The jeep was driving on a road full of puddles, and because the road conditions were so bad that the speed could not be raised at all, Rao was so bad that he felt so bumpy that Rokossovsky's head hit the tarpaulin on the roof several times. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

From time to time along the way, trucks can be seen overturned on the side of the road and burned to the point that only the frame remains. Seeing this situation, Lobachev said with a serious expression: "Comrade commander, it seems that this road is not very smooth, you can see these bombed trucks, it is estimated that they were all blown up by German planes during the day." ”

After hearing this, Rokossovsky just nodded, and then asked the driver: "Comrade driver, how much time is there to get to Mozhaisk?" ”

"At least two more hours." The driver said angrily: "This road is even worse than the road we walked when we broke through, you see, there are large and small craters everywhere, and they are full of water, if you accidentally drive the car into the pit, don't think about driving the car out again." ”

I don't know how long later, Rokossovsky vaguely saw a marching unit in front, hurriedly pointed forward, and ordered the driver: "Comrade driver, do you see our troops in front?" Drive the car next to them and stop, I'm going to ask how far it is from Mozhaisk! ”

Hearing a vehicle approaching behind, the soldiers who were marching on the road jumped to the side of the road, ready to give way to the vehicle and try to avoid the muddy water that would be splashed when the wheels ran over the puddle. Unexpectedly, as soon as the car drove to their side, it stopped, and then a person who looked like an officer pushed the door and asked loudly: "Hey, comrades soldiers, do you know how far it is from Mozhaisk?" ”

One of the fighters walking at the end of the line, after seeing the rank on Rokossovsky's collar badge, hurriedly replied loudly: "Comrade General, there is still a kilometer from here." Follow this road and you'll be there in a few minutes at most. ”

Rokossovsky ordered the driver to keep moving forward, but the jeep had to move at a turtle speed because the roads were still muddy and difficult to navigate. By the time they finally reached Mozhaisk, at least a quarter of an hour had passed.

Rokossovsky asked the driver to park his car near a checkpoint, pushed the door and asked: "Comrade soldier, how to get to the headquarters of the Front?" ”

The soldier walked to the side of the car, looked at Rokossovsky carefully, pointed to a bungalow area in the distance, and said: "Comrade commander, the headquarters is there, you will know when you go to the place." ”

Waiting for the car to stop in front of a bungalow with lights on, the driver pushed open the door on the co-pilot's side and asked loudly at the sentry standing outside the gate: "Hey, I said man, do you know where the front headquarters is?" ”

One of the sentries took off the rifle he was carrying over his shoulder, walked towards the jeep with it in his hand, and asked vigilantly, "Which part are you?" ”

Rokossovsky pushed the door and leaned out to identify himself: "Comrade soldier, I am Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army, may I ask, is the headquarters of the Front here?" ”

After listening to Rokossovsky's self-report, the sentry quickly put the gun back on his shoulder, turned sideways and pointed at the lighted bungalow, and said: "That's right, Comrade General, the headquarters is here, please come in." ”

Walking into the building, I saw a long corridor, and in the rooms on both sides of the corridor, from time to time commanders of different military ranks came out. Seeing Rokossovsky and Lobachev, who were walking along the corridor, they immediately stepped aside, leaned their backs against the wall, raised their hands to their foreheads, and saluted the two.

At the end of the hallway, a desk sits outside a closed door, behind which sits a lieutenant without a hat. Seeing this familiar arrangement, Rokossovsky's face couldn't help but smile, and he felt like home. He walked quickly to his desk, and without waiting for the lieutenant who stood up to ask, he preemptively said: "Comrade lieutenant, I am Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army, and I was ordered to report to the commander of the Front. ”

"You are General Rokossovsky?" Hearing Rokossovsky's identity, the lieutenant's face could not help but show a look of consternation, but after a moment he returned to his normal and said formulaically: "Comrade General, the commander and the senior leadership from Moscow are discussing work inside, and no one is allowed to disturb them. But since you're here on order, please wait a moment while I'll go in and ask for instructions. ”

