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"Comrade Stalin," although Zhukov knew very well that Stalin hated Ivanov, he did not expect to replace Ivanov at the critical moment when the General Staff is required to coordinate and command battles on various battlefields. At that moment, he felt that he shouldn’t remain silent anymore, so before Vasilevsky could speak, he stood up first, with a narrowed mouth, and began to bludgeon Stalin: “Now our army is in Leningrad and In Ukraine, there is a fierce battle with the German army. If the deputy chief of staff is replaced at this time, I think it is very inappropriate."

After listening to Zhukov's objections, Stalin turned his head to look at Vasilevsky again, and asked noncommitantly: "What's your opinion, Comrade Vasilevsky?"

When Vasilevsky heard Stalin call his name, he quickly got up from his seat and replied respectfully: "Comrade Stalin, you also know that although I am the chief of the general staff, I spend most of the time with him. Like Marshal Zhukov, staying on all fronts, Comrade Ivanov has always been responsible for the work of the General Staff. If the deputy chief of staff is replaced at this time, it will definitely have some negative effects on the work of the General Staff. influences."

Seeing that Zhukov and Vasilevsky raised objections to the replacement of the position of deputy chief of staff, Stalin stood up silently, holding his famous pipe in his fist, and began to walk slowly in the room. At the same time, he began to think seriously about whether his proposal was too impulsive.

Seeing Stalin did not speak, but just walking around the room, Zhukov knew in his heart that he did not really want to change the deputy chief of staff, but only had an opinion on Ivanov, and said quickly: " According to my understanding, the main characteristic of Comrade Ma Lining is to formulate combat plans carefully and calculate carefully, use creative methods to organize troop operations, and strive to make necessary reasonable suggestions to warn superiors without waiting for the commander’s instructions. Therefore, the front army command he leads is The best in all fronts of our army. The staff under him are friendly and coordinated."

Hearing Zhukov's words, Stalin couldn't help but stop, and looked at him somewhat unexpectedly, wondering why he still introduced himself to Malinin's advantages when he opposed the exchange of the two commanders?

Seeing Stalin stopped and looked at him, Zhukov continued to say: "However, his personality is impatient, and he can't get along well with many commanders. Only his match with Rokosovsky complements each other. Not long ago, Rokosovsky once suggested to me that Malinen should be a commander of a certain group army, but he stubbornly refused. He said that he didn't want to be a commander of any group army, but wanted to be Rokosov forever. Comrade Ski’s chief of staff."

When Vasilevsky heard Zhukov's praise of Malinin, he raised his throat in his heart. He was afraid that Stalin would make up his mind with this, and let Malinin and Ivanov exchange each other. After Zhukov said the latter, he finally understood that Zhukov was tactfully persuading Stalin to change his mind.

Fortunately, Stalin is no longer as rigid as he was before the war, and he can humbly listen to the opinions of his subordinates. Seeing that Zhukov and Vasilevsky are opposed to changing his deputy chief of staff, he is no longer stubborn, but easy-going. He said: "Well, since both of you don't agree to the swap, this is the end of the matter. Don't mention it again in the future."

While the General Staff was discussing the candidate for the commander of the Belarusian Second Front, I was reporting to General Malinin, the chief of staff of the front army, on the recent reconnaissance situation. After Ma Lining recorded the situation I reported, he smiled and said to me: "Lida, I have good news to tell you."

good news? When I heard Ma Lining say this, I thought to myself that my superiors wanted to replenish me with new troops? Although I now have four infantry corps in my hand, if my superiors replenish me with the same number of troops, I won’t be too much. In order to confirm my suspicion, I tentatively asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you want to supplement us with new troops?"

"Supplementary troops?" Ma Linin was taken aback when I said this, and then replied: "Have you forgotten that the Supreme Command is preparing to form the Second Front in Belarus. Today, the General Staff is discussing who will serve as the commander? Job."

