Red Moscow

After Sokov and the others left the camp of the guerrillas, they walked out of the woods, preparing to find the armored vehicles parked there, and send out the information Maria had received by radio as soon as possible.

When they approached the edge of the woods, they suddenly heard someone asking in front of them: "Comrade Brigadier, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me." Sokov recognized that the person who asked the question was Wamko, and quickly replied, "We're back."

When everyone came to the armored vehicle, Sokov said to Maria: "Comrade Maria, there is a radio in the car, you can send a report directly to the Army Group Command." Then he ordered everyone, "Christopher help Maria, The rest of the people pay attention."

When Maria started to send the message, Christopher held a flashlight to illuminate her so that she could see what was written on the note in her hand. And Sokov sat aside, crossed his hands on his chest, quietly staring at Maria who was sending the report. He was thinking in his heart: Is it really useful to send back such vague information? You must know that the troops of the 62nd and 64th armies have suffered heavy losses. I am afraid that even if Paulus's battle plan is placed in front of Cuikov, he will be helpless without enough troops.

After Maria finished sending the telegram, Sokov picked up a spare set of German uniforms, handed them to Maria, and said to her: "Comrade Maria, put on this German uniform, which will help us pass through Germany smoothly." Human defense zone." Maria thanked Sokov and took the German uniform.

While Maria was changing in the car, everyone, including Sokov, got out of the car. Christopher asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade Brigadier, where are we going next?"

"Where else can we go?" Sokov glanced at Christopher and said strangely: "Of course it is to return to Mamayev Post. Don't you know that the German army's large-scale attack on the city is about to start? "

"But, Comrade Brigadier, didn't you say that the weather is cold and you want to get a batch of leather clothes back?"

Hearing Christopher mentioning the leather jacket, Sokov immediately remembered the wooden stumps Gumyev had mentioned, and he thought about bringing them back to wear for the soldiers on duty at night. Thinking of this, he shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Forget it, without Gumyev leading the way, none of us would be able to find it, so don't think about it."

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Maria, who was wearing a German helmet, leaned out from the top of the carriage, and said to Sokov outside: "I have changed my clothes, can we go?"

Sokov looked up, and then said to the others: "Comrades, get in the car!"

Just when everyone got into the armored vehicle and Wamko was about to start the vehicle, he suddenly heard someone shouting in the distance: "Wait a minute, Comrade Commander, please wait a moment.

Hearing the shout, Sokov quickly ordered Wamko: "Wamko, it seems that someone is calling us." After speaking, he stood up, holding the side wall of the carriage, and looked in the direction of the sound.

A guerrilla trotted out of the woods. He came to the armored vehicle, looked up at Sokov, and said out of breath, "Comrade commander, hello! I am the health worker of the guerrillas. "

Sokov nodded at the health worker and asked, "Comrade health worker, what's the matter?"

"It's like this," the health worker quickly explained, "When I changed Comrade Gumyev's dressing just now, I found that the wound was already inflamed, and he also had a persistent high fever. There will be danger to life. Therefore, I would like to ask you to take Comrade Gumyev to the hospital in Stalingrad."

Sokov thought to himself that if Christopher and Gumyev hadn't broken the wound during the fight and hadn't treated it in time, the wound would not have become inflamed and had a persistent high fever, so he sent Gumyev to the hospital by himself. , is obligatory. Thinking of this, he quickly asked the health worker, "Where is Gumyev?"

"Our soldiers are carrying him here." The health worker replied, "I'm worried that you have left, so I came here to greet you first." Hearing this, Sukov thought, isn't it, you are in the woods When he called us, Wamko was about to launch the armored vehicle. If you came a little later, you really wouldn't be able to see us.

While waiting for four guerrillas to carry a stretcher to the front of the armored vehicle, without waiting for Sokov's order, Christopher and others got out of the vehicle and helped carry Gumyev into the vehicle. After Gumyev was settled, Sokov waved to the guerrillas under the car and said, "Comrades, don't worry, I will definitely send your deputy captain to the hospital safely."

After the armored vehicle started, it drove forward along the road it came from. Ten minutes later, the sky was already bright, and there was a fork in the road ahead. Wamko was trying to take the road on the left, trying to get back to the urban area as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, before he could turn around, he heard Gumyev behind him say, "Take the road on the right."

"Go to the right?" Sokov looked at Gumyev and asked puzzledly: "Comrade Gumyev, if we take the road on the right, we will be farther and farther away from Stalingrad."

"Comrade Commander," Gumyev tried to force a smile on his face and said, "Didn't I say that there were still a batch of finished clothes in the fur factory where I worked? , we might as well go and pull those clothes back to the city."

"Comrade Brigadier, we can't disappoint Comrade Gumyev's good intentions." Before Sokov could express his opinion, Christopher said, "Why don't we just take a trip?"

Seeing that several subordinates in the carriage cast expectant glances at him, and Sukov was also interested in the batch of finished furs, he did not object, but nodded and said: "Since That's it, then we'll take the right path."

The armored vehicle turned onto the road on the right and drove forward for four or five kilometers. Sukov suddenly found that this road seemed to be extremely slow. German tanks and trucks pulling artillery were moving forward slowly along the road. . Teams of infantry walked on one side of the road to make way for tanks and trucks.

"Damn it." Seeing this situation, Sukov couldn't help feeling terrified. He actually broke into the middle of the Germans unknowingly. , stop this armored vehicle of mine for inspection, then everything will be ruined?"

Fortunately, what everyone was worried about did not happen. After driving forward for a further distance, a side road appeared. Gumyev whispered to Sokov, "Go through that side road and you will reach the fur processing factory where I used to work."

