Before the gas car drove over, he was politely stopped by the soldiers on duty. Tang Shaohua and Maslov got out of the car and asked the driver to drive the car to the parking lot, and then the two walked towards the place where many commanders gathered.

Fedyuninsky and the others saw their old friend get out of the car and hurriedly greeted him. Because Tang Shaohua inherited all the memories of Rokossovsky, he recognized the three generals who came towards them at a glance, namely the commander of the infantry corps Fedyuninsky, the commander of the mechanized corps Kondrushev, and the commander of the cavalry corps Kamkov.

Because it was the first time that a senior general in the army had been in contact, Tang Shaohua seemed so excited that when he shook hands with them one by one, no matter how his hands were trembling slightly, even his voice became hoarse because of nervousness.

Tang Shaohua's abnormal behavior was noticed by the discerning Fedyuninsky, who frowned and asked: "Dear Konstantin Konstantinovich, I think something seems to be wrong with you today, is something wrong?" ”

When Tang Shaohua was thinking about how to answer Fedyuninsky's question, Maslov next to him relieved him in time: "Comrade General, you may not know that the army commander accidentally fell before he came to Lutsk, so his current mental state is not very good. ”

Hearing this, the short and fat Kondrusev hurriedly asked with concern: "What happened, why did you wrestle inexplicably?" ”

Tang Shaohua hurriedly followed Maslov's words and said: "Actually, it's nothing, it's just for this exercise, I'm so anxious." After assigning tasks to the three division commanders today, when they walked out of the headquarters, they suddenly felt that it was dark in front of them, and they didn't know anything. ”

Fedyuninsky walked over and grabbed Tang Shaohua's shoulders and comforted him: "I said Comrade Rokossovsky, there is no need to be so anxious, this exercise is just a test of the training level of various units after the new commander of the military region, Kirponos, took office, and it is not a big deal." Speaking of this, he looked left and right and asked curiously, "By the way, what about your division commanders, where did they go?" ”

"Where else can I go?" At this moment, Tang Shaohua's mood had stabilized, he shrugged his shoulders, and said in Rokossovsky's tone: "Colonel Kalinin, commanding his troops, is marching towards Lutsk on foot; And Major General Novikov's 35th Tank Division, and Colonel Katukov's 20th Tank Division, were moving along the road towards the border. ”

Hearing Tang Shaohua mention Katukov's name, Kondrushev next to him came over and whispered: "Comrade Rokossovsky, if I remember correctly, Colonel Katukov was out of the limelight in an exercise a few years ago. This time there is a new commander, and if he tries to be in the limelight again, he may be criticized. ”

"Showy?" Tang Shaohua was confused by Kondrusev's words, and he asked in confusion: "What is Colonel Katukov in the limelight?" ”

"Bury the car as a bridge!" Fedyuninsky said briefly.

Before Tang Shaohua could ask what "burying a car as a bridge" was, a lieutenant officer in a straight uniform walked out of the building, stood on the high steps, and shouted to the commanders standing outside: "Comrade commanders, there is a meeting, please come in!" ”

This sentence was like an order to attack to all the commanders outside the building. In an instant, the commanders, no matter where they were standing, all walked quickly to the steps and rushed towards the building.

Fedyuninsky's hand holding Tang Shaohua's shoulder did not let go, and the two stood aside, waiting for most of the people to go in, and then walked into the building side by side.

When Tang Shaohua walked into the conference room, he was stunned by the luxurious decoration inside. The roof is a handful of huge gilded crystal chandeliers, the windows are draped with dark red velvet curtains, and in the middle of the room is a long oak conference table with a well-made white tablecloth.

Around the conference table, there were general-level commanders, and those colonel-level officers sat on chairs against the wall. When Tang Shaohua was hesitating what to do, he was pulled to the table by Fedyuninsky and found a place to sit down. After taking a seat, Tang Shaohua also saw Fedyuninsky take off the military hat on his head, put it on the table in a dignified manner, and pointed the brim of the hat at himself. He did the same, took off his military hat and put it on the table.

Tang Shaohua looked left and right, and saw that the commanders around him were whispering to each other, so he approached Fedyuninsky, and just wanted to ask him what he thought of the exercise plan, when a loud announcement suddenly came from the door: "The commander has arrived!" ”

With this voice, the room suddenly became silent, and the commanders, who were still talking in a low voice, got up from their seats in unison, and stood still in place, waiting for the arrival of Commander Kirponos.

A burly middle-aged officer walked briskly into the conference room with his hands behind his back. He paused at the door, and when he saw his subordinates standing straight, he bowed his head slightly and walked briskly to his table. Behind him, there were two senior commanders, the officer on the left, who was not tall, had a mustache, and wore the badge of a political worker, was Vashukin, a military commissar of the military region and a division-level political commissar; And the lieutenant general on the right, who is of medium stature, wears a pair of glasses and has a serious expression, is the chief of staff, Pulkaev.

When Kilponos had finished his seat, he raised his hands and pressed down sharply, and announced majestically: "Commanders, sit down!" ”

Following his order, the commanders, who had been standing straight, sat down again, but all of them sat upright in their seats. Tang Shaohua stared at the chubby general opposite, still thinking in his heart: Who is this general? Why can't Rokossovsky find him in his memory?

At this moment, Tang Shaohua heard the deep voice of Kirponos in the room: "Comrade commanders, since everyone has arrived, let's have a meeting." Then he instructed Pulkaev, who was sitting on his right, "Comrade Chief of Staff, announce the plan of the exercise to everyone." ”

Pulkaev nodded, stood up and walked over to the map that was covered by a curtain on the wall. He opened the curtain, pointed to the map with a commentary stick, and after slowly looking around at the audience, he began to explain the arrangement of the exercise: "...... The task of the 19th Mechanized Army, which is directly subordinate to the Military District, is to enter Volynsky, west of Lutsk, and to establish a solid defensive line by stationing the fortifications of the region......"

After Pulkaev finished explaining the tasks of the 19th Mechanized Army, the fat general opposite Tang Shaohua stood up abruptly and agreed loudly: "Yes!" Then he sat down again.

Then Tang Shaohua heard Pulkaev mention the number of the Ninth Mechanized Army, and quickly got up from his seat and quietly listened to the deployment of the exercise. Pulkaev took one look at him and continued: "...... Your 131st Motorized Infantry Division builds fortifications to the west of Lutsk and establishes a solid defensive position. The 20th and 35th Tank Divisions, on the other hand, went north along the road to Cowell and blocked the enemy's possible route of advance......"

After Pulkaev finished speaking, Tang Shaohua also agreed loudly, and then sat in his place. Although the expression on his face did not change, his heart was full of disdain for this exercise plan, and his heart said that such an exercise was like a child's house, and it had no practical meaning at all. However, these complaints, he only thought about it in his heart, and he would not say it at all, and when the exercise was successfully concluded in a few days, it would be a happy ending for all.