Twenty minutes later, in this command in Vlasov, the first operational meeting since I became chief of staff was held.

The meeting was chaired by Vlasov, who sat on the main seat of the long wooden table facing the door. Deputy Commander Lin sat on his left hand, and behind him stood the translator Shi Zhe, who had been inseparable. I sat on his right hand, and next to me sat the commander of the 7th Guards Division, Colonel Gryaznov. A division commander wearing the rank of major general sat next to Deputy Commander Lin, and the commanders of the other divisions also chose their positions and sat in turn. And the staff officers in the headquarters sat on a bench against the wall.

Seeing that everyone was already seated, Vlasov announced the opening of the meeting, and he first said: "Hello comrades, today I have summoned everyone to the headquarters for a meeting, mainly for two things: First, the commander of the 8th Guards Division, Major General Oshanina, was transferred from the 16th Army to our group army as chief of staff, and the new commander took office to meet with you. Second, Deputy Commander Lin made a unified plan for the military operations to be taken by the group army in the near future. I would like to give the floor to Comrade Oshanina. ”

I stood up, gave a military salute to all the commanders present, then looked around with a smile on my face and said, "Commander Vlasov, Deputy Commander Lin, comrades commanders, hello! "Maybe it's because of my nervousness, but when I say this, I suddenly feel that my mind is blank, and I don't know what to say.

Perhaps the commanders around me were surprised to see that I was inexplicably silent, and everyone's eyes were on me, and some even began to whisper to each other.

"Please be quiet! Continue to listen to Oshanina's speech, "Just when I was nervous and speechless, Deputy Commander Lin relieved me of the siege in time. Although Mr. Lin is a deputy commander at the moment, he already has the momentum of a superior, he did not deliberately behave, nor did he get angry, just sitting there and looking around, it was enough to shut up those commanders who spoke in private.

Seeing that everyone was quiet, he nodded at me and motioned for me to continue. With Mr. Lin's encouragement, I immediately gained confidence, I took a deep breath and continued: "I am very happy, comrades commanders of the 20th Group Army, it is my honor to be able to fight side by side with you. Speaking of this, I paused again and said carefully: "When I came to the 20th Army to take up the post of chief of staff, I felt a lot of pressure and a heavy burden. I am grateful to the commanders of the Supreme Base Camp and the Front Army for their trust in me and for placing me in the important position of Chief of Staff of the Army Group. I am well aware that there is a big gap between my ability and command level and the requirements of my superiors and the expectations of my comrades. However, I will certainly do my best to cooperate with the leaders of the group army and satisfactorily accomplish the major counteroffensive tasks assigned by the Supreme Command. With that, I saluted everyone again and sat down.

After I sat down, Vlasov, who was on the throne, spoke: "Comrades, I am familiar with and know Chief of Staff Oshanina. She was an excellent commander with a tenacious fighting spirit, as evidenced by the medal she wore on her chest. "When he spoke of the medal, I felt countless eyes look up to my chest. Seeing that the desired results had been achieved, he continued: "At the same time, Comrade Chief of Staff has participated in and commanded many battles and has achieved good results. In Volokolamsk, where we are currently located, she led her troops to hold out for a month, and a large number of heroes like General Panfilov and Instructor Crochkov have emerged who have sacrificed their lives for the motherland. ”

Introducing my situation, he turned his gaze to Mr. Lin next to him and said, "Next, I would like to ask Deputy Commander Lin to arrange the military operations for you in the near future." ”

After listening to Shi Zhe's translation, Mr. Lin stood up, walked to the map hanging on the wall, pointed to the map with an explanation stick and said to everyone: "Comrades, please look at the map. Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, he continued: "Our current task is still to hold Volokolamsk. Having said this, I hope that all the commanders and comrades present here will understand that holding the city does not mean that we should hide in the trenches and wait for the enemy to attack, and that it is not just that we will drive there like a nail and not retreat a single step. Rather, it is necessary to change tactics, the enemy attacks, and we resist. If the enemy does not move and stops attacking, then there is no need to wait, do not be happy when you see an opportunity to catch your breath, we must take the initiative to attack. ......Every word he said was translated into Russian in a timely manner so that all the commanders could understand it. "We must not only attack during the day, but also attack at night, give full play to our army's advantages in night combat and close combat, and offset the enemy's superiority in weapons and equipment."

