Red Moscow

The first battalion that Sokov and others were concerned about was currently under the leadership of Captain Mikhaiev and entered the Poltava-Kirovgrad highway along the fork. Here they encountered a mass transfer of German troops.

Seeing the oncoming German troops, Captain Narva, who was walking beside Mikhaiev, couldn't help raising his heart. He asked nervously: "Comrade Battalion Commander, the closer we are to the city, the more enemies there are in front of us. If we encounter interrogation, I'm worried that our identities will be exposed."

"Don't worry, Comrade Captain." Seeing more and more enemies appearing in front of him, Mikhaiev's heart was also trembling, but he knew very well that as the highest military officer in the entire battalion, he could It is necessary to maintain absolute calm at all times, otherwise it will have a bad influence on the commanders and fighters. He whispered to Narva: "Pass down, keep calm, and move forward. Especially those fighters who don't understand German, don't speak casually, so as not to expose our identities."

After the order was conveyed, Narva asked Mikhaiev in puzzlement: "Comrade battalion commander, the German army we encountered along the way was no less than one division. It seems that they are turning in which direction. Do you know this?" what is going on?"

"I don't know," replied Mikhaiev, who was equally bewildered. "I'm afraid only the headquarters knows what happened?"

"Look, you need to ask your superiors, what happened?"

What he saw in front of him made Mikhaiev realize that things had gone awry. The oncoming German army not only had a large number of infantry, but also a large number of tanks, armored vehicles and trucks transporting soldiers. In order to find out what happened, he decided to ask the operator to send a telegram to the brigade headquarters to find out what happened.

Just as a village appeared not far away, he issued an order to let the troops enter the village.

There was only one squad of German soldiers in the village, and they were ordered to maintain order by the roadside. Suddenly seeing a troop approaching, the German corporal leading the team naturally wanted to come over and question him. He stopped in front of the line and asked loudly, "Stop, what part do you belong to, and what are you doing here?"

Egor, the commander of the second company, wearing the uniform of a German captain, pushed through the crowd and came to the German corporal, put his hands behind his back, and said with a straight face: "We belong to the 198th Infantry Division and were ordered to take over the defense in Pavlish. Yes. It's getting late now, and the officers and soldiers are tired from walking, and want to find a place to rest. Why, are you not allowing us to enter the village?"

Seeing Yegor wearing the captain's uniform, the German corporal hurriedly laughed and said, "Mr. Captain, it's not that I don't let you enter the village. It's because this village has been abandoned for a long time, and no one lives there at all." , even if you enter the village, you can’t find a place to spend the night.”

"We have to reach Pavlish before dawn, and we won't spend the night in the village." Yegor knew that Mikhaiev planned to find a place to send a report to the brigade headquarters, and this uninhabited village undoubtedly It is the most ideal place. He said to the German corporal: "You continue to stay outside the village to guard, we will rest for a while and continue on our way."

In this way, the commanders and fighters of the first battalion entered the village smoothly.

Yegor, who was the first to enter the village, immediately went up to meet Mikhaiev and others after entering the village, and reported in a low voice: "Comrade battalion commander, there is no one in the whole village except for a few German soldiers at the entrance of the village."

"Very good." Mikhaiev nodded, and then asked, "Where can I send the report?"

"Almost all the buildings in the village were burned down. We searched for half a day and only found a relatively intact wooden house." Yegor said: "You can ask the operator to send a report there."

"Hurry up and take us there." After Mikhaiev said this, he still did not forget to order: "Pay attention to setting up a security circle, and don't let the Germans at the entrance of the village enter the village. Comrades, company commanders, follow me!"

Under Yegor's leadership, the group came to the wooden house with no roof and only four walls. Mikhaiev looked around and ordered: "The radio operator went into the house to send a telegram to the brigade headquarters, reporting the situation we encountered on the road, and asking what our next task is."

Although this is the center of the village, it is impossible for German soldiers to pass through the layers of security of the 1st Battalion and appear nearby. However, for the sake of safety, Mikhaiev still set up a cordon within a radius of 50 meters centered on the wooden house to prevent irrelevant personnel from approaching here.

