It turned out that the distance between the Germans and them had ever been so close...... It turned out that a few days earlier, not far to their left, was now in the area controlled by the Germans.

"The Germans have captured Tula, and it is true." The officer heard the secretary's exclamation, paused and repeated.

"Keep reading! I'd like to see how much of this kind of there is! How much more can they lose? Yes? How much space to lose? Stalin lost his temper and shouted loudly against the table.

"The great leader, Comrade Stalin...... Why don't you stop here for today? Vatutin opened his mouth and said a word of persuasion.

Stalin waved his hand and said hatefully: "No! Keep reading! Keep reading it to me! I'd like to see! How many more places can they lose! Read! ”

By this time, the officer had been relieved, and continued to read: "June 5th! The Germans had approached Lake Onega...... Our line of defense collapsed and was retreating westward. ”

The telegram finally turned to the last page, and everyone seemed relieved. The officer hastened to read the above as if he had been granted amnesty.

As a result, what is above is not good news either, but another bad news about the southern Rokossovsky cluster.

The officer had to continue reading: "Just today, the Germans south of Moscow have occupied Mikhailov!" Having crossed the Plonia River, our army's defense along the river was broken with losses of 5000 people. ”

Stalin didn't have the strength to storm anymore, and after listening to these damn reports, even he realized the danger of Moscow.

"We should continue south, and when we reach Stalingrad, we can resume command over the whole country." The secretary spoke, persuading Stalin.

Stalin glanced at the telegrams on his desk, bowed his head and did not speak, as if in deep thought.

At this moment, Moscow can almost be regarded as surrounded on three sides. The last thing Stalin wanted to see happened, the capital was about to fall.

"A telegram from Comrade Khrushchev asking civilians to leave Moscow, how are we going to deal with this?" The secretary lowered his voice and asked about Stalin's attitude.

Although the decision on this matter could only be made after a meeting and discussion, Stalin's personal opinion was very important.

At this time, the members of the so-called committee were not at Stalin's side at all, so the so-called meeting to discuss and vote could not be carried out.

Even if the commissioners in Chelyabinsk voted to come to a conclusion, it would not have worked if Stalin did not agree.

Hearing the secretary's question, Stalin thought for a moment, then looked at Vatutin, who was on the side, and asked: "Do you think Khrushchev's request is reasonable?" ”

"Comrade Stalin, the great leader!" After considering the words for a moment, Vatutin spoke, "Your decision not to allow them to retreat is reasonable. ”

"If civilians are allowed to retreat, their departure will crowd the roads, affect the deployment of the army, and create a large number of refugees that will be difficult to resettle." After thinking about it, he spoke out about the benefits of preventing civilians from leaving the war zone.

Stalin was very satisfied with Vatutin's statement, he did not want to put a cruel hat on himself, he also cared a lot about other people's opinions.

After all, the charge of forcing civilians to stay in enemy-occupied areas is very unpleasant. Stalin also wanted someone to understand him and excuse him.

"So, I should reject Khrushchev's opinion?" Stalin, with some peace on his face, opened his mouth to ask Vatutin.

Vatutin opened his mouth and said: "On the contrary, the great leader, Comrade Stalin...... At this point in the war, the impact of the retreat of civilians is already minimal. ”

"Those soldiers knew that behind them was the great capital of Moscow, and they could not take a step back...... As a result, the impact of the retreat of civilians on the morale of the military became negligible. Vatujing opened his mouth and explained word by word.

As he spoke, he secretly observed Stalin's face and said: "Civilians are of little use in urban warfare, and food supplies must be wasted, and Comrade Khrushchev asked them to retreat with this in mind." ”

As soon as Stalin's face changed a little, he was ready to shut his mouth and stop fighting for Khrushchev.

Fortunately, Stalin, who trusted Vatutin, listened attentively, and his face did not become ugly.

So Vatutin kept saying that he was fighting for something for Khrushchev: "The main thing is the problem of food, there are millions of people in the cities, and the food that these people need to consume is enormous. ”

This is not because Vatutin really has anything to do with Khrushchev, but because he analyzes it from the perspective of pure war, and the civilians should retreat.

After all, he is a Soviet general, and in addition to intrigue, there are basic things to care about.

If the Soviet Union had died, he, the general, would not have existed. So he wanted to renew the life of the Soviet Union and strive for victory in the war.

In his opinion, letting civilians retreat is good for the defense of Moscow. So he supported Khrushchev on this point of view, hoping that Khrushchev would hold out longer.

Only if Khrushchev held out longer, he was able to regain his strength in the south and lead the Soviet forces to win this Soviet-German war.

Therefore, Vatutin continued: "If we can't control the civilians, feed them and keep them alive...... In the end, these people will starve to death, or become thugs, affecting the operations of the regular army. ”

"What the hell!" Stalin thought about it for a few seconds, then reluctantly stood up, pinched his pipe, and instructed the secretary: "Call back Khrushchev and let him watch the arrangement!" I agree with his proposal to evacuate civilians. ”

Later, he added: "Only men over 60 years old and women over 40 years old are allowed to leave!" Children under 10 years old! The rest of the people will fight for the Motherland! ”

"Your wisdom is our hope! Comrade Stalin, the great leader! Vatujing took the opportunity to quickly pat the horse's ass, very skillful.

The secretary also hurriedly praised him: "Your kindness and greatness deserve to be remembered by the people of the whole Soviet Union!" Comrade Stalin, the great leader! ”

A telegram was sent to Moscow, and Khrushchev and Konev, who were waiting for news, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They can get rid of a large number of civilians who can't help, which allows them to have food for longer.

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There will be one more to come!