When Povsky called the artillery deployed in the third direction, Colonel Bere, who had already received the order, finally came to the headquarters. Looking at Belé, who was belated, Kirillov reproached him in the tone of an old friend: "Comrade Colonel, Comrade Deputy Commander called you, it was already several hours ago. Why are you here now? ”

Colonel Bere's old face turned red, and he replied a little embarrassedly: "As soon as I left the corps headquarters, I met the commander of the 101st Tank Brigade who came to me, saying that their brigade had ten new tanks and asked me to take a look. Therefore, it was delayed. After explaining the reason, he looked at me pitifully and waited for me to make a statement.

According to my original intention, I wanted to reproach him, but seeing his pitiful appearance, I waved my hand and said magnanimously: "Forget it, Comrade Colonel, I hope you won't delay for so long next time after receiving a call from the headquarters, understand?" ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Seeing that I didn't blame him, Bere's face immediately showed a happy expression. After a moment, he asked, "I don't know if you have any important instructions for me to come to my headquarters?" ”

"Comrade Colonel," I gestured to the empty seat at the table, motioned for him to sit down, and said to him with a serious expression, "our great battle with the Germans may soon begin." ”

"Going to war with the Germans?" When Bere, who had just sat down, heard my words, he immediately jumped up from the table and asked urgently, "When and in what place?" ”

"According to the latest information we have, tomorrow at three o'clock in the morning, Manstein's troops will be from the south. Launch a fierce assault on the defensive strips of our army. "Considering that his tank corps will show its might in battle. I then asked: "Is the tank corps now re-equipped?" ”

"Report to Comrade Commander." Bere replied solemnly: "At present, the tank army has a total of 120 new tanks. There were 60 T-34 tanks, and some of the old tanks that had been eliminated and had not had time to be transported away, so they were handed over to the tank crews as target vehicles. ”

"Have all the troops formed combat effectiveness?" I pressed on.

"Comrade commander, please rest assured that our tank crews have rich experience in driving and combat, and the speed at which they can master this new type of tank is very fast." Beray said with some pride: "Last time, the two tank companies easily wiped out the German armored detachment, including the Tiger tank. If a real war breaks out. My tank army can easily annihilate tanks equal to our number on the plains. ”

"Comrade Colonel, there is an old Chinese saying that 'arrogant soldiers will be defeated.'" Seeing that Colonel Bere was a little carried away, I reminded him: "Although we have won a battle, it does not mean that we are far superior to the Germans. In the next battles, there will be even more brutal battles between us and the Germans. ”

"Comrade Commander, I have an idea." Colonel Bere suddenly restrained the smile on his face and said to me with a serious expression: "In order to prevent our army's defense line from being broken by the Germans, I propose to deploy tank units in the second and third lines of defense. All moved behind the first line of defense. ”

"Colonel, what is your reason for doing this?" Danilov heard this. I couldn't help but interject and ask.

"Comrade Deputy Commander, that's it." To Danilov's question, Beray cautiously replied: "I am also just in case, if the Germans break through the first line of defense of our army, then the tank units deployed behind the line of defense can carry out a counterattack on the Germans and drive the enemy back." ”

I understand why Bere is so cautious, saying that our line of defense is likely to be broken by the Germans, which is equivalent to saying that the line of defense that we have spent so much time and energy on will not be able to stop the enemy at all. Well, to put it well, this is a ridiculous idea; To put it mildly, it's a manifestation of defeatism.

In order to prevent Beray from becoming cautious because he was too cautious and affecting his command ability, I smiled and comforted him and said: "You have a good idea, all the tanks of the Bu Tank Army are deployed behind the first line of defense, which can indeed block the enemy's surprise attack and make it difficult for them to advance." But in doing so, we will pay a huge toll. ”

After listening to my words, Colonel Bere said solemnly: "As long as you can hold your ground and prevent the Germans from taking a single step, it will be worth the sacrifice." ”

"It is an honor to dedicate oneself to the motherland. And we can't arbitrarily let the commanders and fighters make senseless sacrifices for the sake of this so-called honor. After I said this, I glanced at Danilov deliberately, fearing that he would refute my point of view, and seeing that he was just sitting at the table without saying a word, I continued: "The first line of defense, we only need to hold those few key positions, as for the rest of the line, if the Germans want to break through, let them break through, there is no need to make any counterattacks, and fight them hard." ”

"Comrade Commander, may I ask, why is this?" After listening to what I said, Danilov did not speak, Kirillov did not speak, and even Berey did not speak, except Nekrasov, who was standing next to him, asked strangely: "Do you just watch the enemy break through our lines and do nothing?" ”、

I was about to answer Nekrasov's question, but when I saw the commanders of various divisions entering the house one after another, I waved my hand at him and said: "Colonel Nekrasov, when everyone is ready, I will explain this matter in public." ”

A few minutes later, all the division commanders who had been notified had arrived, so the meeting that had been scheduled at 10 p.m. was brought forward. I stood at the table, looked at the platoons of commanders sitting in front of me, and said calmly: "Comrade commanders, the reason why I have summoned you here today is because I want to announce to you that in 12 hours, the German army will launch a full-scale attack on the defensive zone of our army!" ”

As soon as I said that, I stopped, my eyes swept around the room, observing everyone's reactions. I saw the division commanders sitting below looking at each other, their eyes full of questions, but no one spoke. Soon, everyone's attention returned to me, waiting for me to give them new orders.

