Big Time 1958

   "Thank you!" Serov lowered his head and cautiously expressed his approval. This was not sympathy for what happened to Marshal Zhukov, but it was good for him. In this case, he didn't mind having a light meal with the three marshals. Judging from the whole day's experience, Serov can conclude that Marshal Zhukov is actually looking forward to his comeback.

   A person who has been brilliant is actually not willing to be mediocre. Marshal Victory has always been looking forward to paying. It's just that he didn't understand that his hope was actually in his enemies, and if it was a hard-hearted person like Brezhnev, Zhukov would definitely die in loneliness in this life.

   "Head, Marshal Zhukov has returned, report the news to Comrade First Secretary." Serov, who left Marshal Zhukov's villa, told his boss Shelepin the news by using the Alpha system phone on the car.

   Putting down the phone, Serov's face revealed a fleeting look of joy. In the past ten years, there have been some different changes in the top leadership of the Soviet Union. At this time, Shelepin has become an official member of the Central Presidium. Regarding the cadres of the entire Communist Youth League system, Serov and Brezhnev actually have the same understanding, but the difference is that they have different understandings of Sherepin.

   Shelepin has been polished by politics in his later years, and he has become no different from ordinary Soviet cadres. But at this time Shelepin, at the peak of his life, believed that his work could bring benefits to the Soviet Union. He knows Shelepin very well. Shelepin can be said to be an enhanced version of Andropov. He hopes to take the initiative to improve relations with China. Even if it is a temporary concession, he must first deal with the United States. At the same time, he believed very much in the power of state administration, and he also agreed with Kosygin's economic policy.

Shelepin didn't like privileges very much, maybe because he was relatively young in the Soviet leadership, so he didn't pay much attention to this issue, but he was different from Suslov, who could only guarantee that he was a communist, Shelepin I want to cover this shackle to everyone including myself. From this point of view, Shelepin and Khrushchev are similar in their attitude towards privilege.

   Such a person, Serov does not want to see a tragic end. At this time, Serov already felt that Brezhnev had too much support, but he still hoped that his boss could withstand Brezhnev and not let the Soviet Union appear too obvious class solidification. Chance.

"Even if there is a risk, I will help him." Serov, who put down the phone, said to himself, he could only choose Sherepin, even if Brezhnev had the first mover advantage, even if he had been noticed by Brezhnev Yes, he wanted to do the same.

After returning to Moscow, I reported the news to Khrushchev. The first secretary of the Soviet Union was obviously happy. It has been almost eight years since the dismissal of Marshal Zhukov. The influence of the military force is too great, and because of the fame of Marshal Zhukov, the list of boxes may also have a promoting effect on the Ministry of Defense.

   The Ministry of Defense has always criticized Khrushchev for limiting the increase in military spending. After dismissing Podgorny, Khrushchev was also thinking about this issue. When there was a problem in Podgorny, the biggest effect was to let Khrushchev know that there was indeed a dissatisfaction with him in the Soviet Union. He wanted to know the situation clearly. Except for the KGB, no other department had this ability, otherwise Serov would also He will not take the position of the General Political Commissar of National Security. The General Political Commissar of National Security is the highest rank of the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs during the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is equivalent to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Armed Forces, or the rank of General of the Soviet Union.

   But at Serov, the General Political Commissar of National Security has become a position. Although it has been separated from the military rank, it is still the leader with the most discourse power in the Soviet security system. Serov can participate in the meetings of the Ministry of Defense by virtue of this identity, which is different from before. In the past, he could only observe the meetings of the Ministry of Defense. Whether the Marshal of the Ministry of Defense listens or not depends on luck, but as the General Political Commissar of National Security, he can formulate policies. You can also provide your own opinions.

   "The most important purpose is to have sufficient self-protection ability, so that others will not dare to replace me." As long as you live in your own position, there is hope in everything. Even if Brezhnev fails, as long as the situation does not deteriorate to a certain extent, Serov believes that the situation will always get better. This is the advantage of the times, just like an ordinary smart phone in later generations is larger than all the computing power of all the computers in the world in this era combined. He has never lacked confidence, but the process is more uneasy.

   The meeting of the Ministry of Defense in March represented a change in the Soviet military. Marshal Zhukov, who had been away from the military for eight years, reappeared where he had worked. The difference from before is that at this time Marshal Zhukov is no longer so obvious, but the identity of Marshal Victory is there, and everyone can take it lightly.

"Five days ago, the first U.S. troops landed in South Vietnam, marking the beginning of a large-scale U.S. entry into Southeast Asia to fight. The outcome of this war is hard to say." Marshal Malinovsky briefly introduced the participants to the meeting. The dynamics of the Vietnam War.

