After nightfall, sporadic gunfire was heard from time to time, and it seemed that the fighting did not stop with the fall of night, and the enemy and us were still engaged in skirmishes for the battle for certain areas.

Rokossovsky, the chief and deputy chief of staff, and the political commissar gathered in front of the map, studying the battle after dawn. Seeing that they had no intention of going to sleep, I could only dismiss the idea of going to the dormitory of the female soldiers of the cooking class to rest, and honestly stayed in the headquarters to stay up late with everyone.

Rokossovsky apparently had a whole set of mature plans for the battle after dawn, he pointed to the map and said: "After the day's fighting, our army has completely crushed the fascist German troops entrenched in Skilmanovo and other villages, and the German 10th Tank Division, which tried to cut off the Volokolamsk road, suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat a long way. After the results of the battle, our troops destroyed more than 50 enemy tanks, and captured many artillery pieces, including 150-mm cannons, mortars, and hundreds of vehicles. In order to consolidate the current gains and prevent the German armored forces from striking at our flank, I intend to transfer the 289th Anti-Tank Regiment of Major Yevremenko to the Spas-Lyukhovsky area, where they will be tasked with the defense of the area. ……”

"Comrade Commander, I would like to remind you of one thing," said Commissar Lobachev, "you have today placed Comrade Vladimir Stavsky of Pravda in the 289th regiment, and if the regiment is transferred to such a dangerous position, then the life of Comrade Stavsky will not be guaranteed. He is a precious asset to our country, and none of us has the right to risk his lives. The words of the commissar silenced everyone, and collectively turned their eyes to Rokossovsky.

I was muttering to myself: What kind of person is this Stavsky, isn't he just a reporter from Pravda, who is guilty of worrying about his safety? Is he famous? If you don't see him, at least he's not as famous as Gorky, otherwise, I'd never heard of his name. Originally, I wanted to quietly ask the person next to me: what kind of person is this Stavsky? But when I looked left and right, I noticed that everyone's expressions were very serious, and then I realized that this reporter was not small, and it was better to ask less, so I obediently closed my mouth.

"Comrade Political Commissar, do you want him to come to the headquarters for a while?" Rokossovsky asked in a tentative tone.

The commissar shook his head and said: "Comrade Stavsky has come to interview, he has always wanted to go to the front and see with his own eyes how our heroic fighters fought against a ferocious enemy. If he knew that the 289th Regiment was going to be transferred to the most dangerous location, maybe it would be too late to be happy, and if he wanted to stay in the headquarters honestly, I am afraid he would not agree. ”

"So what can I do?" The commander's fingers tapped lightly on the table, he frowned and thought for a while, then raised his head, glanced at the commander present with his eyes, and asked, "Does any of you have a good way?" ”

The people in the room looked at each other, but they didn't speak, and everyone knew in their hearts: this matter was tricky, and although Stavsky was a big man, he could not affect the movement of troops because he alone. But if he is allowed to follow the troops to the most dangerous place, once something happens, who should bear this responsibility, and who can bear it?

In the end, the political commissar broke the embarrassing situation, saying: "Otherwise, the troops will still be transferred according to the original plan." I personally went to the 289th Regiment to take command, and I was responsible for the safety of Comrade Stavsky, and as long as I lived, I would never put him in danger. ”

"I'd better go." The commissar's proposal was probably the best solution, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the artillery commander Kazakov stood up and said: "It's better for me to go, the 289th regiment is under my direct command." I went there not only to ensure the safety of Comrade Stavsky, but also to direct the movement of troops according to the specific situation. ”

Rokossovsky thought for a moment, nodded and said: "I agree with Comrade Kazakov that it would be most appropriate for him to go to the 289 regiment." As he spoke, he picked up a pencil, wrote a few lines on an open notepad, tore it off and handed it to Kazakov.

When Luo Shuai was writing, I immediately recalled his dashing action when he led the troops to the defense warehouse to collect weapons and ammunition in the movie "The Battle of Moscow", and wrote a receipt for the quartermaster of the warehouse. His action is so handsome, it is simply fascinating, no wonder so many young women fell in love with him later.

"Leda, Leda!" Luo Shuai called me twice in a row, and I came back to my senses and found that I had been staring at him intently just now. Hearing him scream like this, he suddenly felt a fever on his face, and quickly coughed, stabilized his emotions, and then asked, "Comrade commander, is there anything wrong?" ”

Rokossovsky did not answer my question, but continued: "...... In addition to the 289th Regiment, I intend to transfer Colonel Beloborodov's 78th Infantry Division here......" He dotted his hand on a place name on the map: "Istria area, where it is possible for the Germans to build up their forces and launch a counterattack against our attacking forces." ……”

To be honest, I don't like to go to this kind of military meeting the most, and I feel like crazy when I hear them mention unfamiliar place names one after another, and the names of units and commanders that I don't even know about. It's much simpler on the front line, where you are ordered to attack or defend, and you only need to think about how to complete the mission, rather than having to memorize the names of places that are difficult to remember, and the numbers of troops that are constantly increasing or disappearing. If I have the opportunity, I would still ask Luo Shuai to go to the front line, at least when others stay up late, I can sleep in peace.

After dawn, the offensive of our troops began to continue again.

I learned from the constant feedback from the front line from the command that the 50th Cavalry Division under Major General Ilyev had broken through to a depth of three kilometers into the German lines. General Katukov's 1st Guards Tank Brigade, while covering the attack of Chernenov's 18th Infantry Division, was strafed and bombed by the Luftwaffe, and the troops suffered heavy losses, but by noon they broke through the German lines and regained several settlements.

At the same time, the Germans gathered an armored division and launched an offensive in the Spas-Lyukhovsky area. The 289 regiment, which had only entered the area at night, made a stubborn counterattack with tank guns, destroying more than thirty enemy tanks. The troops of the 17th and 20th cavalry divisions, which arrived in time, launched an attack on the German flank, routed the German infantry, forced the enemy to stop the offensive on the area and had to retreat to the starting point of the attack.

On the whole, the results of the second day of the battle were not bad, but the sudden attack of our army took the Germans by surprise, they were forced to retreat from many places, and large areas of the country were recovered.