Hearing Rokossovsky's order, not only Trubnikov, but even the commanders of the army groups sitting around the conference table looked at each other. They did not understand why, having already seen through the German conspiracy, they were sending troops to the Augustov region and leaving empty areas that could be attacked by the Germans.

Batov, who was sitting not far away, saw the confident smile on Rokossovsky's face, and immediately understood in his heart that Comrade Marshal must have a good trick against the Germans when he deployed it like this. He coughed lightly and said, "Comrade Marshal, tell me, what should we do?" ”

Seeing that it was his old subordinate Batov who first realized his intentions, Rokossovsky couldn't help but bow his head slightly, and said to everyone: "The Germans made such a big move just to misjudge our army, concentrate their forces in secondary areas, and then they will carry out a surprise attack in the main offensive direction." This is a bit like the deception that the Allies carried out against the German army before the Normandy landings.

We sent several small units to move towards the area of Augustov on the right flank. The troops were driven to positions during the day, quietly withdrawn at night, and sent up during the day the next day, and so on, giving the enemy the illusion that we were constantly moving new troops to the right flank. At the same time, it was also necessary to establish a large number of false defensive positions on the right flank, and to arrange more fake artillery and tanks, so that the Germans thought that we had been fooled and moved the main forces in that direction. In this way, when they attack from the left flank of our army, they will be met with a head-on attack from us. ”

Rokossovsky's words made the atmosphere in the conference room lively again, and everyone began to whisper about the matter.

Rokossovsky did not interrupt everyone's private discussion, but turned his head and asked Trubnikov: "Comrade Deputy Commander, have you figured out the number of the German troops assembled on the right flank?" ”

"It's all figured out." Trubnikov reported to Rokossovsky: "In addition to the 7th Panzer Division of the German Army, part of the 3rd Panzer Army, there were also the Greater German Division and the 58th Infantry Division. ”

After knowing the number of the German troops, Rokossovsky somewhat understood in his heart why the Supreme Command was so nervous when it learned that the Germans had increased troops on the right flank of the Front troops. Not to mention other troops, only the German Seventh Panzer Division has a brilliant record in both the European theater and the Soviet-German battlefield. The Seventh Panzer Division is not only in the shadow of a famous tree, but even if they do not take any action, the enemy's troops will be like a great enemy.

Others talked about the 7th Panzer Division, but Rokossovsky was not afraid, he snorted coldly and said: "The 7th Panzer Division is known as the elite of the German army, and this time we will teach this elite a good lesson." As long as it is crippled with that Great German division, the strength of the German army in East Prussia will be weakened, and our next battle will be easy to fight. ”

If someone else had said this, everyone present would have thought that he was talking nonsense, but this sentence came out of Rokossovsky's mouth, but it seemed so logical. Everyone stopped the discussion and refocused their eyes on Rokossovsky, waiting for his next order.

Rokossovsky stood up and said to everyone: "Comrades, this task of striking the 7th Panzer Division and the 58th Infantry Division is intended to be completed by Fedyuninsky's 2nd Shock Army and Volsky's 5th Guards Tank Army. When he said this, he saw that Batov was a little eager to try, so he pointed at him with his hand, "The troops of the 65th Army are still stationed in the city of Warsaw, and even after the defense is handed over to other units, you will need to cooperate with the troops of the 48th Army to destroy the enemy entrenched in the fortress of Modlin." I considered keeping a powerful assault cluster on the left flank of the Front so that I could help Zhukov's troops in the event that they needed support. ”

Knowing that the commanders of this confrontation with the Germans were Fedyuninsky and Volsky, everyone looked at them with envy and felt a trace of regret in their hearts that their troops were not in the area of operation.

"Everyone knows that East Prussia has always been a bridgehead for fascist Germany to invade our country." Rokossovsky continued: "Before any robber is ready to go out to rob his house, he thinks of putting a strong wall around his house so that if the robbery fails, he can escape from danger. In the east of Prussia, a fortress system has been built since ancient times, and it is constantly being improved, so that it is the starting point for the attack of the fascist invaders and a lifeline for the defense.

I would like to remind you that even if we succeed in crushing the German offensive, it is simply impossible to break down this wall, which the Germans have built over many centuries, with our current strength, so we must keep a clear understanding that after repelling the enemy's attack, we will go on the defensive on the spot and wait for the time to come. ”

When Rokossovsky first mentioned the fortress system of East Prussia, Grischen, who was sitting next to Fedyuninsky, was a little eager to suggest to Rokossovsky that after crushing the German offensive, the entire front would immediately switch to a full-scale offensive and capture Königsberg in one fell swoop. But after hearing Rokossovsky's later words, thinking of what he saw and heard after arriving here, he felt that this was indeed not the best time to attack East Prussia, so he obediently closed his mouth and sat quietly in his place.

However, the change in the expression on his face was seen by Trubnikov. As soon as Trubnikov waited for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, he asked Grischen curiously: "General Grischen, I see that you seem to have something to say?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Deputy Commander." Hearing Trubnikov call his name, Grischen quickly got up from his seat and said in a loud voice: "I was going to advise the commander to take the opportunity to attack in the direction of Königsberg after crushing the German offensive. But I now understand that my ideas were too wishful thinking. ”

Rokossovsky glanced down at the map and found that the location of his troops was still very far from Königsberg, as Grischen had said, and even if the troops were strengthened, it would not be possible to get there in a short time. So he asked curiously: "General Grischen, why do you want to attack Königsberg?" You know, this city is not close to our current defense area. ”

"I know, Comrade Marshal." Grischen nodded and continued: "I have received information that the Amber Room that the Germans have looted from near Leningrad may be hidden in Königsberg. ”

As anyone in the Soviet Union knows, the Amber Room was a gift from King Wilhelm I of Prussia to Peter the Great in 1716, and the walls are inlaid with more than six tons of amber and precious jewelry, shining with all the colors of yellow imaginable from lemon yellow to golden red, and the splendor is breathtaking, even if it is called a wonder of the world.

Therefore, when Grischen heard that the Amber Room might have been hidden by the Germans in Königsberg, everyone began to discuss how much such a thing was true. And this matter also aroused the interest of Rokossovsky, he knew that the Amber Room had been missing since it was snatched by the Germans, so he looked at Grischen and asked curiously: "General Grischen, can I ask, where did you get this information, and how reliable is it?" ”

"I heard from an old man in the station who said that the convoy carrying the Amber Room had stayed overnight in his village." Grischen explained to Rokossovsky: "The officer who escorted the car drank at his house, and when he got drunk, he bragged that the car was loaded with a dismantled amber room to be transported to Königsberg. ”