According to Stalin's idea that Rokossovsky should be allowed to recuperate in Moscow for a while, at least until the end of the parade on November 7, and then let him return to the army, what happened now greatly exceeded the judgment of the Supreme High Command. As soon as the German attack on the Second Belorussian Front worked, then the right flank of Zhukov's troops would also be seriously threatened. Therefore, Rokossovsky's proposal was quickly approved, and an hour later, the passenger plane specially allocated for him took off from Moscow and flew straight for Polish territory.

General Trubnnikov, acting commander, immediately after receiving the news of a possible German offensive, convened a meeting of the commanders of the armies to prepare for the transfer of troops to the right flank, the consolidation of the junction with the Third Front.

After listening to Trubnikov's thoughts, Fedyuninsky first raised objections: "Comrade Deputy Commander, my troops have just entered the appointed place, and now they are going to suddenly move from the left flank to the right flank, I am afraid it will cause confusion. ”

"That's right," Fedyuninsky had just finished speaking, and several other army commanders chimed in: "Comrade Deputy Commander, some of our troops have arrived at their designated positions, and some are still on the march, and if you suddenly change your deployment, it is easy to cause unnecessary confusion in your troops. ”

Trubnnikov was a little worried about the opposition of many subordinates: if he did not send troops to the right flank in time, the weakly defended area might be attacked by the Germans, and once the Germans broke through there, it would have an adverse impact on the entire front; And if the troops are forcibly transferred to the past, the deployment of the left flank that is now being carried out will be completely disrupted.

Trubnikov, who was in a mess in his heart, wished that Rokossovsky could drip back early, so that his acting commander could step down. Not only did he think so, but the senior commanders who attended the meeting thought so in their hearts, but they all thought secretly in their hearts, and no one said it in public.

Just as the meeting reached an impasse, a lieutenant colonel walked in from outside the house, stood at the door and looked, and then walked towards Trubnikov without hesitation. He leaned into Trubnikov's ear and whispered something. When the commanders sitting on the side saw this scene, they couldn't help but be extremely curious: What was the lieutenant colonel saying to the deputy commander, which actually made the deputy commander who was still frowning just now have a smile on his face.

The answer was soon revealed. Trubnikov stood up, put his hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward slightly, and said with a smile: "Comrade commander, let me tell you a good news, the plane that Comrade Commander was on has just landed at the airport, and in ten minutes, he will be able to return here." ”

Hearing that Rokossovsky was coming back, the commanders present collectively breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the problem that was bothering everyone was about to be solved, and some even shouted "Ula!" It caused a burst of laughter from his colleagues around him.

When Rokossovsky stepped into the room, no one gave orders, but all the commanders stood up and applauded his arrival. Trubnikov also hurriedly gave up his position, and said with some excitement: "Comrade Marshal, on behalf of all the commanders and fighters of the Front, I welcome your return!" ”

After a brief greeting, Rokossovsky sat down in the main seat and asked Trubnikov, who was sitting next to him, with a sideways face: "Comrade Deputy Commander, how is the situation now?" ”

"Comrade Commander," Trubnnikov hurriedly pushed the map in front of Rokossovsky and briefed him on the situation: "According to our reconnaissance, the Germans have amassed a large number of troops in the area from Augustov to Romza, and we have only two infantry divisions and a tank brigade there, as well as a small number of artillery. If the Germans were to attack from this area, they would be able to easily break through our defenses and cut us off from the Third Front......"

After listening patiently, Rokossovsky asked rhetorically: "Comrade Deputy Commander, I would like to ask, what measures have you taken to cope with this situation?" ”

Hearing Rokossovsky's question, Trubnnikov hurriedly replied: "I intend to transfer General Fedyuninsky's 2nd Shock Army, Volsky's 5th Guards Tank Army to the region. At the same time, the 49th and 3rd armies also transferred some forces to strengthen the ...... of the area"

"In this way, Comrade Deputy Commander, my left flank forces will become empty." Hearing this, Rokossovsky raised his hand to interrupt Trubnikov's words behind him, and said unceremoniously: "After our main forces are concentrated on the right flank, the Germans will be able to attack from our left flank and easily break through the defenses of our army." ”

"Comrade Commander, I don't understand what you mean." Hearing Rokossovsky say this, Trubnnikov replied with some surprise: "According to our reconnaissance, the German troops on the left flank of our army did not increase their troops. On the contrary, on our right flank, the Germans added at least two armored divisions and one motorized division to the original strength. ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, look at the terrain of our right flank." Seeing that Trubnikov did not understand his intentions, Rokossovsky explained to him: "Our right flank, from Augustov to Romza, is a forest and lake area, which is not at all conducive to the deployment of large forces, and the Germans do not know about this situation?" They are massing a large number of troops in this direction in order to draw the attention of our troops from the left flank to the right flank. As soon as our left flank is empty, they will be able to strike from the existing defensive positions, break through our defensive positions in one fell swoop, and cut our defenses apart! ”

Rokossovsky's analysis gave everyone a sense of empowerment. Everyone thought to themselves: we only noticed that the Germans had massed a large number of troops on the right flank, but we ignored the fact that the enemy's forces were massed were all armored forces that were not conducive to the deployment of this area. Once the main forces of our army are concentrated on the right flank, the enemy's extremely mobile troops can take advantage of the convenient communication network of their defensive areas to quickly move to the left flank of our army and strike us a thunderous blow. Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but be shocked into a cold sweat.

Trubnnikov raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and asked Rokossovsky with some nervousness: "Comrade commander, then what should we do now?" ”

"Has the movement of our troops already begun to the Augustov region?"

"Nope." Trubnikov shook his head and replied: "We are in a meeting to study and have not yet formed a final resolution." ”

"That's good," Rokossovsky nodded after hearing this, and ordered: "Immediately, according to what you just said, the 2nd Shock Army and the 5th Guards Tank Army will be transferred to the Augustov area, and our movement should be made with great fanfare, so that the German troops on the opposite side can finally detect it." ”