For Rokossovsky, Zakharov was a very capable deputy, and after completing the transfer of command of the front, he personally accompanied him, inspected the defense areas and troops, and met with the divisional leaders of the various army groups.

Just when Rokossovsky thought that he and Zakharov could continue to work together like this, he suddenly received a call from Moscow. The call came from Antonov, Chief of the General Staff, who said: "Comrade Rokossovsky, I am entrusted by the Supreme High Command to announce a new appointment to you. ”

Hearing Antonov say this, Rokossovsky's heart couldn't help but chuckle, and secretly said: What appointment, is it ready to remove the commander of our front army from the post again and demote the troops below to command an army group? With mixed feelings, he tried to ask in the same tone as usual: "Comrade Chief of the General Staff, what is the new appointment?" ”

Antonov heard the nervousness in Rokossovsky's heart and hurriedly said: "It's about Comrade Zakharov's latest appointment and dismissal. After the study of the Supreme Command, it was decided to send him to the 1st Belorussian Front as deputy commander of the Front, as Marshal Zhukov's deputy. ”

Rokossovsky's heart was secretly relieved to learn that it was not his own demotion order, and he then asked: "Comrade Chief of the General Staff, I would like to ask, Zakharov went to the 1st Front as deputy commander, then who will be my deputy?" ”

"This is the second appointment I am announcing to you." Antonov replied unhurriedly: "The Supreme Commander-in-Chief himself considers Colonel-General Kuzma Petrovich Trubnnikov to be a suitable candidate, and from now on he will succeed General Zakharov as your deputy." ”

Rokossovsky thought to himself: Although the Supreme Command was not able to communicate with him in advance of these two appointments, but as early as when he was still the commander of the Stalingrad Front, Trubnikov had served as his deputy for a period of time, and according to his own observations, he was a commander with rich combat experience, and he was also impeccable in terms of character.

Hearing Rokossovsky's silence, Antonov continued: "Trubnnikov will rush to the headquarters of the Second Front this afternoon to take over from Comrade Zakharov. After the completion of the handover, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief himself hopes that you will arrive in Moscow as soon as possible, and he will personally assign to you the next combat mission of the Second Front. ”

"What, rush to Moscow as soon as possible?" Antonov's words surprised Rokossovsky to arrive, "I just returned to the front from Moscow two days ago, I am getting acquainted with the situation of the troops, and I may not be able to move away for the time being. ”

Unexpectedly, Antonov said reasonably: "Comrade Marshal, you can return to Moscow with Marshal Zhukov in three days." Therefore, the combat tasks to be assigned by the Supreme Commander himself are related to the coordinated operation of your two front armies. ”

Rokossovsky calculated in his heart that if Trubnnikov could arrive at the headquarters today and complete the work with Zakharov, he would have two days to get acquainted with the members of the command and understand the situation of the various units, so that he would be able to go to Moscow with confidence and boldness. Thinking of this, he said into the microphone: "Well, Comrade Chief of the General Staff, I will fly to Moscow in the early morning three days later. ”

Putting down the phone, Rokossovsky sent someone to find Zakharov and said to him apologetically: "Comrade Zakharov, I would like to talk to you about your next work arrangement. ”

Zakharov, who had just returned from outside, heard Rokossovsky say this, and a sense of foreboding immediately swelled in his heart. He asked a little nervously: "Comrade Marshal, is there something wrong with me that makes you unwilling to let me continue to serve as your deputy?" ”

"You misunderstood, Comrade Zakharov." Rokossovsky waved his hand at him and said: "In my heart, as a deputy, you are very competent, and if possible, I hope to partner with you until the day when the fascist invaders are defeated." However, Comrade Antonov, Chief of the General Staff, has just called and said that the base camp has officially appointed you as deputy commander of the First Front Army to serve as Marshal Zhukov's deputy. ”

"To serve as deputy commander of the First Front?" Zakharov was surprised by the appointment of his superiors, and he asked puzzledly: "If I want to be a deputy, I can stay in the current unit, after all, I know more about the situation here." ”

Rokossovsky stood up, put his hands on the shoulders of the other party, and said with regret: "Comrade Zakharov, although I also want you to stay, but this is an order from the base camp, and we can only obey it unconditionally. Do you understand? ”

"Understood." Hearing Rokossovsky say this, Zakharov knew that there was no room for recovery, so he asked tentatively: "Comrade Marshal, can I ask, who is the base camp ready to let take my place?" ”

"Admiral Trubnikov." Rokossovsky, fearing that Zakharov would not be able to remember who the other party was, reminded him: "When I was the commander of the Stalingrad Front, he was my deputy. Seeing that Zakharov's mood was stable, he promptly changed the subject, "How is the new command preparing?" ”

The headquarters of the Second Front, located in a small village in an open field, was bombed several times by German aircraft. When Rokossovsky arrived, he proposed to Zakharov that the enemy should have noticed that there was an important command stationed here, so he would constantly send planes to bomb it. If we continue to stay here, once we reach the stage of preparation for the battle, there will be a large increase in the number of people and vehicles entering and leaving this area, and then we will be bombed by the enemy on a larger scale, so the headquarters will have to be transferred.

After consulting with Rokossovsky, Zakharov decided that the best place to set up a command should be in the forested area of the Dlugoschedro region. After determining the location of the new command, Zakharov took the initiative to ask Ying to build a new command.

Hearing Rokossovsky's question at this moment, he hurriedly replied: "We have erected four strong wooden houses in the forest and laid telephone lines, which will be ready for use by tomorrow at the latest." As for the security of the headquarters, I also made careful arrangements, in addition to the placement of powerful anti-aircraft positions, and on every road leading to the headquarters, checkpoints and machine-gun fire points were established. ”

"You are very well thought out, Comrade Zakharov." Rokossovsky gave great recognition to Zakharov's work: "I believe that such a command is the most applicable for us. We were informed by our superiors that Trubnnikov would return in the afternoon to take up his post. I don't think it's too late for you to hand over the work after the headquarters has moved to a new location. ”