Red Moscow

Lunev picked up the two boxes on the table, walked two steps forward, came to Serelkov and Lulik who were standing upright, looked them over carefully, nodded slightly, and said: " Well done, brethren, you are all well done!"

After speaking, he opened the box and took out the bravery medal inside. However, he did not hand the medal to Serelkov and Lulik immediately, but turned to look at Sameko who was standing next to him, and reminded the other party: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you can start."

Sameko nodded, turned and walked to the table, opened a bottle of vodka on the table, and poured the wine into two empty teacups. After finishing all this, he came in front of everyone with a teacup containing vodka.

Lunev first put the medals in his hand into the cups, then took two teacups, handed them to Serelkov and Lulik, and said with a smile, "Drink!"

Serelkov took the teacup readily, but Lulik beside him stared at the teacup in Lunev's hand in a daze.

Seeing that Lulik did not take the teacup in Lunev's hand for a long time, Serelkov was a little anxious. He tugged at the hem of Lulik's military uniform with his free hand and reminded him in a low voice: "Hey, Lunev, What are you still doing, why don't you hurry up and take the teacup from Comrade Military Commissioner's hand."

"But, Comrade Second Lieutenant, what is going on?" Lunev looked sideways at Serelkov and said innocently, "Why did you soak the medal in wine?"

Hearing this strange question from Lulik, everyone burst into laughter. Amidst the laughter, Serelkov said to Lulik in a low voice: "You idiot, don't you know that this is a tradition in our army? When receiving the medal, soak the medal in wine, which means that this will not be done. It's the last medal you get. Don't be dazed, take the teacup quickly."

Under Serelkov's urging, Lulik hesitantly took the teacup in Lunev's hand. However, he did not immediately drink the wine in the teacup, but turned to look at Serelkov next to him, wanting to see how he was doing.

I saw Serelkov raised the teacup in his hand high and said loudly: "Glory belongs to us, glory belongs to the motherland!" After speaking, he drank the vodka in the teacup.

Lulik also followed Serelkov's example, and after shouting a slogan, he gulped down the vodka in the teacup, probably because he drank too quickly, before he finished drinking the wine in the cup, he began to cough violently stand up.

Lunev stepped forward, patted Lulik on the back, and said to him jokingly: "Lulik, if you want to become a qualified soldier, you must first learn to drink. Otherwise, every time you receive a medal , you will suffer.”

After Lulik coughed violently twice, he stood up straight and said to Lunev: "Comrade Military Commissar, please rest assured that I will definitely learn to drink in the shortest possible time. I assure you, next time you will give me a lecture. I will never have this happen again.”

Hearing what Lulik said, Lunev nodded with a smile, and then said: "Okay, I look forward to awarding you an honor again, and see if you will be choked on alcohol like today when you drink. "

After sending Khokhlov and the others away, Sokov's expression became serious, and he said to Sameko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you are sorry for Second Lieutenant Serelkov and the others pulling back a carload of Germans." , how do you see it?"

"It's only five or six kilometers from the enemy's camp to our army's defense area. The road along the way is not easy to walk, and the car stopped once on the way, but it didn't wake up the enemy sitting in the car." Sameko Ruoyou Thinkingly said: "No matter where these enemies come from, they have become exhausted for various reasons. This should be the moment when their fighting power is weakest."

Regarding Sameko's statement, Sokov nodded in agreement: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you have said a lot, the enemy on the opposite side of us is very tired now, otherwise it would not be pulled out of the camp by our soldiers, and I have no Unaware."

Sameko and Sokov have been partners for so long, knowing that Sokov would not mention this matter for no reason, he must have some new ideas in his heart, so he asked, "Comrade commander, do you have any plans?"

"Come and see." Sokov called Sameko and Lunev to the table, pointed to the map and said to them: "The enemy closest to us is stationed in October Town. Although the strength and deployment situation It is unknown, but according to my analysis, their strength should not be too many, and their guards should not be too strict."

Although Sokov didn't finish his sentence, Sameko guessed what he meant: "Comrade Commander, you plan to send troops to attack October Town, destroy the enemies inside, and occupy it?"

