February 14, 1921, Valentine's Day in the West.

This day happened to be the day when Chen Shaobai and the others set foot in Hong Kong. It was also the day when the Japanese Crown Prince Hirohito left the country and began his visit. On this day, in the remote and cold central Russia, the Serov area was like hell.

Tragic situation.

Due to the destruction of a large amount of supplies, Serov's Russian Imperial Government forces had no choice but to retreat and head north to leave. This event was called "the victory of the people's war" by the Soviet government, and many fabricated characters were derived from it.

, promoted vigorously in publicity.

However, after the Russian Imperial Government troops withdrew from the Serov area, the Soviet troops did not arrive as quickly as expected to liberate these suffering people. On the contrary, the Red Army departments shouted slogans loudly, but remained motionless and helpless.

Watching the Serov region facing the coldest winter in Russia despite already being extremely short of supplies.

After three incidents, especially the last big explosion, half of the city of Serov was burned down and hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless. Not to mention that there was not much food left in the hands of the people, plus the ensuing

In the severe winter, in just half a month, tens of thousands of people froze to death and starved to death in the Serov area. By early February 1921, the number had exceeded 100,000. The old, weak, women and children were almost wiped out, and even young people were wiped out.

Zhuang is also struggling on the edge of life and death.

On February 14, the long-awaited Red Army finally arrived. Those who were lucky enough to be alive could no longer shed tears in their eyes, because their tears had already dried up with the endless blood. After the Red Army troops entered the city,

With the cooperation of the red-faced underground party, they successfully took over the entire city and officially announced that Serov was back in the hands of the people.

Dozens of propaganda cadres arrived with the troops. These people hung up cameras and held small notebooks in their hands, "looking" for evidence of crimes left by the enemy. The piles of bones proved the white bandit's identity.

These criminal acts, these scenes vividly displayed in people's eyes, indicate that the hands of the white bandits are stained with blood that cannot be washed away, and they will be nailed to the pillar of shame by the people forever.

In addition to these, there are many vivid photos that prove that only the Soviets can save everyone. In the photos, a white-haired "old man" is holding bread distributed by amiable Red Army soldiers. He is so excited that tears burst into his face. This picture

The touching photos appeared in major newspapers in Moscow, and many imperial literati wrote countless reports advocating for the Soviets and criticizing the enemy's brutality.

Of course, no one would care about the origins and final whereabouts of this "old man". Stalin only knew that Serov was now completely in his hands, and because of the active withdrawal of the Russian Imperial government forces, the orthodox government of the Russian Empire

The policy of all-out westward expansion has gone bankrupt, and Stalin achieved his goal without abolishing a single soldier. As for how many people Serov died and how these people died, this is not Stalin's concern. What's more, due to the large-scale disappearance of the population

, the Red Army's logistical supply pressure has also been greatly reduced, which is perfect for the upcoming spring campaign.

"Comrade Stalin, the people are here."

"Oh, please invite him in."

In the Kremlin in Moscow, Stalin put down the phone and stood up from his chair. He held a pipe in his hand and looked towards the door with a smile. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged man wearing a military uniform but without a military rank.

Came in.

"Comrade Stalin..."

"Comrade Trotsky, I have been waiting for you." Stalin greeted him with a smile on his face, held his hands tightly and said sincerely: "You have been wronged, Comrade Trotsky, are you still in good health?"

?”

"Thank you for your concern, Comrade Stalin." Trotsky said gratefully: "There is nothing wrong with my health. The comrades below still respect me very much."

"That's good, that's good." Stalin nodded repeatedly, pulled Trotsky to sit on the sofa beside him, looked him up and down, and sighed: "You have become darker and thinner... this is me

As the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, I made a mistake in my work. I didn’t know that you were still being imprisoned until some time ago. This is simply unimaginable!”

Stalin seemed to be very angry and said: "Comrade Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov dismissed you from all positions. This was a mistake! As revolutionaries, we must have the courage to admit our mistakes. I think if Vladimir

If Comrade Kimir Ilyich Ulyanov were still here, he would correct it without hesitation. Besides, the situation was a bit special at the time.

I ordered these mistakes to be corrected, but I didn’t expect that the people below misunderstood the orders from above and never released you. I didn’t hear about this until a few days ago, and I have already severely criticized these comrades who made mistakes.

, Comrade Trotsky, as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, I apologize to you and ask for your forgiveness..."

