Red Moscow

Konev was silent, he was thinking quietly, should he follow Sokov's suggestion and report his opinion to his superiors?

But after thinking about it for a while, Konev still decided not to report. You know, not long ago, he was reprimanded by the Supreme Command for refusing to launch an attack on the German Army Group Center when the time was not ripe. The extremely important position of the commander of the Western Front was withdrawn, and he took up the post of commander of the Grassland Front with the nature of a reserve force.

He thought very clearly that unless the Supreme Command agreed to Sokov's proposal to stop the construction of fortifications in unimportant areas, it would cause him some unnecessary troubles. He said slowly, "Major General Sokov, I'm sorry, but I can't report your proposal to the Supreme Command."

Hearing this, Sokov's heart sank. He thought to himself: It's over. If Konev forces him to resume the construction of the fortifications, will he obey the order or not? Obey the order, and your prestige within the group army will be seriously affected; if you blindly disobey orders, then what awaits you may be dismissal or sent to a military court.

Just when Sokov was having a headache, he suddenly heard Konev say: "Major General Sokov, I want to inform you about something. This afternoon, Marshal Zhukov, as a representative of the base camp, is going to inspect our defense zone. If you have any ideas, you can tell him that if he agrees with you to stop the construction of the fortifications, then I can not pursue your disobedience."

Knowing that Zhukov was coming to inspect, Sokov couldn't help being overjoyed. He knew very well that Konev's situation was very embarrassing. Even if he agreed with his actions, he would reprimand him on the surface. But if Zhukov can come forward and announce the cessation of fortification construction in certain areas, he can justifiably order the troops to concentrate on training.

After a brief silence, Sokov asked impatiently: "Front Command, when will Marshal Zhukov arrive at our defense zone?"

"It's hard to say," Konev said hesitantly, "You know, he's always elusive, and every time he travels, he doesn't like to bring a large group of followers. Maybe he only takes a driver and a The guard is running all over the world, so no one knows when he will appear in his defense zone."

Sokov agrees with Konev's statement very much. He clearly remembers that during the Moscow Defense War, Zhukov liked to travel lightly and simply, and often had only one driver by his side. Fortunately, he was lucky and did not encounter Germans along the way, otherwise he would definitely end up with the same tragic fate as Vatutin.

Since Konev could not know the exact time of Zhukov's arrival, Sokov could only figure out his own way. After he put down the phone, he told Sameko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the commander of the Front Army told me that Marshal Zhukov will soon come to our defense zone to inspect. You should immediately notify the divisions and closely monitor the road. Once you find black If your car appears, report to the Army Group Command immediately."

"What, Marshal Zhukov is coming to our defense zone?" Sameko became excited when he learned that Zhukov was going to his defense zone: "Is this true? Comrade Commander, is this true? ?”

"Of course it is true." Sokov said with some embarrassment: "But even the commander of the front army does not know when Marshal Zhukov will arrive at our place. Therefore, we can only order the divisions to closely monitor the troops in their own defense zone." On the highway, see if there is a black car."

"Black car?" Sameko said with some surprise: "Comrade Commander, why do you think that Marshal Zhukov will travel in a black car?"

What Sameko said stopped Sokov. The reason why he mentioned the black car was entirely because in the movie "Battle of Moscow", the senior officers who appeared on the battlefield, whether it was Zhukov or Rocco Sovsky, their car is a black car. He hesitated for a while, and then asked, "Will you take other vehicles?"

"The ground of the black car is too low, and when driving on a muddy road in the countryside, it is easy to get stuck in the mud." Sameko explained to Sokov: "So from April 1942, commanders at all levels went out to inspect At that time, all the jeeps we took were aided by the United States.”

Sameko's explanation made Sokov realize that his information was outdated. It is no longer fashionable for senior officers to travel in black cars. The off-road type of the black car is poor. When driving on the muddy roads in the suburbs, it is easy to get stuck in the mud pit and cannot get out, and it is easy to become the target of the enemy's attack.

So he changed the order in time: "Chief of Staff, then order the divisions to pay attention to observe whether there are jeeps that do not belong to our army to defend the area."

"Understood." Sameko replied bluntly, "I immediately called the divisions and asked them to pay attention to the strange jeeps entering our army's defense zone."

Two hours later, a convoy of five jeeps drove towards Sokov's headquarters. The sentinel standing guard at the headquarters saw Captain Sergesha, the commander of the guard company, standing on the pedal outside the car, and immediately realized that the identity of the visitor was not simple. When he was about to enter the headquarters to report, he saw Sokov, Sameko, and a group of staff officers from the headquarters walking out of the house.

As soon as everyone lined up at the command gate, the convoy stopped in front of them. After an officer came out of the co-pilot's seat, he hurried to the back seat and opened the car door with his hand.

Soon, Sokov saw Zhukov, who was not tall, get out of the car. After Zhukov got out of the car, he closed the door forcefully and walked towards Sokov with heavy steps.

When Sokov heard the loud sound of the car door closing, he couldn't help feeling hairy. The reason why Zhukov closed the car door so loudly was to vent his anger. He trotted forward quickly, came to Zhukov, stood at attention and saluted: "Comrade Marshal, Major General Sokov, commander of the 27th Army, reports to you. On behalf of the commanders and fighters of the entire Army, I welcome you!"

Zhukov glanced at Sokov, but did not speak, but walked into the room with his hands behind his back. Seeing Zhukov's reaction was so abnormal, Sokov didn't dare to neglect, and walked in with a group of subordinates.

