Just as Rokossovsky and the others were standing in the doorway and heard the relish, the curtain was lifted from the inside, and a wave of heat rushed in front of them. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoA soldier who was about to walk outside couldn't help but be stunned on the spot when he suddenly saw several high-level commanders standing at the door, especially a general.

However, he quickly came back to his senses, and hurriedly raised his hand to his forehead to salute the commander, and at the same time turned his head and shouted inside: "Comrade first-class political instructor, there are several senior commanders here!" ”

Following the shouts of the warriors, out of the shelter came an officer of medium stature, round face, wearing a short fur coat in khaki and without a military cap. When he saw a general and two political workers standing at the entrance of the shelter department, he asked in a respectful and appropriate tone: "Who are you, comrades commanders?" ”

Rokossovsky looked at the rank of political worker on the other party's collar badge, and recognized at a glance that this was the Krochkov he wanted to know, so he replied with a smile: "I am Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, commander of the group army, comrade political instructor of the first class, who are you?" ”

Hearing that this was the commander of the group army, the commanders and fighters standing nearby hurriedly stood upright, held their chests, and saluted. After raising his hand to salute Rokossovsky, Krochkov sideways lifted the curtain next to him, and at the same time made a gesture of invitation: "Comrade commander, it's too cold outside, please come in!" ”

Rokossovsky glanced at Lobachev, who was standing next to him, and then followed Crochkov down a staircase that led deep underground. In the shelter built of logs, there were originally more than a dozen commanders and fighters, but when they saw a few big people coming in from outside, they also got up from their seats, raised their hands and saluted, and consciously retreated without waiting for an order.

In the middle of the shelter was a stove with a chimney, and the firewood in it was buriant, making the room look extra warm. Rokossovsky, having sat down on a stake by the hearth, smiled and said to Crochkov: "Comrade political instructor, it's quite warm here." ”

Hearing Rokossovsky say this, Krokokov smiled, and then explained: "This is the warming room for the fighters, and when they feel that they can't stand the cold outside, they will come here to warm up." ”

Rokossovsky turned his head and saw Lobachev and Romanov also sitting separately, so he pointed to the two and introduced Krochkov and said: "Let me introduce to you, this is Comrade Lobachev, military commissar of the group army, and next to him is Comrade Romanov, director of the political department, and the two of them are responsible for the political and ideological work in the group army. ”

After listening to Rokossovsky's introduction, Crochkov hurriedly got up again and saluted his two top bosses one by one.

After Lobachev beckoned Crochkov to sit down, he asked with a smile: "Comrade Crochkov, we were just at the door, as if we heard you giving a lecture to the commanders and fighters." ”

Crochkov said with some embarrassment: "Comrade Military Commissar, I just chatted with the fighters and told them a little about the history of Ukraine. ”

Crochkov's words aroused great interest in Lobachev, who curiously asked: "Why talk about Ukraine?" Knowing that we are fighting to defend Moscow, we should tell them about the history of Russia, if we do. ”

"That's right, Comrade Military Commissar." Crochkov said politely: "Our fighters are all from Kazakhstan, and they are relatively unfamiliar with the history of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, and I plan to use my free time to tell them all about this history one by one, so that they can really understand what we are fighting for." ……”

Crochkov was worthy of being a political worker, and when he talked about his profession, he talked endlessly, and Lobachev listened with relish, and took advantage of the other party's pause to ask a few questions.

While the group was chatting speculatively, Rokossovsky suddenly heard someone coming in from outside, and quickly turned his head to look behind him, only to see a major hurrying down the steps. Seeing Rokossovsky sitting next to the stove, they hurriedly stopped, raised their hands and saluted and reported: "Comrade commander, Major Amin of the 1075th Infantry Regiment reports to you!" ”

Crochkov stood up and introduced Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, this commander of our 1st battalion, Major Amin, before you came, he was holding on to the construction of fortifications on the positions of the 1st company. ”

After listening to Crochkov's introduction, Rokossovsky shook the major's hand and asked amicably: "Major, you just returned from the front, right?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Amin asked respectfully, "I heard a report from the soldiers below that you had come to inspect my camp, so I rushed back immediately. ”

"Comrade battalion commander," Krochkov next to him immediately asked with concern after the hands of the two others loosened their hands: "Have you reported to the division commander and political commissar?" ”

"Report, they'll be over soon."

As soon as Amin finished speaking, he heard someone outside asking loudly, "Is Comrade Commander inside?" ”

"It's General Panfilov, right?!" Rokossovsky heard that the person talking outside was Panfilov, so he called out loudly: "Come in!" ”

As soon as the curtain was raised, Panfilov, dressed in a khaki short fur coat, and his commissar Yegorov, walked down the steps one after the other. The two came to Rokossovsky and Lobachev and respectfully saluted a solemn military salute.

After Rokossovsky returned the salute to the two, he remembered that Lobachev had not yet met Panfilov, so he introduced them to each other. When everyone was seated again, Rokossovsky asked: "General Panfilov, how are your fortifications doing?" ”

"Comrade Commander," said Panfilov, somewhat embarrassed by Rokossovsky's question, "you also know that we now have a serious shortage of military supplies, not only not enough mines, but even a serious shortage of barbed wire. In this case, it is difficult to build standard fortifications according to the regulations. ”

"Let's go, Comrade General, take us to see the fortifications you have built." After Rokossovsky said this, he turned his head to look at Amin and Crochkov, shook his head, and said decisively: "You guys go too." ”

Half an hour later, the group came to the forefront of the division. Rokossovsky stood in the trench and raised his binoculars to look ahead. I saw that more than a hundred meters away from the trench, there were rows of wooden stakes holding barbed wire. Further on, there is a dense patch of wooden piles more than half a meter high.

