Borisov's accidental death naturally made Stalin furious. He didn't believe that Kirov was "accidentally assassinated", so he naturally believed that all this was a conspiracy, and it was a conspiracy specifically targeted him.∈↗

So, in the Politburo, steel was struggling again. Anyway, from the end of 1936 to April 1937, the focus of the Soviet Union was not actually the Spanish civil war, but the issue of the anti-counterfeiting.

Stalin strongly demanded that a large-scale anti-counterrevolutionary campaign be launched immediately, and that all the counter-revolutionaries hidden within the party and within must be caught in one place, especially those counter-revolutionaries dressed in gay cloaks, and should pay special attention to it.

If the Iron and Steel Comrades were in charge at this time, as in history, that great purge was inevitable. Fortunately, it was not Trotsky who was in charge now, and even Sverdlov and Lenin who were in retirement and recuperation, they firmly opposed Stalin's blind expansion of the scope of attack.

For this reason, Lenin, who was recuperating in Sochi, took a special train back to Moscow and summoned Stalin in the office reserved for him by the Kremlin. The two met alone for nearly three hours. Stalin was in a very bad mood when he left Lenin's office. It was probably because he was scolded by his mentor.

Lenin's sudden move caused a stir in the Soviet political arena. For more than two years of retirement, Lenin has been living in seclusion and basically does not show up or engage in public in the outside world. Even Moscow has not taken a step forward. This time, his sudden return this time is a signal to some people. Is he preparing to make a comeback?

"Tell Comrade Igor that anyone who comes to ask for instructions or reports to work outside will stop me. I am retired. If they want to ask for instructions and report to work, they should go to their superiors and come to me to figure out what's going on?"

In the past two years since Lenin left the political arena, the changes have been a bit big. The hair on his head has become less and less, and his beard has become whiter and whiter. Compared with his shrewd and capable state when he was in power, he almost became a teenager.

Some comrades may ask. The tutor is retired and recuperated, so why is the more he cultivates, the worse he is?

In fact, the answer is very simple. Lenin worked hard when he was on stage, and he was really devoted to it. To be honest, this state was actually quite laborious. He has been maintaining this state, and with his body, he probably wouldn't live to be seventy years old.

After retirement, he suddenly relaxed and as soon as the energy passed, all the sequelae of the previous excessive consumption immediately showed. So it is normal to get older suddenly. Of course, if you are old, you will be old, but if you take care of yourself slowly, you can make up for your body, but it is still okay to extend your life span.

And although Lenin is now showing his old age, he is much better at his spirit than he used to be. He is also quite satisfied with his current life. The only thing that makes him dissatisfied are the speculators in the party who are more sniff than Turin. When he heard that he had a conversation with Stalin, they all emerged. What are they trying to do?

To be honest, Lenin returned to Moscow this time and was not very satisfied with the political atmosphere in Moscow. I won’t say that Stalin was chaotic, and Trotsky’s performance could not satisfy him. He spent more than two years not controlling the overall situation. Instead, as time went by, he was led by Stalin and Sverdlov step by step. No matter how he looked like he was shaking.

Lenin was disappointed with Trotsky's performance, but Lenin was desperate with Kamenev and Zinoviev's performance. Lenin thought that if he gave these two goods a last chance, they would have to show a little different performance. Hehe, don't say it, it's really different. These two goods once again lowered the lower limit of moral integrity. In Lenin's opinion, the trouble they caused to Trotsky was greater than Stalin and Sverdlov.

Lenin had to admit that he had misread the person. In the last political layout before, these two bastards should be removed, and at least one of them had to be solved. If the win over these two goods was replaced by winning over Kalinin, Trotsky's situation would be much better.

Thinking of this, Lenin sighed again. He misread Kalinin. He had always thought that this comrade who was too "steady" was of no use, but through his actual performance in the past two years, Kalinin made him look at him with admiration. Lenin only saw through it that the good man was just a disguise for Kalinin to protect himself. He relied on this trick to climb up quietly and climbed to the peak of state power. It had to be said that this person could pretend more than Stalin, and it would be a pity for him not to give him an Oscar.

However, even if Lenin regrets it at this time, it is too late. The situation has been formed, and it is probably a great risk to break it easily. And now he has retreated, so there is no need to wade into this muddy water again. Besides, he can still be worthy of Trotsky. As for Trotsky's ending, it depends on his own luck. For example, this time, it is the last time he helped Trotsky wipe his butt.

"Tomorrow, no, I will return to Sochi this afternoon."

After thinking through this, Lenin of Moscow could not stay for a minute. Compared with Sochi, the air here was filled with a political stinking. He didn't think it was before, but after living in Sochi for two years, he could no longer bear it.

Lenin came in a hurry and left in a hurry, which disappointed a group of ambitious guys, but they didn't have to be disappointed for too long. Why? Because they will soon despair! If you want to speculate, you will have to pay a price. Whether it is Trotsky, Stalin or Sverdlov, they don't like these half-hearted guys.

