In the evening, on the positions of the 1st Infantry Division of the Honorable Jews, the sound of gunfire gradually subsided.

As the battle drew to a close, Chen Dao's convoy set off again for its true destination, the city of Rossohi on the Kalitva River.

After more than an hour's march, Chen Dao's convoy reached the south bank of the Kalitwa River.

Upon learning of Chen Dao's arrival, Major General Schumacher, commander of the "Imperial Marshal" armored division, was waiting outside the division department early.

Both sides were old acquaintances, and they were not too polite, and after a few words of greeting, they went straight to the combat command room.

Standing next to the operational map, Chen Dao listened to Major General Schumacher's explanation, picked up a stack of aerial photos and looked at them carefully, and then nodded and said: "You have done a good job, although the armored division takes offense as the main combat method, it cannot be brutal." If you find that the enemy has fortified areas to the east, it is wise to stop the attack and move on to a defensive counterattack.

Our real purpose is Moscow, and we can't afford to lose too much in the periphery, otherwise what will we do to charge Moscow in the future? The next task of the force was to defend the Kalitwa River basin and to conduct further reconnaissance to the east and north, particularly in the fortified areas to the east. When Army Group B arrived, we would hand over the information we had from the reconnaissance to them, so that they could save some time when attacking these fortified areas.

We have now learned that our opponent is the Voronezh Front, which has just arrived from the Voronezh region to the north, and that our position is critical, and we happen to be stuck on the shortest road to the south, and our next task is to continue to hold on to it, and at the same time find a way to cause some trouble for them and slow down their advance. Buy time for friendly forces in the west to encircle and annihilate the Southwestern Front. You just said that you caught a major general? ”

Major General Schumacher said: "Yes, we captured the commander of the 2nd Tank Army, Major General Lazarev, we have already interrogated him, his unit is part of the 5th Tank Army, and the commander of this army is Major General Lidyukov. In today's battle, the troops in the north were commanded by Major General Lidyukov, and the troops in the east were supposed to be under the personal command of the commander of the Voronezh Front, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky. ”

Chen Dao smiled and nodded and said: "Very good, very good, it's good to know the name, so that our journalists can have a clear target, and our next target is this guy named Rokossovsky." As is customary, tonight we will first fire a round of mouth cannon through the radio station, and tomorrow we will bombard them with artillery. ”

Major General Schumacher's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked: "Where is the target of the attack?" ”

"Didn't you say that there is an airfield for Russians to the east? That's where our goal is, and," Chen Dao carefully examined the map, and continued: "The enemy's reinforcements crossed the Don River from a place called Upper Mamun in the east, and after crossing the Don River, they arrived at the battlefield with Boguchar as a transit point. We can't just watch them arrive so smoothly, we have to cause some trouble for them, make them suffer a little, let's start at the airport to the east of them. ”

Major General Schumacher said suspiciously: "We are going to attack the enemy's airfield, what about those fortified areas?" How do we get there? ”

"It's not that we're going to attack enemy airfields, it's them. Don't forget, there's someone up there. Chen Dao stretched out the index finger of his right hand, pointed to the top of his head and said,

That night, under Chen Dao's instructions, the "Deutsche Welle" radio station, which had always been very punctual, fired another round of powerful mouth cannons.

"We are now broadcasting a good news from the Eastern Front, and during the day today, our old friend General Heinz von Rosen led the Panzer Division of the 'Reich Marshal', the 1st Parachute Division of the Luftwaffe, and the 1st Infantry Division of the 'Honorary Jews', in the area west of the Don River and south of the Kalitva River, in the area west of the Don River and south of the Kalitva River, facing the overwhelming superiority of the Voronezh Front, led by Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, and the first part of the Southwestern Front, in an extremely difficult defensive battle.

