Red Moscow

When dozens of soldiers passed by the observation post with five 76.2mm cannons, Shtemenko had a sudden thought: "Comrade Sukov, why don't we go to the city to have a look?"

"No, no." Shtemenko's proposal scared Sokov into a cold sweat, and he hurriedly waved his hands: "Now the situation in the city is unclear, and there are dangers everywhere. If we enter the city at this time, I am afraid danger at any time."

"Comrade Sokov," Shtemenko couldn't persuade him as soon as the idea came up: "Our commanders and fighters are fighting bloody battles with the enemy in the city, and they are not afraid of danger. , can you be afraid of danger?"

"Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, you are the representative of the headquarters, and I am responsible for your safety." Sokov said solemnly: "You must not be allowed to take risks."

Faced with Sokov's repeated persuasion, Shtemenko couldn't listen at all at the moment. He just wanted to go to the city himself to see how the commanders and fighters fought the enemy and captured the city. Because of this idea, he said stubbornly: "Comrade Sokov, please arrange a guard for me. I want to go to the city to have a look."

"Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, the city is too dangerous, I suggest you reconsider..."

Before Sokov finished speaking, Shtemenko interrupted him: "Okay, Comrade Sokov, you don't need to persuade me anymore, I have already made a decision to go to the city to have a look."

Perhaps because he was worried that Sokov would continue to persuade him, he even brought out Stalin: "If I return to Moscow after a while, the Supreme Commander himself will ask me if I have personally been to the place where the battle was fiercest. How do you think I should answer him? "

"But you were in the observation post and saw the battle with your own eyes." Sokov said anxiously: "If this is not the place where the battle is the most intense, then what place can meet your standards?"

"I think the city of Uman, which is currently fighting fiercely, is where I should go." Shtemenko looked at Sokov and asked, "You say so, Comrade Sokov."

"I don't think it's appropriate." Sokov knew that the Uman city was full of dangers at the moment, and whether the 3rd Airborne Division could hold on to the arrival of the main force was a problem. Letting Shtemenko in at this time is tantamount to letting him die, so Sokov tried his best to persuade him, trying to change the opponent's plan. "The city is too dangerous at the moment. Even if we want to go, we need to wait until the main force of the group army arrives. Most of the city is under our control. It's not too late for you to go."

"If that's the case, it won't make any sense." Shtemenko shook his head and said, "After the main force arrives and controls most of the city, what else can I see when I go in?"

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Sokov to speak again, he called Koshkin and told him: "Comrade Lieutenant, call the commander of the other guard company, I have something to tell him."

Koshkin stood still, but cast a questioning look at Sokov. He didn't know whether he should carry out this order from Stemenko.

Sokov wanted to veto this order from Shtemenko, but after thinking about it, if he really did this, it would be a challenge to Shtemenko's status, and the other party would definitely be dissatisfied with him by then. With a long sigh, he nodded at Koshkin, indicating that he could follow Stemenko's orders.

After receiving Sokov's instruction, Koshkin turned and walked out of the observation post.

Soon, the commander of the guard company sent by Afuning walked into the observation post. After entering, he looked at Sokov and then at Stemenko, wondering to whom to report first.

Sokov pointed at Shtemenko with his hand and said reasonably: "Comrade Captain, report to Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff."

The captain faced Shtemenko, raised his hand to his forehead, and said: "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, Commander of the Second Company of the 1st Battalion of the Guards Regiment of the 18th Guards Corps..."

"Okay, Comrade Captain, you don't need to report." Shtemenko interrupted the captain and directly ordered him to say, "Gather your people immediately and follow me to the city of Uman."

Regarding the order issued by Shtemenko, the captain did not immediately execute it, but stood there in a daze, and instinctively turned his head to look at Sokov, hoping to get an accurate answer from him.

"Comrade Captain, what's the matter with you, didn't you hear the order from Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff?"

"heard it!"

"Now that you've heard it, hurry up and gather your troops."

