At the Führer's strict request, the elder Loeb readjusted his troop deployment: the Northern Assault Group was formed with Reinhardt's 41st Panzer Army and Küsiler's 18th Army, breaking through the defensive line from the lower Luga River and attacking Leningrad via Ghatt; The 56th Panzer Corps and 1 SS police division formed the Western Assault Group with Manstein, attacked Luga from the middle reaches of the Luga River, pinned down the main Soviet forces, and then attacked Leningrad along the Luga-Leningrad road. The Southern Assault Group, consisting of Boucher's 16th Army and the 57th Panzer Corps of the 3rd Armored Corps of Hot of Army Group Center, broke through the defensive line from the upper reaches of the Luga River, then turned northeast to attack Chudovo and encircle Leningrad from the east.

The German Führer's "personal expedition" deeply stimulated the old commander Buhler, and also greatly stimulated the front-line officers and men of the German Army Group North, and the attack on the Soviet Red Army defending Leningrad instantly increased several times. However, the Soviet Red Army, which had no way to retreat, did not fear and retreat, and still tried its best to resist layer by layer, and composed a song of praise with blood and life.

The Germans, who were stubbornly resisted, went from 30 kilometers per day at the beginning to only advance at a speed of 2 kilometers per day. Six days passed in the blink of an eye, and Army Group North under the command of Loeb the Elder tried with all its might, and could only advance to the Soviet positions seventy kilometers around Leningrad. However, the Soviets also paid a heavy price in casualties, and the German army was about to form a three-sided encirclement of Leningrad.

At 9:14 a.m. on July 28, 1941, a transport plane taking off from Arkhangelsk landed peacefully at a military airfield in Leningrad. As soon as the plane came to a stop, the cabin door was opened, and immediately after that, Marshal Zhukov stepped off the plane. As soon as he got off the plane, Zhukov did not make any stops and rushed straight to the Smolny Palace, the seat of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front. "The Germans are attacking too fiercely, we simply can't stop their offensive!"

"The Germans are about to encircle us on three sides, and Leningrad will soon be left alone!" "Alas, we have tried our best, but Leningrad may not be able to hold it after all!" "What if Leningrad can't be held?" "Is the great Soviet Union really going to die?"

Zhukov came all the way to the conference room, and while the people were still at the door, they heard the sighs of the people in the room, and everyone looked extremely pessimistic and depressed. The powerful Soviet Union has been in a state of collapse over the past year, with millions of Soviet Red Army troops being devoured in the flames of war, the first capital of Moscow and the second capital of Leningrad now in a desperate situation. This series of blows has long filled the entire Soviet Union with despair and pessimism, and if it were not for the enemy's brutality and the complete rush to destroy the country and the species, if it were not for the fact that the Soviets' faith still exists, I am afraid that it would have been unable to hold out a long time ago.

"The USSR will not fall, and Leningrad will not fall!" Hearing these infuriating pessimistic arguments, Zhukov couldn't help but burst into the conference room with a blue face. "Comrade Zhukov?" "Why are you here?" The commander of the Leningrad Front, Marshal Voroshilov, the chief of staff, General Khozhin, and other high-ranking generals of the Soviet army were shocked by this cold shout, and then they all brushed up on the prestige, and looked at Zhukov with a pale face with wide eyes.

Zhukov walked up to Voroshilov with a blank face, took out a note written by Stalin himself from his briefcase and handed it to Voroshilov. "Comrade Zhukov, what do you mean by this?" Voroshilov took the note and looked down for some reason, only to see that it was written: "Give the headquarters of the Front to Zhukov, and you yourself will fly back to Arkhangelsk immediately." ”

Due to the haste in which Zhukov arrived at the command, the transfer of command between Zhukov and the former commander Voroshilov did not require any special formalities, just this handwritten note from Stalin. Although there is an element of urgency in this, it is more about Stalin's supreme authority and absolute leadership.

"Huh? Is this true? Comrade Zhukov? After reading it, Voroshilov was a little confused, and this sudden event surprised him a little, although just yesterday Stalin made a phone call to reprimand him and asked him, "Where are you going to retreat?" Withdraw to the Arctic Ocean". Voroshilov knew very well how many pounds and taels he had, and he knew even more that Stalin was very dissatisfied with his performance. However, Voroshilov asked himself that he had always been loyal to Stalin and swore to follow him to the death, and he had always pointed to the east and never went to the west, and he made great contributions to Stalin.

Even if you don't have credit, you have hard work, even if you are not satisfied with your performance and want to change the coach, then at least you should say hello in advance and ventilate, so that you have a decent step to go down? Voroshilov was known as the "Red Marshal" for his extraordinary bravery during the Russian Civil War, but in reality he was not really a military strategist, but only a martial artist.

