As the new forces under Major Godunov entered the battle, the tide of the battle turned one-sided, and by daybreak most of the sections and buildings on the Avenue of the Soviets were returned to the hands of our troops. The depot of military supplies, which intrigued me, was also recaptured during the battle.

As my chief of staff, Akhromeyev knew in his heart that the reason why I spared no effort to send troops to assist the 42nd Guards Regiment and cooperate with friendly forces to regain lost territory was just a pretense, and its main purpose was to save military supplies in warehouses. So when our troops seized the warehouse from the enemy, they immediately arranged for people to move the supplies inside to the trucks.

When the two dozen trucks were full, Akhromeyev asked me for instructions: "Report to the division commander, the supplies have been loaded. Where do I get the convoy to transport the supplies next? ”

I had already thought about the place where the supplies would be stored, and there was a huge underground fortification in the residential area where the first and third regiments were stationed, and it should be the most suitable place to store supplies, so I decisively ordered Akhromeyev: "Let the convoy transport all the supplies to the garrison of the first regiment and the third regiment, which is the best place to store them." He also went out of his way to emphasize that "Major Godunov is in charge of the escort, and his troops are stationed there anyway." ”

Half an hour later, in the corner of my division headquarters, there was a pile of some supplies sent by Godunov. Seeing the supplies in front of me, I am glad that I made the right decision. It turned out that there were not only military coats in the warehouse, but also a large number of cotton military uniforms, boxes and boxes of rusks, and canned American beef.

Cotton uniforms and overcoats can be assigned to the soldiers for change, while rusks and canned beef can improve the food in the division. Fortunately, due to the non-stop counterattack of the Guards Division. Let the Germans take care of themselves. There was no time to transfer these supplies from the warehouse. Otherwise, all the supplies left behind by the unknown unit would have been cheaper for the Germans.

Kirillov and I were smirking at a large pile of goodies in front of us when the phone on the desk rang. As soon as I picked it up and spoke, I heard Rodimtsev's roar: "Colonel Oshanina, you bastard, do you know what you have done?" ”

As soon as I heard the voice of Rodimtsev, I immediately guessed that he had called Xingshi to ask for guilt, after all, I had transported so many military supplies back to my defense area. But for his accusations. I still pretended to be confused and asked innocently: "Comrade General, I don't understand what you're talking about?" ”

Rodimtsev snorted heavily, and then questioned me: "I have received information that the officers and men of your division, after seizing the military supply warehouse near the flour mill, loaded a large amount of supplies into trucks and transported them to the defense area of your division. Let me ask you, is this true? ”

"Yes, Comrade General. Please listen to my explanation, since my division is newly formed. So all kinds of supplies are not finished, for example, it's cold now. Most of our fighters are still wearing single clothes......"

Rodimtsev didn't wait for me to finish, and then unceremoniously interrupted me: "I don't care about this, since that military material warehouse is in the defense area of my division, then you have no right to use all the materials in it." I order you to send someone to send all the supplies back to the warehouse at once. ”

After hearing his domineering order, I was suddenly angry, I wanted to explain it to him, but I didn't expect him to ask me to send him all the things back without saying anything. Spit out the meat that I ate in my mouth and then spit it out, it has never been my style, I know very well in my heart that with the current strength of the independent division, it is impossible to block a new round of German attack, so the fate of this batch of materials after it is sent back is to fall into the hands of the Germans again, rather than that, it is better to stay in my hands and play a more effective role. Thinking of this, I also retorted to him in a strong tone: "I'm sorry, Comrade General, I can't carry out this order of yours. Although the Germans have been repulsed by us at present, with their strength, Soviet Street may be recaptured by them at any time, so if the supplies are sent back at present, it is equivalent to giving them to the Germans. Sorry, I can't carry out your orders. ”

"Comrade Colonel, let me remind you that orders from higher authorities are not allowed to be discussed." In order to make me obedient, Rodimtsev also tried to use his identity to suppress me. "Although we are both division commanders, I am a major general, and you are only a colonel, and please don't forget that the troops north of Stalingrad are currently under my command."

"I'm sorry, Comrade General." I replied without humility or arrogance: "Although, according to the regulations, the orders of the superior commander are not allowed to be discussed. But in order to ensure victory in battle, I never carry out only those correct orders. If you are not satisfied with anything, you can report it to Commander Chuikov. With that, I unceremoniously slammed the microphone on the base, startling Kirillov next to me.

