As for the partisan republics, claiming that they were them, shelled Chernihiv with ultra-long-range rocket artillery, no one in Moscow cared at all, and Stalin did not even see the report.

The leader of the Soviet Union, his mind was full of the situation on the Kharkov front. After he allowed the Soviets to tactically withdraw to their original front, he did not know whether he had done the right thing, and since the generals had approved of Timoshenko's decision, it was difficult for him to insist on it. He was so afraid that the siege of Kiev in 1941 would be repeated.

But how could the Soviet army have expected the development of the war situation?

By May 26, the Soviet 21st Army, despite heavy losses, had successfully crossed the Barvenko River. The actions of the 28th Army in support of the 21st Army were also repulsed by the Germans. The Germans even built a bridgehead over the Balvenko River.

To make matters worse, the Soviet 8th Army, which was responsible for the defense of the southern flank, was completely crushed by the German Kleist Panzer Group, and the Germans joined up with the ten German infantry divisions outside Kharkiv.

A huge pocket formation still appeared, and even though Timoshenko had ordered the attacking troops to retreat completely, there were still more than 150,000 men, trapped in the encirclement that the Germans had not yet closed and were about to close.

But this time, the Soviets were more prepared after all, and the limited RPG weapons equipped by their grassroots soldiers also greatly enhanced their individual anti-tank capabilities. As a result, Paulus's German Sixth Army encountered more and more Soviet resistance from their fronts, and the loss of tanks made this famous general with a habit of cleanliness even more worried.

As long as the battle evolved into an infantry melee, the Soviets had the confidence to continue fighting and crush the Germans.

The two tank armies of the Soviet army, which lost more than eighty percent of the T34-76 tanks, had lost the nearest breakthrough route from the south of Kharkov after their combat effectiveness plummeted. The Soviets now had their last retreat route, northeast of Kharkiv, a five-kilometer stretch of access to the Barvenko River, controlled by the Soviet 21st Army.

"I'm lucky compared to Kirponos. Without the German raiding force to plug this bottle cap, my army still has a great chance of breaking through! ”

Timoshenko called this the Kharkov pocket, and the attacking forces could withdraw to their original front as long as they could pass through the "southeastern corridor". Moreover, the strategic reserves of the Southwestern Front, such as the 38th Army, were also quickly pressed up. The goal of attacking and capturing Kharkov is currently unattainable, but to stabilize the previous front, Timoshenko still has a certain degree of confidence.

These changes in the situation of the battle at the front also reached the guerrilla republics by a brief telegram.

As the 63rd Army, which was isolated in the German theater and belonged to the battle sequence of the Southwestern Front, the senior officers could only hope that their Front Commander was capable of turning the tide.

It can be said that this battle was the defeat of the Soviet army, and Yang Mingzhi unfortunately, the prediction was hit.

Yang Mingzhi was not happy about this at all, only the enemy and the traitor puppet army did not want the Soviet army to win? He doesn't do anything "unlucky crow".

The Southwestern Front and the Southern Front were encountering the most fierce German counterattack since their five-month counteroffensive, and there was even a great possibility that the results of the half-year counteroffensive would be lost in an instant. The guerrilla republics can only pray that they will hold the front line before the battle.

The Southwestern Front held the original line of defense and continued the stalemate in the war, which was the best result. If the Soviets were unable to hold the line, the worst outcome would be the collapse of the entire line.

In the end, Yang Mingzhi knew from the beginning that the success rate of the Soviet army in withstanding this round of German onslaught was very low, and the future full-scale battle on the Suderton-Volga River would also start with the current retreat of the Soviet army.

The greatest impact of the retreat of the Southwestern Front on the guerrilla republic was the possibility of an airdrop almost being cut off.

It is unrealistic to expect several more large-scale airdrops from Timoshenko. Moreover, what determines the continuation of the victory of the troops is not at all the military assistance from the superiors, but whether the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the swamps share the same hatred for the enemy.

The offensive carried out by the guerrilla republic at the same time as the campaign was already the best response, and what the troops had to do next was to temporarily recuperate and prepare ammunition and rations for the next military operation.

Therefore, since the early morning of May 27, Yang Mingzhi officially began the planning of a new military operation.

On the huge map of the region, spread out by the command, a small city was specially marked - Loyev. This is the next offensive goal of the troops.

