Managarov put down the phone and walked over and said to me in a regretful tone: "Comrade Commander, I'm sorry. Due to the new combat mission, according to the orders of the superiors, my group army and I must return before dark today. Jian. If this causes any inconvenience to you, please forgive me!"

"It's okay, General Managarov." I said to him in an official tone: "We are all soldiers, and it is the duty of the soldiers to obey orders. Since you are in a hurry to go back, then I will not keep you. Good luck. Lucky, there will be a period later!" After finishing speaking, I took the initiative to reach out and shook hands with him politely.

After Managarov shook hands with Kirilov, Bezikov and others one by one, he raised his hand to salute us and said with enthusiasm: "Comrades, we will have some time later!" Then he took it with him. His subordinates left the headquarters.

As soon as the commander of the 53rd Army left, the headquarters suddenly appeared much more empty. Kistyakov looked at me with a worried look and asked, "Comrade Commander, in the area we are currently occupying, many of the areas are all commanders of the 53rd Army. Now they are ditched abruptly. In the vacated position, what troops should we send to take over for the defense?"

I know what Kistyakov is telling is the truth. If a few divisions are removed from the defensive zone at once, the area under our control will appear empty. Especially in the south of the city, if the troops there are all emptied, the remaining small groups of German troops in the city may escape from that direction.

When I was in a dilemma, a heavy footstep suddenly came from the door. When an officer strode into the command post, a familiar voice sounded in the room: "Hello, comrades commanders!"

After seeing the incoming person, everyone stood up from their seats all together, raised their hands to salute each other, and at the same time shouted politely: "Hello, Comrade Marshal."

No one else is here, but Zhukov who called me not long ago. He went straight to the table and sat down, looked down at the map spread out in front of him, raised his head and asked, "What are you doing, comrades commanders?"

"Comrade Marshal, please allow me to report to you!" Kistyakov looked at me and reported to him straight up: "Because the commander of the Prairie Front Army Konev has just transferred away the 53rd Army. So we are discussing what troops should be sent to replace these defense zones vacated by friendly forces."

After listening to Kistyakov's report, Zhukov showed a look of astonishment on his face. He turned his head and looked at me and asked, "Why, you were just discussing this matter?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." I saw a trace of dissatisfaction on Zhukov's face, and I was afraid that he would get angry because of it. I quickly replied: "Our group army suffered a lot of casualties in the battle from yesterday to today, and it may not be possible to extract so many. Troops, to replace the defense zone vacated by the 53rd Army."

"Who has told you that the troops of the 53rd Army will be transferred from your existing defensive zone?" After hearing what I said, Zhukov raised his face and raised his voice and asked: "Who is it? You have this kind of wrong information?"

Hearing Zhukov's question, everyone was dumbfounded. You look at me and I look at you with a blank face, no one can figure out what's going on. In the end, Kistyakov summoned up the courage to ask: "Comrade Marshal, Commander Konev personally called Managarov to let the 53rd Army return to construction."

"Yes. It was my idea to let the 53rd Army return to construction." Zhukov readily agreed with the first half of Kistyakov's words, but rebutted the second half unhappily: "After all, Managarov The troops belong to the Steppe Front Army. They were originally assigned to you just to strengthen the attack on Kharkov. Although the troops returned to the Steppe Front Army’s organization, I did not ask them to withdraw from the existing defense zones."

Everyone heard Zhukov say that they would not mobilize the 53rd Army's troops, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. After all, tens of thousands of troops were mobilized in many areas in the city, and it was easy to cause confusion. At this moment, I heard Zhukov say leisurely: "Although the 53rd Army does not need to be mobilized, your Army needs to change positions."

"Comrade Marshal, what the **** is going on?" I glanced at my dazed colleagues, and then cautiously asked: "You don't mean to let our group army rest in the city and say that it will be in the shortest time. In time, will you replenish the soldiers lost in the battle for us?"

