The Rise of the Third Reich

When Berzin heard that Tukhachevsky had been arrested, he felt like the sky was falling. Because it meant that the storm of the "Great Purge" had finally reached the top of the Red Army! As the former head of the Intelligence Department of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, Berzin was undoubtedly a member of the top of the Red Army, and he was not a direct descendant of Stalin... "Comrade Stalin, I firmly support the party's decision. I want to expose Tukhachevsky's crimes to you..." Berzin reacted quickly and immediately decided to fight back. This is not a "villain's act", but a necessary quality for a Bolshevik party member - obeying all decisions of the party! And in Berzin's view, Tukhachevsky did have serious mistakes - mainly line errors, he opposed the party's military line and diplomatic line! "Tukhachevsky opposed the party's line and was the leader of the new opposition in the army." Berzin said, "He not only opposed the party's military line, but also wanted to transform the Red Army according to the mechanized war theory proposed by bourgeois military theorists. He also opposed the party's diplomatic line and had objections to the alliance with Germany..." Line errors are sins! Therefore, Stalin's purge of Tukhachevsky and the Red Army was not wrong, but a practice that conformed to the rules of Bolshevik political struggle. It was just that there was a tendency to expand in the implementation process - too many people were executed, which was unnecessary. But it was the consistent practice of the Bolsheviks to remove those who held the wrong line from the revolutionary ranks, and it was necessary...

"Oh," Stalin nodded gently, seeming to be very satisfied with Berzin's statement. "So what do you think about the issue of uniting Germany?"

"This..." Berzin's cold sweat was about to drip down his head - the line struggle was too cruel, and it was very likely to lose his life if he said the wrong thing.

"Go ahead, just say it." Stalin said with a smile. But in his heart, he was still dissatisfied with Berzin's attitude - different opinions and wrong lines are not the same thing! Tukhachevsky's mistake was not that he said the wrong thing in front of him, but that he promoted a wrong line in the army that was inconsistent with the party's military line.

"Comrade Stalin," Berzin said with a frown, "If we want to eliminate White Poland, we must unite with Germany, otherwise Germany may stand on the side of Poland."

Stalin smiled and nodded. Such a simple truth, Tukhachevsky couldn't figure it out - this man's brain was too confused, he was just a soldier and didn't understand diplomacy and politics at all!

"But after the elimination of White Poland, Germany will be a threat." Berzin considered, "But if the war between Germany and Britain and France continues, then they will not fight us again."

"Yes!" Stalin laughed, "This is obvious! Because those in power in Germany have suffered from fighting on two fronts, they are not fools, and they can't make the same mistake twice. So there is no problem in dividing Poland with Germany. The key is how to make Germany, Britain and France fall into the quagmire of war together! And... we must stay out of the war."

Berzin knew that Stalin wanted him to give advice, this was an opportunity to gain trust! He frowned and thought hard, "Comrade Stalin, to achieve this goal, we must first let Britain and France declare war on Germany, and we must not let Britain and France be frightened by the Soviet-German alliance."

"That's right." Stalin took out a blue tin can, which contained Yunnan tobacco presented by Zhou Enlai, the new prime minister of the Wuhan government of China, when he visited in January.

Stalin filled his pipe with tobacco while saying, "We don't want much, just to recover the lost territory in the Polish War. We don't want to go to war with Britain and France. And once White Poland is destroyed, we will be bordering Germany. In this way, there will be room for cooperation between us and France, right?"

"Comrade General Secretary, you are so wise." Berzin said sincerely, "We should let Germany and Britain and France fight each other, and we will watch the battle from the sidelines. When they are exhausted, it will be time for us to lead the world revolution!"

Stalin lit his pipe, took two puffs, and smiled, "World revolution is not easy. It will only be possible to succeed when the Soviet Union has completely built socialism."

He was not as aggressive as Trotsky, but he was not opposed to expanding the Soviet Union's territory without completely breaking with the imperialist camp.

"So our targets are only Turkey, Iraq and Iran," Stalin said. "Turkey and Iran are both independent countries, while Iraq is protected by Britain, but it is also basically an independent country."

Stalin felt that he was very careful - only taking three independent countries and opening up a passage to the Indian Ocean would not overly stimulate Britain, France and Germany.

As for Italy, if the fascist leader really dared to block the Soviet Union's southward advance, Stalin was very confident that he would beat him to a pulp.

