Red Moscow.

Chapter 2780

"Comrade Chief of Staff, what's going on?" As soon as the Chief of Staff put down the phone, Sokov couldn't wait to ask: "What happened?"

The chief of staff turned to look at Sokov and said with some laughter: "It's a motorized infantry battalion. Their battalion commander said that they achieved good results here today and they plan to stay there for another day. The brigade commander is not here, I We have no right to let them stay there.”

Sokov had been a commander in his previous life, so he naturally understood how to resist and accept chaos. As soon as the Chief of Staff finished speaking, he said with a straight face: "Comrade Chief of Staff, this is an obvious act of disobedience." , Doesn’t the battalion commander know that if he does this, he will be punished by his superiors? "

Regarding Sokov's statement, the chief of staff shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly: "People are very tolerant of winners. The infantry battalion achieved good results in daytime battles, even if they knew What they did was disobeying orders, but even if their superiors knew about it, they probably wouldn't be punished. "

Sokov knew that he was a man of few words. No matter what he said, the chief of staff would not listen. He could only ask helplessly: "Where did Colonel Katukov go?"

"The troops of the second echelon have arrived." The chief of staff replied: "The brigade commander has gone to deploy defense. I don't know when he will be back."

Knowing that Katukov's return date has not yet been determined, Sokov hesitated for a moment and finally said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, although I am only the liaison officer sent to you by the commander of the army and am not qualified to give you orders, I still recommend that you , let the infantry battalion follow Colonel Katukov's order and immediately move to the First Military Village under the cover of darkness to build a new defense. If it continues to be delayed, it may affect the brigade commander's entire combat deployment. "

But the chief of staff was obviously not a courageous person. Although during the day, Katukov gave an order to the commander of the infantry battalion, asking them to wait until dark and then immediately move their positions and retreat to the first military village. Position to build a new line of defense. But the infantry battalion commander was obviously dazzled by the day's victory, and still wanted to continue to hold on to the original position and continue to create more brilliant results the next day.

But the battalion commander apparently forgot that there were no permanent fortifications on their defense line, only some simple field fortifications. If the German army bombs their positions indiscriminately before attacking tomorrow, I am afraid that the commanders and soldiers on the position will suffer heavy casualties before they see the enemy. When the enemy attacks, there may not be many people left who can continue to resist.

The chief of staff ignored Sokov and continued busy with his work. Seeing that his words didn't count, Sokov felt disappointed, but he was helpless.

It wasn't until after ten o'clock in the evening that Katukov walked in from outside with a tired look on his face.

Seeing Katukov's return, the chief of staff immediately greeted him and asked with concern: "Comrade Brigade Commander, have the second echelon been deployed?"

"Yes, the defenses have been deployed according to my orders." After Katukov said briefly, he asked: "Did anything new happen on the first echelon's defense line?"

"No, Comrade Brigade Commander." The Chief of Staff shook his head and said, "Everything is normal."

Sokov, who was sitting next to him, waited for a while but did not hear the chief of staff mention the infantry battalion. After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly in his mind, he resolutely said: "Comrade Colonel, there is a situation I want to report to you."

Katukov looked at Sokov in surprise and asked in surprise: "Captain Sokov, what's going on?"

"You once gave the order to the motorized infantry battalion during the day, asking them to use the cover of night to move to the direction of the First Soldier Village after dark and establish a new position there." Sokov took a look and turned pale. The chief of staff continued: "But so far, they still stay in their original positions and have not implemented your orders."

Katukov frowned and asked the Chief of Staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is everything Captain Sokov said true?"

"Yes, Comrade Brigade Commander, what he said is true." The chief of staff defended himself: "The infantry battalion commander said that they achieved good results on the existing position during the day. If they continue to hold on there, They will definitely achieve more brilliant results tomorrow, so they decided to stick to their original position.”

After listening to the chief of staff's report, Katukov raised his hand and slapped the table, and asked dissatisfiedly: "Chief of Staff, why didn't you report such an important matter to me?"