Soon, under the protection of the guard company, Stemenko headed for Uman City. Koshkin looked at their backs and asked Sokov cautiously: "Comrade Commander, you just let them go like this? Don't you worry that General Stemenko will be in danger in the city?"

"What's the use of worrying." Sokov said helplessly: "His position is higher than mine. To me, his words are orders, and I can't change them even if I want to."

"If something happens to General Shtemenko in the city, you can't get rid of it." Koshkin suggested to Sokov: "Why don't we go to the city too?"

"Wait a minute, we can't enter the city yet." Sokov shook his head and said, "Except for the guard company taken away by the deputy chief of staff, there is only the guard company under your command. Do you think it depends on us?" Can a company of troops be able to move unimpeded in Uman City?"

"I don't think so."

"Yes, instead of going to die in vain, it's better to wait a little longer." Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch. "We will enter Uman when the other two divisions of the 18th Guards Army arrive."

After finishing speaking, Sokov turned around and told the radio operator: "Radio operator, please contact General Afunin for me immediately. I want to speak to him."

After contacting Afunin, Sokov asked in a stern tone: "General Afunin, where is your army?"

"Still on the march, Comrade Commander."

"Still on the way." Sokov felt an unknown fire in his heart: "How long has it been since the 3rd Airborne Division broke through the city, and the main force of your army is still on the way. Have you ever thought that if the reinforcements are delayed? If we arrive, and the troops in the city cannot stop the German counterattack, it may lead to the failure of our plan to capture Uman."

"Comrade Commander, please listen to my explanation." Hearing that Sokov was in a hurry, Afunin quickly explained: "Because of the heavy snowfall, the road is difficult to walk, and our troops are already doing their best to hurry. "

"I'll give you another half an hour." Sokov said in an unquestionable tone: "If the reinforcements can't reach Uman, you will lose the general's epaulettes."

Sokov broke off the conversation without waiting for Afunin to speak, and told the operator to call Smirnov instead.

"Comrade Chief of Staff." After connecting, Sokov asked what he was most interested in: "Where are the 49th and 57th armies now?"

"They are still about ten kilometers away from Uman." Smirnov said to Sokov with some embarrassment: "Because the road is not easy to walk, it may take three hours to reach Uman."

"What, it still takes three hours?" Sokov said in surprise, "Isn't the delay too long?"

"Comrade Commander, this is already the fastest speed." Smirnov explained: "It took a lot of time to assemble the troops, and the road is not easy to walk, so the time has been delayed by going back and forth."

He noticed that Sokov seemed impatient, so he asked tentatively, "Comrade Commander, is there something wrong?"

"That's right, something went wrong." Sokov sighed and said, "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff led a company of guards and entered the city of Uman, which is currently fighting."

This shocking news made Smirnov feel his scalp go numb. After a long time, he tentatively asked: "Comrade Commander, haven't you persuaded him?"

"How could you not persuade him?" Sokov said helplessly, "But the deputy chief of staff is stubborn, and I have been persuading him for a long time, but it didn't work."

"This matter is of great importance. I think it is necessary to report to the Front Army Command immediately." Smirnov reminded Sokov: "In any case, General Shtemenko is a representative sent by the headquarters. If he really has something Anyway, I'm afraid you and I can't get rid of it."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you are right." Sokov agreed with Smirnov's words: "I will immediately call Marshal Konev and report the matter to him."

Originally, Smirnov wanted to take the initiative to report the matter to Konev, but now that Sokov has expressed his willingness to report the matter in person, he will not do it for him: "Okay, Comrade Commander, then this time It's up to you to report. What are your plans for the future?"

"I have given a death order to General Afunin and asked his troops to rush outside the city of Uman within half an hour." Sokov said: "As soon as the troops arrive, I will take them into the city. No matter what Said, I have to ensure the safety of Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff."

"Yes, yes, it should be done." Smirnov echoed: "I will call General Afunin later and urge his troops to speed up their march to ensure that they reach Uman within half an hour. "

Sokov then contacted Konev and reported the situation here: "Comrade Marshal, I have some bad news to tell you."

