Sidorin walked on the front foot, and Shederikov returned to the command on the back foot. As soon as the lieutenant entered the door, he took the initiative to report to me: "Comrade division commander, I just went to the forest and looked at the barracks built by the Fourth Regiment. ”

I casually asked, "How many people can be accommodated in the barracks built by the four regiments?" ”

Shedelikov said with emotion: "Captain Gaidar's subordinates are really not simple, and in just one afternoon, all the barracks that should be built have been built. At present, all the officers and men of the division have moved into the newly built barracks. ”

"What?! It's all built? I almost jumped up from my stool when he said this, and after a moment of distraction, I looked around the headquarters again, and then said in an incredulous tone: "Captain Gelda's men are so talented that all the barracks have been built in such a short time." "I thought it would take ten days and half a month to build the barracks, but I didn't expect it to be completed in half a day.

Seeing that I was constantly looking at the headquarters where we were, Sederikov realized that I was thinking a little wrong, and hurriedly coughed and explained: "Comrade division commander, with such a strong command headquarters, Captain Gerda has only repaired four, which happens to be the regimental headquarters of our four regiments. As for the barracks where the soldiers lived, they were much more rudimentary, barely sheltered from the wind and rain, and when there was a chance in the future, we would build better ones for them. ”

Hearing this, I muttered to myself, I guess there is no chance to rebuild the barracks for the soldiers, maybe one day we will be transferred to other areas to participate in the war, no matter how well the barracks are repaired, they will have to be abandoned. I changed the subject and asked with concern: "Comrade Captain." Have the accommodations for the communications and security squads been arranged? ”

"It's all arranged." The lieutenant nodded vigorously. He replied, "I put them in a makeshift barracks west of the headquarters." Because there were no extra rooms, the fighters of the two squads had to live together. At this point, he paused to observe my expression, and seeing that I had no opinion on the matter of mixing men and women, he continued, "Captain Gaidar has taken full account of air defense when building the barracks, even when enemy reconnaissance planes fly over the forest. Nor will we find our camp. ”

When I heard the men and women huddled in a barracks, I didn't say anything, but I was worried about where I would live. Unexpectedly, Senior Lieutenant Sederikov, who knew how to observe words and feelings, preemptively said: "Comrade division commander, it seems that you can only spend the night in the headquarters tonight. But don't worry, I've got the fighters ready for you. After saying that, he turned around and shouted outside, "Someone, bring the bed in." As he shouted, two men came in carrying a wooden bed and lowered it directly to the corner away from the door.

After Shederikov and the other two male soldiers left, he said to me: "Comrade division commander. I put two sentry posts at the door, and no one could come in or out at will. You can rest assured and bold to get a good night's sleep. Also, I'm living in a tent not far from the headquarters, and if you have anything, just shout and I'll be in front of you right away. It's not too early, so you might as well rest early. With that, he raised his hand and saluted, then turned to leave.

I watched the back of the captain disappear from the doorway, and then at Razumeyeva, who was still sitting in front of the walkie-talkie with headphones on. He walked up to her side and asked, "Comrade Sergeant, nothing should happen at night, so you better go back to the barracks and rest." ”

The sergeant took off his headphones, stood up and said to me: "Comrade division commander, according to the regulations, in order to ensure the smooth communication of the headquarters, the communication equipment used must have telecommunications personnel on duty 24 hours a day. ”

Since she was on duty, I didn't force her, but just told her: "If there is anything, come and wake me up at any time." With that, I walked over to the new bed and prepared to go to bed.

I originally said that, but I didn't expect it to come true. In the middle of the night, when I was sleeping in a daze, I felt someone shaking my body, I tried to open my eyes and saw that it was Razumeyeva, and I asked weakly: "Comrade sergeant, is there something wrong?" ”

"Comrade division commander," Razumeyeva said hurriedly, "General Chuikov is calling you, to speak to you. ”

Hearing that Razumeyeva said that Chuikov was going to talk to me startled me, and said that he was looking for me so late, could it be that there was some accident? It can't be that Sidorin Jr. didn't return to the command headquarters with the convoy, and Chuikov asked me to ask for the guilt, right?

As soon as I put on the headphones, I heard Chuikov's cold voice: "Oshanina, you did a good job!" ”

In the silence of the night, Chuikov's voice was like a cold wind, and I shivered violently.

