Sokov originally thought that it would take a few days for Zhukov to arrive, and that he would have enough time to make all the preparations before his arrival. But what he did not expect was that at noon the next day, Zhukov was in Luo
Accompanied by Kossovsky, he came to the headquarters of the 48th Army.
Seeing the sudden appearance of Zhukov and Rokossovsky, Sokov was shocked and quickly stepped forward to salute them: "Comrade Marshal, Comrade General, why are you here!"
Zhukov was also surprised. He turned to Rokossovsky and asked: "Koschka, what's going on? Why is Misha here? Shouldn't he be in the 47th Army?"
"Comrade Marshal, this matter is very complicated. I will explain it to you later."
After Sokov invited Zhukov and Rokossovsky to sit down, he ordered people to bring tea and snacks, and then asked Rokossovsky cautiously: "Comrade General, why did you remember to come to me with Comrade Marshal
Coming?"
Rokossovsky did not immediately answer Sokov's question, but turned to look at Zhukov, as if he wanted to get some instructions from the other party.
Zhukov nodded and said: "Koschka, Misha is not an outsider. If you have anything to say, just say it directly."
"Misha, the situation is like this." Rokossovsky said to Sokov: "Yesterday, the 65th Army on your right wing launched an attack in the direction of Parich. Among them, the commanders and fighters of the 2nd Battalion of the 36th Regiment of a certain division
, after a fierce battle, they successfully occupied the German position 217. But unfortunately, due to the fierce German artillery fire, they were still unable to move forward after paying huge sacrifices."
"Marshal Zhukov and I were inspecting the 65th Army at the time. After understanding the situation, we issued an order to the Army Commander General Batov to temporarily stop offensive operations in the direction of Parich."
"At that time, Marshal asked Batov: 'Pavel Ivanovich, do you think the attack in the direction of Palic can be successful? Also, what are your thoughts on this direction of attack?'
Bartov thought for a while and then replied: 'This direction is of course very attractive. The land is dry and there are no river obstacles. But the enemy is not stupid either. They have strong deep ladder defenses at the main commanding heights. If I
If the army insists on attacking Parich, it will mean heavy casualties.'
After hearing this, I interjected and said: 'Yes, Batov thought it right. If our army launches an attack in the direction of Parich, it will be completely unexpected by the German army. They are waiting for us to fall into our own trap.'
The marshal thought for a moment and asked Batov: 'What is the situation on your left wing?'
Batov said: 'The terrain there makes it very difficult for troops to move. There are a lot of rivers and floodplains and a lot of swamps. It is not an ideal area for an attack.'
We learned that the terrain here was not conducive to launching an attack, but the marshal decided to come over and have a look. So, we came here."
"Misha!" As soon as Rokossovsky finished speaking, Zhukov asked Sokov: "Two days ago, I saw a plan drawn up by Rokossovsky, and he actually planned to attack the enemy in the swamp area.
The enemy launched an attack. My first reaction when I saw this plan was that it was ridiculous. The commander who made this plan should be immediately sent to a military court."
When Sokov heard what Zhukov said, he was suddenly frightened into a cold sweat, because the one who made the plan was none other than himself. If he was really sent to a military court for this matter, he might as well not have asked Rokossov
Skitty suggested this.
But Zhukov's next words made him put the heart hanging in his throat back into his stomach again: "After inspecting the 65th Group Army yesterday and witnessing the casualties of the troops during the offensive, I watched it again
Rokossovsky's combat plan was found to be a genius idea. Taking areas that are obviously unsuitable for combat as the main direction of our army's attack can have unexpected effects. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we can easily
Break through the German defense line and speed up our army's process of liberating Belarus."
Upon hearing Zhukov's praise, both Sokov and Rokossovsky secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After a pause, Rokossovsky said: "Comrade Marshal, on the way here, didn't you keep asking who was the genius who came up with this combat plan?"
From Rokossovsky's tone of voice, Zhukov vaguely guessed who was proposing the battle plan, but he still asked cautiously: "Who is it?"
"Here, he is right in front of you." Rokossovsky said with a smile: "This genius attack plan was originally proposed by Misha."
