While the Soviet troops were resting and recuperating, the Germans seized the time to reorganize the command system of Army Group South.

As soon as Reichenau took office, he immediately summoned Manstein, commander of the 11th Army, who had just flown from Leningrad to take up his post.

The reason for this was that Reichenau knew that Manstein was resourceful and capable of fighting...... In fact, there were not many people in the German army who were unaware of this at this time.

For example, he formulated the Schlieffen plan to attack France, so that the German army forced France to surrender and the British army to withdraw to the island in a little more than a month.

Another example is the assault gun proposed by Manstein, which has also proved to be effective in actual combat.

In addition, not long ago, Manstein was the commander of the 56th Panzer Army in Army Group North, and the 56th Panzer Army led by him rushed into the territory of the Soviet Union for 200 kilometers within four days of the start of the war, which caught the Soviet troops by surprise.

His style of play was similar to Rommel's fighting against the British in the African theater, so it was also deeply appreciated by Hitler.

"General!" Reichenau simply shook hands with Manstein and got to the point: "I think you already know the situation, Army Group South is in trouble, as the Führer said, we are almost divided into three by the enemy!" ”

"Yes, I learned something!" Manstein replied that he had carefully read the relevant information on the plane that had arrived.

"To be honest, I was surprised that this battle would turn out like this!" "We seem to have been victorious, crushing the Russian Southern Front from western Ukraine all the way to the Dnieper, and even after crossing the Dnieper," Manstein said. But only a defeat in one battle...... It will lead to a loss of the whole game! ”

"Yes!" Reichenau nodded in agreement: "Although I know that it may not be appropriate to say so, I don't think there is anything wrong with Marshal Rundstedt's command, at least not in my opinion. But we still lost! ”

"The Russians are much smarter than we think, Your Excellency Marshal!" Manstein said: "Or let's say, the Russians in Ukraine are smarter!" ”

"We've heard it's this guy who is working!" Reichenau handed Manstein a document.

After opening the file, Manstein couldn't help but be stunned, raised his head and looked at Reichenau suspiciously, and asked, "A sergeant?" ”

"Yes, a sergeant!" Reichenau replied: "They called him the 'escape hero', who fled from the Brest fortress with stragglers all the way to Kyiv and then to Odessa, from the beginning of the war to almost the whole of Ukraine." ”

Manstein was a little incredulous, he was a nobleman, and he was a nobleman for generations, and he had received a good military education since he was a child, and he thought that these were very important, and that the uneducated people talked about war was just empty talk.

And the sergeant in front of him...... If he had been a sergeant, he would not have received a military education.

Flipping through the papers, Manstein was even more convinced, because he saw that the sergeant named Shulka had been a private before the outbreak of war.

That is, not only did he not receive a higher military education, but even basic military training may not be up to par.

"Your Excellency, Marshal!" Manstein flipped through the papers and asked, "Will this be ...... Is it a means for the Russians to deceive us? ”

"What do you mean?" Reichenau asked.

"They're worried about getting our attention!" Manstein said: "For example, our assassination, so we pushed a certain soldier who was not worth mentioning to the stage!" ”

"No, General!" Reichenau rejects Manstein's words without thinking: "We had similar thoughts, but after we traced the Battle of Brest Fortress in detail......"

As he spoke, Reichenau leaned in, flipped back a few pages of the document in Manstein's hand, pointed to a few paragraphs, and said: "These suggestions that I have marked have been confirmed to come from the mouth of this 'escaped hero'!" ”

"Confirmation?"

"Yes!" Reichenau replied: "We have interrogated every prisoner, and those whom we have placed within them!" What's more, the commander of the highest rank of the Brest Fortress is nothing more than a major, and I don't think they need to do this in order to hide a major! ”

Manstein nodded his head when he heard this, and then he took a serious look at the description in the document.

Then the more he looked at it, the more surprised he became, and some of the suggestions that Manstein didn't think should have happened, but they did.

For example, as if he knew what was happening, he transferred the German troops surrounding the Brest fortress.

Another example is the layered defense tactics and camouflage tactics used on the front line in Kyiv, a sergeant will have such a talent?

What struck Manstein the most incredible thing was that the strategy of counter-encircling Army Group South was also estimated to have come from the hands of this "escape hero......

"It can't be!" Manstein said, "Have you checked the sergeant's origin?" He graduated from school, family, and more! ”

"Of course I did!" Reichenau spread his hands: "But it's mediocre, a peasant family, only with a primary school education!" ”

"Elementary school?!" Manstein shook his head: "Either the intelligence is wrong, or this guy is a military genius!" ”

Manstein, of course, didn't know that there was a third option, and that was that Shulka didn't need to be educated on this plane to have even more knowledge and experience than him, even ahead of his time, and proven to be right.

"Let's put this 'escape hero' aside for now!" Reichenau said: "The Führer is more concerned about how we can solve the dilemma at hand!" ”

"I don't care about that!" Manstein replied.

"What?" Lai Xianao couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this: "What do you mean?" ”

"Our concern has always been Moscow, Your Excellency Marshal!" "It was the heart of Russia, the political and military center, the transport hub, and it was more important than anything else," Manstein explained. If the Führer's plan succeeds in encircling Kyiv, we will most likely not have enough time to attack Moscow...... You know, it only takes a few months, and winter is coming! ”

"You mean to say......" Reichenau asked, "we abandon the Ukrainian battlefield?" ”

"It's not like giving up completely!" Manstein replied: "They have cut off our supply lines from Romania and Poland to Kiev, but our 1st and 2nd Panzer Groups have routed the Russian Southern Front and the Bryansko Front on the east bank of the Dnieper, and have captured a large amount of supplies and equipment, and they have joined forces with Army Group Center to obtain supplies from Army Group Center." So why do we only think about withdrawing the main forces of Army Group South to the west instead of simply allowing them to cross the Dnieper and continue the offensive? ”