After more than ten minutes, the observation post called, and the officer in charge politely said to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, I have already sent someone to contact them. www.biquge.info This is the unit of the 126th Infantry Division, which has just broken out of the German encirclement. The attrition of the troops was serious, and the division commander, Colonel Yevgeny, was also wounded and was being carried on the march by the soldiers. ”

"I see, please tell Colonel Evgeny to come to me!"

After Rokossovsky put down the phone, he said to Lobachev, who was sitting in front of him: "Comrade Military Commissar, everything has been figured out. The unit that protruded from the German encirclement was the 126th Infantry Division, whose commander, Colonel Yevgeny, had been wounded during the breakout and was being carried on the march by the soldiers. ”

"They must be tired and hungry as soon as they break out of the German encirclement, and we should arrange for them to rest first, and then deploy them in our defense zone as reserves."

As soon as Lobachev finished speaking, Malinin happened to walk into the tent. Rokossovsky hurriedly looked at him and asked: "Chief of staff, have all the fighters of the people's police detachment been arranged?" ”

"Yes, it's all arranged." Malinin heard Rokossovsky ask about this and hurriedly reported to him: "I have arranged for them to have breakfast, and then I have found a few tents for them to rest. At the same time, the guide of the reconnaissance group, I am also ready. ”

"Well done." After praising Malinin, Rokossovsky went on to say to him: "According to the report from the observation post of the mixed cadet regiment, the 126th Infantry Division, which had just broken out of the German encirclement, entered their defense zone. I have ordered the observation posts to rush all the commanders and fighters of the 126th Division to our place. Their division commander, Colonel Yevgeny, was wounded, and you should immediately contact the military doctor to treat the colonel's wounded. ”

"I see, I'll arrange it." Malinin, who had just entered the tent and had not even had time to sit down, turned around and walked out of the tent after receiving this order from Rokossovsky.

Seeing the back of Malininli, Lobachev said with some regret: "Comrade commander, it's a pity that the military doctor Major Bazel, who was captured by us, did not leave with us, otherwise with his medical skills, he would definitely be able to relieve the pain of our commanders and fighters from being wounded and sick."

"yes, it's a pity." Rokossovsky said with deep sympathy: "According to my observations, he was a particularly skilled military doctor, and it was a pity that he returned to the Germans like this." ”

"If we have the chance, maybe we'll see him again." After Lobachev said this, he turned his head and looked out of the tent, but there was no one outside the tent, but he still lowered his voice and said: "Comrade commander, is there any news of Comrade Borisova?" ”

"Nope." Hearing Lobachev speak of this beautiful female commander, Rokossovsky's expression darkened, and he shook his head and said: "If only we had taken the Jewish regiment with us when we left." In such a situation, one can only pray for God to bless them for a successful escape from the encirclement of the Germans. ”

After another half an hour, soldiers from outside came to report that a unit had passed through the forest from the north and was approaching the position of the headquarters. After listening to the report, Rokossovsky nodded and said, "I see." Then he turned to Lobachev and Malinin, who had just returned, and said, "Let's go, let's go meet our hero." ”

The three of them stood on the side of the road, and it didn't take long for them to see an exhausted procession coming along the muddy road. In the middle of the ranks, there were four fighters carrying a stretcher, on which lay an unconscious officer. Although he couldn't see the officer's face clearly, Rokossovsky guessed at once that this must be Colonel Yevgeny, commander of the 126th Division.

Seeing the three commanders approaching the ranks, one of the officers in the unit quickly turned around, raised one hand high above his head, and shouted loudly behind him: "Stop!" After the troops stopped, he quickly ran in front of Rokossovsky, raised his hand and saluted, and said: "Comrade General, Adil, the political deputy commander of the 126th Infantry Division, reports to you that we have successfully broken through the encirclement of the German troops and are moving eastward. ”

After raising his hand and returning the salute, Rokossovsky said to Adil: "Comrade Political Deputy Division Commander, I am Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army, and I declare that from now on, your division will be under my command!" ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." When Adil heard Rokossovsky say this, he immediately changed his name with interest.

