Before the battle for the south of the city began, Romanov and I went to a building on the southernmost side of the city, and we stood in the window on the fourth floor, holding up our binoculars and looking at the battlefield where the battle was about to take place.

The road that appeared in my field of vision, I don't know how many vehicles had run over it, and the thick snow had been pressed into shiny ice, which was particularly dazzling in the sunlight. The fighters of about one battalion of the fourth regiment lay motionless in the trenches dug overnight, pointing their guns at the road.

Seeing this, Romanov approached me and asked in a low voice: "Comrade commander, why hasn't the German convoy appeared yet, and has our ambush circle been discovered by them?" ”

"No, absolutely not." Regarding Romanov's concerns, I explained to him: "The reason why the enemy's convoy has not yet appeared may be due to two reasons: first, the reconnaissance detachment of the fourth regiment is far from here; Second, the road was slippery, and the German convoy had to slow down. Comrade Deputy Commander, be patient, wait a little longer and you will be able to see the enemy's convoy. ”

"Well, since Comrade Commander said so, let's wait." After Romanov said this, he raised his binoculars again and continued to observe, and after looking at it for a while, I suddenly heard him whisper: "Thank God, the German convoy has finally arrived." ”

I was checking the concealment of the commanders and fighters of the 4th Regiment, and when I heard Romanov's voice, I quickly moved my binoculars back to the road, only to see a team of trucks with canopies slowly approaching in the distance. Maybe it was really because of the slippery road, the speed of the car was not fast at all, and I quietly counted: "One, two, three...... XIX, XX. That's right. The scout was right. The enemy was twenty trucks, with artillery towed behind three trucks in front. ”

I put down my binoculars and turned my head to look into the middle of the room, and when the communications soldier sitting there saw that I was looking back at him, he quickly picked up the telephone on the table, quickly dialed the headquarters of the fourth regiment, and then reported to me: "Comrade commander, the telephone has been answered. ”

I walked over. He took the phone from the hand of the communications soldier and said into the microphone: "Hey, is it Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar?" The enemy's convoy has appeared, is your regiment ready for battle? ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Gaidar respectfully reported: "We were all ready, and as soon as the German convoy entered our ambush circle, we immediately opened fire, destroying the trucks in front and behind, blocking the middle vehicles on the road, so that they had no way to escape." ”

Just when I saw the artillery towed in the back of the truck. I also had the idea of capturing these three heavy guns, but I thought about it. If I give such an order, it may make Gaidar and them feel constrained when they fight, it is better to let them play freely, and whether or not they can capture the cannon depends on their luck.

As the convoy drove into the ambush circle step by step, the tank that had been parked behind the position of the Fourth Regiment also started, and after seeing a puff of black smoke coming out from behind its tail, it slowly drove up the hillside. After driving to the top of the hill and coming to a stop, the long barrel of the gun was stretched downward, and it slowly turned in the direction from which the convoy was coming.

The movement of our tanks was so loud, and the officers and men in the German convoy were not blind and could not see it, so the truck driving at the front had slowed down, as if it wanted to stop.

But it was too late, and a ball of fire erupted from the muzzle of the tank, and a moment later the head car on the road rose into the air in the light of the fire and flew high into the air, even higher than the dirt slopes on either side. When the truck fell hard, it was suddenly torn apart, and the soldiers sitting in the car were also thrown out like flowers, lying motionless on the snow, not knowing whether they were stunned or killed on the spot.

The second shell hit the cab of the second truck directly, and the blazing truck slammed to the side, and the towed cannon fell to the ground when the vehicle turned, and the iron hook connecting the cannon and the car came out with a clatter, and the cannon slid out of the smooth road with the help of strong inertia, until it hit the deformed gun held by the car in front of it.

Then I saw the third launch of the tank on the hillside. This time the shell did not hit the truck, but fell next to the truck and exploded. The blast of the explosion overturned the truck that had just stopped, and when the truck rolled to the side of the road and stopped, the soldiers in the compartment were scattered everywhere on the snow-white ground like seeds sown by a planter.

