Red Moscow

After Uzakov sent out soldiers to speak out, soon there was news that in a block not far away, more than thirty scrawny Jews had been rescued from an attic. They hid in the attic the day after the city fell, and they have been there for two full years.

Sukov was shocked when he heard the news. He has been active in the city several times, and he knows the structure of the houses here. The top of an attic is 20 square meters, and there are more than 30 Jews to hide. On average, the area occupied by each person is less than one square meter. It's been two years, and I don't know how they survived until now.

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," just as Sokov was full of emotion, Lunev took the microphone in his hand and talked to Uzakov: "I would like to ask, who provided these Jews with food and daily necessities?" Necessities?"

Lunev's words reminded Sokov that no matter what, there were more than 30 people hiding in the attic, and even if they were economical, their monthly food consumption would not be a small amount. Those who provide food for them cannot meet their needs if they do not have sufficient financial strength.

Gorokhov on the side whispered to Managarov: "Comrade Commander, General Lunev's question is on point. Even if each Jew only needs 300 grams of bread per day, more than 30 people It takes ten kilograms of bread. If ordinary people buy ten kilograms of bread every day, it may not take long for the Gestapo to come to their door."

When Sokov heard what Gorokhov said, he tapped his fingers on the table and thought to himself: If ten kilograms of bread are needed a day, then three hundred kilograms of bread will be needed in a month. The fact that the family who covered them was able to prevent the Germans from discovering the Jews they were hiding for two years proved that the family had a background and a certain economic strength.

After hearing Lunev's question, Uzakov covered the microphone with his hands, and turned to ask the officer who reported the situation to him: "Comrade Lieutenant, what does the family that covers the Jews do?"

The officer quickly replied, "That's a bakery, and it's the owner of the bakery who provides food for them."

Uzakov quickly released his hand covering the microphone, and answered Lunev's question: "Report to Comrade Military Commissar, my subordinates have said that the place where the Jews are hiding is a bakery, and it is the bakery that provides them with food." boss."

After listening to Uzakov's report, everyone felt that the answer was a matter of course. The bread in the bakery is self-produced and sold. If the Germans don’t check how much bread they bake every day, they don’t know at all. And they can take advantage of this to give the bread they baked to the Jews hiding in the attic.

And Sokov thought to himself, no matter what purpose the owner of this bakery took in these Jews, it was because of his kindness that these Jews who might have been in the gas chamber survived. If they repay the boss of the bakery, it is their own business, and they should also express themselves to such a boss.

Thinking of this, he looked up at Lunev who was still on the phone with Uzakov, and said to him: "Comrade Military Commissar, ask Lieutenant Colonel Uzakov, the owner of the bakery, where is he now?" place?"

Lunev nodded, and then said into the microphone: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the commander asked, where is the owner of that bakery now?"

Uzakov didn't know the answer, so he could only ask the officer reporting to work again: "Do you know where the owner of the bakery is now?"

"I'm sorry, Comrade Chief of Staff." The officer didn't know much about the situation of the bakery owner, so he could only say apologetically, "If you allow me, I can immediately arrange people to investigate."

"Comrade Military Commissar," Uzakov said apologetically after dismissing the officers, "the officer who reports to me does not know where the baker is now. But don't worry, I have ordered him to After inquiring, I believe it will not take long before you can get the answer you want."

After Lunev put down the phone, he asked Sokov curiously: "Comrade Commander, I wonder what you are asking about the owner of the bakery? Do you know him?"

Not only Lunev was curious about this matter, even Managarov and Gorokhov also wanted to know the answer. Sokov glanced at a few people, and then said leisurely: "This bakery owner risked his life to take in more than 30 Jews and hide them for two years. For such a kind person, we should Give him the necessary reward."

"I don't know what you plan to reward him with?"

"Comrade Military Commissar," Sokov replied: "Didn't we implement rationing in the city of Klemenchug from today? In order to meet the needs of the residents of the city, a large amount of bread needs to be produced. I think Part of the processing work can be handed over to this kind boss. I wonder what you like?"

"I agree." Lunev considered that if the rationing system is to be carried out for a long time, there must be several reliable bakeries to provide residents with daily necessities of food, so he agreed with Sukov: "I can meet Let him complete the food ration quota in the block where the private room is located."

Seeing that Lunev understood his intentions and was about to arrange a fat job for the bakery owner, he nodded with a smile and said, "Let his bakery provide daily rations of bread for the residents of the block. If he Well done, consider giving him a few more streets..."

Next, Lunev called several distribution points successively to learn about the distribution of food in those places. And Sokov also took the time to call Sameko and asked, "Chief of Staff, what's the matter with you?"

"Report to Comrade Commander," Sameko heard the call from Sokov, and hurriedly reported: "Not long ago, the German army launched another attack on the mechanized army's defense zone. It may be because they are worried about our air force, so they Before the attack, there was no preparation for artillery fire, and the infantry directly launched the attack under the guidance of the tank."

"How is the situation of the mechanized army?" Sokov heard Sameko's tone calmly, knowing that the enemy's attack must have failed, but out of caution, he still asked: "Have you repelled the enemy's attack?" ?”

"Yes, the enemy's attack has been repulsed by the commanders and fighters of the mechanized army." Sameko replied: "The enemy left more than two hundred corpses and eight repelled tanks, and retreated in despair. their starting point."

"What about the other areas?" Sokov continued to ask in relief, "Has there been any movement from the Germans?"

"According to the report of the scouts, signs of German armored forces gathering were found in the southwest direction of the landing site." Sameko asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade commander, please see, whether to dispatch the air force to bomb the enemy's assembly site ?”

