After listening to Borisova's introduction, Rokossovsky hurriedly stepped forward and shook Vanya's hand, shook it vigorously twice, and said in a friendly manner: "Hello, Comrade Vanya, welcome to my command as a guest. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ”

Vanya grinned, and then said: "Comrade General, I am not here as a guest, but for your troops, and I have brought a new formation of troops. ”

After all, in the recent battles, the attrition of various units was very serious, and when they heard that a new unit had arrived, everyone secretly muttered in their hearts whether this unit was going to replenish us, so they all gathered around to find out what was going on.

After Rokossovsky beckoned Vanya and Borisova to take their seats, he asked on behalf of all the commanders: "Comrade Vanya, how many people are in the newly formed troops, are they regular troops or militia?" ”

Vanya shook his head and said, "No, it's a recruit we recruited from among the citizens, there are 1,700 people. ”

After waiting for Vanya to finish, Borisova said to Rokossovsky with a smile: "Comrade General, don't worry, I guarantee that there is not a single one under the age of 18, almost all of them are factory workers, and some of them are farmers from collective farms. ”

Rokossovsky was slightly disappointed when he heard that they were all new recruits, but he still asked Borisova with a glimmer of hope: "Have they undergone formal military training?" ”

"In addition to a few days of cohort training, they also conducted live firing." When Borisova said this, a look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on her face: "However, their weapons are insufficient, and at present, there are only about 300 people with guns, except for a few pistols, the rest are Mosin Lagan rifles." There is not a single machine gun and a submachine gun, I wonder if you can add it? ”

When he heard that all the recruits who came were recruits who had no combat experience, Rokossovsky's heart couldn't help but be half cold, and he turned to Lidyukov, who was standing next to him, and said: "Comrade Colonel, all the recruits from Vyazma will be incorporated into your division. Remember, it is necessary to let the backbone of the fighters lead the recruits, and in peacetime, we should tell them more about the fine traditions of the troops and the brilliant achievements they have achieved, so as to turn them into qualified soldiers in the shortest possible time. ”

After saying these few words, Rokossovsky ignored the pale-faced Lidyukov, but said to Vanya and Borisova with a smile: "By the way, I haven't had time to introduce to you yet, this is Colonel Lidyukov, commander of the newly formed 1st Moscow Motorized Infantry Division, and the mixed detachment he commanded some time ago blocked the enemy's attack on the banks of the Dnieper River for nearly twenty days. It was because of these achievements that his superiors appointed him commander of the unit named after 'Moscow'. I am confident that these recruits you have brought with you, under his leadership, will achieve a record that the people of Vyazma will be proud of. ”

After listening to Rokossovsky's introduction, the eyes of Vanya and Borisova at Lidyukov became different. Vanya got up and shook hands with Lidyukov one after another, and said with some emotion: "Comrade Colonel, then I will hand over these recruits to you, hoping that under your command, they can do their part to defend the motherland." ”

At this moment, Malinin walked up to Rokossovsky and reported: "Comrade commander, all the commanders who received the command have arrived, is there a meeting now?" ”

Borisova, who was sitting next to her, heard that there was going to be a military meeting, so she quickly stood up and prepared to go out, and at the same time said to Rokossovsky: "Comrade General, since you are going to have a meeting, then I and Vanyashu will leave first." ”

"No, no, Comrade Borisova." Rokossovsky waved his hand at Borisova and said politely: "We have convened a military meeting to discuss how to defend the Yaltsevo-Vyazma region. You can stay and listen, and if you have any ideas, you can talk to me separately after the meeting. ”

"Well, Comrade General, since this is the case, then Comrade Vanya and I will stay and listen." After Borisova finished speaking, she pulled Vanya to a nearby corner and sat down, ready to sit in on the upcoming military commissar.

But after the commanders attending the meeting had all taken their seats around the wooden tables, Rokossovsky stood up and said to everyone with a smile: "Comrades commanders, although many of you know me, I still have to introduce myself, I am Rokossovsky, the new commander of the 16th Army. After speaking, he pointed to Lobachev and Malinin, who were sitting on both sides, and continued, "This is Comrade Lobachev, a member of the Military Council of the Group Army, and this is my chief of staff, Colonel Malinin, and he will directly convey my orders to you in the future. ”

After speaking, he held the edge of the table with both hands and said with a smile: "Next, please ask the division commanders of each division to introduce themselves." After all, in the coming days, we will fight side by side against the aggression of the fascist bandits. If you don't know each other well, how can you fight together? ”

After Rokossovsky's words were finished, the first to stand up was Kirillov on his right, and the colonel stood up, and after scanning his eyes over everyone, he said loudly: "I am Colonel Kirillov, the commander of the 38th Infantry Division. Finished. With that, he sat down.

Kirillov's simple and clear self-introduction became a model for the commanders of all divisions to follow. After they got up and gave their names and the number of their unit, they sat down directly.

After the commanders of the divisions declared their identities, Rokossovsky stood up again and announced: "Commanders and comrades, the task of our group army in the next stage is to defend the Yaltsevo-Vyazma region, and the defense areas of the various units will be announced to you by the chief of staff, Colonel Malinin. ”

Hearing Rokossovsky's mention of his name, Malinin quickly got up from his seat, picked up the document that was placed on the table, and began to read out to everyone the defensive areas of the divisions.

