After the meeting between the two, Fedyuninsky just wanted to get up and say goodbye, but was stopped by Tang Shaohua: "Ivan, don't be in a hurry to leave, come to my house for dinner tonight." ”

Fedyuninsky shook his head with a smile and politely refused: "Let's go another day, I'll be out for a day, if my chief of staff can't find my people, it should be in a hurry." As he spoke, he raised his leg and was about to walk outside.

Tang Shaohua knew that Fedyuninsky and Rokossovsky's wife were also good friends, so he smiled and said: "If it were normal times, I might not keep you, but today the situation is different." It's Yunia's birthday! ”

When Fedyuninsky heard Tang Shaohua say this, he couldn't help but stop, and said with some surprise: "Really, is it really Yunia's birthday today?" ”

Tang Shaohua nodded and said teasingly: "Ivan, you have been an old friend of our family for more than ten years, you can't even remember what the hostess's birthday is, right?" ”

Fedyuninsky raised his hand and slapped his forehead fiercely, and said in annoyance: "Confused, I'm so confused that I even forgot that today is Yunia's birthday." ”

"Let's go, Ivan." Tang Shaohua put a hand on Fedyuninsky's shoulder and walked out with him: "If you don't go back, Yunia should be in a hurry." ”

"But, Koschika," said Fedyuninsky, calling Rokossovsky by his nickname, with some embarrassment, "to congratulate Yunia on her birthday, you must not go empty-handed." No, I can't just go like that, I have to go buy a gift first. ”

"Okay, okay," Tang Shaohua interrupted Fedyuninsky's words and said to him with a smile: "You are our old friend, even if there is no gift, Yunia will not blame you." Let's go! ”

Rokossovsky's home is in an officer building not far from the garrison headquarters. This is a three-story brick and concrete building that was completed just last year, and officers above the Ninth Mechanized Corps are allocated housing in the building. The two of them came out of the headquarters and walked for a short time before entering the building.

Before Tang Shaohua took out the key to open the door, he made a gesture to Fedyuninsky, signaling him to wait outside the door for a while, so as to surprise Yunia. Fedyuninsky nodded in understanding, then moved two steps to the side and stood in a position that could not be seen in the doorway.

Rokossovsky's wife, Yunia Petrovna Rokossovskaya, is in her forties and has given birth to a child, but because of her good maintenance, her figure is not out of shape at all, and she looks to be in her early thirties. Seeing Tang Shaohua push the door in, Yunia, who was setting the dining table in the living room, greeted him and gave him a warm hug. After Tang Shaohua expressed his birthday wishes to her, he put it to her ear and whispered, "My dear, I brought you an old friend. ”

"Old friends?!" When Yunia heard Tang Shaohua say this, she couldn't help but ask with a blank face: "Who is it?" ”

Tang Shaohua let go of her, turned around and said loudly outside the door, "Please come in, Ivan!" ”

Seeing Fedyuninsky standing at the door with a smile, Yunia exclaimed, and then hugged the other party, and asked excitedly: "Ivan, I really didn't expect it, what's wrong with you today?" What about Ina, did she come with you too? As she spoke, she leaned sideways and looked out the door to see if anyone was still standing outside.

"Dear Yunya, I came to Zhytomyr to look for Koschyka today because I had something to do with work." Seeing Yunia's gaze looking out of the door, Fedyuninsky quickly explained: "Ina and the children are still at home." He looked left and right and asked curiously, "Why didn't you see Ada?" ”

Ada, Rokossovsky's daughter, is thirteen years old and is in seventh grade in Kyiv. Yunia heard Fedyuninsky's question and hurriedly said to him: "Ada and her classmates went to Moscow this week to participate in a dance competition, so they didn't come back. ”

Tang Shaohua looked at the round table covered with white tablecloths, which were fried steaks on plates, roasted mutton with potatoes in a metal basin, a plate of herring lined with shredded onions, beetroot soup in clay pots, and a bottle of brandy and two tall crystal wine glasses. He walked over to the cupboard where the wine was kept, opened the door and pulled out a goblet and returned to the table.

He pointed to the empty seat at the table and said warmly to Fedyuninsky: "Ivan, since the old is already over, then please take a seat." Then he uncorked the bottle, poured half a glass of brandy into the goblet, and placed it in front of Fedyuninsky.

The three of them had just taken their seats, and before they could raise their knives and forks, the phone on the wall suddenly rang. Yunia wanted to stand up and pick it up, but Tang Shaohua raised his hand to stop her, he said, "I'll pick it up, maybe it's a matter of work." ”

He walked up to the telephone, picked up the microphone, coughed, cleared his throat, and then said in a clear voice: "Hello, I'm Rokossovsky." ”

"Hello, Comrade Rokossovsky." A familiar and deep voice came from the earpiece: "I'm Zhukov." ”

Zhukov?! When he heard this name, Tang Shaohua couldn't help but lose his mind for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal, because he knew that Zhukov used to be Rokossovsky's top boss, and when he called at this time, there must be something important. So he respectfully asked: "It's me, Comrade Chief of the General Staff." Please call at this time, do you have any important instructions? ”

"If I'm not mistaken, it's Yunia's birthday, right?" Zhukov's amiable voice came from the other end of the telephone line.

"Yes, Comrade Chief of the General Staff." When Tang Shaohua heard him say this, he immediately remembered that Rokossovsky was not only a subordinate of Zhukov, but also had a good relationship between the two families. Zhukov's wife, Kievna, visited Yunia several times in Zhytomyr when Zhukov was still the commander of the Kiev Special Military District.

"Let Yunia answer the phone, Kievna wants to say a few words to her." Zhukov said in a commanding tone.

When Tang Shaohua just wanted to ask Yunia to answer the phone, an idea suddenly popped up in his mind: before the outbreak of war, maybe he should have a good talk with Zhukov and ask him to use his position as chief of the General Staff of the Red Army to provide him with some useful help. So he cautiously asked: "Comrade General, I don't know if you have time recently?" ”

"What's the matter?" Zhukov's voice became serious.

Tang Shaohua was afraid that Zhukov would suddenly hang up the phone, so he said very quickly: "I have some important work, and I want to report to you at the right time, I don't know when it will be more convenient for you?" ”

Zhukov knew Rokossovsky very well about his character, and when he heard him say this, he knew that there must be something important, so after thinking for a moment, he replied decisively: "I have about half an hour to spare at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, and if you have something to report, please call me at that time." ”

"Understood, Comrade General." After Tang Shaohua heard Zhukov's agreement, he couldn't help but be secretly happy in his heart. He beckoned to Yunia, who was sitting at the table, motioned for her to come and answer the phone, and then said into the microphone, "I'll let Yunia answer the phone." ”

When he sat back at the table, Fedyuninsky glanced at Yunia, who was talking to Kievna, and then asked in a low voice: "Are you going to tell the Chief of the General Staff about what we discussed today?" ”

"That's right," Tang Shaohua nodded, and said in the same low voice: "The pre-war preparations, relying only on our two armies, are far from enough. Therefore, it is necessary to think of getting the help of higher-level commanders, so that the effect can be twice as effective with half the effort. ”