Thinking of this, Anna had a headache: although she cleaned up the Bolsheviks in China before the war and destroyed most of the underground organs, according to the report of the spies, the Bolsheviks became active again; the leader of the Bulgarian Party, Lenin, had been remotely controlling the party members in China abroad and was ready to move...

Of course, Anna knew very well that the Germans had been secretly supporting Lenin's rebellious activities, attempting to subvert the current government and withdraw Russia from the war. In this case... the knock on the door of "dong...dong..." interrupted Anna's thoughts, "Your Highness, Mr. Derrynsky requested you to receive!" Abia outside the door said.

Derzhinsky?!What did he come? After a brief surprise, Anna said, "Let him in."

.........

Derzhinsky was still the same, wearing a cheap suit, without a bow tie, and his eyes were dark. "Dear Your Highness, I'm sorry, I'll disturb you so late. But this matter is very important. You told me to have news."

"Oh? Who is it?"

"Joseph Visarionovic Jugashvili."

"It's him?" Anna suddenly stood up from the chair and walked to Derzhinsky, "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure, after all, he is my former comrade. I have met him several times, and I recognize his appearance."

Anna leaned against the desk and felt much more at ease. She asked with great interest, "Tell me about the specific situation."

"Yes, Your Highness." Derrensky opened the file bag, took out a report, and read it, "Joseph Visarionovic Jugashvili, male, 37 years old, Georgian. He was 1.62 meters tall, and his second and third toe toes on his left foot. He had smallpox at the age of 7. His strong physique helped him survive the serious illness, but his face was very pockmarked. When he was in school, he suffered from sepsis again and had infection with his left arm. After he recovered, his left arm was slightly shorter and his muscles were atrophy... We found him in Achensk. He is in good health and is just a little thin."

After hearing this, Anna nodded, "Well, he must have suffered a lot in the exile. He must be well treated. I will treat him to a meal tomorrow at noon. Mr. Derrensky, please make good arrangements!"

"This? Your Highness, Jugashvili has a bad temper and is a little irritable. For your safety..."

"Don't worry, you just need to remember to bring him to my reception room tomorrow...Okay, it's very late now, I wish you good night, Mr. Derzhinsky."

.........

In May 1916, just as the bloody battle between Germany and France at the city of Verdun entered a white-hot heat, the banks of the Somme, northwest of Paris, gradually became lively.

Opposite the German defensive positions, the British and French troops secretly carried out more than four months of battle preparations. Although their attack starting positions were also very strong, compared with the German troops, the British and French troops were in a water-deficient and unmanned land, and the terrain was not favorable, especially for the attack. However, the British and French troops still actively made large-scale and careful preparations. In the attack area, 250 kilometers of railways and 500 kilometers of narrow-gauge railways were laid from the rear to the front, and 150 concrete sites were built at 6 airports, and trenches, traffic trenches, sheltering fortifications and various warehouses to avoid artillery fire. In order to obtain sufficient water sources, they also dug 2,000 small wells. In terms of material preparation, they concentrated their greatest strength since the war, concentrating about 8 million artillery shells, 3,000 artillery pieces and more than 200 aircraft.

In addition, the British and French troops also conducted a series of special camping training on the divisions scheduled to participate in the war, simulated the German defense drills and assault methods. With the cooperation of artillery fire, the infantry carried out coordinated operations to gradually attack the defensive positions and advanced forward, and also practiced coordinated operations with the Air Force. New weapons such as light machine guns, grenades and other weapons have been equipped to regiments, brigades, and divisions.

On May 11, a feeling of inevitable battle enveloped the Somme. Sir Douglas Heg, the new British commander in France, was a first-class general in the British Army. He was knowledgeable, had various experiences, held various important positions, and was able to be the commander-in-chief.

Now, at the British command of Chantilly, General Heg is excited to cheer up his subordinates who are about to go to war. "The needs and hopes of our allies are very urgent. The decisive victory is right in front of us, and no one can stop the attempt to fight. The French army fought in Verdun throughout the spring, died in Verdun, and countless adult men were sacrificed on the anvil altar; now, it is the soldiers of the British Empire who should rescue French allies with their chivalrous courage, and hope that sacrifice and courage can inspire you!"

Sir Heg's words were passionate, which made General Jace and Robuck, the commanders of the 3rd and 4th Army, excited. The two generals who were about to go to war increased their confidence. They trusted the dedication of their troops and understood that this dedication was infinite; they believed that with the unprecedented huge amount of cannons and shells accumulated, the great British army would be invincible!

The British believed that a large number of artillery could destroy everything, but the German army was not a vegetarian. The German army at the forefront of the Somme defense line was the 2nd Army. Since the trench stalemate, no large-scale battle broke out in this direction. The German army meticulously used its precious time to continuously strengthen its defense.

In the past two years of preparation, the German army spared no effort to strengthen these fortifications into being indestructible. The first and second systems were each composed of several deep trenches, built with bulletproof bunkers, and connected them by countless traffic trenches. The front edge of the trenches of each system was protected by wire-wrapped objects, many of which were double-stranded wires up to 40 yards wide, with iron piles erected and interwoven with barbed wire, which were often as thick as fingers.

The woods and villages between these defense systems have become veritable fortresses. Deep cellars can usually be seen everywhere in the villages, and many white strata pits and quarries are used as bunkers for machine guns and mortars. The original crypts have carefully built underground covers, which are often connected to each other by channels up to 30 feet deep underground. The protruding parts of the defense line are parts where German soldiers can shoot vertically from there to the front, and the built fortresses are often protected by minefields. At the same time, various positions have built solid multi-faceted fortresses and concrete machine gun bunkers. Once the trenches are captured, they can be strafed from there. The German army also cleverly deployed a crossfire network. All this makes the Somme section one of the "strongest and most complete fortifications in the world."

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