The two German armored armies heading south, because there were a large number of Soviet troops gathering in the northeast of Ijium, Hot was worried that the rear of the troops would be exposed to the Soviet army after they headed south, so he asked Manstein: "Marson, once we continue to move south, the Russians who had just assembled may attack from behind us, and then they may cause us huge casualties."

"General Hort," Manstein said patiently and asked, "Then tell me, what should we do now?"

"I think the 57th and 48th Armored Army should be left in Ijium to prevent possible assaults by the Russians."

"What should we do if the Red Army Village and Donetsk?" Manstein said coldly: "If we do not launch an attack as soon as possible, once the Russians regain control of these places, it will pose a direct threat to our army."

"Marson, although both of my armored troops are staying in Ijium, you can send the 6th and 17th Armored Divisions south to meet with the three SS divisions of General Hauser and launch an attack on the Russians who were standing in the Red Army village."

"What should I do if Kharkov-Belgorod?" Manstein asked angrily: "Doesn't my withdrawal of all my troops from this line give the Russians the opportunity to consolidate the defense line? Once they complete supplies and build a new defense system, even if we regain the Red Army Village and Donetsk, it will be more than worth the loss."

"Marson, even if I have removed the troops I mentioned, aren't there any 11th Armored Division, the 106th and 333rd Infantry Divisions?" Hot said confidently: "Even if these troops cannot capture Kharkov, their existence will make the Russians frightened and dare not send troops to attack the rear of our army."

Manstein pondered for a long time about Hort's proposal. He stared at the map and pondered it over and over again, and finally felt that Hort's words were still very reasonable. Although his main forces had evacuated the Kharkov-Belgorod front line, the remaining armored division and two infantry divisions could still deter the Russians, making them afraid to act rashly.

Thinking of this, Manstein made a decisive decision: "Well, General Hort, then as you said, let two armored troops be stationed near Ijum to prevent the possible attacks by the Russians. Then transfer the 6th and 17th Armored Divisions to the south, join the three SSs of General Hauser, and launch a powerful offensive against the Red Army Village."

Hearing that Manstein agreed that his main force was stationed in Ijium, Hot couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He knew very well that his troops had been greatly weakened after a series of battles. If they really faced an opponent like Sokov, they would definitely not be able to get it. But it would be better to leave the troops in Ijium and seize the time to rest there on the grounds of defending against the Russians.

However, after less than two minutes of happiness, he heard Manstein say quietly: "General Hort, I have something to remind you. Now Zhukov has served as the commander of the Russian Southwest Front. According to the Russian soldiers, where Zhukov appears means that an attack will begin there."

Hot was stunned when he heard Manstein say this. He thought that by persuading Manstein to stay in Ijium, he could avoid meeting a perverted opponent like Sokov. But what he didn't expect was that in the Ijium area, what he had to face was a stronger opponent - Zhukov. When he thought of this, he wanted to slap himself, but since he had just been unable to persuade Manstein and let his troops stay in Ijium, it was obviously inappropriate to change his words at this moment, so he could only say with a firm sense of confidence: "Don't worry, Mr. Marshal, even if the enemy we are facing is Zhukov, my troops will firmly guard Ijium."

"General Hot," how could Manstein guess Hot's little thoughts be impossible, he said earnestly: "Your mission is not only to block the Russians' attack, but also to crush them and drive them far away from our city. Don't worry about your lack of troops. Fifteen divisions sent to us, including the Great German Division, were on the way, and they will arrive in the Kharkov region in a week."

"Is this true, marshal?" Manstein's words made Hot seem to see a glimmer of light. He said excitedly: "Analysis based on the situation in the direction of Kharkov, as long as there are great German troops, let alone fifteen divisions, even if there are only five divisions, they can still defeat the Russians."

"General Hot, it is our business to seize Kharkov-Belgorod's front line." Manstein said on the phone: "Your mission is to firmly defend Ijium, and never let Zhukov's troops occupy it. Otherwise, the 6th and 17th Armored Divisions, as well as the three SS divisions, will be cut off from the Russians. After experiencing the crushing defeat of Stalingrad, our army will never be able to withstand such losses."

…………

The Red Army Village is a busy scene at this moment. Sokov takes advantage of the German army's lack of opportunity to launch an attack fortifications and organizes a large number of people to build defense fortifications to the west and northwest of the Red Army Village, lay minefields and wire mesh, preparing to establish a complete defense system before the German army's attack begins.

"Comrade Commander," said Sokov, when he inspected the defense line of the 67th Guard Division, the division commander Major General Merkulov asked politely: "Do you think the Germans will really attack us?"

"Yes, Comrade General." Sokov nodded and replied affirmatively: "This is beyond doubt. The Germans will definitely attack us, it's only time."

"But, Comrade Commander, I always think that the Germans cannot fight on two fronts at the same time." Merkulov raised his question: "Since they are concentrating their forces to attack Kharkov, how can they turn around and attack us at such a time?"

"Comrade General," Sokov said to Merkulov: "If there is no movement after we enter here, the enemy can leave only a small number of troops to monitor us, and then transfer the excess force to Kharkov to participate in the battle there.

