Burning Moscow

Hearing Bezikov’s report, Zhukov stood up straight, looked at me from head to toe, and smiled kindly and said, "Lida, you are not easy. In just one year, your chest I hung up so many medals, and even got the gold star medal that everyone dreams of. Yes, you are so kind!"

I felt very happy for Zhukov's praise, and asked him whether he suddenly recruited me here, whether he intends to send me to the front again. So when his voice just fell, he hurriedly said: "Comrade Marshal, even if you send me back to the front line immediately, I will try my best to live up to your trust in me."

"It's not time to go back to the army," Zhukov said vaguely.

I heard Zhukov say that, knowing that the chances of returning to the army right now are small, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed.

Zhukov pulled out a chair, patted the back of the chair and said to me: "Lida, your eyes have not healed yet. Don't stand for too long. Sit down first."

Seeing me sitting down in the chair obediently, Zhukov turned his head and said to Bezikov: "Colonel, go get two bottles of what kind of drinks the American allies gave us..."

"Coca-Cola!" Seeing Zhukov could not remember the name of that drink, Bezikov quickly reminded him in a low voice.

Zhukov patted his forehead with his hand, and said with a smile: "Yes, it's Coca-Cola. Go and bring two bottles to entertain Lida, and let her taste what the American allies' drinks are like."

Watching Bezikov leave the room, I quickly asked Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, how is the situation in Kiev?"

Zhukov narrowed his mouth and said with a serious expression: "From the current situation. The German army can encircle our army in the Kiev area by tomorrow evening at the latest."

I judged from various signs that the base camp was unwilling to give up the recapture of Kiev easily, and Zhukov could not give an order to retreat Rebarko, so I asked euphemistically: "Comrade Marshal. Then should we do something? To save them from their current predicament."

After hearing what I said, Zhukov waved his hand and said: "Rybalko must defend Kiev firmly at all costs, and our air force will provide them with the necessary air support."

Before he finished speaking, Bezikov had gone and returned. He walked in with two bottles of Coca-Cola in his hand. He came next to us and asked Zhukov with a smile on his face: "Comrade Marshal, open it?"

"Of course, do you need to talk about it?" Zhukov said, "open both bottles."

Bezikov agreed and leaned the bottle cap against the table. With a hard shot, the lid flew out. After the bottle cap was opened, he picked up an empty glass next to him and poured half of the Coke in.

I was about to reach out to pick it up, but the next scene left me stunned.

Bezikov picked up a water bottle next to him and poured water into the coke. When he saw that the water was full, he took the small dish containing the sugar cubes and asked me politely: "Lida. You want to put some sugar."

Seeing his violent behavior, I couldn't help taking a breath, and then asked carefully: "Comrade Colonel. Do you usually drink Coke like this?"

Bezikov nodded and asked in surprise: "Yes, how else can I drink it if I don't drink like this?!"

"Not bad!" After Bezikov finished speaking, Zhukov also said in an open mouth: "To be honest, the drink provided by this ally is really not good. If it weren't for you to taste the wonder, I would have asked people to take these. The drinks were sent elsewhere."

When I found that Zhukov didn't know how to drink Coca-Cola, I suddenly felt crazy. I only heard that when Coke entered China, everyone didn't know how to drink it. There have been such strange drinking methods, and I didn't expect that even a big man like Zhukov would make similar mistakes. I quickly coughed and asked weakly, "Comrade Marshal, don't you know how to drink this kind of Coca-Cola?"

Seeing Zhukov shook his head, I quickly took another bottle of Coke from Bezikov's hand, poured half of it into an empty glass, and handed it to Zhukov, and said respectfully: "Comrade Marshal, can you taste it and see if it is different from what you usually drink?"

"Just drink it like this?" Zhukov asked with a blank face.

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." I explained to him with a smile, "This is how this drink is drunk directly, without the need to add water or sugar."

Zhukov took the drink in my hand and frowned and took a tentative sip. When the drink stayed in his mouth for a while and slid down his throat into his stomach, his brows stretched out. So he decisively drank the remaining Coke in the cup. When he put down the cup, he chuckled and said, "I really didn't expect this coke to be drunk like this. When I see Comrade Stalin the next day, I must tell him this correct way of drinking."

