Red Moscow

Zhukov spread his hands and made a helpless expression: "I'm sorry, Koschka, I don't have any reserve troops. I don't have any troops at all. You can only rely on your own strength to strengthen your existing defense line."

Although Rokossovsky had prepared himself for Zhukov's rejection before coming here, he still felt disappointed when he heard what he said. He asked unwillingly, "Is there really no reserve team?"

"No more." Zhukov shook his head and said in a positive tone: "There really is no more troops."

Disappointed, Rokossovsky turned around and saw Sokov next to him. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who is he?"

"Let me introduce you to Major Sokov, General Potapov's adjutant." Zhukov specifically introduced him to Rokossovsky, "You know, he has only been in the army for more than two months, but he has been promoted to major because of his outstanding military achievements. If he can continue to be as lucky as he is now, maybe he can become a general in two or three years."

"So you're my old superior's adjutant." Rokossovsky took the initiative to extend his hand to Sokov and said in a friendly tone: "Hello, Major Sokov, nice to meet you. I'm Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army."

"Comrade General," Sokov was very excited to see an acquaintance again. He shook Rokossovsky's hand and said in a trembling voice, "It is my honor to meet you."

As Rokossovsky shook hands with Sokov, he looked him up and down with his head tilted, saying: "Comrade Major, I think I've seen you somewhere before?"

"No, Comrade General." Sokov thought to himself that we knew each other in the previous life, and this was the first time we met in this life. He quickly shook his head like a rattle: "This is the first time I see you."

"That's really strange." Rokossovsky turned to Zhukov and said, "I don't know why, but when I first saw Major Sokov, I felt that he was like a friend I have known for many years."

Zhukov stared at Sokov and said thoughtfully, "Koschka, to be honest, I had the same feeling when I first met Major Sokov. By the way, Comrade Sokov, what is your real name and patronymic?"

According to Russian custom, if someone asks you your real name and father's name, it means that he regards you as a true friend. So when he heard Zhukov's question, Sokov answered without hesitation: "Mikhail Mikhailovich!"

Zhukov nodded: "Then I will call you Misha from now on! Rokossovsky and I have something to discuss, go and call Alina and Yakov over."

"Yes, I'll go and call him right away." When Sokov was about to leave, he suddenly remembered that he had rescued Romanov, and quickly added: "By the way, the commander of the 172nd Infantry Division, Major General Romanov, was also rescued. Do we need to call him over as well?"

"What? You also rescued the commander of the 172nd Division, Romanov?" Zhukov was surprised to hear the name mentioned by Sokov, and then asked, "Where is he now?"

"With Yakov and the others."

"Then call him over." Zhukov said this and added: "Don't leave yet. I have something to tell you later."

As Sokov's back disappeared from the door, Rokossovsky asked, "What merits did he have to be promoted from an ordinary soldier to a major in just two months?"

Seeing that Rokossovsky was very interested in Sokov, Zhukov told him in detail about Sokov's achievements.

After listening to Zhukov's story, Rokossovsky's eyes lit up, and he immediately said to Zhukov: "Georgy Konstantinovich, since you can't give me the reserve troops, can you give me this major? I want him to be the regiment commander in my army."

"But he is Potapov's adjutant. Even if I agree, will Potapov agree? You know, Potapov is your old superior." Zhukov reminded Rokossovsky, "Although he is now a major, he has no command experience. Is it appropriate to let him be the regiment commander directly?"

"I can arrange a suitable deputy for him." Rokossovsky said confidently, "Didn't you say that he could become a general in two or three years? I hope to help him shorten the time it takes to become a general."

Zhukov smiled: "Koschka, I didn't expect you to think so highly of Misha..."

Before he could finish his words, a voice shouting for report came from the door.

Zhukov suppressed the smile on his face and said to the door: "Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three people walked in from the door: Alina, Yakov and Romanov.

Romanov took the lead and stepped forward quickly, raising his hand to salute Zhukov: "Comrade General, Major General Romanov, the former commander of the 172nd Infantry Division, reports to you!"

Zhukov raised his hand and pulled Romanov's hand down from his forehead, then held it tightly, shook it vigorously twice, and said with emotion: "General Romanov, you have suffered!"

Hearing Zhukov's concerned words, Romanov's eyes turned red. He tried to force a smile on his face: "I never thought that I could return to my people alive."

"What are your plans next?" Zhukov asked.

"Comrade General, I will obey your arrangements." Romanov said cooperatively: "I will go wherever you tell me to go."

"Let's talk about your work arrangements later. I have more important things to deal with now." Zhukov asked Romanov to stand aside first, then walked to Yakov and stretched out his big hand to him: "Yasha, welcome back!"

Hearing Zhukov's praise, Alina blushed slightly and said a little embarrassedly: "In fact, the person who made the greatest contribution to our successful rescue of Comrade Yakov is Major Sokov. If it weren't for his resourcefulness, let alone saving people, it would be unknown whether we could come back alive."