Soon a small-scale (relatively speaking) turmoil swept the Soviet officialdom, and the group of half-hearted guys were mercilessly beaten off their official hats or rushed to the second line to retire.

During this period, there was also undercurrent in the international community. The Soviet Union's previous retaliation launched a surging wave. With the acquiescence of Britain and France and the active operation of Germany and Italy, the League of Nations passed a proposal of condemnation against the Soviet Union, calling on all members of the League of Nations to boycott the Soviet Union politically and economically, isolate the world's "cancer".

Naturally, there is a large number of countries in Europe that responded in groups. They interrupted their political and economic ties with the Soviet Union. They tried to use this pressure to force the Soviet Union to submit. However, this level of pressure had little impact on the Soviet Union. As mentioned before, the Soviet Union had almost introduced the technology to be introduced, and it was difficult for Soviet products to enter the markets of these countries. In a sense, the Soviet Union's economic circle was relatively closed, and the problem of self-sufficiency was not too great, let alone the Americans did not close the door.

In this way, such punishments and sanctions were tickling for the Soviet Union. On the contrary, European countries that had previously sold industrial products to the Soviet Union, such as Sweden, Czechoslovakia, and France, seemed sad. The international market was already in a recession and the Soviets were isolated, which made them even more uncomfortable!

Therefore, the sanctions were left unresolved after only half a year of implementation. The French took Czechoslovakia to take the lead in violating the resolution of the League of Nations and resuming economic exchanges with the Soviet Union. This made the British scold France for being unconventional and not having many solutions. The reason is very simple, because the previous resolution was actually a verbal letter of commitment, and there was no content on how to punish the violation of the agreement.

As soon as France and Czechoslovakia opened the hole, the rest of Sweden and Denmark couldn't help it, so they pretended not to see the paper that wiped the butt - making money first!

In other words, in October 1937, the bad influence of the Soviet Union's sinking of the Leipzig was almost digested. Except for the Germans and Italians who were catching this matter and continuing to make trouble, crying, making a fuss and hanging themselves, there was no interest in this, including the United Kingdom.

Why are the British not interested? The reason is very simple. Who made the reactions of the Germans and Italians not as tough as they expected?

According to the British, the Germans must have a breakout this time and they must fight to the end with the Soviet Union. But who thought that the result was not the case at all. The mustached man kept making harsh words on the radio, as if he wanted to tear the Soviet Union away. But in fact, the Germans did not make any major moves. Apart from announcing the formal severance of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, there was nothing else left. They even transferred Admiral Scher and Admiral Spel from the Spanish waters, and their entire eggs were shrunk.

Anyway, the British have seen what it means to be arrogant and afraid of life. When the iron stick in the hand of a polar bear is black and thick, everyone has to consider it.

Through this conflict, the British seemed to have recognized one thing - the biggest enemy of the empire was not Germany but the Soviet Union, and the importance of curbing the Soviet Union's growing ambitions in the future was the top priority. Therefore, in the following period, Britain quickly adjusted its foreign policy, and its appeasement of Germany became increasingly crazy, and its vigilance and restrictions on the Soviet Union were also rising.

However, all this has nothing to do with the Spaniards. When Su De made such a fuss, the People's Front immediately felt relieved. These guys felt that their backs were hard - it turned out that my backstage was so awesome! There is nothing to say, we will win this war!

So is the reality like this? The People's Front really won or lost? Hehe, that's not sure. Although Franco's previous plan to rely on cruisers to cover the main force to cross the sea was destroyed by the Red Navy, and the Port of Ceuta was also subjected to several rounds of air strikes by the Red Navy. The once-National Army's maritime power in the Strait of Gibraltar was almost destroyed, but Franco was still somewhat capable of accomplishing things in history. On the one hand, he began to recruit merchant ships urgently, and on the other hand, he continued to return to small-scale smuggling.

By August 1937, Franco's main forces finally all passed through the strait. Although there were some losses, they were still acceptable. The only thing that made Franco's headache was that his logistics supply was a problem. The army could smuggle, but the supply of arms and supplies was not enough to be supplied by smuggling.

At this time, under the sweeping of the Red Navy's iron rod, Germany and Italy were a little cowardly, and they were undecided to continue to intervene in Spanish affairs. In this case, Franco's plan to march towards Madrid was naturally not going well, especially Emilio Mora in the north, who inexplicably crashed and died, which could be considered a bad luck for the National Army.

At this time, the People's Front, which felt very good and powerful, began to counterattack. They formed two armies to launch a general attack from the National Army in the north and south directions. Anyway, it seemed to be quite prosperous, and it was quite meaningful to swallow the National Army with all its bones and skins in one breath.

Two large-scale battles broke out in Seville and Lugo. It was really dark and the sun was dark. What was the result? The People's Front was frustrated in the offense and was kicked out of Seville and Lugo in a mess. If it weren't for the International Column's cut off the rear and stabilized the situation. Otherwise, it would have been defeated. Even so, the People's Front would have escaped all the way back to Madrid, and almost lost Malaga.