"Amazing, simply amazing! Comrade commander, did you see that? Our tank crews were good, and all three guns hit the target accurately, which is amazing. We should give him merit and give him a medal ......" After saying so much in a row, Romanov said regretfully: "It's just a pity that these three heavy guns, judging from the effect of the shelling just now, at least two have been reimbursed." ”

There is a reason why Romanov said this, the artillery regiments of our army, having exhausted their shells, blew up the artillery one after another and withdrew with the main forces to the western bank of the Dnieper. Due to the lack of artillery, Lieutenant Colonel Kavilin's troops can now only be used as infantry temporarily. After taking up the post of deputy commander, Romanov proposed to me on several occasions that new artillery should be captured from the enemy as soon as possible and the artillery regiment should be rearmed. Today, it is strange to see that the heavy artillery could have been captured and reimbursed under his own eyelids.

Seeing his sad face, I hurriedly comforted him and said: "Comrade Deputy Army Commander, in the coming time, I plan to direct the troops to attack the towns occupied by the Germans like partisans. If we don't fight a regular offensive war, then it doesn't matter whether there are these heavy guns or not. On the contrary, if we have these cannons, it will become a burden when the troops are transferred. ”

As we spoke, the Gaidar regiment had succeeded in cutting off the path of the German advance and retreat, and was charging the Germans trapped on the road. Seeing our soldiers rushing down from the high ground on both sides like tigers descending from the mountains, the German officers and soldiers, unwilling to be defeated, were still lying on the ground or hiding behind their cars, making a final resistance.

I took a closer look at the battlefield and saw that the Germans were very few in number, except for the first three trucks, which could have about a dozen men each. The rest of the trucks. Including the driver. There were only five or six people, and it seemed that the truck behind them had come to Kafbas's warehouse to pick up supplies, but on the way they met this German artillery battery, and the two sides merged into one, and they came towards Kafbas together, but they accidentally broke into our ambush circle. For such a weak enemy, although the fourth regiment sent only one battalion, it was necessary to destroy them. It's also a breeze.

Listening to the thinning of the gunfire, and watching the German resistance weaken, I dialed Gaidar again. When I heard his voice coming out of the earpiece, I simply commanded: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you guys are playing well. Hurry up and clean up the battlefield, otherwise the German planes will probably blow up all the trucks on the road first, so you have to hide the intact trucks as soon as possible. ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Gaidar replied in a loud voice: "I immediately arranged for men to move the truck and hide it." ”

Return to the corps headquarters. As soon as I entered the door, I saw Vitkov standing in front of me with a smile on his face. I thought he knew the result of the battle in Seongnam, so I also asked with a smile: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you know everything?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Vitkov looked a little agitated and said: "I just received the battle report, and they did a great job. ”

"Received a telegram?" When I heard this, I couldn't help but wonder a little, from the city to the military headquarters, the distance is not far and there is a telephone line, just make a phone call, can I use a telegram? So I asked in amazement: "Why, Comrade Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar reported the situation of the battle to you, and actually sent a telegram?" ”

"Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar sent me a telegram? No? Hearing me ask, Vitkov was immediately confused, and he turned his head and asked Kirillov, who was still sitting at the table: "Comrade commissar, has Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar of the 4th Regiment sent us a telegram?" I remember that he seemed to have only made a phone call and reported to us about the situation in the south of the city. ”

Seeing Kirillov nodding vigorously, I felt that I might have made a mistake, so I hurriedly coughed to hide my embarrassed expression, and then asked: "Chief of Staff, I just heard from you that I received a telegram announcing the good news, and I thought it was sent by Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar. By the way, who exactly sent the telegram you are talking about? ”

Vitkov looked at me a little speechlessly, and then reported: "It was sent by General Bandeleyev, whose troops had succeeded in capturing Kirovgrad, and one of the defenders of the city had been completely annihilated. They are now organizing workers and residents to build fortifications in the city. ”

