On 8 February, the battle of Vinnitsa had entered its third day. The German breakout forces attacking the 9th Army to the west captured the town of Kolinsk, which was stuck on the main road, but was driven out by the sharp counterattack of the 9th Army before gaining a firm foothold. Only one German force on the southern flank broke through the defenses of the 27th Division, and about one regiment of German troops broke out of the encirclement, and the breach was immediately closed by the reserves of the 9th Army.

And Vinnitsa, which Hutil left four divisions to defend, was already crumbling under the combined onslaught of nine divisions of the Chinese army. Among them, the 62nd Division of the 21st Army and the 31st Division of the 11th Army attacked the fiercest, and both divisions had already broken through the city and engaged in bloody street battles with the Germans.

The 21st Army commanded by Zhang Zuoxiang was to wash away the shame of the Battle of Lublin, and naturally worked hard. The predecessor of the 31st Division of the 11th Army was the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division, and after the Shandong Campaign, the army was reorganized, and the whole division was transferred to the newly established 11th Army, and the number was changed to the 31st Division. The division had participated in the northern front of the Shandong Campaign, and it was outstanding, and it boasted that it was Long Qian's starting unit, and in the first battle of Russia, it naturally had to work hard to prove itself.

The headquarters of the commander of the German 9th Army, Lieutenant General Huttier, had been forced to move to avoid the advance of the 31st Division of the Chinese Army, which was attacking from the southeast. Chen Hao, who had been reduced to a prisoner by the messenger, was also taken to a new command post, the basement of a fortified building. Even if the Germans had not informed him of the war, Chen Hao knew that the Germans were finished. So, when Huthier brought him into his room again, Chen Hao put a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Major, I admit to underestimating your army." Hurtier was still in a straight uniform, with a blue and black cross hanging from his neckline. "I have decided to put you back and bring a letter to the commander of your army."

"Nope. You have lost the conditions for dialogue with our army. ”

"Young man, don't be presumptuous." Hu Tier actually smiled, "You don't know, our army has already ended your army's attack in the afternoon, and the street fighting is extremely cruel, major, this is a matter of hundreds of thousands of lives, and you can't be rash." You are not a coward, you are a brave and competent military man whom I admire. I have already made this clear in a personal letter to the commander of your army. For the sake of the lives and safety of hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers of our two armies. You'd better take a trip. ”

Chen Hao did not refuse again. Of course he was willing to go home. Moreover, some situations need to be reported to the chief.

The German major, Max, who had been in charge of his food and lodging and who knew Chinese, carried a white flag and walked with him through the empty space between the two armies and entered the position of the 31st Division without danger.

Very coincidentally. General Wang Mingyuan was at the headquarters of the 31st Division. He was on the ground and knew the fighting and casualties. The 31st Division has been attacking fiercely. Wang Mingyuan was worried that the casualties of the division would be too large, and he was even more worried about encountering an ambush or counterattack by the opponent. Regardless of the opposition of Fan Deping and Xue Xiaocai, he personally ran to the 31st Division. After learning about the situation of the division, Wang Mingyuan issued an order to suspend the offensive on all fronts.

In the past three days, the 31st Division has paid more than 1,900 casualties, of which more than 700 have been killed, and two-thirds of the casualties have been incurred after attacking the city. The two armies were twisted together, the heavy artillery and aircraft were meaningless, and they could only rely on the infantry to fight street by street, house by house, and although the commander of the 31st Division, Brigadier General Ji Haogu, was undiminished, Wang Mingyuan was saddened by the casualties that exceeded his expectations. The 31st Division's total strength before the war was 15,500 men, and in terms of casualty ratio, the losses were no more than one-eighth. However, the 1,900 casualties were basically "combat strength", and the proportion of "combat strength" in the whole division was about 65 percent, so the losses of the 31 st Division were quite astonishing.