"He is him, and you are you." Zhukov said, "When you go back, you will be rewarded by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Not only will you receive medals, but you will also be promoted. Major Sokov was promoted too quickly, so he can only get a medal at most this time. It is unrealistic for him to be promoted again."

Alina couldn't help but feel sorry for Sokov, who had made such a great contribution but could only receive a medal. She quickly remembered her mission and said to Zhukov: "Comrade General, we have rescued Comrade Yakov and need to take him back to Moscow immediately to report. Can you arrange a suitable means of transportation for us?"

"No problem." Zhukov agreed, picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and said to the inside: "This is Zhukov, get me the Chief of Staff! ... Chief of Staff? This is Zhukov! Immediately prepare an armored vehicle and two trucks to escort an important person back to Moscow."

After hanging up the phone, Zhukov said to Alina: "I have asked the chief of staff to prepare a vehicle for you to return to Moscow. If you have any difficulties, tell me and I will find a way to help you solve it."

Alina heard Zhukov ask the chief of staff to prepare an armored vehicle, which showed how much he valued Yakov's safety. What she was worried about was nothing more than an accident on the way back to Moscow. But since Zhukov had already arranged an armored vehicle, there was no big problem with safety. She shook her head and said, "No, there are no difficulties."

Zhukov turned and stared at Romanov, wondering what job to assign him.

After a while, Zhukov asked, "General Romanov, you were unfortunately injured during the breakout. I wonder how your injury is now?"

"If I were asked to charge into battle with the soldiers holding a bayonet, I might not be able to do it," Romanov replied, "but if I were asked to lead the troops in battle, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Very good, I've been waiting for you to say that." Zhukov said, "The army is currently lacking experienced middle and senior commanders. If you are still able to command the troops, that would be great."

Before Sokov assigned Romanov a job, Sokolovsky appeared at the door and reported to Zhukov: "Comrade Commander, the vehicle is ready. When do you need it?"

"Comrade Lieutenant, this is my chief of staff." Zhukov pointed at Sokolovsky and said to Alina, "He has prepared a vehicle for you. You and Yakov just need to follow him. By the way, if you see Major Sokov, call him over."

After Alina and Yakov followed Sokolovsky away, Zhukov asked Rokossovsky: "Koschka, do you have a position in your army that would be suitable for General Romanov?"

Rokossovsky thought for a moment, then said, "I would like to have General Romanov serve as my deputy commander. Do you agree?"

"If it's a position like division commander, I would definitely agree." Zhukov frowned and said, "But for the position of deputy commander of the army group, I must report to the Supreme Command and get approval before I can appoint him to this position."

After that, Zhukov picked up the high-frequency telephone on the table, dialed the number, and said politely: "Is this the switchboard? I am General Zhukov, commander of the Western Front. Please transfer the call to Comrade Stalin's office."

The Kremlin telephone operator, after hearing Zhukov's identity, immediately transferred the call to Stalin's office. The person who answered the phone was Poskrebyshev: "I am Poskrebyshev, General Zhukov, what can I do for you?"

"Hello, Comrade Poskrebyshev," Zhukov said politely. "Excuse me, is Comrade Stalin in his office?"

"Yes, General Zhukov, he's here." Poskrebyshev knew that Zhukov would never call Stalin directly unless it was something very important, so he said politely, "I'll transfer your call right away."

"Comrade Zhukov!" Stalin's voice soon came from the receiver: "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Hello, Comrade Stalin." Zhukov said respectfully, "I called you to report two things: First, your son Yakov Zhugashvili has been rescued, and the special team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible for rescuing him will soon bring him back to Moscow..."

Upon learning that his son had been rescued, Stalin became emotional: "Comrade Zhukov, has Yasha really been rescued?"

"Yes, he has been rescued."

"Do you know what the process of rescuing him was like?"

"Of course I know." Zhukov nodded, and then gave Stalin a detailed report on the entire rescue process that he had learned.

"This Major Sokov is very good." After listening to Zhukov's report, Stalin could not help but nod repeatedly and then asked, "What is his current rank?"

"Comrade Sokov is now a major." Zhukov knew Stalin was definitely trying to promote Sokov, so he quickly reminded him, "He was promoted from captain to major a few days ago. I think his promotion is too fast, which is not conducive to his growth, so I don't recommend that you be cautious about his rank."

"Oh, he was promoted to major a few days ago?" Stalin asked curiously, "What was the reason for his promotion?"

Seeing that Stalin was very interested in Sokov, Zhukov quickly reported to Stalin about Sokov's achievements since he joined the army.

After listening to this, Stalin nodded slowly and asked, "What kind of job is he doing now?"

"He is General Potapov's adjutant, responsible for liaison between the army headquarters and the frontline troops." Zhukov said this, looking at Rokossovsky not far away: "General Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army, hopes that I can hand over this major to him and let him serve as the commander of the regiment. Maybe he can achieve greater merit."

"Comrade Zhukov, you are the commander of the Western Front. You can make all the decisions on personnel appointments within the front without asking me for instructions." Stalin said sensibly, "Since Comrade Rokossovsky thinks he is good, transfer him to the 16th Army."