Voroshilov was distinguished by his obedience to orders, his climb up on the heads of other high-ranking Red Army generals, and his active participation in the suppression of the criminal activities of high-ranking cadres of the army. During the Great Purge of 1936-1938, when the doors of Stalin's bloody purgatory were opened, Voroshilov did not hesitate to ignite the flames of brutal repression.

He was directly involved in the murder of 5,000 middle-ranking commanders, his family members were subjected to inhuman suffering, and countless telegrams were sent to approve arrest and execution, and it was precisely because of his active participation in the purge of the Red Army generals that Stalin needed this kind of "red marshal" that he was able to maintain a high position in the party, government, and military clique for a long time. Of course, Zhukov would not have any good feelings about such an "executioner", and replied in a very unfriendly tone: "Comrade Voroshilov, if you have any doubts, you can immediately call Comrade Stalin to confirm!" ”

"I see!" It's not that Voroshilov doesn't believe the facts in front of him, but he can't accept it for a while, because he knows that such a thing that can be broken by rubbing it can't be fake, and Zhukov doesn't dare to fake the holy decree. "Comrade Zhukov, Leningrad will be handed over to you!"

Where did Voroshilov have the courage to call and confirm in person, he immediately stood up, shook Zhukov's hand, and then shouted to all the senior Soviet generals present: "Comrades, the great Comrade Stalin appointed Comrade Zhukov as the new commander of the Leningrad Front, and from now on everything here will be decided by Comrade Zhukov!" I have to go to Arkhangelsk now to meet the great Comrade Stalin! Comrades, we will definitely see each other again, Leningrad will definitely be held under the leadership of Comrade Zhukov! Good bye! ”

After speaking, Voroshilov waved his hand at everyone, and then left without looking back, although such a departure was very faceless, but he was relaxed and happy at this moment. Because of such a mess, he had no way to clean it up, he felt completely hopeless, and he even ran to the firing line for a time in the hope of being killed by the Germans. Now that he is still here, it is actually a blessing and relief for Voroshilov to have Zhukov to wipe his ass for him.

After Voroshilo left the conference room, Zhukov glanced around the faces of everyone with a sharp eye, and said in a resolute tone: "Comrades, it is not Leningrad that is afraid of death, but death that is afraid of Leningrad. Never think about what to do once Leningrad is lost, Leningrad cannot be lost. That's right, even to the last man, we will hold Leningrad. ”

Zhukov was really ordered to be in danger this time, and before that he was still commanding the reserve front, and won the only battle in which the Soviets won the Battle of Smolensk. In view of Zhukov's satisfactory performance, Stalin changed his commander and asked him to go to Leningrad to take over as commander of the Leningrad Front, and command the troops to defend Leningrad with all their might. “……”

There was silence in the conference room, and all the generals in the meeting had tense faces and stared at Zhukov with solemn expressions. Although they did not think that slogans and sentiments alone would change the situation and hold Leningrad, they all knew very well that there must be no noise at this time.

Zhukov continued: "Comrades, everyone knows that the Soviet Union is now at the most dangerous moment, the Germans are pressing forward step by step, and we have long had no way out. And I would like to emphasize that the German Führer was an extreme national Nazi, a crazy butcher with no humanity, who would have ordered the German soldiers to kill us all. "That's right, it's everyone, including our parents, siblings, lovers, and children, even if it's just a baby, they won't let it go!"

"The Germans will not show any mercy or mercy, what they will do is only to destroy our country and our species, because it is only our territory and resources that they covet." "So we should not try to save our lives by surrendering at any time, we must fight to the end if we want to live, and we have no other choice!"

After a pause, Zhukov softened his tone and said: "Although the situation is very bad and critical, what I want to tell you is that the Soviet Union is not alone, we also have strong allies such as the United States, Britain, and Huaxia, who will fight side by side with us against the evil Axis Alliance." Just a week ago, our ally Huaxia sent a large amount of aid, in addition to the necessary weapons and equipment, food, fuel, raw materials, and extremely advanced and powerful secret weapons.

This time I was ordered to preside over the defense of Leningrad, not empty-handed, but with this secret weapon, and we will surely make the rampant and brutal Nazi fascists feel the wrath of the Soviet people and the great power of the Allied Front! Comrades, please believe in the great Comrade Stalin, in the Party, in the people, in the comrades-in-arms of the Allies all over the world, as long as we unswervingly unite together and unswervingly fight to the end against the evil Nazis and fascists, victory will always belong to us and always stand on the side of justice! ”

