"The Germans will set up artillery there and bombard Red Square in Moscow!" Staring at the officer in front of him, Konev said with a frown.

The Germans had been shelling Moscow's Red Square before, but they were using large-caliber artillery, not 150-level artillery.

The German army was a few dozen kilometers away from Moscow's Red Square, and only a dozen kilometers away, which were completely two different concepts.

Although the Germans had not completely surrounded Moscow, there was still a lot of contact with the outside world in Moscow, and there was still a steady stream of new recruits coming here in the face of artillery fire.

However, fear has permeated everyone's hearts, and any bad news at this time is enough to make people more desperate.

"We have at least two infantry regiments at Spark Stadium, and we haven't even been able to hold on for a day?" The chief of staff was also a little incredulous, and opened his mouth to ask.

"The terrain there was relatively flat, and it was next to the road, and the Germans used tanks, and our losses were very large." The army commander who came to report was a little nervous, and he remembered that when Stalin was in Moscow, any retreat would face the order to be shot.

Although this order was no longer firmly enforced, he had lost a large area and almost 1,000 men.

"Can you organize soldiers to take it back?" Somewhat reluctantly, Konev asked.

He still had a certain illusion in his heart that he could take advantage of the German army's unstable foothold to recapture the Spark Stadium and recapture the lost position.

But then he realized that his opponents would not make such low-level mistakes, so they would not give up there to the Soviets again.

"Forget it! The Germans there were not Belarusian troops, and ammunition was quite abundant, and a reluctant counterattack would only increase casualties. He waved his hand and said to himself that he had canceled the order.

He had realized a few days earlier that his opponent had changed, as confirmed by the small number of captives captured in the counterattack.

"Manstein, the Führer's pet? Germany is really full of talent. With some irony, Konev stared at the map in a daze.

In fact, he was very jealous, jealous of why the German army had so many good generals who could be used. The Guderian who deflated Rokossovsky, the Rommel who swept North Africa - and now there is a difficult Manstein!

These young generals who are not marshals almost all rise with the Führer's thighs in their arms.

Looking at the Soviet side, if it weren't for the war, he Konev and Rokossovsky might still be struggling with their qualifications, and Zhukov only showed his talents in the Far East by chance.

The Soviet Union, which was supposed to be a bright star, lost three marshals and more than 3 million troops in the three months of the war, and suffered a crushing defeat all the way to Moscow.

Out of respect for the French allies, as well as the secrecy of military operations, the Germans did not promote Manstein too much.

So, Konev didn't quite know how good Manstein really was. The Kharkov counterattack, which later proved Manstein's ability, is almost impossible to happen now, so the future marshal of the German army does not have a proud record yet.

However, Konev, as an opponent, learned the pressure that the German number one campaign designer brought to him.

The ones who know you best are often your enemies. There was nothing wrong with that, and Konev concluded that the Manstein across from him was no ordinary person.

"Put the two newly formed Guards Infantry Divisions to the front line of Spark Stadium, I don't want the Germans to advance even a kilometer further west!" Konev said suddenly, pointing to the map.

Konev did not want the Germans to advance to Rublev Street, as that would affect his defenses southwest of Moscow.

Say, the very important First Hospital of Moscow, which is located in that direction. There were at least 300 wounded men, the best-preserved building in the area.

"Yes, Comrade General, Comrade Khrushchev asked us about the location of our line of defense just this morning, do you want to tell him about the loss of the Spark Stadium?" The chief of staff had to ask.

If it was deliberately concealed and later discovered, it was obviously the responsibility of these soldiers. But if we go to block Khrushchev now, who knows what kind of trouble will arise?

"Forget it, he still has to have a meeting tomorrow anyway to ask, and I'll report it tomorrow." Konev was also helpless, so he could only get by and get through the aisle.

Stalin's involvement in the military aspect was a headache for generals at all levels, and now that Stalin was finally sent away, Konev certainly did not want to be constrained by Khrushchev any longer.

"In addition, tonight, arrange our troops on both wings to try to encircle the Spark Stadium! Gather the best soldiers and see if you can dampen the German spirit. Knowing it was unlikely to succeed, Konev wanted to give it a try.

Because if he succeeds in his attempt, then he won't have to report to Khrushchev about the loss of the Spark Stadium when the meeting starts tomorrow.

To the north of Spark Stadium, there is a building sports center with a number of restaurants. And to the south of the stadium, there is also the Kuntsevo Church, which is in the hands of the Soviets.

With these forward positions, trying to flank the Germans at the Spark Stadium is also an option that looks likely.

Moreover, this option seems to be more likely to succeed than to counterattack the Germans head-on and recapture Spark Stadium.

But Konev knew that it would be more difficult to do so - even if the encirclement was successful, how to annihilate the German troops in the encirclement was a very serious problem.

As long as the other side holds out until daytime, near the Spark Stadium, which has heavy firepower and is relatively flat, the Germans still don't come and leave if they want?

"I'll mobilize the troops, let's give it a try!" The chief of staff didn't have a good idea either, and Konev's plan looked perfect, so he immediately agreed.

And at this time, the long-range artillery fire of the German army began to roar again. In response to the shelling near Red Square in Moscow, which took place every three to five days, numerous large-caliber shells fell near Red Square, destroying many buildings there.

Now the Kremlin can be said to be half in ruins, and looking out from the rest of the palace buildings, seventy percent of the buildings around Red Square have collapsed or collapsed in half.

Shells of more than 200 mm caliber flew through the sky, and Konev felt the shaking of the earth in the underground bunker. Although he could not hear the whizzing of shells, he could hear the dull sound of explosions.