"Comrade General," Rokossovsky put down his binoculars, pointed to the location of the barbed wire, and asked Panfilov: "Is that your mine-laying zone?" ”

"Yes," Panfilov hurriedly replied, "because we have limited mines, we have to lay minefields behind barbed wire." In this way, the attacking enemy, having crossed the barbed wire, will immediately enter our minefield. ”

Rokossovsky raised his binoculars again, looked at the dense wooden stakes in front of the barbed wire, and asked puzzledly: "Comrade General, what are those wooden stakes for?" ”

Hearing Rokossovsky's question, Panfilov said with a wry smile: "Comrade commander, due to the fact that the rain made the land muddy, we simply could not dig enough anti-tank trenches in a short time, so we had to drive stakes into the soil and use them as anti-tank barriers. ”

Rokossovsky did not comment on this interpretation of Panfilov. He turned the lens of his telescope farther away, a dense forest, through which an improvised road was cut.

Panfilov, perceiving the point of Rokossovsky's observations, hurriedly explained: "Comrade commander, that forest is more than three kilometers away from me, and if the enemy wants to attack our defense area, it is necessary to gather troops there. ”

After Panfilov finished speaking, Rokossovsky put down his binoculars again, turned to look at the other party and asked: "Comrade general, I want to ask you, if the Germans launch a fierce attack on you, will you be able to hold your position?" ”

To Rokossovsky's question, Panfilov smiled and did not say a word, but turned his head to look at his commissar. Yegorov hurriedly stepped forward and replied loudly: "Comrade commander, please rest assured, as long as there is still one soldier alive in the 316th Infantry Division, we will definitely not allow the fascist aggressors to pass through our positions." ”

"Well said, well said!" Hearing Yegorov's bold words, Lobachev stepped forward and patted the other party's shoulder and said with emotion: "Since you are so confident as the leaders of the division, I believe that you will definitely achieve good results in the next battle." ”

Panfilov asked Rokossovsky in a low voice: "Comrade commander, it has been the second day since we were stationed here, but we have not seen the Germans yet, and I don't know when they will attack?" ”

"What, Comrade General, are you in a hurry?" After Rokossovsky teased, he restrained the smile on his face and said to Panfilov: "The troops besieged by the Germans in Vyazma, except for a few that managed to break through the encirclement, the rest were wiped out by the Germans. In two days at most, the Germans will launch an onslaught on your place. Do you have a way to stop them in the face of their tanks and motorized troops? ”

In response to Rokossovsky's question, Panfilov thought for a moment, and then said confidently: "Don't worry, comrade commander, in addition to one artillery regiment, each infantry battalion is equipped with ten anti-tank rifles, which is enough to deal with the German tanks. ”

Although he knew that Panfilov's troops had stubbornly held their positions in the face of German attacks several times their size, Rokossovsky still said uneasily: "Comrade General, you must not take it lightly. I estimate that the Germans will certainly attack you with a large number of tank forces in order to achieve the goal of quickly occupying the Volokolamsk-Moscow road. You must resolutely crush the enemy's attack at all costs. ”

"Yes!" Panfilov agreed very dryly.

Rokossovsky was about to call Lobachev to leave, when he suddenly remembered that in twenty days, it would be the October Revolution, and the commanders and fighters of the 316th Infantry Division were one of the phalanxes in the troops he consulted. So he stopped again, lowered his voice and said to Panfilov: "Comrade General, there is another gossip I want to tell you. At the beginning of next month, the 24th anniversary of the great October Revolution, I expect that there will definitely be a military parade. Units that perform well on the battlefield have a chance to become a reference unit. Do you understand? ”

"But, Comrade Commander." After hearing this, Panfilov said in disbelief: "The German army is only two or three hundred kilometers away from Moscow, and in this case, the Great October Revolution Day will be celebrated and a military parade will be held?" ”

Rokossovsky smiled slightly, pretending to be mysterious: "Don't worry, Comrade General, I said that a military parade will be held, and it will definitely be held." You better command your troops to hold off the German attack. When the higher authorities want to transfer troops, I will give priority to your division. ”

When he heard that his newly formed unit had the opportunity to participate in the military parade on Red Square, Panfilov's eyes suddenly lit up. After taking a deep breath, he raised his voice and said to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, please rest assured that no matter what scale the enemy attacks our defensive positions, we will definitely not let them move forward. ”

Lobachev felt particularly strange when he saw Panfilov's performance as if he had been beaten with chicken blood. On the way back to the headquarters, he asked Rokossovsky curiously: "Comrade commander, what exactly did you say to General Panfilov, and why was he so excited as if he had been beaten with chicken blood?" ”

When Rokossovsky saw that there were only himself, Lobachev and Romanov, as well as the trustworthy driver, he said confidently and boldly: "I just told him that if the troops perform well in battle, when the October Revolution Day comes, I will send personnel from his troops to participate in the military parade." ”

"What, to go to the parade on Red Square?" Lobachev was stunned by Rokossovsky's earth-shattering idea. He stared at Rokossovsky blankly for a long time before he spoke: "Comrade commander, the situation under Moscow is so dangerous now, I think that the supreme leadership organs may be evacuated at any time, how can a military parade be held as in previous years?" ”

"Comrade Military Commissar, this is my intuition." Rokossovsky, of course, could not have told Lobachev that next month's military parade on Red Square had gone down in history as the proudest page of the Russian nation, and could only say vaguely: "I think the Supreme Command will do everything possible to block the advance of the German army towards Moscow." As long as the Germans don't put their feet on the streets of Moscow, the festivities will continue as usual. At this, he turned his head and glanced at where Panfilov and the others were standing, and then said categorically: "And we, the brave soldiers, will go down in history for their immortal exploits in the defense of Moscow." (To be continued.) )