tc.redstormrising-第9节

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s　the　normal　time　of　year　for　senior　field　manders　to　confer　in　Moscow；　and　such　events　were　always　punctuated　by　elaborate　ceremonial　dinners。　Rozhkov　greeted　his　fellow　officers　at　the　main　entrance；　and　when　all　were　assembled；　he　led　them　downstairs　to　the　ornate　steam　baths。　Present　were　all　Theater　manders；　each　acpanied　by　his　deputy；　his　air　force　mander；　and　the　fleet　manders：　a　small　galaxy　of　stars；　ribbons；　and　braid。　Ten　minutes　later；　naked　but　for　a　pair　of　towels　and　a　handful　of　birch　branches　each；　they　were　just　another　group　of　middle…aged　men；　perhaps　a　bit　fitter　than　was　the　average　in　the　Soviet　Union。
They　all　knew　one　another。　Though　many　were　rivals；　they　were　members　of　the　same　profession　nevertheless；　and　with　an　intimacy　characteristic　of　the　Russian　steam　baths　they　exchanged　small　talk　for　several　minutes。　Several　of　them　were　grandfathers　now；　and　spoke　with　animation　about　the　continuation　of　their　lines。　Regardless　of　personal　rivalries；　it　was　expected　that　senior　officers　would　look　out　for　the　careers　of　their　rades'　sons；　and　so　information　was　briefly　exchanged　on　whose　son　was　in　which　mand　and　wanted　advancement　to　what　new　posting。　Finally　came　the　classically　Russian　dispute　over　the　〃strength〃　of　the　steam。　Rozhkov　peremptorily　settled　the　argument　with　a　thin　but　steady　stream　of　cold　water　onto　the　heated　bricks　in　the　center　of　the　room。　The　resulting　hiss　would　be　sufficient　to　interfere　with　any　listening　devices　in　the　room；　if　the　foggy　air　hadn't　already　corroded　them　to　junk。　Rozhkov　had　not　given　the　first　hint　of　what　was　happening。　Better；　he　thought；　to　shock　them　into　the　situation　and　get　candid　reactions　to　the　situation　at　hand。
〃rades；　I　must　make　an　announcement。〃
Conversation　stilled；　and　the　men　looked　inquiringly　in　his　direction。
Here　we　go。　〃rades；　on　15　June　of　this　year；　just　four　months　from　now；　we　launch　an　offensive　against　NATO。〃
For　a　moment；　only　the　hiss　of　the　steam　could　be　heard；　then　three　men　laughed；　having　imbibed　a　few　stiff　drinks　in　the　sanctity　of　their　staff　cars　on　the　drive　over　from　the　Kremlin。　Those　close　enough　to　see　CINC…Ground's　face　did　not。
〃You　are　serious；　rade　Marshal？〃　asked　the　mander…in…Chief　of　the　Western　Theater。　Receiving　a　nod　in　reply；　he　said；　〃Then　perhaps　you　will　be　so　kind　as　to　explain　the　reason　for　this　action？〃
〃Of　course。　You　are　all　aware　of　the　Nizhnevartovsk　oil…field　disaster。　What　you　have　not　yet　learned　are　its　strategic　and　political　implications。〃　It　took　six　brisk　minutes　to　outline　everything　the　Politburo　had　decided。　〃In　just　over　four　months　from　now；　we　shall　launch　the　most　crucial　military　operation　in　the　history　of　the　Soviet　Union：　the　destruction　of　NATO　as　a　political　and　military　force。　And　we　will　succeed。〃
Finished；　he　stared　at　the　officer　in　silence。　The　steam　was　having　its　desired　effects　on　the　assembly　of　flag　officers。　Its　searing　heat　assaulted　their　breathing　passages；　sobering　those　who　had　been　drinking。　And　it　made　them　sweat。　They'd　be　doing　a　lot　of　that　in　the　next　few　months；　Rozhkov　thought。
