"Wait a minute, Comrade Major." Fortunately, Vajim was not so excited that he fainted, and hurriedly reminded Persjian in a whisper. "The commander and commissar are still here."

Hearing Wajim's reminder, Persjian suddenly thought that there were commanders with higher ranks than him here, and quickly stopped, sincerely apologized to me, and said: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, I was a little too excited to hear that my deputy battalion commander did not sacrifice, please forgive me." ”

I knew that Pelsken's gaffe was caused by the resurrection of his comrades-in-arms and his over-excitement, so I didn't blame him in the slightest. He just waved his hand at him, then looked at Vajim and asked, "Comrade instructor, where is Major Prikhodko?" ”

"It's in the hallway at the door." Vajim replied,

"Then what are you still stunned about, take us to see it immediately." When I heard that Major Prikhodko, who had just survived, was in the corridor outside, I first urged Vajim to show us the way, and then turned to Kirillov behind me and said, "Comrade commissar, let's go and see it together." ”

Led by Wajim, our group walked out of the command post and into the corridor outside. I saw four stretchers on one side of the corridor against the wall, each with a man lying on it, and a hygienist bandaging them.

I didn't know who Major Prikhodko was, so I stopped and asked Vajim: "Comrade instructor, I don't know which one is Major Prikhodko?" ”

As soon as my words fell, the hygienist, who was squatting next to the second stretcher, hurriedly raised his hand to greet us and said, "The major is here." ”

I walked over to the stretcher, crouched down, and looked at the wounded lying on it, wrapped like mummies. Asked with concern, "Major." I'm Oshanina. Can you hear me? ”

Hearing my voice, the wounded man, whose head was bandaged so that only his facial features were exposed, tried to struggle to sit up, but I hurriedly pressed his shoulders to prevent him from sitting up, and said in a loud voice: "Major, you have injuries on your body, so you should continue to lie down." Major Prikhodko snorted twice. Lie down again and stay still.

"Comrade hygienist," I waited for Prikhodko to lie down, then turned his head and asked the hygienist who was squatting next to him, "Is the major's injury serious?" ”

After listening to my question, the hygienist shook his head and replied, "Except for the shot in the left leg, it is all skin trauma, and it can be cured in ten days and half a month." ”

After listening to the hygienist's introduction, my heart was much more reassured, at least the major in front of me who was covered in bandages, as long as there were no accidents. He had temporarily escaped from the clutches of death.

After a few words with Major Prikhodko, I stood up. Let it go to the side and wait for Persjian and Wajim to squat down one by one to comfort their comrades.

When I returned to the command post, I asked Akhromeyev straight to the point: "Major, if you ask your three regiments to attack the other side of the bridge tomorrow, are you sure that you will take the bridge?" ”

After listening to my question, Akhromeyev was silent for a moment, and then replied cautiously: "Comrade commander, if we attack only from the front. Well, I can tell you that we will not necessarily be able to capture the bridge over the river, even at a terrible cost. ”

Akhromeyev's answer was beyond my expectations, and I couldn't help frowning slightly, and asked coldly: "Major, why do you say that?" ”

"According to Major Perstian's description, the enemy's fire on the opposite bank is fierce, and our entire charging road, is in the area covered by enemy fire." When explaining the reason, Akhromeyev's face showed a sad color: "No matter how brave our commanders and fighters are, their flesh and blood will never be able to stop the enemy's dense bullets and heavy artillery fire. ”

"Lida, Major Akhromeyev is right." As soon as Kirillov waited for Akhromeyev to finish speaking, he immediately helped: "If we blindly attack, we will definitely pay a huge price." ”

After Kirillov finished speaking, I nodded, and then asked Akhromeyev: "Major, do you have any good ideas for seizing bridges from the Germans?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Akhromeyev replied confidently: "We can smuggle a small army by boat at night, and when we attack at dawn tomorrow, the small smuggling force can suddenly appear in the rear of the enemy and take them by surprise." In this way, our frontal attack will rush forward again, and we will flank them in front and rear, and completely destroy the enemy on the other side of the river. ”

