Before I called Chuikov, I suddenly remembered something, so I removed my hand from the telephone and asked Savchenko tentatively: "Comrade Savchenko, is there a German soldier monitoring group in the Vostok battalion?" ”

Savchenko nodded and replied affirmatively: "Yes, according to Captain Karpov, there is a soldier monitoring group of five German soldiers in the camp. ”

Hearing his answer, my heart suddenly became bottomless, and I couldn't help but nervously ask: "The Germans didn't find out about your entry into the camp, right?" ”

Savchenko thought for a moment and said in an uncertain tone: "I don't think I found it!" ”

"Is there or isn't? Comrade Savchenko, I don't want to hear such ambiguous answers from you, I want to know the exact answer. Kirillov said to Savchenko in a stern tone: "Because this is about the success or failure of our rebellion this time." ”

Kirillov's words were heavy, and Savchenko frowned and began to think hard. After a long time, he still reported in a hesitant tone: "The division commander and political commissar, whether the Germans have discovered this, I really can't be sure. However, according to Captain Karpov, in order to ensure the safety of the artillery positions, the Germans stayed with several heavy howitzers all day and night, and rarely went anywhere else. And the tent where we met, near the entrance to the camp, was several hundred meters away from the artillery position where the Germans were staying. ”

The expression on Kirillov's face became solemn, and he kindly persuaded me: "Comrade Oshanina, I think this matter should be done with caution without ascertaining our private contacts with Captain Karpov. Whether it was discovered by the Germans before. I don't think I'll report to the command for the time being. At the same time, ongoing countermeasures have been temporarily suspended. ”

From the bottom of my heart, Kirillov's suggestion is the safest thing to do. If we had reported to the command on the front foot here, Karpov would have been taken down by the Germans on the back foot, and we would have lost face for the superior leadership. Based on this consideration, I couldn't help but hesitate.

Seeing that I was not in a hurry to call Chuikov, Kirillov struck while the iron was hot and said: "Comrade Oshanina. I know your motivation is to change the current situation. But have you ever thought that even if we had agreed to Karpov's request and accepted them, it would have been one more weak force, and the Germans would have one less insignificant rebel army, which would not have had a big impact on the situation in the entire Stalingrad region. ”

"Comrade Political Commissar, you can't say that." I promptly refuted Kirillov's point of view. I try to recall what I learned about history in later generations. Analyze the current situation for him: "Comrade Political Commissar, you can't underestimate the forces of the Dongfang Battalion. As far as I know, after the crushing defeat of the Germans at the city of Moscow, the policy towards prisoners of war also changed. With Hitler's acquiescence in Xi'an, the German commanders began to select men from our ethnic minorities and prisoners of war to form the so-called 'Eastern Army'. So far, the German army has formed 11 battalions of the 'Armenian Legion', 14 battalions of the 'Azerbaijani Legion', 14 battalions of the 'Georgian Legion', 5 battalions of the 'Caucasian Muslim Regiment' composed of Azerbaijanis, Chechens, etc., 34 battalions of the 'Turkestan Regiment' and 8 battalions of the 'Volga Tatar Regiment'. In August of this year, after the German Army Group South captured Elista, the capital of the Soviet Autonomous Republic of Kalmykia, Germany carried out anti-Soviet propaganda in this Kalmyk Mongol enclave, successfully recruiting 3,000 Kalmyk Mongols who had been deceived by them. ”

Not only Kirillov, but also Akhromeyev and Savchenko were stunned. After a long while, Kirillov cautiously asked: "Comrade Oshanina, are these numbers you said accurate?" ”

I nodded vigorously and said affirmatively: "Yes, what I said is only the information of the beginning of September, maybe now the Germans have formed a new Eastern Battalion, or maybe they have formed a new battalion in the East." "When I said this, I suddenly made up my mind that it was better to report Karpov's conditions to Chuikov, and it was up to them to decide what to do. But the first thing to do is to persuade Kirillov, who was already a little shaken in front of him, "Comrade political commissar, in fact, the Germans have always been uneasy about the officers and men of these Eastern Corps, and are worried that they will fight back in battle, so they have scattered these troops into battalions and placed them in various units of the German army, and sent a soldier monitoring group to achieve the goal of controlling them. Once the rebellion is successful, it can serve the purpose of disintegrating the Eastern Army. If we give up on their quest, we may be able to strengthen their confidence in the service of the Germans, and in this way we will invisibly push them against us. ”

