Timoshenko's determination was made very timely, because when he gave the order, Xu Rui's Wolf Fang Squadron had just destroyed the frontline headquarters of the Finnish Defense Forces, and the Finnish Army on the second line of defense in Mannerheim was in the most chaos. At that time, as a result, when the Finnish army was in the most chaos, it suffered the most violent attack from the Soviet army. The final result can be imagined.
After four hours of fierce fighting, by dawn the next day, Mannerheim's second line of defense was completely broken, and even the two small towns of Losevo and Kirillovskoye were also lost!
When he learned that the forward troops had captured Kirillovskoye and that Xu Rui and the others were also in the town, Timoshenko immediately drove a tank and hurried over in person. Timoshenko was a cavalryman. , but later the Soviet Red Army abolished the cavalry system on a large scale, and many cavalry were converted into armored corps.
Timoshenko also became a tank soldier from a cavalryman.
So Timoshenko not only knew how to drive a tank, but also had good driving skills.
The T-34 tank driven by Timoshenko had just entered the eastern suburbs of the small town of Kirillovskoye. He immediately saw a gray-haired senior Finnish general standing at the entrance through the lookout hole. Although he was far away It was at least a hundred meters away, but Timoshenko could still recognize the old guy as Mannerheim at a glance.
For Mannerheim, Timoshenko was really impressed.
In fact, not only Timoshenko, but every Red Army general who participated in the October Revolution was deeply impressed by Mannerheim.
This is because at the beginning of the birth of the Soviet Union, Mannerheim's threat to the new Soviet Union was not even lower than that of Kolchak, because Kolchak was trapped in a corner of the Far East, thousands of miles away from Leningrad, but Mannerheim But it is only separated from Leningrad by the Karelian Isthmus, so close and only a stone's throw away!
At that moment, Timoshenko increased the accelerator and drove the tank in front of Mannerheim.
Then he opened the turret roof, jumped off the tank, and said, "Haha, isn't this Marshal Mannerheim?"
Although he was already a prisoner, Mannerheim still remained calm, pulled on his military uniform, and responded calmly: "I am Mannerheim, and you must be Timoshenko, the commander of the Northwest Front of the Soviet Red Army, right? First of all I have to congratulate you on your victory in the Soviet-Finnish War."
"Uh..." Mannerheim's calmness and congratulations surprised Timoshenko.
After the accident, Timoshenko felt as if he had eaten a fly. He originally wanted to show off in front of this most powerful opponent, but in the end he punched the cotton, leaving him unable to use his strength. This It feels, not to mention how uncomfortable it is.
Not only Timoshenko, but also Xu Rui, who was standing beside Mannerheim, was also a little surprised.
At that moment, Timoshenko smiled reluctantly, and then said dryly: "Is it too early to congratulate us on winning the Soviet-Finnish War? After all, our Soviet Red Army has just broken through the second layer of the Mannerheim Line of Defense. The defense line, the third line of defense with Viborg as the core is still good, can it last at least a few months?"
Xu Rui immediately looked at Brother Timoshenko with a disgusting look, which was too hypocritical.
I was obviously very proud of myself, but I still insisted against my will that the Finnish Defense Forces could hold on for a few more months.
But what’s even weirder is that Mannerheim, as the commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defense Forces, actually spoke well of the Soviet army.
Mannerheim shook his head and said: "What you said is a bit hypocritical. You and I both know very well that the second line of defense of the Mannerheim Line was broken through so quickly. It is really no less than good for the Finnish Defense Forces." Due to the devastating disaster, let alone whether the main force of the Finnish army stationed on the second line of defense can completely withdraw to the third line of defense, even if the main force of the Finnish army can completely withdraw, it will be difficult to gain a foothold in a hurry. The Soviet army As long as they take advantage of the victory and pursue it, they can easily break through the third line of defense. In this way, the entire Mannerheim line of defense will be lost, and the Soviet army can attack all the way to Helsinki."
Hearing this, Timoshenko's heart suddenly lurched, and his thick eyebrows frowned unconsciously.
At that moment, Timoshenko was no longer in the mood to chat with Mannerheim, and waved to his adjutant Andrei to take him down for a good look.
After watching Mannerheim being taken away, Timoshenko turned back to Xu Rui and said, "Comrade Xu Rui, you have worked really hard this time."
"It doesn't matter." Xu Rui said calmly, "Let's not mention that we are originally here to help you deal with the Finns. Even if there is no such reason, we will never kill six of our Langya comrades alone against the Finns. Let them go."
"But I still want to thank you." Timoshenko said seriously, "If your Wolf Fang Squadron hadn't destroyed the command system of the Finnish Defense Forces, our Northwest Front would never have been able to break through the second line of defense so quickly, but..."
After a pause, Timoshenko continued: "Next, do you want to take advantage of the victory and pursue it?"
