red moscow

Chapter 3036

Rokossovsky, who was sitting behind the table talking, smiled when he saw Sokov coming over: "Misha, you've come!"

"Commander!" Sokov immediately stood at attention and saluted. "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the infantry brigade, has arrived on orders. Please give instructions!"

“Misha, I’m sure you’re wondering why your brigade has no missions when all the other units have been assigned tasks?” Rokossovsky said.

Seeing that Rokossovsky had spoken his mind, Sokov nodded: "Yes, Comrade Commander. I think you haven't assigned us any tasks because you're probably planning to give us important combat missions after the major counter-offensive begins."

"That's right. I plan to send your brigade to assist our friendly forces in liberating Taiyangshan City after the major counter-offensive begins and our army has achieved certain results."

Upon hearing Rokossovsky mention Sun Mountain, Sokov immediately understood the other's intention: "Comrade Commander, you've asked me to assist our allies in liberating Sun Mountain because I not only led troops to defend this city before, but also served as its defense commander, right?"

“You guessed right.” Rokossovsky nodded in agreement with Sokov’s statement: “Besides the two points you mentioned, the most important thing is that you left several secret passages in the south of the city, and you also left through those passages when you evacuated the city. It would be best if we could put these passages to use again during the liberation of Sun Mountain City.”

"But, Comrade Commander, our brigade is still holding Leninno. If we move there, it will become a vacuum zone with no one to defend it."

“Don’t worry about that,” Rokossovsky said. “As soon as the counter-offensive begins, the enemy will definitely be forced to retreat under our attacks. At that time, the enemy near Leninno will definitely retreat westward, and there will be no need to defend Leninno anymore. Then I can transfer your brigade to the direction of Sun Mountain City.”

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!" Rokossovsky had barely finished speaking when Malinin asked, "Are you having any difficulties?"

"There are definitely difficulties." Since Malinin asked him to make his own conditions, Sokov naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass. "Our brigade has suffered heavy casualties and ammunition depletion after the battle. We hope to be replenished."

When Malinin heard Sokov say this, he didn't dare to agree to anything on his own. He could only turn to Rokossovsky and ask him what he had to say.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Rokossovsky smiled slightly and then said, "Before the formal counter-offensive began, the Supreme Command Headquarters had already considered reinforcing the troops currently on the defensive and allocated some forces to the Western Front Command. Zhukov called to tell me that he will be assigning some troops to our army group from among them tomorrow."

Seeing Rokossovsky's beaming face, Sokov couldn't bear to dampen his spirits. He clearly remembered Rokossovsky writing in his memoirs that Zhukov had assigned three infantry brigades to the 16th Army, each brigade roughly the size of a reinforced regiment. Although the number of troops assigned was somewhat small, it was still a welcome development for the 16th Army, which had been without reinforcements for a long time.

“Misha, why aren’t you saying anything?” Rokossovsky couldn’t help but comfort Sokov when he saw him remain silent. “Don’t worry, although we can’t replenish your forces right now, as long as the higher-ups send enough troops to us, I will definitely prioritize replenishing your brigade.” Sokov didn’t speak, but just smiled faintly.

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, while your brigade won’t be involved in any major battles for the next couple of days, you can let the officers and soldiers take turns resting,” Malinin said to Sokov with a smile. “That way, when your brigade is deployed to the battlefield, you will be ready to fight with high spirits.”

“Thank you, Chief of Staff. I will take advantage of this rare opportunity to allow the troops to rest and recuperate for a while.” Sokov said this, hesitated for a moment, and then reminded Rokossovsky, “Comrade Commander, although we have successfully recaptured Klyukovo and driven the enemy out of the city, they certainly won’t give up. Given the chance, they will definitely come back. I came here for this meeting today and noticed that the number of troops defending the city is not very large. If the enemy launches another attack, I am worried…”

“There’s nothing to worry about, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov.” But before Sokov could finish speaking, Malinin interrupted him, saying confidently, “Even if the enemy is unwilling, so what? When the major counter-offensive begins at dawn tomorrow, and the enemy’s defenses are under attack everywhere, their first concern will be how to hold their lines and prevent our army from breaking through. They won’t have any spare resources to threaten the safety of Klyukovo.”

Although Malinin did not take Sokov's statement seriously, Rokossovsky glanced at Sokov and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, how many troops do we have in Klyukovo?"

Perhaps worried that Malinin wouldn't take the matter seriously enough, he emphasized, "After all, our army group headquarters is in the city. If we are driven out of the city by the Germans again, we will become a laughing stock among our allies."

“Comrade Commander, you don’t need to worry.” Malining continued, “The city’s garrison is currently the 8th Guards Division, equipped with a tank battalion, the 17th Infantry Brigade, and the 44th Cavalry Division. With such forces, it is simply impossible for the German army to retake the city.”

Since Malinin had said so, Rokossovsky did not press the matter further. Although these troops were not numerous, they should not have much trouble holding off an attack by a German regiment.

Seeing that Rokossovsky didn't seem to care, Sokov naturally didn't want to make a fool of himself. He looked at the other man tentatively and asked, "Comrade Commander, if you have nothing else to say, may I leave?"

“Of course, of course you’re allowed to leave.” Rokossovsky extended his hand to Sokov and said in a friendly tone, “Misha, until we meet again, and best of luck!”

After shaking hands with Rokossovsky, Sokov raised his hand to salute the commanders sitting behind the table, then turned and walked off the stage toward the auditorium.

Having found his car, Sokov had barely gotten in when Belkin asked impatiently, "Comrade Brigade Commander, what did the Commander say to you?"

"He said that if the enemy did not attack Lenino, we should take the time to rest and regroup," Sokov said. "After the counter-offensive has achieved some success, our brigade will be transferred to Sun Mountain to assist our allies in recapturing the city."

(End of this chapter)