Shaposhnikov naturally did not just put pressure on Panfilov, which is of little significance, after all, the disparity in strength between the enemy and us is too great, and normal people will not believe that an infantry division, and an infantry division that has just completed reconstruction can withstand the siege of the five German armies, which is unrealistic, or a dream.

Normal people would immediately mobilize reinforcements to reinforce Panfilov, and Shaposhnikov did the same, but he had to notify the Army General Headquarters and report to the General Staff if he wanted to complete this formality. After all, the relationship between Kyiv's surroundings is very important, and not everyone can change the original battle plan at will.

When Yegorov received this news, he was in a hurry, the General Headquarters of the Army had just been created, everything was in the grass stages, and chaos was inevitable. And he, the General Command of the Army, is no better than the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and the Air Force, and those two can not be compared to Tukhachevsky, and Tukhachevsky does not pay much attention to the Air Force and Navy. The Army, on the other hand, is Tukhachevsky's focus department, and the Army General Command has been under the command of the Chief of the General Staff since its establishment, and it is naturally impossible for the power around the two sides to be harmonious and harmonious.

Anyway, since Yegorov took office, Tukhachevsky has not been less troublesome for him, openly and secretly competing for the command of the army, which has made Yegorov very annoyed. Fortunately, Yegorov was not an ordinary Soviet marshal, he was on an equal footing with Tukhachevsky, and he served as chief of the General Staff for a long time before going to the Central Asian Military District. To put it bluntly, he was a protégé in the General Staff and in the Army, and it was really impossible for Tukhachevsky to step him down.

And this is also an important reason why Yegorov was able to return to the Military Commission from that ghost place in the Central Asian Military District, except for Blyukhel, who can't leave at the moment. No one else can stand up to Tukhachevsky. He was appointed to the General Headquarters of the Army on the cusp of this storm. in order to block Tukhachevsky's interference. Truly complete the reform of the General Staff.

So, this section of Yegorov was really busy, and of course, he was also very fulfilling, and he was almost ten years younger than when he sat on the cold bench in the Central Asian Military District. Egorov, who burst out with 200 percent enthusiasm for his work, supported the work of the Army General Headquarters, and although he was busy and somewhat chaotic, he would never lose sight of the point.

So when the intelligence of Shaposhnikov's feedback was on his desk. The new commander-in-chief of the army immediately paid close attention, and he personally called Shaposhnikov to find out about the situation, and then personally rushed to Tukhachevsky's office to discuss countermeasures with Tukhachevsky.

"Is the information accurate?" Tukhachevsky was not convinced, so he repeatedly asked about the veracity of the information. This made Yegorov a little impatient: "Comrade Shaposhnikov has personally verified the relevant information with Comrade Panfilov, and specially sent reconnaissance planes to conduct supplementary reconnaissance, and it is certain that there are a large number of German troops assembled west of Konotop, including a large number of armored forces!" ”

Tukhachevsky's brow furrowed, staring at the map. As if there were beautiful women on it, he asked after a long time, "Alexander. Comrade Ilyich. What about your judgment? ”

It is not easy to make military judgments, and it is certainly impossible to come up with a clever calculation with a finger pinch like Zhuge Liang. This is especially true in modern warfare, where every judgment condenses the wisdom of countless staff officers, and Yegorov also made his subordinates make inferences before he came, and then through his comprehensive consideration, he made two judgments: "First, the German army is heading for Kharkov, and second, the German army may take the opportunity to go north to Moscow to continue the assault." ”

This is the judgment of Yegorov, what about the judgment of Tukhachevsky? It should be said that they are very similar, except that Tukhachevsky believes that it is more likely that the Germans are aiming at Kharkov. After all, Moscow is still far away, and with the assault force that the German army currently has, it is too thin, as long as the Voronezh Front comes up, it can completely block the German front.