After reading out the contents of the document, Malinin bowed his head to Rokossovsky and said: "Comrade commander, after I finished speaking, do you have anything else to add?" ”

After hearing this, Rokossovsky turned his head to look at Lobachev next to him and asked politely: "Comrade Military Commissar, do you need to say something to the commanders?" ”

Lobachev thought for a moment, and then whispered: "Well, then I'll just say a few words." After speaking, he stood up and said to the commanders present: "Commanders, comrades, I will say one thing. Although each division has a clear understanding of its own defense area and the next task, I think there is one point that has been overlooked by everyone. ”

When Rokossovsky heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned, he looked up at Lobachev and thought: "When Malinin and I arranged the defensive areas of each division, we took into account all the issues that should be considered, how could there be a mistake?" ”

I only heard Lobachev say: "The first thing the new commander did after taking office last night was to order the chief of staff to inform the division commanders of the divisions to come to the headquarters for a meeting. However, since several divisions had not yet had time to establish communication contacts, they could only send people to inform them, and by the time everyone arrived, more than ten hours had passed. Comrades, have you ever thought that in war, every minute is precious, and what should we do if there is a delay in fighter planes in a large-scale battle in the future because of poor communications? ”

After Lobachev's words were finished, the commanders attending the meeting nodded thoughtfully and agreed with his statement. At this time, Rokossovsky stood up and said with a little shame: "Comrades, the problem pointed out by the military commissar is indeed something that I have overlooked. After you go back, the first thing you should do is to establish direct communication links with the group army headquarters. Whatever happens to you, we will be the first to know; And the orders we have issued can also be conveyed to the commanders of your divisions in the shortest possible time. ”

"Understood," the division commanders sitting below replied in unison: "As soon as we go back, we will immediately establish a telephone line connecting the headquarters to ensure smooth communication in wartime." ”

After the meeting, Rokossovsky also specifically asked Borisova and Vanya for their opinions: "The two of you have listened to our military meeting, I don't know if you have any ideas?" ”

Vanya was the first to express his position, he shook his head, and said: "Comrade General, although I am a layman in military affairs, I can still hear that your deployment is very well considered. ”

Rokossovsky smiled and nodded, and then asked Borisova with a sideways face: "What about you, Comrade Borisova, I don't know what you think?" ”

"Comrade General," Borisova, who had been at the forefront for more than a month, considered the problem from a very different angle from Vanya, and asked straight to the point: "You must know that in the city of Vyazma, there are railways to Moscow, Leningrad, Kaluga and Bryansk, which is an important transport hub. But from the deployment just now, I see that your forces are focused on the Yaltsevo line, and there is only one motorized infantry regiment in Vyazma. With all due respect, if the Germans break through your frontal defenses, will they be able to hold Vyazma with the strength of this regiment alone? ”

"Comrade Borisova," said Vanya sharply to her, "Comrade General is an experienced commander, does he not know how to use his forces rationally, and he still needs you to teach him?" Then he smiled and told Rokossovsky, "Comrade General, Comrade Borisova is a native of Vyazma, and I can't help but feel a little excited when I see that my hometown is threatened by war, so please don't mind." ”

Rokossovsky waved his hand and said with a smile: "Comrade Vanya, you are too worried. Comrade Borisova was quite right that Vyazma was an important railway junction, how could we easily give it to the Germans. So I sent a more combat-ready motorized infantry regiment to take charge of the defense of Vyazma. Then he turned around and explained to Borisova that "there are 2,000 party members from Moscow in this regiment, and they are representatives of the good workers of the factories. In the battle a few days earlier, they had shown great bravery and tenacity, killing thousands of Dekou on the battlefield. ”

After listening to Rokossovsky's explanation, Borisova's cheeks flushed slightly, and then she said a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, Comrade General, I misunderstood you." ”

"It's okay, you don't know the situation." Rokossovsky said magnanimously. After a while, he turned to look at Vanya again and asked, "Comrade Vanya, how is the situation in Vyazma, are the emotions of the residents stable?" ”

Hearing Rokossovsky's question, Vanya couldn't help but let out a long sigh and said: "Comrade General, since you are not an outsider, then I will tell you the truth. The situation was terrible, and some of the directors and managers of factories and enterprises, having learned that the Germans had occupied Yaltsevo, took the lead in fleeing to the rear with small and valuable items. As soon as they left, those factories and enterprises stopped production and closed down, and the employees who had no salary income went to the municipal government to petition. Speaking of this, he turned his head to look at Borisova next to him, and said gratefully, "Fortunately, it was Borisova who came forward to calm down these troublesome workers and employees." ”

Rokossovsky never dreamed that there would be a leader leading the way to escape, and if this matter had not been said by Vyazma's first book, he would have thought that the other party was spreading rumors. But after thinking about it, he felt that it was understandable, after all, the German army occupied Yaltsevo, which is only a few dozen kilometers away from Vyazma a few days ago, and between the two cities, the number of Soviet troops was very small, and it was normal for everyone to think that the city could not be defended.

After getting up and pouring a glass of water for Vanya and Borisova, he continued to ask: "Comrade Vanya, if we want to build a new defense line in the Vyazma area, we may need to replenish the troops and provide local logistical support, I wonder if you can provide these?" ”

When Vanya heard this question, he did not speak, but glanced at Borisova and motioned for her to answer. Borisova nodded helplessly, and then said to Rokossovsky: "Comrade General, I think it may be difficult for us to provide you with any more useful help. Vyazma is a small city of only 60,000 people, and more than 20,000 people were evacuated in the early stage, and tens of thousands of people fled in the past two days. Of the remaining 30,000 people, the elderly, children, and sick make up the majority, and you can't let them all take up arms and go to the trenches to fight the Germans, can you? ”

"Although the city cannot mobilize any forces, what about the collective farms outside the city?" After listening to this, Rokossovsky asked with some reluctance: "It is always possible to organize some more people from these places, right?" (To be continued.) )