Although he had long guessed that the attack plan he saw was inextricably linked to Sokov, when Rokossovsky confirmed it, Zhukov was still shocked: "Misha, it's really you
Proposed attack plan?”
"Yes, I proposed it."
"Genius, you are simply a genius." Zhukov said happily: "I said that the person who could come up with such a plan would not be an ordinary person. It seems that my guess is indeed correct."
Now that the words had reached this point, Rokossovsky struck while the iron was hot and said: "Comrade Marshal, didn't you ask me why Misha appeared at the 48th Army Headquarters instead of the 47th Army Headquarters?
"
At this point, if Zhukov still can't figure out the connection between the two, his reputation as a marshal would be too empty: "Is it related to this plan?"
"Yes, Comrade Marshal, it is indeed the case." Rokossovsky nodded and explained to Zhukov: "The original arrangement for him to worry about the commander of the 47th Group Army was because the unit was stationed in the Kovel area and would be commanded by him.
This force can effectively curb the actions of the German army in that area.
But the plan he proposed gave Ma Lining and I a refreshing feeling. After we carefully studied his combat plan, the more we looked at it, the more we felt that launching an attack from the swamp area was undoubtedly the best direction. So we made temporary adjustments
He was appointed from the commander of the 47th Group Army to the commander of the 48th Group Army."
"Koschka," Zhukov said happily after listening to Rokossovsky's words: "If our attack from the swamp area really achieves unexpected results, your adjustment of appointments may go down in history.
Woolen cloth."
Seeing Zhukov and Rokossovsky smiling broadly, Sokov suddenly remembered that Rokossovsky was kicked out of the conference room twice by Stalin after he submitted his battle plan during a meeting at the Supreme Command.
He carefully reminded the two of them: "Comrade Marshal, Comrade General, I'm a little worried now."
"What are you worried about?" Rokossovsky asked curiously.
"I'm worried that after this plan is submitted, it will be rejected by the supreme commander."
As soon as Sokov's words came out, the air in the room suddenly froze, and both Zhukov and Rokossovsky fell into deep thought.
After an unknown amount of time, Rokossovsky sighed softly, and then said: "Misha is right. This seemingly impossible plan may indeed be rejected."
After Zhukov waited for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, he thought for a while, nodded, and said: "Yes, what Misha said makes sense. Put such a combat plan at the meeting of the Supreme Command.
, will definitely be opposed by everyone. If the Supreme Commander himself also objects, then this plan may be rejected."
"Then what should we do?" Rokossovsky asked.
"There will be a meeting of the Supreme Command next week," Zhukov said cautiously: "I suggest you let Chief of General Staff Antonov and Chief of Operations Shtemenko take a look at this combat plan first. If you can get it,
With their support, the chances of the battle plan being passed at the Supreme Command meeting will increase."
After Zhukov said this, he paused intentionally for a moment and then continued: "Of course, I will also express my support for your offensive plan."
Perhaps seeing that the atmosphere in the room was a little depressing, Zhukov changed the topic in time. He looked at Sokov and asked: "Misha, when did you take office?"
"yesterday!"
"Yesterday?" Zhukov couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this time, and then asked: "How are the defenses here?"
"Reporting to Comrade Marshal, I have ordered the fortification construction work to be suspended."
"It's suspended, why?" Zhukov asked with some displeasure: "Don't you know, if there are no fortifications, once you are attacked by the German army, what will you rely on for defense?"
"Comrade Marshal, please listen to my explanation." Seeing the dissatisfaction on Zhukov's face, Sokov quickly explained to him: "The terrain here is not suitable for building fortifications. Soldiers often work hard to dig for several hours.
The trenches were filled with water, but in less than one night, the trenches were filled with water, and even with a pump it was difficult to drain them dry."
"Is it because of this that you ordered the troops to stop the construction of fortifications?"
"Yes, it is indeed the case." Sokov nodded, confirming Zhukov's statement: "I cannot let the soldiers engage in useless work in vain every day. This will cause them to consume a lot of physical strength and become exhausted.