"The current situation has changed," Zhukov sighed, stood up with his hands on the edge of the table, looked at me and asked, "Which unit in your hand currently has a more complete organizational system?"

Hearing Zhukov’s question, I quickly reviewed the situation of all the units in my head, and then replied: "The 51st Guards Infantry Division of General Tavart Kiradze is the latest to go into battle. Troops, their organizational system should be the most complete of the entire group army at present."

"Tavart Kiradze?!" Zhukov asked after repeating the name, somewhat puzzled: "Isn't he the commander of the 23rd Guards Corps? Why, hasn't his post of commander been handed over?"

"Comrade Marshal," Kistyakov quickly explained with a smiling face: "Because the commanders of the 51st Guards Division above the regiment level, most of them died in the battle to defend Yakovlevo. A suitable candidate took over the post of division commander, so General Tawart Kiradze continued to serve as the division commander concurrently."

"Lida, come and see," Zhukov greeted me and pointed to the map on the table and said to me: "Our Southwest Front Army is near the North Donets River, and the battle with the Germans has entered a stalemate. The 6th and After the 12th Army forcibly crossed the North Donets River, it established a landing field on the right bank area. But unfortunately, their offensives from this area failed."

"Comrade Marshal," I waited for Zhukov's words to fall behind, and then asked tentatively: "Are you going to draw our army south and launch an offensive from the enemy's rear, and flanking the enemy with the 6th and 12th army?"

"You are half right." Seeing me with a blank look, Zhukov explained to me: "At noon today, the Southwest Front Army set out from the landing field again and launched a fierce attack on the enemy's defensive operations. It can serve as an offensive force. , Not the 6th and 12th Army, but a unit you are familiar with."

"A unit that I am familiar with?" Zhukov's remarks confused me. Although I have been in the Southwest Front before, they belong to a **** team, and there are few other troops. What kind of dealings have you fought, how can you have familiar troops? Thinking of this, I shook my head and replied blankly: "I'm sorry, Comrade Marshal, I really can't remember any other unit in the Southwest Front Army that I am familiar with."

My words made Zhukov’s face a disappointed expression. He sighed and said, “Oh, if Comrade Cui Kefu knew you said that, I don’t know how sad it would be?”

"Cuikov?! General Cuikov's Eighth Guards Army?!" Zhukov's words surprised me, and then I asked curiously: "Aren't his troops in General Rokosovsky's Central Front? Are they transferred to the Southwest Front Army?"

"What about the Central Front? Is the formation of the Eighth Guards Army in the Southwest Front? After a brief explanation, Zhukov stopped talking nonsense with me, and directly issued an order: "Immediately put the 51st Guards The divisions assembled, marched towards Chuhuyf in the southwest after dark, and occupied the city before dawn."

I looked in the direction of Zhukov's fingers and found that the distance was not too far, about thirty or forty kilometers, so that the commanders of the 51st Guards Division could arrive in a truck at most an hour. However, although I have the strength of a division in my hand, the strength to attack is seriously insufficient, so I tactfully said to Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, although our infantry commanders are very brave in battle. But there is no heavy duty. With technical equipment support, it is estimated that it will be difficult to capture Chuhuyf before dawn."

After Zhukov glanced around the room, he stayed on Kravchenko, commander of the Fifth Guards Tank Army. He smiled and asked, "Comrade General, how many tanks does your tank army currently have? "

Seeing Zhukov named his name, Kravchenko hurriedly stepped forward and replied respectfully: "Report to Comrade Marshal that there are currently 156 tanks of various types in the army. After a short maintenance and repair, it can be done. Go into battle."

After Zhukov heard what he said, he turned his head and asked me: "Lida, if I remember correctly, you should still have a tank of the 33rd Corps in your hand. The commander is Major General Bielei. Right?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal."

"I don't think he is here," Zhukov's gaze swept across all the commanders in the room again, and then decisively issued an order to me: "Call him immediately and ask him to report here."