Then　Pavel　Alekseyev；　deputy　mander　of　the　Southwestern　Theater；　spoke。　〃I　heard　rumors；〃　he　said。　〃But　that　bad？〃
〃Yes。　We　have　sufficient　POL　supplies　for　twelve　months　of　normal　operations；　or　enough　for　sixty　days　of　war　operations　after　a　brief　period　of　increased　training　activity。〃　At　the　cost；　he　didn't　say；　of　crippling　the　national　economy　by　mid…August。
Alekseyev　leaned　forward　and　swatted　himself　with　his　bundle　of　branches。　The　action　was　strangely　like　a　lion's　swishing　its　tail。　At　fifty；　he　was　the　second…youngest　officer　there；　a　respected　intellectual　soldier　and　a　fit；　handsome　man　with　the　shoulders　of　a　lumberjack。　His　intense；　dark　eyes　squinted　down　through　the　rising　cloud　of　steam。
〃Mid…June？〃
〃Yes；〃　Rozhkov　said。　〃We　have　that　long　to　prepare　our　plans　and　our　troops。〃　CINC…Ground　looked　around　the　room。　Already　the　ceiling　had　bee　partially　obscured　by　a　mist。
〃I　presume　we　are　here　so　that　we　may　speak　frankly　among　ourselves；　no？〃
〃This　is　so；　Pavel　Leonidovich。〃　Rozhkov　replied；　not　the　least　surprised　that　Alekseyev　had　been　the　first　to　speak。　CINC…Ground　had　carefully　advanced　the　man's　career　over　the　last　decade。　He　was　the　only　son　of　a　hard…charging　tank　general　of　the　Great　Motherland　War；　one　of　the　many　good　men　pensioned　off　during　the　bloodless　purges　under　Nikita　Khrushchev　in　the　late　1950s。
〃rades。〃　Alekseyev　stood；　climbing　slowly　down　the　benches　to　the　marble　floor。　〃I　accept　everything　Marshal　Rozhkov　has　told　us。　But…four　months！　Four　months　in　which　we　may　be　detected；　four　months　in　which　we　may　lose　all　the　element　of　surprise。　Then　what　may　happen？　No；　we　have　a　plan　already　for　this：　Zhukov…4！　Instant　mobilization！　We　can　all　be　back　to　our　mand　posts　in　six　hours。　If　we　are　going　to　conduct　a　surprise　attack；　then　let　us　make　it　one　no　one　can　detect　in　time…seventy…two　hours　from　now！〃
Again　the　only　sound　in　the　room　was　that　of　the　water　flashing　to　steam　on　the　dun…colored　bricks；　then　the　room　erupted　with　noise。　Zhukov…4　was　the　winter　variant　of　a　plan　which　hypothesized　discovery　of　NATO's　intention　to　launch　a　surprise　attack　of　its　own　on　the　Warsaw　Pact。　In　such　a　case；　standard　Soviet　military　doctrine　was　the　same　as　anyone　else's：　the　best　defense　is　a　good　offense…preempt　the　NATO　armies　by　attacking　at　once　with　the　Category…A　mechanized　divisions　in　East　Germany。
〃But　we　are　not　ready！〃　objected　CINC…West。　His　was　the　〃point〃　mand　with　headquarters　in　Berlin；　the　single　most　powerful　military　mand　in　the　world。　An　attack　into　West　Germany　was　primarily　his　responsibility。
Alekseyev　held　up　his　hands。　〃Neither　are　they。　In　fact；　they　are　less　ready　than　we；〃　he　said　reasonably。　〃Look；　consider　our　intelligence　data。　Fourteen　percent　of　their　officers　are　on　holidays。　They　are　ing　off　a　training　cycle；　true；　but　because　of　it　much　of　their　equipment　will　be　down　for　maintenance；　and　many　of　their　senior　officers　will　be　away　in　their　respective　capitals　for　consultations；　just　as　we　are　now。　Their　troops　are　in　winter　quarters；　on　a　winter　routine。　This　is　the　time　of　year　for　maintenance　and　paperwork。　Physical　training　is　curtailed…who　wants　to　run　in　the　snow；　eh？　Their　men　are　cold；　and　drinking　more　than　usual。　This　is　our　time　to　act！　We　all　know　that　historically　the　Soviet　fighting　man　performs　at　his　best　in　winter；　and　NATO　is　at　its　lowest　state　of　readiness。〃
