The investigation of me by the joint investigation team had to be canceled with the sudden appearance of Zhukov. Then, Zhukov ordered Piksin to immediately return to Stalingrad with the fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, leaving only Kirillov, the head of the political department of the 62nd Army.

After Piksin and the commanders and fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs left, Zhukov looked at me, frowned dissatisfiedly, and said: "Lida, since the personnel of the investigation team have left, can the troops you ambushed on the road to Stalingrad also be withdrawn?" You must know that to the south of you, there are several divisions of the 4th Hult Tank Army, which are staring at this defensive position of your division, and you can't afford to lose a big one. ”

"Troops lying in ambush on the road to Stalingrad?" I was a little confused and said, "Comrade General, I don't understand what you mean. ”

Zhukov snorted and said with a gloomy face: "Do you think I'm blind? At least one battalion of troops was ambushed on the side of the road, and it was even equipped with mortars and heavy machine guns. I reckon that if the convoy escorting you passes through this area, they will be violently blocked, and there may be no survivors except you. Speaking of this, he turned to Kirillov, who was sitting on the left, and said: "Comrade political commissar of the regimental level, you are lucky, if I come a little later, I guess you will go to see God." And Comrade Oshanina, it is entirely possible to blame the Germans for your killing, anyway, in this situation in front of you, anything can happen. ”

Zhukov's words made me break out in a cold sweat, and I quickly stood up. Walked to the door and shouted outside, "Someone." Someone! ”

With my shouting. Outside the house, Basmanov, Godunov, and Razumeyeva all ran in, and when they saw that I was safe, their faces were filled with joy.

I didn't bother to catch up with them, and asked straight to the point: "Can any of you tell me what happened to the ambush on the road to Stalingrad?" ”

Godunov glanced warily at Zhukov, Kirillov and Krylov, who were sitting at the table, and could not help but stop talking. I hurriedly comforted him and said, "It's okay, if you have anything to say, no one will blame you." ”

Only then did Godunov pluck up the courage to reply: "Report to Comrade Division Commander." After the investigation team came just now, Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov felt that the situation was a little wrong, so he ordered me and Basmanov to take the fighters of the guard battalion to serve as guards near the headquarters and try not to let the people of the investigation team take you away. ”

In fact, as soon as I heard Godunov speak, I understood what was going on, but I still had to confirm it again, so I asked: "If you don't stop them, what is Shederikov's plan?" ”

"If we fail to stop the investigation team from taking you away, then Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov will lead his troops to ambush them on the road, kill them, and rescue you."

"Nonsense. It's nonsense! Although I scolded them, I felt a warmth in my heart. Fortunately, Zhukov appeared in time, otherwise today's bloodshed would have been unavoidable. I shouted at Razumeyeva: "I said Comrade Second Lieutenant, what are you still doing in a daze, don't hurry up and contact Lieutenant Colonel Shederikov and ask him to withdraw the troops, it will not be good if there is a misunderstanding with the comrades of the Stalingrad City Committee." ”

Razumeyeva said yes and ran to the walkie-talkie to contact Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov. And I'm still asking Basmanov and Godunov: "Have all the fighters outside been withdrawn?" ”

The two nodded, and replied, "Except for the four fighters standing guard at the door, the rest have withdrawn." ”

When I heard that the soldiers outside the door had withdrawn, I felt much more at ease, so I waved my hand to the two of them and said, "Go out first, I will call you if there is something." ”

When I sat down at the table again, I heard Kirillov briefing Zhukov about yesterday's battle: "...... The troops that Colonel Oshanina went to rescue were besieged by the Germans in the Lower Rososhki area, 40 kilometers west of Stalingrad, and the besieged troops belonged to the fighters of the 1379th Regiment of the 87th Infantry Division of the 62nd Army. Leading them in battle were the political instructor Yevtifeev, the deputy instructor and Komsomol member Leonid Brown. Kovalev. Although they were heavily encircled, they held their ground and did not take a step back. The fighters ran out of food. It was hot, but they didn't even have a drop of water. The Germans repeatedly stormed the positions of the heroes with 70 tanks. However, they did not waver in the slightest. During the two days of fighting, they destroyed a total of 27 enemy tanks and killed nearly 200 enemy personnel. When Colonel Oshanina's troops arrived, they had 33 fighters who managed to jump out of the encirclement of the Germans. ……”

