"Mr. General, would you like to contact Commander Rokossovsky and ask your troops to temporarily cease fire?" After waiting for Vinogoradov to finish speaking, Štlekyl immediately asked tentatively: "Then ask your troops to return to the starting point of the attack, and we will negotiate the next step." ”

After listening to Štrekell's answer, Vinogoradov sneered twice and said unceremoniously: "Mr. General, please make it clear, even if you don't surrender, we can break through your defenses in a very short time and wipe out all of you little by little." Isn't it a big joke to have our troops stop the offensive at such a time and return to the point of departure for the offensive? ”

After Vinogoradov said this, he saw that Shtrekyl was blushing with shame, so he slowed down his tone and said: "General Shtrekell, we have mobilized the troops of three army groups to launch a final attack on you, and it is not easy to stop if anyone shouts to stop. Unless you surrender immediately, this one-sided battle will continue. ”

Štrekyl did not express his position, but nodded noncommittally, he still had a hint of luck in his heart, thinking that as long as his troops resisted for a while and caused a certain degree of losses to the Soviet army, then he would have more bargaining chips at the negotiating table.

But the plan could not catch up with the change, and not long after the Soviet shelling stopped, the commander of the 11th Infantry Corps, Strecker, hurriedly walked in from outside. Came to Štrekell's side, leaned close to his ear and whispered. Captain Tiatrenko's ears were tipped, and he heard what Strecker said clearly, and hurriedly translated for Vinogoradov: "Comrade General, the German general who just came in told General Štrekel that our troops had broken through several of their outer positions and were approaching here. ”

After listening to Tyatrenko's translation, Vinogoradov was even more confident, he thought to himself, anyway, his troops were advancing here, and even if Deko did not surrender, they would not be able to escape the end of destruction, so he smiled at the corner of his mouth, and turned his head to look at Kurzbach, who was standing next to him, to see how he reacted when he heard the news.

At this moment, Kurzbach's eyebrows were tightly locked, and he was extremely shocked in his heart, although he also felt that it was not a difficult thing for the Soviet army to destroy the German troops entrenched in the factory area, but he did not expect to move so quickly, it seems that the troops of the northern cluster, in a short time, will follow the fate of the southern cluster, and will either be killed or taken prisoner.

Thinking of this, he walked quickly to the front of Shtrekyl and Strecker, who were talking, and said loudly: "Your Excellency, two generals, you can't fight any more. We have already lost this battle, and to continue fighting will only allow our soldiers to bleed in vain, and now it is time to put an end to this. ”

Vinogoradov nodded with satisfaction at Kurzbach's performance, then glanced at the interpreter beside him, walked up to Shtrekhel, and asked solemnly: "General Shtrekell, what are you thinking about?" It is to immediately stop resistance and surrender to our army; Or will you stubbornly resist to the end until you are completely wiped out by our army? ”

Hearing Vinogoradov's question, the muscles on Shtrekhel's face twitched violently a few times, and then asked tentatively: "Mr. General, you really can't negotiate with us after a temporary ceasefire?" ”

Vinogorodov shook his head and replied decisively: "No, first, we can't get in touch with our superiors now, and second, such a large-scale attack can't be stopped by anyone shouting to stop." Therefore, I still advise you to make a decision as soon as possible, so as not to cause unnecessary bloodshed and sacrifice to your officers and soldiers. ”

After listening to Tyatrenko's translation, the eyes of those who wanted to resist to the end were full of fear, while the eyes of other officers and soldiers who did not want to fight were full of hope.

"Mr. General," saw that his second request was rejected by Vinogoradov, and Štrekyl slumped into his seat, as if he had aged by more than ten years. He held his head in his hands, and his mind was engaged in a fierce ideological struggle: should he lead his troops to surrender immediately, or should he continue to resist to the end?

