"We?!" After repeating the word, Bandeleyev frowned and asked: "Uncle, I want to ask you, who do you mean by 'we'?" ”

Bandeleyev's words make us wary of the old hunter. I even wondered in my heart why this seventy or eighty-year-old man suddenly appeared near the city, he couldn't be a spy sent by the Germans, right?

The old hunter, perhaps perceiving the strange gaze we had cast at him, tried to squeeze a smile out of his face, and explained to me: "Comrade commanders, the situation is that none of the remaining members of our collective farm, except for the young men who went to serve in the army, have been evacuated, so that there are now more than a hundred men, women, and children in the farm. ”

The old hunter's reply, apparently not dispelling Bandeleyev's suspicions, pointed to the old shotgun that the old man was carrying on his shoulder, and asked uneasily: "Since you said that there are Germans in the farm, why didn't they take your shotgun and let you carry it around, aren't they afraid that you will use this gun to kill their officers and soldiers?" ”

I had already relieved myself of the old hunter, but when I heard Bentai Leyev's question, I couldn't help but raise my vigilance again, and my hand unconsciously touched the leather holster on my waist, ready to preemptively kill him if I found out that he was trying to shoot. I was pretty sure I would shoot anyone in the room before he could turn his gun on anyone.

Unexpectedly, the old hunter nodded, and actually said to Bantai Leyev unabashedly: "Comrade commander, what you said is very right. My shotgun was indeed confiscated by the Germans after they came, but they gave it back to me later. ”

Listen to the old hunter speak so frankly. I removed my hand, which had already touched the holster. At the same time, he stopped Bantai Laiev, who still wanted to continue to ask: "Okay." Comrade Colonel, I believe in this old man. Then he turned his head sideways to Vitkov and said, "Chief of Staff, pour a cup of tea for the old man." ”

By the time the old hunter sat down to drink tea, I had already guessed the reason why the Germans had returned the shotgun to him, so I asked tentatively: "Uncle Matvey, I think the reason why the Germans gave you back the shotgun is probably because they want you to be the head of the village and cooperate with them in managing the farmstead." ”

As soon as my words came out. The old hunter immediately jumped up from his seat, stared at me with gaping eyes, and stuttered nervously: "Will ...... Comrade General, you ...... You...... How...... How...... Know...... Aware? ”

Seeing that I had guessed correctly, I walked around the table to his side, put my hand on his shoulder, pressed it lightly, motioned for him to sit down, and asked with a smile, "Uncle Matvey, can you sue me?" How did you refuse the impudent demands of the Germans? "The reason I ask this is because I see the faces of several people around me with anger on their faces. So I figured out Guò Matvey's mouth to tell them the truth.

Sure enough, as soon as I said this, the expressions on everyone's faces softened, and they all stood silently, waiting for the old hunter named Matvey to tell his story.

"And it came to pass," said the old hunter with some difficulty, "because I am a hunter, and not a member of a collective farm, my house is on the edge of the forest far from the farm, and I live with my grandson Vasha. If there's nothing important, I don't usually go to the farm. When the Germans came, they probably found that I was not close to the people on the farm, so the day after they had seized my shotgun, they summoned me to the headquarters in the room of the farm administration. When I arrived, the Germans politely treated me to a drink, and offered to make me the head of the village and manage the farm staff for them. Naturally, I refused their request, and I sued the officer, saying that I was not in good health, could not drink, and that I was old, had poor eyesight, deaf ears, and was often sick, and was not at all fit for the post of village chief.

When the Germans saw that I was unwilling to take up the post of village chief, and did not force me, they sent me away. Before I had even left the village, the interpreter came after me with a German soldier and said that in order to show me special treatment, he had returned the shotgun that had been confiscated from me. ”

If I were in another country, I would not hesitate to accept the Germans' request to be a pseudo-village chief with a "white skin and a red heart". But thinking that the place I am staying in at the moment is a country with huge cultural differences, this is a kind of thinking that defies the condemnation of the world, and it will invite unjustified disasters for yourself. Therefore, I closed my mouth with amusement, and listened to Kirillov, who was next to me, ask the old hunter with interest: "Uncle Matvey, why did you come to the city today?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Colonel." Matvey glanced at Kirillov's badge and replied: "In the afternoon the German commander called me over, saying that they had received an order to attack our troops, and asked me to come and reconnoiter to see if there were any troops stationed in the city, and to rush back as far as possible to inform them of the results of the reconnaissance."

