Steel Soviet Union

Yamada Otsuzo, who "leaved as ordered", left, leaving himself and the chief of staff's command sword and pistol at the scene of the surrender.

The Japs' broken guns are nothing to look at. The point is the knife.

Malashenko held the scabbard in one hand and the hilt in the other, and with all his strength, he pulled out the knife with a "clunk" sound, even under the indoor light late at night. Shining with an ominous cold light.

"There is only one in the entire Kwantung Army. It is the general's command sword. It is perfect to use it to bring the end of the leader's combat operations against Japan."

Last time, I handed over the personal saber given by the Emperor of Japan. It was the only good thing in the entire Kwantung Army. Malashenko personally gave it to Vatutin as a gift.

Now when Vatutin listened to Malashenko's "summary" and took over the sword from Malashenko, which was also the only general's command sword in the entire Kwantung Army, he weighed it and took out the sword and played with it. Tujin spoke quickly.

"I don't want this one anymore. It's more appropriate to send it to the memorial hall of your leader's army. That place has recently become a popular tourist attraction in Moscow, right?"

Before he finished speaking, Vatugin smiled while holding the command sword that had been sheathed. Malashenko, who saw this, also laughed.

As for what happens next, Malashenko is still a little curious.

"Comrade Marshal, will our army continue to be stationed in the Northeast for a while, or will our superiors have other arrangements for us?"

The original intention of coming on this trip was to talk to Malashenko about this matter, but Vatutin didn't think much about it and spoke immediately.

"It should continue to be stationed for a while, but for you and Lavrinenko, I think it is better for you two to prepare early."

Malashenko, who had a premonition that "the job is coming," immediately pricked up his ears. Vatutin, who had indeed received some inside information in advance, continued.

"The superiors have decided to reorganize the Ryazan Infantry School. A formal order is expected to be issued soon. The reorganized new school will be named Ryazan Higher All-Services Comprehensive Command School."

"The selection of the principal has been discussed many times. Although there has been controversy, Marshal Zhukov, Marshal Vasilevsky and I jointly recommended you to be the first principal after the reorganization. Regarding the integrated command of various arms In terms of combat, there is currently no one with more practical experience than you. Your pioneering exploration and leading role in this field are outstanding among the entire Red Army, and it is most suitable for you to take charge. "

"As for Lavrinenko, his superiors have other arrangements, and he should be taking a position similar to yours in another tank school. The reorganization of the new tank school is under discussion, but the general direction is the same as that of the Ryazan school. This is the basic situation of building a comprehensive command school for all arms with the tank corps as the core.”

Although he had long expected that his superiors would throw him into a military academy in order to quickly cultivate more senior commander talents for the Red Army who mastered the combined command skills of various arms.

But Malashenko still found it very difficult to directly abandon himself to become the principal, so he had to tell Vatutin with a wry smile.

"Comrade Marshal, I understand the purpose of this appointment and am willing to accept it."

"But I have never had the experience of leading a large military academy, not to mention that the cadets will definitely be star-studded. I am not sure whether I can complete this task well."

It’s not that Malashenko doubts that he’s incompetent, he just tells the truth and doesn’t know how to pretend to know how to catch a duck and force it to the end, but it will end up with bad results.

Vatutin, who understood why Malashenko said that, had another idea. After thinking for a moment, he quickly continued.

"You don't have to worry about this. The school management will be assisted by the vice-principal and will provide you with enough manpower to assist you."

"In addition, if you have any needs after you actually take office, you can report directly to your superiors, and we will try our best to meet all reasonable needs as soon as possible. The superiors also attach great importance to the reorganization of the Ryazan Higher Arms Combined Command School. This is the General Staff Headquarters It’s a comprehensive reorganization of the direct leadership, so you have to cheer up and go all out, understand?”

Vatu Kyoto has talked about this, and Malashenko continues to push back and talk nonsense, which is a bit ignorant.

The bounden duty of a soldier is to execute orders rather than question and obstruct them. Malashenko, who knew what he should do, was about to speak, but Vatutin, who had not yet finished speaking, continued to add.

"The reason why I told you this matter early is to ask you to leave early to prepare and use the last period of time before the official transfer order is issued to complete your important matters."

"A big deal? But isn't the battle already over? Comrade Marshal, I have completed all the tasks assigned to me by my superiors. This seems to be no big deal."

Looking at Malashenko's serious expression, Vatutin, with a smile on his face, reached out and patted Malashenko on the back of the head as a reminder.

"Have you forgotten the good girl who has been waiting for you to come home from the beginning of the Great Patriotic War to now?"

"Ah this"

For a moment, I really didn’t expect that the “big event” that Vatugin was referring to in his words would actually be this.

Once the war started, Malashenko, who focused entirely on the military, almost forgot about it. Now he realized it after Vatutin reminded him.

"You mean to ask me to get married before being transferred?"

"Otherwise? Do you think that after you are transferred to a new position and become the principal, you will still have time to take care of these family matters? In terms of time occupied, your new position is no easier than the military commander you currently hold."

""

Seeing that Malashenko didn't say anything, Vatutin's "matchmaking" continued.

"Okay, just treat this matter as a task and complete it. Make good use of the short vacation to complete life events with your fiancée as soon as possible. This is an order, and only you can carry it out. Can you complete the task? Malashin Comrade Ke.”

Feeling that he had no other choice of answer, Malashenko, who stood at attention and saluted, had no choice but to reply seriously.

"Yes, Comrade Marshal, Malashenko promises to complete the mission!"

"Very good, remember to send me an invitation then, don't let me come uninvited."

I originally thought that I would continue to stay in the Northeast for a while, but I didn't expect that the arrangements from my superiors would be so urgent.

After thinking about it, Malashenko could understand the meaning.

With the powerful combat effectiveness of the leading army that has been tested in actual combat, the Red Army's comprehensive integration and reorganization of all arms is not only imperative but also must be accelerated.

Under such circumstances, if one of the most experienced commanders of a combined arms group could be allowed to do nothing but stay in a foreign country for several months, walking around and enjoying the scenery, then the Red Army would have really made a big mistake. question.

But as soon as he and Lavrinenko left, another big thing would happen.

This is something Malashenko has long thought about and must say, and now it is the right time to say it.

"Comrade Marshal, regarding the candidate to succeed the commander of the leading army, I would like to formally recommend to you Major General Kulbalov."