Burning Moscow

At the beginning of December, the troops moved into the Smolensk Oblast and were stationed in the four cities of Smolensk, Yaltsovo, Vyazma, and Roslavl. The group army headquarters is located in the Dnepr district of Smolensk. In addition to restoring and supplementing, our mission is to help local residents rebuild their homes.

After we were stationed in the Dnepr district, while the staff members were arranging the headquarters, Kirilov introduced me to the situation of Smolensk Oblast: "...Smolensk Oblast was established on September 27, 1937. The total area is 49,800 square kilometers. The number of administrative units in the week is 25 districts, 7 state-owned cities, 8 district-owned cities, 3 urban areas, 17 towns, 419 administrative farms...the capital of the state It is the city of Smolensk, built in 862, 419 kilometers away from Moscow."

Before Kirilov had finished speaking, Major Bukov, the deputy head of the guard regiment, hurried in from the outside. He came to me, bent down and leaned close to my ear and said in a low voice: "Comrade Commander, Secretary of the Smolensk Oblast, Comrade Brusock is here, and he is at the door now."

"Comrade Major, how can you let him wait outside?" I heard Bukov say this and quickly ordered him: "Hurry up and invite him in!"

When Bukov walked out the door, I stood up and pulled the hem of the military uniform, and then said to my colleagues sitting on both sides of the long conference table: "Comrades, commanders of the Smolensk region.} Remember Comrade Brusock is here, let's meet him."

As soon as we reached the door, we saw Bukov leading a middle-aged man with a burly figure and capable appearance from outside the house.

"My dear, Ivan Petrovich, is that you?" Seeing the middle-aged man behind Bukov, Kirilov stepped past me and took two steps directly, grabbing the opponent's hand, excitedly Say: "I'm not dreaming, old man, I can still see you here."

After Kirilov held his hand, the other party hesitated for a while, although his face also showed a surprised expression, "Oh my God, you are Kirilov, what I saw is you or your ghost."

"I'm still alive, and you're alive, it's not easy." Kirilov held the opponent's hand without letting go, then put his free left hand on the opponent's shoulder and pulled it in front of him. The two hugged tightly.

After the two separated, Kirilov turned Brusock to my side and introduced to me: "Lida, let me introduce to you. This is my old friend Yi Wan Petrovich Brusock, he was the deputy secretary of the Smolensk Municipal Party Committee before the war, but he did not expect that he had been promoted to the prefectural Party committee in just two or three years." He turned to Brusock again and said, "Old man, this is Comrade Oshanina, commander of the Sixth Guards Army."

Brusock must have never dreamed that the commander of the group army would be a young woman, and her mouth opened wide in surprise, unable to speak for a long time.

Seeing him surprised, I couldn't help but laugh in secret. As soon as Kirilov finished the introduction, I took the initiative to hold his hand and said politely: "Hello, Comrade Brusock, it's nice to meet you!"

Brusock quickly recovered his calm, and shook my hand and said politely: "Hello, General Oshanina!"

After Kirilov had introduced the other people to Brusock, we walked towards the conference table. I heard Brusock, who was following me, asking Kirilov in a low voice: "Comrade Kirilov, I remember you are working in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. How come you are in the army?"

"That's it. As early as the Defence of Stalingrad, due to the shortage of political workers on the front line, the superiors transferred civilian personnel from the various units to enrich the troops. At that time, I was transferred to the 62nd Army as the political department. Director." Kirilov replied in a low voice, "Later I was transferred to Oshanina's independent division and served as the political commissar..."

After everyone was seated, Brusock asked me with a smile, "General Oshanina, how about it? After arriving in Smolensk, everything is still used to it?"

Hearing this question from him, I couldn't help but smile again and again, saying that I just arrived in Smolensk today, how do I know if I am used to it? But out of courtesy, I replied politely: "It feels good, at least it's not as cold as Kiev."

My answer immediately let Brussock find the topic, "Comrade General, you don’t know that we have a mild continental climate here. The summer is not too hot and the winter is not too cold. The annual average temperature is 4.3 degrees. The coldest month is January, at minus 9.4 degrees; the hottest is July, with the highest being 17.1 degrees..."

"It's really good," I waited for him to finish, then echoed: "Summer is so cool, but it's a good place to escape from the heat." After I said this, I changed the subject in time, "By the way, Comrade Brusock, As far as I know, Smolensk Oblast is an important industrial zone. Now the enemy has been driven away by us. I don’t know how well the factory is preserved. Can construction be started as soon as possible?"