I cautiously explained to him: "Comrade Commander, is it true that Sidorin has not returned to the headquarters?" You know, I asked the soldiers of the guard squad to escort him to the car, didn't he want to go back to the command headquarters, and jumped out of the car halfway and ran back? ”

"What nonsense are you talking about, Sidorin is right next to me. I'm talking about something else. Chuikov's stern voice came from the headphones.

"Comrade Commander, what are you talking about? I don't really know. I asked humbly. After asking this sentence, I kept muttering in my heart, I didn't seem to have done anything wrong, and when I reported the counterattack plan to him before going to bed, I was praised by him, how long has it been, why did you inexplicably start a fire at me?

"Let me ask you, what's going on with the dozen or so deserters in your division?" Chuikov asked loudly as he patted the table.

"Deserters?! What deserters? Comrade commander, you have confused me. "I'm really confused, the independent division has only been formed for less than a day, how can there be deserters?

"Good! Good! Good!! You still don't admit it! Chuikov gritted his teeth and said: "Those deserters who were caught by the overseers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are recognized as independent divisions. ”

"Comrade Commander, if you don't say anything about deserters, I don't know anything about them." I said dryly into the microphone, "Can you tell me what the hell is going on?" ”

"Okay, then I'll sue you. Five minutes earlier, the commander of the 70th Guards Division, Colonel Lyudnikov, had reported to me. Said the Overseer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A dozen sneaky servicemen were found in his lot. When I went up to stop them and checked them, I found that they did not have any documents on them. When the fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also executed them on the spot as deserters, several of them pushed down the fighters around them and fled into the wilderness. The fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened decisive shots, killing two on the spot, wounding five, and the rest obediently captured, but one person escaped. ”

"And how did the people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs know that these deserters were from the Separate Division?"

"The sound of gunfire alarmed the patrols of the Guards Division. When they arrived, they joined the men of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and escorted the remaining deserters back to the division headquarters of the Guards Division. When Lyudnikov interrogated them with the captain of the warlord's team, they voluntarily confessed to being fighters of the Separate Division. ”

Chuikov's words drove me crazy, I was not at all mentally prepared for this sudden accident, and I didn't know how to deal with such a crisis. However, after a moment of panic, my feelings calmed down, and I said in a calm tone: "Comrade commander, I can you go with me to the division headquarters of the 70th Guards Division to find out what is going on. To know. After all, the independent division has just been formed, and it is inevitable that there will be a mixture of fish and dragons. It is inevitable that there are a few people who are greedy for life and afraid of death. ”

Hearing me say this, there was a pause for a moment before Chuikov said, "Forget it, since it has happened, it's useless to blame you." But you come to the headquarters of the army group right away, and I will go with you to the Orlovka area to have a look. After saying that, Chuikov directly terminated the call to show his extreme dissatisfaction.

I returned the headphones and microphone to Razumeyeva, walked to the door, and shouted in the distance: "Captain Sederikov!" Captain Sedjerikov! "I shouted twice, and I guess the captain has already heard my shout. I turned back into the house and grabbed my submachine gun, ready to wait for the captain to come and say a few words before leaving.

Captain Sederikov, who was disheveled and did not wear a military cap, rushed into the command and nervously asked: "Comrade division commander, what instructions do you have?" ”

I sat on the stool and said angrily: "Comrade Captain, do you think there will be anything good if I wake you up in the middle of the night?" As soon as the words came out, I realized that my attitude towards the captain was too blunt, after all, this matter had little to do with him, and I didn't need to be angry with him, so I took a deep breath, calmed my feelings, and said slowly: "Something happened, the supervision team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs caught more than a dozen deserters, and after interrogation, it was found that they were all soldiers of our division. ”

"Deserter?!" When he heard the news, he had the same look of disbelief on his face as I had at the beginning. After a moment of panic, he asked solemnly: "Comrade division commander, which regiment is the deserter?" ”

I shook my head and said, "I don't know. I will soon rush to the headquarters of the army group and go with General Chuikov to the overseers to find out what is going on. After saying that, I looked up at him and said, "Comrade Captain, after I leave, you will be in charge of the work of the division for the time being." ”

The captain nodded, and did not say anything to show loyalty, but asked rhetorically: "It's so late, are you going to the headquarters of the group army alone, is it safe on the road?" Otherwise, you should take the guard squad with you. After that, whether I agreed or not, he ran to the door, and gave a few words to the sentry before returning to continue his conversation with me.