Just when the command headquarters fell into silence, a German officer suddenly rushed in, holding on to the door frame and shouting breathlessly at Štrekell: "Your Excellency, the commander, something is wrong, the Russian tanks are less than two hundred meters away from our headquarters. After shouting, he turned around and ran out again.

"No longer hesitate, General Štrekhel." Hearing this bad news, Kurzbach roared violently: "The Russians' tanks are only two hundred meters away from here, or in a few minutes, they will be able to rush over, you better hurry up and make up your mind!" ”

Štrekell looked up at Kurzbach and said with a confused expression: "But we have fully deployed three lines of defense, even if we are not good, we can resist for a few days and nights, how can we let the Russian tanks break through to a distance of only two hundred meters from us in just one hour." ”

"Our troops are disheartened, and the soldiers don't want to fight anymore." Kurzbach said loudly: "Otherwise, how could the Russians approach your headquarters in such a short time?" ”

"General Shtrekhel," Vinogoradov said in an ultimatum tone, staring at Shtrekell, "now is the last chance, and if you don't give the order to surrender again, wait for the prisoners of our army." ”

After Vinogoradov's words were finished, Štreküll turned his head and glanced at Strekel, who was standing next to him, and saw that the general, who had kept saying that he would resist until the last moment yesterday, was like an ant on a hot pot, walking back and forth in the command headquarters with his hands behind his back.

Seeing this, Štrekyl knew that there was no point in resisting any longer. He stood up, walked in front of Vinogoradov, and said with a dead face: "Mr. General, I have figured it out, there is no point in continuing to resist, and it will only sacrifice the soldiers on both sides in vain, so I have decided to surrender to your army!" ”

Hearing Štrekhel say that he was going to surrender, Strekkel couldn't help but stop, and he opened his mouth to persuade Strekkel to give up this idea, but he listened to the dense gunfire and explosions outside, and he obediently closed his mouth again.

In response to Shtrekell's statement, the stone hanging in Vinogoradov's heart finally fell to the ground. Although the German army is now demoralized, if it wants to wipe out all these tens of thousands of German troops, the Soviet army is bound to pay a lot of sacrifices, and since Štrekel has decided to surrender, unnecessary sacrifices can be avoided.

Štrekyl gave an order to his adjutant, telling him to use all means of communication to inform the troops who were still fighting to stop resisting and immediately lay down their arms and surrender to the Soviet troops. At the same time, a staff officer was ordered to hang a white flag outside the headquarters so as not to be attacked by Soviet troops.

As the surrender order was given, the sound of gunfire outside became sparse, and the Germans who had not received the order were still putting up futile resistance. Štrekhel looked at Vinogoradov and asked, "Mr. General, shall we go out now?" ”

"Wait a little longer, General Štrekhel." Vinogorodov stopped Shtrekell, who wanted to leave the command immediately, and said to him: "For your safety, it is better to wait for the arrival of our troops here, and then you can go out." ”

Štrekhel had no objection to Vinogoradov's proposal, but nodded his head and sat back in his seat. While waiting for the arrival of the Soviet troops, he looked up at Vinogorodov: "Mr. General, I wonder if I have the honor to meet His Excellency Commander Rokossovsky?" ”

"Yes, you will have such an opportunity." Seeing that Štrekhel had already announced his surrender, Venogoradov's attitude towards him became friendly, "Maybe you can meet with Marshal Paulus then." ”

Not long after saying this, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside, and then a group of Soviet commanders and fighters wearing white camouflage uniforms rushed in. After one of the commanders entered the door, before he could adjust to the light inside, he picked up the submachine gun in his hand, fired the machine gun at the ceiling, and then shouted with great majesty: "Don't move, you have now been captured by the 62nd Army of the Soviet Red Army." ”

Seeing that the commander opened fire indiscriminately when he entered the door, Vinogorodov couldn't help frowning, he slowly walked in front of the commander, and asked with some displeasure: "Comrade commander, why are you shooting indiscriminately?" Don't you see the white flag hanging outside, and here the enemy has surrendered? ”

