I was woken up by a sharp knock on the door, I raised my hand and looked at my watch, it was just four o'clock in the morning, although it was already dawn at this time of summer, but if I had to get up, it seemed to be a little early, and I was very unhappy and asked outside, "Who's outside?" What's the matter? ”

The knocking at the door suddenly stopped, and after a few more seconds, a young voice was heard replying loudly: "Comrade Major, the troops are about to leave, and Captain Boroda asked me to call you." ”

I had been sleeping in my clothes, but when I heard that the troops were about to leave, I quickly jumped out of bed, put on my boots, and went over to open the door. At the door stood a subordinate of Captain Boroda, behind whom a motorcycle was parked. As soon as he saw me appear, he hurriedly stood up and saluted, and reported: "Comrade Major, it was Captain Boroda who asked me to pick you up, please get in the car!" ”

After I got into the sidecar, the warriors started their motorcycles and drove down the street towards the entrance of the village. I asked the fighter who was driving the motorcycle: "Comrade soldier, where is the unit?" ”

"Report to Comrade Major, the troops were assembled half an hour ago and are now on standby outside the village." Hearing the soldier's answer, I couldn't help but smile bitterly again, it seems that I have been too tired recently, I slept so deeply last night, and I didn't even hear such a big movement of troops.

When I arrived at the entrance of the village, I noticed a strange phenomenon: a tank and motorcycle under the command of Captain Boroda were parked not far from the entrance of the village. The chief of staff and his troops stopped farther away, and in addition to the neat infantry phalanx and tank detachments, there was also a neatly parked team of trucks.

The motorcycle stopped in front of Captain Boroda, and I got out of the sidecar and asked Boroda strangely: "Comrade Captain, what is the other thing and why do you have to leave so early?" Also, why don't the troops of the 378th Division stay with you? ”

Boroda said with a wry smile: "At three o'clock this morning, just after dawn, the convoy sent by Colonel Dorofeev came to the outside of the village. Along with the convoy came an order drawn up by the colonel himself, that the chief of staff should immediately return to the garrison with all the troops and not participate in our search for General Vlasov. ”

I didn't bother to speculate on why Dorofeev would give such an inexplicable order, but asked Boroda: "Comrade Captain, what are your plans?" ”

Boroda thought for a moment and replied: "I plan to spend another day searching the neighborhood, and if I still can't find General Vlasov, I will go directly to the front headquarters to report to General Meretskov." Speaking of this, he paused for a moment and asked rhetorically, "Comrade Major, what are your plans?" Act with us, or go back to the 378th Division? ”

To tell the truth, it is indeed much safer to return to the division headquarters of the 378th Division than to follow Captain Boroda around behind enemy lines. But if I had to choose, I would still be willing to act with the captain, and in the headquarters of the 378th Division, when I saw Colonel Dorofeev, I felt uncomfortable.

I just wanted to tell the lieutenant that I was going to act with him. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered that Alik, who was still in the medical station of the 378th Division, had to grit his teeth and change his mind: "I'm sorry, Comrade Captain. Although I would love to go with you in search of General Vlasov, the actual conditions do not allow it, and I will go back to the 378th Division to find my son. ”

I thought that if I said this, I would be despised by Captain Boroda, but I didn't expect him to say very understandingly: "Major Oshanina, I think your choice is correct, after all, the child has just been found, and he needs the company of his mother." ”

Seeing that we were about to part ways, I took the initiative to extend my hand to Boroda and said gratefully: "Comrade Captain, thank you for your understanding. I am confident that your search and rescue operation will be successful, and good luck! ”

After shaking hands, Boroda untied the belt around his waist, handed it to me with the holster, and said, "Major Oshanina, you stay on this gun for self-defense. ”

Since the last time I was captured, I have been basically in a state of bare hands, and at this moment I saw Boroda give me his matching gun, I did not shirk it, took it and tied the belt, and thanked him.

He smiled at me, then straightened up and saluted me, then turned and climbed into the tank.

After the tanks and motorcycles under Boroda's command had driven west, I strode towards the troops of the 378th Division in the distance.