Hearing Zhukov mentioned Stalin, I couldn’t help but shudder. Fortunately, today I was only correcting Zhukov’s way of drinking. If I face the Supreme Commander himself, even if I see him drinking Coke in the wrong way, I dare not casually remind me. He can only keep silent when he is wrong.

The Coke incident just passed, and Zhukov explained to me the situation Moscow is facing now. He said: "According to the latest report, the German army has moved from Poltava and Krasnograd to the offensive, putting heavy pressure on the intersection of our Voronezh and the Southwest Front."

Seeing the rapidly deteriorating situation of the enemy and ours, I waited for Zhukov to finish talking, and before he asked me a question, I couldn’t wait to say: "Comrade Marshal, I think we should transfer troops from the Supreme Command’s transport team and the friendly neighbor’s army as much as possible. Prevent the Germans from capturing Belgorod and launching an assault in the direction of Kursk."

"Lida, your opinion coincides with my considerations." Zhukov explained to me after complimenting me: "After I reported to the Supreme Commander himself, he had ordered the 1st Tank Army, 21st and 21st Tank Army. The 64th Army’s entry into Belgorod did indeed block the German troops trying to continue northward. What do you think we should do next?"

Zhukov’s question has a certain element of investigation, and it seems that he wants to pass this question. Come to understand my true strength. With my knowledge of him, I can naturally tell the answer that he is interested in. I stared at the pictures on the map representing both the enemy and ours and said: "Comrade Marshal, no matter how many troops we have assembled in this area, I suggest that you don’t turn to the counterattack yet. We can exhaust the enemy on the defensive position and destroy them. Tanks. Then they put in a new reserve team, transferred to the general offensive, and finally reached the goal of annihilating the main German forces."

Hearing my mention of destroying German tanks, Zhukov said thoughtfully: "Lida, the anti-tank trench you mentioned last time, I asked Comrade Ustinov to help us test it. The results are very good, especially It is relatively effective against the German Armored Assault Corps. I just gave orders to the Central Front, the Western Front, the Bryansk Front, and the Steppe Front to build fortifications in the existing areas, especially the construction of what you have explored. Of this new type of anti-tank trench."

I heard Zhukov said that he planned to implement the "Golan Trench" in all defensive areas. My heart feels a lot more at ease. If his orders can be carried out by the commanders below, the German army will suffer more painful losses in the battle of Kursk in the near future than in history.

I was about to ask him about the details of how he plans to support Kiev, but I heard him say leisurely: "Lida, there is one more time, I think I have to tell you. The former commander of the Voronezh Front, Golikov General, has been dismissed from his post today, and General Vatutin of the Southwest Front will take his place."

"The commander of the Southwest Front Army. Who will take over?"

Regarding my question, Zhukov responded readily: "The position left by General Vatutin will be taken over by the deputy commander General Rodion Yakovlevich Malinowski."

"What about General Golikov?" To this old superior. I am still very concerned about his whereabouts after his dismissal, and I am afraid that he would be shot like General Pavlov who lost his teacher and humiliated the country at the beginning of the war.

"He has been recalled to Moscow by Comrade Stalin." Zhukov saw his worries and specifically explained Golikov's future whereabouts: "It is said that he intends to appoint him as the deputy commissar of the National Defense People's Commissar, in charge of the work of cadres."

I heard that Golikov would not be shot, and he was fortunate enough to hold a position similar to that of the Deputy Minister of Defense. The huge boulder hanging in my heart has fallen to the ground.

At this time. I also heard Zhukov say: "After General Vatutin took office, he immediately worked with Comrade Khrushchev, a military commissar of the front army. He notified Stalin and made suggestions that he should concentrate his forces on deployment in Belgorod. It is true that the Germans carried out a preemptive assault."

This unexpected news. I was surprised to know that the German army had just defeated the two major fronts of our army. When the army was weak and morale was low, launching a new round of offensive against the German army was tantamount to hitting rocks with pebbles. Knowing that the final decision on such matters is in Stalin's hands, I quickly asked Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, what is the opinion of the Supreme Commander himself?"