When Kirillov wanted to continue, he was interrupted by Zhukov, who asked puzzledly: "Since Comrade Oshanina led the troops and rescued 33 commanders and fighters from the encirclement of the Germans, then why did the political department of your group army form a joint investigation team with the Stalingrad City Committee to investigate Comrade Oshanina?" ”

Kirillov's face flushed, and he said embarrassedly: "Because the troops that broke through, when they joined up with the rescue troops of the independent division, they did not tell them in time that behind the heights, there was a railway station and a communication relay station of our army. So much so that when Colonel Oshanina got the news, a new round of German offensive began. Having said this, he stopped and turned his gaze to me, waiting for me to tell Zhukov about what happened next.

I smiled at him, and then he said to Zhukov: "Comrade General, when I get the news, it is too late, the Germans have launched a new offensive on the heights. Not only are they outnumbered our infantry, but they are also several times larger than our tanks, and if we attack rashly, not only will we not be able to save the troops trapped in the Huirang station, but we may even be able to put all of them into it, so I can only order the troops to stand by and wait for the fighters. ”

"How long did the troops who stayed behind hold out in the station?" Zhukov asked.

I bowed my head and muttered for a moment, silently calculating the approximate time. As soon as I came up with an accurate answer, I immediately replied, "It lasted about 10 minutes." ”

"Ten minutes?!" Zhukov frowned again. Then he asked: "How far are your troops from the high ground?" ”

"Two kilometers." I replied clearly, "Even if there is no German obstacle." It would take about a quarter of an hour for my troops to reach the Huirang station at the earliest. ”

After listening to this, Zhukov stared at the map on the table, and seemed to be lost in thought. After a long time, he said slowly, "Lida, what you did was right. If it were me, I think I would have made the same decision as you. ”

Zhukov's words made me let go of the big stone in my heart. Just as he was about to say a few more words to him, Zhukov had already turned to Krylov and spoke: "Comrade Krylov, how is General Kolpakchi's injuries?" ”

The acting commander of the 62nd Army, Kol Pakchi, was wounded? This news surprised me, no matter when the senior commander was speaking, I was not suitable to interject, so I could only sit next to me and listen quietly to the conversation between the two.

Krylov sighed and said leisurely: "Originally, it was only a leg injury, but because it was not treated in time, it is now becoming more and more strict." It's a little hard to even walk. ”

Zhukov put one arm on the table, turned sideways and said to Krylov: "Since his injuries are so serious. Then he should no longer be allowed to stay at the front, and he should be immediately transferred to the right bank of the Volga and treated in a good military hospital in a safe place. ”

"But if he leaves, Comrade General," said Krylov, embarrassed, "then who will command our army group?" ”

"Chuikov, Comrade Chuikov is the right person." Zhukov took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him, adding: "This is also what the Supreme Commander himself meant." If it weren't for the fact that Comrade Chuikov disappeared in the steppe some time ago, then he would have been the commander of the 62nd Army a long time ago. ”

Hearing Zhukov's announcement, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Chuikov is finally going to become the commander of the 62nd Army, and it seems that my life will be much better in the future.

After just two minutes of complacency, I suddenly discovered another problem: Chuikov was the commander of the 62nd Army, and my independent division was the formation of the 64th Army, which was not under his jurisdiction.

