"Army Group Center!" Admiral Kirponos gave the number: "That's Army Group Center of the Germans!" ”

"Yes, Army Group Center!" Shulka said: "We fought with one of them in the Brest Fortress, and they were very combative. If Army Group Center crosses the Dnieper in the Minsk direction, our flanks will be exposed to them, and then they will make a detour to the south......"

Admiral Kirponos and Major Gavrilov were stunned and speechless for a long time, they were frightened by this unprecedented encirclement...... If this was the case, the Germans would not need to storm Kyiv at all, nor do they need to force the Dnieper crossing, but surround them in their entirety.

"This can't be, Shulka!" It was only after a long time that Major Gavrilov objected: "To do what you say, the Germans must annihilate the entire Western Front in a short time!" ”

Shulka didn't answer because it wasn't his time to answer the question.

Admiral Kirponos didn't speak, he just looked at the map silently.

Major Gavrilov sensed that something was wrong and cast a puzzled look at Admiral Kirponos.

"Minsk is already in a predicament!" Admiral Kirponos replied: "The Western Front is already surrounded by the Germans!" ”

This news cannot be released casually, so even Major Gavrilov does not know about it.

Major Gavrilov was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Shulka and said, "That is, the encirclement that the sergeant said...... Most likely true? ”

"Yes!" Admiral Kirponos nodded: "But it's not sure yet!" ”

It is true that it is not certain, because at this time the battle of Minsk was still going on.

However, for Shulka it was already established, the Western army was annihilated by 500,000 men in 20 days, and the commander, General Pavlov, was sentenced to death for treason.

This is somewhat unjust, although General Pavlov is not effective in command, but there is no way to talk about "treason".

"Then ......" said Major Gavrilov, "Comrade General, with all due respect, we must be ready to retreat!" ”

Major Gavrilov said it politely, the truth is that it is not a joke that a million people will be surrounded here.

"The situation in Minsk is not yet clear!" Admiral Kirponos said: "The intentions of the German Army Group Center are also not clear, and this aspect will be considered later!" ”

Admiral Kirponos was right, in fact Guderian did not want to outflank Kiev, because it would delay the attack on Moscow by Army Group Center, and finally had to change direction at Hitler's insistence.

Thus, the discussion ended in an atmosphere of unease.

As for Shulka, he thought the purpose of the trip had been achieved, and at least he reminded Admiral Kirponos, even though Shulka knew it wouldn't really help.

"You've been thinking of this for a long time, haven't you?" On the way back, Major Gavrilov asked.

"What?"

"This encirclement!" Gavrilov asked: "What have you been worried about, is that you said this today, right?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Major!" Shulka can't deny it.

"How did you come up with that?" Major Gavrilov shook his head: "Army Group Center? Shulka, you're so surprised, you're just a soldier, just promoted to sergeant, but you're thinking about the movements of the enemy's army group! ”

"I'm sorry, Comrade Major!" Shulka replied: "I can't stop my head from thinking cranky!" ”

Suddenly, Shulka remembered that being a Soviet soldier was not allowed to have his own thoughts, so he asked: "Did I violate any ......?"

"No, that's good!" Major Gavrilov laughed: "Before the outbreak of war, yes, you really can't think about anything. But now, trust me, Shulka, we need you to 'crank'! ”

Of course, in peacetime, it may be possible to toss as much as you want behind closed doors, but with the start of war, the door is opened...... Everything will be toppled and come in a practical and effective way, otherwise it will be self-defeating.

In this respect, war is also a panacea for national reform.

That night, the 333rd Regiment was given a few hours of rest.

They were arranged in a warehouse, and the orderlies had bread, dry quilts, beds, and even a brand new military uniform.

I don't know who led the way, but the warriors stripped themselves naked one after another, despite their exhaustion, and then rushed into the rain with cheers...... It's a good idea, having a dry bed and a military uniform means at least a moment of comfort, even if they know that the next day the uniform will be wrapped in mud and water.

However, when Shulka walked out of the warehouse with them and let the cold rain hit him, he suddenly felt that the rain washed away not the mud and exhaustion on his body, but the smoke and blood of the battlefield.

This made Shulka stand in the rain for a long time and did not want to return, until Major Gavrilov ordered a rest.

Everyone slept well that night, not only because of a safe haven, but also because it was a hundred kilometers from the front line...... This keeps them away from the fear of death for a while.

So, Shulka felt like the whistle sounded as soon as he closed his eyes.

He thought there must be something wrong or an emergency, but when he looked at his watch...... The five-hour break had passed, and although it was still gloomy outside due to the rainstorm, it was clearly dawn.

As Admiral Kirponos said, the task of the 333rd Regiment was to use their experience to inspect the Kiev defensive line.

This gave the 333rd Regiment a lot of freedom and power, they could "check" it at will from place to place, or they could also "check" the defense areas of the 13 divisions outside Kyiv one by one in order. If Gavrilov wanted to, they could even ask the district to cooperate with them in a skirmish.

It was a bit like a unit dedicated to patrolling, which made the garrisons in all districts a little nervous at the sight of the 333rd Regiment.

In order to carry out the "patrol" more effectively and quickly, Admiral Kirponos also provided the 333rd Regiment with a car...... This was unthinkable in the days of war preparation, when cars were usually used to transport ammunition supplies or to transport the wounded from the front lines.

Of course, having these "benefits" did not come without a price, and Major Gavrilov and Shulka had to report to Admiral Kirponos every day on the "inspection".