In the face of a formidable enemy with at least three army groups, General Rosen and all the officers and soldiers of the participating units remained calm and calm, armed themselves with fearless chivalry, inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy's vanguard 2nd Tank Corps and 11th Tank Corps, and successfully captured the commander of the 2nd Tank Corps, Major General Lazarev. In the village of Zuravka, where the fighting was fiercest, General Rosen personally led four temporarily drawn tanks and his own guard platoon to launch a counter-charge, crushing the enemy's last counterattack and turning the battlefield situation in one fell swoop. The commander of the enemy battlefield, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, left his troops behind and fled in disarray, narrowly escaping the pursuit of General Rosen······"

In the city of Boguchar, in the headquarters of Marshal Timoshenko, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky raised his right hand and slammed it on the table with a "bang", his tall and burly body stood up violently, waved his fist and roared: "This damn villain, he is lying, where do I have three army groups?" If I really had three armies, I would have been the one who had made the good news. ”

Marshal Timoshenko, together with Khrushchev, looked at Lieutenant General Rokossovsky with sympathy.

"Exaggerating the results of a war is something that Germans have always liked to do, but there is still a lot of truth on their radio. We couldn't get in touch with Major General Lazarev of the 2nd Tank Army, we thought he was sacrificed, but we didn't expect that he was captured by the Germans. This is the most unfortunate news, and we should think carefully about how we should respond to the General Secretary's questioning when he learns of this news. ”

At the hearing of the words of Comrade General Secretary, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky was immediately drained of all his anger and sat back in his chair weakly.

Khrushchev touched his severely receding hairline, blinking incessantly, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"During the daytime battles, Major General Lazarev's 2nd Tank Army was commanded by General Lidyukov of the 5th Tank Army, and it was none of our business. As for the fighting in the Kandemirovka area, it was the 11th Tank Army that was in charge, and it was not Comrade Rokossovsky's business. If we lose the war, we only need to assume secondary leadership responsibility, and the real responsibility still falls on the commanders at the front, what do you say? ”

Marshal Timoshenko and Lieutenant General Rokossovsky looked at Khrushchev together with shock in their eyes.

Khrushchev's cold gaze met the two of them, and he asked again: "What do you think?" ”

Marshal Timoshenko crossed his arms and hesitated for a few seconds before saying: "I think what Comrade Khrushchev said is very reasonable, if the battle is lost, someone should come out and take responsibility. ”

Lieutenant General Rokossovsky followed: "I obey the instructions of my superiors. ”

The night flew by in a state of busyness and apprehension, and the three of them did not wait for a call from the General Secretary.

Lieutenant General Rokossovsky overnight regrouped the retreating troops while receiving the main forces of the 7th Tank Army, which had just crossed the Don River to the front.

In the early hours of the morning, dragging his tired body, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky had just returned to the headquarters of Marshal Timoshenko when he saw the gloomy faces of Marshal Timoshenko and Khrushchev.

Khrushchev said with a calm face: "The Supreme Command has sent a telegram abolishing the General Command of the Southwestern Direction, and from today onwards, Marshal Timoshenko and I will only be responsible for commanding the Southwestern Front. As for you·······"

Lieutenant General Rokossovsky immediately became nervous.

Khrushchev continued: "You were transferred to the Stalingrad Front as commander, and the commander of the Stalingrad Front, Lieutenant General Yeremenko, succeeded you as commander of the Voronezh Front. When Comrade Yeremenko arrives, you can leave. ”

Lieutenant General Rokossovsky's face suddenly faded from all blood, and during the war, he was transferred from the Voronezh Front, which was on the front line, to the Stalingrad region, which was in the rear, which could be said to be a kind of wordless whipping.

The general secretary was really angry about yesterday's defeat.

Lieutenant General Rokossovsky nodded sadly: "I obey orders. ”

Khrushchev gently patted Lieutenant General Rokossovsky on the shoulder as a sign of comfort, and at that moment a shrill siren sounded into his ears.

"Woo······"

Khrushchev squinted his eyes at the roof.

"It's an air raid alert, there's an air strike."