All we have to do is kick down the door and the entire rotten structure inside collapses!

— Adolf Hitler

=====Dividing line======

May 15, 1940, at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Ribbentrop was in his study with the lights turned off, holding the pocket watch in his hand. He was waiting, waiting for a telegram from Berlin.

This telegram will affect the entire Soviet-German border, and even touch the core of the world. Ribbentrop felt that his hands were shaking a little, and he needed a glass of whiskey to calm his mind.

But he knew better that he couldn't touch even a drop of wine now. So he could only unconsciously hold his pocket watch and wait silently in the study room with the lights turned off.

Outside the study, there is a secret radio station. This is the channel through which Ribbentrop communicates with the country, and the translators of this radio station are all elite diplomats selected through strict review.

On the coast of the Baltic Sea, Marshal Wilhelm Rieter von Lieb was also waiting for this telegram from Berlin in his frontline headquarters.

The German generals in the headquarters paused and stared. Everyone involuntarily straightened their backs and waited quietly for orders from Berlin.

At this time, Marshal Fedor von Bock of the German Army Group Center was waiting quietly in the conference room of the frontline headquarters with his subordinates.

Yadov, Scheidel, Vamaki... and other German troops on the entire front are ready. All live ammunition has been distributed, and tanks and fighter planes have entered a preheating state and can take off at any time to fight or directly attack the Soviet Union.

Military position!

Marshal Gert von Rundstedt's Army Group South was also waiting for orders, but unlike the silence elsewhere, there was a completely fanatical atmosphere here.

Looking at the faces of these soldiers flushed with excitement, one knows that they can't wait to enter the battlefield. But they are all soldiers and they need orders.

So, they were waiting. Waiting for the man in Berlin, who was not tall but had the whole Europe to tremble at his feet, to give them the final attack order.

At 4 o'clock in the morning on May 15, 1940, all the German generals including Ribbentrop, Marshal Fedor von Bock, Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Lieb, etc. received this telegram.

Everyone let out a long breath. Each group army began to organize troops in an orderly manner to prepare for the attack. At the same time, Ribbentrop drove directly to Kalinin's residence in an emergency.

Kalinin was not sleeping at this time. He was urgently discussing the recent developments of the German army with Moscow, trying to determine when Germany would launch an attack on the Soviet Union.

During this period, the activities of the German army became more frequent, and the number of reconnaissance planes appearing over the Soviet Union also increased. During this period, Ribbentrop lowered his demands a little, and Germany agreed to jointly jointly develop resources and minerals with the Soviet Union.

But the number of Germans working in the mines must reach more than 60%, and 60% of the ore produced needs to be sold to Germany. This can be offset by weapons.

Germany also agreed to sell a batch of equipment to the Soviet Union and support a batch of weapons. However, technical cooperation would need to wait until the Soviet Union captured Canada before discussing it.

"This is our bottom line, Mr. Kalinin. We can't make any more concessions!" Ribbentrop's expression at that time made Kalinin feel that something was wrong.

But it is also very possible that Ribbentrop was pretending to deceive people. After all, this is a famous diplomat. Even using some eyes, actions and body language to deceive people is normal.

After entering May, Kalinin's uneasiness continued to intensify. Entering summer, which meant that the German offensive was about to begin.

But now the attitude shown by Ribbentrop also makes the Soviet Union not sure about Germany. Do they want to fight or really want to cooperate?!

The conditions that were originally said to be impossible to give in to were now partially compromised. Although it did not touch the core, it still made the Soviet Union very excited.

After all, Germany now occupies a large area of ​​advantage, and if it cooperates with Germany, it means that the battlefield will not exist in the Soviet Union but in Canada across the Bering Strait.

"I can't tell whether what Foreign Minister Ribbentrop said is the truth or just deception. Their conditions are so real that I even think we should continue to negotiate. But reason tells me that this is just the Germans'

Blindfold."

"The more they lower their conditions, the closer war will be to us," Kalinin said in a telegram to the Kremlin in Moscow.

"Their conditions are very tempting, but beautiful mushrooms are always poisonous... We should strengthen our defenses, especially on the front line with the German army..."

Kalinin's idea was beautiful. He wanted to strengthen the Soviet Union's defenses in response to a possible all-out war launched by Germany. But it is a pity that the Soviet army is still in internal chaos.

Although the Stalin faction and the Trotsky faction within the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union seemed to have reconciled, their private struggles had never stopped.