Kirillov heard the conversation between me and Rodimtsev and said with a little concern: "Comrade Oshanina, how can you say something like that to General Rodimtsev?" Did you know that this is a punishment for the following crimes? As he spoke, he extended his hand to the telephone, and at the same time said to himself, "No, I will call the commander and the military commissar immediately and explain this matter to him." ”

I stopped him from making a phone call and said, "Comrade commissar, don't call for the time being. I think that even if the commander and the military commissar knew about this, they would not remove me from their posts and investigate me. As long as our troops can change into winter clothes as much as possible, what do I have to do even if I am wronged? ”

Although my words were high-sounding, I kept being angry in my heart, thinking that we are all teachers, why do you point fingers at me? If you really have the ability, why didn't you even hear your name in those battles in the later stages of the Great Patriotic War, it can be seen that your command level is also limited. Thinking of this, I walked over to the intercom, bowed my head and ordered Razumeyeva: "Lieutenant, immediately contact the chief of staff, I have an important order to give him." ”

Kirillov, who didn't know why, ran over and asked confusedly: "Comrade Oshanina, what are you going to do here?" ”

"What else can you do?" Without looking back, I said, "Order Akhromeyev to change the equipment of the troops immediately, I don't want my subordinates to suffer from frostbite in such cold weather." "Hear me say that. Kirillov didn't ask any further. Instead, he stood quietly beside me and remained silent.

and Akhromeyev. I immediately asked him: "Chief of Staff, how many supplies are still in the warehouse?" ”

"About two-thirds of them. In addition to winter clothes, slices of bread, canned beef, there are also some weapons and ammunition. ”

"Listen, Comrade Chief of Staff. When Major Godunov's convoy returned, it was loaded again. The rest of the materials don't need to be pulled back, and they will be handed over to you to deal with. ”

"What should I do?" Unknown Akhromeyev asked.

"Let the commanders and fighters who are currently on the streets of the Soviets go into the warehouses in batches to change into winter clothes. And replenish ammunition and food. If there is any surplus, give it to the brethren of the 42nd Regiment of the Guards. ”

"Understood, I'll arrange for someone to arrange it right away."

Kirillov waited for the end of the call between me and Akhromeyev, nodded slightly and said: "Comrade Oshanina, your way of handling it is more appropriate. Leave a part of the supplies to the 42nd Guards Regiment, so that General Rodimtsev really goes to the commander to complain to you, and we can also find a reason to defend ourselves. ”

At about ten o'clock in the morning, Chuikov swaggered into my division headquarters with four or five guards without prior greeting. He accepted our salute with peace of mind and sat down at the table. Looking up and asking me: "Comrade Oshanina, I listened to General Rodimtsev." Is there such a thing as you emptied the warehouse of military supplies next to the flour mill without his permission? ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander. It was I who ordered the men to carry the supplies from the warehouses and transport them back to the defense area of our division. However, I did not bring back all the supplies, and left some of them for the 42nd Guards Regiment. ”

"Nonsense, you're just fooling around!" Chuikov slapped his hand on the table and stood up, pointed his finger at me and scolded: "I don't blame you for carrying supplies without General Rodimtsev's permission." But why did you, after receiving a phone call from Comrade Rodimtsev, insist on going your own way and refuse to send him the supplies back? ”

"Comrade commander, this matter is not the business of the division commander, it is my idea." Kirillov may have taken the initiative to take the matter on his own for the sake of protecting me, after all, he was of the same rank as Chuikov, and some of his words did not fall under the following offense: "You also know that the independent division is a newly formed unit, and all kinds of supplies are scarce. Especially now that the weather is getting colder and colder, the vast majority of the soldiers are still wearing summer clothes, and the reason why they brought this batch of supplies back is to plan to change the clothes of the soldiers. ”

After hearing this, Chuikov walked to the place where the supplies were stacked, raised his foot and kicked the winter clothes piled on the ground, and turned his head to look at everyone in the headquarters. When his gaze swept over the thin uniforms of the members of the command, his tone suddenly became friendly: "These things on the ground are the military supplies you brought back?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Hearing Chuikov's question, I hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully reported to him: "I plan to change winter clothes for all the troops after all the supplies are brought back, I don't want my soldiers to be frostbitten in the coming winter because they don't have winter equipment, and there will be a large number of non-combat attrition." ”

