Tang Shaohua thought that the words Kamenev said when he was leaving were just momentary angry words, but he didn't expect that he really reflected this matter to his superiors.

Early the next morning, there was a call from my superior. The first person to call was General Pisarevsky, chief of staff of the Fifth Army, who said to Tang Shaohua with a smile on the phone: "Comrade Rokossovsky, you really deserve to be a veteran soldier who has experienced a hundred battles, and your sense of smell is quite sensitive." Yesterday the military district held an emergency military meeting to discuss how to deal with the German movement along the border, and the resolution has not yet been delegated to the commander at the army level. ”

When Tang Shaohua heard this, he couldn't help but feel a burst of ecstasy, and secretly said Could it be because of his arrival that history has changed inadvertently? He hurriedly asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I wonder what kind of resolution was made at the meeting of the military district?" ”

At the meeting, the commander said: Several group armies close to the border should be reorganized into the first echelon of the military region, and small detachments should be immediately dispatched to occupy field positions close to the border. In this way, we will be able to support the combat operations of the garrisons in the fortified areas in the event of a surprise attack by Hitler's army, thus ensuring the preparation and deployment of the field troops against a possible German attack. Perhaps the resolution of the meeting will soon be sent to the troops, so Pisarevsky explained in detail: "And the troops located in the far rear of the military district are organized into the second echelon of the military district and are ready to go directly to the state border. Your army will soon receive an order to be organized into the second echelon. ”

The more Tang Shaohua listened, the more excited he became, because what the chief of staff of the group army said was completely a series of effective measures taken by the Kiev Military District in order to deal with a possible attack by the German army. He excitedly asked, "Does the commander have any further orders?" ”

"At the meeting, Comrade Commander said so." The chief of staff of the army group continued: "The ammunition carrying reserves of each regiment of the second echelon must be directly distributed to each light and heavy machine gun of each detachment, and half of the ammunition must be pressed into the bullet chain or cartridge plate; The grenades kept in the warehouses were to be distributed to the units as soon as possible; Shells and mortar shells with half a base are to be ready to be loaded, and the same is true for anti-aircraft guns; The fuel reserves of various vehicles shall not be less than two bases: one base for mailboxes and the other for oil drums.

The commander also demanded that the deadlines for the troops to enter combat readiness be shortened to two hours for infantry and artillery units, and to three hours for cavalry, motorized and mechanized towed artillery units. The first and second echelons should enter a high state of combat readiness in the shortest possible time. ”

After listening to these specific regulations, Tang Shaohua's face was even more smiling, and he understood in his heart that as long as the Soviet army was truly ready for battle, then the German army would not be able to take the Soviet army by surprise as it did in history. From the very beginning of the battle, it will fall into a stalemate, at least there will be no more tank units to reinforce the front line, because there is no fuel, and they have to stop halfway to wait for the tanker trucks, and many fighters will be missed in vain.

Putting down the phone, Tang Shaohua couldn't sit still anymore with excitement, he stood up and walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, thinking in his heart whether he should gather all the commanders in the army and tell them the minutes of this meeting of the military region in advance. But when he picked up the phone and was about to instruct the officers below to convene a meeting of the leaders of the army, he changed his mind again. I felt that it was better to wait for the documents of my superiors to be issued to the army before convening a meeting, so as not to have another unnecessary conflict with Kamenev at the meeting.

However, until the evening, no documents were received from the headquarters of the group army. Although he didn't know what happened and the documents from his superiors could not be issued for a long time, he panicked for a while in his heart, and always felt that something bad was about to happen.

People's premonitions about bad things are usually more effective. Tang Shaohua was thinking so, and the phone on the table suddenly rang. He picked up the microphone and listened, and the call was from Vashukin.

As soon as he politely greeted the other party, he was scolded by the other party: "Comrade Rokossovsky, you are really becoming more and more emboldened now, and without asking your superiors, you have used the workers of the factory to build unfinished fortifications without asking your superiors. What are you going to do here, who do you want to fight with? ”

Vashukin's seizure made Tang Shaohua blindfolded at that time. He said in his heart that at yesterday's meeting of the military region, a resolution was not just made to bring the troops into a state of combat readiness, and that it should be in line with the spirit of the meeting that I asked the workers who participated in the voluntary labor to go to the national defense fortifications but assist in the construction of the construction project and the repair of the fortifications, and even if they were not praised, they would not be scolded for such an inexplicable reason, right?

After waiting for Vashukin to finish speaking, he said carefully: "Comrade Military Commissar, as far as I know, at yesterday's military meeting of the military district, didn't Comrade Commander give an order to strengthen combat readiness?" I feel that everything I have done is completely in line with the spirit of the military conference. ”

Hearing me say this, Vashukin still said angrily: "Comrade Rokossovsky, yesterday is yesterday, today is today. Although Commander Kirponos is the head of the military district and has the right to say his or her word within the territory of the military district, he is also under the leadership of the People's Commissariat of Defense and the General Staff. Just half an hour ago, a telegram came from Moscow, in which the General Staff asked him: why did the troops in the fortified areas on the Ukrainian border receive orders to occupy the forward positions? Such an action could have provoked the Germans to provoke an armed conflict. In order to ensure the security of our national borders, the original order must be revoked immediately. Now Commander Kirponos is inspecting the People's Commissariat of Defense and the General Staff. ”

When Tang Shaohua heard this, he was dumbfounded, and originally thought that Kirponos had issued an order to put the troops into combat readiness, which would make the war situation not become a one-sided trend after the outbreak of the Soviet-German war. Unexpectedly, a telegram from Moscow made Kirponos's efforts come to naught.

He sighed silently and asked weakly, "Comrade Military Commissar, I don't know what I should do now?" ”

After the last exercise, Vashukin still had a good impression of Rokossovsky, and at this moment, seeing that the other party was asking him for instructions in a low voice, it was not easy to have another attack, so he had to say in an official tone: "Comrade Rokossovsky, you must first stop the ongoing national defense project in front of you, so as not to be seized by people with ulterior motives, and then you will be in trouble." ”

"Yes, Comrade Military Commissar, I will immediately issue an order to stop the construction of the national defense project first." Although Tang Shaohua's tone of speech seemed very sincere, what he was thinking about in his heart was how to hide from the world and continue to carry out his preparation plan. However, in order to prevent interference from the outside world, it is necessary to do it more secretly.

Hearing Tang Shaohua's reply, a smile appeared on Vashukin's face, he nodded, and said with satisfaction: "Very good, Comrade Rokossovsky, you should have made such a decision a long time ago." Okay, I still have something, so I won't continue to talk with you, if you have anything, you can call me at any time. ”