Zhukov walked into the headquarters, came to the wall and stared at the map hanging on it for a while, then turned and asked Sokov, "Major General Sokov, do you know where your army is defending?"

"Report to Comrade Marshal." Sokov quickly replied: "Our army is defending the Koski area east of Moscow."

Zhukov walked up to Sokov with his hands behind his back, and asked sharply: "Defense, what do you use for defense? On the way I just came, I looked around. Other armies are still building fortifications in full swing, but your troops , but what kind of training is there. Don’t you know that once the German army rushes to your position, if there is no solid and perfect defense system, HI can’t stop the enemy at all?”

"Comrade Marshal, I am very clear that the tanks and self-propelled artillery that the enemy is facing have the advantage. If there is no perfect defense system, it will be difficult to resist them."

"Now that you understand this." Zhukov continued to ask: "Then why did you order your troops to stop the construction of fortifications? Major General Sokov, don't you know that your behavior can be said to be a crime."

Facing Zhukov's accusation, Sokov calmly replied: "Comrade Marshal, can I explain my reasons?"

"Say it."

"Comrade Marshal, please look at the map." Sokov walked to the wall, pointed to the map and said to Zhukov: "The location of our army is located in the rear of our army. No matter which direction the enemy attacks from, they will need heavy damage Only one or two front armies of our army have the opportunity to rush to the defense zone of our army.

Based on the situation on the battlefield, I judge that although the German army wants to attack, with their current strength, it is impossible to break through our defense. "Sokov knew that if Zhukov could not be persuaded, then his troops would have to pick up picks and engineering shovels again, and continue to bury their heads in building meaningless fortifications: "If the enemy really has the strength to destroy one or two fronts of our army, , Then when they rush here, can we stop their attack with our hastily built fortifications? "

After listening to Sokov's self-defense, Zhukov was silent again.

"Major General Sokov." After a long time, Zhukov broke the silence in the room again: "You said that you stopped the construction of the fortifications because you considered that there is no possibility for the enemy to rush here?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov nodded his head and replied affirmatively: "I believe in my own judgment, the enemy cannot appear in our army's defense zone at all, unless they are captured."

If someone else said this, Zhukov would definitely think that the other party was exaggerating, but who is Sokov, he just commanded several infantry divisions, defeated three SS divisions of the German army, and even wiped out the imperial division among them commander. Zhukov asked tentatively: "How sure are you that the enemy cannot reach here?"

Although for Sokov, it was a certainty that the enemy would not rush to the Koski area, but in front of Zhukov, he still showed enough humility: "I think there is about 80% certainty."

"Eighth level of certainty?" Hearing what Sokov said, Zhukov nodded, and said with relief: "Based on what I know about you, if you say you are 80% sure, then it is still a matter of certainty."

Zhukov walked to the table and sat down, patting the table twice with his hands: "I have been here for so long, why is no one pouring tea for me? Is this how you treat guests?"

When Zhukov scolded Sokov, Sameko, who was standing next to him, kept sweating, worried that if Sokov angered the marshal, he might be dismissed on the spot. Just as he was thinking about how to come out to smooth things over, the painting style in the room had changed. Marshal Zhukov, who had been reprimanding Sokov not long ago, actually asked someone to make tea for him.

Sameko didn't dare to be negligent, so he quickly turned on the tap of the samovar, put out a cup of hot tea, put it in front of Zhukov, and pushed the small plate of sugar cubes in front of Zhukov, saying respectfully: "Marshal Comrade, here is the black tea and cube sugar you asked for."

Zhukov picked up two cubes of sugar and threw them into the mug, and while stirring slowly with a spoon, he asked Sokov: "Misha, you ordered the troops to stop all construction, do you want them to concentrate on training? "

"That's right, Comrade Marshal, that's exactly what happened." Seeing that Zhukov had guessed his intentions, Sokov quickly replied, "Most of the soldiers in our army group are militiamen or recruits who have not undergone systematic military training. Worrying. Even if it is used on the battlefield, I am afraid it will be difficult to use it. When I took office, after repeated thinking, I felt that I could stop the construction of fortifications that waste people, money, and time, and concentrate on military training. I believe that there are at most three Months, the combat effectiveness of the troops can be greatly improved."

"Three months?" Hearing what Sokov said, Zhukov asked with interest: "Misha, do you think the Germans will attack us again after three months?"

"That's right, Comrade Marshal." On this matter, Sokov did not hide his point of view. He knew the exact time of the Battle of Kursk, which was less than three months away. The 27th Army entered the battlefield late, and there are still three months of training time: "It is the spring thaw season, and the roads are muddy, which is not conducive to the movement of mechanized troops. Every June and July, it is The most favorable season for combat, I think the Germans will definitely let our army occupy the area to launch an attack at this stage."

"Misha, what you said is very reasonable." Zhukov agreed with Sokov's speculation: "The German army launched an attack on our country in late June. In summer, the sunshine time is long and the combat time is long." It can be extended. It seems that our current task is to prepare to prevent the German army from launching a summer offensive."

"Time is running out, and preparations are about to start now."

"It's hard, Misha." Unexpectedly, Zhukov sighed unexpectedly when he heard Sokov say this, and said, "Many fronts are busy repairing fortifications, and there is no time to train new recruits to supplement troops. When fighting, these recruits who have just been added to the army will not be able to play any role at all."

Sokov didn't dare to speak casually on this matter. After hearing what Zhukov had said, he just laughed twice and didn't express any opinions.

Zhukov gave Sokov a strange look, and then said: "I was on the way here, and I heard from one of your division commanders that they are training. Anyway, it's okay now, why don't you take me to see, your troops how it was trained."