Then I called out Sederikov's name again, and when I saw him coming out of the ranks, I ordered him cleanly: "The task of your regiment is to use the cover of night to move at full speed into the air, and to deploy the three battalions in the north, east, and west directions of the city before 3 o'clock in the morning, and to be ready for battle." Remember, don't alarm the Germans, we are fighting a sneak attack rather than a strong attack. Do you understand? ”

"Understood!" After Sekjerikov agreed, he retreated back into the queue.

"Lieutenant Colonel Kosgaard!" After assigning the tasks of the first regiment, I issued a combat mission to Kosgaard: "You lead the remaining troops of the third regiment to move immediately into the air, and you must enter the starting position for the attack in the south of the city before three o'clock, and make preparations for battle." ”

After the combat mission was deployed, I raised my hand and looked at my watch, and then solemnly announced: "The offensive will be launched at four o'clock in the morning." Remember, send a small force to sneak up on the enemy at the entrance to the city. Only when our actions are exposed can we turn from a sneak attack to a strong attack. After saying that, I waved my hand to them and said, "Okay, now that the mission is clear, you all go back to the army and set off in the shortest possible time." ”

The commanders in the room replied in unison, "Yes!" Then they turned and left the headquarters.

After the commanders had left, Pantai Laiev walked up to me and asked: "Comrade division commander, what about us?" Do you stay in the camp and wait for news, or do you want to go to Kong? ”

"Go to the empty pinch!" Although this place name has been mentioned quite a few times tonight, I still unconsciously pouted when Pandeleyev mentioned this awkward place name again. "If you stay in the camp. We can't just understand what's going on on the front. ”

After speaking. I walked to the door and shouted outside, "Who's on duty outside, two people come in!" ”

With my shout, the second lieutenant on duty and two other sentries walked in, raised their hands and saluted, and asked respectfully: "Comrade division commander, do you have any instructions?" ”

I raised my chin to the position of the operator and instructed the second lieutenant, "Second lieutenant, go and help the radio operator clean up." We're about to move. ”

Seeing that the second lieutenant had helped the operator to start packing up the intermediate, Pandereev and I walked out of the headquarters and along the trenches. Pantai Laiev asked curiously: "Comrade division commander, in tonight's battle, why do you always emphasize sneak attacks, instead of putting on a posture with the enemy to fight a battle?" ”

Hearing this strange question from Bandereev, I asked with a wry smile: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, what hope do you think is there for success in rashly attacking the cities held by the Germans with our troops without heavy weapons?" Even if the German army had limited forces. But they are on the defensive, after all. If you want to successfully capture the city in the shortest possible time. At least four to six times as many defenders are to be used. Although our troops are up to the mark, we lack heavy weapons, and even after storming the city at a heavy cost, we will have to be prepared for hand-to-hand combat and house-to-house sweeps. In this way, the time we spend on seizing the city will be extended indefinitely, and if the German troops who get the news come from several directions, what kind of outcome will we face, even if I don't say it, I believe you know it very well in your heart. ”

My remarks clearly did not convince Bandereev, who opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to contradict me. At this moment, I saw Basmanov hurrying from the front, and hurriedly asked: "Comrade Captain, seeing that you are walking in such a hurry, has something happened?" ”

Basmanov walked up to me and stopped, and hurriedly said: "Comrade division commander, the captured German lieutenant Braun, also wants to take part in our operation. ”

"No, resolutely not." As soon as Pandereev heard Basmanov's words, he immediately spoke out against it, saying: "If you let him go, he shouted when the armored car entered the city, wouldn't you all be exposed?" ”

Without knowing what was going on, I did not immediately express my opinion, but asked Basmanov: "Captain, why did this Lieutenant Braun suddenly say that he wanted to act with you?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Division Commander." Basmanov honestly reported to me: "According to the fighters of the guard, there were once fighters of reconnaissance detachments who heard about the capture of prisoners and went to see the excitement. One of the soldiers, Captain Grams's German devil, seemed to have said something to Braun, and when Braun saw that we were going to take his herald away, he offered to be our guide. ”

"Captain, what did the warrior say to Lieutenant Braun, you know?"

Basmanov shook his head, indicating that he did not know, and continued: "But I have asked my soldiers to bring that German devil for you to interrogate yourself." ”

"Comrade Basmanov, bring him here." I said lightly to Basmanov.

