Digging a Pit

On the railway from Königsberg to Berlin, train after train of military transports sped along. Attached behind one of them was a passenger carriage. Its occupants were Russia's secret mission to Germany.

"Comrade Joseph, nearly every train on this railway is a military transport now! I saw them packed to the brim with soldiers. Why are the Germans mobilizing such a massive force to the east? Could they be planning to attack us?"

"No. The Germans have not defeated Britain yet, so they will not launch an attack against us. Besides, they have no reason to go to war with us." Joseph shook his head.

"But what are these troops going there for?"

"They are probably going to deal with the guerrillas! We ceded so much territory to the Germans, but Comrade Chairman had Comrade Trotsky establish a large number of guerrilla units in those territories. The Germans were occupied with the war before and paid them no heed. But now that France and Italy have withdrawn from the war one after another, the Germans have enough strength to wipe out the guerrillas. This time, those guerrillas are probably in for hard days." Joseph sighed.

"Then why not have the guerrillas withdraw? Our guerrillas do not even have enough weapons and equipment. How could they possibly be a match for those elite German military troops?"

"That is Comrade Chairman's order. We only need to carry it out. Besides, that is the Military Committee's business. It has nothing to do with us!" Joseph said coldly.

His subordinate immediately fell silent. He knew that Joseph and Trotsky did not get along. The reason was obvious: both men wanted to become Ulyanov's successor. That had made them as irreconcilable as fire and water.

When Joseph and his group arrived in Berlin, people from