red moscow

Chapter 2723

After driving for more than an hour, the convoy entered the territory of Kursk Oblast.

After Sokov's first time traveling, he came to Kursk Oblast and participated in the famous Battle of Kursk, where he made great achievements. In later life, every time he went to Ukraine, he had to pass through this place. At that time, he felt that the land was vast and sparsely populated. The sides of the road were either plains covered with weeds or endless forests. Only after driving a long way could you occasionally see a village or a small town. Of course, if you take a train, you will find that the railway line is relatively prosperous. Most of the population of the state is concentrated in the towns along the railway.

Now, because it is wartime, this province located south of Moscow seems more and more desolate. There are basically no traces of residents in the villages and towns passed by. Presumably, the relevant departments were worried that the residents would fall into the clutches of the Germans, so they evacuated them one after another to the east of Moscow.

The road the convoy was traveling on was a dirt road that was covered in dust on sunny days and muddy on rainy days. Although it was not raining, bomb craters left by German planes, destroyed trucks and horse carriages, and suitcases and packages abandoned by refugees could be seen everywhere on the road. The poor road conditions and numerous obstacles seriously affected the convoy's speed.

Vlasov's car was at the front of the convoy. Seeing the scene on the road, he couldn't help but frown and asked the driver with a little dissatisfaction: "Comrade driver, how much time do we have to get to Moscow?"

"Comrade General." Hearing Vlasov's question, the driver said with a bitter face, "Originally, the maximum speed on a road like this could not exceed 50 kilometers per hour. Now the road is full of craters and various obstacles, and it's considered good if the car can reach 30 kilometers per hour."

Vlasov looked at the time. It was already nine o'clock in the morning. "It's still about six hundred kilometers from here to Moscow. At this speed, won't it take until tomorrow to get to Moscow?"

The driver shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly: "Comrade General, if we continue driving at this speed, I'm afraid we really won't be able to reach Moscow until tomorrow."

"Comrade General," the guard sitting in the co-pilot seat half turned around and said to Vlasov, "There is a train station about 20 kilometers ahead. Why don't we change trains, so that we can reach Moscow before dark."

Hearing the guard's words, Vlasov thought to himself that if he continued to drive along the road, not only would the speed be slow, but he might also be spotted by enemy planes at any time. If he could take the train instead, it might be the right choice.

After understanding this, he nodded slowly and said, "Okay, then let's go to the nearest train station."

Sokov, who was sitting in the car behind, didn't know that Vlasov now wanted to take a train to Moscow, and he kept looking up into the sky.

Andrei, who was standing next to him, couldn't help laughing when he saw this: "Sokov, you are too cautious. This place is far away from the battlefield. I don't think there will be any more German planes."

But as soon as he said this, he was refuted by Sokov: "Andrei, didn't you see the craters on the road and the destroyed trucks and carriages? The existence of these things shows that the German Air Force can penetrate this area at any time and attack targets on the ground."

Before Andrei could say anything, the driver next to him spoke up: "Comrade, your friend is right. I often drive this route, and it is bombed by German planes almost every day. At the beginning, there were at least fifty vehicles running this route with me, but now there are only the few that are transporting you."

At this moment, a truck wreckage appeared on the roadside ahead, its frame only black. The driver pointed his head towards it and continued, "See? The driver of that truck was my good friend. When the enemy planes bombed and strafed him, he didn't even have time to get out of the truck, and he died on the driving seat."

Sokov sighed softly and said, "Without air superiority, German planes can attack our transportation lines at any time, causing us huge casualties."

Andrei, who originally thought that Sokov was a little too pessimistic, became nervous after listening to the driver and Sokov: "Comrade driver, why are you driving so slowly? At your current speed, when can we get to Moscow?" He looked up at the sky in panic, "If we are attacked by the German air force, we will be in trouble. I didn't die on the battlefield, but I don't want to lose my life on this road."

"Andrei," Sokov knew the reason why the car was not going fast, and he quickly helped the driver explain to Andrei, "Look at how bad the road is. There are craters everywhere, as well as the wreckage of destroyed trucks and carriages. Even if the driver wants to drive faster, he can't."

Although Andrei heard what Sokov said, he still asked the driver unwillingly: "Comrade driver, can't you go a little faster?"

"I'm sorry, comrade, we can't go any faster." The driver raised his chin towards the car in front of him and said, "Didn't you see that the car in front of you was also driving very slowly? I think the general must be more anxious than you."

"Is there no way to get to Moscow as soon as possible?"

Hearing Andrei's question, the driver turned his head and looked at him, then said quietly: "There is a train station not far from here. If you take the train instead, I believe it will shorten the time it takes to reach Moscow."

When Andrei heard this, he immediately became excited. He turned his head and looked at Sokov, and said excitedly: "Sokov, you heard it, there is a train station not far from here. If we can change trains, we can get to Moscow as soon as possible."

But Sokov's attitude was also cold: "Andrei, the person who decided the itinerary was not me, but General Vlasov sitting in the car in front. As long as it is his order, whether it is by train or by car, I will resolutely obey the order."

He knew very well that taking a train to Moscow would be much faster than taking a truck. But the German Air Force was now frantically bombing the Soviet supply lines, and the railways were definitely the main direction of their attack. Although the trains were faster than trucks, if a train was destroyed in an air raid, the transportation of the entire railway line would be interrupted. On the road, even if a vehicle was destroyed, other vehicles could bypass the destroyed vehicle. If a train on the railway was destroyed, other trains could not bypass it before the cleanup work was completed.

Unexpectedly, a moment later, the driver shouted excitedly: "Look, the car in front has turned into a fork in the road, and that road leads to the train station."

"Sokov, what should we do?"

