Red Moscow

"Comrade General," Belkin said with a smile on his face, "we marched from Kursk on foot. Since the road is not easy to walk, we will inevitably spend more time on the road."

After Kazakov asked the two to sit down, he walked back and forth in the room and said, "Comrade commanders, the situation is really unfortunate. The convoy that was supposed to transport you back to Moscow has already left Yemen. Letz. If you are going to return to Moscow as ordered, you will have to continue marching on foot."

"What, marching on foot?" Sokov jumped up from his seat when he heard Kazakov say this: "Comrade General, don't you know that it is more than 500 kilometers from here to Moscow, if you march on foot If not, we will have to travel at least ten days to get to Moscow."

"Comrade Brigadier, sit down first." Belkin may have been worried that Sokov would be impulsive, so he drew his gun at Kazakov again, and hurriedly pulled him to sit down again. Then, he tentatively asked Kazakov: "Comrade General, is there really no other way?"

Sokov just drew his gun at the lieutenant colonel on duty outside, not on impulse, but after careful consideration. Because he knew very well in his heart that if he hadn't done so at that time, he would never have had the chance to meet Kazakov. As for repeating the trick and threatening Kazakov with a gun, he never thought about it. Just kidding, pointing a gun at a lieutenant colonel is comparable to pointing a lieutenant general at it? If I do this again in the house, I will be tried by a court-martial, and even if Rokossovsky comes forward at that time, he will not be able to protect himself.

But thinking of letting the troops walk more than 500 kilometers to Moscow in such a hot season, Sokov felt extremely uncomfortable. If this time swallow your anger and let the troops march to Moscow on foot; then after arriving in Moscow, if the superiors cannot provide wagons for the troops, will they have to walk to Kazan again? When there is no transport fleet in Kazan, will the troops still have to walk to Stalingrad? When my troops have traveled almost 2,000 kilometers and arrived at Stalingrad, it would be just in time for the most intense battle days. The exhausted commanders and fighters rushed into the battle and could only become cannon fodder. In order to avoid such a tragedy, Sokov decided that no matter what, Kazakov should find a way for himself today to solve the problem of troop transportation.

After listening to Belkin's question, Kazakov shook his head and said in embarrassment: "Comrade deputy battalion political commissar, this is not easy to handle. All the trucks have been driven away. I will definitely not be able to do it in a short time. You provide transportation. Perhaps a march on foot is your only option for returning to Moscow."

After getting an affirmative answer from Kazakov, Belkin's face was full of disappointment. He looked at Sokov and asked, "Comrade Brigadier, what should we do? Are we really going to walk back to Moscow for ten days?"

"Comrade Political Commissar, after two and a half days of rapid march, the commanders and fighters are very tired. If they have to walk more than 500 kilometers, there will definitely be a large number of non-combat attrition." Sokov finished speaking to Belkin After speaking, he looked at Kazakov again and asked: "Comrade General, if I'm not mistaken, Yelets should be an important transportation hub, right?"

"That's right, this is indeed an important transportation hub," Kazakov nodded, and replied, "Our army's military supplies are first transported here, and then transferred to other areas..."

"Comrade General, since it is an important transportation hub." Sokov did not wait for Kazakov to finish, and said first: "In addition to road transportation, railway transportation should also be very developed. Now our brigade will return by car. Moscow, it's obviously a dead end, I wonder if you can arrange a military column for us and send us back to Moscow?"

Hearing what Sokov said, Belkin's eyes lit up, and he said to himself, "Yes, although the convoy has already left, we can still return to Moscow by military train, and it will only take a few hours. "Thinking so in my heart, I stared at Kazakov intently, eagerly waiting for his reply.

Kazakov stood there thinking for a moment, then turned around and walked to the desk, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said into the microphone: "I am Kazakov, pick me up at the station immediately, and find a military representative. "

When the military representative answered the phone, Kazakov raised his voice and asked, "Comrade military representative, tell me, is there any empty train back to Moscow? ... When is the departure time?" Kazakov turned his head and asked in a low voice. Sokov, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, where is your unit?"

