Chapter 761: Solid as a Rock

Khrushchev didn’t know what state Churchill was in when he committed suicide. Was he, like himself, huddled in a corner of a basement, accompanied by dim, swaying lights, praying for all sorts of unrealistic miracles to appear in the next second?

The Soviet fleet at Kerch had already fled. Voroshilov, it seemed, had not followed those few dilapidated destroyers and torpedo boats back to the Caucasus. He also knew what fate would await him if he returned to the Soviet Union, especially if he returned alone after losing all his soldiers.

Now, at this very moment, the German soldiers were less than 10 kilometers from the core area of the Soviet Sevastopol defensive fortress. Although this less-than-10-kilometer road was filled with bunkers and mines, and trenches and camouflaged anti-tank gun positions were everywhere, it still could not give Khrushchev a moment of peace.

Ever since arriving on the Crimean Peninsula, Khrushchev had been fantasizing about the scene of his own final death. He had thought of the heroic sacrifice scenario, and also of being beaten to death in a humiliating way. As the final moment drew closer and closer, he realized that his own end was not at all like he had originally imagined.

Above his head were three layers of thick, reinforced concrete fortifications. The entire mountain had been practically hollowed out by the Soviet Union’s own laborers, and a three-story internal structure had been built inside. The lowest level was the command post where Khrushchev was located, as well as the ammunition depot and granary. The second level was a huge underground barracks for stationing troops, large enough to accommodate over 2,000 fully armed Red Army soldiers, as well as some light weapons and ammunition storage depots. Further up were more barracks and passages leading to the various branch gun batteries and the main bunker, capable of holding about 5,000 infantrymen.

On the surface, Khrushchev still had over 50,000 soldiers stationed in defensive positions. Most of these soldiers were his trusted followers and elites, their combat effectiveness much higher than that of the temporarily conscripted troops. Moreover, most of these soldiers had experienced the failed battles of the spring offensive and had some combat experience. They were defending to the death in the labyrinthine trenches, using the advantageous terrain to wear down the attacking German army.

The trenches here were fundamentally different from those built with wood and earth. In some key defensive areas, the trenches had been reinforced with concrete, and most of the defensive nodes were strengthened with concealed, covered bunkers. There were concealed gun positions with anti-tank guns deployed everywhere, some of which were even permanent firing positions with top camouflage.

Unlike the Soviet defenders on the periphery, there were hidden underground communication tunnels here, which could be used to secretly deploy troops and transport ammunition. Moreover, the entire Sevastopol fortress had a large stockpile of ammunition, enough for the defenders to squander for a while.

This fortress, or rather, fortress complex, was already considered one of the strongest defensive systems ever built in human history. In terms of the firepower configuration and defensive level of its core position, it had completely surpassed the French Maginot Line. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the most terrifying defensive fortress in the world.

In front of these machine gun bunkers and artillery firing positions was a massive mine belt, which had been continuously laid and supplemented for decades to reach its current scale. The types of mines were complex and their numbers were astonishing. Under the cover of firepower, they were sufficient to inflict terrifying casualties on the attacking German army.

Between the mines and the bunkers was an endless series of barbed wire fences, one after another. Although these defensive measures seemed a bit too old and outdated in the current mode of warfare, with their sheer numbers, they were still enough to cause considerable trouble for the advancing German army.

However, Khrushchev knew that the Germans had ways to deal with these fortresses and mines. At least in the reports from a few days ago, the Germans had tried a new weapon in one of their attacks. This strange tank could use rockets to carry a large number of explosive charges to quickly clear mines, directly clearing a safe zone for an attack in front of the position.

Khrushchev, sitting in his chair, suddenly remembered his youth. At that time, he was young and full of vitality, still a small, ordinary administrator in a factory. On that day, he had walked out of his office and had seen a young man in a German Wehrmacht uniform standing by a machine.

He had walked over and said in a questioning tone, “How can you let the Germans into this kind of classified military factory!” But before anyone could answer, he had been reprimanded by his own leader. And it was at that time that he had, for the first and only time, seen the German Führer, Akado Rudolph, the most powerful man in Germany now.

Akado Rudolph was so young back then, Khrushchev couldn’t help but think. As the current Führer of Germany, with absolute and immense power, Akado, who was nearly six years younger than him, had already reached the pinnacle of power. Unfortunately, Khrushchev himself was now only a step away from being a prisoner or dying in battle. The years had passed, and fate was truly a cruel trickster.

