For the plan proposed by Lelyushenko, I think the vast majority of people did not hesitate to choose the second one, after all, this style of play is a combination of odd and positive, which can not only break through the enemy's defense line to complete the task of forcing the crossing, but also reduce the casualties of the troops.

But before I could say my choice, I was interrupted by someone walking in from outside the tent. Seeing Chuikov and Lelyushchenko stand up from their seats, I knew that it was the big guys. Turning his head, he saw three commanders standing at the door of the tent, and the round-faced commander standing at the front was carrying the rank of general. As soon as I saw the rank of the other party, I guessed the identity of the other party: the full name of the person who came was Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky, the current commander of the Southwestern Front.

I quickly stood up, raised my hand to the other person and saluted, and then stood with my hands down. Malinovsky walked up to me with a smile, took the initiative to stretch out his hand to me, and said: "It's Comrade Oshanina, right?" I've heard your name for a long time, and I didn't expect to have the opportunity to meet you for the first time until today. ”

"Hello, Comrade General." I shook his hand and said respectfully, "It's a pleasure to see you here!" ”

After shaking hands with me, he leaned slightly to the side, pointed to the side, and said: "Let me introduce you to my deputies: Lieutenant General Zhertov, Military Commissar, and Major General Korzhenevich, Chief of Staff, both of whom have admired you for a long time. ”

After shaking hands with Malinovsky's two deputies, I sat down at the table again, because there were too many people to sit down, and this time it was Chistyakov and Tavartkiradze's turn to give way, but instead of leaving, they stood side by side behind me and listened quietly to Malinovsky's speech.

"General Oshanina, if it weren't for your army group occupying Izyum in time and launching an east-west attack with us, it is estimated that it would take us three to five days to get here." Malinovsky said with emotion: "On behalf of all the commanders and fighters of the Front, I would like to express my gratitude to you and all the commanders and fighters of your Sixth Guards Army!" With that, he stood up and raised his hand to salute me with a solemn military salute.

Seeing a commander with a higher rank than me saluting me, I quickly stood up and saluted him, and said modestly: "Comrade General, you have a good reputation, we are friendly troops, and we should have helped each other." ”

Malinovsky waved his hand and said: "Although we liberated Izyum only three or five days earlier, we have reduced the casualties by at least a few thousand. ”

I wanted to be humble, but when I heard him say this, I obediently shut my mouth, knowing that excessive modesty is not the character of a Russian. After re-seating, I thought that my troops would soon be drawn out, so I took the initiative to propose to Malinovsky: "Comrade General, according to the orders of the superiors, our Sixth Guards Army will be drawn to other sections in the near future, and then this Izyum will be vacant, I wonder which unit you plan to send to take over the defense?" ”

Hearing me say this, Malinovsky couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked in surprise: "What, the superiors plan to transfer your army group to other areas?" ”

"Yes, Comrade General." I nodded affirmatively and said, "Okay, in another ten days or even less, our troops will be out of here and marching towards Priluki." ”

Hearing that we were going to evacuate, Malinovsky sighed and said with some regret: "Then this is a great pity, I originally wanted to make a request to Vasilevsky, who was guiding the work of our Front, so that he could allow your army group to be placed under the command of our Front. It seems that there is no hope for your withdrawal. ”

The chief of staff, Major General Korzhenevich, glanced at the map on the table, frowned and said: "It is more than three hundred kilometers from here to Priluki, even if there are various vehicles to travel, but in such bad road conditions, it will take at least a week or so for your group army to fully reach the designated place." ”

When Malinovsky heard his chief of staff say this, he was stunned for a moment, and after glancing at the other party, he actually showed a surprised expression on his face, and then he added: "That's right, especially if your troops have just been replenished with new recruits, such a long march will disrupt the formation of the troops." Saying this, he looked at me and asked sincerely, "Comrade Oshanina, are you really not considering staying in my Southwestern Front?" You must know that you have been a member of the Sixth Army before, and if you hadn't taken the risk of exchanging with the Germans, it is estimated that Khalidonov's body would not have been recovered. ”

Although it made me a little moved to hear Malinovsky mention my experience in the Southwestern Front, I immediately thought that the Front would be reorganized into the Third Ukrainian Front on October 20, and although it liberated Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and other countries in the later part of the war, it did not participate in the major battle to liberate Berlin, which cannot but be said to be a pity. Now that I know that there is no possibility of storming Berlin and capturing Hitler alive in this front, it would be a bit of a reversal of the cart if I still choose. Therefore, as soon as Malinovsky's words were finished, I said tactfully: "Comrade General, thank you for your kindness, I obey the arrangements of my superiors. I stayed in whichever unit my superiors asked me to stay in. ”

