At the Eastern Front headquarters of the German-Austro-Hungarian joint forces, a fierce argument was underway. Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who had risen to prominence in this war, were clashing sharply with Falkenhayn, the joint forces' commander-in-chief.
Hindenburg and Ludendorff advocated immediately concentrating their forces, driving through Lithuania to strike straight at the dragon's lair, and capturing Saint Petersburg before the Russian winter arrived. Falkenhayn, meanwhile, argued for destroying Russia's effective military strength and forcing Russia out of the war.
Hindenburg said furiously, "Commander-in-Chief, there is still time to take Saint Petersburg directly! Do not harbor any fantasies about the Russians withdrawing from the war. Our best choice is to beat them until they no longer dare fight!"
Falkenhayn roared back without yielding an inch, "No! The Russian winter is almost here. If we choose to attack Saint Petersburg, I will have to finish it within this short month!
"That is impossible. Do not forget that Saint Petersburg is still more than three hundred kilometers away, and the Russians have at least five hundred thousand troops there.
"Once they discover our objective, they can concentrate one million troops in Saint Petersburg within a week. Within half a month, that number will rise to one and a half million!
"Can you reach Saint Petersburg in a week? Even if the Russians simply let you pass, we still could not do it!
"According to your plan, by the time we break through the Russian blockade and reach Saint Petersburg, winter will already have descended. If we are unlucky, winter may arrive while we are still on the way!
"Fighting polar bears in temperatures twenty or thirty degrees below zero—you really are madmen!"
Ludendorff took over, saying, "No, Commander-in-Chief! If we abandon large quantities of supplies and force-march for a surprise assault, we can still