When Rokossovsky was talking to Stalin, Malinin and Orel stopped what they were doing and stared nervously at the commander who was on the phone. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info Stalin transferred the tank corps from the formation of the front troops twice in a row, so that everyone felt palpitations as soon as they heard Stalin's call.

Seeing Rokossovsky put down the phone, Orel hurriedly stepped forward and asked with concern: "Comrade commander, what does the Supreme Commander himself say, is it intended to transfer our newly formed 16th Tank Army to the Volga River?" ”

"No, Comrade Stalin did not mention this." Rokossovsky looked at the chief of his armored corps, shook his head and said: "Although I am ready to hand over the 16th Tank Army, which has not yet formed combat effectiveness, to the base camp for command, this time Comrade Stalin did not make such a request to us. ”

Hearing that Stalin had called, not to transfer the tank army, everyone sighed in unison. Malinin then asked: "I wonder what new instructions the Supreme Commander himself has?" ”

Rokossovsky said with a solemn expression: "At the moment the situation in the Stalingrad direction is serious, and Comrade Stalin is ready to divide the existing Stalingrad line of defense into the Stalingrad line and the Don line. He had just informed me on the phone that he was going to put me in charge of the Don Line. ”

"The Don Line?" After repeating this new term, Malinin asked tentatively: "I wonder what kind of troops are in that direction?" ”

"Troops, it's not clear." Rokossovsky said in an uncertain tone: "But the Supreme Commander himself said that he was preparing to form a new Don Front. ”

"After you left, you don't know who will command the Front troops?" Malinen then asked.

Rokossovsky shook his head again and said: "I don't know who the higher authorities will send to take over my command. However, the Supreme Commander himself asked me to take charge of the affairs of the Don front, and I have not yet agreed. ”

"Why don't you agree, Comrade Commander?" Malinin, as a friend, kindly persuaded Rokossovsky: "Now the fortified territory of our front is calm, the enemy does not have the spare forces to attack us, and our strength is not enough to drive the enemy out of this area. Instead of doing nothing every day, you should try it at the Don Line, and you might be able to build a greater feat. ”

Rokossovsky knew very well in his heart that if he wanted to continue to rise to the top and become a generation of famous generals in the Soviet army, he could only go to places where there was war. The familiar Western Front is now commanded by Konev, and he will definitely not be able to go, and if he wants to make a contribution, he can only go to Stalingrad.

Thinking of this, he nodded, made a look of having just figured it out, and said to Ma Lining: "Chief of Staff, you are right, in the current situation, if we want to establish meritorious service, we must go to the place where the war is most intense. I will call Comrade Stalin later and give him an affirmative reply. ”

Having received an affirmative answer from Rokossovsky, Stalin sent a plane to pick him up from the Bryansk Front early the next morning. After a flight of more than an hour, the plane landed at a military airfield east of Moscow.

Immediately after seeing the plane landing, a car parked next to the airport runway drove into the runway and stopped next to the plane where the propellers were still spinning. A major came out of the co-pilot seat of the sedan and patiently waited for the pilot to open the hatch.

After the hatch opened, Rokossovsky walked down the gangway set up by the pilot, and when he was looking around, the major had already run in front of him, raised his hand and saluted, and said: "Is it General Rokossovsky, please?" ”

"That's right, it's me." Rokossovsky glanced at the style of the other party's uniform, as well as the rank insignia, and then asked tentatively: "Are you from the Central Guard Regiment?" ”

"Yes, Comrade General," replied the major respectfully, "I have been ordered to pick you up." ”

After getting into the car, Rokossovsky asked: "Are we going to the Kremlin?" ”

"Yes, General Zhukov is already waiting for you in the Kremlin, and I was ordered to send you to meet him." After the major finished speaking, he turned around and ordered the driver: "Drive!" ”

After arriving in the Kremlin, the major took Rokossovsky to the temporary office of the General Staff Headquarters. When Rokossovsky walked into the room, he saw Zhukov sitting behind his desk reading documents, and hurriedly quickened his pace and greeted him loudly: "Hello, Georgy Konstantinovich, it's a pleasure to meet you here!" ”

Zhukov stood up, shook hands with Rokossovsky across the table, and asked politely: "When did you arrive in Moscow?" ”

"As soon as I got off the plane, I rushed here." Rokossovsky asked rhetorically: "I wonder what the situation is in the Stalingrad direction today?" ”

"The situation has deteriorated again," Zhukov said with a straight face, "our troops have withdrawn to the perimeter of the city, the outer defensive zone has been completely lost, and the Germans have broken through the city defenses of Stalingrad and advanced from the south to the Volga, separating the 62nd Army defending the city from the rest of the troops on the battlefield.

