Orlova led me into the tent where the company headquarters was. When they saw the two of us enter, the two male commanders who had been sitting immediately stood up, saluted me, and reported: "Report to Comrade Major, Captain Ali, commander of the 1st Anti-aircraft Artillery Company, has been ordered to arrive!" "Comrade Major, Lieutenant Baku, commander of the 2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Company, reports to you!"

I raised my hand in return, waved my hand, asked them to sit down, and at the same time ordered Orlova to go out and call Kirianova in, while the three company commanders were there, I would first understand the specific situation of the entire defense area.

While waiting for Kirianova to come, in order to ease the atmosphere in the tent, I tried my best to find a topic to talk to, and wanted to communicate with the two of them first.

Captain Ali was a young man in his twenties, and I was a bit introverted, and when he met my gaze, he seemed a little reserved, and he looked cramped and uneasy, and he didn't even know where to put his hands and feet. Lieutenant Baku looked old, his fair face was full of wrinkles, and he looked like a man in his early fifties, and he could maintain a calm expression even when he looked at me, so I chatted with him first: "Comrade Lieutenant, where did you work before the outbreak of war?" ”

"Report to Comrade Major," the old lieutenant stood up, and I quickly reached out and pressed it down, motioning for him to sit down and answer the question. After he sat down as ordered, he continued: "Before the war I worked at the Zhdanov shipyard. ”

Shipyard's! Wouldn't he be a senior engineer or something? In that case, let such a person let the recruitment office of the battlefield be sent to a military court. With a smile on my face, I asked, "What are you doing there?" ”

"Fitter, grade 8 fitter."

Although he is not an engineer, he is also a high-level technician, and perhaps it makes more sense for him to stay in the shipyard than to go to war. I asked tentatively, "Then why are you in the army again?" ”

"Several militia battalions were organized in the factory, and I, as the backbone of the factory's production, signed up as a whole. We fought a battle with the Germans on the Pulkovo Heights, many of our workers were killed, and I was seriously wounded and admitted to the military hospital in Leningrad. When I was discharged from the hospital and reported back to the headquarters, I was just in time for the formation of the anti-aircraft battalion to defend the 'road of life', so I signed up and was appointed commander of an antiaircraft artillery company. ……”

"Wait a minute," I interrupted, curiously asking, "what did you just say?" What does 'the path of life' mean? Is it referring to the ice transport line that we are defending? ”

"Exactly, Comrade Major." The old lieutenant explained to me: "Thanks to the opening of this ice transport line, the material supply of the city is now guaranteed, and the much-needed things such as flour, meat, sugar, rice, and oil are continuously transported into the city, so that the food ration of the inhabitants has increased, and countless people have escaped the fate of starvation." That's why some people call this ice transport line the 'Road of Life'. ”

"Can I come in?" Outside the tent came Kirianova's voice.

"Come in, Comrade Lieutenant." I shouted out loud.

As soon as she finished speaking, Kirianova opened the curtain and walked in. After saluting me, he found a seat and sat down.

After listening to the three company commanders introduce their respective situations, I couldn't help frowning and asked, "I want to know, how are the anti-aircraft guns in your company placed?" ”

"Report to Comrade Major," replied Captain Ali, who wanted to stand up, but I stopped him with a gesture and motioned for him to sit down and say that's fine. "Our three companies, each with nine anti-aircraft guns, were arranged in a line according to the deployment of our superiors, after the snow wall had been built by the engineers."

"This is not good," I said, shaking my head, "if the anti-aircraft artillery is lined up, the density of firepower is not enough, and it is difficult to inflict effective damage on enemy aircraft." ”

"Leda, how do you think the anti-aircraft artillery should be deployed?" As she spoke, Kirianova took off her hat and raised her hand to sweep a strand of hair behind her ear with her fingertips. In my eyes, this originally natural little action seemed so elegant, making her even more feminine, and for a moment, I couldn't help but look a little dazed.

"Comrade Major, what's wrong with you?" Maybe it was because I had been in a daze for a long time, and the old lieutenant noticed my abnormality and couldn't help but open his mouth to remind me.

I hurriedly stabilized my emotions and explained my point of view to them in a serious manner: "A company has three platoons, and each platoon has three anti-aircraft guns. My opinion is that the platoon is a unit, and the three guns are arranged in a glyph; Then the three rows of frets form a large fret. ……”

"Comrade Major," the old lieutenant asked, looking at me blankly, "what is a zigzag?" ”

Hearing him ask this, I almost slapped myself in the mouth, why didn't I speak through my brain just now, and I said it with one mouth. I do know what the character of the Tao is, but none of them know Chinese, how can they know how to write the word "product"? So I quickly coughed and changed my explanation: "I was wrong just now, it should be a triangle." Each row forms a small triangle, and three rows of small triangles form a large triangle. In this way, we can ensure the same density of fire, regardless of which direction the enemy aircraft are coming from. I don't know if I said this, do you understand? ”

"Got it!" "Totally understood!" The three of them answered me in unison.

"Now that you understand, let's go and set it up right away, I hope to see you complete the new deployment before dark."

"Yes!" Ali and Baku saluted me, then turned and walked out of the tent.

Kirianova and I stood at the door of the tent with the curtain lifted, looking at Orlova in the distance with a group of female soldiers busy. "In the battle just now, Lena was killed, and two female soldiers were wounded. Comrade instructors are arranging for them to be sent to the rear hospital. When she said this, Kirianova looked sad.

Hearing her say this, I couldn't help but be stunned, looked at her for a long time, and then stepped forward and grabbed her soft and elastic waist with my right hand from the side, and comforted her: "My dear, it's a war now, and there will always be sacrifices." In these few short months, in order to defend our great motherland, I don't know how many heroic soldiers have fallen. Rest assured, one day, we will have to pay back this blood debt from the fascist bandits. ”

"Is there really such a day?" Kirianova, who was half a head taller than me, put her left hand on my shoulder and asked.

"Yes, although the war will continue, but in three years at most, we will achieve the most decisive victory." I answered her confidently.

"War brings people close," Kirianova said suddenly thoughtfully. "I can't forget that when I first arrived at the 171 Club, I used to see you very unpleasantly, not only targeting you everywhere, making things difficult for you, and even trying to squeeze you out of the row...... Unexpectedly, after a few battles, our relationship improved unconsciously. ……”

Hearing her mention the 171 Club again, I couldn't help but continue: "I still remember that after the death of Vija in the class in the anti-aircraft battle, Major Rostov scolded our Warrant Officer Vaskov to the blood, saying that he did not fulfill the responsibilities of a man, the responsibility of a veteran, and did not protect the safety of female soldiers. War is about bloodshed, it's about sacrifice, but it's not about women. ”

My words also brought back her memories, and she said with emotion: "Yes, the major also said at that time that he would replenish the fighters in your squad as soon as possible, and at the same time assign the new Genia to your class. At this point, she asked thoughtfully, "Leda, can you tell me about you and Warrant Officer Vaskov blocking the German devils?" I want to know how the four of them died, such as Genia, Sonia, Risa, and Garka? ”

Hearing her say this, I couldn't help but feel a little empty, for I wondered if she had heard anything from Vaskov, and if what I said was different from what she knew, I would be in danger of being a goof. Thinking of this, I hurriedly put down the hand around her waist and said perfunctorily: "I'll tell you about this slowly when I have time in the future, and we'll go to see Lena off first." With that, he walked past her and ran towards Orlova and the others.