When I heard footsteps moving around the house, I tried to open my eyes and saw that it was the women who had not returned all night. Maybe they were tired enough after a busy night, so they dragged their tired bodies to the bedside and fell directly on the bed, and they didn't even seem to have the strength to speak.

I raised my hand and looked at my watch, it was already seven o'clock. Because I didn't know when the new editor Yeremenko said yesterday would arrive, he quickly turned over and sat up, woke up Razumeyeva, who was sleeping on the bed next to her, then put on her new military uniform and military coat, walked to a wooden basin filled with water by the wall, washed her face with cold water, looked at the small mirror hanging on the wall, straightened her hair, and then turned her face and asked Lazumeeva: "Are you ready, Comrade Lieutenant?" ”

Razumeeva, who had just dressed herself, heard my question and hurriedly replied: "Comrade division commander, please wait a minute, I'll be fine right away." After saying that, she also rushed to the wooden basin I had just used, washed her face with cold water, and then stood up straight and said to me, "I can do it, Comrade Division Commander." ”

I nodded at her, walked over to the table, picked up the helmet and put it on my head, fastened my belt, stepped on my submachine gun, and waved my head at her, saying, "Let's go." ”

On the way to the headquarters of the Front, I was thinking about whether to go to Chief of Staff Zakharov or Commander Yeremenko directly, when Khrushchev, wearing a Lenin cap, with five or six fighters, had already approached him. Still far away, he greeted me with a smile: "Comrade Oshanina, where are you going?" ”

Seeing that it was Khrushchev coming, I quickly stopped and turned to the side. Let it go to the side of the road. He raised his hand and saluted. He said politely: "Hello, Comrade Military Commissar, I was about to go to the headquarters to ask about receiving the new division. ”

Khrushchev waved his hand and said casually: "Don't be so troublesome, the commander is afraid that those new commanders will not buy your account, so he specially asked me to assist you." Let's go. So saying, he passed me and walked along the dirt road.

I saw several fighters following him. The commander who led the group was Captain Yakubowov, whom I knew, smiled and nodded at him, then quickened his pace to catch up with Khrushchev, half a body behind him, and walked forward with him.

After walking for a while, I cautiously asked Khrushchev: "Comrade Military Commissar, how is the situation in the city, Commander Chuikov, are they safe now?" ”

Khrushchev nodded and gave me a comforting answer: "Yes, the enemy in the vicinity of Comrade Chuikov's headquarters has been completely cleared. They are safe for the time being. Perhaps in order to give me complete peace of mind, he added: "The enemy launched a frenzied attack on the city last night. In the buildings that were bombed to ruins on both sides of the road, our commanders and fighters constantly rushed out of the sewers, from the ruined rooms, from the basements, and engaged in fierce battles with the enemy. Since our army was in the shadows and the enemy was in the light, our army's strikes were so effective that the enemy had to stop attacking our defensive lines and disperse his forces into the ruins and walls to fight with the elusive detachments of our army. ”

Khrushchev spoke, but his pace had slowed down significantly, and then, pointing to a tent on the side of the road, he said: "Comrade Oshanina, we will go there and wait for the comrades of the new editor." It's still quite cold outside in this kind of weather. After saying this, he turned around and ordered Yakubov: "Captain, you and your men stay here, and when you see the troops of the newly formed division coming, bring their commander into the tent." ”

Hearing Khrushchev's order, which made Yakubov difficult, he looked at the soldiers and people in civilian clothes walking back and forth on the road, and said with some sorrow: "But, Comrade Military Commissar, I don't know the commander from the newly formed division!" ”

Khrushchev laughed and scolded: "You are such a fool, according to the notice of the superiors, because the new division has just been formed, it has not had time to train or issue weapons to them. If you see a unit with all the soldiers in new uniforms and no weapons in a moment, it's a new division. ”

Only then did Yakubov suddenly come to his senses, and hurriedly replied: "Understood, Comrade Military Commissar." ”

Khrushchev smiled and was about to bend down into the tent when a sergeant with a bandage on his head and gauze on his left hand, still hanging from his chest, approached Khrushchev and asked, "Comrade commander, can you give me a cigarette?" ”

In later life, when I walked down the street, I had more than one experience when strangers asked me for cigarettes, both old and young. Knowing that there is such a custom in Russia, it is not surprising that I saw a strange wounded soldier come to Khrushchev for cigarettes.

Khrushchev straightened up, took out a delicate tinplate cigarette case from his pocket, opened it, held it in one hand and handed it to the sergeant, leaving him to take it for himself. Seeing that the sergeant's hand was hanging on his chest and he couldn't light a cigarette, after putting the cigarette case in his pocket, he deliberately took out a match and lit a cigarette for the other party, and at the same time asked in a chatting tone: "Comrade sergeant, it seems that you just withdrew from the city, how is the situation inside?" ”

The sergeant took a deep breath of his cigarette, spat out the smoke from his mouth, and replied: "There is fire everywhere, houses, factories, grounds, everywhere. ”

"What about the man?" Khrushchev asked.

"People, still persistent, as long as they haven't lost their breath, they are still fighting."

