Burning Moscow

　　 In this way, I was assigned to the 1127th regiment and served as the commander of the third battalion. Although I was supported by Lieutenant Colonel Habi and Puchko's political commissar, the commander Akufeyev still had doubts about my ability.

　　 The third battalion was deployed to the west of the regiment headquarters and stationed in a village. The village is small, with only 20 households. Almost all the original residents have been evacuated. Most of the people who live here are refugees who have fled from other places.

　　 There are 260 people in the whole battalion, with seven companies, eight companies, health teams, communication teams, cooking teams, and guard teams under its jurisdiction.

　　 Captain Diomi, who came with me from the headquarters of the group army, served as the commander of the seventh company, and his troops were stationed in the village.

　　The company commander of the eighth company, Lieutenant Ugarde, is an old acquaintance. He once served as the deputy company commander in the women's antiaircraft artillery company on the ice transportation line, and now he has become my subordinate again. One kilometer to the west of the village, there is a small hill on which our army has built fortifications, and the Eighth Company is stationed there.

　　 Early in the morning the second day after taking over, I went to the Eighth Company to inspect.

Because of the care of Lieutenant Colonel Habi, I have a guard squad. The squad leader is an old soldier who is not tall and chubby. His name is Yemelyanov. He has the rank of sergeant. If he is in the combat army. , At least I can be a platoon leader, but now I can only wrong him to be a guard squad leader.

　　 From the entrance of the village, you can clearly see the position of Eight Company. It looks very close, but it took us a quarter of an hour to walk over.

　　As soon as he arrived under the hill, he saw Lieutenant Ugarde and several soldiers approaching him from the hill. He ran to me, stood at attention and saluted me, with uncontrollable joy on his face, and loudly reported: "Comrade Major, Lieutenant Ugard, the Eighth Company Commander, report to you and await your orders. "

　　 After paying the courtesy, I stretched out my hand to him and said, "Comrade Lieutenant, I didn't expect that we would meet again here."

Ugarde squeezed my hand vigorously and said, "Yes, when I left the ice transportation line, I thought I would never have a chance to see you again. I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Released me. Behind the hand, move your body to the side, and point your hand to the hill, and say, "Comrade Major, please come to our position and take a look."

　　 I followed him and entered the position along the traffic trench.

Ugarde was introducing to me along the way. He pointed to a forest to the west and said to me: "Comrade Major, there is the forward position of the German army, 800 meters away from us." Moving in the clockwise direction, he pointed to a huge lake in the southwest and said: "The lake is two hundred meters away from our position. To the southwest of the lake is the defense line of the 131st Regiment of the 12th Infantry Division."

　　 I stood in the trenches and raised my binoculars to look at the enemy’s front position. Unfortunately, their position was in the forest, and I could only see the outline of their front line and the charred ground outside the forest.

　　 Our army still followed the regulations, pulling the barbed wire in front of the position in a proper manner, dug anti-tank trenches, and laid minefields. At this moment, the soldiers were rushing to repair the fortifications damaged by artillery fire, and there was a sound of shovels and picks digging in the trenches. As I walked along the trenches, I shook hands with the soldiers I met and expressed condolences to them.

　　 A second lieutenant ran to me, stood at attention and saluted, and reported with some excitement: "Comrade Major, Lieutenant Midocchi, the platoon leader, is reporting to you and awaiting your orders."

"Oh, it turned out to be you! Comrade Lieutenant." Lieutenant Miducci, it was the second lieutenant of the road protection team I met on the day I first arrived on the ice transportation line. Unfortunately, he was transferred away soon. Can meet him here. I went up and shook his hand and said, "Comrade Ensign, we met before, but unfortunately you moved away soon. I didn't expect to meet you here today."

　　 Lieutenant held my hand tightly and said with a smile: "Comrade Major, I remember you. After that airstrike, you commanded the soldiers of the road protection team and unloaded the precious food from the car."

　　 I looked around, and unexpectedly found that there didn't seem to be many soldiers on the battlefield, so I asked Miducci curiously: "Why are there only people on the battlefield, the rest?"

Hearing my question, Ugard hurriedly stepped forward and explained to me: "Comrade Major, you don’t know that every time the Germans attack our positions, they will carry out fierce shelling. If all the troops are When placed in the trenches, the soldiers will be sacrificed in vain under the artillery fire. When the German infantry attack, there will be no living people left on the position."

　　 "Then how do you place your troops?"

Ugarde pointed down the hillside and said: "We dug two earth holes on the back of the hillside, each of which can accommodate a row. Usually, except for one row on the ground, the other two rows are located. Rest in the cave."

　　 "Such troops are well deployed." I was very satisfied with Ugard's arrangement, and then asked: "What about this platoon in that position? Are there any precautions during the enemy's shelling?"

　　 When I asked, I actually stopped Ugarde. After a while, he hesitated and said: "During the shelling, the soldiers can hide in the trenches to avoid the shelling. Because the two platoons in the dirt cave can enter the position through the traffic trenches at any time, so even if the platoon in the front has heavy casualties, It does not affect the subsequent battle."