Trotsky was very flattered. He stood up quickly and repeatedly said that it was not necessary. He told Stalin that it was just a trivial matter for him. The suffering of revolutionaries is a way to test the revolutionary will. There is no grievance. What's more, Comrade Stalin

He was very grateful that he could still think of himself under such circumstances when he had so many things to do.

"Okay! Comrade Trotsky really deserves to have a revolutionary mind!" Stalin nodded happily, took a few puffs of his pipe, and smiled as he asked Trotsky what he thought about life and work.

You can put forward your requirements and ideas to yourself, and he will do his best to meet them.

"I will do everything according to the organization's arrangements." Trotsky replied without hesitation.

"Have you heard about the situation in central China?" Stalin asked with a faint smile, taking a few puffs of cigarette.

"I've heard a little bit about it, but I just came out not long ago and I don't know the specific situation yet," Trotsky replied.

Stalin stood up, and when he saw that Trotsky was about to stand up, he quickly waved to him, indicating that he should continue sitting. Then Stalin walked to the desk and took out a document, and then handed the document to Trotsky: "

This is the latest frontline situation, please take a look first."

"Okay, Comrade Stalin." Trotsky took the document without much politeness, and immediately opened it and started reading page by page.

Trotsky looked very carefully and very slowly. However, Stalin did not rush him and sat aside quietly smoking his pipe.

After about an hour or so, Trotsky closed the document, closed his eyes and thought for a while, and then said: "Comrade Stalin, I didn't expect that the situation on the front line has changed a lot in the past few months since I left my post. However,

Everything is not at its worst yet, and under your wise planning, Comrade Stalin, Serov was able to be liberated, which is enough to show that our revolutionaries are invincible. However, I would like to hear your views on the future situation, Comrade Stalin, first.

Is it okay to have a plan for the war, or a plan for the frontline war?"

"That's no problem. Here's my thinking..." Stalin readily agreed and briefly stated his thoughts. For the enemy, we must defeat them and completely bankrupt the opponent's westward expansion strategy.

.Not only that, while winning, the battle line must be pushed back to the Siberian region to suppress the enemy's living space and win more chips for the final victory.

When Stalin finished speaking, Trotsky nodded. He agreed with Stalin's point of view. However, due to the failure of the Siberian Campaign, he suggested reconsidering the unified command and tactical arrangements of the frontline troops to ensure that they were foolproof.

"You are right, this is what I have been thinking about." Stalin agreed, looked at Trotsky and said: "Comrade Trotsky, I want you to be the commander of the front line, what do you think?

"

"Me? Isn't this appropriate? After all, I just came out and haven't officially resumed work yet." Trotsky said in surprise.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Stalin smiled nonchalantly: "You are one of the founders of our Red Army, and you were the commander-in-chief before. Being the commander of the Eastward Front has already wronged you. After all, the Supreme Soviet has re-appointed

Commander-in-Chief, I can only temporarily arrange this position for you."

"No, no, no, Comrade Stalin, I didn't mean that." Trotsky was afraid that Stalin would misunderstand him and quickly explained: "I am worried that my ability is not enough, and I was just released, so it is not suitable to be a commander."

"No problem, I will officially rehabilitate you today. None of what you said is a problem. I know your abilities very well. If you are not qualified, I am afraid that no comrade can be qualified."

Seeing that Stalin was determined to take up this position, Trotsky hesitated for a long time and finally reluctantly agreed. However, he also made a request, that is, he hoped to release the commander Khachevsky who was imprisoned after the failure of the Siberian Campaign.

Timoshenko and others asked them to perform meritorious service and use victory to wash away their shame.

Stalin seemed to be very entangled with this condition. After all, unlike Trotsky, Khachevsky, Timoshenko and others were directly responsible for the failure of the Siberian Campaign, if it were not for Vladimir Ilyich.

If Comrade Ulyanov died suddenly, they might have been formally tried by a military court and executed. Now, it would be inappropriate to release a few of them. Stalin thought about it for a long time but still hesitated and could not make the decision.

determination.

Finally, it was not until Trotsky vouched for them and persuaded Stalin that they did not need to give them any formal positions, but just work in the headquarters as ordinary staff officers. After all, they were all excellent generals, and they had served in the Siberian battlefield.

The surprise of fighting against opponents, with them here, will bring great confidence in future counterattacks.
Chapter completed!