One Thousand One Hundred and Thirty-Four Comrades

? When receiving this order, Zhukov's adjutant and the chief of staff had an illusion that this telegram must have come from a false order issued by a German spy. At this time, you still imagined that the Soviet troops who had finally held their positions would launch a counterattack?

"Comrade Marshal Zhukov, this... this order cannot be true." The hand of the chief of staff of the Zhukov group holding the order paper trembled slightly because he was too annoyed. He couldn't believe that this order came from Stalin, and he couldn't believe that he was about to execute such an order similar to suicide.

Zhukov also felt a little helpless about this seemingly naive or crazy order. He knew that this order was probably issued by Stalin himself, and he even understood the state of the leader who hadn't left the bunker for more than ten days before he issued such an unrealistic order. .

He took the order from his chief of staff, and then said with a wry smile: "This order is indeed from Comrade Stalin, but we really have no way to carry out this order. If we leave these stubborn defensive positions , will be wiped out by the German army in the wilderness in just a few days."

"But... Comrade Marshal Zhukov, if we refuse to carry out this real order, then... then we will be hanged." The chief of staff looked at Zhukov with a bitter face, and said in a trembling voice: "I think , if we can, we can draw out 1 or 2 divisions... a symbolic counterattack to the west..."

Zhukov shook his head, and then denied this way to deal with the errand: "Unfortunately, apart from shrinking the defense line, I really can't get a complete reserve team to counter the German attack. They have at least 1 million troops gathered around Moscow. And the troops in my hand don’t even have half of that number.”

As he spoke, he walked to the map of the defense zone, carefully looked at the numbers of the proven German troops marked on it, as well as the marks of his own troops, and then continued with a sigh: "If I can give up the west side Some of the positions in the area can still draw troops from several divisions, but the order is for us to counterattack the western region instead of abandoning it to counterattack other regions.”

"Then what should we do? Wait for death? Comrade Marshal." Hearing Zhukov say this, the chief of staff also knew that everything he said was true. At least for the time being, it might be possible to stick to the same place for a longer period of time. If you attack rashly, you will only make your own destruction more sudden and rapid.

"It now seems that our troops can only stick to their positions." Zhukov stroked the map of the Moscow defense zone in front of him twice, and said to his chief of staff in a sad and indignant tone: "If we had a few months ago Give up what you should give up, maybe now... well... let's not talk about it, there is no other benefit to talking so much except adding to my own worries. "

After he finished speaking, he told the adjutant behind him who had been waiting for his order: "Tell my words to the people sent by Stalin, to be honest, we don't have the troops to fight back.

There is no need to cover up or explain anything, we just don't have the strength to fight back, it's as simple as that. Before, we made simple things so complicated that we forgot how to speak. "

"Yes! Understood! Comrade Marshal!" The adjutant stood at attention and saluted, then turned around and walked out of Zhukov's commander. He walked through the busy corridor to a room used for receiving guests, and pushed open the door of the room.

Then he stood at attention to the people who were waiting anxiously inside and saluted. After lowering his arms, he said: "Marshal, please tell Comrade Stalin that we really don't have any troops to fight back. In fact, we needed reinforcements 10 days ago. Ammunition and heavy weapons are supplemented, counterattacking at this time will only make the entire defense line collapse faster."

"My God, Comrade Stalin is looking forward to Comrade Marshal Zhukov launching a counterattack in the south to ease the pressure on Moscow. If you can't complete the task at this time, then Moscow will be completely finished..." The emissary heard the adjutant After answering, he looked into the adjutant's eyes in panic, and said, "Anyway, please think again, for the sake of Comrade Stalin and Moscow..."

"Comrade! We have no tanks and no planes. Fighting back now is no different from suicide. If suicide can relieve the pressure on Moscow, we will do so without hesitation, but in fact even if we fight back, the Germans will not We will retreat," the adjutant replied regretfully to the envoy's request: "Believe me, the only way to stand firm is to better support Moscow."

