Chapter 2664

"You are talking about General Petrov." Although Sokov did not name the specific name, Malinin did not know who he was talking about: "He once led the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. In October 1941, he served as the commander of the 44th Army. In 1943, he served as the commander of the North Caucasus Front. He participated in the Kerch-Elitighen landing battle and the liberation of Maykop and Krasnodar. In 1944, he served as the commander of the Second Belarus Army. Commander of the Front and the 4th Ukrainian Front and received the rank of general."

Since Malinen has already told the other party's resume, Sokov will naturally not deny it: "Yes, it's him."

Malinin was silent for a moment, nodded and said: "Misha, you are right, he commanded the troops to enter the defense, and his level is indeed very high. But when it comes to offensive operations, his strength is still a little bit behind. You know, he serves as the Belarusian commander. The commander of the Second Front Army was relieved of his duties after only two months, and he was dismissed two days before the start of Operation Bagration. This shows that the Supreme Command also realized that his ability was not enough to command the troops to participate in this kind of operation. A massive counterattack."

"I think so."

"Misha," Malinin hesitated for a moment, but said decisively: "According to the information I received, the Supreme Command intended you to take over Petrov's position and serve as the commander of the Second Belarusian Front. Later, someone Saying that you are too young may not convince the public, and it may have a negative impact on the subsequent Bagration operation. It is for this reason that after Petrov was dismissed, General Zakharov took over this position. ”

"General Malinin, in fact, the decision made by the Supreme Command is correct." Sokov is very self-aware. With his own ability, being a group army commander is already the limit. If he is really allowed to command the Belarusian Second Front , he might be sent to a military court in the end. Therefore, throw away your unrealistic illusions and just be the commander of your own group army with peace of mind: "With my ability, I am simply not enough to command a front army unit."

Malinen laughed twice and said: "You should still remember that at that time I was the chief of staff of the First Belarusian Front, and Marshal Rokossovsky was the commander. The two of us had discussed this issue. Marshal Rokossovsky said that with your ability, it may be difficult to command such a large army at the beginning, but as long as you have capable subordinates to assist you, your command level will improve in a short time. It can be greatly improved, and the troops you command may be the first to rush into Berlin. "

Hearing Malinin talk about the topic of being the first to rush into Berlin, Sokov couldn't help laughing. He dreamed that his troops would be the first to enter Berlin, but things changed, and as Rokossov With Marshal Ski's transfer, he himself was also transferred from the First Front Army to the Second Front Army, and the main offensive direction he was responsible for was also adjusted. He soon discovered that no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many victories he achieved, he was not qualified to be the first unit to enter Berlin.

Malinin was obviously aware of this. His old partner Rokossovsky was transferred from the First Front by Stalin because of his Polish ancestry and lost the qualification to enter Berlin first. If there is any regret, Rokossovsky regrets it more than Sokov.

"Misha, you must be very tired after taking the train for such a long time." Malinen stood up and said to Sokov: "You go back and rest first. If you have anything else, we will talk about it when we meet tomorrow."

Sokov returned to the room assigned to him by Malinin, and after a brief wash, he lay down on the bed to rest. This trip was really hard on him.

While sleeping until midnight, he felt as if there was someone else on the bed, and by the feel of his hand, he knew who it was.

Early the next morning, he woke up Kopalova, who was sleeping next to him: "Kopalova, it's getting late, shall we go out for breakfast?"

Kopalova, who was soft all over, struggled to sit up and said to Sokov: "Misha, I contacted Moscow yesterday and they said they would send someone to meet me as soon as possible. After breakfast, I will Go to the location where the press station is and do the preliminary preparations.”

Sokov put his arm around Kopalova's shoulders and asked softly: "You went to the press station. Will you still have time to come over in the future?"

Kopalova thought for a while and then said: "I am the only one in the press station, so I can't leave casually. But if you really miss me, you can come and find me. Got it?"

When the two came to the restaurant, Seryosha, Vaserigov and Serelkov had almost finished breakfast.

Seeing the arrival of Sokov and Kopalova, Serelkov quickly gave them two meals, put them down and said: "Please have a meal, I wish you a good appetite!"

"Seryosa," Sokov said to Seryosha as he started to eat: "Kopalova will go to the press station after breakfast. You will bring two guards to see her off later."

"Ah, you are leaving so soon?" After Seryosha said this, he turned to look at Kopalova and asked: "Kopalova, can't you stay here for two more days? You know, Even if the newspaper sends a new reporter, it will take several days."

"There is no way," Kopalova said helplessly: "The newspaper asked me to do the preliminary work of the reporter station first, so that when the people from Moscow arrive, we can start work as soon as possible."

"Comrade General," Vaserigov asked Sokov tentatively after waiting for Kopalova to finish speaking, "I wonder what your plans are today?"

"I'm going to see General Malinin later. I guess he will send someone to accompany me to the 4th Guards Army to take office." Sokov said: "Vaseligov, Serelkov, you two will accompany me. ”

"Yes!" Vasergov and Serelkov replied in unison.

After breakfast, Kopalova said goodbye to Sokov and, accompanied by Seryosha and two guards, headed to the area where the press station was located. Sokov took Serelkov and Vaserigov to Malinin's headquarters to accept his new position.

When he came to the office, Malinin put down his work, came over and shook hands with Sokov, and said at the same time: "After I reported the attack on you on the road yesterday to my superiors, Marshal Zhukov called me early in the morning. Ask about your specific situation. I told him that although most of the passengers on the train were killed by the gangsters, they were not harmed because of the protection of several capable guards. "

"Marshal Zhukov is really thoughtful." Sokov said gratefully after hearing this: "He even called me personally for my matter."