As the commander-in-chief of the International Column and the general counsel of the People's Front, Tukhachevsky recalled this: "From the beginning, the Second Republic government was greedy for the sake of perfection and invested the troops that were not sufficient in both combat directions. This was equivalent to weakening its offensive strength. Moreover, the Republican Army was seriously lacking in combat preparations, thinking that as long as the troops were at the city, they could scare away the enemy... The soldiers' training was also very careless and generally lax. The Soldiers Committee always liked to interfere with the command of their superiors..."

As for the Khalepski and Gamarnik who were sent to Spain at the same time, they even sarcastically sarcastically at the Republican army: "The lazy Spanish can't do anything. The only thing they want is to lie on the ground and sleep, or drink, dance and have fun... They are the worst soldiers I've ever seen..."

Franco's excellent performance seemed to have made the Germans and Italians see hope. After hesitating for a while, the Italians and Germans returned to the Strait of Gibraltar. However, this time, these two families no longer dared to be as careless as before, but seemed cautious.

This time, the Italians sent two Cafur-class battleships and two Trento-class heavy cruisers that had just completed modernization, and cooperated with the Germans to dispatch Navy Scher and Admiral Spel, to escort the merchant ships of the two countries throughout the journey.

It should be said that the Italians' investment was quite large. The only two battleships were dispatched, and it was obvious that their goal was to fight against the two battleships of the Red Navy (Mara and the Communist International).

The two Cafur Dukes, which have been modernized and modified, have basically possessed this strength. Anyway, compared with their original state, it is a world of difference.

Why do you say so? The reason is very simple. The Italians' transformation project is almost equivalent to demolition and reconstruction. The middle part of the two Cafur-class hulls was cut and stuffed into a ten-meter cabin, which changed the length of the ship from 176 meters to 186 meters. The main gun in the middle of the original hull was also removed, and all the engine equipment was updated, and the secondary gun profile was also removed.

After the transformation, the Duke of Cafur can be said to be a complete transformation (the waterline armor is still the same bad), with a maximum speed jumping from about 22 knots to 28 knots, and the main gun also reams from 305 mm to 320 mm, which is pretty good overall.

Of course, the former King-class battleships of the Red Navy that fought against two Cafur-class teams were not bad. The modernization of the 1930s also gave her new life. The maximum speed was around 27 knots and 8-door 305 equipment, but the defense was much stronger than the natural base plate. If the Cafur-class team started fighting head-on, it is hard to say who wins and loses.

However, at this time, the possibility of a head-on fight is not high. As mentioned earlier, the punishment of the Soviet Union was limited, and it was not necessary to have a comprehensive conflict with Germany and Italy. Moreover, the previous one had already regained face, so there was no need to tear the face immediately. Faced with the escort of Germany and Italy, the Red Navy seemed relatively restrained and did not intercept it toughly. Of course, this was a situation of escort. When facing German and Italian cargo ships that had no escort attempts to enter Spanish territorial waters, they would be seized if they were caught.

After a while, the Germans and Italians also understood that the bottom line of the Russians was here. In the next period of time, they tried their best to arrange escorts to make Franco grow stronger and stronger.

At the same time, the Soviet Union was not idle, and he rushed to the People's Front to transfusion blood. A large number of I-15, I-16 and BT-2 tanks were sold to the People's Front at ex-factory prices. More and more Red Army soldiers were transformed into soldiers from international columns and rushed to the Spanish battlefield in person.

Of course, the Red Army's equipment is still much stronger than the Republican Army. The latest sb-2, b17, MiG-1, Jacques-1, and BT-5 tanks were loaded almost as soon as they left the factory, and then they completed the running-in with the troops on Spanish land.

By the end of October 1937, the total strength of the international column had reached 50,000, most of which were regular troops of the Red Army. According to Tukhachevsky's plan, about 40,000 of them, that is, three divisions, would be used for the northern front, and the remaining forces would cooperate with the Republican army in the south to guard against Franco's attack.

On November 11, three days before the attack plan was started by Tukhachevsky, Franco from the south took the lead. Sixty thousand ground troops, including one hundred No. 1 tanks, were aimed directly at Madrid.

However, the first thing that was put into the attack was not the ground troops, but the National Army Air Force composed of the vulture army. Countless ju87a, he111, and ju52 were attacking the front-line airport of the Republican Army under the cover of bf109, and a Spanish version of the blitzkrieg kicked off!

This wave of attack was so sudden that the International Column Air Force caught off guard. At Malaga Airport, the I-15, I-16, MiG-1 and SB-2 that had just arrived at the airport were directly destroyed at the airport. When the Germans flew away proudly, the pilots of the International Column could only face a bunch of burning fighter jets in a daze... (To be continued, please search for Astronomy, the novel is better, updated and faster!

ps: Bow to thank comrade hzwangdd, agz00025 and Juventus!
Chapter completed!