After hearing this, Kirillov got up from his seat and said to me resolutely: "Comrade Oshanina, you are right, whether or not the Germans discover our contact with Menkarpov, you should immediately report it to the higher authorities. Well, I'll call Chuikov personally. With that, he reached for the phone on the table.

I reached out and pressed his hand on the microphone, shook my head at him, and said, "Comrade Political Commissar, I am not only the military commander in the division, but also the advocate of this rebellion. Even if the superiors blame me and remove me from his post and investigate me, I can rest assured that there are you and Akhromeyev in the division. After saying that, I gently pulled his hand away, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed the number of the army group headquarters.

When I heard Chuikov's voice, I reported to him in detail about the contacts with Karpov and the four conditions put forward by the other party, and after saying that, I added: "Comrade commander, this is the case. Personally, I think that the four conditions put forward by Karpov are completely acceptable to us. ”

After listening to my words, Chuikov surprisingly did not speak. After being silent for a long time, he sighed softly and said helplessly: "I can meet the rest of the conditions, but I must ensure the safety of my dependents, and I can't just make the decision." You know that, too. By order issued by the Supreme High Command. To the families of deserters and prisoners. Almost all of them took the form of exile. What's even more troublesome is that we don't know what the names of Karpov's officers and soldiers are, and how can we help them find out the whereabouts of their relatives? ”

Listening to Chuikov's words very tactfully, I hesitated to suggest to him: "Why don't you ask Karpov to remove this condition first and replace it with a new one that we can accept?" ”

"New conditions?!" When Chuikov heard me say this, he immediately became interested again. He asked curiously, "Oshanina, what kind of new conditions do you think he would put forward if he were asked to change conditions?" ”

I thought hard about it, and replied to Chuikov: "If I had to make a condition, I would have offered to transfer us to other combat areas after the troops were in order, so as to avoid direct engagement with the other troops of the Eastern Battalion." ”

Chuikov hummed, and then said thoughtfully: "I also think that if he is asked to put forward the conditions again, it is really possible to mention the conditions you mentioned." Although the commanders of the various Eastern Battalions came from different places, the soldiers below were intertwined. There are inextricable relationships, if they turn their guns and fight their countrymen or friends. Infighting is possible in the troops. ”

"Comrade commander, since you have agreed in principle to the other party's three conditions." Seeing that Chuikov showed no signs of anger, I hurriedly asked while the iron was hot: "When do you think I should send someone to make a second contact?" ”

"Don't worry, this matter is not in a hurry for the time being." Chuikov said noncommittally: "At present, I can't give you an accurate answer for the time being, I need to ask my superiors for instructions, and I will inform you when the results are available." ”

As soon as I put down the phone, Akhromeyev couldn't wait to ask: "Comrade division commander, what did the commander say, did you agree to the other party's conditions?" ”

"The commander said that this matter will be postponed and we will be notified after he asks his superiors for instructions."

"Why is this happening?" Akhromeyev asked confusedly.

"Ahem," Kirillov next to him suddenly coughed twice, and when everyone's attention was focused on him, he turned his head to Savchenko, who was standing next to him, and said kindly: "Comrade Savchenko, you have been busy all night, and you are tired, right?" Hurry back and get some rest, and I'll send someone to inform you if anything happens. ”

Savchenko didn't say a word, raised his hand in salute and turned to leave.