The lieutenant turned and pushed the door open, walked in, and closed the door with his hand. Lobachev asked Rokossovsky in a low voice: "Comrade commander, who do you think is the leader who is talking to General Konev in the house, could it be Voroshilov and Molotov sent by the Supreme Command?" ”

"It should be them." Although according to the memories of his later generations, Rokossovsky knew who was in the closed room at this moment, he did not know whether history would deviate here with his appearance, so he said in an uncertain tone: "I can't think of anyone other than them who could have come so seriously to the commander of the Front." ”

Soon, the door opened, and the lieutenant came out of the room, facing Rokossovsky, and said respectfully: "Comrade General, the commander of the Front invites you to come in." Please! As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and made a gesture of invitation.

When Rokossovsky and Lobachev entered the headquarters, they saw at a glance a rectangular wooden table near the window, and Voroshilov, Molotov, and Bulganin sat behind the wooden table facing the door; And the commander of the Front, Konev, sat with his back to the door.

Rokossovsky strode up to Voroshilov, raised his hand to salute him, and reported in accordance with the order: "Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union, Commander of the 16th Army Rokossovsky reports to you that I have led the command to break out of the German encirclement from Vyazma. ”

Voroshilov slowly stood up, walked up to Rokossovsky with his hands behind his back, and in a stern tone raised the question in his mind: "How can you do this, Comrade General? Break through only with the headquarters, leaving the units of the 16th Army in the encirclement of the Germans? ”

Rokossovsky glanced at Konev quickly, then looked down into Voroshilov's eyes and said: "Comrade Marshal, after receiving an order from the commander of the Front to hand over my troops to the commander of the 20th Army, Yershakov, I led the command to Vyazma in a hurry, but received five new infantry divisions and additional technical equipment. But when I arrived at the place, I did not find the troops promised by my superiors. ”

"Strange," Voroshilov said with a frown, half-convinced, "how can this be? ”

Seeing the suspicion in Voroshilov's eyes, Rokossovsky immediately thought about why Malinin stubbornly allowed himself to bring the Konev order before leaving, if there was no such order, it would be unfounded. So he hurriedly took out the order, unfolded it, handed it to Voroshilov, and at the same time said: "Comrade Marshal, please see, this is the order I received. Look again at this signature, the commander of the Front, Colonel-General Konev, the military councilor Bulganin. ”

Voroshilov took the order from Rokossovsky's hand, picked up the reading glasses on the table, put them on, and examined them carefully. After reading it, he casually handed the order to Molotov behind the desk, took off his reading glasses, looked up at Rokossovsky again, and walked out the window with his hands behind his back.

Konev hurriedly stood up and took the initiative to report: "That's right, I personally issued this order. My goal in doing so was to save Rokossovsky from the threat of encirclement. He really should have got five divisions near Vyazma and launched a counterattack on the flanks of the Germans. However, these units were so entangled in the battle with the enemy's motorized units that they did not arrive in time for Vyazma. ”

After listening to Konev's explanation, Molotov put the order in his hand on the table, looked at the other party and said solemnly: "General Konev, I was entrusted by the Supreme Command to come here to understand the reasons for the defeat of the Western Front and the unauthorized departure of the army headquarters led by Rokossovsky. After reading this order submitted by Comrade Rokossovsky, I think that the decision you made is very bizarre, why did you give the initiative to the German high command? ”

"Comrade Molotov, the reason why the Germans gained the initiative on the battlefield was by their own living forces." Hearing Molotov's accusations, Konev defended himself: "Especially tanks and air forces. Explaining the power of the enemy's assault, I only need to give you an example to prove it: the enemy used 20 divisions to deal with the four infantry divisions of our 30th Army, and at the same time invested more than 400 tanks, and the soldiers of the 30th Army showed great tenacity, and after a stubborn battle, they had to choose to retreat. As for retreat, you know, it is one of the most complex combat situations, and it requires high fighting qualities......"