Although Sokov did not hear the answer from the army representative at the station, he also guessed that the departure time of the army train was approaching. As soon as he heard Kazakover and other questions, he immediately replied: "Our troops are currently leaving the headquarters. One street is on standby."

"Very good." After Kazakov said this, he said into the microphone again: "Comrade Army Representative, I order you to postpone the departure for half an hour. An infantry brigade will go to Moscow in a military column to report... What, You don't have the right to change the departure time of the train?...Although you don't have the right, I think I, as the commander of the garrison, should have the right....That's it, when the infantry brigade arrives, and when can it leave!"

When Kazakov got angry at the army representative at the station, Sokov and Belkin couldn't help but smile, because this way, the troops would not have to walk to Moscow.

After finishing the call, Kazakov turned around and said to Sokov and Belkin: "Comrades, two commanders, according to the dispatch plan, the military column returning to Moscow should start in ten minutes. I have asked the military representative to postpone the departure. It's time for the departure, you should rush there immediately with your troops."

After thanking Kazakov, Sokov and Belkin left the garrison headquarters and hurried back to the resting place of the troops. After learning the location of the station from a patrol team, the infantry brigade drove to the station again.

Sokov thought that when his troops arrived at the station, the station master and army representatives would come out to greet him. But when he got to the station, he realized that he was thinking too much. A train of military vehicles drove into the station continuously and stopped on the platform. Not long after, with the sound of the siren, the military trains full of technical equipment and soldiers drove towards the real front line; there were also some trains carrying the wounded. , After returning from the front line, it slowly stopped on the platform. As soon as the car stopped, the medical staff waiting here opened the car and carried the seriously injured person lying on the stretcher into the car.

Seeing the continuous flow on the platform, Sokov seemed a little dazed. He stopped an officer passing in front of him and asked loudly, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, do you know where the station master's office is?"

Unexpectedly, the officer waved his hand at Sokov after hearing this, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, my unit is only temporarily stopping here, and I don't know where the station master's office is!"

Sokov asked a few more people, but no one knew where the station master's office he was looking for was. Fortunately, Belgin's mind was good, so he stopped a middle-aged man in a railway worker's uniform and asked where the station master's office was.

Soldiers were everywhere on the platform, and the officers were yelling loudly. The soldiers who heard their orders hurried to the designated assembly point. Sokov and Belkin squeezed through the crowd, and finally came to the door of the room with the sign "Station Master's Room". After identifying themselves to the sentry on guard, they walked into the station master's room.

As soon as he entered the spacious station master's room, Sokov felt that he had come to the vegetable market, where countless people were holding phones and yelling into the microphone. Sokov glanced quickly across the room, and he found that most of the people were wearing the uniforms of railway employees, and there were only a few people in military uniforms, but these people's military ranks were all low, and they were obviously not the people he was looking for. After scanning the room twice, his gaze finally settled on an officer in the corner. The officer who was on the phone was wearing the rank of captain. According to Sokov's analysis, he should be the military representative he was looking for.

After Sokov winked at Belkin, he walked quickly towards the captain. The captain who was on the phone felt that someone was walking in front of him, so he looked up at them. After seeing the military ranks of the two, the captain quickly said a few words, put down the phone, looked at Sokov and asked, "Are you the commander of the infantry brigade?"

"Yes, I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, and this is my political commissar Belgin." Sokov replied, "We are here to return to Moscow by car."

Unexpectedly, after he finished speaking, the captain hummed lightly, and then asked: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how many people are there in your brigade?"

"There are about 5,000 people." Seeing the captain's lukewarm look, Sokov withdrew his extended hand and replied dryly, "There are no heavy weapons."