Xu Rui smiled and said: "Comrade Timoshenko, you won't change your mind because of Mannerheim's words, right?"
"How could this be possible?" Timoshenko also laughed, but his smile was a little forced, because before seeing Mannerheim, he had indeed planned to let the Soviet army attack and pursue the victory, but After listening to Mannerheim's words just now, Timoshenko began to beat his heart. Is there any problem in this
They say a person’s name is like a tree’s shadow, but Mannerheim’s reputation is well known after all.
Timoshenko never thought that his commanding skills were worse than Mannerheim's, but conversely, he never thought that Mannerheim's commanding skills would be much worse than him, and this old guy has always been known for his scheming. , otherwise Meretskov would not have suffered such a big loss under him.
Timoshenko did not want to make the same mistake as Meretskov.
At that moment, Timoshenko said again: "However, Comrade Xu Rui, do you think it is strange? Why did this old man Mannerheim have the ambition of our Soviet army and destroy the prestige of their Finnish army? Is there anything in between? What conspiracy? You don’t know that this old guy has always been known for his cunning, and our Soviet Red Army suffered a lot from him."
After listening to Diana's translation, Xu Rui couldn't help but smile. It's true that the more talented you are, the less courage you have.
However, this old guy Mannerheim is indeed very cunning. He has already become a prisoner of others, and he can actually influence the enemy's strategy quietly. If I have to find a word to describe this ability, then Even though the majesty of a tiger's death was still there, Timoshenko, an old Red Army cadre, was intimidated.
At that moment Xu Rui said: "Mannerheim is just bluffing."
"Is it really just a bluff?" Timoshenko was still a little worried, and added, "For a person like Mannerheim, you can't just wait and see what he says and do, or else you should observe it for two days before making a decision? Anyway, In just two days, even if the Finnish Defense Forces readjust their deployment, they cannot turn the situation around."
Looking at the overall situation, Timoshenko's idea cannot be said to be wrong.
Because the situation of the Finnish Defense Forces is over, observing for two days will not change the final result.
However, the time cost is different. Two days of observation is likely to cause a delay of twenty days.
Xu Rui said: "It is true that two days of observation will not affect the overall situation, but by giving the Finnish army two days, they can at least collect the remnants that have retreated from the second line of defense, and can also urgently mobilize a group of troops from Helsinki. There may even be volunteers from Sweden arriving, and by then, it will be impossible for the Soviet army to break through the third line of defense in one fell swoop."
After a pause, Xu Rui said again: "I don't know if your Excellency, General, has ever thought about it. Every day you are delayed at the Mannerheim Line of Defense, the time to capture Helsinki will be one day later. Who can guarantee that Britain and France will be able to defeat Helsinki by that time?" Will reinforcements from the country arrive? After all, the two-month deadline is just speculation."
Timoshenko was choked up when he heard this, because what Xu Rui said was right. Before leaving Moscow, Stalin also said the same thing. It would take two months at the earliest for Britain and France to intervene in the Soviet Union. However, this was only Soviet speculation after all, and no one could tell what the facts were. Therefore, Stalin clearly asked Timoshenko to seize the time. If there was an opportunity for a quick victory, he would never let it go easily.
At that moment, Timoshenko said: "Okay, let's take advantage of the victory and pursue it!"
"Your Excellency, the General, is wise." Xu Rui paused and then said, "If the Soviet army takes advantage of the victory and pursues it now, it will be difficult for the Finnish Defense Forces to organize an effective defense on the front line of Vyborg, so it will be difficult to break through the Mannerheim defenses. , and it’s only a matter of time before we arrive at the gates of Helsinki, and it seems like we won’t have anything to do next, so, you see... "
Xu Rui's implication is that the overall situation of the Soviet-Finnish war has been decided, our mission has been completed, and we should go home.
But Timoshenko refused to let Xu Rui go back so easily, and immediately said: "No, no, this is absolutely not possible. Even the Mannerheim defense line has not been broken through yet, and the troops arrived at Helsinki very early. Who knows How will the war develop next? Comrade Xu Rui, you can't pile up your picks at this time."
Xu Rui said: "Your Excellency General, these words are a bit hypocritical."
"Don't be pretentious." Timoshenko insisted, "Even if the overall situation of the Soviet-Finnish war has been decided, you, the Langya Brigade, have to wait until the war is completely over, and after our Northwest Front holds a celebration banquet for you, you can Go back to China, otherwise this matter will spread and people will not laugh at us, the Soviet Red Army, for treating our friends harshly?"
After all, Timoshenko just didn't agree with Xu Rui and the others leaving at this time.
Xu Rui had no choice but to temporarily put down the idea of returning to the country, because this was the Soviet Union. If the Soviet Union did not agree and cooperate, they really would not be able to return to the country. They couldn't grab another plane, right