After Zhukov had finished talking to Krylov at this time, he turned to me again: "Lida, Comrade Chuikov needs a competent commander to help him in the task of defending Stalingrad. In this way, you hold out here for two more days, and when Comrade Chuikov takes up his post in the 62nd Army, you can also take your troops with him. As for the new defensive location of your division," he looked at the map for a while, and then decisively announced: "I think it is at Mamayev Height, and perhaps it will become a key area for contention between the enemy and us." ”

As I was talking, there was a shouting report from the door, and I quickly stood up and shouted outside, "Come in!" ”

As soon as the words were finished, Serjerikov, Pugachev, Kosga, and Gaidar walked in from outside the house, stood in front of me, raised their hands and saluted, and reported loudly: "Comrade division commander, we are ordered to come and listen to your instructions!" ”

Before I could speak, Zhukov had already strode over, stood beside me, looked at the four regimental commanders, and said with interest: "Lida, this is the commander who led the troops to ambush on the side of the road, right?" ”

I don't know why Zhukov asked this, so I had to introduce him with a wry smile: "Yes, Comrade General. Let me introduce you to the commander of the 1st regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, the acting commander of the 2nd regiment, Captain Pugachev, the commander of the 3rd regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Koska, and the commander of the 4th regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar. ”

Zhukov stretched out his hand and shook hands with the four regiment commanders one by one. After shaking hands, he faced them and said, "I am very pleased to see that you love your division commander so much. But the approach you have taken is something I do not approve of. ……”

I was deeply afraid that Zhukov would reproach them, so I hurriedly defended them first, saying: "Comrade General, they are also out of concern for me that they will take such drastic actions. ”

Zhukov waved his hand to stop me from continuing, and then he said to the four regimental commanders: "Although the means you have taken to protect your division commander are wrong, I will not pursue them. I hope that when you return to your troops, you will be well positioned to defend against a possible German attack. ”

Hearing that Zhukov would no longer pursue the matter, not only me, but also the faces of the four regiment commanders showed joy. He replied in unison: "Please rest assured, Comrade General." We promise to get the job done. ”

Zhukov nodded with satisfaction. He waved at them and said with a smile, "Okay, it's okay, you all go out." ”

After we returned to the table and sat down, Kirillov asked curiously: "Comrade Zhukov, why did you get to Stalingrad?" ”

"Comrade Stalin needed his chief of the General Staff to assist him in directing the fighting throughout the country, so he sent me to Stalingrad in exchange for Comrade Vasilevsky to return to Moscow."

Then Kirillov asked tentatively: "Comrade Zhukov." There is a saying in the army: where Zhukov goes, it means that the offensive is about to begin. ”

After hearing Kirillov's statement, Zhukov laughed, and Krylov and I laughed too. After everyone's laughter stopped, Zhukov said solemnly: "Although I also want to launch a counteroffensive against the Germans immediately, but from the current point of view, our strength is not enough, whether it is troops or weapons and equipment, the Germans have the advantage." We will need a long time to build up the strength for a counteroffensive. to give the Germans the final blow. ”

"Do you think we can hold Stalingrad?" Hearing Kirillov's question, I couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. You must know that these words should not be asked casually by a commander of his level.

"You say, Leda?" Zhukov suddenly threw this question at me.

Hearing Zhukov asking me, I quickly stood up and said in an affirmative tone: "Then it goes without saying that we will definitely be able to hold Stalingrad, and we will do our best to block the Germans on the left bank of the Volga and prevent them from crossing our Volga." ”

"It seems that Colonel Oshanina is very confident that our army will win this battle." Krylov, who was in attendance, couldn't help but say with emotion after listening to my words.

"Comrade Krylov," Zhukov glanced at me and promptly echoed my opinion, "Comrade Leda has always been very accurate in judging the situation, just like when the Germans pounced on Moscow last year, many people were frightened by the swarming Germans, and even some high-ranking commanders lost confidence in whether we could hold Moscow. But Lida said on different occasions that we would be able to hold Moscow. As a result, the final facts also proved that Lida's judgment was correct. I'm sure this time will be no exception. ”

"Hello, dear Georgi. Konstantinovich, it's a pleasure to see you coming to Stalingrad. The sound of the doorway reappearing drew all attention.