So later in the day, in his report to the Military Commission, he said: "Preliminary judgment is that the German attack on Kharkov is more likely. Whether to make the corresponding preparations for the Kyiv Military District, it is recommended to transfer part of the troops from the 1st Ukrainian Front to the Kharkov front. ”

From this report of Tukhachevsky, two points can be seen: first, he did not have much confidence in Panfilov and the 316th Infantry Division, and did not think that the division could cause much trouble for the German army in Konotop. So he suggested that Shaposhnikov directly reinforce Kharkov, so as not to take a detour.

And the second point is Tukhachevsky's small calculation, on the surface, it seems reasonable for him to suggest that the Ukrainian First Front Army reinforce Kharkiv, after all, this front army is closest to the battlefield and can arrive as soon as possible.

However, it must also be seen that the pressure on the First Ukrainian Front is not small, and at this time, the main forces of the First and Second Ukrainian Fronts are still confronting the German army on the Kiev front, and objectively speaking, the strength is still relatively tight. Drawing troops from here is not a good option.

For example, in his report to Yegorov, Shaposhnikov hoped that the Voronezh Front would move south as soon as possible, and it would be better for the First Ukrainian Front and the Voronezh Front to bear the pressure to reinforce Kharkov.

And now, Tukhachevsky's attitude is obvious, this is the rejection of Shaposhnikov's proposal, he is not ready to let the Voronezh Front go south as soon as possible, hoping to leave this front on the second front.

The reason? Naturally, it was for the sake of Tukhachevsky's long-awaited Minsk counterattack, and now he felt that the Ukrainian Second Front might not be able to transfer back to Belarus, and it was impossible to complete the counterattack with the Belarusian First Front alone. After looking around, neither the Baltic Front nor the Second Belorussian Front has the ability to reinforce the First Belorussian Front. At present, the only combat strength on the battlefield that is passable and the strength is relatively sufficient is the newly formed Voronezh Front.

Tukhachevsky naturally hit the head of this front, and if this front can be transferred to Belarus, then there will still be a drama in the Minsk counterattack.

The problem is that there are great obstacles to the realization of such an idea of Tukhachevsky, as mentioned earlier. The Voronezh Front has already been allocated to the Kiev Military District. It is not under the command of the Belarusian Military District. In accordance with the requirements of the Military Commission. The front had to go to Ukraine.

But Tukhachevsky really didn't want to let go like this, so he kept thinking of a way, whether it was delaying time or playing a side ball, he used it. And now, the Germans suddenly made a breakthrough, and then Shaposhnikov immediately demanded that the Voronezh Front go south for the first time, which, in Tukhachevsky's opinion, was Shaposhnikov's trick. It was to take away control of the Voronezh Front. Naturally, Tukhachevsky was reluctant to give.

Therefore, under the rules of power allowing, Tukhachevsky emphasized that the intention of the German army was Kharkov rather than Moscow, and the intention was to make the Voronezh Front not return to the army for the time being.

Of course, he gave more than these excuses: "The Voronezh Front has not yet completed its combat preparations, and the 40th Army, to which the army belongs, is still an empty shelf, lacking both personnel and equipment, and it is not suitable for the battlefield at this time." ”

So what is the attitude of the Military Commission to this? Tukhachevsky's little cleverness is actually known to everyone. I also know what his idea is. Naturally, Li Xiaofeng would not let him get his wish: "Then the 40th Group Army will stay and continue to reorganize and repair, and the 37th and 38th Group Armies that have completed the replenishment can go south first." Move closer in the direction of Kharkov! ”

Tukhachevsky immediately said: "It's very inappropriate to dismantle the Voronezh Front and use it, right?" ”

Li Xiaofeng asked rhetorically: "What's wrong with this?" Now that the war situation in Ukraine is very important, and all forces must be used to thwart the attempts of the German army, how can two fully equipped army groups sit on the side and watch a white play? ”

Tukhachevsky said unhappily: "And what about the Minsk counterattack?" Isn't it time to prepare accordingly? ”

Li Xiaofeng directly pushed him back: "When to carry out the Minsk counterattack, the Military Commission has already made a decision, and relevant preparations can only be made after the victory of the siege of Kiev." And now, the situation in the Kyiv region is still very tense, and at this time, it is necessary to stabilize the situation in Kyiv as the highest priority! As for the Minsk counterattack, wait a little longer! ”

Tukhachevsky said angrily: "But ......"