Chuikov returned to the table and sat down, raised his head and asked me: "As far as I know, there are only more than 3,000 people in the independent division, but there are 8,000 military coats stored in the warehouse, why don't you give these extra military coats to the 13th Guards Division?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." I felt that there was no need to hide my true thoughts from Chuikov in front of him, so I told the truth: "At present, the strength of the 13th Guards Division is seriously insufficient, especially the troops holding on to the section of Soviet's Avenue and Lenin's Street, and their numbers are pitiful. If I had really followed General Rodimtsev's orders and returned these supplies to the warehouse, there would be a good chance that the supplies would have fallen into the hands of the enemy after the next battle. ”

After I said this, I quickly stopped holding my breath and waited to bear the thunderous wrath of Chuikov, because if this kind of material I made would fall into the hands of the enemy, it was very taboo in this specific environment. But things were not as bad as I thought, and Chuikov did not immediately lash out after listening to my words. Instead, he bowed his head and pondered.

It took a while. He looked up. Looking at me and Kirillov, he said unhurriedly: "Comrade Oshanina, Comrade Kirillov, your concerns may be right. At present, the strength of the 13th Guards Division is a little small, and it is indeed a little powerless to resist the German invaders who occupy the superiority in strength, but this does not mean that their commanders and fighters are not brave and the combat effectiveness of the troops is not good.

Did you know? During yesterday's daytime battle, German tanks attacked an infantry company of the Rodimtsev division, which was stationed near the station. Although only two dozen fighters remained in the company. But under the command of the secretary of the regimental branch Yakov, they still fought stubbornly against the enemy. Watching the enemy tanks rush towards his position, Comrade Yakov grabbed two anti-tank grenades, got up from behind the sandbag fortifications, straightened up and shouted at his comrades: 'Comrades! Resolutely hold our ground and never take a step back! With that, he raised his hand and threw a grenade under the leading tank. Having watched the enemy tank burn, Yakov was about to throw a second grenade when an enemy bullet hit him. Yakov although sacrificed. But his exemplary behavior inspired the warriors, who rushed out of the fortifications with a shout. Repelled enemy attacks with grenades.

After the battle, the fighters found a poem written by Yakov in his relics. Perhaps written before the start of the battle, the poem was not finished, and the regimental member added the title to his sincere and unpretentious verse: "My Oath"

I am the son of the party, and the motherland is my mother,

Dear Lenin is my loving father.

In battle, I will never retreat,

Let friends and foes alike know ......"

After listening to Chuikov's account, Kirillov said: "We will always remember these martyrs who died honorably to defend the motherland." After the war is over, we will erect a monument to the place where they died, so that our descendants will always remember that their happy life was bought by the bloody sacrifice of countless revolutionary martyrs. ”

Although I was silent as Kirillov spoke, his words reminded me of the familiar words of young people who laid flowers to the old men in military uniforms on Victory Square in later generations: "Thank you, thank you for the happy life you have brought us!" ”

After talking a few more words to Chuikov and Kirillov, he raised his hand and looked at his watch, then turned his gaze to me and asked me in an inquiring tone: "Comrade Oshanina, I am going to the headquarters of General Rodimtsev, would you like to go with me?" ”

"Comrade Commander, I obey your orders." Since Chuikov was willing to be a peacemaker between me and Rodimtsev, I agreed with him.

"By the way, Comrade Chuikov." Kirillov suddenly asked: "I don't know where General Rodimtsev is now, you guys rushed over like this, can you find others?" ”

"No problem," Chuikov said confidently, "I had just spoken to him on the phone, and his men said that he had taken a few soldiers to a building near the '9th of January' square to inspect the defenses. ”

"'Ninth of January' Square?" Kirillov repeated the name of the place, and judging by his frowning brow, it seemed that there was something he wanted to ask Chuikov.

