I strode into the command center and saw Chisdakov and a group of commanders gathered around the table to look at the map. In order to attract their attention, I raised my voice and asked, "Comrade Deputy Commander, what's the situation? When will our troops meet with General Cuikov's troops?"

After I finished speaking, I saw Chisdakov turning around and his face turned pale. After staring at me for a while, he shook his head and said helplessly: "The situation is very bad. Comrade Commander, we and General Cuikov's troops are almost still in their original positions and have not moved."

Chisdakov's words made a vague premonition in my heart. I quickly walked to the table and glanced at the commander who was staying in the room. I found that not only the commanders of the Guards were there, but even Kravchenko, Bere, Povsky and others were here. I turned my eyes to Chisdakov again and asked sternly: "Comrade Deputy Commander, please tell me what happened here?"

"Comrade Commander, please allow me to report to you!" Kravchenko stepped forward, straightened his body and said in a pleading tone: "I will tell you what happened!"

"Okay, Comrade General," I sat in a chair beside the table, looked up at Kravchenko and said, "Let me introduce the current situation."

Krafchenko said: "Although General Cuikov and his team launched a fierce attack on the enemy's defense during the day and achieved great results. However, in the battle, whether it was the artillery preparation before the attack or the bombing of the enemy's positions, they did not wait to destroy the enemy's artillery. As a result, when our troops began to assemble in the east of the city, they were attacked by German artillery fire, and the troops suffered great casualties."

"What? During the assembly process, the troops were attacked by German artillery fire?!" Hearing this amazing news, I immediately jumped out of my seat. I asked in surprise: "What is the casualties of each division?"

"The 51st Guards and the 52nd Division suffered a total of more than 1,000 casualties, and General Kravchenko's tank army also lost fifteen tanks in the enemy's artillery attack." Chisdakov reported to me expressionlessly: "We may not be able to launch an offensive operation against the enemy before tomorrow morning."

"Comrade Deputy Commander," I heard Chisdakov say, and asked coldly, "When can our troops complete their assembly and launch an attack on the enemy's defensive positions?"

"Comrade Commander, I just said that our troops suffered heavy casualties in the enemy's artillery attack and must rest." Chisdakov thought I had not heard clearly what he said, and repeated the set he had just said: "I think the troops cannot attack the enemy's defensive positions before tomorrow morning."

"Comrade Deputy Commander," I couldn't help but raise my tone again when he saw that he still insisted on launching another attack tomorrow: "Didn't you hear me clearly? What I asked is, when can our troops complete assembly and launch an attack on the enemy's defensive positions?"

The answer to me was silence. Not only Chisdakov didn't speak, but all the commanders in the room didn't speak either. Seeing this, I pointed with my hand at Povsky, who was standing not far away, and asked: "Comrade Artillery Commander, where has our Guards Rocket Battalion been?"

"We are all deployed in the east of the city." Povsky looked at Chisdakov, and then said cautiously: "We are ready for all battles and can be put into battle at any time."

I saw Povsky's reaction, and I guessed in my heart that he might advocate continuing the attack, but his proposal was denied by Chisdakov without saying anything. So after hearing my question, he acted so hesitant.

Since Chisdakov repeatedly emphasized that the troops would not be able to launch an attack tomorrow, I decided to take back command from him and I personally command the troops to attack the enemy's defensive positions. I turned my eyes to Tavalt Kiraze and asked in a more stressful tone: "Comrade Commander, can you tell me how many troops your army has in the east of the city?"

"The 51st Guards, 52nd Division and a regiment of the 375th Infantry Division are all in that direction." Tavalt Kiraze replied cautiously: "As long as you give your order, I believe that our commanders and soldiers will rush towards the enemy's position without hesitation."

"Comrade Commander, it's good that you have this awareness." I ignored Chisdakov and said to Ta******* Kiraze on my own: "Get the troops together immediately. We will attack the enemy's defensive positions in half an hour. Fortunately, it's already dark now and the enemy's air force cannot be dispatched."

After Tavalt Kilaze left, I ordered Povsky: "Comrade Artillery Commander, you immediately organize the guards rocket artillery battalion, first fire the enemy's exposed artillery positions, and then bombard the enemy's defensive positions after they are dumb. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Comrade Commander." Povsky agreed and turned around and walked out of the command center.

When I came to Kravchenko, before I could make a promise, he said first: "Comrade Commander, please rest assured. I will gather the remaining tanks now, and once our shelling is over, we will immediately guide the troops to launch a comprehensive attack on the enemy's defensive positions."

Seeing that Kravchenko understood my intention, I nodded with a smile, and then said, "Comrade General, you can go back to the army to make arrangements now." After saying this, I rushed to the side of the army and said, "And you, General Bilei, and you will work with your commander to prepare for the attack."

When only Chisdakov and I were left in the command center, I walked up to him. When he was about to speak, he nodded and said, "Comrade Commander, maybe I am too old, so I have become cautious in doing things. You are right. Although we were squatting, we were attacked by German artillery fire, we should not postpone the time when we gathered again until tomorrow morning."

Seeing that Chisdakov could think so, I felt much more at ease. After I walked back to the table and sat down, I looked up and asked him, "Is there any news about General Cuikov?"

"Some," Chisdakov said, picking up a piece of paper from the table and handing it to me, and saying, "Comrade Commander, look, this is a telegram sent by General Cuikov not long ago."

I took the telegram and glanced at the top a few times. I found that Cui Kov's telegram was not short. After calming down, I read it carefully. I saw it: "After a brief preparation of artillery fire, the army launched another attack, cleared all the defending enemies in the village of Dorgnikoye, and advanced to the western forest south of the village. According to the order of the commander of the front army, Rusianov's mechanized army launched an attack on the enemy's defensive positions in intensive combat formations.

