The Zero fighter plane, which was preparing to attack the fighter plane, saw a formation of Soviet fighter planes suddenly appeared in the sky. It hurriedly raised its altitude and rushed towards the opponent. The injured fighter took the opportunity to make a U-turn and quickly evacuated the airspace. However, on the way to Solon, he reported to the dispatch room via the radio: "The Kwantung Army has at least five Zero fighter jets. Our fighter numbers are at a disadvantage, please support, please support!"

Lieutenant Colonel Denis in the control room heard the call from the fighter pilot, and immediately took off two more fighters in a four-plane formation to rush for reinforcements to prevent his own aircraft from suffering losses.

Watching the fighter planes taking off one after another, Sokov couldn't help but said with emotion: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the airport you are attacking is only one of several airports of the Kwantung Army. I am worried that if you destroy this airport, you will If enemy planes from other places come to support us, your planes may still be at a numerical disadvantage."

“Comrade General, you are right.” Denis nodded in approval of Sokov’s statement: “If the enemy really has aircraft from other airports to reinforce, I will send more aircraft to meet the enemy.”

Seeing that there were more than a dozen aircraft at the airport being refueled, loaded, and repaired, Sokov couldn't help but nodded slightly. It seemed that Lieutenant Colonel Denis had considered the matter very carefully. Two fighters in a four-plane formation had just taken off and arranged for new ones. The planes were refueled and loaded with ammunition. Even if planes related to the Eastern Army appeared in the sky above Solon at this moment, they would be able to take off in time to fight.

"Comrade Commander," Captain Alt ran in from outside at this time. He raised his hand and saluted Sokov and said: "The Chief of Staff asked me to ask you to go back, saying that there are very important things that need you to go back and handle in person."

Learning that there was something going on at the headquarters, Sokov stood up and said to Denis: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I have to go back beforehand. I wish you good luck."

 When he came out of the dispatch room and got into the jeep, Sokov asked Art, who was sitting in the passenger seat: "Comrade Captain, do you know what happened?"

"I don't know." Alt shook his head and replied like a rattle: "The chief of staff just asked me to ask you to return to the headquarters as soon as possible. As for what happened, he didn't tell me."

"Drive, comrade driver, we have to rush back to the headquarters as soon as possible." When the driver started the vehicle, Sokov warned again: "Be sure to pay attention to safety." He didn't want to have any car accidents on the way just to rush for time. some type of. You know, the famous US military general General Patton died in a car accident while out hunting in December 1945.

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." The driver replied respectfully: "You can rest assured about my driving skills, there will definitely be no problem."

 About ten minutes later, the jeep returned to the headquarters.

Sokov opened the door and got out of the car, quickly walking into the headquarters.

Yakov, who was busy in the headquarters, saw Sokov's arrival, immediately stopped what he was doing and said: "Misha, you are back!"

“Well, I’m back.” Sokov came to Yakov and asked, “Is there anything important?”

"That's it, Misha." Yakov said: "The commander of the 116th Division, Colonel Yushkevich, called and said that the commander of the 44th Army, Yoshio Hongo, sent a special envoy to communicate with him, hoping to stop fighting with him. Hostile actions by our troops.”

“What, Yoshio Hongo sent a special envoy to ask for an armistice with us?”

"Yes."

 “What is the rank of the envoy sent?” Sokov asked.

 “It’s a lieutenant colonel.” Yakov replied.

Sokov looked at Yakov and said: "Yasha, there is no such thing as a school-level officer in the Kwantung Army's military ranks. Our lieutenant colonel is equivalent to their lieutenant colonel." After he briefly introduced the Kwantung Army's military ranks, Then he said, "Did they put forward any conditions?"

“Yoshio Hongo said that after the cessation of hostilities, the two sides would retreat ten kilometers each based on the actual line of contact, leaving a non-combatant area of ​​twenty kilometers..."