The emissary stood there for a few seconds, obviously unwilling to believe that the current situation would be so bad. After a long while, he opened his mouth slowly and asked in a doubtful tone: "But that's not what Comrade Stalin's military advisers said. They said that as long as Marshal Zhukov opened up the situation, Moscow would be able to turn the crisis into safety."

It turned out to be the idea of ​​the advisory group, no wonder! The adjutant originally thought that General Vatutin, who was in charge of Moscow's city defense, could not say such unskilled words, but now it seems that he was not the real leader who persuaded Stalin to make such a stupid judgment.

...

"Why? Why hasn't Zhukov's troops counterattacked yet?" This was the first time in the past ten days that Stalin walked out of the deep tunnel bunker, stood on the already devastated streets of Moscow, and watched with dull eyes. the sky in the distance. The German army did not conduct shelling that day, and the battle on the front line also stopped. Obviously, the German army was resting its troops, and the oppressed Soviet army, who was out of breath, could finally rest their tired bodies.

So at this moment, it seemed that the war had passed, and the peaceful wind blew through the dilapidated streets and alleys, and the outer wall of the Kremlin that had collapsed by a third. However, such a peaceful environment made Stalin shudder, because according to the original plan, Zhukov's troops should launch a counterattack in the area south of Moscow, and he should be able to hear the familiar rumble of Soviet artillery.

"Who can tell me what's going on?" Stalin pushed away the waiter who was following him, and looked at the generals and politicians who followed him behind him. The counterattack he was expecting to rescue Moscow did not start on time, which made Stalin, who deliberately crawled out of the bunker to watch his troops counterattack, feel a little annoyed.

"Comrade Stalin, Marshal Zhukov's troops were suppressed by the German army, and there was no force to obey the order to fight back." An officer had to stand up bravely and say a word for the Soviet soldiers who were still fighting bloody battles on the front line: "Defense to In the end, it is the best way we can choose, if we fight back at this time..."

"Shut up! Cowards! They are all cowards! We are timid from the beginning to the end, can't our nation show some courage?" Hearing this, Stalin interrupted his subordinates a little annoyed: "Look Don't they have the slightest sense of shame that the capital of their motherland has been turned into ruins under the enemy's artillery fire?"

If everyone has the so-called shame, if you remember Comrade Lenin who promoted you and handed over the whole country to you, then you should be the first to stand up and take responsibility for what you did. There is an indescribable helplessness and sadness in everyone's heart, but they can no longer express it in their own words.

"Let Zhukov launch an attack as soon as possible! Immediately!" After finishing speaking, Stalin turned around and walked towards the entrance of the underground bunker. He walked very staggeringly step by step, and it seemed that it was already a very strenuous thing for him to move his legs. No one spoke, everyone just followed behind him, walking slowly towards the dark basement entrance.

"Can Zhukov's troops counterattack on time?" Watching Stalin and his entourage enter the entrance of the underground bunker, a general stood at the entrance and lit a cigarette for himself. He swallowed, and then asked his colleague who was standing beside him, who also didn't go in, but stayed outside to breathe fresh air.

"If I were Zhukov, I wouldn't launch a counterattack at this time...it's no different from suicide." The general shook his head and said, "If I'm not crazy, surrendering at this time is the best choice. .But we are Bolsheviks, which does not allow us to surrender to the Germans, so I have the same choice as Marshal Zhukov, which is to hold our ground and ignore Stalin's orders."

He didn't add the word "comrade" to the honorable name of Stalin. If it was in the past, he might have been arrested a long time ago, but obviously at this time, no one is going to pursue this kind of inappropriate use of words. The smoking general took a puff of smoke, shook his head and said, "You, I, Zhukov, Vatutin, we have no way out. Now I don't plan to wait any longer, I want to leave a place for myself. Decent result."

Instead of going into the underground bunker again, he waved his hands and walked towards the relatively safer southeast city, where his family members are all there. At this time, he was going to say goodbye to his family members, and then leave a place for himself. A decent funeral: "There is no need to send it off, I will go to the front line afterwards, and personally lead people to guard there."

At the door of the underground bunker, the general behind him hesitated to speak, and finally stretched out his hand without pulling his colleagues far away: "Maybe, you are right, comrade."

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