"Ah, today we are discussing the selection of the newly formed army?" I was quite surprised when I heard Ma Lining say this. This should be considered a top secret thing. How could he know it? Is the level of confidentiality in our army so low? ? Thinking of this, I couldn't help but curiously asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I don't know how you know?"

"The source of the news is kept secret for the time being." Ma Lining did not answer the question I was concerned, but said straightforwardly: "There are only three candidates for the commander of the front army, and you are one of them."

I am eager to know who the other two competitors are. If the two of them have a better advantage than me, I am basically out of the picture, so I can’t wait to ask: "I don’t know who the other two commanders are?"

Malinin didn’t know how he got the information, and he actually named the other two candidates accurately: “One is the commander of the 60th Army, Chernyakhovsky, and the other is Ukraine’s first. General Kurochkin, deputy commander of the Front Army."

"Oh, Comrade Chief of Staff, I think I'm out of play." I waited for Ma Lining to finish speaking, and sighed, and said to him: "These two generals are better than me in terms of military rank or seniority. Gao, I run the election with the two of them. There is definitely no hope."

"Lida, don't be so pessimistic." Malinen was more anxious than me as to whether I could take up the post of commander of the Second Front. He heard me sigh and comforted me: "The commander and I have studied this. It’s a question of candidates. Although among the candidates, there is an outstanding military commander like General Chernyakhovsky, but his superiors will not let him serve as the commander of the Second Front, but will let him serve as the commander of the Second Front. Commander of the Third Front."

After listening to Malinin’s remarks, I had to praise the analysis made by him and Rokosovsky. The two guessed it was really accurate. In the real history, it was Chernyakhov. Ski served as the commander of the Belarusian Third Front and was replaced by a new commander until his death in February 1945.

I know very well in my heart that whether I can become a marshal before the end of the war depends entirely on whether I can become a commander of a certain front before driving the Germans out of the border of the Soviet Union. According to my experience, the position of commander of the newly formed front army is reserved for those commanders who have withstood the most severe tests on the battlefield. In addition to finding basic conditions, they also need to have a brilliant record and obtain the highest commander in command. My appreciation. Don't look at Kurochkin as the deputy commander of the front army, but since the outbreak of the war, his record has been mediocre. If only he competes with me, my chances of success are still very high.

Malinen heard that I hadn’t spoken for a long time, thinking that I was still worried about the possibility of losing the election, so he comforted me: "Don’t worry, there is another candidate, General Kurochkin, although he was at the beginning of the war. Commander of the group army, but because of his mediocre record, he has not been favored by his superiors, so even if he becomes a candidate, it is only because of his seniority. In the end, the position of the commander is none other than you."

Don’t look at Kurochkin once serving as Vatutin’s deputy, but he really didn’t have any impression of him. Even when Rokosovsky came to represent the commander of the Ukrainian First Front, I did not agree with him. A deputy commander has dealt with. Trying to think about the famous Soviet generals that I remember, it seems that I haven't heard of him. Thinking about it this way, I automatically included Kurochkin in the role of soy sauce.

"Lida, I believe that your appointment will be communicated later today." Ma Lining reminded me adeptly: "Since you are leaving, you must choose a suitable candidate to replace your position as soon as possible. ."

I didn’t have to think about the successor, and I just pushed Kistyakov out. After all, if it weren’t for my sudden appearance, the position of the commander of the Sixth Guards Army would have been his, so I didn’t hesitate. Said: "Does this need to be said? Of course Comrade Kistyakov, he is fully qualified for the post of commander."

"Very well, then I will write down the candidates you recommend first." After Malinin quickly wrote Kistyakov's name in the notebook, he said to me: "Once your order is down, you You must immediately transfer the command to your deputy, and then report to the new unit."

I thought that if I were to go to the new army by myself, then a lot of work would certainly not be too easy, and someone had to help me. So I asked tentatively: "Comrade Chief of Staff, when I go to the new army, can I bring a few people with me?"

