Red Moscow

After Shechtman received Sokov's order, before he had time to convey it to the troops, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan, the commander of the 764th regiment, called and reported the battle situation to him: "Comrade commander, our regiment has dispatched all the troops in the city center. The church was besieged. But the enemy took advantage of the strong buildings of the church to hold out. Our first attack on the church has ended in failure."

"What, the attack failed?" Shechtman, who had not had time to convey Sokov's order, could not help frowning after listening to Lieutenant Colonel Ivan's report: "Didn't your regiment break through the enemy's defense?"

"Comrade commander, the church is surrounded by open land. The enemy can hide in the bell tower of the church and shoot at our commanders and fighters condescendingly, causing us huge casualties." After reporting the situation, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan told Sher Hetman asked for instructions: "I ask you to approve the use of rocket launchers or new rockets, so that we can take down the church controlled by the enemy in the shortest possible time."

"Don't be so troublesome." Although Shechtman didn't think that the enemy would put down their weapons and surrender to him after they understood Sokov's intentions, since the storm failed, he might as well use political offensives to persuade the enemy to surrender. "Immediately send a soldier who understands German to the front of the church to shout out. Say that according to the commander's order, if they put down their weapons and surrender, their lives can be guaranteed. If they continue to fight to the end, they will be killed when we enter the church." Not a single one will be left alive."

Knowing that it was Sokov's order, Ivan immediately replied unequivocally, "Don't worry, Comrade Commander, I will immediately send someone to persuade the enemies in the church to surrender. If they don't surrender, I will resolutely destroy them."

"Wait a minute, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Shechtman worried that the other party did not understand his intentions, so he quickly stopped him: "How do you plan to persuade the enemy to surrender?"

"It's very simple, let the comrades who understand German shout to the enemy, let them put down their weapons and surrender to us immediately, otherwise we will resolutely destroy them."

"No, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this is useless." Shechtman told Lieutenant Colonel Ivan: "The enemy never listens to our broadcasts on the battlefield. You can't make them put down their weapons by shouting at the enemy. Surrendered."

"Then what shall we do?"

"Send an officer and an interpreter directly into the church to persuade them to surrender." Shechtman said solemnly: "Only by persuading them to surrender in person can it be effective."

"But, Comrade Commander, it's too risky to do so." Ivan waited for Shechtman to finish speaking, and argued to him, "Even if the people we send to negotiate don't get shot by the enemy when they approach the church, etc. There is also some danger when they enter the church to persuade the enemy to surrender..."

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Shechtman interrupted Ivan before he could finish, "where is it absolutely safe on the battlefield? If we can't persuade the enemy in the church to surrender, then we won't be able to do so before we capture the church." In the process, we will pay more sacrifices. As a commander, don't you know what choice to make?"

Shechtman's words were like enlightenment to Ivan, and he immediately understood that even if the people sent to negotiate were in danger, only two or three people would be sacrificed. If there is a strong attack on the church, at least hundreds of casualties will be paid. After weighing the interests, he quickly said: "I understand, Comrade Master, I will immediately transfer people to the church to negotiate."

After Ivan put down the phone, he called his chief of staff to the front, conveyed Shechtman's meaning to him, and asked in a questioning tone: "Who do you think should be sent to carry out this task?"

The chief of staff thought for a while, and then replied: "Lieutenant Mikhaiev, the deputy battalion commander of the second battalion, is courageous, insightful, and eloquent. Sergeant Vadim at regiment headquarters."

Regarding the chief of staff's proposal, Ivan thought for a moment, and then decisively agreed, "Okay, let's send the two of them to carry out this task."

Mikhaiev was called to the temporary command post by Ivan, and when he learned that he was going to carry out the task of persuading the enemy to surrender, he looked reluctant: "Comrade commander, I think you should send someone else to carry out this task."

"Why?" Ivan asked puzzled.

"If we want to enter the church smoothly, we must go there with a white flag." Mikhaiev said with grief and indignation: "If I am asked to raise a white flag to the enemy, it is better to let me shoot myself in the head with a pistol." One shot."