When our tanks crossed the highlands south of the village of Dorgnikoye, they immediately fell into the enemy's firepower net that was ambushed underground and hidden in the bush forest. The enemy's anti-tank hands used direct aiming and shooting torpedoes to hit our tanks. This was the first time I saw how the enemy used anti-tank torpedoes to deal with our tanks. This torpedo was launched from the trenches and guided with wires. The explosion of the torpedo tore the tanks into several large pieces of steel and flew out more than ten or twenty meters.

Before our artillery launched a powerful fire attack on the enemy's tanks and trenches with strong firepower, we could only look at our tanks in a heavy mood, and were destroyed by the Germans one by one..."

After reading this telegram, my mood became heavier. I didn't expect that the German defense was so tenacious. Cui Kefu and his team were able to open the road with hundreds of tanks, but they could not break out of the German defense line. So can we conquer the German defense with dozens of tanks?

At this moment, I suddenly felt that I had just blamed Chisdakov. He did not delay the attack because of his timidity, but wanted to make the pre-war preparations more. Thinking of this, I said to him apologetically: "I'm sorry, Deputy Commander, I just blamed you. I thought..."

Before I could finish my words, Chisdakov interrupted me with a smile: "You thought I was frightened by the strength of the German army, so I delayed the attack. Did you think so?"

"Yes, comrade Deputy Commander," I admitted with some embarrassment, "That's what I think."

"This is a trivial matter, you don't have to worry about it." After Chisdakov said this, he began to persuade me again: "Comrade Commander, the situation in the east of the city is very complicated at present. I suggest that you do not go there for the time being before our troops launch an attack."

I know he is for my safety, but in order to show his brave and fearless image in front of my subordinates, I stubbornly said: "Comrade Deputy Commander, since I am the commander of the group army, I should stay with my soldiers. When the soldiers know that their commander is watching their every move behind them, they can definitely play a role in boosting morale."

Although I verbally said that I wanted to go to the Frontier Observatory and saw with my own eyes how the soldiers charged towards the enemy's position. But when I arrived at the Frontier Observatory where Tavalt Kilaze was located, the commanders and soldiers of the 51st and 52nd Divisions of the Guards had already rushed to the enemy's position under the guidance of our tanks.

Since it was too late, the specific situation of the battle was unclear. Only the fires in the distance and the crowds swaying in the fire. Compared to my nervousness, Tavalt Kiraze seemed very calm. He even smiled and said, "Comrade Commander, look, our troops rushed forward. It's great. When our troops rushed forward, they can definitely kill the enemy to the point of falling water."

After looking for a while, I put down the telescope and turned my head to ask Tavalt Kiraze: "Comrade Commander, can you contact General Cuikov here?"

"Yes, Commander." Tavalt Kiraze took me to a phone call and said to me: "This phone call can make wireless calls with General Cui Kefu, but the signal may not be very good."

Hearing him say this, I thought to myself that even if the signal is not good, it is better than sending a telegram. So I ordered the soldier sitting in front of the phone: "Broadcaster, immediately contact General Cui Kefu, the commander of the Eighth Army of the Guards, and said I had something urgent to look for him."

After a few minutes, I put on my headphones and started talking to Trikov. As Tavalt Kiraze said, the signal was not very good, and the sizzling sound of electric current kept coming from the headphones. When I talked to Trikov, I had to open my throat and shout hard: "Hey, General Choikov, hello, I am Oshanina."

"Hello, Lida, I'm glad to hear your voice." Cui Kefu also said loudly: "Listen to my observation room report, saying that there were fire and explosions on the west side of the enemy's defensive position. You should have launched an attack from the west side of the enemy, right?"

"That's right, comrade General." I was very afraid that Cui Kefu and the others would not move their troops, so the enemy could focus their defenses in my direction. I hurriedly urged: "My two guard divisions, under the cover of tanks, launched a fierce attack on the enemy's positions under the cover of tanks. Please also launch an attack at the same time to restrain the enemy's troops so that they cannot withdraw their troops to reinforce."

"Don't worry, Lida." Cui Kefu said confidently: "As soon as I received the information, I was ready to attack. I planned to let the tanks of the First Army of Guards rush in front of our army to open the way for the infantry."

"I hope we can meet before dawn." I couldn't stand it when I yelled like this, so I quickly said, "General Cui Kefu, I wish you good luck!"

"See you when we meet, Lida." Cui Kefu said politely: "I wish you good luck too!"

After Tavalt Kiraze waited for me to finish the call with Cui Kev, he asked cautiously: "Comrade Commander, do you really think we can join forces with General Cui Kev's troops before dawn?"

"It should be OK, Comrade Commander." According to the history I know, after the Soviet army failed to attack at one location, they usually would not attack in the same area for the next few hours. The German army mastered this rule of attack by the Soviet army, so usually after repelling the Soviet army's attack, they would shift their defense focus to other places. This time, based on this rule, I judged that after repelling the attack of Cuikov's troops and carrying out artillery fire on us, they would think that we were not able to launch an attack again. So they decisively ordered the troops to launch an attack again, so that they could catch the Germans off guard. "Everything will be decided after dawn."

The fierce battle lasted all night, and it was not until dawn that the sound of gunfire outside became sparse. A radio operator suddenly shouted to me excitedly: "Comrade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lu Jin, the leader of the 309th Regiment, wants to talk to you."

I put on my headphones and shouted at the sender: "Hey, Lieutenant Colonel Lujin? I am Oshanina, how is the battle ahead?"

"Report to Comrade Commander," Lu Jin reported to me in an excited voice: "After a night of fierce fighting, our regiment has penetrated the three lines of defense of the German army and met with the tank team of the First Guards Mechanized Army who rushed over from the opposite side!" (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!