"The situation is not very good, Comrade General." Hearing this question, Brusock suddenly looked sad: "Before the war, the main industrial centers in the region were: Smolensk, Roslavl, and Saskatchewan. There are more than 35,000 industrial workers in Fonovo, Vyazma, Yaltsovo, Alto Dneprzin, etc. Surrounded by electrical machinery industry, road construction machinery and energy equipment manufacturing, chemical and food industries It also occupies an important position in the state's economic share.

After the outbreak of the war, many companies moved to the rear, but the factories that did not move were all destroyed by the Germans without exception, and in a short period of time, they could not resume production at all. "

"Don't worry, old man." Kirilov waited for Brusock to finish talking, smiled and comforted him and said: "We are now in the Smolensk region for rest and recuperation. If you need anything, just speak up, we We will send troops to support you."

"It's great, it's really great." After hearing Kirilov's words, Brusock said excitedly: "Although there are many citizens who have fled back now, but if you want to clean up the ruined walls in the city, There is still a serious shortage of manpower. If you can get support from the army, the situation will be completely different."

"Relax, Comrade Brusock." As soon as he finished speaking, I said with a smile: "Our Red Army is originally the people's soldiers. It is our duty to help the residents of the city rebuild their homes."

"The people's soldiers?!" Kirilov and the others have long been used to new terms for me. When Brusock heard this, he repeated the words I had said, and then said excitedly: "Comrade General, you are so vivid."

As soon as his voice fell, a low explosion sounded suddenly outside. Hearing this voice, all the commanders except Brusock, including me, stood up from their seats. The staff officers who were busy also stopped and walked to the window to see what was happening outside. But apart from seeing a puff of black smoke rising in the distance, he couldn't see everything clearly.

I listened for a while, and found that there was no explosion from outside, so I told Akhromeyev: "Major, you go and ask, what is going on outside and why there is an explosion."

After Akhromeyev left, I called Brusok to sit down again and continued to discuss with him about cleaning up the ruined walls in the city. Since this is a local affair, and our task is only to cooperate with them, so after I put forward the proposal of using partitions to clean up piece by piece, I handed over the right to speak to Kirilov and let their two old friends continue. Negotiation.

After ten minutes, Akhromeyev hurried in from outside. After he came to my side, he respectfully reported: "Comrade Commander, I have figured out that it was a group of workers cleaning up the bricks and rubble in the factory building when a bomb buried in the rubble exploded} It exploded and caused a tragedy of 11 deaths and 75 injuries on the spot..."

Hearing that the explosion just now caused such serious casualties, Brusock couldn't help but anxious: "How is this possible? How can there be a bomb in the factory building?"

Akhromeyev turned his head and glanced at Brusock, and then replied without humility, "Comrade Brusock, maybe it was dropped by fascist bandits who were unwilling to fail after our army occupied Smolensk when they sent out a plane bombing. Bomb. It’s just not clear for what reason, this bomb did not explode until today."

"Where is the wounded?" Before Akhromeyev finished speaking, I asked hurriedly.

"Sent to a nearby military hospital." When Akhromeyev said this, his face suddenly showed embarrassment, "But...but..."

Seeing Akhromeyev's words suddenly hesitating, I urged a little impatiently: "Major, if you have anything, just say it in one breath, don't keep hesitating."

"That's it, Comrade Commander." Akhromeyev quickly straightened his body and reported to me: "Although the wounded are all sent to the hospital, since the hospital has just been established, there is a shortage of medicines, especially Plasma, it can be said that there is no blood at all. Among the more than 70 wounded, at least half of them need immediate blood transfusion..."

I stood up, walked back and forth in the room with my hands behind my back, thinking about where to go, looking for plasma to treat the wounded. The other people in the room were afraid of interrupting my thoughts, and no one spoke, but just looked at me silently.

After walking around the house more than a dozen back and forth, I finally thought of a solution. So he walked quickly to the door and shouted outside: "Major Bukov, please come here."

Following my shout, Bukov, who was standing in the hallway chatting with others, came to me quickly, straightened up and asked: "Comrade Commander, what instructions do you have?"

"Major, how many troops does the Guard Corps have near the headquarters?" I asked briefly.