"Not so good news?" Konev couldn't help but thumped in his heart when he heard Sokov say this, wondering if the troops that rushed into the city were driven out by the Germans? He hurriedly asked: "Comrade Sokov, what happened?"

"Comrade Marshal, the situation is like this." Sokov explained to Konev: "Didn't the 3rd Airborne Division break through the German defenses and rush into the city? In order to prevent a strong firepower point from appearing in the city, we A battalion of the divisional artillery regiment was also sent to the city."

"Comrade Sokov, you did the right thing." Konev said a little puzzled: "But what does it have to do with the bad news you said?"

"When the deputy chief of staff saw the artillery entering the city, he couldn't help feeling a little excited, and offered to go to the city to have a look..."

"No, this is absolutely not possible." Before Sokov finished speaking, Konev raised his voice and shouted: "The city is still in a scuffle. Why does he, a deputy chief of staff, run in to join in the fun?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal, I said the same thing at the time, but he didn't listen at all."

"Where is General Nashtemenko?"

"It has already entered Uman City with a guard company."

"What, he entered Uman City with a company?" Konev stomped his feet anxiously when he heard the news, "Why didn't you stop him?"

"I have persuaded him many times, but he simply won't listen."

"Comrade Sokov," Konev was on the verge of going berserk when he learned that Shtemenko had entered the city with only a small number of troops. Containing the anger in my heart: "General Shtemenko's safety, I leave it to you. You must protect his safety at all costs. If something happens to him, you can wait to go to the military court."

"Comrade Marshal," Sokov had guessed this possibility a long time ago, and he quickly expressed his position to Konev: "As soon as the main force of the 18th Guards Army arrives, I will take them into the city to find Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff." Don't worry, even if something happens to me, it won't happen to Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff."

"Wait until the main force of the 18th Guards Army arrives?" Konev asked, "How long will the troops have to arrive?"

Sokov knew in his heart that there was a high probability that the other two members of the 18th Guards Army would not arrive within half an hour. But in order not to make Konev anxious, he still bit the bullet and said, "About half an hour."

"Half an hour?" Hearing this time, Konev was angry: "Comrade Sokov, every minute on the battlefield will kill people. If you really wait half an hour before entering the city, I'm worried about Shijie. There is something wrong with General Menko."

"Okay." Sokov heard Konev say that, knowing that he had to enter the city without delay, he could only gritted his molars and said, "I'll take someone to find the deputy chief of staff."

After finishing the call, Sokov said to Koshkin: "Comrade Lieutenant, get everyone together immediately. We must immediately enter Uman City to find the Deputy Chief of Staff."

"What, are you going now?"

"Yes, go now."

"Could our troops be too small?" Koshkin thought that his men were only one hundred and ten, and if he really wanted to enter the city where the battle was raging, he might be wiped out in a short time, so he was cautious He asked Sukov proudly: "After the main force of the 18th Guards Army arrives, we will enter the city with them."

"It's too late, let's go now."

Seeing that Sokov put on his helmet, Koshkin knew that there was no room for change in this matter, so he could only sigh softly, and went out to gather the soldiers scattered around and escort Sokov into Uman City.

Unexpectedly, just after crossing the gap and entering the city of Uman, a dozen German soldiers suddenly appeared from an alley on the side. The two sides were bumping into each other face to face, and everyone couldn't help being stunned.

Sokov's eyes were sharp, and he immediately recognized the troops coming from the opposite side as the German army, and the German army also saw this small army that had just entered through the gap.

"German!"

"Russian!"

The troops who can protect Sokov's safety are naturally the elite. Their reaction is a little faster, and more than 20 assault rifles subconsciously fire at the same time. The German soldiers in the front row seemed to be pushed violently by something invisible, and several fell down with a crash.

But the remaining soldiers did not react slowly. Relying on their skilled tactical instincts, they quickly hid behind the telephone poles or concrete piers, raised their weapons and started shooting at the Soviet army.