Red Moscow

After setting up General Popov, Zhukov said to Sokov: "Misha, you have rescued Popov's remnant troops, and you may face crazy revenge from the German army. You need to be prepared in advance."

"Comrade general, we are ready to meet the enemy." Sokov replied, "The enemy will have to pay huge casualties before they have a chance to break into the city."

Zhukov was still skeptical about Sokov's statement. He asked tentatively, "If the enemy adopts a frontal feint attack and double-sided tactics, how are you going to deal with it?"

"There is the 379th Infantry Division of the 21st Army on the south side of the city. They now control the town of Bilie and can severely strike the enemy's flank attacking the south of the city." Sokov said with confidence: "In the north of the city, there are friendly troops. A garrison of ours, to whom we can call for help when we are attacked, and let them strike from the enemy's flank."

"If you go to ask them for help, the commander of the Guards tells you that they have not received any orders from their superiors and cannot provide assistance to you, what will you do?"

To avoid such a picky question from Zhukov, Sokov replied after thinking for a while: "Comrade general, if the troops in the north of the city cannot be supported by friendly troops, I will mobilize Colonel Gorishny's 75th Guards Division to strengthen Defense in the north direction of the city." Speaking of this, Sokov paused for a moment, and then said with a smile, "But as long as you are sitting here, when the nearby friendly forces find that Luhansk is attacked by the enemy, even if there is no order from their superiors, they will We will also take positive actions and come to support us."

Zhukov couldn't help laughing at Sokov's statement. He felt that what the other party said was right. As long as he was still in Lugansk for a day, when the city was attacked by the enemy, the nearby troops would not dare to stand by.

"Also, Comrade General, if the city is attacked by the enemy, it may only last for about ten days only by relying on the material reserves in the city." Considering that once the city's offensive and defensive battle begins, the consumption of various ammunition may be a huge problem. The astronomical figures, relying on the little reserves in Lugansk, will not last long at all. Therefore, Sokov took the opportunity to ask Zhukov: "I wonder if you can contact your superiors and ask them to allocate supplies to us as soon as possible?"

"Misha, you are treating me as your logistics minister. If you want anything, just give the order." Zhukov shook his head and said jokingly: "But you are the supreme commander of this city, since you have already ordered I have issued an order, and I will resolutely carry it out. I will contact Moscow as soon as possible, and let them transport the supplies you need by railway.”

After dark, Colonel Bely called Sokov and reported to him: "Misha, a very strange thing happened. The German troops who were still fighting with us during the day are retreating."

"What, the Germans are retreating?" Sukov was very surprised when he heard Bely said that, and he asked quickly, "Comrade Colonel, are you sure?"

"It's completely confirmed." Bely continued, "I was worried that it was the enemy's conspiracy, so I sent someone to conduct a reconnaissance and found that the enemy is really retreating. Not only the armored troops are retreating, but even the infantry is also withdrawing."

"Damn it, what the hell is going on?" Sokov was a little confused, logically saying that his troops had just broken through the encirclement of the German army and rescued Popov's troops. The Germans had suffered such a big loss, how could they be willing to let it go, they would definitely take crazy revenge actions, but the other party chose to retreat, which is too illogical. "I see, keep an eye on the enemy, and report to me immediately if there is any latest movement."

After putting down the phone, he said to Witkov: "Chief of Staff, call the commanders of the divisions and ask them to contact the small units operating behind the enemy's rear immediately to learn about the enemy's movements."

After doing all this, Sokov came to Zhukov's residence and reported the abnormal situation to him.

After walking around the room with his hands behind his back, Zhukov stopped and asked, "Tell me, how do you analyze this matter?"

"Comrade General, although our comrades have seen the enemy retreat." Sokov said in an uncertain tone: "But whether the enemy is really retreating or a conspiracy is still difficult to judge."

Zhukov sat down at the table, looked up at Sokov and asked, "Misha, tell me again, why did the enemy retreat at this time?"

"I think the German battle plan should be to defeat General Vatutin's Southwest Front Army first, then turn around and attack General Golikov's Voronezh Front Army, and retake Kharkov, Belgorod and other places. "Sokov replied: "Once they achieve this goal of the campaign, then they will be able to grasp the initiative on the battlefield and continue to threaten Moscow's security from the south."

"Then what is the reason for the enemy's false retreat?" Zhukov did not express his position on what Sokov said, but continued to ask.

"The enemy's retreat may be a conspiracy. In fact, they didn't go far. Instead, they took advantage of the terrain to hide, and were going to catch us off guard when our army relaxed its vigilance."

"Misha, your analysis is very reasonable." Zhukov nodded slightly and said, "But as the supreme commander in the city, you have to find a correct answer from your own judgment before you can formulate the correct answer. Come up with the right battle plan. See what I mean?"

"Understood, Comrade General."

Sokov doesn't have much information so far, so he can't judge the German army's intentions for the time being. Once back at his headquarters, he asked Vitkov: "Chief of Staff, is there any news from those detachments behind the enemy lines?"

"The enemy's rear squad of the 75th Guards Division reported that they saw an armored column moving northwest along the road. The entire length of the column is about ten kilometers, and it should be that the enemy is retreating."

"What about the serial number?" Sokov asked, "Have you figured out the enemy's serial number?"

"They captured a prisoner, and after interrogation, it was confirmed that the other party was the Seventh Armored Division of the German Army."

"Then where did they find the enemy's armored division?"

"Here." Witkov pointed to a location on the map, and said in a positive tone: "About 70 kilometers from the city."

Knowing that the enemy's armored division had withdrawn, Sokov realized that the defense of Lugansk would be impossible. Without the support of the armored division, the German army would not be able to capture Lugansk even if it dispatched two infantry divisions. . He squeezed his chin with his hand and said thoughtfully: "So the Germans really started to retreat."

"It should be like this."

"Although the chances of the enemy actually retreating are very high, we should not take it lightly." Sokov told Witkov, "It is still necessary to raise the vigilance of the troops to prevent the enemy from returning to the carbine."

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Witkov replied: "Our soldiers have long been guarding against the Germans. As long as the Germans have any troubles, they will be able to detect them in time."

Early the next morning, Sokov received another call from Bely.

Bely said excitedly on the phone: "Misha, it is now completely certain that the Germans have retreated, and they have indeed retreated."

"is this real?"

"Of course it is true." Bely went on to say: "The scouts I sent carefully searched the area within a radius of 20 to 30 kilometers, and none of the Germans were found. This proves that the enemy is really retreating." gone."

After finishing the conversation with Bely, Sokov called Sivakov, commander of the 71st Guards Division, and asked, "Comrade Colonel, how is the situation there?"

"Everything is normal, Comrade Commander," Sivakov replied on the phone: "Everywhere is quiet, not a single enemy has been noticed."