Chapter 296 Red Moscow

Shaposhnikov, who had been asked about Malashenko's condition by Comrade Stalin every now and then in the past few days, naturally knew who Zhukov was talking about.

It is no exaggeration to say that this new Red Army tank hero has almost become one of the most well-known Red Army soldiers in Moscow. Two days ago, Malashenko was invited to give a lecture to a group of newly graduated tank cadets. Those young cadets' admiration for Malashenko, who is their peer, is a look of complete heroism.

"I understand what you mean, Comrade Zhukov, I will convey your words to Comrade Malashenko as soon as possible!"

After leaving with peace of mind, Zhukov drove to the headquarters of the Western Front overnight under the thick night sky. Zhukov, who had no intention of sleeping tonight, immediately held a combat meeting as soon as he entered the headquarters, focusing on checking and emphasizing the deployment of defenses and personally urging the commander of the front to go to the front with him tomorrow.

As soon as Zhukov took over the command of the Western Front at the front, he began to gradually reverse the unfavorable situation. The positions that were repeatedly broken through by the German army began to gradually gain a foothold, and the powerful offensive of the enemy, a full 12 German divisions, was forced to slow down the rhythm of the attack.

Through the results of the Soviet telegram reconnaissance and decryption given by the intelligence department, it was determined that his opponent had been replaced by General Zhukov. Since the Battle of Yelnya, the commander of the German Central Army, Marshal Bock, who had been resentful of this defeat, immediately ignited a raging fighting spirit and vowed to kill the Soviet general who caused him to be scolded by the head of state.

"Increase the strength of the frontline attack and put all the six reserve divisions into it! Before this time tomorrow afternoon, I want to hear that the Soviet Western Front has been completely defeated!"

The joining of six fully equipped German infantry divisions is undoubtedly a fierce new force. Even if General Zhukov, the god of war of the Red Army, is good at fighting, he can't withstand the offensive force that is more than ten times larger than his own. Moreover, the entire sky above his head also belongs to the Germans. The inevitable defeat quickly spread like a plague in the Western Front under Zhukov's command.

When the Western Front was forcibly defeated from the front by the German offensive force that was so powerful that there was no suspense, the danger faced by Moscow, like a lone boat in the sea, began to increase day by day.

The German offensive group that completed the frontal breakthrough from the center of the three Soviet fronts immediately began to advance straight ahead, completing a strategic deep breakthrough in the three-point straight line direction from Nalo to Fominsk and Bordosk.

The German Central Army Group, which controls the three strategic locations in the west, north and south, has completed its initial strategic intentions. Moscow, which is surrounded on three sides, is now almost within the reach of Marshal Bock and the German Central Army Group.

At this critical moment, a letter from the Western Front Military Committee to all soldiers, drafted by Zhukov himself, began to spread rapidly throughout the low-morale Western Front like a shot of adrenaline.

"Comrades! In the harsh moment when the Soviet Union is facing danger, the life of every soldier should belong to the motherland! The motherland requires each of us to contribute our greatest strength and carry forward the spirit of bravery, tenacity, heroism and perseverance."

"The motherland calls on us to become an indestructible iron wall to block the road to Moscow for the evil German fascist gang! Now more than ever, we need to strengthen vigilance, iron discipline and organization, take resolute and decisive actions, and respond with confidence in victory and the fearless spirit of being ready to sacrifice ourselves at any time!"

The letter to all soldiers of the front army, shouted out by the Soviet political commissars with loudspeakers, played a great role in boosting morale.

Zhukov, who knew that it was almost useless to just talk and shout with a loudspeaker, took action himself. He went to the front line almost every day to inspect the deployment of defenses and even went to the front line of the battle zone in person.

The news that General Zhukov was with his comrades spread like wildfire throughout the Western Front. This tenacious force that had been fighting the German army since the beginning of the war was not crushed by the powerful offensive. The remnants of the Western Front, standing proudly like reefs in the sea, continued to fight on the front line to block the German army and tenaciously defend Moscow behind them.

The German Air Force fighter planes that kept roaring in the sky had begun to drop tons of aerial bombs and incendiary bombs in Moscow. The situation in Moscow was grim and a full martial law was declared on October 19. The National Defense Committee called on the people to cooperate with the Red Army at all costs and defend the capital of the motherland, Moscow, to the death.

The next day, early in the morning of October 20, the freshly baked Pravda published an editorial titled "Stop the Enemy from Advancing to Moscow", mobilizing the people of the city to bury these German fascists with their blood and lives before the enemy reached the capital.

The Moscow Municipal Committee, taking advantage of the favorable wind from Pravda, immediately convened a citywide meeting of activists and party members, calling on everyone to mobilize the people to turn the capital into an impregnable fortress.

The originally peaceful and tranquil Moscow city was transformed into a red fortress with mountains and seas roaring almost overnight.

Countless citizens spontaneously took to the streets and lined up in long queues to sign up for the militia division and workers' battalion. Women who were not suitable for the front line directly took over the jobs of men in military factories and other factories and shouldered the heavy burden. Teenagers and old people who were not suitable for joining the army were not idle either. They carried hoes and shovels and other digging tools and rushed to the outskirts of Moscow. The magnificent scene of hundreds of thousands of citizens spontaneously building field fortifications can be said to be unprecedented.

Malashenko, who was in such a great and magnificent red wave, was anxious like an ant on a hot pot.

Since Chief of Staff Shaposhnikov conveyed General Zhukov's order to him, Malashenko, who had been patiently waiting for his return to the front-line troops to be reinstated, has not received any news.

Thinking of his independent first heavy tank breakthrough battalion still staying in Leningrad to continue fighting, he always wondered if he had lost a lot of time because of this malaria, and Malashenko, who had been banished to the cold palace and sat on the bench since then, couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

"Damn it, getting sick is not something I wanted to do! There has to be some logic in everything, right? If they really fire me because of the time wasted on this serious illness, I really have nothing to say!"