On December 3, the fire in Moscow was finally extinguished, and the heroic city survived the bombs and incendiary bombs of the fascist bandits! Or that the white phosphorus incendiary bombs are not as good as imagined, and the 2000 tons of bombs dropped by 1000 planes are not enough to destroy such a magnificent city as Moscow!

Georgi. Konstantinovich. As soon as Zhukov walked out of the bomb shelter, and before he had time to see the great capital of his homeland being bombed by the enemy, he received a notice to go to 37 Myanitsky Avenue to meet the great leader Stalin. It was the second time in two days that he had been invited to meet with the country's top leader.

In Stalin's office, he also met Molotov, Voroshilov and Berzin. Everyone had a sad face, and when they saw Zhukov, Stalin, whose face was gloomy, pointed at Berzin. "Comrade Berzin, tell Konstantinovich about the latest situation."

Berzin spread out a map on the desk covered with a green blanket, and when he saw the two blue arrows inserted into the Soviet front on this map, Zhukov's face suddenly darkened, and he blurted out: "Have the Germans already done it?" Two armored clusters are being inserted into our rear...... Their goal is ......" Zhukov thought for a moment and said: "It must be Smolensk!" The Germans were going to encircle the 2nd Boro Sea Front and the Western Front! ”

"The General Staff thinks so too." Berzin glanced at Zhukov and continued in a deep tone: "General Shaboshnikov reports that the Germans launched an attack in the early morning of December 2, and with about 3,000 tanks (overestimating the opponent) as the vanguard, they broke through a section of the line south of Brest, and then quickly advanced along the Brest-Minsk road, and on the afternoon of December 2 fought a battle with the 4th Tank Army and the 109th Infantry Division in Kobrin, and we were defeated, Almost 300 tanks and more than 10 thousand people were lost. Kobrin was also lost last night...... This morning's news revealed that their vanguard had arrived near the city of Belyoza and was engaged with our 22nd Infantry Corps, and our intelligence officers had discovered that they had 3,000 tanks in a line that was too long to see.

…… General Kulik of the Leningrad Front reported that his line was also broken through by about 5,000 (again exaggerating the strength of the German army) tanks in the early hours of yesterday morning, and the Germans seized the city of Velikiye Luki with absolute superiority, then turned south, captured Nevel last night, and are now advancing towards Smolensk! And we now have no forces that will be able to stop them......"

While Berzin was telling about the war, Stalin had been pacing back and forth in his office when he suddenly stopped. He took out a puff of cigarette and leaned over slightly to look at Zhukov, "Konstantinovich, you guessed the whole situation just by looking at the map, which shows that you are very talented in military affairs and a rare military strategist." Now, if you come and give me an idea of what we should do? ”

What to do? Zhukov frowned and thought hard for a while before he said in a deep voice: "Immediately abandon Leningrad, let the Leningrad Front transfer to Moscow, and at the same time abandon Western Ukraine and withdraw the Ukrainian Front to Kiev." ”

"What?" Stalin raised the extinguished pipe as if to use it to hit Zhukov on the head, but in the end he held back. He huffed: "Konstantinovich! I want you to give you advice on the liberation of the 2nd Boro Sea Front and the Western Front, but you want me to give up the birthplace of our Soviet Fatherland! What kind of intention is this? ”

"Comrade Stalin......" Zhukov looked at the great leader with a solemn face, "I also know that the 2nd Boluo Sea Front and the Western Front will be saved, but with what to save it?" How many reserves are still in the hands of the base camp now? ”

Stalin looked at Voroshilov, who said: "We also have a reserve front, thirty corps in strength, but ...... These units are all newly formed and lack training and equipment. ”

"Not enough! Inadequate! 30 corps is too little, even if it is fully loaded, we can't hold Moscow, we need more troops......" Zhukov felt a little disrespectful, and he glanced at Stalin with some uneasiness. Stalin, on the other hand, put down his pipe-holding arm, nodded thoughtfully, and said: "You are already thinking about the defense of Moscow, and now it seems inevitable, Konstantinovich, when do you think this defense will take place?" ”

"Next summer!" Zhukov said with certainty: "The enemy will choose to completely destroy the besieged Red Army on all three fronts this winter, and then launch an offensive on Moscow in May next year!" It is estimated that the siege of Moscow will take place before the end of June, and this battle will be related to the survival of the Soviet Motherland! ”

"And what about the 2nd Boluo Sea Front and the Western Front? There are more than 2 million people there! Is that all there is to it? Stalin shouted.

Zhukov shook his head and said with a wry smile: "But we don't have the strength to save them now, especially the strength to stop this German armored cluster that is heading south...... According to my estimates, this German panzer group will be able to take Smolensk around December 5 and cut off the Western Front troops from Moscow! The only thing that would be feasible now was to order the Western Front and the 2nd Boluo Naval Front to concentrate around Minsk, using the fortifications and material reserves there to hold on...... Although they could not escape the fate of being annihilated by the German army in the end, their sacrifice could greatly deplete the strength of the German army and create conditions for the victory of the defense of Moscow! ”

There was a dead silence in the room, and I don't know how long later, Stalin turned his attention to Voroshilov and Berzin. "Do you have anything better?"