Seeing that Sameko guessed his intentions, Sokov nodded with a smile, and replied truthfully: "Yes, that's what I thought, but before we act, we must report this matter to Commander Konev." , and strive to cooperate with the main force of the front army to act at the same time."

"I agree!" Sameko agreed as soon as Sokov finished speaking, and then shouted to the communication area beside him: "Communication Director, please help us connect with the Front Army Command and find Konev. Commander."

After receiving the order, the director of the communications corps took five minutes to finally get through to the headquarters of the front army, but the person who answered the phone was not Konev, but Chief of Staff Zakharov: "Hi, this is Zakharov Chief of Staff, where are you?"

"Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army. I am Sokov." After identifying himself, Sokov asked bluntly, "Is Commander Konev there? I have something important to discuss with him. "

"The commander and the military commissar went to the 69th Army to inspect the work, and I don't know when they will be back." Zakharov said on the phone: "If you have something important, tell me the same."

Sokov thought for a while, and decided to tell Zakharov his thoughts first, and then the other party would pass it on to Konev. After he paused for a moment, he said, "General Zakharov, now we have a good opportunity to attack the enemy. I would like to ask, when will the main force of the front army attack the enemy? So that we can cooperate with the main force's actions."

"A good opportunity to attack the enemy?" Zakharov asked puzzledly after listening, "What good opportunity?"

Sokov hurriedly told Zakharov about the fact that Serelkov and Lulik exchanged a cart of vodka for eighteen German prisoners, and finally said: "General Zakharov, since the enemy The defense is so lax, I think we should attack the enemy decisively and catch them off guard. If you miss this good opportunity, if you want to attack again in the future, you will probably pay a huge price."

Unexpectedly, after listening to Sokov's words, Zakharov was silent for a long time, and then said quietly: "General Sokov, I understand your mood at the moment, to be honest, I also want to order the troops to attack the enemy immediately. But no, we just ended a battle, not only the commanders and fighters became exhausted, but also the ammunition, fuel and many military supplies needed for offensive operations are seriously insufficient, and it takes a certain amount of time to replenish them. "

"Is it really impossible to attack the enemy in a short time?"

"Yes, there is no way." Zakharov said rather helplessly: "The 69th Army is waiting for the soldiers sent by the headquarters. They cannot participate in offensive operations until they are replenished."

Sokov chatted with Zakharov again, but the other party always insisted that the supply of soldiers, ammunition, fuel and military supplies had not been completed, and it was impossible to launch an attack on the German army. In order to convince Sokov, he even brought up the example of losing Kharkov and Belgorod at the beginning of the year, trying to persuade Sokov: "When the enemy attacked Kharkov and Belgorod at the beginning of the year, The number of our troops standing in Belgorod is far more than the Great German Division attacking outside the city, but because of the shortage of fuel and ammunition, facing the enemy's powerful offensive, although we have the advantage in numbers, However, it was still unable to repel the enemy's attack.

If you rush to attack the enemy without preparation this time, you will barely capture Kharkov. But when the German army launched a counterattack, we couldn't defend the city at all. "

Hearing what Zakharov said, Sokov's heart suddenly turned cold. If Konev does not plan to launch an attack on the German army in the near future, if only his own group army troops launch an attack, they will definitely be resisted by the superior forces of the German army. Under such circumstances, Sokov, who is alone and helpless, can't achieve any results even if he has three heads and six arms.

"Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov said disappointedly: "When Comrade Commander Konev returns, please be sure to convey my proposal to him and hear what he thinks."

"I know." Zakharov replied with some hesitation: "But I think even if he listened to your plan, I'm afraid the final decision he made would be the same as what I just said. , it is absolutely not easy to launch an attack on the enemy in the direction of Kharkov. After all, they have solid fortifications and a complete defense system. If they attack the Kharkov area rashly, they will only suffer unnecessary losses. Sokov Comrade, I draw your attention to this."

"Thank you, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov replied with a wry smile, "I remember what you said, you can't take risks lightly, and it's not too late to attack the enemy after all the troops are ready."

"That's right." Hearing Sokov's change of heart, Zakharov showed a smile on his face: "Then I wish you good luck. If there is anything, remember to call me in time, and I will do my best to solve the problem." Help you."