My answer was a great surprise to Akhromeyev, who asked puzzledly: "Division commander, since you know that it is impossible for the enemy to let Lieutenant Mihayev move as he pleases in their defense zone, why do you still assign him a task of reconnoitring the enemy's situation?" ”

I chuckled and then said lightly, "The scouts we have sent recently have no chance of approaching the enemy camp at all. Anyway, Lieutenant Mihayev was going to meet the enemy's commander, so he gave him this task by the way, and let him try his luck. It was to be expected that the enemy situation was not detected; If you are lucky enough to detect the enemy, it will be an unexpected surprise. ”

After listening to my completely irresponsible words, Kirillov and Akhromeyev looked at each other, and both had expressions of laughter and tears on their faces.

Seeing the expressions of the two of them, I wanted to defend myself, but suddenly I remembered Chuikov's order again, so I looked at Kirillov and said: "Comrade commissar, I also want to ask a question, is there any way to raise the water level of the Volga?" ”

Kirillov thought for a moment, then replied: "Yes." At the time of the Second Five-Year Plan, we began to implement the project of transforming the Volga River. Seeing that Akhromeyev and I both had blank expressions on their faces, he deliberately explained, "To put it simply, a lot of sluices were built to claustrophobic the river, and the Volga River turned into a series of extremely deep reservoirs. The river water used by one power station will be the source of the next power station. In addition, the upstream sluices will also block the river during the spring flood season and release the water during the dry season. The opening and opening of the river during the spring flood season will allow the Volga to maintain its depth even in summer. Creation of a series of hydroelectric power stations in the Volga River basin. A huge power center. I don't know about the irrigated farming that is desolate. A deep-water shipping channel...... This qiē is called the Volga River Renovation Program. ”

When I heard him say this, I probably had a little bit in my heart, so I took advantage of the pause in his speech and interjected and asked: "Comrade Political Commissar, can I understand that if you want the water level of the river to rise, you only need to let the downstream sluice gates close or close the sluice gates, and you can achieve the goal?" ”

"Exactly. Comrade division commander. Kirillov replied with great certainty: "As far as I know, several sluices downstream are still completely under the control of our army. The closest to Stalingrad was the Löpinsk power station, which was built in November 1941 to generate electricity, and if the army headquarters contacted the power station and asked them to close the sluices, the water level of the Volga would rise by one to two meters in less than a day. ……”

"Report!" Before Kirillov could finish speaking, a familiar voice suddenly came from the direction of the door.

Hearing this voice, I did not look back, and I also knew that it was Mihayev who came. Sure enough. I heard Akhromeyev greet him: "It's Lieutenant Mihayev, come here." Tell us about your visit to the enemy camp. ”

Mihayev walked over and raised his hand to salute the three of us. After saluting, he turned to Kirillov and said anxiously: "Comrade commissar, you can't let the downstream close the sluice, otherwise something big will happen." ”

Mihayev's words surprised all three of us, but at the same time we knew what he was talking about, and maybe he had just entered the door when he heard us talk about closing the sluice gates downstream. Kirillov looked at him and asked puzzledly: "Comrade lieutenant, why do you say that?" ”

"Division commanders, political commissars, and chiefs of staff, please come here." Instead of answering Kirillov's question directly, Mihayev made a gesture and asked all three of us to gather around the map. After we had all stood still, he continued: "On my way to the German headquarters today, I found that by the river, four or five hundred meters north of the high ground, I found that some of the embankments had collapsed in a small area due to bombing, shelling, or river erosion. ”

I was considering whether I should call Chuikov and ask him to negotiate with the downstream hydropower station about closing the sluices, when I heard Mihayev say this, I couldn't help but look up at him in surprise and asked tentatively: "Lieutenant Mihayev, what did you just say?" If the water level of the Volga rises, it will lead to the bursting of the embankment in the area of the army. ”

Without waiting for Mihayev to reply, Akhromeyev picked up the red and blue pencils on the table, slowly pointed to the north side of the northern heights, drew a small circle, and said to us: "According to Lieutenant Mihayev's report, the embankment in this section should be the easiest to burst. ”

Although Mihayev did not understand why we were discussing the water level of the Volga, hearing what Akhromeyev said, he quickly agreed: "That's the case, Comrade Chief of Staff. ”

"I'll ask you, Comrade Lieutenant." Holding on to the edge of the table, Kirillov looked at Mihayev and asked: "What if, and I mean, if the water level of the Volga rises, and at the same time we plant explosives to blast the embankment in the place where you said it is easy to burst, do you think it will lead to flooding?" ”

After listening to this, Mihayev actually stood there speechless for a long time, obviously frightened by Kirillov's question, after all, such a sensitive question may invite death for himself, so he did not dare to answer.