"Long live Comrade Stalin!" "Long live the Soviet Union!" "Long live the Soviet people!" "Down with the Nazi fascists!" "Victory! Win! After Zhukov's while, the senior Soviet generals in the conference room finally regained their souls, no longer so low and desperate, and they all let out angry roars and roars. Although it is said that freezing three feet is not a day's cold, at least at this moment, everyone's will to fight has been stimulated, and the soul will has begun to become strong again. After the meeting, Zhukov immediately dialed Stalin from a special phone: "Comrade Stalin, I have taken over the headquarters, and everything is going well at the moment!" ”

On the other end of the phone, Stalin said in a solemn tone: "Comrade Zhukov, Leningrad will be handed over to you, and the fate of the Soviet Union will be handed over to you!" Zhukov immediately said in a resolute tone: "Please rest assured, Comrade Stalin, I will definitely fulfill the great trust of the party and the people, guarantee to hold Leningrad, and promise to deal a merciless blow to the Nazi fascists!" Stalin nodded and said: "Comrade Zhukov, I believe in your ability, and I also believe that the great Soviet Red Army and the Soviet people will definitely create a miracle of war, and the final victory will definitely belong to us!" ”

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!" After hanging up the phone, Zhukov immediately entered the working state, began to quickly adjust the defense deployment, and adopted all kinds of effective defensive measures. Zhukov transferred anti-aircraft artillery units to Uritsk-Pulkovo and other heights to hit tanks with anti-aircraft artillery. He also concentrated all kinds of artillery, including naval guns, in key areas and used them uniformly.

Artillery fire systems were constructed along the German path, including self-propelled rocket artillery, naval guns, anti-aircraft guns, and other artillery pieces, forming a dense artillery fire barrier in the main directions for coordination with the infantry. Then, Zhukov went to the front line to inspect it himself, and then he found that the discipline of the front-line troops was lax, like a plate of loose sand, some division commanders withdrew from the battle without receiving orders, and many soldiers ran away as soon as they heard the gunshots.

In response to these conditions, Zhukov immediately had to take the most drastic measures and begin to work on the rectification of morale and discipline. So Zhukov issued a strict order: all those who failed in their duties were to be executed. In order to make the order powerful, he arrested and executed a number of officers and soldiers who had defected to the enemy and treason, and disbanded some of the unscrupulous companies and redistributed the soldiers. Zhukov also vigorously rectified the irresponsible and serious formalism in the military organs.

After the rectification, the combat effectiveness of the troops was greatly improved, Zhukov carefully drew up a plan to strengthen the city defense, and the Soviet army concentrated a large number of antiaircraft artillery and ships in the most dangerous areas and strategic points, and mobilized troops to establish a defense in depth. In order to strengthen the defense, Zhukov also divided the city into 6 defensive sections. Strong positions were set up in each section based on battalion fortifications, and in addition, all the women were organized to build barricades throughout the city and to dig trenches around the city to defend against tanks.

After carrying out the construction of ground air defense, Zhukov also prepared for the worst, that is, contingency measures after the German troops broke through into Leningrad. Zhukov ordered mines to be installed inside factories, bridges and public facilities, and if the enemy entered the city, these buildings were blown up along with the enemy. Zhukov also distributed weapons and ammunition to the inhabitants, and did a lot of organizational mobilization work, turning Leningrad into an impregnable fortress.

On the morning of July 29, 1941, the German 41st Panzer Army and the 18th Army formed the Northern Assault Group and advanced to the Slutsk area, 20 kilometers south of Leningrad. The 7th Army and the 23rd Army of the Northern Front of the Soviet Leningrad Front, which were responsible for guarding the area, put up desperate resistance, and a fierce battle of life and death broke out again. After Voroshilo left the conference room, Zhukov glanced around the faces of everyone with a sharp eye, and said in a resolute tone: "Comrades, it is not Leningrad that is afraid of death, but death that is afraid of Leningrad. Never think about what to do once Leningrad is lost, Leningrad cannot be lost.

That's right, even to the last man, we will hold Leningrad. "Zhukov was really ordered to be in danger this time, and before that he was still commanding the reserve front, and won the only battle in which the Soviets won the Battle of Smolensk. In view of Zhukov's satisfactory performance, Stalin changed his commander and asked him to go to Leningrad to take over as commander of the Leningrad Front, and command the troops to defend Leningrad with all their might. “……”

There was silence in the conference room, and all the generals in the meeting had tense faces and stared at Zhukov with solemn expressions. Although they did not think that slogans and sentiments alone would change the situation and hold Leningrad, they all knew very well that there must be no noise at this time. Zhukov continued: "Comrades, everyone knows that the Soviet Union is now at the most dangerous moment, the Germans are pressing forward step by step, and we have long had no way out.

And I would like to emphasize that the German Führer was an extreme national Nazi, a crazy butcher with no humanity, who would have ordered the German soldiers to kill us all. "That's right, it's everyone, including our parents, siblings, lovers, and children, even if it's just a baby, they won't let it go!" "The Germans will not show any mercy or mercy, what they will do is only to destroy our country and our species, because it is only our territory and resources that they covet."