"That's a good idea." Akhromeyev's proposal was very much to my heart, so after listening to it, I nodded with satisfaction and continued to ask: "How many troops are you going to smuggle in?" ”

"There can't be too many troops, otherwise they will be discovered by the enemy on the other side." After pondering for a moment, Akhromeyev said to me: "I think one company is enough. ”

"Comrade Commander." As soon as Akhromeyev finished speaking, before I could speak, Persjian rushed to say: "The broken ice everywhere on the surface of the river will smash our ships transporting troops to pieces, so I ask Comrade Commander to carefully consider Major Akhromeyev's plan." ”

Persjian's words forced me to think carefully about the plan proposed by Akhromeyev: if we do not send troops to smuggle in, then tomorrow we will have to brave the enemy's dense fire and fill it with men; If I send troops, I'm really afraid that the boat transporting the troops will be smashed by the ice floes on the river.

Seeing that I was slow to speak, Akhromeyev was a little anxious, and he urged me to say: "Comrade commander, time is pressing, make up your mind!" ”

"Yes, Leda, make up your mind." Kirillov also urged me.

"Comrade Commander, you have to think carefully." Without waiting for me to make a decision, Pelsjian reminded me again.

The method of letting the commanders and fighters fill with their lives has always been a tactic that I would not use, so after much thought, I finally decided to use Akhromeyev's method and send a small force to smuggle to the other side. When the time comes to attack head-on tomorrow, let them rush out from behind the enemy and take the enemy by surprise.

With my mind in mind, I officially announced: "Major Akhromeyev." I've decided to go with yours. Send a small force to smuggle to the other side. But because there is too much ice floe on the river. So you can only send a platoon of troops at most. Who are you going to send to command this small force? ”

"Captain Rosenberg," Akhromeyev said without hesitation the name of one of the commanders, fearing that I did not know this commander, and explained to me: "He was originally from the 51st Army, and when he returned from wounding, he joined our independent division because he could not find his original unit." ”

"Uh-huh, Major. I know this Captain Rosenberg and have a relationship with him. He was in the army when I led my troops out of Mamayev Hill and went north to meet friendly troops. I immediately nodded in agreement with the person recommended by Akhromeyev: "He is a commander with a lot of combat experience, and he will command a small part of the smuggling this time." At this point, I raised my hand and looked at my watch, and then instructed Akhromeyev: "Major, it's not too early, immediately arrange for Captain Rosenberg and them to arrange a stowaway boat." ”

"Yes!" Akhromeyev agreed. Then he turned around and left the command post to arrange the smuggling mission.

Akhromeyev was very efficient. Less than forty minutes later, I received a call from him from the river at the command post. He said: "Comrade commander, the smuggling squad has set out, with a total of three small boats and thirty commanders and fighters, under the command of Captain Rosenberg. Each boat is equipped with flashlights, and they will signal us if we make it to the other side. ”

"Very well," I said aloud to his vigorous and efficient work, and then instructed him, "to keep an eye on the river, and report to me as soon as they have landed successfully." ”

"Yes," Akhromeyev replied, "I will report back to you in due course." ”

I thought that this section of the river was only more than 200 meters wide, and that the smuggling troops would be able to reach the opposite bank in a maximum of twenty minutes, so I kept staring at my watch, hoping to hear the good news from Akhromeyev soon. The pointer, which usually walks very fast, is now stuck to the surface, and it is almost impossible to see movement.

Just as I was anxious, the phone on my desk rang.