After glaring at him fiercely, I impatiently asked him: "Lieutenant Mihayev, the commissar is asking you a question, why don't you answer?" ”

Hearing my questioning, Mihayev cautiously replied: "Commander, do you really want to blow up the dike?" ”

I nodded and said in affirmativeness: "Yes, Lieutenant Mihayev." The reason for blowing up the was to allow the raging Volga water to pour in, creating a swamp in front of the positions of the enemy and our troops that would be impassable by heavy equipment, so as to reduce the pressure on our defending troops and free up more troops to reinforce those dangerous areas. ”

After wiping the sweat from his forehead, Mihayev nodded vigorously and said: "I understand, Comrade Division Commander." Then he pointed to the circle drawn by Akhromeyev, "If explosives are planted here for blasting." You can bring in the water from the river. ”

"Are you sure?" Akhromeyev asked in a skeptical tone: "You know. The dikes in these places. The thickness is usually after twenty or thirty meters, and it is difficult to explode without a huge amount of explosives. ”

After listening to Akhromeyev's worries, a smug smile actually appeared on Mihayev's face: "Comrade Chief of Staff, have you forgotten what my profession is?" I'm the commander of an engineer company, and I'm a dignified construction engineer, and besides, we engineers are not what you think, we just know how to dig hard. At the very least, it is necessary to understand the minimum technical procedures such as geological survey, sampling and testing, and load-bearing capacity. For me, the study of urban architecture is simply ......"

Before he could show off, I raised my hand and slapped him on his steel helmet while scolding: "Where did you get so much nonsense, hurry up and get to the point, why it's not difficult to blow up these dikes?" ”

Mihayev scratched the back of his head with his hand and laughed embarrassedly a few times, before explaining: "In fact, the banks of the Volga River are almost all sandy banks, as long as you choose the location of the explosion point." Not a lot of explosives are needed. ”

Hearing Mihayev say that both sides of the Volga River are sandy banks, Kirillov was stunned at first. Then he slapped his forehead fiercely and said loudly: "Hey, how did I forget this, the embankments along the banks are all sandy structures, not to mention only thirty meters, even if they are a few meters thick, they can be easily exploded." ”

"Even if it's a sandy shore, if you want to blow it up, you need at least two or three tons of explosives." Akhromeyev expressed his concern with a stern expression: "If explosives were to be transported by vehicle, the convoy could be wiped out by enemy fire when it passed through the 107.5 heights occupied by the Germans." If it had been carried by hand, I feared that the commanders and fighters carrying the explosives would have been discovered by German scouts not far from the trenches. If nothing else, as long as there are one or two snipers among them, our operation will end in failure. ”

I am deeply aware of Akhromeyev's concerns, but I can't think of a solution in my haste. I turned my head to look at Kirillov, and when I saw that he was also frowning, I shook my head in embarrassment, indicating that he didn't have anything to do.

Just when the three of us were at a loss, Mihayev coughed lightly, drawing our attention. With a smile on his face, he said carefully: "Division commander, political commissar, chief of staff, don't worry, in fact, we don't necessarily have to go by land to transport explosives." ”

When Mihayev said this, the first to come back to his senses was Kirillov, who excitedly retorted: "Lieutenant Mihayev, do you mean to let the sailors of the fleet in the Volga region use ships to transport explosives for us?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commissar." Mihayev replied with a smile.

"Great, that's great." Akhromeyev was also excited, his hand reached for the phone, and at the same time said to us: "I will call the command and ask for enough explosives for us." ”

When I heard Akhromeyev say into the microphone: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Army Group", a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in my mind, and I thought of a better way, so I stretched out my hand to him and said: "Major Akhromeyev, give me the phone, I have something important, I want Krylov to report!" ”

Akhromeyev didn't expect me to say that suddenly, but he handed the microphone over without saying a word. I took the microphone and put it close to my ear, and I heard Krylov's voice coming from inside: "Hey, is it Colonel Oshanina?" When you call at this time, do you have any situation to report? ”

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, I have important information to report to you or the commander!"

