After Borkin left, Rokossovsky returned to the command headquarters and continued to deal with the return of troops. After all www.biquge.info after the troops below received two completely different orders, due to poor communication, there would be some confusion. And what needs to be done now is to eliminate this chaos as soon as possible and restore calm to the entire defense line.

Many troops, when they received the first order to retreat, were unable to withdraw from their positions in a hurry because they were fighting with the Germans. Just as the commanders were having a headache about how to get rid of the enemy and retreat to the area of the Istrian reservoir, they received a second order from Rokossovsky, announcing that the original order to retreat was canceled and that the troops would continue to hold the existing defensive line.

But there were also a small number of troops, such as Lieutenant Colonel Mlakintsev's mixed cadet regiment, which, after being ordered to withdraw from their positions, received an order from the messenger on the way to the Istrian reservoir and returned to their original positions, just in time to meet Borkin, who had just broken through the siege. However, by the time they were leaving, the German scouts had discovered that this section of the line was empty, so the Germans concentrated their superior forces and pounced on it with great vigour, in an attempt to rush into the depth of the 16th Army's defenses.

Rokossovsky was busy until dawn, and had just fallen asleep on the table for a while, but was woken up by Malinin. He raised his head and asked in a daze, "Chief of Staff, what's wrong?" ”

"Comrade Commander," Ma Linin said with an unusually nervous expression, "electric... Phone, you... Your electricity... Telephone..."

Rokossovsky glared at Malinin dissatisfied, sat up straight and looked left and right, and saw no trace of Lobachev, so he interrupted Malinin and asked casually: "Where has Comrade Military Commissar gone?" ”

Instead of answering Rokossovsky's question, Malinin grabbed his arm, shook it vigorously, and said excitedly: "Division... The commander with... Comrade, you... Your electricity... Telephone..."

Malinin's move made Rokossovsky frown, and he said dissatisfiedly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, don't forget that you are a senior commander of the army group, and you must remain calm at all times, understand?" After teaching Ma Lining a lesson, he asked unhurriedly, "Who called from me?" ”

"It's Comrade Stalin." In the face of Rokossovsky's reprimand, Malinin blushed and said: "It was the Supreme Commander himself who called you personally. ”

"Bang dang!" Hearing that it was Stalin himself who had called him, Rokossovsky jumped up from his seat, and the stool he was sitting on tripped over to the ground. But he didn't care about this, but rushed to the telephone, picked up the microphone on the wooden table and put it to his ear, and said respectfully: "Hello, Comrade Stalin! I'm Rokossovsky, what are your instructions? ”

"Comrade Rokossovsky, what the hell is going on?" Stalin's angry voice came from the earpiece: "I want you to explain to me why this is happening? ”

Rokossovsky was confused by Stalin's scolding, and after being stunned for a moment, he asked rhetorically: "Comrade Stalin, I beg your pardon, after receiving a telegram from General Zhukov, I have canceled the order to let the troops retreat. At present, our troops have basically returned to their original defensive positions and are engaged in stubborn fighting with the Germans. ”

"I'm not talking about it." Stalin's anger grew even higher when he heard Rokossovsky's answer, and he gritted his back molars and asked: "I would like to ask you to tell me why your troops should abandon the town of Diedovsk so that the Germans could establish a starting point for an attack on Moscow there?" ”

"Diedovsk town?" Rokossovsky glanced down at the map on his desk, and quickly found the inconspicuous town, which, according to the marked symbols, was still the defense area of his own troops. He hurriedly said into the microphone: "Comrade Stalin, according to the markings on the map, this town is still in the hands of our troops. ”

"It can't be." Stalin raised his voice and said: "I received information that the enemy has captured the town of Diedovsk, and this will never be wrong. ”

Hearing that Stalin actually used the honorific "you" to address himself, Rokossovsky realized the seriousness of the problem, quickly covered the microphone, and asked Malinin, who was standing aside: "Chief of Staff, the town of Diedovsk is the defense area of the 78th Infantry Division, have you received a report from Colonel Beloborodov that the enemy has occupied the town?" ”

"No, Comrade Commander." Shaking his head, Malinin replied in the affirmative: "If the enemy really captured our town, Colonel Belorodov would definitely report to me." Since we haven't received any reports now, it means that the town is still in our hands. ”

"Hey, Rokossovsky, why don't you speak." When Stalin heard that there was suddenly no sound in the headphones, he asked again loudly: "What the hell are you doing?" ”

Rokossovsky hurriedly removed his hand covering the microphone and replied in a proper manner: "Comrade Stalin, I am ordering my subordinates to verify whose hands the town of Didovsk is. I'm sure there will be a reply soon. ”

"I'll give you three minutes." Seeing Rokossovsky's sincerity, Stalin's anger weakened slightly, and his tone became less harsh: "You must find out what is going on." ”

Before the three minutes were over, Malinin walked back briskly and reported to Rokossovsky in a low voice: "Comrade commander, this is obviously a mistake, Colonel Beloborodov reports that the town of Diedovsk is still in our hands, and the enemy occupies the village of Diedovo. ”

"Are you sure?" Although Rokossovsky knew that what Malinin said would definitely not be wrong, he still deliberately asked a question, and after nodding Malinin to confirm, he said into the microphone: "Comrade Stalin, the matter has been clarified, the enemy occupied the village of Diedovo, not the town of Diedovsk......"

"We cannot tolerate the occupation of a village or a town. You immediately organize your troops and go and take the village back. Do you understand? After speaking, without waiting for Rokossovsky to react, he hung up the phone directly.

As soon as Rokossovsky put down the phone, he immediately instructed Malinin: "Chief of staff, prepare my car, I will immediately rush to the headquarters of the 78th Infantry Division and discuss with Colonel Beloborodov how to recapture this occupied village." (To be continued.) )