He asked me in detail what Chuikov had said, and then analyzed it to me: "Comrade division commander, I think there may be some misunderstanding about the desertion, but I can't think of a specific reason in a hurry. I think that after you and General Chuikov converge, you should do your best to understand this matter. If it's too late and the people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs shoot all these so-called deserters, then it will not be clear what they can say. ”

Shedelikov and I were talking, and there was a shouting of a report at the door. Shedelikov turned his head and shouted outside: "Come in quickly, Comrade Vera." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Vera, my guard squad leader, appeared in the doorway, fully armed. Shederikov explained to me: "Comrade division commander, I asked the guard squad to assemble. It's too late, it's not safe on the road, so let them accompany you to the headquarters of the army group. ”

I didn't say anything, picked up my submachine gun and walked out. As I passed by Vera, I gently grabbed her by the shoulders and led her out.

Originally, I thought that we would have to walk at least to the headquarters of the 208th Division to find the car we were riding in. As soon as I walked to the edge of the forest, I saw a truck parked outside, and I turned my head. Pointing to the truck, he asked Vera beside him, "Vera." How can there be a car here? ”

Vera looked in the direction of my finger. Then he said disapprerovingly: "Leda, you're talking about this truck!" When the soldiers and I sent Sidorin over, we saw that the car had broken down and the driver was repairing it, maybe it had been repaired by now. ”

"Vera, go see if the driver is there?" I said to Vera, "If the driver is there, then we can not walk." Instead, I took a car to the headquarters. Vera readily agreed, and ran briskly along.

I saw her run up to the cab of the truck, raise her hand and tap on the door, while also asking loudly, "Hey, is there anyone in the car?" ”

As soon as she slapped a few times, the glass of the car was rolled down, and the driver poked his head out of the window and asked unhappily: "Hey, I said comrade female soldier, what are you screaming in the middle of the night?" ”

"Comrade driver. We have an urgent need to requisition your truck. Vera said solemnly.

Unexpectedly, the driver waved his hand again and again, and said a little unpleasantly: "No, no." Don't disturb my sleep, wait until dawn. ”

Seeing Vera hit a wall, I hurriedly walked over, looked up at the driver in the bridge, and said softly: "Comrade driver, I am Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, the commander of the independent division, we have urgent business to rush to the headquarters of the group army, hitchhike with you, okay?" ”

When the driver saw that I was talking to him, he was so frightened that he quickly pushed the car door and jumped down, straightened up and saluted me. Originally, when I saluted, I had to say a few words, but I was so frightened that I couldn't say it.

I didn't pay attention to him, but waved my hand at the soldiers of the guard squad behind me, and ordered loudly: "Guard squad, listen to my command, all get into the car." With that, I walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger door, and got into the car.

Seeing that the driver was still standing under the car stupidly with his hand raised, I hurriedly shouted at him: "Hey, I said comrade driver, how long are you going to stand there, hurry up, we are still waiting for you to drive." ”

The driver said yes and hurriedly climbed into the car. Because of nervousness, there were several fires before starting the truck.

Our car was passing by the 208th Division's garrison when it was stopped by soldiers who had set up checkpoints. When I saw the soldiers at the checkpoint coming towards our truck, I poked my head out of the window and was about to say a few words, but I didn't expect the soldier who was leading the way to turn around and say to the back: "Move the barricades away!" With that, he took a step back and raised his hand to salute us.

For such a reasonable warrior, I had a good impression, and not only returned the salute, but also said to him: "Thank you!" "When the car drove away, I suddenly remembered that the soldier just now was a bit like the corporal I pointed at and scolded at the entrance of the village last time, and it seemed that I had left a deep impression on him.

Although the truck was stopped several times at the checkpoint on the way to the headquarters, the soldiers who came to check the documents saw that I was sitting in the bridge and did not even look at the documents, so they waved and let them go.

When our car arrived at the headquarters of the army group, I saw a man walking anxiously around next to the jeep parked outside the headquarters. In the bright moonlight, I immediately recognized it as Chuikov by his figure.