There is nothing more, now the power of the Chief of the General Staff has been greatly reduced, and the focus of the Military Commission is still on Kyiv, and what Tukhachevsky wants to engage in the Minsk counterattack will naturally have to stand aside. Soon Yeremenko received an order for the 37th and 38th armies to immediately move south to Kharkov.

To tell the truth, Yeremenko, the commander of the Front, was also very aggrieved, and his subordinates Vasilevsky and Konev were both deeper than him, one with his back to Trotsky, and the other was a general that Li Xiaofeng was optimistic about, neither of which was a dish. And according to the meaning of the two great elders, these two must be vigorously cultivated, and they must be in the limelight. This made Yeremenko very depressed, didn't he invite the two uncles home? Who will listen to whom in the future?

Especially this time, the Military Commission ordered the Voronezh Front to move south quickly, and asked the 37th and 38th armies to go first, but at the same time did not specify who would command the two armies after they went south, so should he, the commander of the Front, go south at the same time?

Yeremenko wanted to fight, and he also had the idea of commanding the 37th and 38th armies to do a big job, but the higher authorities did not give him the right words.

"If it doesn't work, give orders to the 37th and 38th armies in the name of the Front Command, presumably Vasilevsky and Konev will not disobey orders, right?" The deputy chief of staff suggested.

Yeremenko is right to think about it, it doesn't hurt to try anyway, it is naturally a good thing to succeed, and there is no shame in failure. However, what Yeremenko did not expect was that before his order was issued, the Military Commissar directly sent him a telegram telling him: "The 37th and 38th armies are temporarily separated from the direct command of the Voronezh Front, and the Military Commissar will directly accuse them." The key task of the Voronezh Front in the next stage is to complete the formation of the 40th Army! ”

Well, Yeremenko was so depressed that he wanted to hit the wall, because the meaning of the Military Commission was very clear, that is, you kid was playing, and the two group armies did not have your part to dictate, so honestly manage the 40th Group Army!

Why did the Military Commission suddenly issue such an order? The reason is simple, the KGB's intelligence officers in Ukraine got an order from Guderian's assault cluster, and the order was given by Guderian. According to the orders of the tank monsters, the 47th Panzer Army was to advance quickly in the direction of Kursk. Gain a head start for assault clusters.

This order surprised Li Xiaofeng. Because according to the judgment of the General Staff and the General Command of the Army and the Kiev Military District. The target of the German army was supposed to be Kharkov. Then the Germans, after capturing Konotop, should turn south and attack Sumy. But Guderian ordered the 47th Panzer Army to march to Kursk in the northeast, which is obviously not going towards Kharkov!

This information immediately detonated a new round of controversy within the Military Commission, and one faction insisted that the target of the German army was Kharkov, and that the KGB's intelligence was wrong. And the other faction thinks that the intelligence is accurate, who dares to say that the Germans did not attempt to advance in the direction of Moscow, and it is normal to attack Kursk, okay!

The public says that the public is reasonable, and the mother says that the mother is reasonable. Naturally, there is no conclusion to be drawn from it. In desperation, he had to come to a compromise and split the two army groups going south into two, one to Kursk and the other to Kharkov, so that no matter which way the German army went, it could be blocked.

Honestly, it's a really fucked up approach. But no matter how fucked it is, it's better than no way. So the 37th Army and the 38th Army parted ways. Vasilevsky's 37th Army went to Kharkov, while Konev's 38th Army advanced towards Kursk.

