In response to Chuikov's request, Shumilov agreed: "No problem, I will immediately draw a company from the guard battalion and escort General Korpakichi to their destination." After speaking, he walked up to Kolpacchi and said in a friendly voice: "General Korpakic, General Krylov, since you have come to our 64th Army, don't rush to leave first. You must be tired from traveling all night. Please go to the headquarters and have a bite to eat. When you're done eating, I'll arrange for someone to escort you back. ”

Kolpakchi did not answer with a smile at the enthusiasm shown by Shumilov, but turned his head and asked Krylov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what is your opinion?" ”

Krylov smiled and said: "Comrade commander, General Shumilov invited us so warmly, if he refused, it would hurt his self-esteem. Anyway, it's still early, so let's go get a bite to eat and then go. ”

Hearing that Kolpacic and Krylov were willing to stay as guests, Shumilov was overjoyed, stretched out his hand back, and said loudly: "Comrade two generals, since this is the case, then please." ”

As soon as a group of us entered the log-made headquarters, a communications staff officer shouted: "Report to Comrade Commander, the telephone with the headquarters of the Front Army has been connected." The Chief of Staff of the Front, General Nikishev, wanted to talk to General Chuikov. ”

Chuikov walked out of the crowd, walked over and took the microphone from the hand of the communications staff officer, put it to his ear, and said in a smooth and clear tone: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff, I am Chuikov. Yes, I returned safely to the command of the 64th Army. ”

Seeing that Chuikov was talking on the phone with his superiors, the people in the room stopped talking. Quietly watched as Chuikov made the call. I only heard Nikishev say unhappily: "General Chuikov." What the hell is going on? Where did you run to yesterday in a day. For what will not be contacted by the troops, the commander of Gordorf will worry about you all night. ”

Chuikov looked back at the commander in the room embarrassedly, coughed, and replied with some embarrassment: "I'm sorry, Comrade Chief of Staff, it's all my fault." But could you please explain to the commander that my car was blown up by an enemy plane yesterday and that I and a group of my men were being transferred. I encountered a group of enemies wedged into the rear of our army, and in the course of the battle, I was separated from my own men. Fortunately, General Korpakci, under the guidance of my adjutant, found me at the pre-agreed assembly point, and I was able to escape safely. ”

After listening to Chuikov's explanation, Nikishev slowed down his tone and asked: "Comrade Chuikov, when do you plan to take up your post in the 62nd Army?" ”

Chuikov hesitated for a moment and replied: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I would like to postpone it until the time when the 62nd Army took office. ”

"For what?" Nikishev's voice became stiff again.

"I have some deployments in the 64th Army that can suppress the enemy's offensive for a certain time. If I had gone to the 62nd Army, it would have been inconvenient for me to continue to command this force. I suggest that in the near future the command of the 62nd Army could be handed over to General Kolpacchi. After all, he had been in this unit for nearly a month, and he was familiar with the commanders and fighters up and down, so he could command handily when fighting. ”

Nikishev was silent and did not speak for a long time. Chuikov couldn't hear the voice from the other side, and couldn't help but be a little anxious, and shouted into the microphone: "Hey, Comrade Chief of Staff, are you still there?" Comrade Chief of Staff, are you still there? ”

Nikishev's voice came out of the microphone, and he said angrily: "Since you have thought about it, then do as you say, I will report this matter to Commander Gordorf later." Speaking of this, he paused for a moment and suddenly asked, "Is Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina with you?" ”

Chuikov turned his head and looked at me suspiciously, as if he was surprised that Nikishev suddenly asked me, but nevertheless replied affirmatively: "Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, she is right next to me." Do you want to talk to her? ”

"Give her the phone."

Chuikov removed the microphone from his ear, pointed his finger at me, and said, "Oshanina, come here, the chief of staff of the front army is going to talk to you." ”

Although I didn't know what Didaknikishev had called me, I immediately ran to Chuikov's side, took the microphone from him, and respectfully said to it: "Hello, General Nikishev. ”

"Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina," Nikishev asked in a steady tone, "what are your plans?" ”

"Do you need me to rush back to Stalingrad right away? Comrade Chief of Staff. I thought he was asking me why I was still at the front and not going back to Stalingrad, so I replied without hesitation, "As soon as you give the order, I will rush back immediately." ”

"You don't have to go back to Stalingrad for a while." Nikishev's words surprised me, but I didn't know what he was talking about, and I couldn't find a reason to refute it, so I could only listen to him continue, "Since General Chuikov has postponed his appointment to the 62nd Army, then you should follow him for the time being during this time." ”

"But what about the 35th Guards Infantry Division?" Although he meant to keep me at the front, what to do with the Guards Infantry Division that Goldov promised me, so I couldn't help but ask.

"The 35th Guards Infantry Division was temporarily unable to reach the Mamayev Gang in the short term due to unexpected reasons. In this case, you are the division command that remains in the front army, and you will not be able to use anything. Instead of this, it is better to follow Chuikov's side and learn how to fight with him. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Chief of Staff." Although a few words from Nikishev changed me from a commander of the Guards Division with a bare pole to an insignificant commander in the headquarters of the 64th Army, I had no complaints, because I thought of Zhukov's admonition to me yesterday, so I unequivocally agreed to Nikishev's order.