However, Chuikov did not wait for him to speak, and preemptively said: "Comrade Kirillov, you should be familiar with the square of 'January 9', which is a large square built to commemorate 'Bloody Sunday'. ”

"Bloody Sunday," Chuikov said, confused me, so I humbly asked him: "Comrade commander, what kind of anniversary is this?" ”

Hearing my abrupt question, Chuikov glanced at me with a strange gaze and asked: "Comrade Oshanina, didn't you learn this history when you were studying?" ”

As soon as Chuikov's words were finished, my face flushed with shame. To be honest, I really don't know what kind of historical event this is, and if it was really Leda, maybe she could still tell that she was ugly. When Kirillov saw that I was red-faced and ashamed, he hurriedly relieved me of the siege and said: "Comrade commander, this history you mentioned can only be learned in universities, and it is not surprising that our division commander graduated after only 10 years. ”

Seeing that Kirillov had brought me a step, I hurriedly got off the donkey and echoed: "Yes, yes, as the commissar said, when I was studying, I didn't have the opportunity to learn that history. Comrade Commander, since you mentioned this historical event, explain it to me, lest someone say in the future that your subordinates are uneducated and unskilled. ”

When I said this, both Chuikov and Kirillov were amused, and Chuikov saw that he could not shirk it, so he had to say helplessly: "Well, since Comrade Oshanina wants to know about this history, I will tell you about it."

On January 22, 1905, in the case of George . Under the leadership of Father Gabon, more than 30,000 Russian workers gathered on the Hermitage Square in St. Petersburg to present Tsar Nicholas II with a petition for reform of society and the political system. They demanded first of all the election of representatives of the people, and secondly, for agrarian reform, the reduction of the heavy burden on the peasants, and the introduction of religious freedom.

The tsarist government waited for change at first and did nothing. But I don't know who fired the first shot, and there was chaos in the scene, so the officials ordered a bloody crackdown. The army dispersed the workers by force, killing more than a thousand people. This day is known as "Bloody Sunday in St. Petersburg". The hopes of the Russian workers for the Tsar's reforms were completely disillusioned, and the ensuing mass strikes, rallies, and assassinations continued throughout Russia, severely shaking the foundations of the Tsarist government. ”

After listening to Chuikov's story, I had a lot of questions in my mind, why it was January 22 instead of January 9. But I'm afraid that I will be ridiculed by Cui Kefu again, so I'm embarrassed to ask again.

Chuikov raised his hand again and looked at his watch, then stood up and said to me: "All right, Comrade Oshanina, the time is getting late, we have to rush to Rodimtsev as soon as possible." ”

I said yes, explained a few more words to Kirillov about the work of the division, and then left the headquarters with two guards after Chuikov.

I walked out of the command and saw Chuikov standing by the door, staring at a large pit next to it, where the original command post was. I understood why he stopped here, so I hurriedly walked over and stood beside him and whispered: "Comrade commander, while the enemy is shelling Mamayev Hill during this time, it has also sent planes to bomb non-stop. It was only after a direct hit by a bomb that your original command post became what it is now. ”

"Was anyone in there at the time?" Chuikov asked.

I shook my head and replied, "Report to the commander, there were no casualties." After the division headquarters was repaired, the telecommunications room that was originally located here was moved in. ”

"That's good!" Chuikov let out a long sigh, then shook his head and said, "Let's go, let's go." ”

As a result of the prolonged bombardment by enemy aircraft, the outside of the command headquarters was covered with charred craters of various sizes. It turned out that the wreckage of the plane that was placed outside the headquarters had long been blown up by German bombs to the country of Guawa.

When I came to the foot of the mountain, I saw two jeeps parked, and Chuikov and several of his guards got into the car in front, and before he got into the car, he pointed to the back and said to me: "Comrade Oshanina, you and your guards will get into the car in the back." ”

Seeing the Chuikov car in front of us departing, our car followed closely.

The driver of our car drove very cautiously, and every time he passed over the crater, he slowed down appropriately. Seeing that Chuikov's jeep was getting farther and farther away from us, I couldn't help but anxiously ask the driver: "Comrade driver, you see that the commander's car is almost gone, if we lose it, do you know where to send us?" ”

When the driver heard my question, he replied unhurriedly: "When I came, the commander said that I would go to the square of the '9th of January', as if the commander of the 13th Guards Division, Rodimtsev, was there. Rest assured, Comrade Colonel, I will deliver you safely to your destination. ”

Although the driver was very confident, I did not dare to take it lightly, and turned my head and ordered the guards behind me to prepare for battle to prevent the German stragglers from suddenly appearing. (To be continued......)

PS: I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the book friend Fei Li Ferran, Don't Say It, snock, few155, and the monthly pass support of the Sea Guard Children's Shoes!