Although Sokov felt that taking the train to Moscow was somewhat unreliable, he saw that Vlasov's car was already heading towards the train station. His guard unit protecting Vlasov's safety could only follow him wherever he went. "Comrade driver, follow him."

The convoy followed Vlasov's vehicle and arrived at a remote small station.

The station was under military control. When the military representative saw a motorcade approaching the station, he hurried out to greet them. When he saw Vlasov stepping out of the car, the military representative hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Hello, Comrade General! I am the military representative of the station. Are you here to inspect our work?"

"No, Comrade Military Representative," Vlasov said, shaking his head. "I am not here to inspect the work, but to take the train."

"By train?" The military representative was surprised when he heard Vlasov say that. "But, Comrade General, a month after the outbreak of the war, only military trains stopped here occasionally to restock coal and water. Civilian trains no longer stopped at the station."

When Vlasov learned that the civilian train would not stop at the station, he did not panic. Instead, he said with a smile: "Comrade Military Representative, don't you see that I am with a troop? There is no extra space in the civilian vehicle to carry so many people. We are going to take the military train."

"Comrade General," the military representative looked at Vlasov and said politely, "Please wait a moment. I will call and ask when the military train will arrive."

Vlasov nodded slightly: "Go ahead."

After the military representatives left, Sokov came to Vlasov and asked, "Comrade General, are you planning to take the train to Moscow?"

"That's right, Comrade Sokov." Vlasov nodded and said in a positive tone: "You didn't realize that the convoy is moving too slowly. At this speed, we will have to wait until tomorrow to get to Moscow at the earliest."

Sokov didn't say anything after hearing this, but he was thinking in his heart whether he should persuade Vlasov to continue to take the bus to Moscow. Taking the train might shorten the time to reach Moscow, but if something happened on the way, he would be stuck on the road.

"Comrade General," before Sokov could speak, the deputy company commander, Lieutenant Denis, came over and asked tentatively, "Are we going to take a train to Moscow?"

"That's right, Comrade Lieutenant." Vlasov said with a smile, "It's still about 20 kilometers from here to Moscow. If we drive at this speed, it will take at least hours to reach Moscow. I'm going to Moscow to report on my work and accept a new appointment, so I can't waste too much time on the road."

"Great, that's great." Denis was delighted when he heard Vlasov say that. "The road condition is too bad. I'm almost torn apart sitting in the driver's seat, not to mention the soldiers sitting in the car. If the road continues to be bumpy like this, if something happens on the road, the soldiers may not be able to join the battle immediately."

Denis' words made Sokov shudder. Then he began to pray in his heart: the bad ones don't work, the good ones work, and Denis must not be a bad person, otherwise he would be in trouble if he really encountered a German in disguise on the road.

After Vlasov and Denis chatted for a while, the military representative came out of the stationmaster's office and said to Vlasov: "Comrade General, can you please have a word with me?"

After Vlasov and the military representative walked aside, Denis whispered to Sokov, "Sokov, I didn't expect that General Vlasov is so approachable. You know, the commanders I met before, let alone generals, even majors, always put on an air of authority when talking to me, which put a great psychological burden on me. If possible, I would like to follow General Vlasov all the time."

Hearing what Denis said, Sokov's facial muscles twitched. He thought to himself that if he really followed Vlasov, there would be only two outcomes: one was becoming a prisoner of the Germans; the other was being arrested as Vlasov's lackey, or even being executed. Anyway, no matter what the outcome was, it would not end well. If he had a chance, he would find a way to get rid of him.

After Vlasov chatted with the military representative for a while, he walked back expressionlessly and said to Sokov: "Sokov, let the soldiers get on the bus and we will continue on our way."

Denis was shocked when he heard this and asked, "Comrade General, didn't you say that we were going to change trains here and go to Moscow?"

"The situation has changed, Comrade Lieutenant." Vlasov said with a serious expression: "The military representative told me that if nothing unexpected happens, the military train returning to Moscow will not arrive until after 10 o'clock tonight. We don't have that much time to wait here. I decided to return to Moscow by car."

After figuring out what was going on, Dennis' face was full of disappointment, but he still agreed reluctantly: "I understand, Comrade General." Then he went back to ask the soldiers to get on the bus.

When the soldiers began to board the vehicles, Sokov said to Vlasov: "Comrade General, since we are your guard, our vehicles should go in front, and your car should go in the middle of the convoy. This will ensure your safety."

Vlasov thought what Sokov said made sense. Since the convoy following him was to protect his safety, it would be convenient for their security work if his car was in the middle of the convoy. So he readily agreed, "Okay, Comrade Sokov, I'll do as you say. My car will be in the middle of the convoy."

The convoy started again. Andrei asked Sokov curiously, "Sokov, why did you want Comrade General's car to drive in the middle of the convoy?"

"Andrei, I have a bad feeling in my heart." Sokov said solemnly, "I feel that the journey will not be peaceful. If the general's car is in the front, who will be responsible if something happens? Now that the general's car is in the middle of the convoy, no matter if we are attacked from the front or the rear, we can form a battle formation in time to ensure the general's safety."

After listening to Sokov's words, Andrei smiled bitterly and said, "Well, Comrade Sokov, since you are now the company commander, you have the final say on all matters in the company."

The convoy drove along the road for nearly two hours and was about to reach Oboyan when a truck full of soldiers appeared in front of them.

"Sokov, look quickly. There's a truck coming over here. It's full of soldiers. They're heading to the front line."

Sokov stared at the truck and carefully counted the soldiers sitting in the car. There were 16 people in total, plus the three people in the driver's seat, the total number was 19. He thought to himself, if Andrei said that these people were going to the front line, but the number was too small, wasn't it? Not to mention encountering a large German force, even if it was just an airborne group, it would be enough to annihilate them all.

(End of this chapter)