As soon as Savchenko left, Kirillov sighed and said leisurely: "Commander Chuikov did the right thing, this matter is very important, if we don't get the consent of the higher-level leaders, if something goes wrong in the future, none of us will be able to escape." ”

In response to Kirillov's statement, Akhromeyev was unconvinced and said: "Comrade commissar, I don't see anything wrong with this? Moreover, if we succeed, we will not only strengthen us and weaken the enemy, but also deal a heavy blow to their morale. ”

"You know what?!" Kirillov snorted heavily at Akhromeyev and said angrily: "Have you forgotten about Marshal Jì Kulik?" ”

Kirillov's words, as if he had cast a forbidden spell on Akhromeyev, immediately closed his mouth obediently, and sat back in his place without saying a word.

Seeing this scene, on the contrary, I was confused, and I asked Kirillov in confusion: "Comrade commissar, what is going on?" What happened to Marshal Kulik? "As far as I can remember, Stalin hasn't killed any more marshals except for three marshals during the purge, and besides, Kulik's name doesn't sound familiar.

Kirilov looked around vigilantly, and then said in a voice that could only be heard by the three of us: "After the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief himself sent three of his five marshals to the Central Front to supervise the operations of the Western Front. Krykov held the post of representative of the base camp and, like Marshal Budyonny, his personal bravery was beyond doubt. But unfortunately, almost as soon as Kulik entered the battlefield, he fell into the chaos of the battlefield and even lost contact with the rear. For a long time, Stalin and the Soviet high command were afraid that he would fall into the encirclement of the German army, and even be captured by the Germans, so they sent several groups of people to find him. When Kulik was finally found on the chaotic battlefield, he found that the representative of the Supreme Command, instead of directing operations in the headquarters, was performing the duties of a company commander, busy intercepting and organizing the retreating stragglers, and retreating while fighting. After this incident. Comrade Stalin began to have doubts about the ability of this old comrade-in-arms to master troops and contingencies in a complex situation.

Soon after. Stalin transferred him to Leningrad. Served as commander of the 54th Army. Since the 54th Army was an independent army group directly under the base camp, it was responsible for operations in the Volkhov and Mga salients, and its strength under its jurisdiction far exceeded that of ordinary army groups. Moreover, the commander of the Leningrad Front, who had the right to direct him in operations at that time, was Kulik's old superior, Marshal Voroshilov. But soon General Zhukov was appointed to take over from Voroshilov in command of the Leningrad Front, and soon there was a clash with Kulik. At that time, Zhukov asked Kulik to immediately launch an attack on the Mga salient from the outside, so as to contain the German offensive towards Leningrad and alleviate the plight of the defenders of Leningrad. Kulik thinks with his current strength and equipment. There is only the possibility of failure to launch an offensive, so it has been repeatedly delayed. Judging from the situation of the enemy and the enemy at that time, Kulik may have been right, but Zhukov thought from the perspective of the overall situation of the campaign, and even if Kulik's offensive failed, it could still be helpful to the Leningrad situation. Oshanina, you have been dealing with General Zhukov for a long time, you should know that he has an extremely tough personality, even if Kulik has a higher rank than him, and he is directly under the base camp. But still insisting on his opinion, trying to command Kulik. In the end, the lawsuit went to the Supreme Commander himself. Stalin transferred Kulik away from the Leningrad front and gave Zhukov full authority to command all forces in the Leningrad region.

Marshal Kulik was sent to the Kerch Peninsula to direct the battle, but in just a few days, because of his command error, the entire Crimean Peninsula except Sevastopol fell. Marshal Kulik completely angered the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's benefactor this time, and soon after he was deprived of the rank of marshal, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and a national reward by the Special Chamber of the Supreme Court of the USSR and the rostrum of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for his ineffective combat and defeatist feelings, and was suddenly demoted to the rank of private. ”

Hearing that the marshal's military rank was pushed to the end and directly became a private, and then thinking about the past when he was demoted from major general to major, he suddenly felt fortunate, and felt that he was much luckier than him. Then I asked Kirillov in a curious whisper: "Comrade commissar, where was Kulik transferred after he was demoted to private?" ”

Hearing my question, Kirillov shrugged his shoulders and said: "A month after his demotion, he was reappointed to the rank of major general, as if he was going to a newly formed unit to be the commander of the artillery, after all, he was the founder of the artillery of the Red Army, and he was called the king of the artillery of Tsaritsyn. ”

I learned from Kirillov's seemingly inconsequential tirade: no matter how capable you were before, once the Supreme Commander has a bad impression of you, then your future is almost doomed. However, at the same time, Kirillov also hinted that Zhukov is currently the most favored in front of the Supreme Commander, and many things can be successful as long as Guò, the new deputy commander, is known.