My statement made Malinovsky understand that his plan to pry into the corner of the wall had come to naught, but he was also very generous, so he did not continue to dwell on this matter, but turned his head and asked Korzhenevich: "Comrade Chief of Staff, which unit do you think is more suitable to take over the defense of Izyum?" ”

Korzhenevich immediately replied without thinking: "Comrade commander, I think it is better to let the Sixth Army of Lieutenant General Shiremin Kulishev take over the defense of Izyum." He looked at me with friendly eyes, and then said, "I believe that all the commanders and fighters of this army group are more than willing to take over the defense of Izyum from General Oshanina. ”

Considering that we were soon to march to Priluki, there was little point in leaving the main forces of the army group in Izyum, so at the end of the meeting with the senior commander of the Southwestern Front, as soon as I returned to Izyum, I gave the order to all the troops stationed near Izyum to retreat, and told them to return to Chuhuev within three days.

Soon after I gave this order to the troops, Bezkov called me from Chuhuev and asked curiously: "Comrade commander, why did you want all the troops to withdraw to Chuhuev?" You must know that Izyum was captured by us, how can we give it to other troops casually, even if they are our allies. ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, a few hours ago I received a call from Senior General Vatutin." Since my order was given in such a hurry that even Vatutin's order was not conveyed to the Bezikovs, he hastened to add: "He informed me that the troops would be marched to the Priluki area after a short rest. Anyway, Izyum will be handed over to friendly forces sooner or later, so what's the difference between a few days earlier and a few days later? ”

Hearing me say this, Bezikov still said with some unwillingness: "But, comrade commander, just like this, Izyum, which we captured after a bloody battle, is handed over to friendly forces, and I am afraid that the soldiers below will be emotional......"

"Alright, Comrade Chief of Staff, don't say any more." I was afraid that if he continued to speak, he would say something unpleasant, so I interrupted him in time, and said to myself, "This matter is over, and no one should mention it again." Besides, the concentration of all our troops in Chuhuev is not a bad thing, at least we will have much less trouble when we are supplied by our superiors. ”

As soon as I said this, Bezikov no longer complained, but asked me about my next step: "Comrade commander, since our troops do not need to advance further to the south, can all the scouts sent in that direction be withdrawn?" ”

"Yes." I readily agreed to Bezkov's proposal, and then said: "Send all these reconnaissance detachments to the west to reconnoiter the road to Priluki and ensure the safety of the main forces of the army group." ”

Chistyakov, who had been standing next to me, waited for me to put down the phone and asked me for instructions: "Comrade commander, the order has been given to the divisions, shall we return to the headquarters of the army group now?" ”

"Okay, Comrade Deputy Commander, let's pack up and leave immediately." After saying this to Chistyakov, I turned my head to look at Tavart Kiradze and instructed him: "Comrade commander, you will take a division to stay in Izyum for the time being, and be responsible for the transfer of defense to friendly forces. ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Tawaltkirazepo assured me: "I will complete the handover with my allies as quickly as possible." ”

On the way back to Chuhuev, Chistyakov, who was sitting next to me, asked: "Comrade commander, when do you think we will launch an offensive against Kyiv?" ”

I was just about to answer Chistyakov's question, but I was surprised to find that the driver of the car, tilting his head slightly to our side, seemed to be listening carefully to our chat, and hurriedly shouted at him: "Comrade driver, don't look around, concentrate on driving!" ”

After seeing the driver turn his head back and drive with full concentration, I turned my head to look at Chistyakov and said: "Comrade Deputy Commander, we have just fought with the Germans for two months, and although we have won victories and regained a lot of lost territory, you should also see that our casualties are not small, and our weapons and ammunition are almost consumed. In such a situation, another full-scale attack on the enemy risks a repeat of the mistakes made at the beginning of this year. ”

Although I did not explicitly say that it was the defeat in the Battle of Kharkov at the beginning of the year, Chistyakov understood what I was talking about, and he nodded and agreed: "That's right, after a series of victories, our troops not only suffered heavy casualties and almost ran out of ammunition, but also the commanders and fighters were exhausted. They had to go through a period of recuperation before they could re-engage in new battles. (To be continued.) )