In fact, there was an inside story in such a distribution, and the reason why Trotsky asked Vasilevsky to leave the General Staff. Just wanted him to brush up his achievements, so he naturally sent Vasilevsky to a target that was more likely to be infested by the German army. That is, Kharkov. Because neither Tukhachevsky nor Yegorov believes that Kharkov is more likely. Trotsky not only won a better direction for Vasilevsky, but also strengthened the 3rd Guards Independent Heavy Tank Brigade to Vasilevsky, which was originally assigned to the Voronezh Front.

Naturally, not many people on Konev's side are optimistic, and even if it were not for Li Xiaofeng's strong insistence and demand, the 38th Army would not have gone to Kursk at all. Even if they went, a considerable number of high-ranking generals still thought that Konev was running for nothing, how could the Germans go to Kursk!

Li Xiaofeng also feared that Konev would be influenced by other opinions and ignore his mission. So he was specifically admonished: "Ivan. Comrade Spantenovich, I know that there are many rumors that are not optimistic about my judgment. But I will tell you that the authenticity of the intelligence of the KGB is guaranteed, and I can assure you that the real goal of the Germans is Moscow, and they will necessarily go to Kursk. So the pressure on your trip is very high, I hope you will show the highest level and build Kursk into an impregnable fortress, and never allow the Germans to step beyond Kursk! ”

So what is Konev's attitude? To be honest, Konev was a little upset before, because his judgment was similar to the mainstream view of Tukhachevsky, who believed that the German target was more likely to be Kharkov than Kursk. There are opinions about Li Xiaofeng getting him to Kursk. But seeing that Li Xiaofeng attached so much importance to Kursk, Konev immediately corrected his attitude.

Why? Whoever made Konev a political cadre still has a set of ways to understand the intentions of his superiors. Since a certain immortal attaches so much importance to Kursk, then under the premise that the necessary persuasion as a subordinate has no effect, then he should carry out the order to the letter, and even exceed the task.

In this way, even if the Germans really did not come, his Konev's attitude was impeccable and commendable. At that time, as a layman, Li Xiaofeng would inevitably feel a little indebted to him Konev, and in the future, he would pay more attention to his opinions in the military field, and he would inevitably try his best to fight for more resources for him. Isn't that more advantageous than stupidly following up and turning your face and arguing?

Konev thought so and did so, without complaint, galloping away with the 38th Army at the fastest speed like Kursk. It took only three days for the entire army group to leave for Kursk, and on the day of arrival it began to build fortifications in a hurry.

Don't say it, Konev played really this time, and after some careful planning, he divided the troops at hand into two defensive echelons. The first echelon consisted of the 78th Infantry Army, and the second echelon consisted of the 79th Infantry Army and the 48th Mechanized Army. The two echelons each constructed two defensive positions near Kursk.

According to Konev's request: "The main task of the divisions is: to drag down and exhaust the enemy's offensive with dense and strong anti-tank defensive positions." As soon as the situation stabilizes, immediately put in reserves for a counterattack. ”

In other words, in Konev's view, what he wants to fight is an active defensive war, the 38th Army will consume the attack energy of the German army with a large depth defense system, and when the German offensive is exhausted, immediately put into reserves for a resolute counterattack, and cooperate with reinforcements to annihilate the German army in one go.

I have to admit that Konev is still very level, and he did not understand Li Xiaofeng's orders like ordinary generals. In the eyes of those people, a certain immortal should be strictly guarded, and if he blocked the enemy, he would be victorious. But Konev is not ordinary, he does not think that blocking the German army is successful, he thinks that it is completely possible to consider fighting a war of annihilation around Kursk and resolutely eliminate the spearhead of the German army's attack...... (To be continued......)

PS: Correct. The Celtic in the previous chapter was supposed to be Keitel, sorry.

Bow and thank you hzwangdd, the parasite schistosomiasis and comrade Juventus!