Just as I was pondering whether I should send a telegram to Zhukov to report to the old superior about my current situation, the phone on the desk rang first. When I heard the sudden ringing of the bell, I couldn't help but chuckle in my heart, and secretly said that something could not have happened somewhere, right?

Akhromeyev picked up the microphone and just said a few words, then suddenly stood up from his seat, handed the microphone to me with both hands, and said respectfully: "Comrade division commander, it is the telephone number of the general Zhukov, and he wants to talk to you personally." ”

When I heard that it was Zhukov's call, I couldn't help but be stunned, and said in my heart what was he calling for? Immediately thought that it was Chuikov who reported to him about the rebellion, so he personally called to ask. Hurriedly grabbed the microphone in Akhromeyev's hand, put it close to his ear, took a deep breath, and said respectfully: "Hello, Comrade General, I am Oshanina, do you have any instructions?" ”

When Zhukov speaks, he never speaks politely, nor does he say a few words to the caller, but every time he goes straight to the point, and this time is no exception. I only heard his urn and asked angrily: "Comrade Chuikov called me and said that you are trying to rebel against a rebel army that has betrayed the motherland. Tell me, what do you think? ”

As soon as Zhukov opened his mouth, he characterized Karpov's troops as rebels, and I didn't know what to say if I had prepared it a long time ago. Seeing that I didn't speak for a long time, Zhukov impatiently urged: "Hey, Leda, why don't you speak?" My time is precious, and I can only give you a few minutes to give your reasons, and if you can't convince me, then your plan must be canceled unconditionally. ”

Zhukov had such a seizure. Instead, I calmed down. After sorting out your thoughts. I spoke eloquently: "Comrade General, many people may have told you that the combat effectiveness of the officers and men of the Eastern Battalion is not good. But no matter how bad their combat effectiveness is, after all, they are also soldiers who have fought in battle, and as long as we engage them, even if we have the advantage, we will still have losses. It is conceivable that we could get them to turn their guns and shoot the Germans. It would inevitably be necessary for the Germans to draw some of their forces to defend against them, so that the pressure on our fronts would be relieved, and the saved forces would be put into much-needed areas, and even the contrast between our forces on the local battlefield would be changed. ”

"Even if you rebelled against this battalion, their strength is also limited, and it will not have a great impact on the comparison of enemy forces in the entire Stalingrad region. Is it necessary to spend so much effort? From Zhukov's words, I could tell that although he was a little tempted, he also had obvious scruples.

"Comrade General. I think so. "For a leader as familiar as Zhukov, I have much less scruples when I speak. Therefore, it is known that there is no end to the words, "If Captain Karpov's troops can succeed anyway, the significance is not only that the strength of the enemy and us has changed, but also that the Germans have dealt a blow to the morale of the rest of the Eastern Battalion." From then on, the Germans would be wary of the rest of the Eastern Battalions, and would no longer allow them to take part in direct combat, and would even move them far away from our troops, so that the pressure on us would be relieved in a different way. Finally, he added: "Comrade General, I have not had this idea for a day or two, and I feel that we should not only strike a military blow to the enemy, but also fight a political battle with them, divide those troops that are alienated from them from their middle, and strive for a force that can be won to strengthen us." Even if those units are not on the same side as us, make sure that they remain neutral in our battle with the Germans, which will reduce the pressure on us to fight. ”

"There's a lot of truth in your words." Zhukov finally said a word of praise for me, and then he spoke like an old friend about Chuikov's opinion: "Although Chuikov reported to me yesterday about the plan you mentioned, his ideas and yours are two very different views. You want to pull Karpov's troops over, and Chuikov just wants to use this force anyway, use the artillery in their camp to bombard the surrounding German camps, as for how many troops can finally break out of the German encirclement, let it be. ”