   Even with the strength of the United States, to conduct a large-scale war, several steps must be taken, contacting allies, setting up forward positions, allocating domestic budgets, and deploying troops. In particular, Vietnam is thousands of miles away from the mainland of the United States, and early war preparations are necessary. Therefore, half a year after the Beibu Gulf incident, the main force of the US Army began to land in Vietnam.

  If you want to force a country to submit, the air force and the navy are enough to handle everything, but if you want to defeat a country without controversy, it is impossible without the contribution of the army. In the end, the army must solve the problem. The army is the cornerstone of the country, without the army, the country is nothing. There are very few countries with a ground-based environment like the United States. The Soviet Union's military-building model is a common model for most countries.

   When Marshal Zhukov participated in the first meeting, he was basically in an auditor's position. The current Defense Minister is Marshal Malinovsky, and even the prestige of Marshal Zhukov cannot change this.

"The United States finally used the army to solve the problem. In fact, the tone of this war has been explained. Based on the public opinion and war preparations in South Vietnam, I think the final result will definitely replicate the Korean War. I have a piece of information for my comrades, everyone pay attention. Look." Shelov took out the relevant intelligence documents.

  The South Korean government, invited by the U.S. government, also began to send combat troops such as Qinglong, Baihu (South Korea’s 9th Infantry Division), and Tiger (South Korea’s Capital Division) to pay for South Korea’s defense spending. The United States provided South Korea with about 1 billion US dollars. South Korea is the largest troop-contributing country outside the United States.

   In addition, the Pacific allies of the United States, including Japan, the Philippines and other countries, and the authorities have more or less indirectly involved in the battle. It is widely known that the U.S. National Defense Forces once dispatched Air Force F-5 fighter jets to Vietnam from Taiwan, China under the Kuomintang, and stationed an F-4 squadron in Taichung City, Taiwan to fill it up. At that time, Taiwan was known as the largest Taichung Qingquangang Airport in Southeast Asia. An airfield built to support B-52 bombing. In addition, Taiwanese military advisers, electronic warfare, and agents are active in the Republic of Vietnam.

   Another U.S. ally in Europe, the Federal Republic of Germany, has found an opportunity to bypass the constitutional ban this time because of its strict constitutional restrictions on sending troops abroad to participate in conflicts. The government of the Federal Republic of Germany avoided public discussion of this issue at home and, at the request of the United States government, secretly sent 2,500 German soldiers, including 120 pilots, to Vietnam without the knowledge of the common people. U.S. Air Force aircraft participated directly in military operations against Vietnam.

"It can't be said that the Americans did not learn the lessons of the Korean War, but the strength that the Americans rely on in Asia is really unreliable, and in the end they have to solve the problem by themselves." Shelov introduced the participants of the war, and then said, "I It means that the North Korean side will send some antiaircraft artillery troops to fight in North Vietnam. At the same time, it will share the pressure of China and at the same time let the Chinese comrades understand that although we will not be able to intervene in the war within this year, the entire socialist camp will also support this matter. Yes, but the GDR does not recommend sending military forces into the war in addition to intelligence forces."

"I'm only briefly talking about military matters, and now I'm talking about the specific situation of the enemy and the strategic situation." With the approval of many Defense Ministry marshals, Serov picked up the pointer and walked to a map of Vietnam and introduced. , "In terms of the general situation, the United States has been very passive since the beginning of the Vietnam War, because the purpose of the United States is very vague from the initial definition. The strategy is based on the defensive counterattack against North Vietnam, which may be because of the Korean War, so The decision made, but I have to say that this is wrong. Based on the defense against the infiltrating forces of North Vietnam, the military operation will be very passive from the beginning. On the contrary, North Vietnam has taken the initiative and has been in the offensive stage, and the US even the Air Force has Restrictions, not daring to bomb the vicinity of the Sino-Vietnamese border, is equivalent to fighting with one hand tied. In this case, if you can win, there will be ghosts. So I think the United States is doomed to fail in this war,”

Any war can be analyzed from the clues. From the very beginning, the United States has restricted its military operations, based on the preservation of South Vietnam rather than the elimination of North Vietnam. It can be said that it can still be won in this way. . Serov, in his capacity as the General Political Commissar of National Security, cooperated with the KGB's intelligence system to say this, which hardly aroused the suspicion of the Soviet Ministry of Defense. The analysis supported by intelligence made all the Marshals of the Ministry of Defense agree. (To be continued~^~)