I habitually coughed. Clearing his throat, he said: "This information was obtained through the interrogation of the prisoners sent by Colonel Nekrasov himself. I have reported this matter to the Front Command. The commander ordered. Prepare our artillery for battle, and before the Germans open fire, first of all heavy artillery bombardment of their assembly areas, delaying their offensive as long as possible. ”

"Comrade Commander," as soon as I finished speaking, the first to stand up was General Tavart Kiradze, who asked with concern: "I would like to ask, what is the task of our 51st Guards Division?" ”

"Comrade General. Once war breaks out, the first line of defense that you and Colonel Nekrasov's headquarters will hold will become the primary target of the German army. In order to let everyone understand my intentions, I deliberately foreshadowed first: "In this case, it is obviously unwise to fight hard with the German army. So I order you and Colonel Nekrasov to concentrate your forces and hold those important positions. As for the rest of the lots, the Germans are willing to break through, let them break through, anyway, in front of them. There is also our second and third positions waiting for him. ”

"But, Comrade Commander. Is this appropriate? Tavart Kiradze's reaction was exactly the same as Nekrasov's reaction just now, and he asked cautiously: "If the enemy breaks through the defensive line, then our two divisions will be encircled in the enemy's rear." ”

"You're right, Comrade General." I agree with Tawart Kiradze's analysis, but at the same time continue: "When you return, you must do a good job of the commanders and fighters in the shrinking school, and tell them that the encirclement of the enemy is only temporary, and that our main forces will soon carry out a counteroffensive. Speaking of which, I remembered Nekrasov's question about me, and I said it here: "As long as you firmly hold on to a few key positions, you have achieved the goal of luring the enemy into the depths. When our army's counteroffensive begins, you must take active action to quickly clear the German troops on the defensive line, and form a posture of closing the door and fighting the dogs, so that none of them can escape. ”

As soon as I spoke, both Tavartkiradze and Nekrasov showed expressions of sudden realization, and at the same time, the expressions on their faces became richer.

The inspiration for my style of play came from a fighting game I played N years ago. In that game, if you were to build fortifications densely on the way of the enemy, the computer, the computer would destroy all the fortifications one after the other before advancing. But if you just build various fortifications on both sides of the road, then the computer will foolishly pass between the two fortifications, completely ignoring the casualties that you may suffer. I used to play computer games, but now I've copied this tactic, and I don't know if I can achieve the effect I want when I actually fight.

Although I don't know anything about my arrangement, the calm and calm expression on the surface is still very deceptive. The division commanders sitting below whispered for a while, and did not seem to have any objections to my deployment.

After assigning the tasks of the infantry, I called Colonel Bere by name and specifically told him: "Comrade Colonel, once the Germans have broken through our first line of defense and pounced on the second line of defense, you should transfer all the tank units deployed in the rear two lines of defense to the second line of defense. With the German capabilities, their tanks were simply unable to cross the 'Oshanina trench' built in front of the second line of defense. When their armored forces are in disarray, you can lead the assault. ”

Povsky, who was sitting next to me, waited for me to finish speaking, and then whispered: "Comrade commander, the artillery regiment originally deployed in the third line of defense can all enter the designated firing positions at about eight o'clock in the evening. ”

"Comrade Povsky, you are doing a good job." I nodded with satisfaction at the arrangement of the artillery commander, and then said: "Comrade Stalin once said: artillery is the god of war. In the early hours of the morning, your artillery will be able to show its might and teach the Germans a hard lesson. ”

"I wonder when the shelling will start?" Povsky then asked.

I shook my head and replied: "I don't know about this yet, but I believe that it won't be long before the front command will give us an exact time for the shelling to begin." ”

Seeing that I had almost finished speaking, Danilov stood up and asked the many division commanders: "Comrades division commanders, do you have any questions about holding your positions?" ”

As soon as his words fell, the commander of the 375th Division, Colonel Govorinenko, stood up and asked with a straight face: "Comrade Deputy Commander, I would like to ask a question. Our division had neither anti-tank guns nor anti-tank rifles, only what 40 bazooka was issued to us by our superiors some time ago. Can this so-called new weapon deal with the tanks of the German army? ”

Hearing his question, Danilov turned his head to look at me, a smile on his face, and motioned for me to answer the question to Colonel Govorinenko. I nodded understandingly, then stood up and said to Govorunenko: "Comrade Colonel, you may be the first to come into contact with this new anti-tank weapon, so you don't have a sense of it. As for whether this weapon is useful against enemy tanks, I think it will be Colonel Nekrasov to introduce it to you. As far as I know, in today's battle, his men used this rocket launcher to destroy at least eight more German tanks. ”

"Destroyed eight German tanks?" Colonel Govorinenko was stunned by such a record, he turned his head to look at Nekrasov, who was sitting next to him, and asked with some gaffe: "Division Commander Nekrasov, is what Comrade Commander said true?" ”

"Exactly, Colonel Govorinenko." Nekrasov stood up with a smile, as if to say to him and to all the commanders: "To be honest, when I first saw this bazooka, I had doubts about whether I could destroy the German tanks, but in today's battle, I have gained insight. The rocket could easily tear through the armor of the German tank, blasting the behemoth into a wreckage. ”

Nekrasov's words immediately caused a commotion among the division commanders, and everyone involuntarily began to talk about it. I didn't stop it, but listened to the discussion between them with a smile on my face. Facts speak louder than words, and no amount of what I say here can compare to a sentence from a person like Nekrasov, who has experienced real combat. When everyone understands the power of this new anti-tank weapon, they will be more confident in fighting a defensive war.

Just as everyone was discussing in the middle of the day, the phone on the table rang. Bezikov got up and picked up the phone, and after listening to it for a while, he covered the microphone and said to me: "Report to Comrade Commander, the higher authorities ordered us to shell the possible assembly sites of the German troops at 2:20 a.m. tomorrow!" (To be continued.) )