After figuring out why Mikhaiev was unwilling to carry out the mission, Ivan sternly said, "Lieutenant Mikhaiev, now your superiors are ordering you to go to the church to persuade the Germans to surrender, not to ask you to go to the enemy. Surrender. As long as you can persuade the enemy to surrender, thereby reducing the casualties of our army, this is a great achievement, don't you understand?"

Having said that, Mikhaiev still couldn't accept it psychologically. Ivan and the chief of staff took turns to persuade him, but the effect was very little. Just when the two were at a loss, the translator Vadim who had been standing beside him suddenly said: "Comrade commander, since Captain Mikhaiev is unwilling to fly the white flag, then this matter can be entrusted to me. There will be no psychological burden."

Seeing that Vadim took the initiative to take over the embarrassing thing, Mikhaiev couldn't help but cast a grateful glance at him.

"Okay, since Sergeant Vadim is willing to fly the white flag, you will feel that the white flag is at the forefront of the team. After entering the church, your task is to be responsible for interpreting every sentence that Captain Mikhaiev said. words, translate them accurately for the Germans, do you understand what I mean?"

"I fully understand, Comrade Commander." Vadim straightened his back and replied, "I will never betray your trust."

A few minutes later, Vadim, holding a white flag in his hand, walked cautiously across the church square in the direction of the church. Captain Mikhaiev followed closely behind, walking towards the church step by step.

The commanders and fighters on the Soviet position suddenly saw someone walking towards the church with a white flag, and they couldn't help but have some doubts: "What's going on? Didn't we win the battle? Why did we surrender to the Germans?"

"Could it be that we were surrounded by the enemy, so the superiors gave the order to surrender to the Germans?"

"..."

Just when everyone was guessing, Mikhaiev and Vadim came to the door of the church. Soon, the door of the church opened, and a German second lieutenant walked out, followed by two German soldiers with submachine guns.

The three came to Mikhaiev and Vadim, and the German second lieutenant asked, "Russians, what do you want?"

Hearing the other party's question, Mikhaiev replied neither humble nor overbearing: "I am the negotiator sent by Major General Sokov. I want to see the supreme commander in the church. Please go in and let me know."

If it was a negotiator sent by other Soviet commanders, the second lieutenant of the German army would probably not take it seriously, but when he heard that it was the negotiator sent by Sokov, he couldn't help being moved. He said to Mikhaiev with a smile: "Mr. Officer, please wait here for a while, and I will go in and report to our commander immediately."

When the second lieutenant turned around and led the people into the church, Vadim approached Mikhaiev and said in a low voice: "Comrade captain, it seems that our commander is quite famous. , immediately become respectful to you."

Mikhaiev smiled lightly and said, "As long as the Germans who have been with our commander are terrified of him. I think as long as we go in and explain our purpose, maybe the enemy will drop their weapons and surrender."

Not long after, the second lieutenant ran out of the church again, but this time he did not take the two soldiers with him. He came to Mikhaiev, leaned forward slightly, and said respectfully, "Mr. Officer, please come in. My officer is waiting for you inside."

The two of Mikhaiev followed the German second lieutenant into the church and saw people sitting everywhere in the hall, including wounded soldiers lying on stretchers and health workers who took care of them; ordinary soldier. Seeing the second lieutenant come in with two Soviet commanders and fighters, it immediately attracted everyone's attention, and everyone was wondering: how can we see live Russians here, are they captured prisoners?

The three of them walked through the hall and came to a corner of the hall, where there was a square table with several German officers sitting beside it.

After the second lieutenant went forward to report to one of them, he returned to the Mikhaievs and made a gesture of invitation to them, indicating that they could come forward.

An SS officer sitting at the table first asked, "Russians, tell me why you are here!"

Mikhaiev looked at the other party's collar badge and recognized that he was a squadron leader of the SS 2nd commando. Ordinary military rank: "Mr. Lieutenant, are you in charge here?"