Zhukov's words scared me out of a cold sweat, I didn't expect that Chuikov and they just wanted to use Karpov and them at one time, and after using them, they were left to fend for themselves. Thinking of this, I nervously asked Zhukov: "Comrade General, I don't know what you plan to do with Karpov's troops?" ”

"I can agree to Captain Karpov's four conditions, except for the one for his dependents." Zhukov said decisively: "If you have time one day, I will personally go to his camp and talk to him face to face to make sure that he is determined anyway." And when they are anyway, you must send the strongest troops to meet them. Even if all the troops sent were gone, it was necessary to ensure that Karpov's troops were not lost and that losses were minimized. As you just said, Karpov's Eastern Battalion is not only about changing the strength of the enemy and us in the local part of the battlefield, but also about shaking the enemy's morale and effectively hitting the enemy's morale. ”

Zhukov's words made me feel like a spring breeze, and because of his clear support, I became more confident in the next rebellion. I swore to him: "Comrade General, rest assured that I will fulfill the tasks you have entrusted to me. ”

Putting down the phone, I saw that Kirillov and Akhromeyev had uncontrollable smiles on their faces, and knowing that they might have heard the conversation between me and Zhukov to some extent, I said to them: "Political commissar, chief of staff, you must have heard the conversation between General Zhukov and me just now, right?" Seeing that both of them nodded in acknowledgement, I continued, "Since our plan of rebellion has the support of Comrade General, I believe that when we meet Karpov again, we will be able to strengthen his determination to do the opposite." Next, let's discuss, if the Eastern Battalion is anyway, how can we get them out of danger? ”

I didn't know if I didn't discuss it, but after a discussion, I found that the position of the Eastern Battalion was exactly surrounded by three German divisions in the middle, and no matter which direction it rushed out, it was inevitable that there would be an exchange of fire with the German troops in one of the directions. Moreover, the German army's combat formation in this area is extremely dense, once the battle starts, if the encirclement cannot be broken out in the shortest possible time, what awaits them is only the end of the total annihilation, even if we send a receiving force over, we will not send too many people to die.

Akhromeyev saw that we discussed for a long time, but did not come up with a reasonable solution, so he slapped the table angrily and complained: "What a trouble, Karpov's Eastern Battalion is sandwiched between three German divisions, and if you want to receive them out, you will inevitably have to fight with the German troops." In the absence of air supremacy and the lack of tanks and artillery, if we want to enter a well-defended area of the enemy, let alone a regiment, even if a division fills in, we will not necessarily be able to open a gap. ”

Although Akhromeyev was angry, he was also telling the truth, and I looked at the map on the table, thinking about the ideas I had just discussed, and found that there was really no other way to get the Karpov battalion out than to storm it, and it seemed that I was still wishful thinking. When I think of this, I can't help but be very depressed.

After Akhromeyev finished complaining, he turned his head to look at Kirillov and asked him: "Comrade commissar, I don't know what you think? ”

Kirillov sneered and said disapprerovitically: "Since our troops can't get in, and Karpov's troops can't get out, otherwise we just follow Commander Chuikov's thinking, Karpov's troops will kill the members of the soldier inspection team sent to the battalion by the Germans anyway, and then turn the muzzle of the cannon and fire at the nearby German camp, as much as it can destroy." After the shells are exhausted, we will find a way to break through in the direction of Mamayev Gang, and we will break out as much as we can. ”

"No, no!" As soon as Kirillov's words were finished, I vetoed them without hesitation: "We have spent so much effort to plot against the Karpov battalion, although it is only an inconspicuous change in the strength of the enemy and us, but it can damage the enemy's morale and serve the purpose of breaking the hearts of the remaining Eastern Army Corps. As soon as we abandon the Karpov battalion, the eastern corps will then die and be miserable, and these troops, who are cold to our cousins, will completely fall to the Germans and become a big trouble for us in the future. So I categorically disagree with the opinion of the commissars. (To be continued......)

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