The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Gu Shunzhang: "Do you want to change places, boss?

"Which concession in China has the fewest Russians?"

“Tianjin also has a lot of White Russians, but Guangzhou is the only place with the fewest Russians.

"Guangzhou…"

Trotsky hesitated. There were few White Russians in Guangzhou, but the Red Russians had a consulate there.

Gu Shunzhang: "How about going to Hong Kong?"

Chapter 6: Total War Staff

Moscow.

Immerse yourself in the position of "Shaposhnikov Internship Assistant".

However, although he is still an assistant, Chen Tianheng's daily work has changed a lot.

Because Shaposhnikov is now the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Red Army.

Two months ago, when Chen Tianheng reported to Frunze, he was still the commander of the Moscow Military District. Stalin was thinking about whether to let Shaposhnikov serve as the dean of the Frunze Military Academy or the chief of the general staff. Finally, he decided to transfer Shaposhnikov to the position of chief of the general staff.

Of course, his rank did not change, and his shoulder straps still had four diamonds, meaning he was a "Senior-1" commander of the Soviet Red Army.

The current Soviet Red Army... has no military rank system.

But it's similar to the military rank system

There are no officers or lieutenants, but there are 14 ranks: Senior-1 to Senior-4, Senior-1 to Senior-3, Intermediate-1 to Intermediate-3, and Junior-1 to Junior-4. As with the military rank system, subordinates obey their superiors, and commanders' salaries increase with rank.

Senior commanders are actually generals. The one with a withered epaulette is a major general, and Lao Sha's four diamond-shaped epaulettes are a general.

"This proposal is unacceptable. It fails to take into account the Baltic Fleet's aviation, and the Leningrad Military District's transport capacity is too broad, which will affect the accuracy of the results of other departments planning based on this proposal. Comrades from the Third Department need to rewrite it.

Shaposhnikov closed the documents on the table, handed them to Chen Tianheng, and added: "When you talk to the comrades from the Third Department about this matter, be more gentle and don't shout at them.

"Yes." Chen Tianheng took the document. "Comrade Chief of General Staff, may I take a look at this report?"

“Okay, just return the report to Hall 3 before 8 a.m. tomorrow and ask them to redo it.

Chen Tianheng left the room, closed the door, and read the document written by the Third Department of the General Staff Operations Department in his office.

Not only did Shaposhnikov verbally tell Chen Tianheng what he should say to the Third Department tomorrow, he also wrote the same words in the comments on the document.

"Total war can only be fought by the state through overall control and command, mobilizing the entire state apparatus to act in unison. Future wars will involve all areas of social life, requiring the mobilization of national manpower and material resources.

"As the central command center of the military, the General Staff is responsible for planning and conducting total war. To be responsible for such a massive undertaking, the General Staff cannot simply consider the employment of armed forces.

Late at night, Shaposhnikov and Chen Tianheng finished their work. Shaposhnikov still had some free time, so he chatted with Chen Tianheng.

Chen Tianheng: "So, this is the reason why the Policy Planning Department of the General Staff exists?

Shaposhnikov: “In fact, my personal opinion is that policy planning should be done by a sub-department of the General Staff, that is, the General Staff Policy Planning Department.

Chen Tianheng: "The General Staff's Operations Department is responsible for developing operational plans, training, troop movements, and daily military operations. So what is the proper relationship between this operational planning agency and the Senior Staff Institute at the Frunze Military Academy?"

"The Senior Staff Institute provides original planning ideas, and the institute's work is often groundbreaking, but not every operational plan is groundbreaking."

Chen Tianheng: "That's right. Not every battle requires a new tactic. At the army-level, both the operations and logistics departments of the general staff are deeply involved. Is the work of these two departments centralized under the chief of staff, or is it directly handled by two second-level departments, who convene joint meetings or similar conferences?"

Shaposhnikov: "The work of both departments is consolidated by the Chief of the General Staff himself. Of course, even after the information has been carefully selected by the Operations and Logistics Departments, the sheer volume of information exceeds what one person can handle. Therefore, the work of the Assistant Chief of the General Staff is crucial, and that is your current position."