Wang Mingyuan believes that it is necessary to sum up the tactical issues of street fighting, and it is even more necessary to consider the next move in the Vinnitsa campaign from a comprehensive perspective. Now, not only Vinnitsa was fighting fiercely, but the other two armies of the 2nd Army were fighting fiercely with the German 24th Army on the outskirts of Ternobor, and General Shi Dashou personally went there to command the 15th and 7th armies. And the 1st Army on the Northern Front was also engaged in a fierce battle with the German 11th Army, which was frantically advancing eastward.

When Chen Hao and Max were taken to the division headquarters, Wang Mingyuan was giving Ji Haogu a political lesson, teaching this old subordinate to learn to think about problems from a higher level, not just from a military point of view.

"Chen Hao?" Seeing Chen Hao, Wang Mingyuan's face was happy, and then he calmed down, "I knew that they didn't dare to do anything to you!" Wang Mingyuan ignored Major Max, but slapped Chen Hao on the shoulder.

"Commander, Hurtier has a letter to you. His name is Max, and he speaks to us. ”

Max stepped forward, stood up and saluted, and handed the letter to Wang Mingyuan with both hands.

"Huh?" Wang Mingyuan didn't answer the letter, and looked at Max, "Major, since you know Chinese, you can come and talk about it." ”

"General Khutil is willing to achieve a ceasefire with your army......"

"It's late! Why didn't he say yes four days ago? Also withholding my messenger? Our army has already invaded the city, and now talk about a ceasefire, don't you think it's ridiculous? ”

Max still held the letter, but stopped talking.

Brigadier General Ji Haogu took the letter and handed it to Wang Mingyuan.

The letter was handwritten in Chinese, and only the last flower signature Wang Mingyuan could not read. It seems that the Germans are so committed to the situation that they have to be equipped with more people who are fluent in Chinese. The letter, signed by Lieutenant General Huttier, did not express remorse or apology for his rejection of Wang Mingyuan's "peace" proposal four days earlier, but made it clear that China and Germany had no old feuds, let alone territorial disputes, and therefore the two armies should not "fight in the wrong place." In order to show his friendship with China and the Chinese army, the German army under his command was willing to cede Vinnitsa...... If the Chinese accept the friendship of the Germans, then the Chinese should open Vinnitsa-Lviv traffic and move the troops near Ternobor east to the east of Khmelnitsky. Of course, the fighting on the Northern Front of Orevsk-Sarne should cease accordingly. The ceasefire line drawn by the two armies was Khmelnytsky-Orevsk. The Germans would never cross the line without the permission of the Chinese army...... If General Wang thinks that the German troops in Vinnitsa and Ternobor are weak and can be bullied, the German army will not hesitate to fight to the last soldier for its own honor!

At the end of the letter, Hurtier praised Chen Hao. considered him a respectable soldier and defended the honor that a soldier deserves.

"Major, to describe your commander in the words of us Chinese, he is a scoundrel and is not worthy of sitting in his current position at all!" Wang Mingyuan, who was sitting in the chair, said to Major Max in a slow voice, "You bring him my original words, if you represent myself, I will not pay attention to such a person who has no faith and no integrity, but I represent a million Chinese Expeditionary Force!" So, I'm going to study his opinion with my colleagues. I'm not afraid of him playing tricks. Not afraid that he will tear up the agreement. In his letter to me, he repeated what I had told him, and I still hold to the view that the Chinese and German armies were fighting the wrong war in the wrong place! I grieve my soldiers. So I'm going to study the letter from the commander of your army. I will not detain you. Major. Please remember that we Chinese have always believed in our words and will be fruitful in our deeds, and tomorrow at the latest. You'll be able to go back. ”

"Return to the headquarters immediately, Chen Hao will go with me. Once again, my order was conveyed to the various divisions to maintain the current posture and not to take the initiative to attack. Wang Mingyuan ordered the staff officers who followed him.