"What, you have almost 5,000 people?" The captain was stunned by Sukov's words. He looked at Sukov and asked in amazement, "Aren't you an infantry brigade? Why is the number about the same as an infantry division?"

Sokov was in a hurry to let the troops board the vehicle, and did not explain in detail to the other party, but simply said: "Our brigade was formed by the Supreme Commander himself, so in terms of organization, it is different from other troops. Comrade Captain, Don't know where we'll be boarding?"

"The military column you are on stops at platform No. 5. I will send someone to take you there..." Before the captain finished speaking, he changed his words and said, "Forget it, let me take you there myself. Please wait for me Let me tell you something, and I will take you there."

While the captain was explaining the matter to his subordinates, Belkin leaned close to Sokov's ear and said in a low voice, "Comrade Brigadier, I don't know if you have noticed that this army representative originally didn't want to take us to Platform 5." But when I heard that our army was formed by the Supreme Commander himself, the attitude changed."

Before Sokov could speak, the captain, who had finished explaining his work, had returned to the two of them, and said respectfully, "Two commanders, let's go to Platform 5 now. By the way, your troops are now at Where?"

"Outside the station," Sokov replied curtly.

"I see, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel. I will immediately arrange for someone to take them to Platform 5." The captain said with a smile on his face, "Now, please follow me, two commanders."

Followed the captain to platform No. 5. Compared with the place just now, this place seemed much deserted. The captain explained to the two with a smile on his face: "This military column is to deliver ammunition to the front line. It was supposed to leave ten minutes ago and return to Moscow. But since General Kazakov greeted him personally, the departure time will be postponed." After you board the train. However, the two commanders, I still ask your troops to act quickly. The train is delayed for less than an hour, and it will not have much impact. But if the delay is too long, it will affect the overall transportation Scheduling work, I hope you can understand."

"Understood, understood. I completely understand." As soon as the captain finished speaking, Belgin nodded and said, "We will board the train in the shortest possible time."

Sokov suddenly remembered a joke from later generations, saying that no matter how long the Aeroflot plane takes off, it will always arrive on time. I don't know if this military train departs one hour late, can it also arrive in Moscow on time?

When the troops began to board the train, the station army representative said to Sokov and Belkin apologetically: "comrades, two commanders, according to the usual practice, a special box should be prepared for you. But I didn't expect that a brigade of yours would actually There were so many people that we had to bring in several wagons from other places to fit them all. So..."

"Comrade Captain, you don't need to talk." Before the military representative finished speaking, Sokov raised his hand and interrupted him: "We can understand your difficulties. Since the wagon is so tight, a special box There is no need, we will be crowded in the same compartment with the soldiers."

The captain originally thought that he would be scolded for not being able to provide a separate compartment for Sokov and the others, but he was very surprised that the two were so easy to talk to. The captain turned around and waved to a subordinate not far away, and when the other came to his side, he leaned close to the other's ear and whispered a few words. The subordinate nodded, then turned and left.

The scene of the private chat between the captain and his subordinates happened to be seen by Sokov, but he didn't pay attention to it. His main attention was still on the commanders and fighters who were boarding the vehicle, and he thought to himself: From here to Moscow, it will take almost a day and night The soldiers can sleep in the car until dawn.

At this moment, the captain's subordinates ran back from not far away, holding a paper bag in their hands, which was bulging, and they didn't know what was in it. The captain took the paper bag from his subordinates, handed it to Sokov, and said with a smile: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this is a little wish from me, please accept it."

Belkin took the paper bag, glanced inside, saw a dozen apples in the bag, and said politely: "Comrade Captain, you have arranged a military column for us. We haven't had time to express our thanks to you, why don't we thank you?" I can still accept your gift. Please take it back."

Just when Belkin was about to hand the paper bag back to the captain, Sokov on the side reached out and took the paper bag, and said to the captain with a smile: "Comrade captain, since you are so enthusiastic, I will accept your gift." !"