Naturally, Chief of Staff Bezikov was responsible for notifying Bely to the headquarters of such a small matter. But I took this opportunity to review my mistake with Zhukov: "I'm sorry, Comrade Marshal. Because we have too few troops deployed in the south of the city, we let the large German troops escape. I ask you for punishment!"

"Lida, since the Germans have all run away, let them go, you don't have to blame yourself." Zhukov patiently explained to me in order to comfort me: "Comrade Stalin once said: If the people who are surrounded are panicked. A coward, then, he will immediately put down his weapons, without even checking whether there is a way out; if the encircled enemy is a vicious enemy, then he will fight to the last person. In the history of war, there are few enemies who have been encircled. An example of impenetrable water. The great commander-in-chief Kutuzov in Russian history tried to encircle and divide the French army, but why didn’t it succeed? Just because the French escaped much faster than Kutuzov’s pursuit. Self-defeating After we annihilated Paulus’s Sixth Army in Stalingrad, the enemy became even more cunning. The German command always withdrew from areas where their troops were in danger of encirclement in order to preserve their strength. Plans to encircle the enemy have frequently failed."

After Zhukov had said this, he saw that I seemed to have some scruples, and he went on to say: "If the Germans are determined to break through, don't say let one division, even two or three divisions or even four or five divisions. , It may not be able to stop Germany's fierce breakthrough. This will not help the whole battle apart from adding more unnecessary casualties to our army."

After I listened to Zhukov's words, my hanging heart finally let go. He quickly smiled and said to him: "I understand, Comrade Marshal, I understand everything when you say this. As long as the Germans find that they have the possibility of escape, they will not fight desperately, so we will attack Hal. The resistance to Cove’s time will be greatly reduced."

"Yes, that's it."

We were talking, and Bie Lei hurried in from outside. He saw Zhukov sitting at the table and quickly walked over, raised his hand to salute, and said politely: "Hello, Comrade Marshal. Major General Bie Lei, commander of the 33rd Army of the Tank, was ordered to come. I am waiting for your order. Please advise!"

Zhukov, who had just sat down, saw Bielei standing in front of him, smiled and stood up, stretched out his hand and shook him, and then asked in a friendly manner: "Comrade Bielei, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Comrade Marshal." Although Bele and Zhukov are old acquaintances, he placed himself in a subordinate position at this moment, and replied in a short, straight body: "But our troops paid for the attack. There have been huge casualties. There are currently only 34 tanks left in the entire army."

After hearing the numbers reported by Bie Lei, I felt like I was being slammed by something, and I felt terribly painful. I didn't expect that there were only so many tanks left in the tank army now.

Zhukov frowned slightly after listening to Beley’s report ~lightnovelpub.net~, and then decisively announced: "Let’s do this, Comrade Don Lei, because you are about to perform a new combat mission, it’s too late. To supplement you, I will first merge you into the Fifth Guards Tank Army. You will temporarily serve as the deputy commander of General Kravchenko. Do you have no opinion?"

When I heard Zhukov's arrangement, I was taken aback for a moment, but when I thought about it, I was relieved. At this time, for the needs of the war, let alone let Major General Belei be the deputy commander of the tank army, or let him be the tank company commander, he estimated that there would be no objections. Sure enough, Bie Lei immediately replied loudly: "Comrade Marshal, I resolutely obey your orders!"

"General Kravchenko," said Zhukov, the tank commander next to him, "Now you and Comrade Bere will gather the tank unit and prepare to go south with the 51st Guards Division."

"Yes, I'm going to gather the troops right away." Kravchenko also agreed very readily, and then left our headquarters with General Bere.

After Kravchenko and the others left, Zhukov said to me with a serious expression: "Lida, I hope you will go with the 51st Guards Division. After all, you and Comrade Cuikov are familiar with each other. If you want to cooperate in combat, you can also form a tacit understanding. As for the rest of the troops, after a brief reorganization, they will serve as the second and third echelon, following you southward." (To be continued.)