The staff of the headquarters arranged accommodation for Zhukov and me in an ensuite with a bathroom.

Zhukov pointed to the inner room and said, "Leda, you can live in that room." I live outside this one. Without waiting for me to say anything, he turned to the staff who came in with us and said, "Bring me a map and bring the phone line to my room." ”

Is it appropriate to live under the same roof as Zhukov? I stood in the room and hesitated for a moment, but finally walked into my own room. The furnishings in my room were simple, except for a table and a bed, there was no furniture left. I put my submachine gun on the table, took off my military coat and hung it on the wall, and sat on the edge of the bed and took off my boots.

I ran outside for a day today, and although I spent most of my time in the car, I still felt physically and mentally exhausted after experiencing such a thrilling experience. I just wanted to lie down and rest, but I didn't expect to fall asleep at once.

I woke up hungry in the middle of the night and got up to find something to eat. When he was about to pull the door out of the house, he suddenly remembered that Zhukov lived outside, so going out would not disturb his rest, right? I want to wait until dawn to go out, but I can't stand the hunger, and I don't seem to have eaten anything for a whole day.

I gently opened the door and was surprised to find that the room was brightly lit, and Zhukov was sitting at the table looking at the map, and it seemed that he had not rested until now. Hearing the sound of me opening the door, he didn't raise his head and said, "Lida, you're awake, go and pour me a cup of tea." ”

"Yes." I quickly said yes and ran outside to find someone.

There were soldiers on duty outside the door, and when they saw me coming out, they immediately stood up and saluted me. I walked up to him and asked him, "Can you help me find something to eat and pour me a cup of tea?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Major!" He said yes and ran away. Looking at his back, I felt a little strange, how did he know that I was a major? Looking down, it turned out that he was not wearing the soldier's military coat, so the rank of major on the summer coat was clear at a glance.

It didn't take long for the warrior to come over with a tray with what I needed. He handed me the tray and opened the door for me. I thanked him and walked into the room with the tray. Teacups, teapots, saucers with fine sugar, plates with military rusks, and sliced cooked pork were placed on the table.

Zhukov looked up at me and said with satisfaction: "Thank you, Lida." Let's sit down and have a bite to eat. ”

I was already hungry enough, and I would not be polite to him, so I sat down on the chair next to me, picked up a piece of rusk, and began to nibble.

"Leda," said Zhukov, "I have just received a call from Comrade Stalin that three anti-aircraft artillery regiments have been transferred from Moscow overnight to our Borodino Line. ”

"Is it to strengthen air defense?" I asked inarticulate with rusk in my mouth.

"No, not for air defense, these anti-aircraft guns are used to strengthen our anti-tank forces." He continued in an appreciative tone: "In the case of a serious shortage of anti-tank weapons in our army, the method of hitting tanks with this anti-aircraft gun invented by you is very effective on the battlefield. ”

I smiled and didn't speak, to be honest, it seems that I have watched so many World War II movies and novels before, and it is still very useful, at least Rommel's trick against the British army, I can use it against the German army.

Zhukov went on to say: "Our army suffered huge losses in the war, and morale inevitably suffered. Do you have any good ways to boost morale? ”

"Military parade." I answered him almost without thinking.

"Military parade?!" He frowned and asked puzzledly, "What military parade?" ”

"The traditional military parade of the October Revolution Day!" When I recalled the blood-boiling military parade scene that I witnessed in Red Square in later generations, I was also a little excited, "Although the enemy soldiers are approaching the city, our leaders still calmly hold a grand military parade ceremony on Red Square, what a great encouragement to the morale of the people!" ”

"Red Square parade?" Zhukov listened to my words and began to think. I saw that he didn't speak, so I hurried to eat, lest I would not be able to eat again when I could speak.

