The sedan continued to drive forward on the muddy road, jolting up and down.

I've never gotten motion sickness, but today I'm dizzy. In this situation, I carefully closed the safety of the submachine gun I was holding in my arms. If I accidentally go off the fire and hit the big man who is sitting down, then the history of World War II will be rewritten because of me.

I looked at the front seat and saw that the driver was concentrating on driving the car, while Zhukov was keeping his head down and closing his eyes, so he leaned back, closed his eyes and began to sleep.

The car stopped suddenly, and then the driver's voice was heard: "Comrade General, look! ”

There is a case! This was my first reaction, almost at the same time as I opened my eyes, the submachine gun in my hand had opened the safe, the muzzle of the gun pointed out the window, the slightest mistake, I would immediately pull the trigger, and the bullets in the gun were all gone.

However, I soon found out that I was overthinking, and it was a few people wearing Soviet tank uniforms who stopped the car. One of the captains walked up to the car, bent down to the window, and said dryly: "No traffic ahead!" Who are you? Comrade General. ”

"I'm General Zhukov!" Then he asked rhetorically, "Where are your troops?" ”

"Comrade General," the captain saluted Zhukov and said with a head back, "the headquarters of the tank brigade, in the grove ahead." ”

Zhukov turned his head back and said to me, "Leda, let's go to the front and have a look." Then he pulled the door open and stepped out.

I hurriedly pulled the car door, hung my submachine gun around my neck, got out of the car and stepped on the dirt road, and then followed behind the crowd, and walked with difficulty into the woods.

On the way, I saw many Soviet T-34 tanks neatly parked in the woods. Seeing our group approaching, the soldiers standing next to the tank stood up one after another, straightened up and saluted us. After a while, we came to a wooden house.

There was not even a single soldier standing guard outside the house, and the captain stepped forward and opened the door and said to Zhukov: "This is the headquarters of the tank brigade, please come in, comrade general!" ”

Zhukov was also not polite, and swaggered in through the open door, and I followed closely behind and entered the room. Once inside, I closed the door and stood in the doorway with a submachine gun in hand.

Zhukov walked to the long wooden table in the middle of the room, and the commanders who had been seated stood up one after another. One of the officers, in a leather jacket, looked at him and reported directly to him without saluting: "The commander of the tank brigade of the reserve, Colonel Zhengnisky, reports to you. ”

"My old comrade-in-arms! Hello! Zhukov held out his hand to him as he spoke, and the two of them shook hands together. I didn't expect to meet you here. How's it going? ”

"I didn't expect to see you here, Comrade General." The colonel continued to talk and shook hands with him. "I know that you are in command of the Leningrad Front. ……”

"Don't say anything," Zhukov interrupted, "report on your situation." ”

The colonel picked up a map on the table, pointed to Zhukov and said: "The enemy has occupied Yubnov, and the tank brigade under my command is here as a reserve. It's the second day, and no orders have been received yet. ”

Zhukov nodded, and began to give orders to the colonel: "Now this tank brigade is under my command, and without my instructions, every tank is allowed to move." Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade General!"

Zhukov looked back at me standing in the doorway, beckoned to me, and motioned for me to come over. I didn't dare to slack off, and I stepped into the middle of the room in a few steps.

Zhukov pointed to me and introduced to everyone: "Meet me, this is Major Oshanina, she is my deputy. ”

"Major?!" The colonel of the tank brigade looked me up and down and asked Zhukov in a puzzled tone: "Comrade General, as far as I know, in the formation of our army, the highest rank of female soldier is only lieutenant?" ”

"Yes, my old friend!" Zhukov smiled and said, "But that's the old rule." Comrade Stalin has issued a new order today abolishing the restrictions on the ranks of female soldiers, so that in the future there will be not only more female majors, but even generals and marshals. Then he looked at me and teased, "Did you say yes?" The future Comrade Marshal Oshanina! ”

Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became much more relaxed.

The colonel held out his hand to me and said with a smile: "I congratulate you, Major Oshanina! ”

"Thank you!" After shaking hands with him, I shook hands with the other commanders in the room.

"My old friend," Zhukov said to the colonel, pointing to the map on the table, "in this way, immediately spread out the troops, organize the defense, and cover the direction of Maiden." ”

"Yes!" The colonel agreed, then picked up the teapot on the table and said to Zhukov in the taste of an old friend. "Comrade General, sit down and have a cup of tea!"

"No," Zhukov shook his head, reaching out to shake the colonel's hand again. "There's no time, you send a communications officer with me right away. Wishing you all good health! ”

With that, he strode out, and I nodded at the people in the room, and hurried to follow.

As soon as we got back into the car, the communications officer from the tank brigade arrived. When I saw it, it was still an acquaintance, the captain who had just stopped our car and brought us to the headquarters.

He stood in front of the car and was about to salute, but Zhukov impatiently urged him: "Don't rub it off, get in the car quickly." He said yes, got into the car, and sat down next to me.

"Shall we go to the front? Georgy Konstantinovich "Out of politeness, I asked Zhukov with an honorific title.

"Front?!" Zhukov asked in surprise: "What kind of front?" Haven't we been on the front line all along? Then he instructed the driver: "Drive!" ”