"No problem, this is allowed." Ma Lining was afraid that I had no experience, and he was good at reminding me: "I think the combat chief under your command is quite capable. You might as well take him over."

In fact, even if he didn't remind me, I would like to take Major Akhromeyev to the new unit. After all, this is my old subordinate, who is known for his skill. I nodded, and then asked: "I want to bring the current military commissioner, Comrade Kirilov, too. I don't know if it will work?"

"If you want to take it, there is definitely no problem. But..." Ma Linin said with some embarrassment: "Because of his low rank, it is estimated that he can no longer serve as your deputy. He can only serve in the following group army, or the front army. Work in the Political Department. I suggest you seek his opinion in advance."

As soon as I put down the phone, Kistyakov, who was sitting next to me, stood up, reached out his hand to me, smiled and said, "Comrade Commander, I congratulate you on your promotion!"

I took his hand and shook it lightly for a few times, and said modestly: "Comrade Deputy Commander, this is just a rumor. As for who will be the commander of the front, it is up to the superior to decide."

"Comrade Commander, you are too modest." Kistyakov said with a smile: "Since the Chief of Staff of the Front Army has congratulated you in advance, isn't it a certainty that will not run away." Here, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Besides, when we captured Moziri and Kalinkovic, the superior handed over three other army groups to you for unified command. This is a test for you. Fortunately, you commanded the troops to successfully liberate these two cities from the enemy's hands in just two or three days. It can be said that they successfully passed the test, and now it is time to reward them. It's time."

After Kistyakov, Bezikov also congratulated me. He whispered to me: "Lida, when you go to the new unit, can you bring me with you?"

After listening to his request, I glanced at Kistyakov standing next to him, and then said embarrassingly: "Chief of Staff, if I really want to leave, take you and the military commissar away, and stay. The deputy commander sings a one-man show alone. In that case, it will be difficult for him to carry out the next work."

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Kistyakov waited for me to finish, and said to Bezikov kindly: "If you leave with the commander, the work of the group army will be trapped in a short time. Confusion. So I have a suggestion. Even if you want to leave, you need to wait for the new chief of staff and military commissars to be sent to us before you leave. Do you think it's okay?"

Seeing that Kistyakov had said so sincerely, Bezikov had no choice but to say: "Well, Comrade Deputy Commander, then I will stay and wait until the internal work of the group army is straightened out before leaving."

Kistyakov thought that I was leaving, so he humbly asked me: "Comrade Commander, what is the main job of our army after you leave?"

Thinking of my own unit, which is currently the closest to Kiev, if we really want to launch a counterattack in Belarus, then they must be the main force of the offensive. With this in mind, I said to Kistyakov: "Comrade Deputy Commander, we must give a new order to the troops that carry out reconnaissance behind the enemy~lightnovelpub.net~ Let them try their best to get it with the local guerrillas. contact."

"Get in touch with the guerrillas?" Kistyakov frowned when he heard me say this. "Comrade Commander, the guerrillas have limited combat effectiveness and may not be of much help to us."

"On the contrary, my deputy commander." Seeing Kistyakov's disapproval of the guerrillas, I reminded him: "As long as we have established extensive contacts with the guerrillas behind enemy lines, you After our offensive starts, they can make trouble in the enemy's rear, prevent the enemy from sending reserves to the front, and notify us of the German forces' movements by radio in a timely manner, and so on."

As soon as I explained the importance of contacting the guerrillas to Kistyakov, I received a call from Malinin. He said apologetically on the phone: "Lida, I'm sorry, I let you down. According to the information I just received, the superiors intend to appoint General Kurochkin as the commander of the Belarusian Second Front."

Although I have no confidence in whether I can be the commander of the front, I am ready to lose the election. But when I really heard Ma Lining tell me the bad news, my heart was still sour, but I still pretended to be calm and said: "I see, Comrade Chief of Staff, I won’t be able to be this time, maybe I will pay back later. If you have a chance, thank you for notifying me of this news." (To be continued.)