"Okay, Yasha, you don't have to say it." Sokov sneered and said: "Seeing that they can't stop our army's attack, the little devils put forward such conditions. It's just a daydream. You give it to Yushk immediately. Colonel Veitch called and asked him to tell the **** envoy that we will not accept a ceasefire under any circumstances other than unconditional surrender. If Yoshio Hongo persists in his stubbornness, he will be solely responsible for the damage to people and property caused."

"Okay, Misha." Hearing what Sokov said, Yakov's face showed a smile: "The Kwantung Army is not compared with the Germans we have fought against before. What kind of **** are they? They want us to stop attacking them and retreat ten kilometers. Damn!"

"Misha," Lukin, who was sitting next to him, waited for Sokov to make a decision and said to him: "The little devil sent someone to discuss the ceasefire. Even if we sternly reject it, they should report it to the front army headquarters immediately. Lest anyone make a fuss about this matter in the future.”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, you reminded me more." Sokov originally wanted Colonel Yushkevich to drive away Yoshio Hongo's special envoy, but after hearing what Lukin said, he realized that he had not considered the problem enough. comprehensive. If this matter is not reported to Marshal Malinovsky in time, if someone makes an issue with this matter in the future, he will be passive. He quickly ordered the director of the communications corps: "Comrade director, help me get through to the front army headquarters immediately."

After the call was connected, Sokov heard Zakharov's voice and said quickly: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, I am Sokov."

“It turns out to be Misha.” Knowing that the person who called him was Sokov, Zaharov smiled and said, “Do you have any good news for me?”

“We have discovered a Kwantung Army field airport and have dispatched the air force to carry out air strikes on it, preparing to completely destroy it to eliminate threats from the air.”

When Zakharov heard what Sokov said, he immediately said in an admiring tone: "Misha, you did the right thing. The troops of the 6th Guards Tank Army were attacked by the Kwantung Army last night, and the troops suffered huge losses. Losses. Only by completely eliminating the enemy's air power can we reduce the threat from the air as we continue to advance." "One more thing." Sokov paused for a moment and continued: "Kandong The commander of the 44th Army, Yoshio Hongo, sent someone to contact my vanguard division commander, hoping to end the war with our army."

 “Stop the state of war?” Zakharov couldn’t help being stunned after hearing this: “What do you mean?”

When Sokov told Zakharov the conditions put forward by Yoshio Hongo, the chief of staff of the front was so angry that he slapped his hands heavily on the table and said angrily: "Seeing that I can't defeat him, It is simply a daydream for us to send people to request a ceasefire. Unless they surrender unconditionally and lay down their weapons to our army, the fighting between us and them should not stop."

"You are right, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army." Sokov waited for the other party to finish speaking, and then quickly continued: "I have driven away the special envoys of Yoshio Hongo, as long as they do not lay down their weapons and surrender unconditionally to our army , we will not stop fighting.”

"That's right, Misha." Zakharov said in an approving tone: "You handled this matter correctly. I will report this situation to Comrade Marshal. By the way, how far do you plan to move forward? Kilometers?"

Sokov looked at the map carefully and found that if the Kwantung Army's airport was not completely destroyed, his troops might be attacked from the air when advancing on the unobstructed plains. After hearing Zakharov's question at this moment, he said cautiously: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, if the comrades of the Air Force can provide us with effective air cover, I think it will not be much trouble to advance forty or fifty kilometers in one day." question."

"It's a pity that the air force's airport is too far away from you," Zakharov said in a regretful tone: "Even if we learned that you were being attacked by enemy planes and took off immediately, it would still take hours to reach the battle area... "Speaking of this, he suddenly thought of something, "Marshal Hudyakov called me this morning and said that some planes seemed to be stationed in Solon City. Has his plane arrived?"

"It's been here a long time ago." Sokov replied: "Now some aircraft are launching air strikes on the Kwantung Army airport discovered by reconnaissance planes. I believe that it will not take long to completely destroy this airport, thus weakening the Kwantung Army. air power."