Basmanov turned around and beckoned to the back, and soon a soldier in a German uniform with a white towel tied to his arm was pushed by two fighters of the guard company with their hands cut behind their backs. Seeing them treat the soldiers who surrendered to Cheng like this, I couldn't help but be angry, and I opened my mouth at the two fighters: "What are you doing, why are you treating your comrades like this?" Let go, let him go immediately. ”

Seeing that I was angry, the two soldiers hurriedly let go of the hands of the surrender warrior and took a step back, leaning their backs against the wall of the trench and not daring to move casually. I walked up to the fighter, gently grabbed his arm, and asked with concern, "Comrade fighter, are you alright?" ”

The soldier had a wry smile on his face, and then replied in broken Russian: "I'm fine, thank you for your concern." ”

Basmanov approached me and gave me a support: "Comrade division commander, you must interrogate this German devil and ask him what he said to Braun?" Let's see if there is any conspiracy in the middle. ”

I was already on fire because of the attitude of the soldiers towards the surrender soldiers just now, but when I heard Basmanov say this, I calmed down, and I stared at him and said sternly: "Captain Basmanov. Listen to me. From now on. I heard you call the officers and soldiers who surrendered again to the German devils, and I removed you from your post, did you hear that? ”

"I hear you." Basmanov whispered a word of agreement and quietly retreated to the back.

I took a deep breath and tried to make my expression more natural, and then I asked the soldier who surrendered: "Comrade soldier, I heard that you just went to see the captured Lieutenant Braun?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." The warrior replied cheerfully.

"I wonder what you all talked about?" I put on a kind face and began to induce a confession. "Why does he suddenly want to join our combat operation tonight?"

"We heard that two German prisoners had been captured in the battle that had just ended, so a few fighters made an appointment to go and see them. When Braun heard us talking, he suddenly asked us if we were Germans and why we were in the ranks of the Soviet army. So we told Lieutenant Braun how he was captured and how he joined the Soviet Army. Finally, I went out of my way to repeat to him what you said: when the war is over, we will be the heroes of the new Germany. ”

Listening to the warrior say this, I understood in my heart why Braun's attitude had changed so much, and the feelings were all what I said when I first turned against Grams. It's a good result. Now that the matter has been figured out, for Braun's request. I readily agreed: "Well, Captain Basmanov, since Lieutenant Braun is willing to take part in our operation, let him participate." Remember, let him and his heralds stay alone in an armored car. ”

After Basmanov left with his fighters, I asked the fighters standing in front of me amiably: "Comrade warriors, I don't know what to call you?" ”

"Wenger," the warrior straightened up and reported clearly in his mouth, "Corporal Wenger." ”

I repeated the name of the soldier and comforted him: "Corporal Wenger, I remember you." Now go back to your company, the army is about to fight a big battle, and I hope you can establish your own merits in the coming days. Go ahead! ”

Corporal Wenger saluted me, then turned and walked briskly down the trench.

After the remaining soldiers of the guard company and I had gathered together, I left the camp where we had been staying for a day and headed in the direction of the city.

At first, I felt that it was easy to walk, but the more I walked, the more difficult it became. Soon after passing through the village, the terrain changed, and the tall and messy weeds and the muddy ground beneath my feet greatly slowed my forward speed. With difficulty, I pushed my hands through the grass in front of me, and walked forward one foot deeper, one shallow.

At this moment, I understood why the German mechanized troops were advancing so slowly in such a wide steppe, and it turned out to be due to the limitations of the terrain. On such a road, except for the infantry, trucks and armored vehicles are barely okay; If you change to a tank, you will probably not be able to travel far, and you will be stuck in a muddy road and unable to drive.

Perhaps seeing that I was having a hard time, Pandereev came up to my side and chatted with me to distract me. He asked with a grin: "Comrade division commander, as far as I know, our division's siege ability is the strongest. In the early days of the formation of the troops, it succeeded in capturing a settlement occupied by German troops. Can you tell me a little bit about the experience of the city battle? He was deeply afraid that I would hide my secrets, and he specially emphasized, "Although our army is still in the defensive stage, sooner or later it will turn to a counteroffensive, and then seizing the enemy and occupying the city will become our top priority." ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, since you want to know the common sense of the urban fortification, then I will tell you some of the things I know." I knew he was deliberately provoking me, but there was nothing to do during the boring march anyway, and I knew everything: "I just said that when the troops enter the city, they should be prepared for hand-to-hand combat and house-to-house sweeping. When attacking a building occupied by the enemy, it is most effective to launch a simultaneous attack on the target building from multiple points in an adjacent building. Before storming into the building, the troops should prepare hand-to-hand combat weapons and smoke grenades, and once they storm into the building, they must give priority to the staircase, staircase, and commanding height. Once the entire building has been captured, there should be no hesitation in deploying defenses to resist enemy counterattacks. In the defense, special attention should be paid to the fact that your supply lines and flanks should be able to withstand the counterattack of the Germans from multiple directions. Speaking of this, I couldn't help but sigh and said regretfully: "It's a pity that our division doesn't have a flamethrower, otherwise this would be a sharp weapon to fight for house by house." No matter how many enemies are in the house, as long as the fire spews in, they will be destroyed. ”