"This is your division commander, Colonel Yevgeny." Rokossovsky looked at the stretcher behind Adil and asked tentatively: "Is his injury serious?" ”

"On the first day of the breakout, the division commander took the lead in rushing to the front of the troops." Adil leaned to the side, let Rokossovsky to the stretcher, and began to introduce the situation: "His abdomen and legs were hit by shrapnel from German shells, because we did not have the necessary medical conditions, so the wounds on the division commander's body were infected, causing him to have a high fever for two consecutive days, and he is still in a state of unconsciousness." With that, he said to the soldier carrying the stretcher, "Put the stretcher down." ”

Perhaps it was the fighter who jolted while lowering the stretcher, which woke Yevgeny from his slumber. He opened his eyes in a daze and asked weakly, "Where are we?" ”

"Comrade Colonel," Rokossovsky crouched beside Yevgeny, holding one of his hands, "you have broken through the German encirclement and reached the forest near Volokolamsk. ”

Yevgeny saw the rank on Rokossovsky's collar badge, and with great effort squeezed a smile on his face, he asked: "Comrade General, I don't know which unit you are the commander of?" ”

"I am the commander of the 16th Army, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, and from now on your troops are under my command." Rokossovsky said bluntly: "Colonel Yevgeny, you better go to the rear to recuperate." When the wounds are healed, go back to the front and strike hard at the Germans! ”

Hearing Rokossovsky like this, the weak Yevgeny smiled and said with some unwillingness: "I really can't bear to leave the front line, my fighters!" ”

Adil, who was squatting on the other side of the stretcher, held Yevgeny's other hand and said excitedly: "Comrade division commander, you see, we rushed out of the enemy's encirclement and found our own troops, and we also brought out the flag of the 126th Division. ”

"Banner!" Yevgeny, who was already weak, suddenly had a bright eye, and then, with the help of Rokossovsky and Adil, he sat up on the stretcher, cheered up and asked: "Where is our military flag?" ”

Adil made a gesture behind him, and immediately a soldier with a banner ran over, unfurled the bullet-riddled flag, and lowered it in front of Yevgeny. Yevgeny held up the corner of the military flag and kissed it affectionately. After the kiss, he looked up at the military flag and whispered to Rokossovsky, who was squatting next to him: "Comrade General, the flag of our 126th Infantry Division will always fly." ”

The nearby soldiers also stepped forward one by one and kissed the military flag. Adil, who had mixed feelings, held up the military flag, and after kissing it, he suddenly stood up and said loudly to the soldiers: "Comrades, let us swear to this banner: I will follow this heroic banner forever!" ”

As soon as his words fell, the warriors immediately repeated loudly: "We will follow this banner of heroes forever!" ”

Malinin arranged for several staff officers to guide the commanders and fighters of the 126th Division to the place carved out for the commanders and fighters in the depths of the forest to rest.

Looking at the troops passing in front of him, Lobachev nodded vigorously, and then said to Rokossovsky with some emotion: "Comrade commander, do you see it? Although we have suffered some setbacks, our commanders and fighters are still full of fighting spirit. With such commanders and fighters, is there any enemy that cannot be defeated? ”

After Rokossovsky waited for Lobachev to finish speaking, he nodded and said: "Comrade Military Commissar, I think the enemy may attack us in the next day or two. ”

"Okay, we should go to the troops and cheer up the soldiers." After Lobachev finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment, and then asked tentatively: "Comrade commander, do you think you should also call Comrade Romanov from the Political Department, after all, he is in charge of political propaganda work?" ”

As a man with posterity memories, Rokossovsky understood how much propaganda work could help to boost the morale of the fighters, so he readily agreed: "Well, call him along." ”