"He is also wavering, unable to decide whether to use a solid defense to deal with the enemy or launch a preemptive assault to deal with the enemy's offensive." Zhukov glanced at Bezikov standing next to him, and said with some dissatisfaction: "Comrade Stalin said that our defense would not be able to withstand the German attack, as if our army was still the same as in 1941 or 1942."

Seeing Zhukov's helpless expression, I quickly stood up and said firmly to him: "Comrade Marshal, I beg you, I must talk to the Supreme Commander himself again to let him dispel the idea of ​​counterattack at this stage. Because our troops have just lost the battle, not only the organization of the troops is no longer complete, but the morale of the army is weakened, and it is not suitable for another offensive operation without any hope. We should let the Germans consume and make use of our in-depth echelon defenses. We must be exhausted, and then we will strike the enemy with a powerful counterattack in the direction of Belgorod-Kharkov and Orel."

"Yes, Lida, your idea is very good." Zhukov waited for me to finish and immediately praised me loudly, and added: "Me, Vasilievsky, Antonov and many members of the General Staff , Did not agree to carry out an offensive against the German army at this stage without any hope of success. Although I reported everyone’s opinions to Comrade Stalin, he was attracted by the attractive results of what Vatutin said, so It has been vacillating and unable to make a final decision."

"Couldn't Comrade Stalin be persuaded by you?" I asked Zhukov nervously. Because I clearly remember that before the outbreak of the Battle of Kursk, there were almost no offensive actions by the Soviets. If Stalin was really moved by Vatutin and Khrushchev and rashly ordered the troops to attack, he would be defeated.

Zhukov shook his head slowly and said: "After listening to my report, he did not immediately express his position, but said he would consider giving me an answer."

Seeing the enemy and me situation on the map, a thought suddenly popped into my mind, and I said, "Comrade Marshal, I have an idea, I don't know whether to say it or not."

"If you have any thoughts, just say it." Zhukov said helplessly: "I asked Bezikov to call you here, just to hear your opinion and see if it can help me."

"I think we should first support Kiev now and send the air force to airdrop supplies for them to ensure that they have enough strength to hold on to Kiev." I am afraid Zhukov disagrees with my opinion, and specifically stated: "As long as they hold Kiev , You can contain a large number of enemies around them, so that the number of German troops deployed in the direction of Kursk will be greatly reduced."

"Well, you have a good idea. I think I can give it a try. Later I will greet the commander of the 1st Army of the Air Force and ask him to send a transport plane to airdrop supplies, weapons and ammunition for the troops staying in Kiev."

Just when I was a little overwhelmed~www.wuxiaspot.com~ I heard Zhukov’s next sentence: "Lida, after repeated consideration, I plan to arrange for you to meet with Comrade Stalin, and you will explain to him the current situation. The situation on the battlefield should be more effective than we said."

"What, let me persuade Stalin?" Hearing Zhukov's words, I was immediately frightened and sat down in a chair. After a while, I tremblingly asked Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, I don't know if you said it wrong or I heard it wrong. Let me persuade the Supreme Commander himself, this is too outrageous."

"Yes, Lida, you heard me right. I just want you to persuade Comrade Stalin." Zhukov deliberately said in order to dispel my doubts: "In fact, Comrade Stalin still misses you for more than a year. Otherwise, Yushchenko’s special guard company would not be sent at the beginning, but to protect your safety. I will send you to see the Supreme Commander himself later, so you should think about what you should say after the meeting.” (To be completed. Continued)

ps: My heartfelt thanks to book friends, Big Bear 2012, kjs12, Knife but no money, Yueluosha, and children's shoes for their two votes; thanks to the book friends who are lonely, Wuming, I love off-road vehicles, June Feixue 1021, hypp1014, Nie Qin, Valuable vote voted by Sun Sleeping Animal and Xiaobing Doudou! Thanks to book friends Heba Zixin, hypp1014, l599xl, and crushed camel shoes for their rewards!