"Comrade Lieutenant, it is wrong for you to think so." Hearing what he said, I immediately taught him with a stern face and serious tone: "I don't deny the bravery and tenacity of our fighters. In order to win victory, I will not hesitate The spirit of sacrifice to give your life. But at the same time I remind you that the lives of every Red Army soldier are precious. As commanders, we must cherish them. I will never allow unnecessary sacrifices in my troops."

Ugarde was speechless by me, and Miducci answered, "Comrade Major, we have done our best. You see," he pointed to the shelters in the trenches every seventy to eighty meters. , Argued: "We used log frames on the trenches to build such a simple shelter. Not only did we want the soldiers to shield the soldiers from the wind and rain, but we also wanted them to avoid the enemy’s artillery fire during shelling. But the enemy’s artillery fire was fierce. These shelters are often completely destroyed with one shot."

　　 "The shelter doesn't work, you can consider digging air-raid shelters!" Seeing a bunch of elm bumps on their heads made my teeth tickled with anger.

　　 Next to Ugarde was observant, watching my seriousness, and knowing that I was not satisfied with the fortifications in front of me, so he immediately asked for instructions: "Comrade Major, do you have any good ideas?"

I pointed to the side of the trench and said to them: "You can dig a hole diagonally downward from here, dig in five or six meters and then turn and dig in the opposite direction, forming a'U' with two exits..., no, 'C' type anti-blast hole." Originally, I wanted to dig a "U" shape. When I was halfway through talking, I suddenly realized that there was no "U" in the Russian alphabet, so I changed my words and said "C" urgently.

　　 Hearing what I said, Ugard and Lieutenant Miducci both squatted down and looked at the moat to study. After a while, Ugarde asked, "Comrade Major, do you think how many soldiers can be hidden in this cave at a time?"

　　 "At least one squad." I said, "Once the enemy starts a rush of artillery fire, let the soldiers come here to escape, leaving only a few observation posts outside."

　　 "After the shelling is over, is there time for the attack?"

"It's too late!" I replied decisively, "Give the soldier who is the observation post a whistle. Once the artillery stops, he will blow the whistle. The soldier hiding in the cave ran out as soon as he heard the whistle, without delay. ."

　　 Ugarde and Miducci looked at each other, and then asked a key question: "Can such an anti-cannon hole withstand the enemy's shelling?"

　　 "Yes!" I did not hesitate to give an affirmative answer, "I ask you to dig the hole deeper, preferably two or three meters underground, so that the enemy's shells won't collapse."

　　 "What if the hole is blown down?" Ugarde continued to ask questions.

　　 "Isn't there another exit? Otherwise, why should I ask you to dig the blasthole into a ‘C’ shape, and then come out from there."

　　 After listening to my explanation, the two immediately became happy, and Ugarde immediately told Miducci: "Comrade Lieutenant, let your subordinates start digging anti-cannon holes!"

　　 Midocchi hesitated after hearing this, and said, "But the soldiers have been busy all morning and they are all tired. Can you dig tomorrow?"

"No!" Before Ugarde could speak, I said categorically: "No, Comrade Lieutenant, you must start digging right away." Seeing his frustrated expression, I comforted him and said, "Dig anti-cannon holes early. , The soldiers will have a higher safety factor during shelling. You have to tell the soldiers that if you dig one more shovel now, you can get one less shell in the battle. Do you understand? Comrade Ensign."

　　 Lieutenant Midocchi swept away the frustrated expression on his face, and replied, "I understand, Comrade Major. I'll arrange the manpower immediately." After that, he saluted and turned to leave.

　　 When the ensign left, I looked at Lieutenant Ugarde and said, "Comrade company commander, take me to visit the Tibetan soldiers cave on the back of the hillside."

　　 The Tibetan Soldier Cave on the back of the hillside is more than one meter high and 20 meters deep. Several small platforms were cut into the soil wall, and candles for lighting were placed on them. Following the dim candlelight, I saw the bedding on the ground, and in the innermost corner, there were still a lot of weapons and ammunition piled up.

　　Ugarde explained to me: "Weapons and ammunition are placed here to prevent the bombardment from being hit by the enemy’s artillery fire, causing smashed explosions and causing unnecessary casualties to our army."

　　 Seeing all this, I nodded and said in praise: "Comrade Lieutenant, good job. In a few years I will let Captain Diomi of the Seventh Company come and see, and let him strengthen the fortifications in the village."

　　 I took the guard squad and returned from the inspection at Eighth Company, and wandered back to the village. Not far away, I saw a wooden house in front of me. One chimney was emitting heavy smoke, and the other chimney was emitting steam. Although it was still far away, I could clearly hear the male soldiers coming out of it. Our laughter.

　　 I pointed to the wooden house and asked Yemelyanov: "Comrade Tuss, what is that place?"