Seeing that the commander and the military commissar were about to leave again, Ma Lining hurriedly asked: "Comrade commander, how should I place the commanders and fighters of the 126th Division?" ”

"Let them serve as a reserve for the army group," Rokossovsky, hearing Malinin's question, immediately replied without thinking: "Together with the 18th division of the militia, placed in the second line of our defense zone." ”

……

The first stop of Rokossovsky's inspection was the defense area of the 316th Regiment of the 1075th Infantry Division. The first place he came here was to meet the famous Crochkov. See for yourself this man who shouted to his subordinates: "Russia is a vast land, but we have no way back, because behind us is Moscow!" Heroic political workers.

The group came to the position of the first battalion of the 1075th Regiment, and the soldiers in the trench saw an officer approaching, stood up one after another, leaned against the wall of the trench and saluted several people. Rokossovsky looked around and saw that the trenches were full of soldiers, and occasionally two commanders, both with the rank of warrant officer or second lieutenant. He walked up to the second lieutenant, smiled and asked: "Comrade second lieutenant, do you know where Comrade Crochkov, a political instructor of the first degree, is?" ”

At this time, the first-class political instructor was equivalent to the battalion instructor in the later part of the war, and the commanders and fighters in the trenches belonged to Crochkov's subordinates. When the second lieutenant heard Rokossovsky's question, he hurriedly raised his hand and pointed to a half-buried shelter not far away, and then said loudly: "There, Comrade General." Comrade 1st Class Political Instructor is there. ”

Rokossovsky, having thanked the second lieutenant, walked forward along the trench with a few more men. A moment later, they came to the door of the shelter, and were about to lift the curtain to enter, when they suddenly heard something coming from inside, as if someone was giving a lecture. Rokossovsky wanted to hear what the people inside had to say, so he stopped Lobachev and them, and several of them stood together in the trenches, quietly listening to the voices coming from inside.

“…… Further south is the territory of Ukraine. In the ancient days of Kiev Russia, these lands also extended far to the west......

Long ago, the fertile soil of Western Ukraine attracted the attention of greedy conquerors.

Hungarian princes, Polish warlords and German knights coveted the land. In Galicia and in ......, the war lasted for four centuries. Our warriors fought very bravely, and more than once drove the invaders away. Yet this is an unequal war. The shackles of the Mongols hung like a dark cloud over the Russian lands. Russia is weakened, its wealth is exhausted, it cannot give the enemy the final blow in the West, expel the enemy. Enemies have gathered like crows on the territory of Ukraine, trying to divide them and peck them to pieces. Galicia, Ukraine, became a fiefdom of Polish landowners,...... Ukraine was under the rule of the Hungarian king, the Turkish guards drove straight into the steppes of the Danube, and Bessarabia became the spoils of war for the Turkish king.

Year after year, the great monarchs of foreign countries kept changing. A tormented corner of the map of our homeland has been exchanged again and again. The conquerors did not allow the Ukrainian people to speak their native Chinese, they stifled the Ukrainian national culture, and they intended to turn the Ukrainian people into Germanic and Polish people. But after the separation of the Ukrainians and their brothers, there has always been in their hearts the hope of freedom and reunion with their homeland. ……”

Although there were many words that could not be heard clearly, it did not affect the interest of the observers outside the door in the slightest. Romanov whispered to Lobachev: "Comrade Military Commissar, it seems that the people inside are telling everyone about the history of Ukraine's suffering. ”

"That's right, Comrade Romanov, you're right." Lobachev nodded, and then said in a low voice: "Don't speak, let's continue to listen to what he will say next?" ”

“…… Soviet Ukraine, under German occupation, suffered a terrible catastrophe. The Nazis destroyed cities, blew up factories, and ravaged lush Ukrainian fields. However, the Ukrainian people, under the leadership of the Communist Party and with the fraternal help of the great Russian people, waged a stubborn struggle against the Germans......" (To be continued. )