It was already dark, and the two off-road vehicles drove away from Vinnitsa and headed for the headquarters of the 2nd Army, 30 kilometers away. The canvas carport couldn't stop the biting cold wind, and Chen Hao soon felt that his feet were cold. Winters in Ukraine are difficult, not only are the absolute temperatures much lower than in northern China, but also the humidity is high.

The commander had just called him into his car and sat side by side with him in the back. On the bumpy road, Chen Hao reported on his four days at the German headquarters, hoping to give the commander something valuable, but Wang Mingyuan didn't seem to pay much attention to his report.

After the outbreak of the Battle of Vinnitsa, General Shi Dashou went to Ternobor, and Wang Mingyuan also left Kiev and arrived at the headquarters of the 2nd Army to personally control the situation in Vinnytsia.

"If something happens to you, I'll blame myself. It's also hard to explain to Mr. Chen, who has always regarded you as a nephew. Good thing you're back safely...... Chen Hao, have you already read the letter from the Germans to me? ”

"Nope." Chen Hao wanted to express his gratitude and thank the commander for his concern, but in the end he didn't say it.

"The Germans fell into passivity. They did not break through the resistance of the 9th Army, and Vinnitsa was broken through again...... But the judgment that Huthier's bastard could not bear the strength was unfounded, and the interrogation of the Germans who had been captured in the last two days did not see the situation I had hoped for. I was going to force Hurtier to reconsider my proposal, and now it's working. Now he asked me to open an opening and let them go! Do you think this should be done? ”

"It shouldn't."

"Why?"

"I look at it from the perspective of a junior officer and think that the enemy who has been in his pocket should not be let go."

In the dark, Wang Mingyuan smiled silently, "You are not a junior officer anymore. Your rank of lieutenant colonel will be returned to you immediately, and I will reconsider your use as well. Chen Hao, the Germans are not our enemies, what do you think is our highest mission in Russia? ”

"This ...... Defend the honor of the country, defend the honor of the army......"

"What's the use of having a false head of honor without tangible benefits? Our country has been in existence for less than 10 years, and it is still very poor, and the president has sent a million-strong army thousands of miles away, not for the sake of fame. Do you know how much a year a farming family costs to live on? Do you know how much a 105 shell is? ”

Since Chen Hao joined the army, it was the first time he saw such a high-level general think like this. Admiral Wang Mingyuan was like a god of the National Defense Army, but he didn't expect to link the price of shells with the lives of the people, "I don't know how much shells cost, but I know that although the life in my hometown is stronger than in the past, there are still people who can't eat." ”

"That's it. Chen Hao, do you think it is possible to annihilate the main force of Hutil? ”

"I don't know."

"The army commanders and division commanders below are full of confidence. But I don't think so. Kill 1,000 enemies and lose 800 yourself, I will eat his hundreds of thousands of people, and I will lose at least 50,000 or 60,000 officers and soldiers! They all have parents, wives and children......"

"But it is the duty of the military to defend the country. Die in battle, die well. ”

Wang Mingyuan said sharply, "If it is like two years ago when Japan was attacked, I will not pity the casualties, even if the troops are wiped out, all the invaders will be wiped out!" But now the situation is completely different, and the land we are guarding now cannot become our land! We came to Russia to fight in order to obtain financial and technical support from other countries! Moreover, the Germans we spared were not necessarily our enemies later! The Germans are definitely finished. It wouldn't do us any harm in letting these Germans go on the Western Front to fight the French, the British, or the Americans! Do you understand all this? You may become a general or a commander in the future, and you must learn to think about what is best for the country and the nation. There is nothing wrong with the general's desire for victory and war exploits, but as the old saying goes, one will make ten thousand bones dry! And if such military exploits are based on the premise of wasting the country's strength. That's a crime! ”

Chen Hao was shocked. He never thought he would become a general. To become a commander of the army like Wang Mingyuan, he never thought about what the fundamental interests of the country were. He didn't understand why the commander-in-chief had told one of his junior officers who had returned from a prisoner of war camp what he meant......