"Misha, I will send my adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Onischenko, to accompany you to take charge of the 4th Guards Army later."

"Thank you so much."

When Sokov was about to leave, Malinin held his hand and said earnestly: "Misha, in this attack plan, the 4th Guards Army under your command will be the first to attack the enemy. If you have any good ideas, remember to communicate with me in time. You must remember that I am your strong backing.”

Sokov came outside and found Vaserigov chatting with Onischenko.

Seeing Sokov come out, Vasergov and Serelkov quickly stood at attention. Onischenko raised his hand in salute and said respectfully: "I am sending you to the 4th Guards Army on the commander's order. If you are ready, we will set off now."

The convoy heading to the headquarters of the 4th Guards Army was very simple, with only three jeeps.

Serelkov sat in the first jeep, Vaserigov sat in the last car, while Sokov and Onischenko sat in the middle car.

Along the way, Sokov kept looking out the window to see how long it would take to arrive.

When Onischenko saw Sokov's expression, he misunderstood and took the initiative to explain: "Comrade General, don't worry. You are now in Vienna. It is safe here. We have eliminated all enemies. There will be no danger."

But after hearing this, Sokov laughed and said: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, we must not take it lightly. If a certain army pretends to be gangsters and attacks us, then our small convoy will be wiped out. danger."

"Comrade General, your worries are unnecessary." Onischenko said with a smile: "I can assure you that you will not see any enemies near Vienna."

"That's not necessarily the case." Sokov had done his homework before coming here. The defense area of ​​the Guards Army is bordering the US military. If the other party wants to do something, they can pretend to be a gangster and carry out a sneak attack on him. If that happens, he will become an unjust murderer: "Don't forget, there are US troops stationed next to the defense area of ​​the 4th Guards Army. If they want to disguise themselves as gangsters and carry out a sneak attack, then we may He died inexplicably."

"Comrade General, isn't the US military our ally?" Onischenko asked in confusion: "Why did they attack us secretly?"

"Before Germany surrenders, because of the existence of this common enemy, we will naturally work together." Seeing that Onischenko did not even understand such basic common sense, Sokov felt unhappy in his heart, but considering the other party He was Ma Linin's adjutant, so he patiently explained to him: "If the common enemy is eliminated, then the former allies may turn against each other because of some small issues. Do you want to see this happen?"

"I don't want to." Onischenko answered very simply: "The war has just ended, why are we still fighting? Haven't we killed enough people?"

"In this war, we lost 20 to 30 million people." Sokov said: "We really don't want to fight, but some people are provoking us, so we must be prepared for war."

"Comrade General, so to speak, is this military exercise just to frighten our former allies?"

Sokov knew very well that Onischenko, as Malinin's adjutant, must know a lot of information that ordinary people could not know, so he did not hide it, but said truthfully: "Yes, that's what it means. This time it's Military exercises, if the people on the other side are not honest, the exercise may turn into a formal military operation. "

Soon, the convoy stopped next to a building. Onischenko, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, turned around and said: "Comrade General, your headquarters is here!"

After a few people got out of the car and were about to walk inside, the second lieutenant with two sentries on duty at the door raised his hand to block their way: "Please show your IDs!"

Hearing what the second lieutenant said, Vaserigov suddenly became anxious: "What, you want to see our IDs? Do you know who he is?"

Sokov knew that checking IDs was a Russian tradition. Lenin was checked for IDs when he walked on the street. So he took out his ID and handed it to the other party: "Comrade Lieutenant, this is my ID, please take a look."

The lieutenant had heard that his superiors were going to send a new commander. When Sokov and others got off the car just now, he saw the rank on Sokov's shoulder straps and guessed that the new commander might have taken office. After reading Sokov's ID at this moment, he was more certain that this was the new commander. He stood at attention on the spot, raised his hand to salute Sokov, and shouted loudly: "Hello, Comrade Commander!"

Sokov took the ID handed to him by the lieutenant and walked into the building, ready to officially take over the command of this unit.

When he came to the commander's office, there was no other furniture except a desk, two leather back chairs and a long sofa.

Onishchenko brought Sokov to the door of the office and said with a smile: "Comrade General, this is your office. Please come in quickly."

After Sokov entered the office, he turned around and asked Onishchenko: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, when can I see my subordinates?"

"Comrade General, please be patient, I will call them immediately to notify them to come over." After saying that, Onishchenko picked up the phone on the table and started dialing.

A few minutes later, a short and chubby major ran in from outside.

After seeing Onishchenko, he couldn't wait to ask: "Lieutenant Colonel Onishchenko, where is our new commander?"

"I'm here." Sokov didn't wait for Onishchenko to speak, and said first: "Major, who are you?"

"Hello, Comrade Commander!" Knowing that the person sitting behind the desk was the new commander, the fat major quickly raised his hand and saluted: "I am Major Shekhovtsov, the head of the logistics department. I wonder if there is anything I can do for you?"

Sokov pointed at Vaseligov and Seryoelkov and said: "They are both responsible for protecting my safety. Please arrange an office for them."

"Okay, Comrade Commander." Shekhov Shekhovtsov said respectfully: "Besides that, do you have any other instructions?"

"Why are you the only one left in the headquarters? Where are the others?"

Hearing Sokov's question, Shekhovtsov quickly replied: "The troops started preparing for the exercise some time ago. The chief of staff took a group of staff from the headquarters to inspect the station." He raised his hand to check the time and continued, "They have been gone for more than an hour. They will be back here around noon."

When Sokov learned that the chief of staff had taken people to inspect outside, he naturally didn't want to wait here foolishly, so he said to Shekhovtsov: "Comrade Section Chief, please help me arrange a vehicle immediately. I also want to visit the troops by the way."