Steel Soviet Union

Tonight was an especially quiet night. Malashenko, who had eaten and drank enough, did not even dare to close his eyes at his division headquarters, let alone go to the camp bed to wrap himself in a blanket and sleep for a while to relieve his fatigue.

The thing about letting the German guy run away in the middle of the night last time was really a disaster for Malashenko. Malashenko, who had never had anything wrong before, really didn't expect that he would stumble into such a mess. , and angrily ate Vatugin's indifferent telegram, which barely saved him some face.

It's enough for this kind of thing to happen again. If it happens a second time, Malashenko will really have no place to rest thinking about his old face. Even if Vatugin didn't do anything to him by then, I guess he would be eager to find a crack in the ground to crawl in. It would be really embarrassing if this happened a second time.

"You've been running around all day, can you handle it without going to bed at night?"

It is not only Malashenko who works the night shift at the division headquarters, but also our "elderly" political commissar comrade.

Comrade Lao Ma, whose eyelids were really fighting, perked up when he heard this, and immediately straightened his back and replied to Comrade Political Commissar.

"You should keep these words to yourself. No matter how bad I am, I am still a young man. I can handle staying up late. But you are an old man and you are seriously ill and have to stay here to work late at night. If you can't hold it anymore, go back and rest. If you have Three long and two short days make me even more busy.

The words may sound a bit unpleasant, but political commissar comrades who are familiar with Malashenko know that this is the way this kid cares about people. He will never give in to you and care about people like a girl.

"I know what my body is like. If I can't bear it, I'll take a rest. Maybe you still have a tough battle to fight tomorrow. If you don't get some sleep, you won't be able to stay energetic all day tomorrow."

Malashenko did not immediately say anything when he heard this. He knew that Comrade Political Commissar was telling the truth.

My eyes are fighting and I feel very sleepy right now. If I hold on until tomorrow, I will probably feel even more uncomfortable, like a walking zombie.

But he was really worried about letting himself go to sleep. Malashenko was really worried that something would go wrong before the mole was found out. The last time I didn't sleep, I made such a big mess. If I went to sleep this time, maybe something else would happen.

After weighing and thinking for a long time, Malashenko finally did not move his butt away from the ammunition box. He continued to sit at the table and raised the cup and took a sip down his throat. But then his whole expression suddenly became strange and his facial features were distorted.

"Damn it! Hans, this coffee tastes terrible! It's like horse urine!"

There are not many things that can be used to wake up these days. Apart from cigarettes, the only thing left is coffee.

A bunch of them had just been seized from the Germans, and they were usually piled up with Karamov, who was in charge of logistics, and almost no one cared about them. Malashenko wanted to refresh himself, so he went to order a few packets. Unexpectedly, the brewed cup tasted even more powerful than Nestlé Duijiang Xiaobai. The first sip he almost gave us... Comrade Ma was sent away on the spot.

"You want to fight that thing yourself, who can blame you? Let me tell you, isn't it good to drink boiled water?"

Before he finished speaking, Comrade Political Commissar picked up the water glass in his hand and poured a sip of steaming boiled water down his throat. Malashenko, who was holding his hand and drinking Hans coffee, looked at it. It was a frown.

"If it weren't for the sake of refreshing yourself, who the hell would be willing to drink this urine-like thing!? You're really asking for trouble for yourself."

After shaking his head, Malashenko still chose to hold his nose and pour it down his throat, and continued to drink. Although the taste was really not good, it did have a good refreshing effect. After a few sips, Malashenko didn't know if it was due to his own illusion. Anyway, he felt that his whole body suddenly became more energetic. In short, since it has an effect, he will continue to drink.

It was past midnight and everything was fine. Malashenko, who had drank countless cups of Hans coffee and smoked his third pack of cigarettes today, was still struggling to hold on.

But what Malashenko doesn't know is that something related to him is happening in the headquarters of the First Ukrainian Front at this moment. Two big bosses of the Red Army are also awake at this moment, sitting at a small square table. We were eating late night snacks and discussing things.

"I come here this time with the words of Comrade Stalin, Comrade Vatutin. Comrade Stalin is very satisfied with the performance of your First Ukrainian Front. The battle in Cherkasy was fought beautifully from beginning to end. This The First World War was the first large-scale annihilation war against the enemy since we entered a strategic counter-offensive posture. We are still fighting so well. Your front army has set a very good example and example for the entire Red Army. This is undoubtedly a good start to the campaign. "

The person sitting opposite Vatutin was none other than Marshal Zhukov, the Red Army God of War who was very popular in the Red Army and Stalin's firefighting captain.

Zhukov, who specially went down to the headquarters of the First Ukrainian Front to inspect, had just arrived this evening.

I originally wanted to ask Vatutin to go downstairs to inspect the situation of the troops, but Vatutin stopped Zhukov in his tracks with his words.

First of all, it was getting late and the battle had not yet settled. Going downstairs to inspect the troops in the middle of the night was a possibility of getting lost in the dark and accidentally slipping into the Germans' sphere of influence. For safety reasons, Vatutin suggested that Zhukov could leave tomorrow.

Secondly, Vatutin still had some things to deal with and people couldn't leave. When Zhukov arrived, Vatutin was busy sending people to persuade the Germans to surrender. If possible, he hoped to do so in a peaceful way. To end this battle that is meaningless and whose outcome is already doomed.

This matter is obviously more important than going down to inspect the troops immediately. This is a major matter involving the lives of tens of thousands of people, including of course the lives of countless Red Army soldiers.

Zhukov, who chose to follow Vatutin's advice, stayed and participated in the meeting that Vatutin personally chaired later as a representative of the Supreme Command. He made some comments and appreciation for the recent war operations of the 1st Ukrainian Front Army, and encouraged all members of the Front Army Command to continue their efforts and fight well in the final battle.

The rest of the meeting was basically handled and presided over by Vatutin. Zhukov, who had just arrived at the First Front Army Headquarters, had not yet figured out the situation and understood the details, so naturally he did not leave it here to show off. Leaders talk nonsense.

The meeting lasted until after 11 o'clock in the evening. Vatutin and Zhukov, who were hungry and had not eaten, only had a meal and chatted while eating. The two big guys talked and talked about it. Malashenko's side.