"Did something go wrong with the Germans coming to collect the corpses?" Krylov asked cautiously.

He asked me, and I was stunned. Originally, Mihayev was hurriedly recalled to the division headquarters to ask him for information on reconnaissance in the enemy camp, and second, about what kind of troops were sent to collect the corpses. Fortunately, since he came, he didn't ask about any of the two things, and was busy studying how to break the embankment. In order to avoid being reproached by Krylov, I quickly diverted the topic: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the situation I want to report has nothing to do with the enemy's corpse collection team?" ”

"What's that?"

"It's about the 'water instead of soldiers' program."

"'Water for Soldiers' Plan?!" Krylov was surprised and asked, "Do you have a good idea?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff. After my research with Kirillov's commissar, it was found that as long as the downstream hydropower station closed the sluices. will raise the water level of the Volga. At the same time, the report of the commander of the divisional engineer company, Lieutenant Mihayev. Three or four hundred meters north of Mamayev Hills. Several dikes are on the verge of collapse. In addition, we found that the banks of the Volga are sandy, and only much less explosives were needed to blow the apart. As a result, the leaders of our division believe that the plan of 'replacing troops with water' can be completely implemented. ”

"Even if you don't need a lot of explosives, how are you going to get there?" Krylov got to the point when he asked the question, "The convoy carrying explosives could not safely get through Guò from the vicinity of Heights 107.5. ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff. I have two requests right now and don't know if to say them or not? ”

"Just say anything, don't be so verbose." Krylov's words were broken in the middle of his sentence, and then I heard Chuikov's voice coming out of the earpiece: "Oshanina, if you have any request, as long as I can do it, I will definitely grant you." ”

"Thank you, Comrade Commander." I thanked Chuikov before I made a request: "My request is simple. The first is to ask the commander to contact the downstream Rypinsk hydroelectric power station and ask them to close the sluice gates so that the water level of the Volga River can rise in the short term. ”

"That's not a problem. I can be the master and promise you. Hearing this, Chuikov agreed with a big grin, and then asked, "And what is the other request?" ”

"The explosives that blew up the dike. It was certainly impossible to reach the blasting point safely without alarming the Germans. So I beg you to contact the commander of the fleet in the Volga region and ask them to send a steamboat to deliver supplies for us. After saying my request in one breath, I hesitated for a moment and added: "Commander, I want them to deliver not explosives, but mines." I think if you want to blow up the levee, the mines might be more effective. ”

After hearing my words, Chuikov was silent, as if he was considering whether he should accede to my request. I held the microphone in my hand and looked to the left and right, and all three of them looked at me in surprise, apparently stunned by my earth-shattering decision.

I was a little embarrassed by the three of them, so I tried to squeeze a smile out of my face and smiled awkwardly at them.

After a while, Chuikov's voice came out of the earpiece again, and he did not immediately answer whether I agreed or disagreed, but said vaguely: "I know about this matter, and I will reply to you after I ask my superiors for instructions." After speaking, he put down the phone without saying anything.

I put down the phone, as if all my strength had been drained at once, and I sat down in my seat weakly, not wanting to move, thinking about whether I could get Chuikov's permission to use the mine in the end.

Before I could understand, Kirillov spoke. He reproached me with an expression of hatred that iron could not be made of steel, and said: "Comrade Oshanina, how can you make a request to your superiors to use mines? ”

Kirillov's words stunned me, and when he finished speaking, I immediately retorted: "Isn't it just a means of remote control to detonate these mines, what is the big deal, you still need to ask your superiors for instructions, and you need to get authorization to use them." ”

"The problem is that the detonation of these mines can only rely on some special ...... That is, with the approval of the Front Command, a special method of detonation was used. I'm sorry, but I can't say more because this is confidential. As to whether or not to use mines, we can only wait for the final decision made by the army group command after consulting with its superiors. ”

"Okay, Comrade Political Commissar, let's wait patiently for the order from our superiors." I laughed twice and diverted the topic again: "By the way, Lieutenant Mihayev, did you go to the enemy camp and find any useful information?" ”

I was just studying the use of mines with Kirillov, and in the blink of an eye, I turned the topic back to Mihayev. Our client apparently didn't keep up with the rhythm of my leapfrog thinking, and after a few seconds of silence, he smiled wryly, shrugged his shoulders, and said regretfully, "I'm sorry." Comrade division commander. I think I disappointed you! ”

"Let's talk about it. Maybe we can get some clues from your account. Although he saw the embarrassed expression on Mihayev's face, Akhromeyev encouraged him to continue.