I asked the driver to stop the car, pushed the door myself out of the car, and ran towards Chuikov. Before I could speak, Chuikov had already seen me, he looked at the truck behind me and asked, "Your guard squad is all in the car." ”

I nodded hurriedly.

He waved at me and said, "Get in the car, let's go immediately." ”

Seeing Chuikov get into the car, I shouted at the truck driver, "Keep up with our car." Then he turned around and got into the jeep.

In addition to the driver and Chuikov, sitting in the passenger seat was Sidorin, who I had forcibly sent back a few hours earlier, and when he saw me getting into the car, he snorted heavily, twisted his head to the side, and put on a posture of not caring about you.

After the car started, Chuikov, after sighing, said to me: "Oshanina, you are in big trouble. There are deserters in the army, and you, as the main military commander, are to blame. If your superiors want to hold you down, you will be removed from your post or demoted, or you will be sent to a military court. ”

Hearing Chuikov say this, my heart couldn't help but beat faster, I didn't expect a few deserters to cause me such a big trouble. I have been in the post of division commander for less than a day, and I will be removed if I want to, anyway, I don't care. But it has been less than a month since I regained the rank of lieutenant colonel, and if I am demoted to a major or lower rank, it will not be so easy to be promoted in the future.

Just as I was suffering from gains and losses, I heard Chuikov say, "Hey, I'm talking about Private Sidorin. You and Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina are old acquaintances. Why don't you even say hello when you meet? ”

Sidorin, who was criticized by him. Only then did he reluctantly turn his head and nod to me, and said in a low voice: "Hello, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, it's nice to see you." ”

I struggled to squeeze a smile out of my face and smiled at Sidorin. But Sidorin had turned his head again before I could say anything, and did not see my smiling face, which was more ugly than crying.

Chuikov sighed again and leaned back. Leaned back in the chair and began to close his eyes to recuperate. I looked out the window, thinking about how I would deal with the deserters who were causing me trouble when I arrived at the 70th Guards Division.

The car drove for more than half an hour and finally arrived at its destination. The commander of the Guards Division, Lyudnikov, who had been waiting there for a long time, warmly welcomed the three of us into the headquarters.

As soon as Chuikov sat down in his position, he couldn't wait to ask: "Colonel Lyudnikov, where are those deserters?" ”

Lyudnikov said please wait, then picked up the phone on the table, shook the handle a few times, and whispered into the microphone: "Hello." Comrade Captain, Deputy Commander of the Army Group General Chuikov. And the commander of the separate division, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, has arrived, please bring those deserters. Thank you! ”

Judging by the tone in which Lyudnikov spoke, I knew that he was calling an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, otherwise would he, a colonel, a division commander, need to call a captain in such a polite tone?

After a short time, a captain wearing a blue-capped hat came in through the door, and he came in and looked around. Seeing Chuikov sitting at the table, he didn't salute, just nodded slightly. Then he turned to the side and said to the outside, "Bring the deserters!" ”

Following his order, four or five fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with submachine guns, escorted a dozen unarmed and dejected fighters into the room. One of the fighters in the middle, apparently wounded in the leg, jumped in with one right foot, supported by two comrades.

When the soldiers stood in a row with their backs against the wall, the captain of the Ministry of Internal Affairs swaggered to the table and sat down, and asked Chuikov, who was sitting opposite him: "Comrade General, these are the deserters we have captured, what are you going to do with them?" ”

Chuikov gave him a contemptuous look, did not answer his question, but turned his head and asked me, who was standing beside him: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, you go and ask, what part of them are they, why do you want to be deserters?" ”

I nodded silently and came to the front of the warriors. Before they could speak, judging from their scrawny figures, and the new uniforms on them, I could already tell without hesitation that they were soldiers of the Independent Division.

After my gaze swept over the twelve soldiers standing in front of me, I tried my best to ask in a flat tone, "Can any of you sue me, which regiment of the independent division do you belong to?" ”

Silence, the twelve warriors bowed their heads and looked at their feet, and none of them looked up to answer my question.