"Where did the troops for the parade come from? And what about the evacuation of these troops after the parade? "He was talking to himself and asking me." Moreover, the German air raids on Moscow were almost never stopped, and so many troops were concentrated in a small area, and if they were discovered and attacked by the enemy's air force, they would suffer heavy losses. At that time, not only will it fail to achieve the purpose of boosting morale, but it will have the opposite effect. ”

"The troops can be transferred from several aspects, one is the reserve unit transferred from the rear, the second is the unit directly under the Moscow Military District, and the third is the unit from the front line to form a temporary unit to be reviewed." As a traveler of later generations, I am very well aware of the role and far-reaching impact of this military parade, so I would like to do my best to promote this military parade on the October Revolution Day. "Air defense is not a big problem, let the air force increase the density of patrols over Moscow, and shorten the duration of the parade, so that even if the Luftwaffe gets the information, by the time they arrive, the parade is over. As for the evacuation of the troops...... I paused deliberately, took a sip from the teacup on the table, and then said slowly: "Let's prepare a large number of trucks on the banks of the Moscow River first, and after the troops reach the river through Red Square, they will get on the cars and drive directly to the front. ”

Zhukov listened to me, stood up without saying a word, and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. I know that my proposal is very tempting to him, and that he will never object to it, and that he is considering how to present it to the Supreme Commander in appropriate terms, and to make an effort to put it into practice.

Zhukov stopped in the room, picked up the phone on the table, dialed a set of numbers, and said: "I'm Zhukov, help me pick up Marshal Shaposhnikov." ......After a while, I heard him say again: "Comrade Marshal, I have a proposal that you would like to convey to Comrade Stalin after daybreak......"

When he called, I went back to my room in amusement. One is that his level is too low, and there are many things that should not be known, even if he knows the Dao, he can only pretend not to know the Dao, even if he is the initiator. The second is that after a day of running outside during the day, my clothes and boots are dirty and muddy, and I should wash them.

For the next few days, Zhukov did not assign me any specific work. That being said, I was too embarrassed to be idle, so I could only make a temporary cameo as a signal soldier and waiter. Every day, I helped him send orders to various departments of the headquarters, and then brought back all kinds of reports from various departments. When it's time to eat, go to the restaurant to help him come back with the food and finish it with him. This situation remained until October 12.

After we finished breakfast, Zhukov suddenly said: "Leda, have you been stuffy in the house for the past few days?" If you continue like this, you're going to gain weight, and for the sake of your figure, it's time for us to go for a walk today! ”

So I immediately cleaned up the cutlery on the table, handed it to the fighters on duty outside, and then returned to the room, put on a military coat, put on a submachine gun, and left the headquarters after him in the image of Zhukov's female bodyguard.

We were still in the same car from the other day, the broken window glass had been replaced with a new one, and the trunk lid had been welded and repainted. Getting into the car, the driver didn't speak, and started the car directly, it seems that he already knows where we are going.

I looked behind me, and it was still just us, with no other guards with us. After experiencing what happened last time, I felt a little uneasy, and I couldn't help but ask worriedly: "Comrade General, don't we bring guards?" ”

"Lida, aren't you the best guard?!" Zhukov joked at me, and then said: "This section of the road is behind our lines, there will be no more German tanks, you don't have to worry." ”

Hearing him say this, I can be relieved, after all, Zhukov is not only a famous general, but also a lucky general, he has never been injured in the war, and there should be no problem with his safety.

The car drove to a stop in front of a tent in the forest, and the soldiers standing guard at the gate watched us get out of the car, quickly stood up and saluted, and said to Zhukov: "Comrade General, the commander of the 16th Army is in the tent. ”

Zhukov nodded and walked straight in, followed by me.

The space in the tent is high, so you can stand up straight once you go inside. As soon as we entered, the few people who had been sitting inside immediately stood up. Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, who I was familiar with, immediately walked over, saluted Zhukov and said: "Comrade General, the commanders of the 16th Army are in a meeting, please instruct." ”

"I'll see how you're ready," Zhukov asked, looking at the other people in the tent, "who are the others?" ”

A general in a black cloak reported loudly: "I am the commander of the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps. ”

Then the mustache in the khaki short fur coat also reported: "I am Major General Pan Feiluo, commander of the 316th Infantry Division from Central Asia and West Asia. ”

At the end of the line was a handsome officer in a blue cotton coat who reported: "I am Colonel Porosushy, commander of the 32nd Far Eastern Red Banner Infantry Division, and the whole division is fully equipped and ready to fight. ”