While waiting for the arrival of the command, Rokossovsky, accompanied by his staff officers, wandered around the city of Suchinich. www.biquge.info He was pleasantly surprised to find that the streets and yards were littered with technical equipment and various items thrown away by the Germans due to the unusually hasty flight of the Germans.

Just as he was about to arrange for the collection of these discarded equipment and military supplies by the Germans, a captain trotted over and excitedly reported to him: "Comrade commander, I have found a good thing. ”

"Good stuff, what good stuff?" Rokossovsky asked, looking at the unusually excited commander.

"Cars, cars for the Germans." The captain said excitedly: "We found a beautiful little car in a nice little yard. ”

"Yes," Rokossovsky hurriedly urged the captain when he heard that a German sedan had been found: "Where is it, take me to see it quickly." ”

Rokossovsky, guided by the captain, came to a falling house, and from the analysis of the Nazi military flag that fell on the ground, this must have been the headquarters of the German army before. In the snow-covered yard, a brand-new Mercedes sedan was parked.

When Rokossovsky looked around the sedan carefully, a little soldier asked puzzledly: "Strange, such a good sedan, why didn't the Germans drive away when they fled?" ”

"You fool," said the captain unceremoniously to his men, "do you think the Germans don't want to drive this car away?" It must have been too low in temperature, and when they fled, the car wouldn't start, so they threw it away. ”

"I see." After listening to the captain's explanation, the little soldier nodded in a sudden understanding.

A major who had hurried from outside, still far away, asked loudly at the soldiers in the courtyard: "Is Comrade Commander here?" ”

"What's the matter?" Rokossovsky, who was inspecting the Mercedes car, straightened up and asked the major who came over.

The major walked up to Rokossovsky, raised his hand and saluted: "Comrade commander, we have found a reconnaissance detachment, and they say that there is important intelligence to report to you. ”

When Rokossovsky heard the major's report, he thought that the reconnaissance team he was talking about must be the anti-United Nations squad commanded by Zhu Zhendong, and hurriedly urged the other party: "Hurry up and let them come here." ”

A few minutes later, Zhu Zhendong and Li Muzi stood in front of Rokossovsky. Rokossovsky shook hands with the two of them one by one, and at the same time kept saying in his mouth: "Good job, comrades, you are all good guys." It was because you provided the right reconnaissance information that we were able to get to those Sushnics so smoothly. ”

"Comrade General," Zhu Zhendong waited for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, and immediately said impatiently: "We have just discovered a new piece of information, and because we can't get in touch with our superiors, we can only come to the city to find you." ”

When Rokossovsky heard Zhu Zhendong say this, he asked a little surprised: "Comrade Ensign, how do you know that I am in Sushnych City?" ”

"When I was looking for the commander of the 11th Guards Division, I heard from the soldiers in the city." Zhu Zhendong anxiously said to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, I have 100,000 urgent information to report to you. ”

"Say it, Comrade Second Lieutenant." Rokossovsky said to Lao Zhu with a smile.

"According to our reconnaissance, about six or seven kilometers from the city, there are newly constructed fortifications by the Germans." Zhu Zhendong said anxiously: "Almost all the enemies who fled from the city gathered there. ”

"Oops!" When Rokossovsky heard Lao Zhu say this, he understood in his heart that if he did not let the troops stop the pursuit in time, he would suffer huge losses. He hurriedly called the telegraph operator standing aside and ordered: "You immediately send a telegram to the three division commanders, ordering them to stop the pursuit and return to the city to build fortifications. ”

The operator agreed, walked into the next house with the walkie-talkie, and went inside to find a place to send the newspaper. Rokossovsky, for the sake of safety, called three more soldiers and instructed them: "You immediately go to the three division commanders who are out of the city on motorcycles or by effective means of transport, and order them to shrink their forces as soon as possible, understand?" ”

"Understood." The three fighters named by Rokossovsky agreed in unison, and then the three of them spread their feet and ran outside, looking for a suitable means of transport, so that the division commanders who were pursuing the enemy could be notified as soon as possible to retreat.

Although the telegraph operator sent a telegram and sent someone to convey the order verbally, Rokossovsky's heart was still uneasy. He regretted a little that he had not established a good command in the city, so he let the troops of three divisions pursue the enemy, so that the troops were scattered and the command system was paralyzed.

…………

While Rokossovsky was in a hurry in Sushnych, the 328th Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Yershov was approaching the German defensive position. Because the German positions were covered with snow, and Yershov was in a hurry to catch up with the fleeing German troops, he did not even realize that he was directing his troops to slide into the trap little by little.

The German commander, who was staying at the observation post in the distance, saw through the binoculars that the pursuing troops of the Soviet army had entered his ambush circle one after another, and he could not help but smile smugly. He put down his binoculars, turned to face his officers, and said loudly: "Gentlemen, the Russians have approached our trap, go back to your respective units and make preparations, and you must destroy them all in the ice and snow." ”

Several German officers resounded in agreement, turned and walked out of the observation post, bent down and quickly ran back to their command post along the trench, where they were ready to direct their troops and destroy the Soviet units that had recklessly broken into their ambush circle.