"So we should not try to save our lives by surrendering at any time, we must fight to the end if we want to live, and we have no other choice!" After a pause, Zhukov softened his tone and said: "Although the situation is very bad and critical, what I want to tell you is that the Soviet Union is not alone, we also have strong allies such as the United States, Britain, and Huaxia, who will fight side by side with us against the evil Axis Alliance."

Just a week ago, our ally Huaxia sent a large amount of aid, in addition to the necessary weapons and equipment, food, fuel, raw materials, and extremely advanced and powerful secret weapons. This time I was ordered to preside over the defense of Leningrad, not empty-handed, but with this secret weapon, and we will surely make the rampant and brutal Nazi fascists feel the wrath of the Soviet people and the great power of the Allied Front! Comrades, please believe in the great Comrade Stalin, in the Party, in the people, in the comrades-in-arms of the Allies all over the world, as long as we unswervingly unite together and unswervingly fight to the end against the evil Nazis and fascists, victory will always belong to us and always stand on the side of justice! ”

"Long live Comrade Stalin!" "Long live the Soviet Union!" "Long live the Soviet people!" "Down with the Nazi fascists!" "Victory! Win! ”

Zhukov came down after a while, and the senior Soviet generals in the conference room finally found their souls, no longer so low and desperate, and they all let out angry roars and roars. Although it is said that freezing three feet is not a day's cold, at least at this moment, everyone's will to fight has been stimulated, and the soul will has begun to become strong again. After the meeting, Zhukov immediately dialed Stalin from a special phone: "Comrade Stalin, I have taken over the headquarters, and everything is going well at the moment!" ”

On the other end of the phone, Stalin said in a solemn tone: "Comrade Zhukov, Leningrad will be handed over to you, and the fate of the Soviet Union will be handed over to you!" Zhukov immediately said in a resolute tone: "Please rest assured, Comrade Stalin, I will definitely fulfill the great trust of the party and the people, guarantee to hold Leningrad, and promise to deal a merciless blow to the Nazi fascists!" ”

Stalin nodded and said: "Comrade Zhukov, I believe in your ability, and I also believe that the great Soviet Red Army and the Soviet people will definitely create a miracle of war, and the final victory will definitely belong to us!" "Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhukov immediately entered the working state, began to quickly adjust the defense deployment, and adopted all kinds of effective defensive measures. Zhukov transferred anti-aircraft artillery units to Uritsk-Pulkovo and other heights to hit tanks with anti-aircraft artillery. He also concentrated all kinds of artillery, including naval guns, in key areas and used them uniformly.

Artillery fire systems were constructed along the German path, including self-propelled rocket artillery, naval guns, anti-aircraft guns, and other artillery pieces, forming a dense artillery fire barrier in the main directions for coordination with the infantry. Then, Zhukov went to the front line to inspect it himself, and then he found that the discipline of the front-line troops was lax, like a plate of loose sand, some division commanders withdrew from the battle without receiving orders, and many soldiers ran away as soon as they heard the gunshots.

In response to these conditions, Zhukov immediately had to take the most drastic measures and begin to work on the rectification of morale and discipline. So Zhukov issued a strict order: all those who failed in their duties were to be executed. In order to make the order powerful, he arrested and executed a number of officers and soldiers who had defected to the enemy and treason, and disbanded some of the unscrupulous companies and redistributed the soldiers. Zhukov also vigorously rectified the irresponsible and serious formalism in the military organs.

After the rectification, the combat effectiveness of the troops was greatly improved, Zhukov carefully drew up a plan to strengthen the city defense, and the Soviet army concentrated a large number of antiaircraft artillery and ships in the most dangerous areas and strategic points, and mobilized troops to establish a defense in depth. In order to strengthen the defense, Zhukov also divided the city into 6 defensive sections. Strong positions were set up in each section based on battalion fortifications, and in addition, all the women were organized to build barricades throughout the city and to dig trenches around the city to defend against tanks.

After carrying out the construction of ground air defense, Zhukov also prepared for the worst, that is, contingency measures after the German troops broke through into Leningrad. Zhukov ordered mines to be installed inside factories, bridges and public facilities, and if the enemy entered the city, these buildings were blown up along with the enemy. Zhukov also distributed weapons and ammunition to the inhabitants, and did a lot of organizational mobilization work, turning Leningrad into an impregnable fortress.

On the morning of July 29, 1941, the German 41st Panzer Army and the 18th Army formed the Northern Assault Group and advanced to the Slutsk area, 20 kilometers south of Leningrad. The 7th Army and the 23rd Army of the Northern Front of the Soviet Leningrad Front, which were responsible for guarding the area, put up desperate resistance, and a fierce battle of life and death broke out again.