Besides, after Askel answered the call from Sameko, he realized the seriousness of the problem, and quickly sent someone to wake up Guchakov who was still sleeping, and said to him: "Comrade Brigadier, something big may happen. .”

Guchakov, who had just woken up from sleep and was still in a daze, yawned a big yawn when he heard what Askel said, and then asked casually: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what will happen? "

"Comrade Brigadier," Seeing Guchakov's absent-minded look, Askel was a little anxious: "I just received a call from Chief of Staff Sameko, who said that the situation had changed unexpectedly. The German army is shifting to the northwest. Their transfer route coincides with the marching route of the 1st Battalion, which means that the 1st Battalion is in danger of being exposed."

Hearing that the first battalion was in danger of being exposed, Guchakov was shocked and woke up suddenly. He hurried to the table, looked down at the map, and drew the route of a battalion with his fingers. Seeing the end, he couldn't help taking a deep breath, raised his head and asked Askel: "Comrade Chief of Staff, have you contacted the First Battalion after discovering this problem?"

"No." Askel shook his head and said, "Don't say that the first battalion is on the march, so I can't get in touch with them. Even if I can get in touch, I don't dare to send them a report."

"Why?"

"The reason is very simple." Askel said: "If they are passing through the German army's marching ranks and want to receive our telegram at this time, there is a possibility of exposure."

"So, we can only wait here for Captain Mikhaiev to contact us."

"Yes, Comrade Brigadier." Askel nodded and said, "In the current situation, we can only wait."

Guchakov poured himself a cup of strong tea, took a sip to refresh himself, and asked Askel tentatively, "Does Comrade Commander know about this?"

"I know." Askel replied simply, "He is on duty with Chief of Staff Sameko tonight, so he will naturally know the news as soon as possible."

When the two were worrying about the fate of the first battalion, the operator sitting next to the telegraph suddenly turned around and shouted: "Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff, this is a telegram from the first battalion."

Hearing that it was a telegram from the first battalion, the two immediately got up and came behind the operator. Askel pointed to the telegraph and told the operator: "Receive the telegram immediately."

A few minutes later, both Guchakov and Askel had read the telegram sent back by Mikhaiev, and their brows frowned even tighter. Askel, who was holding the telegram, asked Guchakov with a bitter face: "Comrade Brigadier, how should we return the telegram to Captain Mikhaiev?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, the First Battalion is now in the midst of the enemy. Whether it continues to advance or immediately withdraws, there is a great risk." After Guchakov expressed his concerns, he decided to push the matter to the Sokov came to make a decision: "In my opinion, it is better to report this matter immediately, and the comrade commander will decide whether they will stay or not."

Asker did not object to Guchakov's proposal, but asked, "I wonder if you should report to the headquarters, or should I call?"

"Let me report." Eager to know Sokov's decision, Guchakov said, "I'll order the communications corps to call the headquarters."

The call was quickly connected, and when he heard Sameko's voice from the receiver, Guchakov hurriedly said: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff, I am Major Guchakov. I have something important to do. Report to Comrade Commander immediately."

Sameko wanted to hand the microphone to Sokov, but when he saw the other party waving his hand, he continued to stick the microphone to his ear and said, "Comrade Major, if there is any situation, it is the same to report to me. Isn't it Mihai?" Is there any news from Captain Yev's 1st Battalion?"

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Since Sukov didn't answer the phone, Guchakov didn't force it, so he reported the content of the telegram just received to Sameko in detail, and finally asked Said: "How do you say we should reply to Captain Mikhaiev?"

Should the troops continue to advance or withdraw on the spot? This question made Sameko feel very embarrassed. He quickly covered the topic with his hands and asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade Commander, Major Guchakov asked, since The 1st Battalion is now among the German troops, and they may be exposed if they continue to advance, should they be ordered to withdraw immediately?"

"No, we can't retreat at this time." But Sokov simply rejected his proposal: "It is precisely because the first battalion is among the German troops. If we withdraw at this time, there is also the danger of being exposed."