Originally, in the operation of crossing the river to meet the guerrilla brigade, the capture of the city was an option to cross the river. In the end, tens of thousands of people crossed the river by ferry, but the efficiency was still unsatisfactory, and the worst thing was the difficult transportation of heavy equipment. For example, captured artillery, to transport them across the river, must be firmly fastened to a longer and wider raft, if the raft is not well controlled and the artillery falls into the river, then do not think about fishing again.

If, on the other hand, the troops had captured the small city on the banks of the river in the course of the operation, they could have immediately used the railroad and road bridges there to allow the army to cross the river at a very short speed.

Bridges are more important to the army than this, just like the telegram from afar, it was the German army that occupied the bridgehead control area before the Soviet army planted explosives on many bridges in Pavlovsk, and the Kleist armored group could not let more than 100,000 troops and more than 500 tanks and armored vehicles cross the river in one day, and the collapse of the southern flank of the Soviet army occurred quickly.

The city's bridges are not large, and the city is run by a railway spur line. Taking it would be a huge benefit to the guerrilla republic, and the city itself would be a treasure trove no matter what the war turned out.

As soon as dawn was the day of day, all the staff officers, as well as Yevlov and Fomin, gathered in the headquarters and listened to the commander of their army group, shouting about the goals of the next military operation that he had thought about overnight.

"Our next step is to liberate one more city, and that is the closest city to the area under our control. That's Loyev! Lay down here, occupy its iron bridge, and if our army has a combat operation in the direction of Chernihiv, the march of the troops will be much smoother. The heavy equipment of our army, such as those captured field guns, and a large amount of logistical supplies, can also quickly cross the river and quickly enter new battles. ”

Of course, his idea is very popular with everyone, not to mention that Zhilobin is also of great significance to this Soviet army.

Because, in the former 63rd Army, in the wide area north of it, encountered the elite pursuers of the German army and was completely annihilated. Before its defeat, in July, the remnants of the 6th Panzer Corps led by Kuznetsov also urgently used the city's railway system to retreat.

The retreat of Kuznetsov took with him all the inhabitants of the city, and those who did not want to withdraw were considered traitors. Therefore, whatever the attitude of the citizens, the time given to them to retreat is very short. They had to abandon a large amount of their belongings, so they climbed onto the train and retreated inland with the soldiers.

Only a handful of citizens did not leave for various reasons, but they remained, and all of them eventually turned into ghosts of war.

It was for these reasons that the 63rd Army had a reason to liberate the area, not only because it was a duty and obligation to expand the guerrilla zone, but also because it was a duty and obligation to avenge the victims of the city.

According to the available intelligence, Loyev's current German garrison is not large, and taking this place is to probe for things, and after winning the war, the Soviet army can obtain an unusually rich amount of loot.

Yang Mingzhi even said what everyone needs most in the depths of their hearts: "Comrades, think about it, our future actions are not just to take that city. There must still be a lot of clothes, daily necessities, and even a lot of food reserves in the city. These supplies are vital to us! It's still May, but after a hundred days, the weather is starting to get colder. We must seize more Shuba coats to ensure that the weakest old man will not freeze to death in the coming winter! ”

However, there is also a bad possibility: "If, after learning that our army has occupied the city, the Germans send a large army to attack, and even send the air force to bomb it, if the bridge collapses, will we suffer heavy losses?!" ”

Yang Mingzhi also thought deeply about this, and he pressed the point of Loyev on the map and said: "Comrades, I am also very worried that the German army will fight back wildly!" After all, the enemy suffered a huge defeat a few days ago! During the battle, we consumed a lot of weapons and ammunition, so the future battle for Loyev, of course, could not be carried out quickly.

As for the German Air Force, it is very strange that their Air Force seems to have lost interest in us. However, the possibility of them bombing the bridge is also very high, after all, this is the greatest strategic value of Loyev.

We learned that the bridges were made of a lot of steel, and even if the bridges collapsed, we had more things to use, even if the city was blown to ruins! We need all kinds of metals to make weapons! Now everyone no longer feels sorry for Homnich who has turned to the ground, but it is the scrap copper and rotten iron all over the battlefield that supports the work of our arsenal to make rocket artillery! In short, as long as we take Loyev, the captured materials will greatly enhance the strength of our army! ”

The command headquarters fell into a pleasant atmosphere, and Yang Mingzhi also preliminarily determined that the attack on Loyev would not be until around mid-July. This schedule was also supported by the vast number of officers and staff officers, so that after about three weeks of rest and training, as well as the accumulation of materials in the arsenal, the combat effectiveness of the army could reach the strongest since the establishment of the guerrilla republic.