It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 176 | Winning! Ivan Ross's Winning Philosophy

Back home, Tukhachevsky called his wife Nina, but twice tried to speak without saying a word.

It wasn't until the third time that he said in a deep voice, "Nina, I'm afraid I won't be coming back. Veronica wants to kill me. She only gave me two choices: commit suicide or face trial..."

He sighed, and said wistfully, "For so many years I have dedicated myself to making Ivanros a great and powerful nation. I will not back down and choose to commit suicide. I hope you take good care of the children. I will always love you, Nina."

The two embraced, speechless for a long time.

Outside the window, there was endless wind and snow, and the deep darkness of a high-latitude region.

Finally, after bidding farewell to his children, Tukhachevsky left home, disappearing down the road in a car belonging to the Reich Internal Affairs Committee…

The trial was rather hasty and perfunctory.

The interim tribunal brought several charges against Tukhachevsky, all revolving around the two aspects of "major command errors" and "disobeying the General Staff's order to hold out for reinforcements."

"...General Tukhachevsky, the General Staff issued Order L1506 on December 15, ordering the 10th Army to hold firm in the city of Budapest and the hilly terrain to the northeast, prohibiting large-scale retreats. However, you disobeyed the order. The outcome of the battle proved that the enemy did not have the ability to wage a protracted war. If you had resolutely followed the order at that time, it is very likely that the total defeat would not have occurred. Do you agree with this accusation?"

The chief judge put down the documents in his hand, stared intently at Tukhachevsky, and asked.

The latter scoffed, "Judge, have you ever attended a military academy? Why do you think my army group can withstand the enemy's counterattack when it has suffered a quarter of its casualties, a third of its officers are missing, and it lacks air superiority?"

After that, no matter what accusations or questions the provisional court raised, Tukhachevsky offered no further explanation, disdaining to answer, and simply saying, "History will prove that my decision was correct."

If you want to add a crime, why don't you have any trouble?
Ultimately, the provisional court, following Veronica's instructions, sentenced him to death.

In fact, the Imperial War Council planned to detain him for a while, and perhaps Her Majesty the Empress would change her mind in a couple of days?
Some members of the Imperial War Council were very anxious and tried every means to plead for leniency, attempting to jointly submit a letter to dissuade Veronica.

However, many people were eager for Tukhachevsky to go to hell, so they interfered and even strongly recommended a swift and merciless execution.

The result of the power struggle between the two sides was that someone took a risk and added fuel to the fire by spreading false information to Veronica, claiming that Tukhachevsky had insulted her during his trial.

This infuriated Veronica even more—the ungrateful wretch! He betrayed my expectations and dared to insult me! Die!

Thus, the execution proceeded swiftly, with the Imperial War Council carrying it out in a very dishonorable manner—by shooting Tukhachevsky without going through the basic procedures of death penalty review.

In the dimly lit basement, Tukhachevsky stood with his back against the wall, facing three executioners armed with Nagan revolvers.

He straightened his uniform, gave a cold laugh, and said meaningfully, "Shoot. You're not just killing me, you're killing Ivanos's victory."

Three gunshots were fired.

The gunshots sounded particularly loud in the cramped basement space, echoing for a long time.

It's hard to say exactly how high Tukhachevsky's command level was, but the only thing that is universally acknowledged is his pioneering work on the theories of deep battle and mechanized tactics.

The founder of military theory collapsed in a cold, dark basement in Fort St. Petersburg...

Announcing the disastrous defeat on the Hunnic-Swiss front so directly is a huge blow to morale.

Veronica had no choice but to order a temporary information blackout, requiring the military to maintain the public narrative that while the army group had suffered a setback, it had successfully retreated unscathed, forcing the enemy to abandon their pursuit and maintaining a favorable strategic position. A small defeat turned into a small victory!

Turn a draw into a win!
Turn small wins into big wins!

In short, it's a winning streak with every move forward!

Mr. Shang was unaware of the changes that had occurred in St. Peter'sburg.

All he knew was that after the Battle of Budapest, Tukhachevsky, as the army group commander, was going to be in big trouble, and who knew if that madwoman Veronica would kill the defeated general in a fit of rage.

Late December was a long-awaited period of comfort for Shang after many days of bloody battles. The Hungarian Ministry of Defense kept its promise and generously awarded him the honorary rank of Major General.

To his amusement and dismay, Mr. Shang discovered that his wish after transmigrating was fulfilled in this very way.

I vowed to become a general in this lifetime, but I never expected to become a foreign general first.

Comparisons are the bane of life, and the worst thing is to make comparisons. This, in turn, made Mr. Shang somewhat resentful.

Couldn't the unified federal defense forces be a little more generous? Why not just promote me from major directly to brigadier general like a rocket?
Sigrid was amused by this.

“I don’t think your country will do that. They will first promote you to colonel, award you medals and some rewards, and then promote you to brigadier general when you join the war.”

Shang Ke shrugged and said indifferently, "Whatever. I suddenly realized these past few days that I set my goals too low. Becoming a general doesn't seem that difficult. I now think I have a chance to become a lieutenant general."

Which examples represent the fastest promotions in the same historical period?
Rommel was a lieutenant colonel in 1933-1945, and was promoted to field marshal in 1942, a period of seven years.

Eisenhower was a lieutenant colonel in 1936, but was promoted to general in 1944, a process that took eight years.

To be honest, Mr. Shang feels that he really has a chance to continue to improve. It's not that he's particularly obsessed with improvement, but rather that he improves as he does his work.

Sigrid smiled without saying a word.

She took out a small box, opened it, and took out a Medal of Honor.

Someone had already owned one of these medals before, but there are differences between the two.

The ribbon of the Medal of Honor awarded during wartime is red, while the ribbon for peacetime is green. In addition, in recognition of Mr. Shang's exceptionally distinguished service, the Ministry of Defense has agreed to add an extra honor to this medal—a crossed sword.

Therefore, this is actually a Double Swords War Cross.

"Thank you again for your outstanding contributions and extraordinary courage, Shang. With far fewer troops than the invaders, we successfully turned Budapest into their graveyard. This battle will be forever recorded in history."

Sigrid held the red sash in both hands, hung it around Shang's neck, and then gazed at him with heartfelt praise.

After saying that, she added with a dream: "After the war ends, I hope to build a series of statues of heroic defenders in the city park, and you will be one of them."

Huh? Really? Who erects a statue of someone while they're still alive?!
Slightly embarrassed, Shang Ke said resentfully, "Your Majesty, let's consider the matter of erecting a statue decades from now..."

(End of this chapter)