From the army to localities, from government affairs to the military, these are all the focus of their struggle. The Stalin faction wants to control the military so that it can control the entire Soviet. After all, a regime without an army is nothing more than a castle in the air.

The Trotsky faction, which had suffered losses in the past, would naturally not let Stalin's side succeed easily, and they were constantly inserting their own people into the newly formed army.

At the same time, he used his qualifications to move around frequently, trying to better make the army work for him.

Under this kind of overt and covert fighting, the current situation of the Soviet army can be imagined. Although they reluctantly united, the troops between all the different factions seemed to be in harmony.

Let alone fighting together, it's good that they didn't stab each other.

Stalin and Trotsky knew about the overt and covert fighting among the people below but could do nothing about it. This was the foundation of their faction. No one was willing to make even the slightest concession on this matter.

Even if they are willing to give in, the people below will think more about it for their own safety.

"Chairman Kalinin, Foreign Minister Ribbentrop is here! He said that he has urgent matters to ask you about, and said that the matter is related to the diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Germany..." The secretary hurriedly walked into Kalinin's study.

Kalinin said urgently.

"Oh?! Did you see what happened?!" Kalinin hurriedly put on his coat and asked his secretary.

"I can't tell. I think there might have been some conflict with the Germans on my border." The secretary thought for a while and said to Kalinin.

This kind of thing has happened before. Ever since the German troops were stationed on the border of the Soviet Union, there have been some sporadic conflicts between the two sides. For this matter, Ribbentrop had already approached Kalinin several times.

"Well... I guess the situation this time is quite serious. I'm going to take a look right now..." Kalinin lamented, because the troops on the front line were not subordinate to each other and were not convinced by each other.

This resulted in always some friction between the two sides. Sometimes the guns misfired, which directly caused the German troops on the opposite side of the position to overreact.

Kalinin put on his coat and quickly walked out of the room towards the reception room.

In the reception room, Ribbentrop kept walking anxiously. It was not until he heard Kalinin's footsteps that an imperceptible smile appeared on his lips.

"Your Excellency Kalinin! I have asked you again and again to restrain the Soviet soldiers on the front line. Please do not open fire on our positions easily. This will cause misunderstandings..."

"I know! I also sent a telegram to Moscow, asking the front line to be cautious and not to fire during the negotiations..."

Upon hearing this, Kalinin really thought that there was another gunfire incident on the border, and quickly explained that the Soviet Union was not fully prepared yet. Although it had trained a group of soldiers with the support of Britain and the United States.

But to deal with the German Wehrmacht troops of more than two million, this strength is far from enough. Especially for this dispatch of the German army, at least more than 3,000 tanks and fighter planes were used.

Kalinin did not believe that the old Soviet tanks and less than 800 new tanks could withstand the German attack.

"No! Your Excellency Kalinin, I think our negotiations can be terminated..." Ribbentrop looked like he was sad and took out a document bag and handed it to Kalinin.

"Our head of state is impatient to continue negotiations. He is tired of the accidents that always happen. He is also tired of the negotiations that have been delayed for several months..." Ribbentrop said with a look on his face when he handed the document bag to Kalinin.

The anxious expression suddenly turned solemn.

"We in Germany have had an urgent discussion and finally made a decision..." Ribbentrop looked at Kalinin's face that gradually turned livid and said: "I now officially represent Germany and declare war on the Soviet Union!!"

When Kalinin heard the words "declaration of war" coming from Ribbentrop's mouth, he almost fell to the ground.

It's here, it's finally here! Kalinin smiled sadly, the Soviet Union had finally reached this point. In less than a second, Kalinin's mind turned over and over again and finally calmed down.

"I, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin, accept your declaration of war on behalf of the Soviet Union!" After a moment, Kalinin calmed down and took the declaration of war.

"Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, I greatly admire your negotiation skills. I hope that your skills can be used when Germany signs the surrender document in the future." Kalinin coldly handed the declaration of war to his

secretary.

Kalinin's secretary took the declaration of war and hurried back to the telecommunications room. The news of Germany's declaration of war must be immediately conveyed to Moscow and informed to the frontline troops, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous!

"No! My diplomatic skills will be used in the Soviet Union's surrender negotiations." Ribbentrop looked at Kalinin and said tit for tat: "We will meet again, Chairman Kalinin. Next time, I will

Accept your invitation to taste the most delicious caviar and vodka in Moscow.”

"Dear Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, believe me! We will only meet again in Berlin." Kalinin smiled coldly and said: "Of course I will treat you to the best caviar, but you have to change into a prison uniform.

OK..." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
Chapter completed!