"Comrade General Secretary, this goal is completely achievable," Berzin said admiringly. "As long as the Near East and the Middle East are taken, the Soviet Union will be the most powerful country in the world!"

Stalin laughed loudly. Going south to recapture Constantine has been the dream of the Russian people for hundreds of years, and it seems that it will come true in his hands.

"But Comrade General Secretary," Berzin suddenly asked at this time, "how can we make Britain and France act according to our wishes? Aren't we ready to conclude an alliance with Germany?"

The Soviet-German alliance is the prerequisite for the division of Poland - this is the condition that Hessmann has always insisted on, and it is also Germany's national policy.

"Of course we have to form an alliance, this is necessary," Stalin took a breath of cigarette, "because we have to take back Ukraine on the right bank. This can only be done by fighting, there is no other way. But we should let Britain and France know the Soviet policy, know the German policy, know How are the Germans preparing to defeat Poland?”

"Comrade General Secretary, what do you mean..." Berzin looked at Stalin, as if waiting for the other party's order.

"There needs to be someone," Stalin said with a smile, "a high-level worker-peasant Red Army cadre who has access to all secrets. Because he was involved in a Communist group, he felt that he might be arrested and defected. We will take a copy of the Plan to London or Paris and inform Britain and France of our intentions.”

Berzin's heart beat rapidly, defecting! And it can involve many comrades...

"There happens to be an army *** group now," Stalin said. "Tukhachevsky cannot be committing the crime alone, there must be a group of people! Comrade Berzin, you are a follower of Tukhachevsky ”

"No, I'm not... Comrade Stalin, I'm a loyal Bolshevik," Berzin hurriedly defended, "I was the one who led the people to execute the Tsar. How could I compete with Tukhachevsky, a military expert with a noble background? A group of people?"

"I know, I know," Stalin smiled and shook his head, "I know that you and Tukhachevsky are not the same people, and I trust you!" He paused for a moment, "Then who will act as this abominable person?" Where are the traitors? "

"Comrade Stalin, this is the work of the Intelligence Department of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army." Berzin reminded, "The Intelligence Department of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army will arrange everything."

"Okay," Stalin smiled and nodded, "Then I will hand over this glorious task to the Intelligence Department of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Comrade Berzin, you are our best intelligence minister, and this is your job."

Stalin allowed himself to be the Intelligence Minister of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army again! This shows that he trusts himself. Berzin suddenly felt like he had escaped from a tiger's mouth.

"Please rest assured," Berzin said, "I will definitely complete the mission, and I will definitely arrange a perfect scam to ensure that the enemy will not see through it."

…

"Why didn't you see Marshal Tukhachevsky?"

On May 15, Hersmann's visit to the Soviet Union came to a successful conclusion. He not only reached a lot of consensus with the Soviet Union on the draft of the Soviet-German Alliance Agreement, but also initialed the "Soviet-Germany Deepening Naval Technical Cooperation Agreement," which stipulated that Germany should provide The Soviet Union provided relevant technology and equipment for the construction of 26,000-ton battlecruisers and 42,000-ton battleships, and allowed the Soviet Union to repay them in oil and non-ferrous metals.

When he left Moscow, Marshal Voroshilov, Marshal Budyonny and Marshal Yegorov all went to the airport to see him off, but Marshal Tukhachevsky was not seen.

"He is sick," Voroshilov replied, "an infectious disease!"

Anyone who touches it will get in!

"Oh." Hessman nodded. He knew that Tukhachevsky was likely to have been arrested, and now was the era of great purges in the Soviet Union.

"Then I wish him a speedy recovery," Hessman said calmly, "If he needs medical help from Germany, just tell the embassy and let him come to Germany for medical treatment or send our medical experts to the Soviet Union. "

Can German doctors cure line errors? When Yegorov heard Hessman's words, he couldn't help but sigh. Tukhachevsky's arrest is a signal - the purge is about to affect the top brass of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army!

"Thank you very much," Voroshilov smiled and shook hands with Hessmann. There was no doubt that he was safe and there was no need to worry that Stalin would attack him. "I will convey your kindness to Tukhachevsky."

"Okay, that's great!" Hessmann hugged Voroshilov, "Voroshilov, I wish us a happy cooperation. In addition, I look forward to meeting you in Berlin in the summer of 1938. By then our two countries should be the closest allies!”

"Yes! We will be allies!" Voroshilov said happily, "Together we will plant the flag of socialism all over the world!"

Hersman also agreed and said: "Yes, we are going to plant the flag of socialism in every corner of the world!"