Chapter 932 Turning Point (End, 6900 Votes Plus More)

Stalin slowly stood up and said in a low voice: "This is the situation in the negotiations. Comrade Molotov has tried his best. In my opinion, the other clauses are acceptable, even the compensation clause, the armament clause, the army The terms are slightly better than expected, which shows that Hitler is sincere in negotiating peace, at least in the short term. No one can say for sure about the long term, and we cannot place our hopes on the enemy's mercy. The only problem is border demarcation. ——According to the German terms means that we have to lose Central Asia, lose Moscow, lose Stalingrad and the lower Volga River basin. As the general secretary of the party, I am deeply saddened by this.”

Everyone looked up at Stalin and found that his eyes were full of tears. They were holding back the tears to prevent them from rolling down. All the Communist Party committee members felt sad and had the urge to cry loudly.

"Comrade Stalin, we cannot accept such a humiliating peace treaty. Let's fight the Germans to the end!" Andreev, the Communist Party member in charge of agriculture, suddenly said, "Unless they step on our corpses, Germany will No one can achieve his goal!"

"Yes, Comrade Stalin, let's continue fighting and fight a vigorous battle to defend Stalingrad so that the people across the country can see our determination." Khrushchev echoed for the second time.

Stalin shook his head slightly: "I understand your thoughts, but this war cannot be fought any longer. The Red Army has suffered continuous defeats, the people are in extreme pain, and industry and agriculture have been completely destroyed. We have tried all available forces and means, but the enemy The force is too strong. If we continue to fight, there will be no hope of victory in the short term. On the contrary, there will be a danger of the collapse of the party and the country. We will resist to the end. Hitler will certainly have to pay a price, but the White Russians and separatists are very happy...British and American imperialism may not be immune. The same attitude of gloating.”

Voroshilov stated: "I agree with Comrade Stalin's opinion. The idea of ​​​​fighting to bring down everyone is a seriously irresponsible attitude towards the revolution, the people, and the party's cause. It is extremely harmful. If we end up falling in a pool of blood, Who will inherit and hold high the banner of communism? Who will defend the new cause created by Comrade Lenin? Who will be responsible for the history and future of the Soviet Union?

Kalinin and Mikoyan stood up and expressed their opinions on temporarily avoiding the limelight, waiting for the opportunity, and weathering the difficulties from the perspective of preserving their vitality.

Molotov stood up and said: "I would like to remind all comrades to pay attention to the fact that Britain is also facing an armistice situation, which means that in addition to the United States across the Atlantic, the Germans can put all their power on us; if we If we can quickly reach an armistice agreement with Germany and gain a breathing space, Germany will turn its guns on the United States and compete for world hegemony. This is exactly the same as the situation at the end of World War I. If Germany ultimately fails, then we don't need to care about this peace treaty at all. It is a piece of waste paper. "If Germany succeeds in the end, its power will also be weakened, and it will be able to achieve better status and conditions after the Soviet power is restored in the future."

Zhdanov commented: "The current situation reminds me of the moment when Comrade Lenin decided against all the opinions to accept the Brest-Litovsk Agreement, which won room for development for the new Soviet Union. We urgently need to recuperate and recover, and we urgently need medical treatment. War trauma. Comrade Stalin’s decision focuses on the overall situation and the future, and I think it should become the consensus of the whole party.”

Stalin nodded: "Since everyone has spoken, let me add a few more words. Although this treaty has significantly adjusted the borders, the two main parts of the Soviets - the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks - are still in the same organizational structure. This is The advantageous point is that it is convenient for us to develop progressive and revolutionary forces to achieve unification; secondly, although the western border has been fixed, there is still room for adjustment in the eastern and southeastern borders. We can join hands with the Chinese revolutionary comrades to focus on the east affairs; finally, as the general secretary of the party, I bear the main responsibility for this decision. No matter how history judges me in the future, I can accept it calmly. Let’s vote based on principles. Comrades who agree with this treaty, please raise your hands!”

He was the first to raise his hand, and others followed suit, including Andreev, who had objected just now, and Khrushchev, who raised his hand the highest.

"Comrade Molotov please contact the German side. We will first withdraw from Stalingrad, achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, and preserve our strength, and then sign the official text." Stalin burst into tears after saying, "I hope that all comrades, the whole party, The people of the whole country will remember today’s humiliation... I..."

Before he could finish his words, his body staggered and fell. Everyone rushed to call the doctor. The diagnosis showed that there was nothing serious, but the doctor said that the recent continuous hard work and bad mood had affected Comrade Stalin's health. , I hope he will take care of his health and reduce work pressure.

"Has the Party Central Committee decided to cease the war?" Vasilevsky received a call at the General Staff Headquarters late that night.