Bukov replied without hesitation: "There are two battalions."

"Major, the situation is like this. Dozens of workers were injured by bombs dropped by fascist bandits while cleaning up the ruins of the factory. They are in urgent need of blood transfusion, but there is not enough plasma in the hospital." I spoke extremely fast. The ground said to Bukov: "You immediately bring a battalion to the military hospital, and let the soldiers shed blood for the injured workers. Understand?"

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Bukov agreed with a look of excitement. After raising his hand to salute, he turned and ran away.

Hearing the order I gave, Brusock walked over immediately, shook my hand and said with gratitude: "Comrade General, thank you, and I thank you on behalf of the injured workers!"

"You are welcome, Comrade Brusock." I smiled and said to him: "I just said that our soldiers are the soldiers of the people. There is something wrong with the people, and it is incumbent on us to help them."

At this time, Kirilov also came over and reminded me: "Lida, since you asked the guard camp to blood the injured workers, should we also go to the hospital to condolences the wounded?"

"Yes, comrades, military commissioner, you are right to remind us, we should visit the wounded." I turned my head and said to Kistyakov and Bezikov who were still standing at the table: "Deputy Commander, Staff Officer Long, you two will also go together."

Just as our group was about to go out, the Director of Communications Lopukhov suddenly called me from behind: "Comrade Commander, your call!"

I heard that there was a phone call. The first thing I thought of was that we no longer belong to the Ukrainian First Army of Vatutin, nor the Belarusian Army that has not been incorporated into Rokosovsky for the time being. The person who called me It certainly wouldn't be any of them, so I instinctively asked: "Where did you call?"

"The call is from Moscow, Comrade Commander," Lopukhov said politely.

"Comrade Military Commissioner, Comrade Brusock," I heard that the call to me was from Moscow, so I apologized to the two of them: "I have something to do now. I cannot go to the hospital with you to visit the wounded. Please forgive me. ."

After listening, Brusock waved his hand to me and said generously: "Comrade General, you can do everything you need. It is enough for us to go to the hospital."

After they left the headquarters, I came to Lopukhov, took the microphone in his hand, and said to my ear: "I am Oshanina, where are you?"

"Lida, this is Zhukov." Zhukov's familiar voice came from the receiver: "What happened to you, I seem to hear you say you are going to the hospital?"

"That's it, Comrade Marshal." Upon hearing Zhukov's question, I hurriedly reported to the truth: "A group of workers in Smolensk cleaned up the ruins of the factory building when a bomb buried in the middle exploded. It caused great casualties. After the injured workers were sent to a nearby military hospital, it was found that there was not enough plasma, so I dispatched soldiers from a guard battalion to the hospital to transfuse the injured workers. Before you call, we are going to the hospital to visit the injured workers."

"It turns out that this is the case, I understand." Zhukov's urn said angrily.

"Comrade Marshal," Although Zhukov and I are very familiar with each other, I also know that he will not call me specifically to chat. There must be something important to explain to me, so I carefully asked: "May I ask if you have any Any instructions?"

"That's it, Lida. I called you to tell you what kind of supplement your group army will get in the near future." After Zhukov finished speaking, he began to read the supplementary list to me: "Because of your early battles. In China, the attrition situation is very serious ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ So this time the Supreme Command will replenish you with 45,000 to perfect soldiers. Half of them are wounded and discharged from the hospital. They have rich combat experience.

In addition, you will get 30,000 new assault rifles with 36 million rounds of ammunition;

Six thousand light machine guns, 10 million rounds;

One thousand heavy machine guns, 8 million rounds of ammunition;

Three hundred mortars of various types, one hundred thousand shells..."

I quickly recorded a series of data reported by Zhukov, and I couldn't help but feel happy. If I wait for these arms to be supplemented, even if I add tens of thousands of recruits, the troops will be able to form combat effectiveness in the shortest time.

After hearing that Zhukov had reported all the quantity of light weapons, I thought that there was only so much that could be added to us. Who knows that he continued to say: "In order to strengthen your group army’s attacking capabilities, we will add 180 tanks to you. , Half of them are new-type tanks that you are familiar with; in addition, I also assigned you two flying regiments, so that when you need air support, you don’t need to ask for instructions anymore, you can directly The commander of the flying regiment gives orders to let them carry out combat missions according to your orders.” (To be continued.)