Without waiting for Vinogorodov to leave, Okorokov walked in, and when he saw that Rokossovsky was assigning tasks, he did not immediately come forward and call a report, so he stood aside without saying a word, and waited patiently.

After Rokossovsky waited for Vinogorodov to leave, he saw Okorokov standing aside, nodded at him, and asked: "Comrade Director of the Political Department, how come you have time to come to me today?" ”

Okorokov hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, and then replied: "Comrade Marshal, something has happened, and I feel that I need to report it to you personally." ”

After beckoning the other party to sit down, Rokossovsky said straight to the point: "If there is anything, just say it and see if I can solve the problem." ”

"That's right, Comrade Marshal." Although he heard Rokossovsky say this, Okorokov said with some hesitation: "Do you remember Major Gavrilov? ”

"Gavrilov?!" Hearing this name, Rokossovsky froze for a moment, and then asked rhetorically: "You mean the last defender of the Brest Fortress?!" ”

"That's right, it's him." Okorokov nodded, indicating that Rokossovsky was right, and then continued: "Didn't you put him in the prisoner of war camp in Betulf and be in charge of managing the prisoner of war camp. I just wanted to talk about what happened after he became the head of the prisoner of war camp. ”

Okorokov came specifically to find him, just for Gavrilov's business, did he cause some big trouble? Thinking of this, Rokossovsky hurriedly asked: "Is there any problem?" ”

"That's right, that's why I'm here today." Okorokov nodded and said in an affirmative tone: "An officer guarding the prisoner of war camp reported to me that Major Gavrilov executed 29 SS prisoners of war on the third day after taking over the prisoner of war camp. ”

"Unauthorized execution of SS prisoners of war?" Rokossovsky frowned and asked: "Comrade Chief of the Political Department, if I am not mistaken, the SS was the most stubborn in battle, and even if they hit the last man, they will never lay down their arms and surrender to us." Where did these SS prisoners of war come from? ”

"These SS prisoners of war were the original guards of the prisoner of war camp." Okorokov replied: "After our troops occupied Betuff, the guards of these prisoner of war camps, who did not have time to escape, became our prisoners and were put in the prisoner of war camps they guarded. ”

Hearing this, Rokossovsky couldn't help but sneer, thinking that this was really a natural cycle, and these SS guards might never have dreamed that one day they would be imprisoned as prisoners of war in the prisoner of war camps they once cared for. He immediately understood that the 29 SS soldiers executed by Gavrilov must have done many evils and unforgivable crimes in the past, and that they were to blame for such a fate, and they could not blame others.

Rokossovsky coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and said to Okorokov: "Comrade Chief of the Political Department, I think that Major Gavrilov must have his reasons for executing these prisoners of war, I wonder if you talked to him?" ”

"I have talked about it," said Okorokov, nodding his head, "and he told me that these prisoners of war had slaughtered quite a few of our prisoners of war in the prisoner of war camps, and that he was just letting them be punished as they deserved." ”

"And what do you think of his approach?" Rokossovsky did not rush to take a stand, but asked tentatively: "For or against?" ”

"Comrade Marshal," Okorokov did not understand what Rokossovsky was thinking, and he could only continue according to his true thoughts: "I think that since the enemy has laid down his arms, they should be forgiven, no matter what sins they have committed before. ”

"Forgive them!" After repeating the last words of Okorokov, Rokossovsky sneered and said: "Some enemies have laid down their arms, and we can forgive them, regardless of what they have done before." But some, especially the SS members, had committed crimes throughout the war that even ten shots were not enough. If, as you say, the enemy lays down his arms, we should forgive them, and if Hitler surrenders to us another day, should we also forgive him for the sins he has committed against peace-loving people all over the world? ”

Rokossovsky's harsh tone made Okorokov speechless. After a long time, Rokossovsky's mood calmed down a little, and he casually asked: "Where is Major Gavrilov?" ”

"Just outside the headquarters," said Okorokov, "because he did not have a business permit, the fighters on duty at the street did not let him in." ”

Rokossovsky raised his hand and pressed the electric bell on the table, and the colonel, who was sitting outside the door, immediately pushed the door and walked in, and asked respectfully: "Comrade Marshal, what instructions do you have?" ”

"Comrade Colonel." Rokossovsky gestured to Okorokov, who was sitting on the side, and said, "There is a Major Gavrilov who came with the head of our political department, but was blocked by our guards and fighters at the corner of the street, you go out to meet him." ”

As Rokossovsky's adjutant, the colonel naturally knew who Gavrilov was, so he hurriedly agreed, turned around and walked out of the office, and went outside to greet Gavrilov.

"Comrade Marshal, good news, good news!" Rokossovsky was about to have a few small talks with Okorokov when Bogolyubov suddenly rushed in from the war room and said emotionally: "Our army has occupied Danzig!" ”

"Capture Danzig?!" Hearing this, Rokossovsky couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, and then asked: "Is it symbolically occupied, or is it the whole city?" ”

"Of course you took the whole city." Bogolyubov said with great emotion: "Batov has just called me to tell me that he and General Fedyuninsky's troops have taken control of the entire city. ”

Rokossovsky had thought that it would take a day or two at the earliest for his troops to fully capture the city, but this sudden victory caught him off guard. To find out what was going on, he walked briskly to his desk, picked up the phone and dialed Batov's headquarters.

As soon as the phone called, he asked straight to the point: "General Batov, you said that you and Fedyuninsky's troops have already occupied the whole city of Danzig, is this news reliable?" ”

"Completely reliable, Comrade Marshal." After hearing that it was Rokossovsky's voice, Batov also replied excitedly: "My troops and Fedyuninsky's troops have captured the German commander of the city defense and taken control of the entire city. The remnants of the enemy, who refused to surrender to our troops, are now fleeing towards the swamps at the mouth of the Vistula, and I have sent troops in pursuit. ”

"That's wonderful, General Batov." Rokossovsky has always trusted Batov, and he unreservedly believed his statement, and hurriedly instructed: "You must settle the battle as soon as possible and destroy those enemies who are stubbornly resisting to the end." The liberation of Danzig and Gdynia meant that our fighting in East Pomerania would come to an end, and we would then be able to draw our forces west to take part in the attack on Berlin. Fupin Chinese