"Comrade Voroshilov, does the Western Front have the ability to carry out this attack plan?" Joseph asked.
"Comrade Joseph, the Western Front is fully capable of launching an offensive and making the Germans pay a heavy price on our soil!" Marshal Voroshilov immediately replied.
Although he knew full well that Joseph's demand was utterly unreasonable and would cause the Russian army extremely heavy losses during the offensive, he simply did not have the courage to refuse it. He did not want Joseph to casually find some pretext to transfer him from his current post, send him to some backwater office to wait out his retirement, or even have him killed outright. After all, Joseph had done such things more than once over the years.
Joseph nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, Comrade Voroshilov. Go make the preparations! Before the end of the month, I hope the Western Front will have won a victory!"
"Yes, Comrade Joseph," Marshal Voroshilov replied.
After leaving Joseph's office, Voroshilov wore an expression of wanting to cry but having no tears. He was utterly depressed, unable to understand why he had such rotten luck.
"Comrade Voroshilov, I'm very sorry. Comrade Joseph made this decision only after learning that the entire navy had been wiped out. I never expected him to make such a decision!" Shaposhnikov's face was full of apology. Clearly, he also understood Marshal Voroshilov's predicament. He knew that if the Western Front launched an offensive, there was a strong possibility it would lose. When that time came, Marshal Voroshilov's days would likely be difficult.
Marshal Voroshilov nodded. He understood Joseph's character as well and knew this was a decision born of Joseph's stubborn arrogance. Though he and Shaposhnikov were rivals, cooperation still outweighed competition between them overall. After all, they were considered the military commanders