Voroshilov and Berzin glanced at each other, and Berzin said: "From the map, the two armored clusters of Germany in the north and south also have a lone deep position...... Perhaps we can advise the commander-in-chief of the Western Front, Comrade Ubolevich, to draw forces and strike hard at this armored cluster on the Southern Front! Even if we can't defeat them, as long as we can stop the advance of this armored force, we can make the 2nd Boluo Naval Front retreat to the southeast, and maybe to Kyiv......"

Zhukov shook his head in his heart, this is completely wishful thinking, the enemy army is an armored cluster of 3,000 tanks! There are also several thousand planes in the sky to provide air support, and you let Ubolevich go and mobilize the infantry to defeat them? It was also wanted that the 2nd Boluo Front, more than a million people, would retreat to Kiev, a few hundred kilometers away, under the threat of enemy aircraft and tanks. This kind of thing is simply a fantasy! This kind of worthless counterattack is a pure waste of troops, and it is even more delusional for the army to abandon the fortified city and move hundreds of kilometers, and it is better to let the troops go to Minsk to defend to the death.

But Stalin, as if grasping at a life-saving straw, nodded heavily: "Good! Just do this, and order Ubolevich to fight forcefully against the invading German fascist bandits! Let them have no return. He waved the pipe in his hand vigorously and added: "Of course, we must also be prepared with both hands, and order Comrade Kulik to prepare to abandon Leningrad and destroy all important facilities and buildings in the city!" They cannot be used by the enemy...... The Ukrainian Front was ordered to withdraw to Kyiv and prepare to defend it. Also, we are going to form the Moscow Front to encircle our capital! ”

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhukov. "Promote Comrade Zhukov to the rank of general, appoint him commander of the Moscow Front, and appoint Comrade Khrushchev, first secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee, as political commissar of the Front."

……

On 3 December, the attacks of the German armoured armoured clusters in the north and south continued. The 19th Panzer Army, which had captured Nevel, continued to rush forward as if no one was in a no-man's land, taking advantage of the emptiness of Soviet forces, and the army was advancing towards Smolensk at an unimaginable speed. Even the telegram sent by the headquarters of the Soviet Red Army to the commander-in-chief of the Western Front, Ubolevich, lamented: "At present there is no way to stop the advance of the German armored cluster on the northern front, and it is expected that by December 5 at the latest, they will be able to attack the outskirts of Smolensk and cut off your communication with Moscow...... and then the telegram from the base camp declared: "The armored cluster of the German army on the southern front has been alone in the depths, you can try to concentrate the main forces and strike hard in the Baranovichi area!" After defeating or blocking the enemy's armored cluster on the southern front, try to break through to the southeast and go to Kyiv or concentrate the main forces around Minsk to wait for reinforcements. ”

Ubolevich, who received instructions from the base camp, just shook his head and smiled bitterly. In fact, the progress of the German armored cluster on the southern front was not at all slower than that of the cluster on the northern front, especially the attack of the Chinese 8th Panzer Division, which on the afternoon of December 2 defeated the Soviet 4th Tank Army and carried a great victory all the way, captured Kobrin on the evening of December 2, and on the morning of December 3, they took advantage of the confusion of the Soviet army in the process of retreat, and routed two divisions of the Soviet 22nd Infantry Corps in Berezha on the morning of December 3, and have now entered the city of Belyozha. The city is expected to fall this evening!

And behind the advancing German armored clusters, there were hundreds of thousands of infantry, which were not inferior to the armored units. Along the way, they consolidated the positions captured by the Panzer Corps, seized isolated strongholds, and also attacked from the flanks of the Soviet lines, cooperating with the German infantry attacking from the front to flank the main forces of the Soviet Western Front holding on to the east bank of the Bouag River...... The 10 infantry corps of this front army have now been beaten to pieces, and it is estimated that it will not last long. Now the Soviets are only the second Boro Sea Front on the Western Front, which is still relatively complete, they are defending the northern line of Belarus, and the German attack on them can only be regarded as a containment at best. However, this does not mean that Ubolevich can easily pull them off the front line and use them to counterattack the German armored clusters, because the Germans have completely controlled the sky! It is simply impossible for a single front army of more than one million troops to move south under the indiscriminate bombardment of several thousand aircraft, at least during the day.

At this time, the newly appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Western Front, General Pavlov, suddenly trotted from the telegraph office and ran straight into the office of Marshal Ubolevich. The general walked to Ubolevich with a blushing face, glanced left and right, and the staff officers of several commands left with interest. Only then did he hand the telegram clenched tightly in his hand to the marshal, and said in a low voice: "Comrade marshal, Stalin is angry. In his telegram he accused us of the command of the Western Front, the commanders of the 2nd Boro Sea Front, the Western Front, who were panicked by the enemy's offensive and lacked confidence in the victory of the aggressor! He wants us to start preparing for a counterattack immediately, or else we'll be cowards and traitors......"