Chen Tianheng raised his thumb and pointed at himself, indicating that he understood, and added:

"Including me, you have three assistants, but I'm an intern. So, if I'm not considered, how many people can normally complete the work?

Shaposhnikov: "Normally there are three people. I'm using you as my official assistant.

Chen Tianheng: “…

Chen Tianheng wrote and drew in his notebook, recording several pages of content every day, including text and charts, such as box-line drawings, with the boxes densely filled with the names of various headquarters, second-level departments, bureaus or offices, and their functions.

What is the combat command capability of large-scale troops?

Ziz! Knowledge is being injected. Successful. All right, now you have the ability to command large-scale military operations.

.no.

Of course, knowledge in your head is also important, but first you have to shape the people around you into the right shape and establish an organization that is capable of large-scale troop operations and even national total war.

Now Chen Tianheng realized that the General Staff in Guangzhou headed by Liu Bo was not a real total war staff. It was a group army staff, but the combat area of ​​this group army was larger.

"Total war is based on industry. Only an industrial country can wage total war."

Shaposhnikov: "Based on my brief understanding of China, if a country launched a full-scale invasion against you, your anti-aggression war would probably be composed of several localized resistance battlefields, with a lack of coordination and mutual support between the local battlefields. China has not yet entered the stage where it can launch a total war.

"The simplest difference between total war and non-total war is this: Can a draft notice issued by the Ministry of Defense be accurately and quickly delivered to a citizen of your country? When this citizen receives the draft notice, will he report to the military service department instead of ignoring it?"

Chen Tianheng: "Yes, this is a seemingly simple matter, but it is not. It requires the country to have national demographic data, a modern postal and telecommunications system, and a government and laws that reach deep into the grassroots of society to ensure that conscription is effective. Deserters will be punished by the state apparatus, and therefore desertions are extremely rare. However, Comrade Chief of the General Staff, I think we still have a little time."

Shaposhnikov was right. In the original historical dimension, China did not engage in total war in the strict sense. The Nationalist government simply acted as it pleased, never coordinating the entire country.

The Anti-Japanese War on the part of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, as well as the Liberation War, were composed of several local resistance battlefields, as Shaposhnikov said. The exchange of personnel and materials between the various bases/liberated areas was very difficult, so the Central Committee had to set up five Central Bureaus in each base/liberated area as the branches of the Party Central Committee in each area.

China's first total war was from 1950 to 1953.

At this time in China, although the People's Republic of China was founded, it had not yet achieved industrialization.

This total war in the original historical dimension also made Chen Tianheng firmly believe that China, which has not completed industrialization, can also implement total war, as long as the country is modernized in certain aspects.

"Comrade, a pass?

At the Frunze Military Academy, Chen Tianheng was stopped in front of a door with a sign that read "Department 11".

The Frunze Military Academy campus is quite large. Put another way, the Harbin Institute of Technology campus before its split in the 50s was just a scaled-down version of Frunze. Even now, Chen Tianheng still hasn't clocked in at many buildings. Today, while strolling through campus, he came across this building and was stopped by a guard at the gate and asked for a pass.

"Which department issued the pass?" Chen Tianheng asked before turning around and leaving.

“Dean’s office.

"Comrade Instructor Pokrovsky, what is the '11th Department' of the Academy?"

At the dinner the next day, Chen Tianheng asked the senior combat instructor Pokrovsky.

"Department 11 is the preparatory office for the Kama Armored Forces School," Pokrovsky answered briefly.

"oh!

Chen Tianheng suddenly realized. He knew this school.

"But I saw many offices in Section 11, and the people inside were very busy.

Pokrovsky: "Oh, the Kama preparatory period has ended and the school has started operating. It is now an armored forces research laboratory, but it is not open to ordinary students.

Chen Tianheng's eyes rolled around: "Then who should I look for?

There are no inaccessible doors in this world, only people who haven't found the right way. Three days later, Chen Tianheng got a pass and asked Pokrovsky to take him in.