"But if they continue to move forward, the risk of exposure is greater."

Sokov thought for a while, and then said to Sameko: "Aren't Captain Mikhaiev resting in a village? Then let them continue to rest. After the number of German troops on the road decreases, continue to Pavli. It's not too late to advance. But they can't relax their vigilance, they need to build defenses in the village without alarming the enemy to prevent any accidents."

Sameko let go of the hand covering the microphone: "Comrade Major, the commander's meaning is very clear. Let the first battalion stay in the village to rest and wait for the number of German troops on the road to decrease before continuing to march towards Pavlish. At the same time , During the rest process, we must not relax our vigilance, and we must arrange fire support points to prevent accidents."

After Guchakov made the phone call, he said to Askel: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that the commander's method is the safest. Let's pass on the meaning of the superior to Captain Mikhaiev. .”

"That's right, I think so too." Askel nodded his head and said with emotion: "As expected of the commander, he solved the problem that gave us both headaches so lightly." After finishing speaking, he said Dictate the message to the operator and have it sent as quickly as possible.

After dictating the telegram, Askel said to Guchakov: "Comrade Brigadier, if the Germans really moved on a large scale, after the First Battalion seized the material transfer warehouse, the attack it suffered would be greatly weakened. "

"Not only will the pressure on the first battalion be greatly reduced," Guchakov went on to say before Askel finished speaking, "and what happened to us when we broke through the German defenses and rushed to join the first battalion." Resistance will also be greatly weakened."

"Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff." After sending the call, the operator turned to report to the two, "The telegram has been sent."

Askel hummed, and then told the other party: "If there is a call back, remember to notify me in time."

Mikhaiev, who received the telegram, couldn't help secretly heaving a sigh of relief after reading the contents above. He knew very well that if his troops continued to march along the road, facing the large number of German troops, it would be a matter of time before their identities were exposed. But now the telegram sent by the brigade headquarters has solved this problem for him.

He hurriedly whispered to the three company commanders: "Company commanders, the brigade headquarters has sent us a telegram. In view of our current special situation, we are ordered to continue to rest in the village and wait for the number of German troops on the road." After the reduction, continue towards Pavlish."

After listening to the content of the telegram, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They all knew that if they continued to march towards Pavlish regardless, it would definitely arouse the suspicion of the enemy coming from the opposite side. Once their identities were revealed, the consequences would be dire. It is unimaginable. Now that the superior ordered him to stay in the village to rest temporarily, it was enough to minimize the danger.

After the four weeks were quiet, Narva asked in a low voice: "Comrade Battalion Commander, what else did the brigade headquarters order?"

"The brigade headquarters reminded us that we should not relax our vigilance when resting in the village, and we must properly arrange some fire support points to prevent the worst from happening."

Just as the company commanders promised to return to their respective companies to deploy fire support points, Mikhaiev stopped them again and said in a low voice: "Company commanders, don't forget that there is still a fire at the entrance of the village." There are quite a few German soldiers, when you arrange firepower points, don't draw their attention."

"Comrade battalion commander, don't worry." The three company commanders replied in unison: "When we set up the fire support point, we will definitely not let the enemy at the entrance of the village find out."

However, people are not as good as heaven, and when the companies quietly set up fire support points in the village, a German lieutenant led a dozen soldiers and walked towards the village.

These German officers and soldiers were nearby defenders. They got a report that an army of hundreds of people had entered an abandoned village by the roadside. The German commander felt that it was necessary to know what part of the army belonged, so he sent an officer with a dozen soldiers to check.

The German corporal guarding the entrance of the village saw a lieutenant leading a dozen soldiers approaching, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute him.

After the officer casually returned the salute, he asked, "Did a troop just enter the village?"

The German corporal took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out one and handed it to the officer, and replied: "Yes, Mr. Lieutenant."

"Which part are they from?"

After the corporal lit a match and helped the lieutenant light his cigarette, he replied respectfully: "The captain who led the team told me that they belonged to the 198th Infantry Division."