〃But　so　are　we；　you　young　fool！〃　CINC…Western　Theater　growled　back。
〃We　can　change　that　in　forty…eight　hours；〃　Alekseyev　countered。

〃Impossible；〃　observed　West's　deputy；　careful　to　back　up　his　boss。
〃To　reach　our　maximum　readiness　will　take　some　months；〃　Alekseyev　agreed。　His　only　chance　to　carry　his　point　with　his　seniors　was　to　reason　with　them。　He　knew　that　he　was　almost　certainly　doomed　to　failure；　but　he　had　to　try。　〃It　will　be　difficult；　if　not　impossible；　for　us　to　conceal　it。〃
〃As　Marshal　Rozhkov　told　us；　Pavel　Leonidovich；　we　are　promised　political　and　diplomatic　maskirovka；　〃　a　general　pointed　out。
〃I　have　no　doubt　that　our　rades　in　the　KGB；　and　our　skillful　political　leadership；　will　perform　miracles。〃　The　room　just　might　have　functioning　bugs；　after　all。　〃But　is　it　not　asking　too　much　to　expect　that　the　Imperialists…as　much　as　they　fear　and　hate　us；　as　active　as　their　agents　and　spy　satellites　are…will　fail　to　note　a　doubling　of　our　training　activity？　We　know　that　NATO　increases　its　readiness　when　we　go　into　major　unit　training；　and　their　preparedness　will　automatically　be　increased　by　their；　own　spring　training　cycles。　If　we　continue　our　training　beyond　the　normal　pattern；　they　will　be　even　more　alert。　Achieving　full　bat　readiness　requires　that　we　do　too　many　things　out　of　the　ordinary。　If　nothing　else；　East　Germany　is　rife　with　Western　spies。　NATO　will　notice。　NATO　will　react。　They　will　meet　us　on　the　border　with　everything　in　their　collective　arsenals。
〃If；　on　the　other　hand；　we　attack　with　what　we　have…now！…we　have　the　advantage。　Our　men　are　not　off　skiing　in　the　fucking　Alps！　Zhukov…4　is　designed　to　cycle　from　peace　to　war　in　forty…eight　hours。　There　is　no　way　possible　for　NATO　to　react　in　so　little　time。　They'll　take　forty…eight　hours　to　get　their　intelligence　information　organized　and　presented　to　their　ministers。　By　that　time　our　shells　will　be　falling　on　the　Fulda　Gap；　and　our　tanks　will　be　advancing　behind　them！〃
〃Too　many　things　can　go　wrong！〃　CINC…West　rose　so　swiftly　that　the　towel　nearly　came　off　his　waist。　His　left　hand　grabbed　downward　while　his　right　fist　shook　at　the　younger　man。　〃What　about　traffic　control？　What　about　training　our　men　in　their　new　battle　equipment？　What　about　getting　my　Frontal　Aviation　pilots　ready　for　bat　operations　against　the　Imperialists？　There…right　there　is　an　insurmountable　problem！　Our　pilots　need　at　least　a　month　of　intensive　training。　And　so　do　my　tankers；　and　so　do　my　gunners；　and　so　do　my　riflemen。〃
If　you　knew　your　job；　they　would　be　ready　now；　you　worthless；　whore　chasing　son　of　a　bitch！　Alekseyev　thought　but　did　not　dare　to　say　aloud。　CINC…West　was　a　man　of　sixty…one　who　liked　to　demonstrate　his　manly　prowess…boasted　of　it…to　the　detriment　of　his　professional