I was particularly indignant at their silence, and I raised my voice and said angrily: "I am Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, commander of the Independent Division, and I ask you again, who can tell me which regiment you belong to?" ”

Hearing that I identified myself, the soldier in the middle who was wounded in the leg raised his head and asked tentatively: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you are really the commander of the independent division." ”

"Yes." Finally, I saw someone answering my question, and my tone became calm again: "Comrade soldier, can you tell me which regiment you belong to, and why do you want to be a deserter?" ”

"Comrade division commander, we are not deserters!" The wounded soldier shouted loudly.

"We are not deserters!" The two warriors who were then supporting him also shouted loudly.

"Comrade division commander, you can come, only you can prove that we are not deserters."

"Comrade division commander, you can testify to us, we are not deserters, we are ...... who came out to carry out orders"

More than a dozen fighters shouted at the same time, and the command headquarters was suddenly in chaos. The soldiers who watched over them shouted at them: "Quiet, quiet, keep me quiet!" ”

I raised my hands and pressed them down, and the shouts of the warriors suddenly stopped. When the command regained its calm, I suddenly remembered that in the chaos just now, someone was shouting that they were not deserters, but had come out on a mission. Could it be that they were sent by Captain Gaidar of the 4th Regiment to reconnoiter the enemy situation in the settlement, and were mistaken for deserters by the people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Thinking of this, I looked at the wounded soldier and asked tentatively, "You are all from the fourth regiment?" ”

"Yes," replied the twelve men neatly, "the regimental commander is Captain Gaidar. ”

Hearing them say that it was from the Fourth Regiment, I already understood that this was a complete misunderstanding, so I asked them knowingly, "What mission did you come out for?" After asking, he deliberately turned his head to look at Chuikov, who was sitting at the table, and saw that he looked at the captain of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a blue face, and it was estimated that he also thought of the same thing as me.

The wounded soldier straightened up and leaned back against the wall and reported to me: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, we were on the orders of the regimental commander, Captain Gelda, to reconnoiter the settlements occupied by the enemy. As a result, on the way, we were interrogated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and because we could not produce our documents, they said that we were deserters and wanted to shoot us all. ”

"Nonsense, it's nonsense!" Chuikov got up and yelled at the captain: "Comrade Captain, this is what you call a deserter. You must know that they were ordered to carry out reconnaissance missions, but they were arrested by you as deserters, if you delay the fighter plane, can you bear this responsibility? ”

Without waiting for the captain to speak, he turned his head and counted Lyudnikov next to him: "Comrade Colonel, I am very disappointed in you. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that they were deserters, and without personally interrogating them, you reported to me that deserters from the separate division had been caught. Then he commanded without saying anything: "You immediately arrange for men to take these soldiers to rest, and if there is anything, wait until dawn." ”

While Chuikov was in the back, I pushed away the soldiers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were holding them, walked up to the wounded soldier, grabbed him by the collar and asked, "Which of you is a construction engineer?" ”

The wounded soldier shook his head nervously and said incoherently: "Comrade division commander, there are no engineers here, engineers are not here. ”

When I heard that the engineer was not here, I was scared into a cold sweat, because I heard that two people were shot and killed by the fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the engineer could not have been one of the dead. I gritted my back molars and asked viciously, "Where's the engineer?" It can't be that he was shot indiscriminately, right? ”

The wounded soldier shook his head again and said, "No, the engineer fled in the confusion. ”

Relieved to hear that the engineer was safe, I let go of the wounded soldier and returned to Chuikov's side to ask him what to do next.

Unexpectedly, the captain was arguing with him, and he said to Chuikov unrelentingly: "Comrade General, there are many deserters who use this reason to carry out their tasks to deceive the patrol, don't be deceived by them. ”

Chuikov stared at the captain in front of him with fiery eyes, and said word by word: "Comrade Captain, I warn you not to talk nonsense. They are scouts of the Independent Division, and they are on a secret reconnaissance mission, because your mistakes not only disrupted their reconnaissance operations, but also caused unnecessary casualties to them. I will accuse you of your superiors and have him take you before a court-martial. ”

The captain seemed a little weak about Chuikov's threat, but he still said stiffly: "If you want to complain to your superiors, go ahead." I am doing my duty. After saying that, he stood up angrily, walked up to several of his subordinates, and said loudly, "Let's go!" Then he took the lead and walked out of the room. (To be continued......)