In order to improve the situation in the Stalingrad direction, we decided to combine the three arms of the combined army and several tank armies to form a new Don Front, which would be deployed on the flanks of the enemy, which had broken through the strip between the Volga and Don rivers, in order to carry out a counter-assault from the city of Serafimovich to the south and southeast. And you will be the commander of the front, responsible for the operations of the Don front. ”

After Rokossovsky waited for Zhukov to finish speaking, he calmly asked: "Can I ask the numbers of the three armies?" Although he rarely received a report on the Battle of Stalingrad, he vaguely guessed that the three armies might have some connection with Zhukov.

"The three armies you have to command, the 24th and 66th armies and the 1st Guards Army that I commanded some time ago, they all suffered a lot of losses in the early battles." Zhukov said with a serious expression: "The current situation in Stalingrad is very serious, and it may not be too late to compensate you, so you need to command the troops to carry out a surprise attack to the north of Stalingrad and restore contact with the 62nd Army." ”

Now that the troops had been arranged, Rokossovsky was eager to find out what deputies his superiors had assigned to him, so he then asked: "I wonder who the other leaders of the front are?" ”

"We intend to transfer Major General Malinin to the new unit and continue to serve in the post of Chief of Staff of your Front. Comrade Zheltov, political commissar of the military rank, will serve as the military commissar of your front. Zhukov said with a gulp: "And the commanders of the following army groups will be held by Generals Kozlov and Golubov......"

"Wait a minute, please wait a minute, Comrade General." When Rokossovsky heard Kozlov's name, he quickly interrupted Zhukov's words and cautiously asked: "Is the Kozlov you are talking about the commander of the former Crimean Front?" ”

"That's right, it's him." Zhukov nodded and asked, "Do you have any questions?" ”

"Comrade Zhukov," Rokossovsky said with a serious expression, "General Kozlov was the commander of the Transcaucasian Front at the beginning of the war, and I was only a commander of the mechanized corps at that time. I don't think it's appropriate to let a veteran general serve as commander of an army group under me. ”

Zhukov was silent for a moment in response to Rokossovsky's objections, and then asked rhetorically: "Since you think that General Kozlov is not suitable for the post of commander of the army group, do you have a suitable candidate?" ”

"The deputy commander of my front, General Batov, can take up this position." Rokossovsky replied briefly.

"Well, then let Batov come as the commander of the army group. As for Kozlov," Zhukov thought for a moment, and then said: "It just so happens that the Voronezh Front needs a deputy commander, and I will recommend him for this position." ”

Just as the two were studying the issue of the allocation of cadres in the new unit, the telephone on the table suddenly rang, Zhukov picked it up and listened to it for a moment, then immediately stood up and said politely: "Hello, Comrade Stalin. ”

Seeing Zhukov stand up, Rokossovsky couldn't stand still, and he also stood up. I only heard Stalin ask on the phone; "Comrade Zhukov, is Rokossovsky with you?"

Zhukov glanced at Rokossovsky, who was standing opposite him, and quickly replied: "Yes, Comrade Stalin, he is here." Do you want to talk to him? ”

"I have important matters to discuss with you." Stalin said in a calm tone: "You two come to me at once. ”

"Yes, Comrade Stalin."

After Zhukov put down the phone, he grinned at Rokossovsky and said: "Did you hear everything?" The old man asked the two of us to go to him, there might be something important. ”

"Old man?" When hearing Zhukov's new name for Stalin, Rokossovsky couldn't help but feel a sigh for a moment, because when Zhukov used to mention Stalin, he always called Stalin by his name or the Supreme Commander himself, and this was the first time he had heard the title of "old man".

Zhukov saw Rokossovsky's strange appearance, and while urging him to go to Stalin's office with him, he explained to him: "The Kremlin Guard, Pos Krebeshev and others all call Comrade Stalin in private, and since I am working here now, I naturally learn to call them this in private." The old man is still waiting for us, let's go, don't let him wait. ”

"Do you think Stalin... No... Old man, is there anything important about recruiting us so urgently? When Rokossovsky heard Zhukov say this, he immediately followed the good and privately called Stalin an old man.

Zhukov shook his head and said, "I can't guess this, but when I get to his office, everything will be clear." ”