Wang Mingyuan returned to the headquarters of the 2nd Group Army, summoned Fan Deping, Xue Xiaocai, and several army commanders to talk about Hutier's letter. He also talked about his own thoughts. On the way back. Wang Mingyuan has affirmed that his thinking is correct. That is, to agree with Huthier's proposal in principle, but the specific details still need to be carefully considered.

It is impossible for the two generals, Xiong Xun and Shi Dashou, to discuss this extreme plan in person.

Sure enough, Xue Xiaocai immediately pointed out the trap of Hutil's plan. "They can't be allowed to retreat to Ternobor! That would put the Trap Commander in extreme danger! If the Germans were sincere, they should wait for Commander Shi to lead the 7th and 15th armies back to Vinnitsa before opening the encirclement. ”

"It's easy to say. Hurtier is not a fool. How could he sit back and watch in the Vinnytsia direction increase our forces? Fan Deping agreed with Wang Mingyuan's decision, he was now anxious to plan the 3rd Army's march to Kazan, he believed that the war with the Germans should have ended long ago, and the current opponent had turned to Red Russia, not the doomed Germany, "I think it should be considered as follows: first, an immediate ceasefire on the northern front to show good faith; Second, Commander Shi relieved the siege of Ternobor, leaving one corps to monitor the German 24th Army, and the other corps approached to the east, and the Germans were not allowed to take any action. Thirdly, Khutir's army at Vinnitsa broke through not to the west, but to the south, crossing the South Bug River and running towards Bodolsky, and our troops did not make any pursuit or blockade. In addition, the Patriot Alliance should also have a reply, allowing Wu Nian's 4th Army to come over on the grounds of reinforcing the fighting in Vinnitsa and create conditions for the next move. Since you want to act, let's act like some. The question of artillery mentioned last time was an excessive request, but what should the Germans leave behind, or should I talk to Hurtier? ”

Wang Mingyuan smiled, "It's not okay for the chief of the general staff of the dignified expeditionary force to be a messenger, so let Chen Hao go." Go, find a pair of lieutenant colonel epaulettes for Chen Hao to change. Lao Fan, I will transfer you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, your proposal is good, so let's draft a reply like this. Give them a time limit, only 24 hours, after which our army will resume military operations. ”

"What about domestic? Do you want to wait for approval? Fan Deping reminded.

"Beijing's consent must be obtained for the party's military action. But to the Germans, I am fully responsible. Send a telegram to Shi Dashou and Xiong Xun to inform me of my decision. Get them ready. Well, do you think Hurtier will accede to this request? ”

Zhang Zuoxiang, Gao Huzi and other military commanders did not say anything. Fan Deping smiled, "I think he will agree." ”

In the early morning of the next day, Major Max returned to the headquarters of Lieutenant General Huttier with a reply signed by Wang Mingyuan, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Chen Hao, in which Wang Mingyuan told Sù Huttier that the Chinese Expeditionary Force had no intention of occupying Vinnitsa for a long time, and that if the Germans agreed to the peace plan, within 20 days, the Expeditionary Force would abandon Vinnitsa and retreat to Kiev, so that the Germans did not need to retreat further after retreating across the South Bug River, and the two sides could maintain secret contact in the form of telegrams. If the German side agrees, it can hand over a cipher to the messenger to bring back, and agree on the wavelength and the time of the call sign.

Huttier asked Lieutenant Colonel Chen Hao to rest. Five and a half hours later, Hu Tier personally handed over a reply letter to Chen Hao, "Lieutenant Colonel, I basically agree with your army's construction, and the specific requirements are all on the letter." If your army agrees, I will send a liaison group to your army, and I will also ask your army to send someone to bring a radio station. Time is pressing, so go back now. Congratulations on your promotion to lieutenant colonel, and I personally hope that you will bring the liaison team here. (To be continued......)

PS: I wish book friends a happy Lantern Festival!