As soon as I put down the phone, Chuikov asked me with concern: "Oshanina, what did the chief of staff say?" ”

I struggled to squeeze out a smile and said with a bitter face: "General Chuikov, Comrade Chief of Staff has temporarily relieved me of the post of commander of the 35th Guards Division. Let me follow you for a while longer. "Originally, I wanted to call Comrade Commander. Later, I looked. In addition to Chuikov, there are two other commanders here, and if they are called, it is estimated that the three of them should agree to me together.

With a smile on his face, Chuikov held out his hand to me and said, "That's great, I need an experienced commander like you here." Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, welcome back to the 64th Army. ”

I shook hands with Chuikov. While smiling bitterly, I said in my heart that since I was sent to the Stalingrad Front, in less than a month, I have been constantly transferred between the 62nd and 64th armies, and I have also held many large and small positions, commanding the troops to fight one tough battle after another. I don't know how long Lu Dao was sent to assist Cui Kefu this time, and he can stay.

After Chuikov shook hands with me, Shumilov, the military commissar, and the chief of staff of the group army also came up to shake hands with me and welcomed my stay in the 64th Army.

After a breakfast that was about to turn into lunch. Chuikov sent Kol Pakchi and Krylov away.

When Chuikov and Shumilov were all gathered around the table studying the map, I took advantage of their lack of attention. Grabbed a staff officer he knew and quietly asked him: "Hey, I said, when did the chief of staff of the army group become Colonel Raskin, and what about the original Colonel Novikov?" ”

The staff officer looked left and right, and saw that no one noticed us, so he leaned close to my ear and whispered: "Last time, the chief of staff gave the order for the troops of the group army to retreat without consulting General Chuikov, and as a result, it almost caused the defense line of the group army to collapse. Although Chuikov later issued an order in time to correct his mistake, after all, it was a big mistake and the blame could not be escaped. He was arrested by the Internal Guard last week and is reportedly being held in Stalingrad. The superiors said that he would be court-martialed in due course. ”

After the staff officer finished speaking, he left in a hurry. I stayed where I was and said in a daze, saying in my heart that it seemed that it was too dangerous to stay in the headquarters as a staff officer, and judging from the sudden retreat order issued last time, it was definitely not a chief of staff like Novikov who could make a decision casually, he must have been consulted. And the person who agreed to his proposal was most likely the military commissar of the army group, Abramov. As a result, when it came time to finally hold him accountable, Novikov unfortunately became a scapegoat.

I was thinking about it when one of the telephones in the room rang. A staff officer walked over and picked up the phone, and after listening to a few words, he covered the microphone with his hand and said to Chuikov: "Comrade Deputy Commander, it was the commander of the division Lyudnikov who called and said that he had something important to report to you. ”

Chuikov strode over, took the microphone, and without waiting for the other party to speak, he preemptively said: "Hello, Colonel Lyudnikov." This morning I intercepted a part of your division at the 74th Command House that had retreated northward without authorization. After intercepting them, I asked them to build fortifications on the spot, and prepared to strengthen the 74th Concession Station. I asked the commander of the military movement to call you and ask you to send a commander to command this force. Did your commander send it? ”

I don't know what Lyudnikov answered, and Chuikov's face suddenly changed. I have the impression that Chuikov has always been a calm man, rarely losing his temper and panic, and even when we were bombed by our own planes in the town and buried in the rubble, he maintained a rare composure. But today, after listening to Lyudnikov's report, he behaved exceptionally, and his voice trembled slightly and asked: "Comrade Colonel, you repeat again, what happened?" ”

When he put down the phone and sat down at the table with a depressed expression, Shumilov asked with concern: "Comrade Chuikov, what happened?" ”

Chuikov looked up at Shumilov and replied with a bitter face: "Comrade commander, Colonel Lyudnikov has just called and said that his defense zone has received a group of remnants of the 62nd Army withdrawn from the Koska River defense line. According to one of the commanders, after two days of fierce fighting, the divisional leaders of several divisions suffered almost no casualties. The commander of the 147th Division, Major General Volkhin, was seriously wounded, the political commissar of the 181st Division, Rudenko, was killed, the commander of the 196th Division, Colonel Avelin, was captured, and the commander of the 399th Division, Colonel Travnikov, from the Far East, was missing. In a word, the troops of these four divisions were all finished, and the commanders and fighters who managed to protrude from the enemy's encirclement did not exceed a thousand people. ”

"And what about the commander of the 62nd Army, Lopatin, and the military commissar Gurov?" Shumilov asked nervously. Although I didn't have a good impression of Lopatin, Gurov's whereabouts caught my attention, and I hurriedly pricked up my ears and waited for Chuikov to say the answer.