"
"Misha," Rokossovsky knew Sokov better than Zhukov, guessing that he must have his own reasons for doing this, and quickly reminded him: "Tell Comrade Marshal everything you think."
"Comrade Marshal," Sokov continued: "According to my observation, the enemy does not have a tight defense line here, but has only set up scattered strongholds on some dry highlands. This means that they have no ability at all.
Launch a large-scale attack on our army."
"It was for this reason that I decided to refer to the German deployment to establish our defense. So I ordered people to deploy artillery and machine gun fire points on the high ground in the defense area to block the entire swamp. At the same time, I also
Order people to build some shooting platforms that can be used by tanks near the edge of the swamp..."
Zhukov listened patiently to Sokov's story, and the expression on his face became softer the longer he listened. By the time Sokov finished speaking, the expression on his face had changed from anger to appreciation: "Oh,
So that’s it. Good job, Misha. If we follow your wishes, it will be very suitable to set up the army defense.”
He stood up and said to Sokov: "Let's go to the edge of the swamp to see how the enemy's defense is."
Ten minutes later, Sokov took Zhukov and Rokossovsky, as well as some of the commanders they brought, to the edge of the swamp. There were no dense woods here, only some young, low trees.
bushes and weeds half as tall as a man.
Zhukov, who was following Sokov through this area, couldn't help but nodded when he saw this situation. He turned to Rokossovsky and said to him: "Koschka, it seems that what Misha did is completely wrong."
Correct. Building fortifications in such a place will cost several times more manpower and material resources than building fortifications on the plains."
"That's right, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky agreed from the side: "Such a terrain is indeed not suitable for building large-scale fortifications. The kind of defense model Misha mentioned is the most suitable.
"
The group of people walked forward for some distance and suddenly saw a bonfire in the grass ahead. Pugachev, who was walking beside Sokov, couldn't help but frowned and said dissatisfiedly: "Whoever lights a fire here randomly, aren't they afraid?"
Cause a fire?"
"No, Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov turned to Pugachev and said with a smile: "It's too humid here. Unless you pour gasoline on these grasses, there is no need to worry about catching fire. Soldiers stay here
It’s not easy, let them make a fire to cook something, and they can also have hot meals.”
Sokov saw five soldiers wearing ponchos sitting beside the campfire. One of them, an elderly veteran, was stirring a spoon in an aluminum pot.
Perhaps hearing the footsteps coming from behind, the veteran stopped what he was doing and turned to look behind him. Seeing a group of generals walking towards him, he was so frightened that he quickly put down his spoon and shouted loudly.
:"stand up!"
Following his shout, the soldiers who were still laughing and joking hurriedly stood up, straightened their backs and stood at attention, and then hurriedly arranged their clothes to avoid being criticized by their superior commanders if they were seen disheveled.
Zhukov came to the campfire, bent down and looked at the aluminum pot hanging on the shelf. Seeing that the soup inside was rolling gurglingly, he asked the veteran with interest: "Comrade veteran, what are you cooking?"
"
"This is the second battlefield, Comrade Marshal."
"The second battlefield?!" Zhukov showed a confused expression on his face and asked the veteran in confusion: "What is the second battlefield?"
"Comrade Marshal, please allow me to explain to you." A young soldier standing next to him who looked more active explained to Zhukov: "It is the canned braised pork that the United States assisted us. We all jokingly call it the 'Second Battlefield'."
After hearing this, Zhukov chuckled, then turned to Sokov and said: "Misha, your subordinates are very humorous."
Sokov grinned and replied: "People with a sense of humor usually have a good attitude. Even in the worst environment, they can live happily."
"Comrade Marshal," the veteran waited for Sokov to finish and then couldn't help but ask Zhukov: "How long will we stay here?"
"What, old comrade?" Zhukov heard the veteran ask this and asked with interest: "Are you a little tired of being lonely?"
"It's not lonely, it's just that life is too boring." The veteran said: "I was thinking, if you can't send me to fight yet, why not let me go home. After a while, it will be time to plant potatoes. If I miss the season
, there will be no potatoes left to harvest in the fall.”