For Sokov, who came from later generations, the tactic of concealing the world was simply out of date. In ancient times, Taishi Ci used this plan and successfully rushed out of Beihai City, which was besieged by the Yellow Turban Army, and rushed to Liu Bei for help. In modern warfare, the Egyptian army used this plan to successfully break through Israel's "Balev defense line".
The effect of the deception tactic was the same as Sokov imagined. Seeing that the Soviet army was constantly driving the troops to the forefront, the German army on the other side thought they would launch an attack in this direction, so they strengthened the defensive power of the riverside positions to prevent the Soviet army from breaking through the defense line from here.
Seeing that the enemy on the other side was increasing, Sokov immediately reported to Rokosovsky. At the end of the report, he made his own suggestions: "Comrade Commander, it is not a bad thing for the enemy to gather a large number of troops in our frontal positions. According to our reconnaissance, there are no strong fortifications there. If the army artillery can concentrate on artillery fire and bombard the enemy after the battle begins, it will inevitably cause serious casualties to the enemy."
Regarding Sokov's proposal, Rokosovsky said with interest: "I didn't expect that your plan was so effective that the Germans would place so many troops opposite you, and there was no defense depth. As long as we smashed our shells, at least half of their troops could be eliminated."
Sokov knew very well that at the beginning of the Soviet artillery bombardment before the attack, the German army, except for leaving a small number of observation posts on the first line of defense, retreated to the second line of defense to avoid the Soviet artillery bombardment. Now the enemies on the other side are squeezed into the first line of defense. Even if the dense artillery fire cannot eliminate half of their troops, it can cause them great casualties.
After sighing, Rokosovsky asked Sokov: "Major Sokov, are your attack troops ready?"
"Yes, comrade commander, are all ready," Sokov replied: "The 1137th and 1139th Regiments have completed their assembly. After dark, they will follow the Hizdra River with the help of night and forest cover, cross the river from the upper reaches and attack the German flanks."
Although Rokosovsky had already known that the main force of the division would move upstream of the Jizdra River tonight, after listening to Sokov's report, he still called out, and then said, "Then I will wait for your good news in the headquarters."
After finishing the call with Rokosovsky, Sokov called Lieutenant Colonel Pavel, the acting leader of the 1137th regiment, and asked: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how are you doing there? Are the commanders and soldiers ready?"
"The two regiments have already assembled. We will set off immediately when it gets dark." Lieutenant Colonel Pavel, who was responsible for unified command of the two regiments, took the initiative to say, "Comrade Sokov, I have sent a scout to the crossing of the river to conduct reconnaissance. If an enemy appears there, we will learn about it as soon as possible."
At the selected river crossing location in advance, encountering the enemy he had just arrived was also something that Sokov was worried about. Now that Pavel took the initiative to mention it, Sokov asked with the flow: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I want to ask you, what should you do if an enemy appears on the other side when you arrive at the river crossing location?"
Sokov asked Pavel, and he remained silent for a long time before answering: "Comrade, the place we chose can be interfered with. If the enemy is found on the other side, we can completely use the method of forcing the crossing to rush to the other side to destroy the enemy."
As soon as Pavel finished speaking, Sokov continued: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, your method can be said to be correct or wrong."
"Why?" Pavel asked in surprise.
"When the enemy is found on the other side of the river crossing, whether to continue crossing the river depends on the German troops on the other side." Sokov patiently explained to Pavel: "If the German infantry appears on the other side, then you will have the opportunity to cross the Juzdra River by using force. But if the enemy not only has infantry but also a considerable number of tanks, you will use this tactic to increase unnecessary casualties to the troops."
"What should we do?" Pavel asked.
"It is actually very simple to solve this problem," Sokov said: "When approaching the crossing location, you have to send scouts again to find out if there are enemies on the other side. If not, you can cross the river immediately. If there is an enemy, you can use force crossing according to the enemy's strength, or use some force to attract the enemy's attention. The main force chooses to cross the river in other areas to cross the Juzdra River."
"Comrade Commander, please rest assured." After Pavel and Sokov finished speaking, he immediately stated: "During the march, we will send scouts at any time to conduct uninterrupted reconnaissance on the roads and river crossings to ensure that the main force of the division can successfully cross the Juzdra River."
Seeing Sokov put down the phone, Portukin asked with some concern: "Comrade Commander, Pavel was just the chief of staff of the 1137th Regiment before. Isn't it a bit of a risk to let him command two regiments at the same time?"
Sokov was really amused and amazed about Portukin's concerns. When he was formulating a combat plan, Portukin took the initiative to recommend Pavel to himself, saying that he was a commander with rich combat experience. He led two regiments across the river and attacked the German flanks, which was the most appropriate.
It was precisely because of Potukin's recommendation that Sokov gave up the idea of ​​leading the team to cross the river in person and handed over this important task to Pavel. Seeing that the troops were about to set off, Portogin suddenly became more and more careful. However, things had reached this point, and even if Sokov wanted to lead the team in person, it was a bit too late. He smiled wryly and said to Portogin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I believe in your vision. Since you recommended Lieutenant Colonel Pavel, I think he will be able to complete the task successfully."
Sokov's words gave Potukin some confidence. He stood in front of the map, breathed a sigh of relief, and then said, "That's right, comrade, your words reminded me that it was Pavel I recommended to you. Although he was just a chief of staff of the regiment before, his ability was far above Colonel Bindasov, he probably wouldn't let our trust down."
While the two were talking, Bindasov called and asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade Commander, will the troops transferred to the frontline be removed tonight?"
Chapter completed!