Chuikov shook his head. Helplessly said: "There is no news about Lopatin and Gurov." According to those fighters who escaped. It turned out that General Kolpakč had built a pontoon bridge over the Koska River. As soon as Lopatin took office, he ordered someone to blow it up. As a result, when the enemy's troops pressed the border and our army was unable to resist, they found that their original retreat had long been cut off. With the exception of a few troops who were lucky enough to cross the Koska River, the remaining tens of thousands of men were either annihilated or captured. ”

After hearing this, Shumilov slammed his fist on the table, shaking the teacups on the table and jumping up, and he scolded angrily: "Lopatin, this stupid, tens of thousands of troops were cut off by him like this." In my opinion. There is no need to send him to a court-martial, and if I find him, I will execute him on the spot, so that I can vent the hatred in my heart. ”

Chuikov waved his hand, stood up, and said: "Comrade commander, you are still left behind in the headquarters, I will take Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina to Lyudnikov's division to have a look, and those retreating commanders and fighters have gathered up and asked them about the battle situation at that time. ”

Shumilov may have long been accustomed to Chuikov's way of working, and just nodded after listening. said: "Okay, just do what you say." It's too dangerous out there now. You should bring more people with you, so that at least you are safe. ”

Under Shumilov's deliberate arrangement, our team was a little bigger. In front were two jeeps, followed by five trucks full of fighters, and drove at lightning speed towards the defensive ground of the Lyudnikov division.

By the time we reached the 74th Settlement again, the railroad side fortifications had been built in decent condition, and in addition to two trenches, there were more than a dozen machine-gun fire points on civil structures. And in the rear of the position, there were unexpectedly more than two dozen cannons.

Chuikov asked the driver to stop next to the position, looked at the newly repaired fortifications, nodded with satisfaction, and said to me: "It seems that we did the right thing by stopping this group of retreating commanders and fighters at that time. With the fortifications they have built here and the artillery behind them, our fighters will be able to hold them back for a day or two, even if the enemy attacks under the cover of tanks. ”

As he was talking, the position suddenly became chaotic, and the commanders and fighters who had been in the trenches began to run and shout. Frightened, Chuikov hurriedly rushed over, grabbed a fighter who crawled out of the trench, and asked loudly: "Comrade soldier, what are you running blindly?" ”

The soldier had a frightened expression, he didn't even have a weapon in his hand, he pointed into the distance, and said tremblingly: "Comrade General, look, in the distance...... In the distance, German tanks came over. ”

When I heard him say this, I hurriedly looked into the distance, and the tall dust was raised on the steppe in the distance, and I could faintly hear the roar of tank motors, and it seemed that it was really the mechanized troops of the Germans who were coming.

Chuikov let go of the warrior and shouted at me, "Follow me!" He ran to the artillery position behind the position. I hesitated only slightly, and trotted along.

Chuikov ran to the artillery position and shouted at the artillerymen who were standing in a daze: "Where is the commander?" Where is the commander? Can any of you tell me where your commander is? ”

With a series of shouts, an ammunition man, who was in a daze with a shell, tilted his head to the right and shouted: "Over there, Comrade General, our regimental commander is over there." ”

Chuikov quickly ran through the artillerymen, came to a lieutenant colonel and asked loudly: "Are you the commander of the artillery regiment?" ”

The lieutenant colonel nodded and replied: "Yes, Comrade General, I am the regimental commander." Who are you? ”

Pointing to the dusty place in the distance, Chuikov asked loudly: "I am Chuikov, deputy commander of the 64th Army, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, do you see the dust over there?" ”

The commander of the artillery regiment looked in that direction, then nodded, and answered honestly: "See, Comrade General." Do you have any instructions? ”

"The enemy is advancing on us, why don't you open fire?" Chuikov asked angrily.

The commander of the artillery regiment squeezed out a smile with some embarrassment and replied: "Report to Comrade Deputy Commander, our shells are running out. ”

"Smack!" Chuikov raised his hand and slapped the artillery commander and scolded loudly: "You coward, you coward." Do you think I don't know the way? Every time the commander wanted to retreat, he would prevaricate his superiors with the reason of insufficient ammunition. I order you to open fire immediately, otherwise you will lose your rank of lieutenant colonel and be removed from the post of regimental commander. ”

I originally thought that if Chuikov was so frightened, the artillery commander would honestly carry out the order, but I didn't expect him to say unrelentingly: "I'm sorry, Comrade Deputy Commander, I can't carry out your order, the troops are running out of shells." ……”

"Smack!" This time it was no longer a slap in the face, but a gunshot. Chuikov pulled out his pistol and fired a shot at the head of the artillery commander, and with the gunshot, the lieutenant colonel fell to the ground, startling the surrounding artillery soldiers.

Chuikov put the pistol in the holster and asked loudly: "Who else is the commander?" ”

A major came over tremblingly, saluted and reported: "Report Comrade Deputy Commander, I am the chief of staff of the artillery regiment, do you have any instructions?" ”

Chuikov again pointed to the dusty place in the distance and commanded loudly: "I order you to immediately load the shells and shoot at the enemy!" ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, which target to hit?"

"Aim at the enemy's tanks and open fire!" (To be continued......)