Pokrovsky didn't know how this Chinese social terrorist got the pass, but since he got the pass and he also had a pass, he decided to go there reluctantly.

KAMA Armored School, KA is the first two letters of Kazan, MA is the first two letters of William Malbrandt.

Wilhelm Malbrandt was a retired lieutenant colonel in the German Army. In 1926, in accordance with a secret military cooperation agreement between the Soviet Union and Weimar Germany, Malbrandt traveled to the Soviet Union and established the Armored Forces School in Kazan, Russia.

After Germany's defeat in World War I, its armaments were severely restricted. It was forbidden from equipping or manufacturing tanks, possessing an air force, or even possessing tripod-mounted heavy machine guns. Its standing army was limited to 10 men, and it was even forbidden from establishing a general staff. If Germany wanted to secretly build an armored force, it had to seek foreign cooperation.

At this time, the Soviet Union was blockaded by the West, Germany was severely sanctioned by Britain, the United States and France, and between Germany and the Soviet Union there was a pro-British and American Poland that hated both Germany and the Soviet Union. Therefore, there was no fundamental conflict of interest between the Soviet Union and Weimar Germany, and cooperation was normal.

Dnieper 'West' exercises?

Chen Tianheng saw the exercise diagram on the wall, with the words "West 1926" neatly written on the map.

In 1926, the Soviet Red Army conducted a large-scale combined arms exercise codenamed "West" on the Dnieper River, which included German staff officers. The reason for this, similar to the establishment of the Kama Armored School, was that Weimar Germany was not allowed to establish a general staff. In the 20s, German officers often sneaked into the Soviet Union to gain experience.

No, Chen Tianheng felt that among the officers currently working in Section 11, there were Germans.

Although all the officers were wearing Soviet uniforms, the temperament and appearance of two of them were obviously different from the others. In other words, they had a bit of "German flavor".

“Hello, Davarishi.

A German-sounding officer was deep in thought at a map table. Chen Tianheng walked over and greeted him in Russian. The officer raised his head with a look of vigilance.

Chen Tianheng: "I need to study the 'West 26' exercise today, so I came here. Oh, it seems you are studying it too. My name is Medvedev, and I'm a student in the advanced command class."

"Oh. My name is Ivan.

Chen Tianheng used the Russian name he had acquired after arriving in the Soviet Union. The officer said his name was Ivan.

Chen Tianheng chatted with Ivan for a few more words, and this "Ivan"'s accent became increasingly apparent when he spoke Russian. Chen Tianheng simply put down the file and carefully examined this "Ivan's" face, comparing it with the vague Germans he remembered in his mind.

These are all photos taken during World War II, so it is not easy to go back and infer what their "younger versions" looked like.

Chen Tianheng pondered for a long time, then asked in an uncertain tone:

"Heinz Guderian?

Chapter 7, German Senior Advisor

"No, you don't have any evidence to prove that I am Guderian. I warn you, I warn you, you can't say I am Guderian.

Guderian became anxious and his speech speed suddenly increased, just like "Rapid Heinz".

A series of denials.

It's in German.

When Guderian realized his mistake, Chen Tianheng had been holding back his smile for a while.

"Okay, I'll still call you Ivan," Chen Tianheng said. "The Soviet Union and Germany face a common problem: Western blockade and suppression. Military cooperation is in the common interests of both sides."

Guderian frowned and thought, "Medvedev, you are China

"Impossible. Don't look at my face. I'm actually from the Republic of Buryatia."

Chen Tianheng bet that Guderian was Asian and face-blind.

Guderian: "I have seen Buryats, and not one of them is taller than 170 centimeters.

Chen Tianheng coughed and said, "This doesn't mean anything. Even the average height is just a statistic. The Japanese basketball team also has players who are 2 meters tall.

Guderian: "I know that a Soviet government has been established in Guangzhou, China. The Soviet Union has close diplomatic relations with the Guangzhou government and has a consulate in Guangzhou."

Guderian continued to present evidence, but Chen Tianheng was too lazy to refute it, neither admitting nor denying it.

