After Turchinov and I walked out of the headquarters, he first looked up at the sky, then turned to me and said: "Comrade Major, follow me!" With that, he walked into the forest across the road.

Since there was a precedent of being taken to the forest to be shot by the Secret Service a few days ago, I was very resistant to going into the forest with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I walked to the edge of the forest and stopped, and warily asked Turchinov: "Comrade lieutenant, what are you taking me to the forest for?" ”

Turchinov looked at me blankly and asked in bewilderment: "Comrade Major, aren't you going back to the headquarters of the Front in the village of Little Visera?" We're going to the parking lot. ”

When I heard that I was going to the parking lot, I felt a little more at ease, and laughed at myself that I was a soldier, and Meretskov specially ordered him to escort me back to the headquarters of the Front, even if he borrowed his courage, and did not dare to embarrass me again.

After walking for a while, I saw seven or eight vehicles covered with camouflage nets parked in a place in front of me, which was probably the parking lot that Turchinov was talking about. There were several sentries with guns walking back and forth in the parking lot, and when they saw us passing, one of them immediately greeted us and asked from afar: "Comrade commander, do you have any instructions?" ”

Turchinov snorted and replied arrogantly: "I am Turchinov, the chief of the special service section of the Front, and I have an urgent task to rush back to the headquarters of the Front, and I came here to find a car. ”

When the sentry heard him identify himself, he immediately shouted loudly to the parking lot: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, please come here, there is a commander of the Ministry of Internal Affairs here who wants to use the car." With his shouting, an ensign emerged from a truck on the edge of the parking lot. We trotted all the way to us. He raised his hand to salute me and Turchinov and reported: "Comrade commander. I am a second lieutenant on duty. Do you need a car? ”

Turchinov nodded and said: "Yes, we are going to rush back to the front headquarters immediately, can you help us find a hitchhiker?" ”

The second lieutenant shrugged his shoulders, shook his head and said: "I'm sorry, Comrade Lieutenant, at a time like this, there is no way to get a ride to the front headquarters. ”

Turchinov asked with some reluctance: "Can't you find a single one?" ”

"Not a single one. Comrade Lieutenant. However, when the second lieutenant saw Turchinov's disappointed expression, he added: "But if you know how to drive, you can drive one directly back to the headquarters from here." ”

Turchinov asked incredulously: "Oh, comrade ensign, you still have a ready-made car here?" ”

"Yes, please come with me." The second lieutenant led us to a corner of the parking lot, pointed to a small two-door jeep and said, "Comrade lieutenant, this is the car, it has just been filled with gas. If you know how to drive, you can drive straight back to headquarters. ”

Turchinov was also not polite. Pulling the car door, he sat down in the driver's seat, and the probe came out and said to the second lieutenant, "I said." Comrade Ensign, how can you drive without a car key? The lieutenant hurriedly took a bunch of keys from his pocket, picked them for a while, took one and handed it to Turchinov.

When I started the car in Turchinov, I went around the back of the car to the other side, opened the door and got into the car, and sat next to him. After the car started, Turchinov thanked the second lieutenant, and as soon as he stepped on the accelerator, the door moved along the improvised dirt road in the woods.

Sitting side by side with someone who almost killed you and embarking on a hours-long trip will not be in a good mood for anyone. As soon as the car started, I turned my head to the side and looked intently at the scenery outside the window.

After driving for more than an hour, Turchinov probably felt that the atmosphere in the car was too awkward, so he began to take the initiative to talk to me: "I say, Major Oshanina. ”

Although I didn't want to talk to him, since the others had already spoken, I couldn't ignore it, so I had to turn my head and ask with a smile: "Comrade Lieutenant, is there anything wrong?" ”

While trying to drive the car smoothly, he said apologetically, "I want to say sorry to you for what happened last time." You also know that everything I do is within my purview. ”

Hearing him say this, although I was a little suspicious of him, my impression of him was much better. I pretended to be arrogant and said, "Comrade Lieutenant, I understand what you said. Now that it's over, don't take it to heart. ”

The hatred between us was resolved, at least superficially, after a few simple words. Turchinov and I also started a conversation with each other. Our topic has always revolved around the current battle, and judging from what he said, he knows no less than the staff officers who are busy in the headquarters, and it seems that the eyes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are everywhere, so I have to be more careful in the future, lest I don't know how to die.

As he spoke, he somehow talked about the commander of the 140th Brigade. When mentioning the brigade commander who was shot by him, he still had an indignant expression: "...... When I received the order to find the 140th Infantry Brigade after many great difficulties, the troops were marching on the muddy road, and the brigade commander, for fear of soiling his freshly polished leather boots, actually sat in his jeep and waited for the soldiers to pave the road for him to pass through the vehicles. So I went over and pulled him out of the car, and after announcing the order from the front command, I shot him directly in the head. ”

After listening to him talk about the process of executing the brigade commander, I also felt that this brigade commander should be damned, just because he was afraid of soiling his boots, he dared to ignore the orders of the command and procrastinate in entering the designated position.