The commander who led the team had just finished his majestic performance when he suddenly saw a man walking up to him and questioning him in fluent Russian, thinking that the other party was a German interpreter or something, and was trying to teach the other party a lesson. But when he fixed his eyes and saw that the person standing in front of him was actually a Soviet general, he couldn't help but be a little flustered, and hurriedly raised his hand to his forehead to salute, and at the same time stammered: "I'm sorry, Comrade General, I didn't know you were here." ”

After he finished speaking, his eyes gradually adjusted to the light in the room, and he saw clearly that in addition to a group of German officers, there were three Soviet officers, including the general who had taught him, and he couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Comrade general, I don't know which part you are from, what are you doing here?" ”

Although the officer in front of him was only a small lieutenant, in order to avoid misunderstanding, Vinogorodov explained to him: "I am Major General Vinogorodov, the head of the intelligence department of the Front, and I have come here to urge the surrender of the German army on the orders of the commander of the Front, General Rokossovsky. What part of you are in? ”

Hearing Vinogoradov's question, the lieutenant hurriedly straightened up and replied: "Report to Comrade General, I am from the 62nd Machine Gun Battalion of the 400th Army, and our troops have just joined the 65th Tank Brigade of the 91st Army outside. ”

"The 62nd and 65th armies have met?" After listening to the lieutenant's report, Vinogoradov's face couldn't help but show a happy expression, he raised his hand and patted the lieutenant's shoulder, and said kindly: "Comrade lieutenant, take me to the meeting site to see." ”

The lieutenant pouted at the many German officers who were still standing in the room, and said with some embarrassment: "Comrade General, but there are still so many German officers here...... ”

Vinogorodov called his deputy, Major Smyslov, to the front and ordered: "Major, you and Comrade Lieutenant's men will take the German commanders here outside." After saying that, he put his hand on the lieutenant's shoulder and said in a friendly manner: "Okay, comrade lieutenant, everything here has been arranged, let's go out and see the team of the division." ”

Rokossovsky, who was at the headquarters of the 65th Army, immediately rushed back to his headquarters of the Front after learning that all the German units entrenched in the factory area had ceased resistance and had laid down their arms and surrendered, ready to report the good news to Stalin at the first opportunity.

When he returned to the headquarters, he was greeted by the representative of the base camp, Voronov, who shook hands and said to Rokossovsky with a smile: "Comrade Rokossovsky, I congratulate you. Congratulations to your troops for the complete and clean annihilation of all the Germans entrenched in the Stalingrad region, and for bringing the city named after the Supreme Commander himself back into our hands. ”

"Chief of Staff," Rokossovsky turned to Malinin and asked, "Are the results counted?" ”

"Not yet, Comrade Commander." Malinin shook his head and replied: "At present, the results of the battle are still being counted, and I estimate that it will not be fully counted until the evening at the latest, and the number of German soldiers captured this time is too much, and the preliminary estimate is 120,000." ”

When Stalin received a call from Rokossovsky, he could not help but be surprised: "Comrade Rokossovsky, you have done such a beautiful job, it is just noon, and you have completely annihilated the enemy entrenched in the factory area north of Stalingrad. All the commanders and fighters of the Don Front are good! ”

After hearing Stalin's compliments, a smile appeared on Rokossovsky's face, and he replied loudly: "For the service of the Soviet Fatherland!" After saying this, he said with some regret: "Unfortunately, the number of captured German troops is too large, our preliminary estimate is 120,000, so the results of the battle cannot be fully counted for a while, and it may be ...... until the evening or tomorrow."

"Don't be in a hurry, Comrade Rokossovsky." Stalin said with a smile: "It is precisely because of the great results achieved by our army that the statistical work is carried out very slowly. Call me when your results are counted, even if it's three watches in the middle of the night. ”