But the attacks we carried out behind enemy lines some time ago made the Germans realize that if they were not destroyed, they would not be able to concentrate all their strength to attack Kharkov. Therefore, with Manstein's character, he would definitely concentrate his superior forces, first go south to eliminate us, then nod and head north to annihilate the defenders who stood on the front line of Kharkov-Bergorod."

"Comrade Commander, no matter what, we have a whole front army in the direction of Kharkov, and there are several armies under it. Do you have no strength to deal with several German divisions?"

"General Merkulov, you may not know yet." Sokov knew that even Merkulov was still in a state of obstruction and did not understand the situation on the battlefield, so he explained to him: "General Golikov's Voronezh Front has been greatly weakened after a long battle. Many divisions have only hundreds of thousands of people left, and their combat effectiveness is only as good as a battalion in the past. Tell me, can they deal with the Germans with such strength?"

Merkulov thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I can't deal with it."

"Now the enemy also knows their situation, so they are relieved to dispatch their troops south, preparing to eat us first, and then turn north to destroy General Golikov." Sokov reminded Merkulov: "When building the fortifications, we recruited a large number of residents in the city. We do not know whether there are German spies among them. Therefore, you must be vigilant and strengthen night patrols so that no spies will pass through your defense and rush to inform the Germans."

"Comrade Commander, if there are really German spies in the city, it will not be of much use to strengthen our defenses just because we can strengthen our defenses." Merkulov reminded Sokov: "They can report the city's defenses to the enemy through telegrams."

"General Merkulov, you don't have to worry about this." Sokov smiled and said, "In order to prevent any spies in the city from sending messages to the enemy, the superiors sent us several jammers. Once they found someone in the city, they could immediately interfere, making it impossible for his telegram to be sent out. After a few more times, the spies could only take risks and use the method of carrying intelligence to crossfire to send the request."

After Sokov's explanation, Merkulov suddenly understood. He nodded and said, "Comrade Commander, I understand. Don't worry, I will definitely strengthen the defense work here. Not to mention a spy, even a rabbit, I will never let it pass through my defense."

After receiving Merkulov's assurance, Sokov came to Gorishne's division again and learned about the city's defense from him: "Col. Gorishne, let's talk about the construction of the fortifications in the city?"

"Report to the commander," said Gorishne respectfully: "Since your order was issued, all the soldiers of the division immediately took action, not only built barricades with sandbags and logs on the main streets, but also filled the road with tripods that prevented the tanks from advancing..."

Sokov patiently listened to Gorishne's report and finally said, "Comrade Colonel, when you were in Lugansk, your division's combat effectiveness was the worst in the entire combat cluster. How about it? Have you improved now?"

"Comrade Commander, don't worry." Hearing Sokov's question, Goreshne replied embarrassedly: "I have been urging the regiments to strengthen the training of new recruits recently. I believe that the entire division has basically formed combat power."

"Col. Gorishne," Sokov specifically reminded him in order to prevent Gorishne from becoming careless because there was no war here for the time being, "Although the three German SSs were beaten by us some time ago, the enemy was absolutely unwilling to fail. At this moment, they must be hiding somewhere like wounded beasts, licking their wounds. Once they recover, they will launch a thunderous blow on us. If we do not take defensive measures, we will not be able to stop the German attack at all."

"Comrade Commander, I actually have an idea." Gorishne asked tentatively after Sokov finished speaking, "Can I speak?"

"Please say it, comrade Colonel." Sokov signaled to the other party what he said.

"That's right, although Paulus's Sixth Army had been annihilated by us. At that time, the Germans should have known that they were unable to take Stalingrad for a long time because the street battle in the city firmly dragged their troops." Gorishne said thoughtfully: "I think that even if the enemy rushed into the city, they would be worried about possible street battles and had to withdraw. Therefore, I think there is no need for us to set up a division in the city. It only needs a regiment or even a battalion. We should deploy our main forces outside the city."

"Col. Gorishne, you're right." Sokov said calmly: "The street fighting in Stalingrad scared the enemy. They are indeed afraid of street fighting now, but it does not mean that they will not fight street fighting. If I deploy all my troops on the periphery of the city, once the direction is broken, the unguarded city will be easily occupied by the enemy. At that time, the troops who are stuck outside the city will become lonely and will eventually be unable to escape the annihilation of the German army."

"Comrade Commander, then, is the mission of our division still focused on street fighting?"

"That's right, comrade Colonel." Sokov nodded in agreement with Gorishne's statement: "Your division had just completed the supplement before the mobilization, and the recruits were not yet able to train. They were the weakest combat power among several infantry divisions. The purpose of my place in the city is to worry that your division will stick to the field fortifications. I am afraid that it will not be supported for long before the Germans will break through the defense line.

And in the city, you can use buildings and various fortifications, and compete with the German army who have lost tanks and cannons and cannons, and cannons, and cannons. In this way, your chances of defending the city will be greatly improved."

"Col. Gorishne," Vitkov, who was inspecting with Sokov, also interrupted at this moment, "After the enemy breaks through the outer line of our army, it is a great achievement for your division to defend the city. When the battle is over, I will ask your division for me to ask my superiors for me, do you understand?"

Knowing that his troops could receive commendations as long as they defended the city, Goreshne was overjoyed and quickly replied: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please rest assured, we will not let you down."
Chapter completed!