"Comrade Brigade Commander, you were deploying the second echelon of defense. I don't think you should be disturbed for such a trivial matter..."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, what are you talking about?" Katukov said angrily: "I asked the infantry battalion to withdraw to the vicinity of the First Military Village to set up a new defense line after dark. I must have considered it. Although they In today's battle, good results were achieved, but at the same time the specific details of their position were exposed. position. If I were the German commander, I would definitely concentrate artillery fire on the location of the position before the attack started tomorrow. I would wait until the fortifications were almost destroyed before launching the attack. How can we stop the enemy's attack with heavy casualties?"

After hearing what Katukov said, the chief of staff also realized the seriousness of the problem and timidly asked: "Comrade Brigade Commander, what should we do now?"

"What else can we do? Of course let them retreat to the First Soldier Village to build a new line of defense according to the original plan." Katukov may be worried that the infantry battalion commander will disobey the order again, and specifically emphasized: "You tell the infantry battalion Commander, this is an order I personally gave. If he disobeys, I will consider replacing him with a battalion commander who knows how to carry out orders from his superiors."

While the chief of staff was calling the infantry battalion, Katukov gratefully said to Sokov: "Captain Sokov, thank you for telling me about this. If the infantry battalion did not retreat according to the original order, and "Staying in the current position will disrupt my defensive arrangements and force me to make adjustments tomorrow."

"Comrade Colonel," Sokov said quickly: "This is what I should do."

Katukov took out the cigarette case and handed it to Sokov. After being rejected by Sokov, he put the cigarette case back into his pocket and asked tentatively: "Captain Sokov, what are your plans for the future?"

Sokov didn't know what the purpose of Katukov's question was, so he didn't say anything, just looked at him without saying a word.

"That's it." Katukov saw that Sokov didn't seem to understand his intention, so he explained: "I think that with your ability, it is a bit too unqualified to be such a liaison officer with no real power, and it is also a bit unfair. You won’t have a good future. But if you are determined to serve as a grassroots commander in the front-line army, you may be able to reach the same level as me in less than two years, so you might as well consider it.”

"Comrade Colonel, I will seriously consider your proposal." Sokov didn't think about the grassroots troops. The reason why he was able to become a general and even the commander of the group army in more than a year in his previous life was because he stayed at the forefront. In the combat troops, there are more opportunities to make achievements. If he continued to stay with Potapov and serve as a liaison officer with little real power, by the end of the war, the colonel officer might be the ceiling of his military career.

Seeing that Sokov agreed to consider his opinion, Katukov showed a smile on his face. He struck while the iron was hot and said: "If General Potapov agrees that you go to the grassroots level, you might as well consider my army. I believe this platform can be more effective." Use your talents.”

…

Early the next morning, artillery preparations before the German attack began. The position where the infantry battalion was located was enveloped in smoke and fire in just a few minutes.

After learning that the Germans had begun shelling the infantry battalion's positions, Katukov immediately asked the Chief of Staff: "Chief of Staff, are all the infantry battalions withdrawing from their positions?"

"Yes, the infantry battalions have all withdrawn from their original positions before dawn." The chief of staff said hesitantly: "But..."

"But what?" Katukov asked with a straight face.

"Although the infantry battalion followed the order and withdrew to the First Soldier Village, there is still an anti-tank artillery company on the original position."

Hearing what the chief of staff said, Katukov suddenly became angry: "What, there is still an anti-tank artillery company left on that position? Why don't they retreat?"

Faced with Katukov's anger, the chief of staff awkwardly explained: "When the infantry battalion retreated, they forgot to notify the anti-tank artillery company."

"It's nonsense, it's just nonsense." Katukov became furious after hearing this: "This matter must be dealt with seriously. If the anti-tank artillery company suffers huge losses in today's battle, the infantry battalion commander will not be able to escape. "Relevant."

"Comrade Brigade Commander." The Chief of Staff asked tentatively: "How about we withdraw the anti-tank artillery company from the position now?"

"Do you think they can still withdraw under the current situation?" Katukov sighed and said: "We can only pray for them to survive such fierce German artillery fire."