BOOM! It seemed very distant, and yet it seemed to be right next to his ear. The sound of an exploding shell came, not very loud in the office. After all, above this room, there were still dozens of meters of concrete and other rooms. But he could still feel the vibration the shell had caused to the entire mountain, and he could still tell from the slight trembling of the table and chair just how huge that exploding shell was.

Knock, knock! The sound of knocking interrupted Khrushchev’s rambling thoughts. This poor “frontline commissar” could now only issue orders from within this fortress. The troops he could command were dwindling, the land he could control was shrinking, and even the time he could hope to breathe was also getting shorter and shorter.

“Come in.” He put down his wine glass, still feeling a little drunk. A man walking further and further down a dead end would often use alcohol to repeatedly hypnotize and numb himself. Khrushchev had developed a drinking problem since arriving in Crimea. Every day, two more empty wine bottles would appear in his room. A few days ago, when the German army had begun its attack, the number of wine bottles had increased even more.

“Comrade Khrushchev! The corps commander hopes that you can inspect the frontline troops to boost the low morale,” a Soviet officer in a respectable military uniform said, standing at attention in front of Khrushchev. He saluted before stating the purpose of his visit.

“I know! Serve lunch on time at noon, and give each soldier an extra potato,” Khrushchev said, taking a deep breath before finally agreeing. “Let the soldiers have a full meal, and then I will go and see them. The effect will be better.”

To conserve food resources, the Soviet Red Army had long since implemented a rationing system. The personnel in the rear who were not participating in the battle only had two full meals a day. Only the soldiers on the very front line were issued with three full meals. This system had been implemented two months ago, but as the battle progressed and the logistics work became chaotic, in some corners, the Soviet soldiers could not even get one full meal.

Walking out of the basement and through the long corridor, Khrushchev came to the central elevator, which was specially for the use of the high command. Two guards followed him into the elevator. With the sound of grinding machinery and a slight bump, he soon arrived at the first level of the underground fortifications. There were passages leading to various places here. Not only were the roads flat, but one did not have to worry too much about being hit by a sudden German artillery strike.

There were cars in the tunnel, which showed just how grand the scale of the entire underground fortification was. But the car could only take Khrushchev halfway, not directly to the front line. After all, the construction cost of the entire core fortification was too high, so the completely concealed automobile tunnel only covered a small part of the area.

Khrushchev sat in the car, feeling the dim tunnel and the faint yellow light from the top. But the pleasant car journey ended prematurely, because a large-caliber German shell had pierced the top of this tunnel, leaving a huge hole there. The collapsed roof also completely blocked the passage.

“What’s going on today? We actually get an extra meal for lunch. How strange,” a veteran Soviet soldier complained, holding his rifle and sitting in a trench. The low-quality black bread in his hand was clearly a bit moldy, but he still ate it with relish. “It’s not that the defenders in front have all been killed and it’s our turn, is it?”

His companion was about to answer him when he saw several men in officer’s uniforms walking over. This Soviet soldier quickly stood up at attention and greeted them loudly, “Comrade Officer! Good afternoon!”

“Thank you for holding your position under such harsh conditions,” Khrushchev said, walking up to this young soldier. He extended his hands and shook the young man’s, who was so shocked he was speechless. “Thank you for everything you have done for the motherland!”

After all, he came from a political background, and Khrushchev’s skill in winning over and mobilizing people was not an undeserved reputation. He had walked for about six kilometers, but he still maintained a smile and shook hands with everyone who was willing to shake his hand. He encouraged the soldiers one by one and asked about their difficulties, moving the soldiers in an entire trench beyond words.

“Comrade Khrushchev! We will defend the territory of our motherland to the death and drive back all invaders!” The old Soviet veteran, who had been full of dissatisfaction just a moment ago, was now holding Khrushchev’s hand with tears in his eyes, expressing his loyalty. Without a doubt, if these Soviet soldiers were asked to die for Khrushchev now, they would be willing.

“With you here, I feel full of strength! It is because of you, these outstanding patriots who are not afraid of sacrifice, that this fortress can never fall!” Khrushchev said emotionally, rallying his soldiers. “Hold the position, solid as a rock! The Germans will ultimately fail!”

As he was speaking, a thousand meters away, a heavy German artillery shell landed on the Soviet defenders’ position, kicking up a huge cloud of black smoke.

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