When the armored vehicle drove onto the side road, away from the marching German army, all the people in the vehicle let out a long sigh of relief. Christopher smiled bitterly and said: "When so many German soldiers passed by us just now, I was sweating in my hands, thinking that if the Germans found out, I would immediately shoot without hesitation. Killing one is enough money, killing two is profitable..."

In order to liven up the atmosphere in the car, Sokov intentionally said to Gumyev: "Comrade Gumyev, I think you have also seen how much risk we have taken here. If we don’t find the fur clothes we want, it’s really a big loss.”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Gumyev blushed and said, "I assure you, no matter whether you can enter the fur processing factory or not, I will not let you make your trip in vain."

Hearing Gumyev speak so confidently, Sokov couldn't help but start to wonder: Did Gumyev hide a batch of clothes in advance, otherwise he wouldn't dare to say such confident words.

The armored vehicle drove forward for a further distance, and a small village appeared in front of it. Without waiting for Sokov to ask questions, Gumyev said loudly, "Don't enter the village, go around outside the village, and you will soon see the fur processing factory."

After bypassing the village, everyone saw a processing factory surrounded by red brick walls in front of them. It may be to prevent people from entering and stealing, and there is actually a barbed wire on it. Before the car approached, Sokov knew in his heart that it would be as difficult as heaven to get out of the more than one hundred fur wooden blocks from the warehouse of the processing factory.

It may be that a certain level of command organization of the German army took a fancy to this processing plant and changed it into a headquarters. In addition to the crossbars and sandbag fortifications at the entrance of the factory gate, there are two groups of German soldiers patrolling with dogs outside the wall.

When the car drove past 20 or 30 meters from the factory gate, Sokov asked Samoilov: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, what kind of command post do you think this is the German army?"

"There are four antennas on the roof." Although the armored vehicle drove by the factory gate for a short time, Samoilov still observed many useful details: "There are two cars and several three-wheelers parked in the yard. motorcycles. In my estimation, this is at least a division headquarters."

"What, there is a division headquarters here?" Christopher couldn't help but his eyes lit up when he heard this, and then he suggested to Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, since we have already arrived here, why not take the risk, Charge in at full speed and take down this German headquarters."

Sokov didn't speak, just reached out and touched Christopher's forehead. Then he said: "Comrade Lieutenant, I don't think you have a fever, why are you talking nonsense?" He snorted softly, and added, "Do you think the German division is so easy to fight? You don't Look, there are only a few of us, and to attack the headquarters guarded by nearly a hundred people is to die, understand?" Christopher, who was criticized by Sokov, could only keep his mouth shut obediently.

Samoilov on the side nodded and said: "Comrade Brigadier is very accurate in his judgment. Based on the analysis of the area of ​​the processing plant, the German security force has at least one company. Don't say that we are riding in armored vehicles. Even if it is a tank, it may not be able to attack."

"Oh, what a pity." Sokov turned his head and glanced at the processing plant that was getting farther and farther away, and said with great regret: "I really didn't expect that the Germans actually used this place as a headquarters. It seems that we want to go in to get wood. Tun's plan is all in vain."

"Comrade Commander," Gumyev replied with some embarrassment after hearing what Sokov said, "Actually, I'm in another place, and I still have some wooden piers hidden for use by the guerrillas. But from the current Depending on the situation, I may not be able to return to the army for a long time, so I think I will give all these wooden blocks to you."

When Sokov learned that Gumyev had really hidden a batch of wooden blocks, he couldn't help being overjoyed, and hurriedly asked, "Comrade Gumyev, where are those wooden blocks now?"

"In the small village I just passed by, I hid in an old lady's house at the east end of the village." Gumyev said to Sokov: "The armored vehicle does not need to turn around, just keep going. After crossing a small river, Turn right and follow the road, and we'll be back to the little village we were just now."

The armored vehicle returned to the east end of the small village according to Gumyev's guidance, and stopped at the entrance of the village. After seeing the car stopped, Gumyev said to Christopher next to him, "Comrade, please help me out of the car."

Christopher and Samoilov helped Gumyev get out of the car. Gumyev pointed to a wooden house not far away, and said, "That's the one."

A few people came to the front of the house. Gumyev pushed open the wooden fence door that was concealed with his hands, walked in hobbled, and then called weakly: "Gina, is Gina at home?"

"Who is it?" Following Gumyev's shout, an old voice came from the room.

"It's me, Gumyev." Gumyev quickly replied, "Aunt Gina, I'm here to see you today."

The door opened, and an elderly woman as strong as a bull stepped out. She was startled when she saw a group of Germans standing in the yard. Fortunately, Gumyev greeted her in time: "Aunt Gina, it's me."

After hearing the familiar voice, Aunt Gina looked at Gumyev carefully for a long time before she realized that the other party was indeed Gumyev, and she couldn't help asking in surprise: "I said Gumyev, why are you wearing a suit?" German uniforms?"

"We are on a special mission." Gumyev briefly explained, and then continued: "Aunt Gina, we are here today to take away the wooden pier that was stored here last time."

When Aunt Gina heard Gumyev say this, she shook her head and said, "Because the Germans often come to the village, I was worried that my clothes would be found by them, so I hid them in the woodshed. Come with me!"

Gina led everyone to the door of the firewood room. She turned her head and said to Gumyev, "The clothes are behind the pile of firewood. You can get them yourself."

Gumyev waited for Gina to finish speaking, then turned to Sokov and said, "Comrade Commander, you have heard everything. The clothes are hidden behind the firewood. You can ask your subordinates to move them out."