I know that the Germans made such a friendly request to me because they simply could not successfully cross this forest and approach the vicinity of the city without a guide. I would never agree to such a thing, so I politely declined.

Unexpectedly, the German commander did not give up, took me by the hand and made a wish to me, saying that if I showed them the way, in addition to providing me with money, flour, and kerosene, he would also give me a German-made brand-name double-barreled shotgun that all hunters could only dream of.

When I heard the Germans say this, I guessed that perhaps some coward in the farmstead had told them that I was familiar with every swamp, every tree, every stone, and every mysterious hunting mark, and that I was an ideal guide. That's why the Germans offered me such conditions to tempt me. I was thinking that if there were any of our troops in the city, I could tell them about the presence of German troops in the farms, and let them destroy the invaders.

I was afraid that I would arouse the suspicion of the Germans if I agreed too quickly, so I deliberately pretended to be greedy and said to the officer: 'Sir, a good gun is not enough, can you add a few more money?' ’

When the officer heard me say this, he immediately cried out excitedly, and asked the interpreter to tell me. It is said that the German commanders have always respected those who worked for them. It doesn't matter how much money is spent on those who are willing to do things for them faithfully.

The officer waited for the interpreter to finish. And he hastily added: 'If you will reconnoiter the enemy for us and act as a guide for us, I will reward you with a great deal and give you a thousand roubles.' ’……”

At this time, everyone was attracted by Uncle Matvey's story, and they were all quietly listening to him tell what had happened, and no one interrupted him. "After listening to the interpreter's words, I pretended to be thinking hard, and it took me a long time before I said to the officer: 'Sir. That's a lot of money, you know I can take a lot of risks, you can't buy me for such a cheap price. ’

'A thousand rubles is too little? That's one thousand and five! Seeing that I still shook his head, he immediately raised the bounty again: 'Two thousand rubles, it can't be higher.' Otherwise, I'll send someone myself. ’

I quickly pretended to be satisfied and said, 'Two thousand is two thousand, but you have to pay half of it first.' ’

After discussing with the interpreter, the officer took out a stack of bills from the drawer and carefully counted the amount I asked for and gave it to me. Then I was told to go to the city to reconnoitre, and asked me to return to the farm by noon to-morrow. Bring the reconnaissance to the intelligence report sù them. ”

Hearing this, Vitkov suddenly clapped his hands. "Great, that's great." Then he turned to me and said, "Comrade Commander, since the enemy has only one ski battalion, we can lure them out and ambush them in the forest and destroy them all." What do you think? ”

After thinking for a moment, I decisively agreed: "Well, Comrade Chief of Staff, as you said, after we have set up an ambush circle in the forest, we will let Uncle Matvey lure the Germans over." Then take advantage of their lack of men and horses to strike out and wipe them out completely. ”

"Do we need to set up an ambush circle now?" Kirillov, who had been silent, suddenly asked.

"Comrade commander, I don't think it's necessary. It's too cold, let our soldiers lie in the snow for ten or twenty hours, and they will freeze to death. The old hunter interjected, "Well, I'll go back and tell the Germans that there is a small force of our army stationed in the city, and try to lure them out." Then I will send my grandson to inform you that I will take the Germans around the forest a few more times, so that you will have plenty of time to set up an ambush circle. ”

"That's good." Pantai Leyev said angrily: "Uncle Matvey, can you tell us, where is the appropriate place to set up this ambush circle?" ”

"To the southwest of the city, near the edge of the forest, there is a deep ditch overgrown with low trees, and there is an open field nearby where your troops can ambush." When the old hunter said this, he waved his hand at Vitkov, who had picked up the map and was about to hand it to him, "Comrade commander, I can't read the map. Why don't you send a few men with me, and I'll take your men there to see the terrain. ”

"Captain Travkin!" When I heard the old hunter say this, I hurriedly called out to Travkin, who was standing nearby, and when he had passed, I ordered him: "Take a few men with Uncle Matvey." ”

After Travkin had left with Matvey, Kirillov approached me and asked in a low voice: "Comrade Oshanina, do you think this old hunter is reliable?" ”

"Of course it's reliable." I nodded affirmatively, and then asked strangely, "What's the matter, Comrade Commissar, are you still suspicious of anything?" ”