　　 "It's the bathhouse, Comrade Major. It's the field bathhouse in our camp." The old man answered me with a grin.

　　 I nodded and continued to move forward.

　　 Before I went far, I saw seven or eight girls in military uniforms sitting on the wooden stakes on the side of the road. Judging from their clothes, they were female hygienists from the health team. For some reason, the girls all looked sullen.

　　 I walked over curiously and asked loudly, "Girls, what's the matter? Why do you all look sad?"

　　 Seeing a commander standing in front of them, several girls stood up and saluted me collectively.

　　 I asked the question again after I returned the gift.

　　 A black-haired, big-eyed female soldier with two triangular rank marks on a collar, saluted me and said: "Hello! Comrade commander. We are the health team."

　　 "I know you belong to the health team. I want to know why everyone is sitting on the side of the road sullenly? Can you tell me? Comrade Sergeant."

Sergeant 　　 blushed, and then murmured: "It's because of the bath, Comrade Commander, we want to take a bath."

　　 "Bath?!" Her answer made me confused, and I asked, "What kind of bath? Comrade Sergeant, you have confused me. Can you tell me more?"

The sergeant hesitated, looked at the girls, and saw that they all nodded to tell her to tell the truth, then he continued: "We haven't had a bath for a long time. I wanted to come to the field bath to take a bath today, but was on duty. The soldier stopped. He said that the bathhouse only accepts male soldiers. If we want to take a bath, we have to wait for the male soldiers to wash and see if there is any water." At this point, the sergeant's eyes were red, and his aggrieved tears It almost came out.

　　 When I heard that this was the case, I couldn't help but furious, and told Yemelyanov: "Comrade Tuss, you go to the bathhouse immediately and call out all the male soldiers who take a bath."

　　 Tussah saluted me and ran towards the bathhouse with a few guards. Before entering the bathhouse, he called a soldier to say a few words in a low voice. When he saw the soldier run away, he led someone into the bathhouse.

　　 Not a lot of effort, a group of disheveled male soldiers were driven out of the bathhouse by the tutors. In the open space in front of the bathhouse, they quickly lined up in two neat rows, following the command of the tug.

　　 Tuashi ran in front of me and saluted the report saying: "Comrade Major, I called out all the soldiers in the bathhouse."

I walked to the front of the team with my hands on my back and looked at these men who didn’t understand Lianxiangxiyu and were embarrassed. I couldn’t help but burst into flames. I waved my fist and yelled at them: "Shameful! Shameful! You are so shameful!!" !"

　　 The male soldiers looked at each other, not knowing why I made such a big fire at them. I continued to roar: "...Have you ever thought about it, when you were injured and fell on the battlefield, who risked your life to carry you down?" Having said that, I pointed at the group of female hygienists, "It's them. , Our female hygienist."

"When you are lying in the emergency room with blood all over, who will clean the blood stains and bandage the wounds for you? It is them, the female hygienists; when you lie on the beds and can’t move, who will give you water, food, and urine. It's them, our female hygienists...." My curse was out of control. "Don't you know how to respect women? Even if they want to take a shower, they can't satisfy their small wish, and they sneered and told them to wait until you finished washing...."

　　 As I scolded, the female hygienists became happy because they finally met someone who helped them. But the male soldiers bowed their heads in shame amidst my scolding.

　　 After cursing, I took a few deep breaths to calm my anger, and then slowed down and said, "If these female hygienists were your sisters, would you treat them like today?"

　　 "Comrade Commander~www.wuxiaspot.com~ We were wrong, and we will never make such a mistake again." Someone began to admit my mistakes.

　　 Then the male soldiers in the team also yelled, "Yes, comrade commander, we know that we were wrong."

　　 "We will give the bathhouse to the female soldiers immediately."

　　 "Yeah, yeah, we will let it right away."

　　 "Comrade Major, what's the matter?" Captain Diomi ran up to me panting and asked.

I pointed to the female hygienist and said to him: "These female hygienists want to take a bath, but the male soldiers bullied them, saying that they have to wait for them to wash first. If there is still water left after washing, then let them wash. I just took a bath. They scolded."

Diomi looked in the direction of my fingers, his eyes lit up, and then he turned to the male soldiers and said: "Now listen to my order, take the buckets in the first row to fetch water, and the ones in the second row to chop wood. Re-boil the water to bathe our female hygienist. Stand at attention, take a short rest, turn the first row to the left, and the second row to the right, walking in unison.

　　After giving the order, he turned to me and said, "Comrade Major, are you satisfied with this arrangement?"

　　 "Good, well done." I nodded in satisfaction, walked to the female sergeant, and said, "Comrade sergeant, in a while, you can take your hygienists to take a bath."

Sergeant 　　 flushed with excitement, saluted me again, and said gratefully, "Thank you! Comrade Commander."

　　 "Comrade Sergeant," Diomi standing behind me suddenly asked, "What is your name?"

　　 "Nina. Nina Bariyakova."