For this familiar voice, even if I don't look back, I know that the person who came is General Chuikov. Now that my immediate boss had arrived, I concluded that there was no reason to continue to sit on the stool and not move, so I quickly stood up, turned to salute him, and greeted: "Hello, Comrade Commander. ”

"Wrong, wrong, Comrade Leda." Zhukov said jokingly: "Comrade Chuikov is only the deputy commander of the 64th Army, not the commander. ”

I smiled wryly and didn't speak.

Chuikov walked up to Zhukov, raised his hand to salute him, and the two held hands together. "In the army, there is a legend that as long as Zhukov appears somewhere, it means that the offensive will begin there. ”

As soon as Chuikov's words fell, Zhukov and the others burst out laughing, making Chuikov stunned. After the laughter stopped, Zhukov patted the back of Chuikov's hand with his empty left hand and said with a smile: "Comrade Chuikov, you said this sentence late, long before you came, Comrade Kirillov, the political commissar of the regiment, had already said it. ”

Chuikov smiled and said, "Since everyone says so, it proves that we can not only hold Stalingrad, but also have a chance to destroy all these invading enemies in the near future." ”

After Chuikov let go of Zhukov's hand, he shook hands with Chief of Staff Krylov and Director of the Political Department Kirillov one by one. Zhukov saw the intimacy of the three of them, and said in particular: "In two days, you will be colleagues, so hurry up and get acquainted with it." ”

The imminent appointment of Chuikov to the post of commander of the 62nd Army is known to everyone in the command at the moment, except for himself. So after listening to Zhukov's words, in addition to Chuikov's dazed face, Krylov and Kirillov shook hands with Chuikov again, and at the same time said: "Hello, Comrade Commander, we will go under your leadership to defeat the enemy who are trying to occupy Stalingrad." ”

Chuikov looked at Zhukov and asked puzzledly: "Comrade General, can you tell me what is going on?" ”

Zhukov handed the piece of paper that he had just shown to Krylov, handed it to Chuikov, and explained: "Comrade Chuikov, this is an appointment to you by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief himself. From September 1, you will officially assume the post of commander of the 62nd Army. ”

After taking the letter of appointment and looking at it seriously, Chuikov quickly straightened up and said loudly to Zhukov: "In the service of the Soviet Fatherland, I will shed my last drop of blood for the defense of Stalingrad." ”

Unexpectedly, after hearing his words, Zhukov said with a displeased face: "Comrade Chuikov, I don't need your blood, and I don't need the blood of your subordinates, I just hope that what flows under Stalingrad is the blood of fascist bandits." ”

When Chuikov inquired about the reason why Zhukov came to Stalingrad, Zhukov also asked curiously: "Comrade Chuikov, why did you have time to run to the independent division today?" ”

Chuikov looked at me and replied: "I have just received a telephone call from General Kolpakci saying that the Stalingrad City Committee and the Political Department of the 62nd Army have formed a joint investigation team to investigate and understand Oshanina's criminal acts in yesterday's battle. I heard him use the word criminal act, and I was afraid that she would be in trouble, so I rushed over. By the way, what about you, Comrade Zhukov, why did you also appear in the Independent Division? ”

Chuikov's question is exactly what I have always wanted to ask but has not asked, and since he asked it first at the moment, I quietly waited to hear the answer from Zhukov.

Zhukov glanced at Krylov beside him, smiled and said: "When Chief of Staff Krylov came to the airport to meet me, he inadvertently mentioned the matter of the joint investigation team. ”

After Zhukov finished speaking, I quickly stood up, saluted him and Chuikov respectively, and said gratefully: "Thank you, Comrade General, Comrade Commander, thank you for your concern and love for me!" ”

After watching me sit down, Chuikov turned to Zhukov and said: "Comrade General, I have a request, I don't know if the independent division can also be included in the formation of the 62nd Army?" ”

Zhukov and Krylov looked at each other, and both had smiles on their faces. Zhukov happily said to Krylov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it is up to you to report this matter to your future comrade commander." ”

Krylov agreed, stood up and respectfully reported to Chuikov: "Comrade commander, long before your arrival, General Zhukov had already made a decision to assign the independent division to the 62nd Army and be responsible for the defense of the Mamayev Gang area. (To be continued......)