"In fact, Germany also has military cooperation with China," Guderian added, "but unfortunately, the cooperation is not with the Guangzhou government, but with the Nanjing government.

Chen Tianheng: "This is not surprising. China's military cooperation with Germany began in the late Qing Dynasty, which is your Bismarck era."

“Oh, by the way, if… you are from China, then this information I shared might be useful to you.

Guderian shook his head and said: "The Nanjing government of China hired two military advisers from Germany. Lieutenant General Georg Wetzel and Colonel Max Bauer.

Nanjing.

"This is Lieutenant General Georg Wetzel.

Chiang Kai-shek shook hands with Wetzel warmly. "Hello, hello, General Wetzel. The arrival of the German advisory group is truly a timely help to our Republic of China."

The 59-year-old Wetzel stood straight, bowed slightly and shook hands with Chiang Kai-shek, but still had an arrogant look on his face: "Hello, Commander-in-Chief,

"General Wetzel served as Chief of Staff of the Army Group during the European War. He participated in the Battle of the Frontier Campaign and the Battle of the Marne. He also served as a staff officer in the Battle of Caporetto and the Emperor Offensive. He is proficient in tactics and battle command." Zhang Zhizhong said on the side, "This is Colonel Max Bauer, also a well-known figure in the German military. During the European War, Germany's famous "Hindenburg Plan" and the strategic concept of total operations were the work of Colonel Max Bauer.

Zhang Zhizhong boasted about Max Bauer. Actually, it wasn't much of a boast. Although his rank was only that of a colonel, Max Bauer was quite famous within the German army during World War I, and Ludendorff had a high opinion of his talents. As the director of the Second Department of the General Staff, he actually participated in the formulation of the Hindenburg Plan.

Chiang Kai-shek: "Hello, Colonel Bauer.

In fact, there were more than just these two people visiting China this time. They were an entire German military advisory group (of course, they were publicly labeled as industrial advisors from Germany). The group was led by Wetzel, with Max Bauer as deputy leader. The group consisted of 25 people, including 10 military training experts, 6 ordnance and logistics experts, 4 police experts, and 5 experts in economics, railway management, medicine, and chemical engineering.

Chiang Kai-shek: "Although the Republic of China has swept away the rule of the Beiyang warlords and initially secured Nanjing, the military situation remains uncertain. The Chen and Deng rebels in Guangzhou are entrenched in Guangdong, southern Jiangxi, and southern Hunan, separatist forces opposing the central government, implementing Soviet communism, and causing chaos in China.

"At present, we have temporarily ceased hostilities with them in order to buy time to train and strengthen our army, thereby accumulating strength for the complete military unification of China."

"Besides the Chen-Deng rebels, our country still has areas of military instability. Feng Yuxiang's forces in the northwest and Zhang Zuolin's forces in the northeast are both powerful and independent. Li Zongren's forces in Guangxi are also relying on Guangxi and Hubei to cede territory and claim their own kingdoms. These are also issues that must be resolved in the future.

Wetzel: "I heard this before I came here, Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief. My advisory team and I will be committed to improving the basic quality, tactics, and campaign capabilities of the Chinese military, and will provide the Commander-in-Chief with sufficient support in strategic planning."

Chiang Kai-shek: "General Wetzel is a senior German general. He must have foresight and foresight, and he will play a key role in the establishment of China's military strategy.

Wetzel: "Before formulating a military strategy, I would like to discuss with the Commander-in-Chief some principles for building the Chinese army. I note that by April 1928, excluding the troops of the Guangzhou forces, the military strength under your Nanjing government had reached 1.7 million men. This large army has not demonstrated its due combat effectiveness, but has instead placed a heavy burden on the Chinese government's military expenditures."

Chiang Kai-shek nodded slightly: "You said a lot."

Wetzel: "The advisory group will train your army, teaching soldiers basic military skills, officers advanced tactics, and developing a group of capable and shrewd staff officers. It will begin with a training unit and then expand to the entire nation's army. However, I seriously suggest that the national army should undergo a significant reduction in personnel. The quality of the army should be improved, rather than simply recruiting more divisions.