Unexpectedly, the one who led the team to search was actually Captain Lukin. Hearing Kokunov's shouts, he quickly rushed over with several fighters.

Seeing me lying on the ground, he was obviously surprised, he hurriedly came to my side and squatted down, and asked with concern: "Comrade regiment commander, how are you, are you not injured?" ”

I sat up with my elbows propped up, squeezed a smile on my face, and replied weakly, "I'm fine, I've just swam from the river, I'm a little tired, just rest for a while." By the way, Comrade Captain, did the ship of the Seventh Company carrying Slavin safely dock? ”

Lukin nodded vigorously and replied, "Here we are, Slavin's Seventh Company has landed safely. I saw that the ferry you were on was sunk by an enemy plane, and I feared for your safety, so I hurriedly searched down the river with a few soldiers. ”

Lukin's concern for me was palpable, and I nodded movingly, wanting to say a few words, but I couldn't speak, only my nose was sour, and tears seemed to be about to burst out of my eyes. At this moment, Kokunov's voice sounded next to him: "Comrade Captain, have you seen the people of the 62nd Army Political Division?" ”

Lu Jin was stunned for a moment: "The 62nd Group Army Political Department? Then he suddenly came to his senses and said: "Oh, comrade first-class instructor, you are talking about a group of political workers led by the regiment-level political commissar, right?" ”

Kokunov nodded and said: "Yes, Comrade Captain. The regimental-level political commissar who led the team was Comrade Kirillov, the newly appointed director of the political department of the group army. ”

Lukin said: "The regimental political commissar waited on the shore until the first-class instructor who was with the Seventh Company got off the boat, and then moved east en masse. "I saw Kokunov raise his leg and want to leave. hurriedly added: "They took the car more than half an hour ago, and it is estimated that you will not be able to catch up." ”

Seeing Kokunov's embarrassed face, I suddenly had an idea. The former regiment commander and political commissar were killed in an air raid on the riverside, and now I am acting as the regiment commander, but the post of political commissar has always been vacant, and from Kokunov's cousin on the ship just now, it is more than enough to hold this position, so I took the initiative to propose to him: "Comrade Kokunov, don't be in a hurry. Now that the regimental commissar has left, you can't catch up even if you chase it now. It just so happens that I still lack a political commissar here, so it's better than this. For the time being, you will stay in my regiment and act as your agent. ”

After hearing this, Kokunov said with some hesitation: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this may not be appropriate. You know, I'm just a level 1 instructor. By level. At most, he can only go to the battalion to serve as the deputy battalion commander. ”

I waved my hand and said with a big grin: "Comrade Kokunov, don't worry, I can report this matter to my superiors." You must know that although I am now the commander of the 64th Army, and at the same time the commander of the 62nd Army, General Kolpakchi, I believe that no commander will refuse me to let you be the political commissar of the 678th Infantry Regiment with such an excellent political worker. ”

Kokunov listened to me say that. It's not pretentious, just a moment of silence. So he agreed: "Okay, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I'll stay in your regiment for now, and when I have the opportunity, I'll report back to the 62nd Army." ”

Seeing that Kokunov agreed to stay, Lukin said on the side: "Comrade regiment commander, comrade political commissar, the river is not safe, and the enemy plane can't tell when it will come again, let's go back to the regiment first." With that, he reached out and helped me.

I stood up with his help and tried to walk a few steps, although my legs were still a little weak, but if I walked slowly, it was not a big problem. After walking a few steps, I turned around and saw that the sailor who rescued me was still standing in place, so I shouted at him: "Hey, I said sailor soldier, what are you still standing there for?" Come over and come with us. ”

The sailor warrior grinned and trotted after him.

On the way back to the station, I whispered to Lukin, who was walking beside me: "Comrade Captain, how many fighters of the guard platoon and the engineer platoon have safely gone ashore?" ”

With a dejected expression, Lukin replied: "Since the ferry you were traveling in was sunk, the enemy planes kept diving and strafing the survivors repeatedly, so in the end only seven fighters managed to land on the left bank." ”

Although I had been mentally prepared for such a result, when I heard Lu Jin say this, I still felt a little uncomfortable in my heart, there were only a few people left in two rows of seventy or eighty people.

Our regiment was stationed in a small, nameless village on the banks of the Don River, which was small and consisted of only a few dozen families. Perhaps because the village was so small, it was ignored by the enemy's air force, and although it was only two or three kilometers from the river, it did not have the slightest trace of being attacked by enemy aircraft.

However, due to the proximity of the village to Stalingrad, the wooden walls on both sides of the village road were plastered with various propaganda slogans: "Comrades! If you don't stop the enemy at Stalingrad, they will break into your homeland and destroy it! ”

"The enemy must be destroyed in Stalingrad!"

"Commanders and fighters, the motherland will not forget your merits!"

"Mother Motherland will not let your loved ones live in misery!"

The regiment headquarters was set up in a wooden hut in the village, and I saw a group of people standing outside the door. Seeing that it was us back, those people immediately greeted us, and it was none other than Captain Slavin, who had just crossed the river with me.

Slavin and the group of commanders walked up to me, paused, and then raised their hands in a neat salute, and then Slavin said excitedly on behalf of everyone: "Hello! Comrade Regiment Commander, it is great to see that you can return safely. ”

I raised my hand in exchange for a salute, then stretched out my hand to Slavin and asked with concern: "Comrade Captain, how is the situation of your 7th Company, are there any casualties when crossing the river?" ”

Slavin shook his head and replied: "Report to the regimental commander, since the enemy planes only attacked the ferry you were on and ignored us, the 7th Company did not suffer any casualties during the river crossing. ”

When I shook hands with the second battalion commander beside Slavin, I also asked him: "Second battalion commander, how was the situation of your battalion when it crossed the river, and did the commanders and fighters cross the river safely?" ”

The commander of the second battalion nodded vigorously and said: "Comrade regiment commander, our second battalion crossed the river with Captain Lukin, and since the enemy planes had not yet been dispatched at that time, we did not encounter any danger in the process of crossing the river. ”

After shaking hands with the commanders present one by one, I stepped aside, pointed to Kokunov and introduced to everyone: "Comrade commanders, let me introduce to you that this is Comrade Kokunov, a first-class instructor from Moscow, and now he is the acting political commissar of our regiment. (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank the book friends: Marshal Linlin, Lao Godfather, taiW, and the precious monthly ticket that is also an angry youth, as well as the generous reward of the book friend thindy, who does not choose to take the middle route from left to right