"Oh, Kirovgrad has been taken, this General Bandelyev is doing a good job." Hearing that the 22nd Guards Division had successfully completed its mission, I asked about the situation of another unit: "What about the current situation of the 308th Division of General Gurtiev?" ”

Hearing me ask about Gurdiev's troops, Vitkov's brows couldn't help but wrinkle: "The German army in Alexandria City is about two companies in strength, and when Gurdiev launched a sneak attack, he was accidentally discovered by the enemy, so the sneak attack turned into a strong attack. According to his telegrams, our troops had occupied two-thirds of the ground and were launching a final offensive against the remnants of the enemy. ”

Hearing such an official report, I asked with some displeasure: "Did General Gurtiev say how soon he could end the fighting?" "There is a reason why I am so angry, the 308th Division now has at least 5,000 combat soldiers, even if the German army has two companies of 400 people, in terms of strength comparison, our army also occupies an absolute advantage, if the battle cannot be solved in a short time, it is really a bit unreasonable.

In response to my questioning, Vitkov fell silent. After a long while, seeing that he was slow to speak, I asked impatiently: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you think the 308th Division can capture the city of Alexandria in half an hour?" ”

Seeing that I was showing signs of anger, Vitkov hesitated and said: "Comrade commander, I think General Gurtiev is quite good, and under his command, the 308th Division is still quite strong in battle. ……”

"Chief of Staff," I saw that Vitkov did not answer the question, and I was really a little angry: "I asked if the 308th Division could capture the city in half an hour, not General Gurtiev and his 308th Division!" ”

"Comrade Oshanina, don't be in a hurry, speak slowly if you have something to say." Kirillov may see that if this continues, the scene in the command will get out of control, and he will hurriedly come out to be a peacemaker. After persuading me, he turned to Vitkov and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, since the army commander has asked you a question, what do you think, how do you answer?" ”

Seeing Kirillov say this, Vitkov finally mustered up the courage to say: "Comrade commander, I think it will be very difficult for the 308th Division to solve the battle in half an hour, after all, it is a big city, and most of the buildings are stone houses, and the Germans can use these strong buildings to resist stubbornly. ”

I've been with Vitkov for so long, and I've never blushed with him for work, but today I don't know what's going on, and I'm in a particularly irritable mood, and I just want to get angry for some reason. After listening to him, I waved my hand at him and said, "Forget it, don't give General Gurtiev a time limit." You will send him a telegram later, asking if the regiment that rushed there last night has been rebuilt? ”

Vitkov agreed, and was about to go to deliver the telegram, but before he could reach the walkie-talkie, the operator had already stood up and reported to him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, a telegram from the headquarters of the Front." ”

The telegram from the headquarters of the front army, the origin of this telegram startled me, and I said that at such a time, Vatutin sent me a telegram, could it be that he wanted to arrange some combat mission for our army? Thinking of this, I hurriedly asked Vitkov, who was watching: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what did General Vatutin say in the telegram?" ”

Vitkov raised the telegram in his hand and said to me excitedly: "Comrade commander, you are really a god of soldiers. The commander of the Front said in a telegram that in order to contain the forces of the German army near the Dnieper River and cover the convergence of the Voronezh Front and our Southwestern Front, let us immediately send troops to seize Kafbas and cut off the enemy's supply lines. and waited for an opportunity to advance into Kirovgrad and Alexandria, to contain the enemy's forces and prevent them from increasing their forces across the Dnieper. ”

After listening to Vitkov's speech on the telegram, I saw the approval and admiration on the faces of the few who looked at me, and even Kirillov's eyes were full of smiles. (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you for the two votes of book friend Gabriel, ★ Poison ★, I didn't think of what name to use, and the dead piggy children's shoes! Thank you for your valuable vote from the book friend Concubine Hong Feifei, the Iron Army, and Edwardliujun Children's Shoes! Thank you for the book friend l599xl, a person running children's shoes tips!