Although the road was still difficult to walk, he was distracted by chatting with Pantai Laiev, and before he knew it, he came to a small hill south of the city. Seeing me and Bandereev walking up the hill, the second lieutenant on duty hurriedly asked the soldiers of the guard company to act as guards around us.

I found a place with a good view, crouched waist-deep in the grass, raised my binoculars and looked into the city, only to see that the rest of the city was dark except for a few places where the lights were on. From the barricades at the southern entrance to the city, one or two flares were raised from time to time, illuminating the vicinity of the fortifications as if it were daylight. When the flares landed, the entire area was plunged into darkness again.

"Comrade division commander," Bandereev came to me and crouched down and asked in a low voice, "how many things are left to attack?" ”

At this moment, a flare rose into the air, and I followed the illumination in the air, raised my hand to look at my watch, and replied to Pantai Leev: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, it is 3:40 a.m., and our offensive will not begin until 20 minutes. After saying this, I was a little embarrassed and laughed at myself, "I was in the command headquarters and told the commanders and fighters to enter the offensive position before three o'clock in the morning, but I didn't expect that we were nearly forty minutes behind them. ”

After saying this, I heard what seemed to be movement next to me, and I quickly lowered my voice and asked vigilantly, "Who, who is there?" ”

As I asked, there was a rustling sound, as if someone was pushing through the grass and approaching us. Just as my hand was on the holster at my waist, I heard a familiar voice: "Comrade Division Commander, it's me, Corporal Wenger, Corporal Wenger." ”

When I heard that it was Corporal Wenger, I immediately relieved myself and removed my hand from the holster. As soon as the other party appeared in front of me, I asked, "Comrade Corporal, why are you here?" ”

Corporal Wenger explained to me in a low voice: "Report to the division commander, I was originally from the first company of the guard battalion, and some time ago I was pulled out by the chief of staff to carry out reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines. Since it has not yet been rebuilt, it is temporarily in the guard company. ”

"Comrade Corporal," after listening to his words, I asked politely: "Captain Basmanov, did they get in?" ”

Wenger turned his head to look in the direction of the south of the city, then nodded and replied, "I think we should have mixed in, because there is no sign of a battle at the entrance to the city." ”

"Corporal, do you know where the headquarters of Lieutenant Colonel Kosgaard, the commander of the 3rd Regiment, is located?" Bantai Laiev also leaned over and asked in a whisper.

Wenger seemed to be a little afraid of Bandereev, and when he heard him ask this, he panicked. After a long time, he stammered and replied, "Yes, yes, comrade, Colonel." The regimental command post of the Third Regiment is located on the northeast side of this hillside, about three or four hundred meters away from here. ”

"Thank you, Comrade Corporal." I politely thanked him, and I wanted to send him away immediately, but suddenly thought that there was no suitable person available by my side now, so I temporarily decided to keep him, "I and the deputy division commander need a herald to pass our orders to commanders in other places at the right time, are you willing to take this position?" ”

Hearing my words, Wenger's head nodded like a chicken pecking rice, and he said again and again: "Yes, yes, of course I do." Comrade division commander, please rest assured that I will not fail to live up to your trust. ”

He had just finished expressing his determination to me, and before I could speak, suddenly there was a faint sound of gunfire and explosions in the direction of the city. Hearing the sudden sound of gunfire and explosions, my heart tightened suddenly, and I didn't care whether it was exposed or not, so I suddenly stood up from the ground, looked in the direction of the city, and said in a daze: "Could it be that Captain Basmanov has been exposed?" (To be continued......)

PS: Heartfelt thanks to the book friends for the two votes of the Iron Army Shoes! Thank you for your vote from zhaojingchao and zheng1360 children's shoes! Thank you for the reward of the old godfather children's shoes!