hands..." After Vasilevsky issued all combat orders and plans, the marshal said to these generals: "People of the Soviet Union,

They are watching us! Let us fight bravely! For the Soviets!!"

"Ula~~"

Different from the situation in the Soviet Union, the commanders appointed by Germany this time are all experienced commanders. For example, the commanders of the Northern Army Group

The commander, Marshal Wilhelm Rieter von Lieb, received the Marx-Josef Military Order as a commendation for his military exploits during World War I. After World War I, he also served as commander for a long time. He was once the commander of the 7th Military District.

Major General Commander.

In World War II, he also led the troops to directly break through the French Maginot Line, creating conditions for the final victory of the German army.

Marshal Fedor von Bock of Army Group Center was from a traditional Prussian military aristocratic family. During World War I, he participated in the planning of operations in Namur, Saint-Quentin, Ypres and other places. In the early days of World War II, he participated in the attack on the lowlands.

A series of battles for the country.

Not to mention Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt of Army Group South. The Battle of Poland, the Battle of the Low Countries and the Battle of England that finally conquered Britain were all masterpieces of this old marshal.

Millions of troops were mobilized, including almost all the best commanders in the German army. Germany's intention is self-evident. They want to defeat the Soviet Union as quickly as possible in the shortest time.

"Now is not a good time to start a war. The Soviet Union in winter is hell. Napoleon once fell there. We cannot follow his old path." This is what Hitler and his aides studied about the experiences of countries that had failed in launching wars against the Soviet Union.

Finally, the conclusion is drawn.

"I am anxious to schedule it for May next year. But I know better that being anxious will often only lead to failure." Hitler told the generals who were eager to attack the Soviet Union: "Winter and the rainy season will make the entire Soviet Union become muddy.

Unbearable. This will put a lot of pressure on our logistics. We need to take this into account..."

"At the same time, we also need to do something to confuse our enemies. They are too cautious now. We need them to relax, and then relax again. Only then will we have a chance..."

Time passed bit by bit, and when the battlefield in Southeast Asia entered a temporary calm, Stalin finally returned to the Soviet Union. His return brought a large amount of weapons and equipment and much-needed ammunition.

On this basis, Marshal Tukhachevsky was ordered to form new troops to defend against German attacks.

"What?! Ribbentrop applied for entry?!" Stalin had just returned to the Soviet Union and learned the shocking news at the committee. Trotsky also frowned and looked at Stalin and said.

"Yes, Comrade Stalin. We have received news from Ribbentrop through certain channels. He hopes to get our permission to come to the Soviet Union..."

Stalin frowned, somewhat confused about what the Germans wanted to do. They had gathered a large number of troops on the border, and even their ally Japan had been mobilized and was preparing to attack the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

And at this time, as Foreign Minister Ribbentrop actually applied to come to the Soviet Union?! What is he going to do?!

"Comrade Trotsky, do you think we should let Ribbentrop come to Moscow?!" Stalin hesitated and asked Trotsky.
To be continued...