Ubolevich sighed, hurriedly snatched the telegram from Pavlov's hand, read it and read it. A thin bead of sweat unconsciously appeared on his forehead. He was frightened a lot, but now is an extraordinary time, the Soviet army has collapsed on all fronts, maybe Stalin is looking for an opportunity to make an example of the monkeys!

"Comrade Pavlov, how many forces do we have at our disposal now?" The marshal put down the telegram and asked with a frown.

"Two corps have just been drawn from the northern defensive line, and the reserve of the 2nd Boluo Naval Front, the 18th Army, which has four infantry corps, but one of them has been routed by the enemy in today's battle." Pavlov replied.

"That's five armies." Ubolevich strode up to the map table, leaned over and looked at it for a while, stretched out his hand and pointed at Baranovich on the map and said, "Just stop the German armored clusters there!" Baranovichi has fortifications left by the Bolans, which can be used for a while. Comrade Pavlov, I will hand over all five armies to you, and you will go to Baranovich and organize a solid defense. Be sure to stop the enemy! Because the fate of the entire 2nd Boro Sea Front is at stake! ”

……

December 4, morning. In Berezha, 103 km from Baranovichi. Inside the headquarters of the 8th Armored Division of the Chinese National Defense Forces.

Major General Qiu Weida, chief of staff of the Eighth Armored Division, gave a military salute to Hu Lian, and then said loudly: "Division, the air force reconnaissance has found that a large group of Soviet troops of about four to five armies are leaving Minsk and heading south, and it is estimated that their target is Baranovichi and its vicinity. ”

"Oh?" Hu Lian stood in front of the table covered with a huge military map, studied it carefully for a while, and then said: "They want to block us at Baranovichi and win the opportunity for the 2nd Boluo Naval Front to withdraw to Kiev in the southeast, this is their only way to retreat!" ”

"Five infantry corps simply can't stop our four armored divisions and two motorized infantry divisions! Stalin's wishful thinking was certainly going to fail. ”

"Can't stop it? That's not what I thought. Hearing Qiu Weida's analysis, Hu Lian sneered and shook his head: "There is no problem for our 16th Panzer Army to defeat Baranovic's five armies. However, once this Soviet army is defeated, the remnants of the Soviet Second Bora Sea Front and the Western Front may be retracted to Minsk and entrenched. According to intelligence, Minsk was the most important stronghold on the Stalin Line, surrounded by a large number of fortifications and dug two or three hundred kilometers of anti-tank trenches...... The material reserves are also extremely abundant, if the more than one million troops of the 2nd Bora Sea Front retreat into Minsk, we will besiege them, there will not be a year of starvation that will not break them, and if we want to storm it, I am afraid that we will have to pay hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded! But what if more than a million people here abandon the fortified city of Minsk? ”

Qiu Weida suddenly realized: "The master is smart! It is more than 500 kilometers from Minsk to Kyiv, more than a million people can't get there for ten days, and the thousands of bombers of the Germans are not dry. When they are blown up, our armored forces will give chase and raid again. I'm afraid that more than a million people will have to be taken prisoner! ”

"Deputy Chief of Staff Wu is still with Admiral Hopner, right? Let him submit our proposal to the Germans. Hu Lian straightened up and said with a smile.

"That's right! Master, there is one more good news! Qiu Weida grinned and took out another telegram. This was sent by the Russian First Army, and the White Russian spies lurking in Leningrad sent a message that the Soviet Red Army was planting explosives in various important buildings, and that important organs in Leningrad had begun to retreat, and it looked like they were ready to abandon Leningrad! Now Grand Duke Alexander has personally led two Russian armies to Leningrad day and night, trying to take it before the Soviet Red Army destroys the city! ”

"Leningrad, no, it's Petersburg that is coming! Hehe! Sure enough, that's good news! Hu Lian smiled, put his head to Qiu Weida's ear and whispered: "The empress of our assistant commander is going to be very happy now......

Hu Lian's proposal was quickly supported by the commander of the 16th Panzer Corps, General Hopner, and the commander of Army Group South, Halder. So the 16th Panzer Army, which was advancing all the way, was really temporarily blocked after advancing to Baranovichi! However, Halder did not leave the four panzer divisions idle, but ordered them to advance northward and attack the flanks of the Soviet 2nd Boro Sea Front and the Western Front, causing the defense lines of these two fronts to collapse.

On the other hand, the Soviet army's "successful hold" in Baranovichi was trumpeted by Soviet propaganda tools as the "Baranovichi miracle", and compared it to the miracle of the Marne River in World War I! The general Pavlov, who was ordered to guard Baranovich, also handed in good luck, was made marshal by Stalin, and also received the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union"!

However, the good mood of the Soviets did not last long, and on December 8, 1937, Leningrad, a city named after their late revolutionary leader, was captured by the Chinese, Russian, and Italian forces with the signboard of the Russian First Army! The three-sè flag, which symbolizes the Russian Empire, and the yellow-and-black two-sè flag, which symbolizes the Romanov dynasty, once again fluttered over the Winter Palace after a lapse of 20 years!。