"I'll call General Kravchenko later," Zakharov said with interest: "See if he has a suitable field airport there, and ask Marshal Hudyakov to send him some planes there. Strengthen their air defenses to prevent last night's tragedy from happening again."

Before Zakharov put down the phone, Major General Rozhkov, commander of the Air Defense Group of the Transbaikal Front, walked in from outside. He quickly came to Zaharov, and when he was about to speak, he saw the chief of staff talking on the phone, so he made a gesture, and then found a seat next to him to sit down.

Seeing Luzhkov come in, Zakharov guessed that he must have something important to report to him, so he said into the microphone: "Misha, I have something to do here, so I won't tell you more. What's new there? As for the progress, remember to call me in time to communicate with me."

After putting down the phone, Zakharov asked Rozhkov: "Comrade Rozhkov, what can I do for you?"

"That's it, Comrade Chief of Staff." Rozhkov stood up and reported to Zakharov: "Didn't the 6th Guards Tank Army suffer an air attack from enemy planes last night, and the troops suffered heavy casualties? The commander, General Kravchenko, called me and hoped that I could strengthen some air defense capabilities for him."

 “Then did you agree to him?”

"Yes." Rozhkov nodded and said, "I sent him an anti-aircraft artillery division that set off half an hour ago. We will be able to reach their area by noon tomorrow at the latest."

"General Rozhkov," Zaharov shook his head after hearing this and said, "If Kravchenko points to the anti-aircraft artillery division you sent to strengthen their air defense, I'm afraid there will be another air attack tonight. , the casualties will still be insignificant by then.”

Rozhkov became a little anxious when he heard this, and quickly asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what should we do?"

"It was not just the 6th Guards Tank Army of General Kravchenko that was attacked by the Kwantung Army last night." Zakharov said: "It was also attacked by the 53rd Army of General Sokov at the same time. A division of.”

Hearing what Zaharov said, Rozhkov couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, and then asked: "But General Sokov didn't ask me for help."

"The reason why he did not ask you for help is because he understood that he might still be attacked by air attacks before the air defense troops you sent arrived, so he chose to ask the air force directly for help."

“Our air force base is several hundred kilometers away from the front line. Even if the troops at the front are attacked by air attacks, they will immediately take to the air to fight. By the time they arrive at the front line, I am afraid that the enemy planes have already completed the air attack mission and returned to their own airport.”

"General Rozhkov, you are right." Zakharov said: "If we attack from the existing air base, the delay on the way will indeed be too long. So General Sokov and Hudyakov After discussion, the marshal ordered some fighters and bombers to divert to the Solon area, which is only a few dozen kilometers away from the front line. Once enemy planes attack our troops, our planes can arrive on the battlefield in the shortest possible time. , expel or destroy enemy aircraft that are conducting air strikes."

“Have the Air Force planes transferred around?”

"Thirty or forty planes have transferred to Solon's airport." Zakharov continued: "When you came in, I was talking to General Sokov. He told me that some of the planes were flying towards Kanto at the moment. We will launch an attack on an airfield of the army. I believe that it will not take long to completely destroy the enemy's airport and ensure that the ground troops will not be attacked from the air when they advance."

"It would be a good idea to have the Air Force transfer some of its aircraft to forward airports. In this way, our troops can receive cover from the Air Force in a timely manner." Rozhkov said excitedly: "I will immediately give Kraft General Chenco called and asked him if there was a suitable airport where the Air Force aircraft could transfer."

"General Rozhkov, I won't bother you with this matter." Zakharov said with a smile: "I will call General Kravchenko immediately and ask him about the situation. If he has a suitable plane to land there, area, I will contact Marshal Hudyakov and ask him to send some aircraft to transfer to Kravchenko’s combat area.”

Seeing that Zakharov was unwilling to allow himself to call Kravchenko, Rozhkov was not discouraged. He stood up and said to Zakharov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I still have something to deal with. If you If you have any orders, just call me directly and I will definitely carry out your orders."