When the conversation between the two of us became casual, he couldn't help but ask curiously: "Comrade Major, is it because you are in such a hurry to rush back to the front headquarters that you are going to perform some urgent and important task?" ”

I hesitated for a moment on this question, thinking to myself that if I told him about my transfer to the newly formed Stalingrad Front, I wonder if it would be considered a leak. But after a short moment, I still intend to tell him the truth, after all, he is from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and even if I don't tell him, he will soon find out. "Just now the Supreme High Command called General Meretskov. I was transferred to work in the Stalingrad Front. ”

"Stalingrad?!" Turchinov exclaimed in surprise: "Could it be that the city named after the Supreme Commander-in-Chief." Will it also suffer the fate of being besieged by the Germans? ”

I have to admit Turchinov, an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. With a rather keen sense of judgment, the mere hearing that I was going to be transferred to Stalingrad made me guess the danger to which the city might be. Although I knew that the battle of Stalingrad was imminent, I could not tell him what was about to happen, otherwise I would have become a god, so I only replied vaguely: "From the analysis of the current situation, the possibility of an attack on Stalingrad by the Germans cannot be ruled out." ”

Before we knew it, the village of Little Vischera appeared in front of us. Turchinov touched me gently with his arm. Remind me: "Comrade Major, you see, the headquarters of the Front has arrived. There's a jeep parked at the checkpoint at the entrance of the village, so it's not here to pick you up, right? ”

I looked towards the entrance of the village, but no, as he said, next to the checkpoint, a two-door jeep was parked, and a captain officer in a steel helmet was smoking with his back against the car. Saw our car heading towards the village. He threw the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground and stepped on it twice. He tugged at the hem of his uniform and walked over to us.

The captain took a dozen steps forward, stopped, raised his white-gloved right hand alof, and motioned for us to stop. I hurriedly ordered Turchinov: "Comrade lieutenant, park the car on the side of the road, maybe he really came to pick me up." ”

When the car was stable, I opened the door and jumped out of the car, and was about to ask if the captain had come to pick me up, but he asked tentatively, "Is it Major Oshanina?" ”

"Yes, I'm Oshanina. Who are you? ”

The captain walked up to me, came up and saluted, and said, "Hello, Comrade Major. My name is Aratoli, and I was sent by General Zhukov to pick you up. After speaking, he leaned sideways and made a gesture of please: "The car that picks you up will stop at the checkpoint, please come with me, and we will leave immediately." ”

"Wait a minute, Captain Arattorius." I stopped the captain, who was leading the way, and muttered, "Is this going?" I'm going to go back and pack some things before I leave. ”

The captain stopped, stood straight in front of me, and replied with a serious expression: "Comrade Major, I have been ordered to send you to the headquarters of General Zhukov at seven o'clock tomorrow morning. It's six o'clock in the afternoon, and we have to rush more than 700 kilometers of road in 13 hours, and if we don't hurry, we won't be able to reach our destination on time. ”

I have a deep understanding of Lao Maozi's old-fashionedness, and I know that since this captain has received an order to send me to my destination before seven o'clock, he will carry it out to the letter. The distance of more than 700 kilometers is not good, and if I delay in the village for a while, the captain will probably treat the jeep as a formula car for the sake of hurry, and by the time I reach my destination after a bumpy road of more than ten hours, it is estimated that it will have already been torn apart.

I turned to Turchinov, who was still sitting in the jeep, and said: "Comrade lieutenant, when you go back, please tell the commander that I am leaving with the person who picked me up." Thank you for driving me back. ”

The car driven by Captain Arattori does have the style of a formula car. After driving for less than two hours, I, who had never been motion sick, actually got motion sickness. When I was leaning on the window and spitting, he just gave me a casual look and continued to drive the jeep through the potholed dirt roads.

Zhukov's headquarters was located in the city of Ryazan, southwest of Moscow. When the jeep stopped in front of a three-story marble building, Captain Aratoli turned to me and told me: "Comrade Major, the command of General Zhukov has arrived. ”

I secretly said in my heart that it had finally arrived, and if I didn't do it again, I would be torn apart. As soon as I pushed the car door open, as soon as my feet touched the ground, I felt like the world was spinning and my feet were weak. I was afraid that I would be embarrassed if I fell in public, so I quickly squatted down next to the car, holding my head and taking a deep breath.

When there was some relief, Captain Aratoli came over, pulled me up, and whispered to me: "Comrade Major, let's go, General Zhukov is still waiting for you." ”

With his support, I walked into the building where Zhukov worked. After walking down the hallway, he dragged me up to the second floor. There was a table beside the staircase, and behind it sat the famous major who did not wear a military cap. When he saw Arattorius helping me up, he quickly stood up and asked with concern, "Is it Major Oshanina?" ”

I replied weakly, "Yes, I am Oshanina." ”

"Come in! Comrade General has been waiting for you all night. With that, the Major turned and pushed open the door behind him.