Mihayev turned his head to look at Kirillov, then at me, and when he saw that we all nodded at him, and encouraged him to tell what he had seen and heard on his way to the enemy camp, he did not excuse himself, and began to tell his story: "When our motorcycles left Mamayev Hill about four or five kilometers. It was encountered by a German patrol in two armored vehicles. As soon as the enemy discovered us, they increased their horsepower and divided into two sides to outflank us. I hurriedly ordered the fighter on the motorcycle to stop, and then all three of us got out of the car and stood where we were, waiting for the enemy to come.

Seeing that we were not armed and had no intention of escaping, the two armored vehicles stopped more than 10 meters away from us. A German sergeant got out of the armored car with two soldiers, swaggered up to me and asked me what I was doing. I told him that I had come to see the German commander and asked him to send someone to collect the bodies of the German officers and soldiers in front of our positions.

The German sergeant listened. An armored car was ordered to stay, monitoring the fighters standing next to the motorcycle. He took me to the armored car he had just ridden in and said he was going to take me to the headquarters. As soon as I got in the car, they blindfolded me with a black cloth. The armoured car drove north for four or five minutes and then stopped, and although I could not see anything, my hearing was not affected in the slightest, and I heard the sergeant report to an officer that a Russian was going to see the division commander to discuss sending troops to collect the corpses.

When I heard that I had been handed over to the officer by the sergeant, two German soldiers lifted me out of the armoured car, got into another open-top car, and drove forward. We drove very slowly, for about ten minutes, when the car stopped again, and I heard the officer escorting me reporting to a higher-ranking commander and explaining my intentions.

After hearing this, the other party immediately ordered someone to take me with him and follow him to the division headquarters. So I was dismounted from the car by two soldiers, followed by the German commander, and walked forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

It was only when the German soldiers finally stopped, and tore off the black cloth over my head, that I found myself standing in a wooden room, with only a small wooden table, behind which sat a German major, and the two German soldiers who had brought me over were standing behind me with guns. ”

"And who is the German major?" When I asked, Akhromeyev and Kirillov rushed to the map, looking for the approximate location of the enemy camp.

Mihayev turned his head to look at the two commanders who were staring intently at the map with their heads together, and then looked at me and said: "When the major introduced himself, he said that he was the commander of the 113th Division, General Anim's aide-de-camp. Major Besger. After a few brief questions, he ordered the two German soldiers who had escorted me to reblindfold me and send me out. ”

"You're just coming back?" I asked lightly.

After hearing this, he quickly shook his head and explained: "I was sent back to the place where the motorcycle was parked, and I was going to return directly, but the two German soldiers who sent me out asked me to wait, saying that soon the convoy where they went to collect the corpses would come." So I stayed and waited until the enemy convoy came, and then I came back with them. ”

Akhromeyev, who had been looking at the map, suddenly slapped the table with his hand and said excitedly: "It can be regarded as a finding, the cunning enemy actually set up the division headquarters here." Saying this, he proudly drew a circle in red and blue pencil on a village north of Mamayev Height, and then said to me, "Comrade Division Commander, according to Lieutenant Mihayev's account, the enemy's camp should be located in this village. In this way, our night attack will not be an aimless search for the enemy's camp, but a targeted strike against them. ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, we must not take it lightly." Mihayev kindly reminded: "Although I could not see anything when I entered the enemy's camp, according to my analysis, in addition to the railway network and minefields outside, the enemy also had many fortifications and firing points, and if the night attacking troops rashly attacked, they could suffer heavy losses." ”

"Lieutenant Mihayev, how did you tell that there were fortifications, firing points, and minefields in the enemy's camp? You know, you were blindfolded, but you couldn't see anything. Kirillov asked, a little skeptical.