"Enough, Konev, enough!" Voroshilov, who was standing by the window, couldn't control his emotions, and finally broke out, he turned around and waved his hand down fiercely: "When will this complicated battle situation of yours end?" How long will our troops retreat? When will you be able to fight the enemy stubbornly? For me, it's also a strategic question. Bring down the troops, and you will also say that the fighters have no experience in retreating. ”

"Yes, Comrade Marshal," said Konev in response to Voroshilov's accusations, "we have never studied this battle situation before the war, we are all ready to fight on the enemy's territory. By the way, these are your theories, and I have to cite them in this case. But right now, in the war, we paid a huge price for this......"

Rokossovsky stood aside and watched the battle between Konev and Voroshilov. Although he had confirmed that he had been calculated by Konev, he did not have much hatred, because he knew very well that Konev had not only made no decent achievements in the early days of the war, especially when he first assumed the post of commander of the Western Front, but on the contrary, he had made a lot of tricks, and the troops of the Front suffered heavy losses in the Vyazma area, which had nothing to do with him. If it weren't for Zhukov's righteous rescue, it is estimated that he would have been sentenced to death by Stalin like General Pavlov. However, as the war progressed, his command level continued to improve. From the beginning of the Battle of Kursk, his military command art became more and more mature, and he won more and more victories, so that in the later period, he not only became a marshal, but also one of the most capable.

Thinking that the person who saved Konev's life was Zhukov, and that he should have appeared at about this time, Rokossovsky turned his head to look behind him, and saw Zhukov, who was wearing a black leather jacket, had entered the room at some point, and was standing next to Lobachev, quietly watching the heated debate going on in the room.

“…… I understand that all the mistakes you have made are my fault. Voroshilov circled around Konev and said angrily: "I now understand that the commander of the Western Front completely lacks strategic foresight and is not good at commanding troops on the fly, and as a member of the National Defense Committee, I declare that I will formally dismiss you from the post of commander of the Western Front and hand you over to a military tribunal." ”

After Voroshilov's words, the whole room fell silent. At this moment, the sudden ringing of the telephone resolved the embarrassing situation in the house. Molotov got up and walked to the phone, picked up the microphone and put it to his ear, and said slowly: "Hey, where?" ”

"Is it Comrade Molotov?" Stalin's voice came from the earpiece.

"Yes, Comrade Stalin," Molotov replied, focusing all eyes on him, "I am Molotov. ”

"Has Zhukov arrived?" Stalin asked bluntly.

"Zhukov?!" When Molotov heard this name, he visibly froze, searched the house for a moment with his eyes, and found Zhukov standing next to Lobachev, and quickly replied: "Yes, he is here." Please wait a minute, I'll let him answer the phone. ”

Zhukov strode up to Molotov and took the microphone from his hand: "Hello, Comrade Stalin, I'm Zhukov. ”

"Comrade Zhukov, after studying the base camp, it has been decided to appoint you commander of the Western Front." Stalin asked, in an inquiring tone: "You have no opinion, right?" ”

"I obey." Zhukov readily agreed, turned his head to look at Konev, and then said into the microphone: "Comrade Stalin, I have a request to appoint Konev as my deputy. ”

In response to Zhukov's request, Stalin said noncommittally: "Although I do not yet know the decision made by the investigation team, the members of the National Defense Committee have a great opinion about Konev. ”

Zhukov turned to look at Konev and said: "Comrade Stalin, Konev is familiar with the area of operations, and I think he should be assigned to lead the troops in the Kalinin direction. Fearing Stalin's disapproval, he went out of his way to emphasise, "This area is very far from our current area of operations, and I need to have my own deputy there." ”

After listening to Zhukov's reasoning, Stalin was silent for a moment, and then said decisively: "Well, just do as you say." In addition, I intend to mobilize all the remaining troops of the front army by you. You receive troops as quickly as possible and organize defenses in existing areas. (To be continued.) )