"Yes! Comrade Stalin requested that the message be sent to Comrade Zhukov to withdraw the troops and people from Stalingrad. We will notify the German side early tomorrow morning, and then strive to cease fire as soon as possible."

"I firmly obey orders!"

"The Führer, my respected Führer..." Ribbentrop called in early in the morning when Hoffman just got up. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I must report to you if there is any situation." , Molotov accepted the armistice on behalf of the Soviet Union and was ready to hand over Stalingrad to us first."

"Okay!" Although Hoffman was still a little awake, the news made him happy, "The long and torturous war on the Eastern Front is finally over!"

"Führer, I must congratulate you. You have achieved unprecedented hegemony that far surpasses all heroes. Having a leader like you is like finding light in the darkness and finding the right direction for Germany."

"Okay, okay." Hoffman smiled. "Sign the memorandum of understanding with Molotov as soon as possible. At the same time, I will let the high command arrange the armistice."

"Marshal, there is a message from Berlin that there will be an armistice soon. Starting from 12 noon, we can no longer attack in the direction of Stalingrad."

"Really?" Manstein took the telegram and read it several times before laughing. "The Russians finally couldn't stand it any longer. They informed the various ministries of the news and then prepared to contact the Russians about specific ceasefire matters. Be careful not to let down your guard. To prevent the Russians from committing fraud."

After receiving the armistice telegram handed over by political commissar Ganganovich, Zhukov, Vatutin and Rokossovsky in Stalingrad were stunned for a moment, and then all fell down. Zhukov had been worrying about the war situation for the past two days. His eye sockets had sunken deeply, his beard was unkempt, his face was covered with deep helplessness, and his whole body was extremely haggard. He sighed "Alas..."

Vatugin slammed his fist on the wall: "I hate it..."

"Comrade Ganganovich, do we want to accept this order?" Rokossovsky said tremblingly, "Should we first send a telegram to Moscow to express our determination to live or die with Stalingrad? "

Zhukov knew his little thoughts, shook his head and said sternly: "Don't think about it too much. Since the Party Central Committee has made a decision, we must obey it unconditionally. We should care about how to retreat properly. In order to prevent the fascists from betraying their faith and launching a surprise attack, it is recommended that the troops continue Strengthen the city's defenses, retreat slowly and join Comrade Yeremenko. In addition, we must work with grassroots cadres to settle the masses and inform them to bring their personal belongings and follow the troops to retreat..."

"Will all the people be relocated? How to relocate them in the future is still a big problem." Vatugin sighed, "The rear is short of food and clothing, and there may not even be a place to live..."

"Publish the news, and we will take away those who are willing to go with the Red Army. Those who are unwilling will not be forced. All actions must be managed by the troops. Some troops can be withdrawn from the outer defense line to escort the masses. Remember not to cause chaos. , let alone spread rumors." Ganganovich frowned, "Otherwise, we will be treated as collaborators and the highest security measures will be implemented."

"yes!"

"Engineers and skilled workers in factories, teachers in schools and other intellectuals must find ways to move to the rear. They will be needed for national reconstruction in the future." Administrative affairs will obviously be dominated by Ganganovich, he explained , "The local government will mobilize the Communist Party members and the Communist Youth League members to organize a retreat, and ask the Red Army to send effective troops to assist. We must do a good job in policy propaganda. The Soviets are only a truce, not a surrender!"

"Complete the mission resolutely!"

At 12 noon on June 6, 1944, the war that lasted for nearly three years finally gradually subsided. The loudspeaker in the center of Stalingrad broadcast the "Message to the People of the City" over and over again. There were cries everywhere. After a year Half of the siege and confrontation, both party cadres and ordinary citizens were actually mentally prepared for this. Although there was some commotion, the overall situation was pretty good. The German army opened a channel to allow Red Army trains and ships to move. According to Zhukov's order, the Red Army delivered some peripheral defense measures. The German army quickly moved in, but did not take drastic measures.

The soldiers of the German army and the Russian People's Liberation Army watched the evacuation of the Red Army and citizens with mixed emotions, and then burst into violent cheers.

Although there are still exchanges of fire in the direction of Moscow, Central Asia, and the Transcaucasus, everyone knows that this long war has finally come to an end.

In the afternoon of the same day, Molotov and Ribbentrop signed an armistice memorandum in Sofia and exchanged opinions on the compilation of the final text of the peace treaty. Diplomats from both sides will jointly draft the "armistice treaty" and decide to complete the signing before June 30 And use seal.

Although the "Treaty of Sophia" has not yet been written and entered into force, everyone understands that the war has passed a turning point and their eyes have been involuntarily turned to the west...