Kirillov replied with a frown: "He said that the Germans sent him to reconnoitre, why didn't they send a few soldiers and he used to reconnoitre?" Did the Germans believe in him like that? ”

"Comrade Commissar, you are thinking too much." I did not take Kirilov's worries to heart, and said in a disapproving tone: "Now that the weather is so cold, and the temperature in the forest at night is even colder, I do not believe that the Germans can endure such severe cold, except for old hunters like Matvey." ”

I thought that after this far-fetched reason was said, it would cause everyone's rebuttal, but I didn't expect several people to nod in agreement. Bandeleyev also said excitedly: "When we started a major counteroffensive under the city of Moscow, the reason why we were able to quickly achieve such great results in the early stage was because the German army, which lacked winter clothes, lost its combat effectiveness in the bitter cold. I think Comrade Commander was right in his analysis, the Germans in the Dawn Collective Farm probably lacked enough winter clothing, so they did not dare to go into the snow-covered forest casually. ”

While we were discussing, the operator sitting by the wall suddenly called out to me: "Comrade Commander. There is your phone. It was from the headquarters of the army group. ”

Army Group Command? Hear the name of this unit. I hurriedly walked to the walkie-talkie and took the headset and microphone from the operator.

An unfamiliar and gentle voice came from the headphones: "Is it Comrade Oshanina?" ”

"Yes, I'm Oshanina!" I had never heard this voice before, and I didn't know who the other person was, so I politely asked in a businesslike tone, "I wonder who I have the privilege of talking to?" ”

"I am Kharytonov, the current commander of the 6th Army."

After hearing the other party's self-reported identity, I quickly straightened up and said in a panic, "Hello." Comrade commander, do you have any instructions? ”

"Comrade Oshanina, where have your troops arrived?" Kharytonov asked.

I hurriedly reported to him in detail the current location of several divisions.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, he said with some dissatisfaction: "Comrade Oshanina, no, your troops are moving too slowly. It took a day, but I haven't reached the designated location, how can this work? ”

"Comrade commander, I ......" I was hesitating whether I should report to him on the actual situation on the road. He had already said to himself: "At the moment our army is progressing very smoothly, a part of General Golikov's Voronezh Front. just captured Kursk, which was occupied by the Germans; The other main forces also approached Kharkov. It is estimated that in these two days, the final offensive against the German army will be launched. And our front, having consolidated the Donetsk defensive line, will continue to advance westward, go to the Dnieper, completely cut off the connection between the Ukrainian Germans and the Caucasus Germans, divide them into two unreachable groups, and then encircle them with heavy groups. ”

Perhaps infected by the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, which had just ended, the words of the commander of the army group were full of excitement, and he took it for granted that the Germans were powerless to resist the powerful offensive of our two fronts. As long as there are two more battles, the German army in Ukraine will be completely annihilated. When he was talking to me at this time, he naturally wanted to hear my compliments.

I know that if I go against the tune at this time, it is easy to be put on a big hat of "defeatism", how did Yang Xiu die during the Three Kingdoms, although he was a smart man, but unfortunately he had too many mouths, and as a result, he unknowingly brought himself to death. I don't want future generations to write "The Death of Oshanina" when they write this history. Therefore, I smiled against my heart and flattered: "Yes, Comrade Commander, judging from the current situation, the German army, which had just experienced a crushing defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad, was demoralized and could not resist the joint attack of our two fronts, and I believe that it will not be long before they can be completely destroyed." ”

Khalitonov was very pleased with my words, and he specifically told me: "Tomorrow you must hurry up and continue the march, and try to get to the appointed place as soon as possible to take part in the final assault on Deko." Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." I spoke into the microphone and assured him, "Please rest assured that our army will arrive at the meeting place designated by the higher authorities on time." ”

When I put down the headphones and the microphone, Vitkov asked me strangely: "Comrade commander, why didn't you report to the commander that we were going to hit the Germans here in an ambush and then leave?" ”

Without waiting for him to finish, I raised my hand to stop what he was saying, and said with a stern expression: "I declare a discipline, in order to prevent leakage of secrets, all important operational information can only be transmitted by telegram, wired telephone, or manpower, and absolutely no wireless communication can be used, so as not to be overheard by German military monitors." Got it? ”

"Understood!" The commander in the room replied neatly. (To be continued......)

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