Hearing the sergeant's answer, Khrushchev took out his tinplate cigarette case again, opened it, handed it to the sergeant, and said amicably: "Let's have a few more." ”

Seeing that Khrushchev was so generous, the sergeant did not have the slightest politeness, put the burning cigarette in his mouth, grabbed a few more cigarettes from the cigarette case, hurriedly stuffed them into his jacket pocket, and then raised his hand to salute Khrushchev, turned away, and walked along the dirt road to the north with the soldiers walking on the road.

The tent was rudimentary, with only a wooden table and four benches. Khrushchev, having sat down facing the door, beckoned me and Razumeyeva to sit down. Take advantage of the free time of the others to chat with me. In a kind old man's tone, he asked with concern, "Comrade Oshanina." How old are you? ”

Let's be honest. I never knew how old Leda really was. So when I heard his question, I could only say vaguely: "I'm 23 years old this year." ”

"23 years old." After repeating my words, he said with emotion: "About the same age as my son Leonid. ”

"Nikita. Sergeyev! As a sign of respect for him, I called him by my real name and my father's name, and knowingly asked, "Is your son also in the army?" "As I say this, I think of his son in the film and television production, his son and a few friends to celebrate the upcoming battle. When everyone was a little drunk, his son and two other commanders came to the back room, showed them their marksmanship, and knocked down one by one the bottles that were placed on the door frame with the new pistol that Khrushchev had given him. Another commander, perhaps because of alcohol, put a bottle on his head and let Leonid shoot. Unexpectedly, when the shooting was fired, several other friends who were partying with them ran out, and a girl accidentally pounced on Leonid's body, and the bullet fired by the guide was off course. Instead of hitting the bottle, it hit the commander who was holding the bottle on his head. Just because of this. Khrushchev's son was demoted from officer to private and sent to the hardest place of the battle for him to make atonement for his crimes.

Hearing my question, Khrushchev replied with a wry smile: "Yes, my son Leonid is currently a fighter pilot, and his unit is fighting stubbornly with enemy planes every day to fight for air supremacy on the battlefield that belongs to us. ”

"Oh my God, he's a pilot!" Razumeeva exclaimed involuntarily. I turned my head to glare at her disapprovingly, and coughed heavily, signaling her to be aware of the occasion. She stuck out her tongue in embarrassment, buried her head deeply, and muttered in a voice that only she and I could hear, "This class is really good." ”

Perhaps Leonid was a taboo for Khrushchev, who, after a few simple words, diverted the conversation and began to talk to me about the placement of the new editors who were about to come.

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and Yakubov walked in from outside, stood up straight and reported to Khrushchev: "Comrade Military Commissar, the head of the vanguard regiment and the commissar of the new division have arrived. ”

"Let them in." Khrushchev commanded briefly.

"Yes!" Yakubov agreed, then leaned to the side, gave way to the door, and at the same time said to the people outside: "Please come in, comrades commanders, military commissars, please come in." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, two commanders of about the same height, fat and thin, both of whom wore military coats and large-brimmed hats, walked through the door. After neatly saluting Khrushchev, the commander on the left first introduced himself: "Comrade Military Commissar, I am Lieutenant Colonel Ilya, the regimental commander of the vanguard of the new division. Then he turned his head to look at the commander next to him and introduced, "This is my political commissar, Major Yaming." ”

How could a commissar be a major? With this question, I turned my head to look at Khrushchev, and saw that he also looked dazed, and it was obvious that he, like me, was also wondering how this political commissar used the rank of army instead of a political cadre. At this moment, the commander had already stepped forward and introduced himself to Khrushchev: "Comrade Military Commissar, allow me to introduce myself to you, my name is Yamin, I am a major in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and I am temporarily holding the post of political commissar of the vanguard regiment. ”

"I see!" It dawned on Khrushchev and I at this point.

After the two sat down opposite Khrushchev, Khrushchev looked at the two and asked, "How many people are in your regiment?" ”

Ilya hurriedly stood up and replied: "Report to Comrade Military Commissar, our regiment has 2,000 people, because after entering the city, all the commanders and fighters will be scattered and supplemented by other troops, so the structure of our regiment is not too finely divided, only the regiment and battalion levels, and each of our battalion commanders is served by those commanders with rich combat experience. ”

Yameen also stood up and asked Khrushchev: "Comrade Military Commissar, I don't know when to arrange for our regiment to cross the river?" ”

"Crossing the river?!" When Khrushchev heard him ask, he looked up at him in surprise, waved his hand, and said: "Now that the situation has changed, your regiment will not cross the river for the time being." ”

"What? Don't cross the river anymore? After hearing this, Ilya and Yamin looked at each other, and Ilya asked in confusion, "Why did you suddenly not cross the river?" ”

The expression on Khrushchev's face became stern, he raised his hands and pressed downward, and after the two of them sat down, he said unhurriedly: "Due to the frantic attack of the enemy, the situation in the city is very bad, and all the troop formations have been disrupted. In this case, if you rush to send recruits who do not have any combat effectiveness into the city, it will not do much at all except send them to death. (To be continued......)

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