I walked up to the chief of staff standing next to the jeep and saluted. Then he asked straight to the point: "Comrade Chief of Staff, why did you gather the troops so early?" ”

The chief of staff didn't expect me to ask such a question suddenly, and was obviously stunned for a moment before replying: "I received an order from the division commander that a German unit was found in the forest near the division headquarters, and in order to ensure the safety of the division headquarters, I urgently gathered my troops and quickly returned in the truck sent by the division headquarters." ”

An officer, who was originally standing next to the chief of staff, suddenly asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, can you go?" Seeing the chief of staff turn around, he gave a military salute, ran to the front of the infantry ranks, and shouted in a loud voice: "Get on - car!" ”

The tank detachment opened the way ahead, and the jeep in which we were riding followed them, and behind us, there was a long convoy. In addition to the soldiers of the original 378th Division, there were also the commanders and fighters of the former 2nd Assault Army who were rescued yesterday.

I sat in the back seat of the car, and the chief of staff sat in the co-pilot's seat. After more than ten minutes of silence, I couldn't help but ask again: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please forgive me for saying that Division Commander Dorofeev should still have quite a few troops in his hands, isn't it a bit of putting the cart before the horse by sending a special convoy to pick up a few hundred of our people?" ”

The chief of staff turned around in his seat, glanced at me, coughed, and then replied in an official tone: "I don't know the specific situation, anyway, it is an order issued by my superiors, and I will carry it out unconditionally." ”

Hearing the chief of staff say this, I can't continue to ask, but I always feel that something is wrong in my heart, otherwise the troops would never have retreated in such a hurry.

Yesterday it took ten hours on foot, but today it only took more than an hour for the troops to return to the village where the headquarters of the 378th Division is located.

The driver dropped me off near the medical station and drove to the division headquarters.

I walked into the medical station, where stretchers with the wounded were neatly laid out on the floor, and several female hygienists were busy taking care of them. One of the rooms inside was supposed to be an operating room, because I saw two male hygienists in red cross armbands carrying out a wounded man, putting him on the ground with a stretcher, and then carrying another wounded man in who was moaning.

"Major Oshanina," I heard a familiar voice calling out to me, and when I turned my head, a familiar face caught my eye. I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It's you, Sergeant Nina." "This acquaintance is Nina, the battalion's hygienist, and Captain Diomi's dream girl. She was lying on a stretcher, half of her body propped up on her elbows, and she was smiling at me.

I hurriedly walked to her side, squatted down, and asked with concern, "Nina, what's wrong with you, where are you hurt?" ”

Nina replied with a wry smile, "My leg hurts." Two days ago, when I was going to rescue a comrade who had fallen on the battlefield, the stretcher bearer who was acting together accidentally stepped on a German mine, and he died on the spot, but I was injured in the leg by shrapnel. ”

"It doesn't matter, right? Will there be any sequelae? ”

"Yesterday I had surgery, and the doctor helped me remove all the shrapnel from my leg. He said that tomorrow he could send me and the other wounded to the rear together, and that he would be able to return to normal after a period of recuperation, and that there would be no sequelae. ”

Nina and I were talking, when someone called me next to me: "Hello, comrade soldier, it's a pleasure to meet you again." ”

I turned my head to see that it was Ulanova, who was taking care of the child for me, and I quickly stood up, held her hand, and said gratefully: "Ulanova, it turned out to be you." Xie Lu thank you for helping me take care of the child, where is he now, he didn't cause you trouble, right? ”

"He's resting in the hygienist's dormitory, I'll take you there when I'm done."

"Thank you! Ulanova, I thank you so much! ”

"Ulanova," Nina on the stretcher suddenly asked, "why are there so few hygienists today?" Yesterday I saw fifteen, and today there are only seven, which is half less, what the hell is going on? ”

"I don't know the way, I don't know the way, I don't know anything." When Ulanova heard this, she suddenly panicked, and after a few incoherent words, she fled far away.

Seeing her performance, Nina and I immediately looked at each other, what the hell is going on, why would she be so alarmed when she heard this question? It's a pity that none of us know the answer.