At the headquarters of the 4th Tank Brigade, Major Zakhakavich looked at the map with a frown.

Seeing Shulka come in, Major Zahakavich nodded and motioned for Shulka to wait, and then looked at the map again and stopped talking.

After a while, the main officers were almost all in place, and then Major Zakhakavich said: "Comrades, the higher authorities ordered us to launch a counteroffensive against Tula in order to drive the German 3rd Panzer Division out of the Tula area and fill the gap!" ”

When the officers heard this, they couldn't help but talk about it.

"Comrade Zakhakavich!" Major Gavrilov said: "But we are seriously short of tanks, plus the 5 that we have just replenished only 31 tanks!" ”

"The superior will add us some other types of tanks!" Major Zahakavich replied.

Major Gavrilov didn't say anything, but everyone knew that it was difficult for other tanks to coordinate with the T34, and they were more used to make up the numbers.

"How many tanks does the enemy have?" Venyakov asked.

"The preliminary estimate is that there are about 100 vehicles!" Major Zahakavich replied.

The officers in the conference room stopped talking when they heard this.

"We have almost no chance of victory!" "Because we had to end the battle before dawn and hide ourselves, but attack them with 31 tanks......

"I know all of this!" Major Zahakavich said with some irritation: "I also know that the time has not yet come to launch a counteroffensive, we should wait for the enemy to break into the minefield, and then use the advantage of the minesweeping tanks to win more with less." But this is an order from above, understand? Orders from above, we have no room for bargaining! ”

"Well, the superiors should at least give us a little more time!" Major Gavrilov said: "In ten days, ten more tanks will be replenished, and then we may still have the ability to counterattack!" ”

"No, Comrade Gavrilov!" Major Zakhakavich said: "The order of the higher authorities is to launch a counteroffensive and drive the enemy out within ten days, and the garrison of Tula will cooperate with our attack!" ”

After a moment of silence, Major Gavrilov asked: "Is it an order from the Supreme Command?" ”

Major Zakhakavich shook his head and replied: "It was the order of Comrade Zhukov!" ”

There was silence in the headquarters, and the officers were more or less unwilling to have their faces or eyes.

Shulka knew what it meant, they could have played a bigger role on the battlefield, but they had to be sent to their deaths because of an inexplicable order...... Although there are many such things in the army, and they know that the army is all about obeying orders, it does not mean that everyone is without complaints.

After a moment of silence, Shulka asked, "Why ten days?" The higher authorities ordered us to do so within ten days! ”

"I don't know!" Major Zahakavich spread his hands and replied: "I know there is only so much!" ”

Then Shulka spun away in his head.

Assuming that this order was indeed given by Zhukov, and Zhukov still gave this order knowing that the 4th Tank Brigade was short of tanks, then he must have his own difficulties, otherwise he would not have let the 4th Tank Brigade go up to confront a German armored division like this.

What's the problem?

Ten days?

Ten days later it was ......

Then Shulka suddenly understood that it was a military parade on Red Square, and the Supreme High Command decided to hold a military parade as usual at this difficult moment in order to boost the morale of the army and the people.

It should be said that this was indeed useful, and after the military parade was held and broadcast throughout the country, almost everyone thought that the Germans would soon occupy Moscow and the entire territory of the Soviet Union.

Perhaps, this military parade has created an atmosphere of solidarity and hatred, and has caused many troops and even ordinary people to have a tragic mentality of stepping over their corpses even if they will eventually fail.

Of course, there were other reasons for this, such as the sharp drop in temperatures after the military parade on Red Square on November 7, which was obviously extremely unfavorable to the German army, and the arrival of reinforcements from the Far Eastern Front, which finally turned the battle into victory.

However, these were not the problems that Shulka had to consider, and he guessed the reason for Zhukov's order: to prepare for the military parade on Red Square.

At the time of the parade, all directions of the line of defense would be in a state of weakness, and as soon as the Germans knew that the Soviets were on the parade, they would launch a fierce attack at that time, and the German 3rd Panzer Division, which had already crossed the line to encircle Tula...... It would be possible to risk attacking Moscow.

Although this was a risk for the Germans, they did have the possibility of success, even if it did not work out in the end...... If the Soviets had just finished the parade on Red Square and the Germans had hit the city of Moscow, there would be no doubt that the role of the parade would be greatly reduced or even counterproductive.

Shulka was about to say why, but after thinking about it, he immediately stopped talking.

The military parade on Red Square was undoubtedly a military secret at this time.

Once this news leaks out, the Germans will prepare in advance and even have a complete offensive plan, which will increase the pressure on the Mozhaisk line exponentially, and even the entire defense line may collapse completely.

If this is the case, then Shulka, the initiator of the leakage of the news, is afraid that no matter how much credit is made, no matter how much effort is made, it will be burned because of this.

"What are you doing, Shulka!" Major Gavrilov asked: "Think of a way, how can we accomplish this task!" ”

"Major!" Shulka replied: "We ...... Maybe you can do it another way! ”

"What's the other way around?" Major Gavrilov said: "As long as the task can be completed, it will be fine in any way!" ”

"The Germans occupied the railway bridge, and only then managed to break through the line of defense and encircle Tula from the rear!" Shulka said: "That is, the interspersed forces of the Germans are completely dependent on this railway bridge, and what if we blow up this railway bridge?" ”

"No, Shulka!" Major Zakhakavich said: "You did not complete the task in another way, but did not complete the task at all, blowing up the railway bridge and driving the enemy out of Tula are two different things!" ”

Shulka didn't speak.

These seem to be two different things, but if the German 3rd Panzer Division, which the superiors feared, attacked Moscow with all its might during the Soviet parade, it would be the same thing.

Because, if the railway bridge is blown up, the German 3rd Panzer Division, of course, will not be able to attack Moscow or so quickly.

Major Gavrilov asked: "Blowing up the railway bridge seems to be a way to do it, and in any case it will be beneficial to us, I mean to cut off the enemy's supplies." Also, why don't we ask Command for instructions? ”