Kirponos glanced at Vashukin with a worried look, sighed softly, handed the telegram in his hand to the other party, and continued to Pulkaev: "The Germans have discovered that the gap in our front is in Dubno, and now they are increasing the investment of troops in the region, how can we stop them?" ”

Pulkaev replied with a serious expression: "The mechanized corps to which the front army belongs has almost all been defeated, and even if we move to the defense of the whole front, we will not be able to change the unfavorable status quo of the year." ”

"Commander, chief of staff," Bagramyan cautiously reminded, "if Lieutenant General Ryabesev's 8th Mechanized Corps and Rokossovsky's 9th Mechanized Corps can be assembled and counterattacked where the enemy is weak, perhaps a miracle will happen." ”

"Colonel Baghramyan," Pulkaev retorted unceremoniously: "the casualties of these two mechanized corps are not small at the moment, and even if they are concentrated, they will not be able to deal a major blow to the enemy without air cover." After saying this, he glanced at Vashukin again, to see if the other party would refute what he had said.

But his worries were apparently unnecessary, and Vashukin was now looking at the telegram from Lukin over and over again and again, deaf to the conversation of several men. He was immersed in the illusion that Rokossovsky's troops, as long as they threw themselves into a counteroffensive, would be able to crush the enemy's offensive and drive them across the border.

Seeing Vashukin's unusual behavior, Kirponos coughed, and then asked politely: "Comrade Military Commissar, do you have any views on our next strategic deployment?" ”

"Opinion, what opinion?" Vashukin, who had been interrupted from his train of thought, looked up at Kirponos in front of him, and asked with a blank expression: "Comrade commander, are you asking me?" ”

Kirponos patiently explained to Vashukin: "The current situation on the battlefield is very unfavorable for us, and I would like to ask your opinion to see what we can do next?" ”

"Needless to say, of course, it's a counterattack. In accordance with the orders of the General Staff, a full-scale counterattack was launched against the enemy in the area of Dubno. When Vashukin said this, he raised the telegram in his hand above his head and said excitedly: "How can we, those of us who have taught our commanders and fighters to have a highly offensive spirit, turn to passive defense in the first few days after the start of the war and surrender the initiative on the battlefield to the aggressor without resistance, which will cause irreparable spiritual damage to the morale of our troops." I propose to immediately put Rokossovsky's 9th Mechanized Corps into battle, they will certainly be able to crush the Germans in the Dubno area. ”

"Comrade Military Commissar, what you said is unrealistic." Pulkaev said unceremoniously: "The three divisions under Rokossovsky are currently fighting in three different areas. Although we understand that by doing so, we are spreading our clenched fists and making the forces that strike the enemy weak. However, there is no way, we can only use the limited number of troops, so we can only use the Ninth Mechanized Army, which is strong in combat effectiveness. ”

"And where is Lieutenant General Yabeshev's 8th Mechanized Army?" Vashukin continued: "Don't they have thousands of combat vehicles? If they were thrown into battle together with Rokossovsky's troops, I don't think the enemy would be able to stop us from such a powerful force......"

Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden sound of hurried footsteps came from the door, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The first to enter was the major on duty at the door, followed by a commander whose face was blackened by gunsmoke. I only heard the major say loudly: "Report, from the Eighth Mechanized Army came the political deputy commander of the 12th Tank Division, regimental political commissar Melkov!" When he had finished his report, the major leaned to one side and took a step back, making way for the commander who was following closely behind him.

Melkov walked unhurriedly in front of Kirponos, raised his hand and saluted, and said in a deep voice: "Report to Comrade Commander, the 8th Mechanized Corps has been crushed, and the rest are surrounded in the forests of the Dubno region. ”

Everyone was taken aback by hearing the bad news, and then Kirponos nervously asked: "Where is Major General Mishanin, the commander of the 12th Tank Division?" ”

Melkov looked into the eyes of Kirponos and calmly replied: "Sacrificed!" ”

Kirponos raised his voice and asked, "Where is the commander of the 34th Tank Division?" ”

Melkov was silent for a moment, then replied in a deep voice: "Sacrificed!" ”

When Kirponos heard this, it was as if all his strength had been drained. He slumped limply in his chair, staring at the map in front of him in a daze. To tell the truth, when Vashukin mentioned the Eighth Mechanized Army just now, he was indeed moved, and planned to take a risk, combine the Eighth and Ninth Mechanized Corps, and launch another attack on the German army in Dubno, to see if there was a chance to turn the tide of the war. But now the Eighth Mechanized Army has almost been wiped out, and the Ninth Mechanized Army is also scattered in three different places, and it is impossible to complete the assembly in a short time. This risky plan of his own died before he could start to implement it.

And the person who was hit hardest by this bad news was none other than the military commissar Vashukin, who put down the telegram in his hand, walked around the conference table with a blank expression, and walked towards the door step by step. With the exception of Kirponos, who was in a daze, everyone stared at him with strange stares until his back disappeared from the doorway.

Bagramyan was hesitating whether to leave Vashukin alone and reported to Kirponos when a dull burst of gunfire rang out outside the door.

When the shots rang out, the rest of the group stood still, except for the major, who was standing in the middle of the room, who immediately ran out to see what had happened. But everyone knew in their hearts that this should be Vashukin, who could not withstand the huge psychological impact, and shot himself.

Kirponos also heard the gunshots outside, and after a moment of silence for his colleague, he sighed and then announced: "Commanders, we have no choice but to retreat, to the original fortified line of defense, and to order the troops to block the enemy on the spot. At the same time, inform the fortified areas of Kyiv and prepare for all battles. ”

Rokossovsky, who was far away in Shepetovka, had no way of knowing what was happening at the Front Command, and he was directing the troops to prepare for air defense, because German bomber groups had appeared over the city.