"I am in charge here." Before the SS officer could answer, a Wehrmacht captain sitting next to him took over the conversation: "Please explain why you are here."

"Mr. Captain," Mikhaiev said, looking at the other party, "you must have seen the situation outside. We have almost a regiment of troops, and they are completely surrounded. It is obviously impossible for you to break through. The only option now is to immediately lay down your arms and surrender to us, and we will protect your personal safety."

"Fuck," before the captain could speak, the SS officer rushed to say again: "Many of our officers and soldiers who put down their weapons were killed by you inhumanely. Now you come here to trick us into surrendering, as long as we put down our weapons , you will all be shot."

The words of the SS officer fell into the ears of the surrounding soldiers, and immediately resonated, and everyone surrounded them one after another, pointing their guns at Mikhaiev and Vadim intentionally or unintentionally. As long as the other party says something wrong, they may shoot at any time.

Facing the countless black muzzles around him, Mikhaiev just snorted, and then said disdainfully to the German captain: "There are only two of us, and we don't carry any weapons. Are so many of you still afraid of us?"

Mikhaiev's words made the German captain feel ashamed, and he quickly gestured to the surrounding soldiers, signaling them to put away the weapons in their hands. Then he said to Mikhaiev: "Mr. Captain, you must have seen that we still have a lot of people here. Even if you launch a strong attack, we can hold out for a day or two and cause you huge casualties."

"Mr. Captain, I would like to remind you that the troops besieging you are not ordinary troops, but troops commanded by General Sokov." Mikhaiev said proudly: "Under his command, we successively Annihilated the Imperial Division, Skeleton Division and the 19th Armored Division. As for other units that were severely damaged by us, I will not give examples one by one. Tell me, under the command of such an excellent commander, can we still not eliminate them? Are you?"

After hearing Mikhaiev's words, the German captain couldn't help but fell silent, and began to think in his heart: should he continue to fight, or should he lay down his arms and surrender to Sokov's troops?

"Captain Grams, you must not surrender." After listening to Vadim's translation, the SS officer immediately said loudly to the captain of the Wehrmacht: "We still have almost two hundred people here, even if we are besieged by ten times as many Russians. , and is fully capable of persevering.”

Mikhaiev couldn't understand what the SS officer was shouting, so he turned to look at Vadim: "Comrade Sergeant, what is he talking about?"

After listening to Vadim's translation, Mikhaiev faced the SS officer and said: "Mr. Lieutenant, if you think you have the ability to defend the church, you might as well try it. You can persist under our strong attack." How long. I don’t believe that you can beat the Skeleton Division and the Imperial Division with just your defeated soldiers.”

The achievements of the 27th Army made Mikhaiev full of confidence when he said this, but the SS officers became dejected like a discouraged ball.

Grimes considered surrender even as he was surrounded. But he was still very worried. Once he put down his weapons, how would the Soviet army deal with him? Would he really be shot to death like the SS officer said? Therefore, he hesitated for a long time, and finally asked tentatively: "Mr. Captain, if I and my men put down their weapons and surrender, can you guarantee our personal safety?"

"Of course it can be done." Mikhaiev said categorically, "Since we have made such a promise, we will definitely keep our word. We can not only protect your personal safety, but also treat the wounded. Heal and provide you with the necessary food."

When Vadim translated Mikhaiev's words, the surrounding German officers and soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. Although they could fight to the last man under the attack of the Soviet army, if they survived, It was everyone's wish, so they all turned their eyes to Captain Grimes, waiting nervously for his answer.

Grimes glanced over the faces of his subordinates, saw that everyone was looking at him expectantly, and immediately understood what was going on in their minds. After a fierce ideological struggle, he declared decisively: "I declare that everyone lay down their arms and surrender to the Russians..."

Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, there was a burst of shouting from the side: "Whoever dares to surrender to the Russians, I will kill him."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and saw the SS officer pointing his pistol at Grams' head, and said loudly, "Captain Grams, cancel the order you just issued immediately, or I will kill you." One shot to kill you."