Novikov and Chernyaev did not speak, and when they reached the parking place, Chernyaev turned his head to look, and saw that Rokossovsky was no longer visible, so he opened his mouth to talk about the thing he had just been thinking.

"Comrade General, I don't think the commander intends to hold on to Lublin at all." As soon as Chernyaev's words came out, Novikov was immediately shocked.

"Why?" Novikov asked in surprise.

Chernyaev waved at the driver and fighters standing next to the car, signaling them to move away. When he saw that only he and Novikov were left next to the car, he continued to analyze: "Comrade General, you also know that Lublin is an important logistics supply base for the German army, if it weren't for their negligence, we would have to go through a fierce battle if we wanted to take this place. Once the Germans found out that this area was occupied by our troops, they would send troops to launch a fierce attack on it. Do you think that with our current forces, we can hold off the enemy's attack? ”

"But in addition to ordering General Scherstyuk to build fortifications, the commander also asked us to arrange the old tanks on the position and use them as fixed turrets." Novikov asked, a little confused. "Isn't everything we're doing right now just to stick to Lublin?"

Regardless of what Novikov thinks, Chernyaev still expressed his judgment: "If we withdraw from Lublin without fighting, if the superiors hold them accountable, the commander will not only have no merit, but may be sent to a military court." But if there is a war, there will be an explanation from above and below, and no one will say anything at that time, whether the commander will continue to attack the Germans with us in Poland or return to fight at home. ”

"But if Lublin is reoccupied by the Germans, won't our other mechanized corps be in for a terrible battle when they arrive?" Novikov was puzzled and said: "I think the stakes in this, Comrade Commander should be very clear in his heart. ”

"Other mechanized armies?!" After repeating this sentence, Chernyaev sneered and said: "Comrade General, you are too optimistic about the situation, as far as I know, except for our army, the rest of the mechanized corps are still in the process of advancing to the state border, and with their marching speed, they can reach the state border tomorrow evening, which can be regarded as God blessing." And when they reach the border, it is still unknown whether they will be able to break through the ranks of the German army and penetrate deep into the territory of Poland......"

"Alright, Comrade Colonel." Novikov didn't wait for Chernyaev to finish speaking, and then interrupted him, "I have never talked about the orders of the superior chiefs to others, so please don't say any more." He patted the other man on the shoulder, trying to express his thoughts more accurately: "As for whether to hold on or evacuate next, that is a matter for Comrade Commander to consider." Listen, our task is to go back and arrange manpower and get acquainted with the use of German tanks as soon as possible. Do you understand? ”

Chernyaev did not speak, but raised his hand in salute and turned and walked to his gas. Seeing that his commander was leaving, the driver and the guards who had just been pushed far away ran over, pulled out the door and got into the car. A moment later, the two Gass cars drove in different directions.

Rokossovsky's temporary headquarters was located in the original headquarters of the German army. Not long ago, he had just received a telegram from the Fifth Army, in which Potapov again stressed the significance of holding Lublin, saying that the Front Command would send three mechanized corps to Lublin to join him. But Rokossovsky knew very well in his heart that once he carried out this order, he would put the troops in a situation from which he could never recover. Therefore, he carefully examined the deployment of enemy forces on the captured German map, and secretly calculated in his mind where the troops would go next.

Just as he was looking for attention, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside. The guard, who had been dozing off on a bench by the wall, opened his eyes sharply and pointed the muzzle of the gun in his hand at the door. When he saw that the people who came were the two division commanders Novikov and Chernyaev, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and put away his gun.

Rokossovsky looked up at the two division commanders and asked sternly: "What's the matter?" ”

Novikov and Chernyaev looked at each other, and after exchanging glances with each other, Novikov stepped forward and reported to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, we have a little problem. ”

"Small problem, what small problem?" Rokossovsky frowned, looked at Novikov with a contempt for the matter, and asked dissatisfiedly: "What is the little problem that is worth your two division commanders to personally come to me in the middle of the night to report?" ”

"Military ...... Comrade Commander," Novikov replied, somewhat alarmed, "it was the tanks that went wrong. ”

"What's wrong with the tank?" Hearing him say this, Rokossovsky's heart couldn't help but chuckle, and he hurriedly asked: "Did you listen to someone else's report, or did you go to check it yourself?" ”

"Comrade Commander," Novikov calmed down and reported clearly, "our tank crews, while training, unexpectedly discovered quite a few French tanks. ”

"French tanks?!" Rokossovsky was surprised, he had the impression that in the whole World War II, the French tank belonged to the role of playing soy sauce from beginning to end, but he did not expect it to appear here, so he asked curiously: "How is the performance of the tank, can it compare with our old tanks?" ”

As soon as his words fell, he saw a surprised expression on Novikov's face. Then the other party said cautiously: "Comrade commander, the French tank in the open-air warehouse is the Soma S-35 type, its performance is quite high in mobility among tanks of the same level, and its weapons and armor are even better than the No. 3 tank of the German army. ”

Rokossovsky, who had made a joke, coughed dryly to hide his embarrassment, and then asked: "Since the mobility, weapons, and armor of this tank are superior to other tanks, what are you worried about?" ”

"However, there are no matching shells." Novikov said with a sad face: "As soon as we found that there were French tanks in the middle of the tanks parked in the open warehouse, we immediately sent people to the warehouse to look for matching shells, but we did not find a single shot. ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Chernyaev also stepped forward and echoed: "If tanks do not have shells, no matter how good their mobility and thick armor are, they will only become targets for the enemy on the battlefield." ”

"Is there really no matching shell?" When Rokossovsky spoke, although he saw that both of them were shaking their heads together, he still asked all the words: "Maybe the fighters who went to the warehouse were negligent and did not find a place to place the tank shells." ”

"Comrade Commander." The two said in unison: "After we got the report, we personally went to the warehouse to inspect it, and we really didn't find any matching shells for the S-35 tank." After our inventory, there were a total of one hundred and forty French tanks in the open warehouse. ”

Seeing that they answered so affirmatively, Rokossovsky knew in his heart that what the two said might be true. After walking back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back a few times, he stopped, looked at the two people who were still standing motionless, and said: "Comrade two division commanders, since the French tanks have no shells, they will definitely not be able to go to the battlefield." Let's put explosives in the tanks here, and when we leave, we will blow them all up. At this point, he stared out of the swarthy window and said viciously, "Since we can't get such a good tank, the Germans can't think of it." ”