"How large is the armored force that the German army is gathering?"

Sameko paused for a moment, then reported: "About two armored divisions, no less than two hundred tanks."

"No less than two hundred tanks?" Sokov felt ecstasy in his heart. If there were really so many tanks assembled, then Goryunov's air force could blow them up to nothing. He quickly ordered Sameko : "Chief of Staff, let the scouts provide the specific location where the German tanks are assembled, and then I will contact General Goryunov and ask him to dispatch a large number of air forces to bomb the German armored units staying in this area."

However, within two minutes of Sokov being happy, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. There are many forests, lakes and swamps in the southwest of the landing site, which are not suitable for the deployment of armored forces at all, but the German army has assembled two armored divisions there. Even if they are not worried about being bombed by the Soviet army, do they think it is possible to deploy so many armored troops in such a complex terrain?

Thinking of this, Sokov quickly said to Sameko: "Wait a minute, Comrade Chief of Staff, I feel something is wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

Sokov told Sameko all the doubts in his heart, and finally said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, if you were the commander of the German army, you would put so many tanks in an area that is not suitable for combat, and even Still so blatant, aren't you afraid of being bombed by our air force?"

Hearing what Sokov said, Sameko also realized the problem, and quickly said: "I understand, Comrade Commander, I will order the scouts to conduct detailed reconnaissance again to find out what is going on."

As soon as the phone was put down here, Uzakov called and reported to Sokov about the bakery owner: "Comrade Commander, everything is clear. People from the Ministry are locked in jail, and after tomorrow's military court trial, they will be directly executed by shooting."

Sokov frowned: "What the hell is going on? How could he be suspected of collaborating with the enemy?"

Uzakov replied with some embarrassment: "I have inquired. People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that during the German occupation of Kremenchug, he produced a large amount of bread every day and provided it to the Germans."

"It's nonsense." Sokov punched the table fiercely and said through gritted teeth: "Since he is the owner of the bakery, his daily job is to produce bread. As for where the bread is sold? , is not something he should consider. Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you immediately take someone to fish out the owner of the bakery and arrange for his bakery to reopen to provide rationed bread for the city."

"I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, I don't think I can do it." Regarding Sokov's order, Uzakov said in embarrassment: "Although the officer who arrested the baker's owner was only a lieutenant, he belonged to the Ministry of the Interior, I have no right to dictate to him at all."

When Sokov thought about it, it seemed that this was indeed the case. Even the lowest-level people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were not something he could offend. After thinking about this, he said to Uzakov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you don't need to worry about this matter, I will send someone to handle it."

After putting down the phone, Sokov said to Lunev: "Comrade Military Commissar, you are the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, and it is nothing to you to deal with the soldiers who arrested the bakery owner."

Lunev didn't understand Sokov's psychology. Before he finished speaking, he said first: "Don't worry, Comrade Commander. You lend me Lieutenant Samoilov, and I can solve this problem in an hour at most." thing."

"No problem, let Lieutenant Samoilov go with you." Sokov told Lunev: "Comrade Military Commissar, you must rescue the bakery owner from prison."

Not long after Lunev left with Samoilov, Sameko called Sokov: "Comrade Commander, you are right. The Germans really have a conspiracy."

"What conspiracy?"

"The tanks that the scouts found were all fake." Sameko reported with some embarrassment: "There are not only inflated tank models, but also models of cannons and trucks. From a distance, the scouts looked like A huge army."

"The Germans are really cunning." Sokov sneered after hearing this, and said, "They tried to use these fake models to deceive us, making us think that they really assembled a huge armored force in the southwest of the landing site. Troops. If we are really fooled, we will send planes to bomb these models. And the enemy may attack from other directions."

"The most suitable direction to attack is the south side of the landing site." Although Sokov didn't have any map in front of him, the entire terrain of the landing site on the right bank was in his mind: "Comrade Chief of Staff, send more scouts to the south, and do a good job. Know if there are hidden enemies, so as not to be caught off guard by them."

"Okay, Comrade Commander." Sameko promised, "I will faithfully carry out your orders."

The conversation between Sokov and Sameko aroused Managarov's curiosity: "General Sokov, the enemy actually set up a large number of false targets in the southwest of the landing field. Tell me, what is their purpose for doing this?" What is it?"

"The reason is very simple," Sokov said casually: "The enemy just wants our attention to be drawn to the southwest, so that they can calmly gather their forces and technical indicators in other areas, wait When our defenses became slack, they attacked by surprise, catching us by surprise."

"Yeah, it makes sense, it makes sense." After listening to Sokov's explanation, Managarov pondered for a while and found it very reasonable, so he echoed: "The Germans may never have imagined that they would Meet an opponent like you. In this way, their plot will not be able to succeed."

Besides, Lunev took Samoilov to a nearby prison. The sentinel on duty at the gate was a soldier belonging to the 98th Guards Division. He naturally knew Lunev and Samoilov, so he hurriedly called his superior to report the news of Lunev's arrival.

The lieutenant officer who received the call from the sentinel hurriedly ran all the way to the door, saluted the two and said, "Hello, Comrade Military Commissioner, I am Lieutenant Fedoro who is in charge of guarding the prison. May I help you?" place?"

"Comrade Lieutenant," Lunev said politely, "I heard that you arrested a bakery owner two days ago, can I meet him?"

Unexpectedly, what Lunev said made the lieutenant embarrassed: "Comrade military commissar, it is reasonable to say that you can come in and out of the prison as you please. But now our company is responsible for guarding the prison. As for the prisoners inside, there are no prisoners. It is in charge of the special staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”