The door just opened. I heard Zhukov's familiar and majestic voice coming from inside: "Comrade Major. Is there anything you can do? ”

The major hurriedly straightened up at the door and reported: "Comrade General. Major Oshanina came. ”

"Please let her in."

The major said yes, came out of the house, stood sideways in the doorway, made a gesture of invitation to me, and said, "Major Oshanina, please come in." ”

I quickly broke free of Aratori, straightened my uniform, and took another deep breath. He walked into the room.

The room was small, with a wooden table in the middle, and Zhukov, whom I knew well, was sitting at the table studying the map. When I heard someone enter the door and looked up and saw that it was me, I quickly stood up and greeted me, and at the same time stretched out my hand to me and said happily, "Leda, you are here!" It's nice to see you again. ”

Although Zhukov was very enthusiastic, I did not immediately come up to shake his hand. Instead, he raised his hand and saluted after standing upright, and reported according to the regulations: "Report to Comrade General." Major Oshanina has arrived on your orders to be instructed by you. ”

Zhukov did not return the salute, but pulled my hand from his forehead, held it tightly, and whispered: "Lida, I am relieved to see you alive and well." At this point, he paused for a moment before he continued, "I got the news too late, so I didn't send someone to rescue you in time, and you were wronged." ”

When I heard Zhukov say these words of concern for me, I couldn't help but have a sour nose and tears almost burst out of my eyes.

Zhukov asked the major outside the door to close the door, pulled me to the table, pointed to the map on the table and said to me: "Leda, I heard that you told General Meretskov a few days ago that the goal of the German offensive on the Southern Front was not oil in the Caucasus, but Stalingrad. Now, as it turns out, you are absolutely right, the Germans are constantly rushing towards the Don, and our troops are constantly moving to the area. I reckon we are going to have a fierce battle with the Germans here on an unprecedented scale. ”

As soon as he spoke of the war, Zhukov became excited, and he said to himself: "Now we know that to the south of the Soviet-German battlefield, from Orel to Sevastopol, is the German Army Group South. At present, it is divided into Army Group 'A' and Army Group 'B'. Their task was to annihilate all our troops on the west bank of the Don.

At present, the strength of these two army groups is as follows: Army Group 'A' is composed of William. Under the command of Field Marshal Liszt, it commanded the 1st Tank Army, the 11th and 17th Field Armies, and the 8th Army of Italy.

Army Group 'B', led by Von B. Under the command of Field Marshal Bock, it commanded the 4th Tank Army, the 2nd and 6th Field Armies, and the 2nd Hungarian Army. In addition, the Romanian 3rd Army was coming day and night.

At present, the 62nd, 63rd, and 64th armies of our army have set up new defensive lines along the Don River, where they are ready to stop the German offensive. ”

At this point, he paused, looked into my eyes and said, "Leda, I'm going to send you to one of the armies." I warn you that you will be in great danger when you reach the ranks, and if you do not want to go, I can keep you in my headquarters. ”

Almost without thinking, I replied, "Comrade General, I am still willing to go to the combat unit." ”

My answer, as if Zhukov had expected it, nodded with satisfaction, and then asked: "Then which army group do you think of?" ”

The Battle of Stalingrad was not only the main turning point of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union in the Second World War, but also made Chuikov's prestige. Since Zhukov asked me which unit I wanted to go to, of course, I did not hesitate to choose Chuikov's unit, so I replied without hesitation: "Comrade General, I want to go to the 62nd Army." ”

"The 62nd Army?! Are you sure? When Zhukov heard my choice, he made a special question, and when he saw that I nodded affirmatively, he continued: "The commander of the 62nd Army, Major General Kolpakchi, is a commander with rich combat experience. ”

How is it Major General Kolpakci, not Lieutenant General Chuikov? But I clearly remember that during the Battle of Stalingrad, the 62nd Army was commanded by Chuikov, how did it become someone else? Thinking of this, I asked Zhukov with some hesitation: "Comrade General, isn't the commander of the 62nd Army General Chuikov?" ”

"Chuikov, he is now the deputy commander of the 64th Army. In May, he was appointed deputy commander of the reserve army deployed in the Tula region by the High Command, which had been reorganized into the 64th Army last month and had already moved to the Don front. ”

When I heard that Chuikov was not in the 62nd Army, but was the deputy commander in the 64th Army, I was dumbfounded, and I finally wanted to follow the future marshal to make a contribution, but I didn't expect to find the wrong place. However, since my words have already been spoken, if I want to regret it, it is estimated that even if Zhukov agrees to change troops for me, his good opinion of me will be greatly reduced.

Zhukov did not notice my depressed expression and continued to introduce me to the situation of the 62nd Army: "According to the pre-war deployment, the 62nd Army was to organize a defense on the front line of Kretskaya, Kalmykov, Surovikno, Pecherskaya, Suvorovsky on the right bank of the Don. The headquarters was located in the village of Kamysh on the left bank of the Don River, about 60 kilometers from the troops. (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you: gao6, Tian family woman, t00030003, Li Yunxi, and Magic Little 1 for their valuable votes