"Comrade Colonel," Sokov felt that staying at the brigade headquarters was not interesting, so he stood up and said to Katukov: "With your permission, I want to go to the mixed camp of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

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Katukov stared at Sokov for a while, nodded slowly, and said: "I allow it! But I want to remind you, Captain Sokov, although the mixed battalion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not enter the battle yesterday, today There may be fierce fighting in the area they are holding, so you must pay attention to safety and come back safely. "

"Don't worry, Comrade Colonel, I will come back alive."

Sokov drove to the mixed battalion's position.

Battalion Commander Korovin was shocked when he saw Sokov walking into his command post, and then asked: "Captain Sokov, what are you doing here?"

"I think there may be a fierce battle here today." Sokov said to Korowin with a smile: "I am here to participate in the battle."

Korovin stared at Sokov for a while, then sighed softly and said: "Captain Sokov, you shouldn't have come!" Then he stood up, walked to Sokov's side, raised his hand and patted him. Patting him on the shoulder, he said, "Follow me."

Sokov followed Korovin to yesterday’s observation point.

Korowin pointed to the original position of the infantry battalion shrouded in smoke and fire in the distance, and said: "Look, the enemy shelled the infantry battalion position so violently. If the enemy used the same violent artillery fire to deal with us, Do you still think that joining the battle is the right choice?”

Sokov looked at Korowin and said seriously: "Captain Korowin, I am a soldier, and it is my responsibility to protect my family and the country. I can't just hide in the headquarters because the forward position is dangerous. ? I came here today to fight side by side with you to destroy the invading enemies."

After listening to Sokov's words, Korovin was silent for a long time, and finally stretched out his hand to Sokov and said in a friendly tone: "Captain Sokov, you are welcome to join us."

After the two shook hands, Korowin continued to ask Sokov: "Captain Sokov, I wonder if you have any corresponding combat experience?"

"Of course." Sokov nodded and said in a positive tone: "If I had never been on the battlefield and had rich combat experience, I would not have been sent to the 4th Tank Brigade."

"Then tell me, what should we do today?"

Soko stared at the position in the distance and said: "Comrade Captain, according to my analysis, the focus of the enemy's attack today is still the position of the infantry battalion. But the comrades of the infantry battalion were ordered to withdraw from the position last night. The enemy is now shelling It’s just an empty position, and their approach is just a waste of artillery shells.”

A commander of Korowin's level had no idea about the infantry battalion's retreat. Hearing what Sokov said at this moment, a shocked expression appeared on his face. He grabbed Sokov's arm and said with some excitement: "Captain Sokov, who told you that the infantry battalion has withdrawn from its position?" ?”

Hearing Korowin's question, Sokov knew that the infantry battalion's retreat last night must have been carried out so covertly that the mixed battalion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on their right had no idea about it. If Korovin asked at this moment, Sokov would not hide it: "It was the brigade commander's order. He had already guessed that after the German army suffered yesterday's defeat, it would definitely concentrate its superior artillery fire on the infantry battalion's position. The bombardment. If the infantry battalion continues to stay in the field position without permanent fortifications, it will inevitably pay huge casualties. "

After figuring out what was going on, Korovin seemed a little panicked: "Captain Sokov, wouldn't our flanks be exposed to the enemy in this way? Do you think I need to ask the brigade commander for instructions? The existing defense line retreats?”

"Comrade Captain, do you think the brigade commander will allow you to withdraw from the position under the current circumstances?" Sokov pointed to the place where artillery fire was in the distance and said: "Once you withdraw from the position, you will be discovered by the enemy. At this time, such overwhelming artillery fire will cover your retreating troops. How many of you do you think can survive after being severely bombarded by the enemy? "

Sokov's words silenced Korowin. After a long time, he asked: "Then what do you think we should do?"

"Just like yesterday, stay still." Sokov said: "The enemy has not discovered your position. When they advance towards you, you can catch them by surprise." In order to dispel Korowin's concerns, he continued Said, "Although the infantry battalion has retreated, you are not fighting alone. When necessary, you can get support from the rear. Don't worry!"

(End of chapter)