"Deputy Commander Lin is right," I couldn't help but echo when I heard this, "The German commanders and the army are very conformist, and they only know how to blindly obey orders. As soon as they were counterattacked by us while they were standing still or stopping their attacks, they were helpless and behaved very passively, waiting for instructions from their superiors. And in combat conditions, the instructions of the superiors are not always conveyed in a timely manner. From my personal observation of the course of the battle and the actions of our troops, I am convinced that almost all units that do not simply defend and launch a counter-attack on the enemy during the day and at night as soon as it is possible will win. Especially at night, because the Germans acted very hesitantly in the dark conditions of the night, it should be said, fought very badly. This can be confirmed in the night battle of our division to capture the city of Cumbre del Sol. ……”

I got carried away for a moment and said what I really thought. There was a dead silence and silence in the command at first, but then there was a burst of applause and excited cheers.

Vlasov looked at me with appreciation, then stood up and said: "What Comrade Oshanina said just now, everyone has heard. Facts have proved that the vision of the Supreme High Command and the Front Army Command is correct, and our new chief of staff not only has rich combat experience, but also has a very high theoretical level, and I believe that she will certainly adapt to the role of chief of staff and lead our troops to achieve more brilliant results. Next, continue to listen to Deputy Commander Lin's speech. ”

Mr. Lin continued to point to the map with his commentary stick and said: "At present, the main force defending Volokolamsk is the 7th Guards Division of Colonel Gryaznov. Here they pinned down the forces of the enemy's four mechanized divisions, through which the enemy could not advance towards Moscow. But this is not enough, our task is not only to stop the enemy, but also to crush the invading enemy. The day before yesterday, in a small village southwest of the city, the Seventh Division had surrounded a small unit of the enemy, adopting the tactic of encircling but not fighting, inducing the enemy to send troops to reinforce it, and the troops who had laid an ambush in advance made a decisive attack after the enemy entered the ambush circle, and quickly annihilated this group of enemies, greatly reducing the pressure on the frontal battlefield. In future battles with large corps, everyone should pool their wisdom and use their brains to make more use of this tactic of 'encircling points to send reinforcements,' and strive to destroy more enemies at a very small cost. ……”

The military theories explained by Mr. Lin above gave me a refreshing feeling. The last time I held Volokolamsk, although I used the "encirclement reinforcements" created by his old man indecently, I still destroyed a lot of enemies. If we can learn more applicable military theories from him, we will be able to command larger forces in the future.

After the meeting, Vlasov politely asked me: "Comrade Oshanina, do you have any requirements?" ”

Now the situation in Sun Mountain City is not good, and the strength of the defense is relatively weak, hearing him ask, I also pushed the boat and said: "Comrade commander, our division is currently seriously insufficient to defend Sun Mountain City, and I hope to replenish some troops for us." "When I say this, I say in my heart that even if I am replenished by a hundred men, I will be satisfied.

I thought that Vlasov would shirk or refuse, but I didn't expect him to agree very readily: "Okay, I can agree to your request." It just so happened that today the Moscow garrison command sent me two battalions of reserves, and I will replenish them all to you. After speaking, he instructed a staff officer next to him: "You go and call the major of the garrison headquarters." ”

After the major of the garrison command came in with the staff officer, he came to Vlasov and stood up and saluted: "Report to Comrade Commander, Major Resdayev of the garrison command reports to you and listens to your instructions." ”

Vlasov shook hands with the major and said, "Comrade Major, because of the weakness of the forces in the city of Mount Sol, the command has decided to assign you to the command of the 8th Guards Division. Let me introduce to you, this is Major General Oshanina, Chief of Staff of the Army Group and Commander of the 8th Guards Division. ”

The major came to me, gave a respectful military salute, and said with excitement on his face: "Hello, comrade commander! It is a pleasure to take your command again. ”

I did not return the salute, but reached out directly to him and said happily: "Major Resdaev, I am also glad to see you again." ”