13 The Red Napoleon

On the afternoon of the next day, the train carrying everyone slowly came to a stop at Moscow Station.

Accustomed to smooth and fast bullet trains in the original timeline, the sound of this steam train "clang clang clang" couldn't help but bring back Wilhelm's childhood memories. Of course, because of his current identity, there was no clamor of passengers around him, nor could he hear the classic cries of "beer, drinks, mineral water, peanuts, melon seeds, eight-treasure porridge; make some room, put your feet aside" from the vendors.

Looking at the city not far away, Wilhelm couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Moscow can be said to be a legendary place. This magnificent city is not only the capital of the largest country by land area but also the heart of the entire Soviet Union, serving as a political, economic, scientific, cultural, and transportation center.

Moreover, it is a city that has experienced numerous wars and has been occupied by enemies several times.

The first time was when the Mongols broke through Moscow's city walls. In the early 13th century, the Mongol leaders held a western expedition meeting at Kulikovo Field. In 1236, the Mongol army crossed the mountains and captured the neighboring Bulgar Khanate, which was close to Moscow.

In 1238, the Mongol army rode through Moscow's city walls with iron horses, bringing Russia to ruin. Unlike the vast Moscow city we imagine today, Moscow at that time was just a small town by the river, without a large number of guards protecting it, and there wasn't much valuable loot to take.

In the late 15th century, Ivan III unified Russia and established a centralized state called the Russian Tsardom, also known as Muscovy. However, in the early days of its founding, Muscovy was weak and had not established a perfect military system. Moscow was occupied by the Crimean Khanate in 1572 and was once again burned down.

In the mid-16th century, Poland and another country formed a federation, greatly increasing their power, becoming the strongest country in Europe. In the early 17th century, with an army of 180,000, they launched an expedition to Russia. In this Moscow War, Poland not only achieved a complete victory but also captured the Tsar of Muscovy.

In the Russo-French War of 1812, Napoleon had already taken Moscow, but before the Russian retreat, they set fire to the city, depriving the French army of any supplies and resources. It was winter, and the French soldiers couldn't adapt to the cold of Russia. Coupled with the elusive partisan attacks, the long supply lines forced Napoleon to abandon Moscow and retreat from Russia. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Russia launched a counteroffensive, and the French were defeated.

In the original timeline, the Moscow Defense Battle in 1941, when Field Marshal Bock of the German Army Group Center could already see the spires of the Kremlin through his binoculars, the Soviet Union launched a major winter counteroffensive, causing the German Army Group Center to suffer losses of about 500,000 soldiers and breaking the myth of the invincible German army since the outbreak of World War II in Europe on September 1, 1939.

The train slowly pulled into the station, and Wilhelm noticed that the entire station seemed to be under martial law, with no idle people in sight. A military band stood there, ready to play music as soon as they got off the train. And beside them, dozens of girls were holding bright flowers on the platform. To be present in such an occasion, these girls' innocence must have long been compromised.

A red carpet was laid at the carriage door, and a group of officials of high rank stood at the end of the carpet. Among them, a man in his forties shouldered the rank of a general.

"Hah! This arrangement is no more than what His Majesty the Emperor would receive, right?" Rommel whispered to Guderian, who had the same astonished expression.

"Even though it's emphasized as an informal visit, they made it so grand. It seems that the Soviets have many things to ask of us. Otherwise, considering how they treated capitalists and royalty..." Wilhelm sneered and cautioned, "Don't speak carelessly after we get off. It's likely that everyone down there is fluent in German."

He felt a sense of familiarity with the general who came to greet them. With a little thought, he easily matched the person in front of him with the photos he had seen in the original timeline.

Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky, one of the earliest five Marshals of the Soviet Union, known as the "Red Army's Napoleon"!

The marshal was born in 1893, graduated from the Alexander Military School in 1914, participated in the First World War, and during the Russian Civil War, he gained Lenin's recognition and became one of the most capable army group commanders. After the war, he vigorously promoted the modernization of the Red Army and became one of the core figures of the Soviet military. In the late stages of the original timeline's World War II, the Soviet Union used the deep battle strategy developed by Tukhachevsky.

Wilhelm glanced at Guderian beside him. In later years, many people discussed the superiority of Marshal Tukhachevsky's deep battle strategy compared to General Guderian's blitzkrieg.

But from his personal point of view, blitzkrieg was only an entry-level concept of mechanized warfare, while deep battle represented the maturity of mechanized warfare.

Let's take a simple example: in terms of reserve forces, blitzkrieg only kept a small number of reserves, aiming to quickly crush the enemy after the war started.

On the other hand, deep battle divided the forces into two major units. One part was used to break through the enemy's defenses, while the other part immediately launched an attack from the breakthrough towards the enemy's rear. Based on later practical experiences, assault forces often lost their ability to continue the attack after breaking through the enemy's dense anti-tank defenses. At that time, only powerful reserve forces could carry out the deep battle. Tukhachevsky was able to envision the future battlefield situation in the 1930s, while Guderian, stationed on the Soviet-German front in the 1940s, failed to understand this truth. The superiority and inferiority were clear at a glance.

It seemed that Guderian had to be taught the theory of deep battle strategy early on. It might not be applicable in Europe, but it would come in handy in the future against the Soviet Union.

Guderian couldn't help but shiver. Did His Royal Highness look at him with the same eyes a hunter would look at a lamb?

Wilhelm, along with the group, stepped off the train, and the military band immediately played a welcoming tune, while the girls by the side offered flowers to the guests who had traveled from afar.

Wilhelm smiled and accepted the flowers, stepping on the red carpet and walking forward.

As Tukhachevsky drew closer, Wilhelm couldn't help but feel a sense of lamentation that such an outstanding commander couldn't escape the fate that awaited him.

In the upcoming Great Purge, this "Red Napoleon" would be sentenced to death and executed on charges of espionage!!

The charge pinned on him would be collaboration with Germany!

Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, this was the arrangement of destiny!

Wilhelm really wanted to rush forward and pat his shoulder, saying, "Hey, buddy, in a few years, that wicked Stalin will lay his hands on you, execute you, and send your whole family to Siberia. Come over early and let's overthrow that Stalin together, shall we?"

Unfortunately, if he really dared to say such things, he would either be considered mentally ill or be attacked by the fanatic Stalin supporters around him.

As Tukhachevsky approached, he extended his hand and spoke a string of Russian words. The girl standing beside him immediately translated the speech into German. "Welcome to Germany's Wilhelm Crown Prince for this visit. This is General Tukhachevsky, who will be fully responsible for this meeting. I am the translator, Natasha."