When I left the church and walked out of the village, Major Zuyev brought four fighters, two in front and two in the back, and I walked side by side with Zuyev in the middle. Because he didn't handcuff me, it didn't seem like they were escorting me to anyone who didn't know about it, but more like they were escorting me.

As I passed by the square, I met Polina, who had just returned from fetching water from the well. From a long distance, she put down the bucket and stood there and greeted me loudly: "Comrade female commander, where are you going?" ”

"Hello, Polina!" I raised my hand to greet her politely and said perfunctorily, "I'm going back to Moscow." ”

"I wish you a safe journey and come back soon."

"Thank you, Polina."

After watching Polina pick up the heavy bucket and leave, we continued our walk out of the village.

Next to the makeshift guard box outside the village, a jeep and two trucks were parked, both with license plates from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In addition to the two sentry posts sent by the Rysdayev battalion, more than three dozen fighters stood next to the car. Needless to say, Zuyev explained, I also knew that these vehicles and soldiers were all prepared to escort me back to Moscow.

Zuyev put me in the back of the jeep, while two fighters got into the car from the left and right and sandwiched me in the middle. Before getting into the car, Zuyev called a few fighters and whispered a few words. When the soldiers turned to the village, he pulled the door and sat in the co-pilot's seat, and told the driver to drive.

Except for the two fighters standing guard who saluted me as I got into the car, I didn't see anyone from the Rysdayev battalion or the guard company. I sighed with some disappointment in my heart, and said that I didn't expect my character to be so bad, and to be so deserted when I was escorted into the city by the people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

After the car had driven out of the road, through the window, I suddenly saw a neat line of soldiers on the side of the road, wearing steel helmets and submachine guns on their chests, all with their waists straightened, as if they were waiting to be inspected on the side of the road.

"Comrade Oshanina," Major Zuyev, who was sitting in the front row, turned to me and said, "these soldiers outside have just been brought by General Chistyakov, and they are here to see you off." ”

The jeep slowed down and slowly drove past the queue. I saw a familiar face appear outside, the commander of the third battalion of the 1077th regiment, Captain Lomov, no, he has now been promoted to major. As the car passed by him, I heard him shout loudly: "All of them, salute Comrade Division Commander!" ”

One by one, his commands were handed down, and the warriors saluted me with their hands raised to their foreheads, looking from afar like a group of sculptures.

Zuyev sighed and said softly: "Comrade Oshanina, it seems that you have received the respect of the soldiers, otherwise they would not have braved the bitter cold to wait on the side of the road to see you off. ”

My eye sockets were hot and my eyes were covered with a mist of mist. Although I knew that they couldn't see it, I raised my hand to my forehead and saluted my subordinates goodbye.

The distance from the village to the city of Moscow was too far, and although the jeep driver drove the car fast on the later stretch of the road, it was already dark when we entered the city.

Although the Germans have been driven west to 100~~300 kilometers away, the lights are still being controlled in the city. Cars sped through the streets without their lights on, most of them heavily obscured by tarpaulins, and they were all heading for the front line. The streets were full of tight camouflage, the city was silent and orderly, and the city was given a special mark by the war and the recent approach of the enemy.

But I thought to myself, here, in these houses, in these unobtrusive windows, people have adapted to a different way of moving on with life. When I think of this, I feel indescribably happy. I am proud to have witnessed this history and to have participated in this great battle.

While he was thinking about it, the car stopped. Zuyev turned back to me and said: "Comrade Oshanina, we have already gone to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I'm sorry to grieve you first. He then shook his head at the warrior next to me.

The warrior sitting on my left lifted my hand and clicked the handcuffs that had been prepared on my hand.

When I got out of the car, two fighters grabbed my arms one by the left and the other and escorted me to the building after Major Zuyev.

I was eventually ushered into a conference room, with three people seated at a rectangular conference table, and a lone chair on the other side of the table. When Zuyev entered the door, he saluted those people and reported loudly: "Report to Comrade Krochkov, I have already brought Oshanina back and are waiting for your instructions." ”

Crochkov?! As soon as I heard this name, my heart sank and I couldn't help but be a little scared. You know, the last time I was arrested with Colonel Bezikov, it was this guy who was in charge of interrogating us, and if it hadn't been for Stalin's timely call, I guess we would have been shot at that time.

The man in civilian clothes sitting in the middle made a gesture and instructed Zuev: "Let her sit on the chair." ”

"Yes!" Zuyev agreed, and then asked the two fighters to push me to a chair and sit down.

The two fighters stood straight behind me, while Zuyev ran to the other end of the conference table and stood behind Crochkov.

Crochkov slammed the table and shouted, "Oshanina, do you know what to do? What a shame you have become, what you have done has tarnished the sacred name of the great Red Army......"

I did not speak, but looked at Crochkov, who was sitting opposite, with a provocative look.

Crochkov, whose face was flushed with anger from my uncooperative attitude, glared at me fiercely and yelled at me: "Do you know how serious the consequences of slaughtering the enemy who have laid down their arms? This excesses in the disposal of prisoners will make those already wavering fascist bandits dare not surrender, and thus increase the casualties of our soldiers at the front. ……”

When he finished roaring, I replied coldly: "All the fascist bandits I killed deserve them, and I now begin to regret not shooting them all myself!" Comrade Crochkov, I would like to ask you, what would you do if you saw that your sister was raped and killed by the enemy, and her body was insulted after her death? ”

"What did you say?" When Crochkov wanted to continue to be angry, Major Zuev leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words, and I saw that his expression suddenly changed, and he opened his mouth wide and was speechless for a long time. After a while, he stood up and said to the two staff members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the left and right: "Let's go out with Major Zuyev first." Then he commanded the two warriors standing behind me: "Watch over her." Then he followed Zuyev out of the conference room with two unknown staff members.

It took at least nearly an hour for the few of them to return. Except for Zuyev's expression, which was relatively calm, the other three people were all full of anger.

As soon as Krochkov sat down, he slammed the table again, and then threw a teacup out of the table, and at the sound of the teacup falling to pieces, he began to curse loudly: "Brutes, what a bunch of brutes." Kill, kill, kill them all! ”

I feel a little strange about Crochkov's performance, how did he follow Major Zuyev out of the country, and he became like this, did the major make him see something that made him angry?

Just as I was puzzled, Crochkov gave a strange order to the fighters standing behind me: "You two, open the handcuffs of Major General Oshanina, and then both go out." ”

Hearing him call me my rank, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief in my heart, it seems that there is room for things to turn around, but I don't know what Lu Dao showed him just now, so that his attitude will change so much?

The answer was soon revealed.

Crochkov sighed, got up and poured a cup of tea where the teapot was placed by the wall, then pushed it in front of me, and then said leisurely: "I'm sorry, Comrade Oshanina, for making you wronged. ”

I looked at him blankly, not knowing what to say, and said in my heart that your old man's attitude has changed too quickly, right?

His next sentence made me completely understand what was going on. He said: "Before Zuyev brought you back, he had the body of the murdered Zoya also be brought back. Seeing the mangled body of the heroine, my whole body was furious, and if I changed my position at that time, I would not hesitate to order these inhumane two-legged beasts to be shot to death. ”