My first reaction when I heard the bell ringing was to grab the microphone and say in my heart: This must be a call from Major Akhromeyev to report good news. When I heard the major's voice coming from the earpiece, I was in a good mood and asked with a smile, "Major, has our troops successfully landed on the other side?" ”

Unexpectedly, Akhromeyev replied in a bitter voice: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, our smuggling failed." ”

"Failed?" Akhromeyev's report confused me, I listened to it with my ears to the outside, but I didn't hear the sound of gunfire, it should not have been discovered by the enemy, so I asked: "Major, what the hell is going on, you explain it to me carefully." ”

"Report to the Commander." Akhromeyev replied respectfully: "A small boat had not been far from the shore when it was squeezed back to the shore by the ice floes on the river. ”

"One boat was squeezed back to shore by an ice floe," the bad news made me feel depressed, but thinking of the two more boats, I asked, "What about the other two?" ”

"The other boat, in the middle of the river, was smashed by the ice floes, and all the commanders and fighters on board fell overboard." Akhromeyev also took a deep breath as he spoke, "After our rescue, all the people were rescued. However, eight people were wounded, one of them seriously, and one fighter was killed. ”

"What about Captain Rosenberg?" Hearing that two boats had failed to smuggle in, I had no choice but to pin my hopes on the last boat, and asked repeatedly: "Which boat is Captain Rosenberg on, is he okay?" ”

In response to my repeated questions, Akhromeyev quickly replied: "Comrade commander, at the moment we have lost contact with Captain Rosenberg and their ship. The fighters who were in charge of observing the surface of the river, so far, have not found any light contact signals on the opposite side. ”

"I see. Comrade Major. I commanded him feebly: "Send down the river to search and see if the captain has been washed downstream." ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Akhromeyev replied respectfully: "I will send someone to search along the river." ”

Seeing my depressed look after putting down the phone, Kirillov immediately understood that tonight's smuggling was a bad luck, and in order to confirm the matter, he hurriedly asked: "Leda, is there something wrong with the small smuggling unit?" ”

After listening to his words, I first glanced at Persjian next to me, and said in my heart that if I had known that if I listened to him, tonight's smuggling would not have failed. Then I turned my head to look at Kirillov, nodded, and said helplessly: "Yes, Comrade Political Commissar, the smuggling operation of the squad has completely failed. Then I repeated the contents of the phone call to him, Persjian, and Vajim.

When Kirillov listened to my story, the expression on his face became solemn. He scratched the back of his head, sighed, and said in a regretful tone: "Alas, what a pity. Since tonight's smuggling has failed, we will have to fill tomorrow's attack with human lives. ”

"Major Persjian," I was a little overwhelmed by the thought of letting so many commanders and fighters go to the soup and fire, so I asked Persjian with a hint of luck: "How many tanks are there in the tank brigade?" ”

Pelsjian hurriedly got up from his seat, straightened up and reported to me: "Comrade commander, there are still four tanks left in the brigade, and there are more than 600 tank crews without tanks. If necessary, the commanders and fighters of our brigade can also devote themselves to tomorrow's attack. ”

"Use a well-trained tank crew as infantry," I said solemnly to his proposal, "I would never do such a thing." The task I am giving you is to provide the necessary artillery cover for the three regiments attacking across the river. ”

"Comrade Commander, please rest assured." Vajim also stood up and made a statement to me: "Although we only have four tanks, today from the armory of the Germans, eight mortars were captured. In the offensive tomorrow, in addition to bombarding the enemy's positions with tank guns, we can also use mortars to suppress the enemy's firing points and cover our commanders and fighters to launch an attack. ”

"Great, that's great." Originally, I thought that the commanders and fighters of the three regiments would only receive limited tank artillery support in tomorrow's attack, but I did not expect that now there are eight more mortars at once, so that our firepower to cover the infantry attack will be greatly strengthened. But not long after I was happy, I thought of a crucial question, and asked Vajim again: "Is there enough artillery?" ”

"Comrade Commander, please rest assured." In response to my concerns, Vajim immediately reassured me: "Our tanks have quite a few qualified gunners, and these mortars will be no worse than professional artillerymen at their disposal." (To be continued......)