Seeing that the commissars were questioning themselves, Mihayev hurriedly defended: "That's the case, Comrade Commissar. Barbed wire and minefields were laid around the camps. This is a very basic means of arming. Speaking of which, there are many fortifications and fire points in the camp. I'm driving according to the vehicle. It is not a straight line, but a judgment that keeps turning left and right. ”

I had great trust in Mihayev, the commander of an engineer company who was a construction engineer, and seeing that Kirillov and Akhromeyev both doubted his judgment, I hurriedly opened my mouth to relieve him: "Comrade Political Commissar, from what I know about Lieutenant Mihayev, I believe that his judgment is accurate. ”

Seeing that I had opened my mouth to speak for Mihayev, Kirillov could not say anything more, so he had to nod his head, and then said to Akhromeyev: "That's right. Comrade Chief of Staff, make a telephone call to Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov of the 1st Regiment, inform him of our judgment, and ask his small detachment to reconnoiter in the vicinity of that village. Depending on the specific situation, the commander of the detachment will decide whether or not to conduct a night attack. ”

After all the tasks that should be assigned were assigned, I sent Mihayev away and asked Kirillov: "Comrade commissar, is there a report from the 5th regiment?" ”

Kirillov nodded, picking up a stack of telegrams on the table. I looked through it, pulled out two of them and handed them to me. At the same time, he said with a smile: "Look, this is a telegram from Lieutenant Colonel Oleg." Although at present, due to the limited number of troops, they have not sent troops into the city to fight urban guerrilla warfare with the enemy, but the results of sending sniper teams are good, and they have gained every day. ”

I read the telegram at a glance, handed it to Akhromeyev next to me, and said with relief: "I really didn't expect it, Comrade Political Commissar." Oleg and the others sent more than 20 snipers to the city every day to carry out sniper operations, and they were able to achieve great results. On average, each sniper can kill two enemies, which is a great result. It doesn't have to be an infantry regiment with bad results. ”

Kirillov waited for me to finish, and then said cautiously: "Oleg also called me in the morning, saying that he wants to train another batch of snipers, but he is extremely short of sights, and he wants to ask you to help him solve this problem." ”

Speaking of scopes, I suddenly thought of the guard battalion soldier Boris who could modify firearms, and hurriedly shouted outside: "Captain Basmanov, come in." ”

At my shout, Basmanov pushed the door open and walked in, straight in front of me. Without waiting for him to speak, I preemptively said: "Comrade Captain, let me ask you, there is a soldier named Boris in the guard battalion, where is he now?" ”

Basmanov took two steps with my name in his mouth, then suddenly sighed, and continued: "Commander, you are talking about the Boris from the arsenal." However, he was not at Mamayev at the moment, but followed Captain Grams to the 5th Regiment. ”

"Alright, I got it." I said and waved him away.

After Basmanov left, I turned to Kirillov and said: "Comrade commissar, you hear me, the soldier who is most familiar with firearms in the guard battalion has long since followed the second and third companies of the guards to the fifth regiment. Let Oleg solve the matter of the scope himself, so that he will stop bothering us. ”

As soon as I sat down, I suddenly remembered the wreckage of the tanks under the position of the Fourth Regiment, and hurriedly called Gaidar. On the phone, I asked him: "Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar, is the enemy's corpse collection team still there?" ”

"Still there," Gaidar replied quickly, and asked me hurriedly: "Comrade division commander, do you have any instructions?" ”

When I heard him ask, I didn't go around in circles with him, but asked him bluntly: "How many burned German tanks are there within two hundred meters of the foot of the mountain?" ”

Gaidar thought for a moment and replied, "I can't tell the exact number, but there are always forty or fifty anyway." ”

"Listen, Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar, you immediately send someone to drag out all the corpses in these tanks and hand them all over to the German corpse collection team. Don't hesitate and act now. ”

This inexplicable order confuses Gaidar, and he asks in confusion: "Why do you want to clean up all the corpses in the tank?" ”

Seeing that he was slow and unwilling to carry out the order, I didn't talk nonsense with him, but simply said: "Don't ask, carry out the order!" After speaking, he directly put down the phone. (To be continued......)