Although the queue of the 328th Infantry Division was very long, it did not take long for most of the troops to enter the German ambush circle. As soon as the German commander gave the order, the Germans who were lying in ambush on the side of the road immediately began to shoot.

With the sound of gunfire like popping beans, the Soviet commanders and fighters who were pursuing fell into a panic; Dense bullets, hitting the ranks of the Soviet troops, exploded a large canopy of blood mist.

"Lie down, lie down!" The first to react were the veterans who had been through a hundred battles, and they shouted as they lay down on the spot, raised their guns, and shot blindly in the direction where the bullets were flying. And the recruits, like headless flies, scurried around like headless flies, so that they were knocked down by German bullets in pieces.

Seeing that after a short panic of the Soviet troops, most of them lay on the ground, using the corpses of their comrades, or the ravines on the side of the road as cover, to return fire on their own troops. The German commander also ordered the mortarmen, who had been concealed, to open fire, in an attempt to eliminate the Soviet commanders and fighters who were suppressed by machine-gun fire.

Just as the commanders and fighters of the 328th Infantry Division were under German artillery and machine-gun fire, the 324th Infantry Division under the command of General Kiryukhin approached the area. Hearing the dense gunfire coming from ahead, he hurriedly ordered the troops to stop advancing, and called an officer and ordered: "Comrade lieutenant, you take a few people to the front and see what is happening." ”

"Yes." The officer agreed, and ran forward with a few soldiers.

However, they only ran more than 100 meters before they encountered a group of fighters running back along the road. Several of the warriors, covered in blood, were supported by the others, and the blood on their bodies kept dripping on the snow.

The officer stopped one of the fighters and asked loudly: "Hey, tell me, what's going on ahead?" ”

"Comrade commander, we are in ambush." The warrior shouted in a crying voice: "There are dead people everywhere, and our people are dying, so flee!" With that, he pushed away the officer standing in front of him, dragged the rifle in his hand, and stumbled towards the back.

The officer stopped another corporal and asked loudly: "Comrade Corporal, how is the situation ahead?" ”

"Comrade lieutenant," said the corporal, glancing at his collar badge and with a sad face, "we were in pursuit of the enemy when we were suddenly hit by intensive German fire, and the soldiers who rushed ahead were all reimbursed at once. ”

The officer grabbed him by the collar and asked with a fiery look in his eyes, "What about your regimental commander?" What about your commanders? Where are they all? ”

"Dead, all dead." The corporal shouted at the top of his voice: "They rushed to the front of the troops, and as soon as the Germans opened fire, they were all killed." ”

After getting a general understanding of the situation, the officer stumbled in front of Kiryukhin and reported to him with a panicked expression: "Comrade division commander, everything has been figured out. The 328th Infantry Division, which was pursuing the Germans, accidentally broke into the German ambush circle, and as a result, their division commander and regiment commander were killed by the Germans, and the entire unit was now in chaos. ”

After listening to the officer's report, Kiryukhin was dumbfounded. After a while, he turned around and shouted at the back, "Operator, where is the operator?" ”

At his shout, the operator, who had a telegram in his hand, jumped down from the middle jeep behind him and trotted all the way over. Without waiting for Kiryukhin to speak, he preemptively reported: "Comrade division commander, I have just received a telegram from the commander of the army group saying that the Germans have built defensive positions in the west, and we are ordered to suspend the offensive and return to Sushnych to build fortifications first. ”

"Hell, why didn't this telegram arrive sooner." Kiryukhin snatched the telegram from the telegrapher's hand, tore it to shreds in a few strokes, and then threw it on the ground, saying angrily: "If we had arrived earlier, the 328th Infantry Division would not have been wiped out by the Germans." ”

Seeing that Kiryukhin was angry, the chief of staff of the division hurriedly came over and whispered to him: "Comrade division commander, our tanks and armored vehicles are taking a different path, and we are all infantry here. I think we should follow the orders of our superiors and retreat immediately. ”

"Chief of Staff." Kiryukhin pointed to the front where there was still the sound of fierce gunfire, and said with a serious expression: "Didn't you hear that our warriors were still fighting? How can we leave them alone at such a time? ”

Seeing that the division commander was angry, the chief of staff felt that if he really retreated without firing a shot, it would be difficult to explain to his superiors in the future. After thinking for a moment, he suggested to Kiryukhin: "Comrade division commander, I think we should first set up defenses here, lest the Germans rush along the road after annihilating the 328th Division, and we will not be able to resist. At the same time, we will send another person to contact General Chernyshov on the left flank, and ask him to transfer the tank battalion to cooperate with us in launching an attack on the German positions, and perhaps there will be a chance to rescue the remaining commanders and fighters of the 328th. ”

"Now it seems that this is the only way to do it." After Kilyukhin finished speaking, he instructed the telegrapher: "Send a message to General Chernyshov and the commanders of the 2nd Regiment and the tank battalion, so that they can immediately move closer to us and attack the German defensive positions together." ”

Seeing that the operator was about to return to the Jeep to deliver the report, the chief of staff of the division stopped him again and said to him: "Send another telegram to the commander of the group army, saying that the 328th Infantry Division is under siege by the Germans, and our division is formulating a rescue plan. ”