Breaking through the siege of the Germans was a joyous event, but I was faintly uneasy in my heart. If the Germans were so easy to deal with, it is estimated that this encirclement would have been broken by other troops long ago, and the 2nd Shock Army, which was originally strong and strong, would not have been in danger of running out of ammunition and food.

After catching up with Lieutenant Akhromeyev for a while, I walked with him up the hill to check the vantage points on either side of the passage we had just captured.

We walked up the hill on the left, past the bodies of Soviet and German soldiers that had not yet been picked up. When you come to the top of the slope, you can see that there are trenches crisscrossed everywhere, and the corpses are piled up all over the trenches, and it seems that even with the fire support from our tanks, the troops attacking the position still paid huge casualties.

Akhromeyev and I found a relatively clean trench and raised our binoculars to observe the enemy situation in the north, because it is said that the surviving German soldiers were running in this direction. I was shocked when I saw that there was a German position in the north, and I could clearly see the helmets shaking in the trenches.

While I was deliberating whether to let Akhromeyev join forces with me and launch a round of attack on this German position with the tanks of the 29th Tank Brigade, Sergeant Gerasimenko, whom I had sent to the division headquarters to report the news, hurried back to return to his life.

Sergeant Gerasimenko, led by the soldiers, came to me and reported loudly: "Comrade Major, I have been ordered to report to the division headquarters, and I have completed my mission and returned safely, waiting for your orders. ”

I put down the binoculars in my hand, turned to look at him, and asked, "Is there any latest order from the division?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Major." Sergeant Gerasimenko replied, "The division commander asked me to bring you the latest order. The task was to mix the fighters of the Evgeny Regiment and the fighters of the original 3rd Battalion and fortify them on the high ground on both sides of the passage. Because it is possible that the Germans will attempt a counteroffensive, and without an order it is not allowed to take a step back without permission, all the troops must be nailed to the position like nails! Similarly, the troops were not allowed to move forward until further orders were received from the division headquarters. ”

After listening to the sergeant's relayed order, I asked Akhromeyev, who was still holding a telescope and observing the enemy situation in the distance: "Comrade lieutenant, what do you think of this order?" If we had joined forces and made a surprise attack on the Germans in the north, we would have dealt them a heavy blow. "I say this because, in what I have just observed, I have found that the Germans are moving, and if they complete the build-up of forces and then launch a major counter-offensive, it is still a question of whether they can be held back with the forces we have. Therefore, I intend to take advantage of the tank units and infantry sent by the Front, taking advantage of the fact that the battle has just been won and the morale of the troops is high, to organize an attack on the Germans and drive them as far as possible to ensure the safety of the passage.

After the last battle, I think the lieutenant is an excellent commander who has both a fighting spirit and a good grasp of the fighter. If he can agree to send troops to cooperate, we will still have a good chance of crushing the German army in front again.

This time, however, Akhromeyev's reaction was somewhat unexpected to me. He put down his binoculars and was silent for a while, sighed, and replied clearly: "Comrade Major, I am sorry that although your proposal is very good, I cannot agree to it. You know, the order I received was only to strike from east to west along the narrow-gauge railway to meet the breakout force of the 2nd Shock Army. Once the two armies are united, my task is to defend in place, and never allow retreat and attack without new orders. At this point, he paused and kindly reminded me, "Comrade Major, I know that you are a very good commander, but orders from your superiors are not allowed to be discussed. Since you have received the same order as mine to fortify, I suggest that you should immediately have your men fortify your existing fortifications in case of a possible German counterattack. ”

When Akhromeyev said this, I was so angry that I felt the urge to smash the telescope in my hand directly on his face, because you are still a young and promising commander, and you actually stick to the old rules, do not know how to improvise, and do not even know how to grasp such a good fighter plane in front of you.

Although he had the urge to beat him in his heart, he could only think about it, and could not really put it into practice, knowing that he was only an executor, and in his education, the orders of his superiors must be carried out to the letter under any circumstances, and no one was allowed to question or discuss them.

I snorted, ignored him, and indignantly raised my binoculars again, quietly observing the movements of the Germans in the distance. There were more and more swaying figures in the trenches, but I didn't notice that there were tanks or artillery on the enemy's position, so even if I fought, I was sure to hold my position.

Seeing that the enemy showed no sign of attacking for the time being, I lowered my binoculars, called over Captain Kozara and Lieutenant Ugad, who were standing not far away, and began to give them orders: "Captain Kozara, leave a hundred soldiers here, and then you take the remaining two hundred men to the hillside over there, and build fortifications there to prevent a possible German attack. Then I said to Ugad: "Comrade Lieutenant, now the 7th and 8th companies are combined, plus a hundred men drawn from the Evgeny regiment, to fortify this hillside. Remember, when reinforcing fortifications, dig more cannon holes to reduce the casualties of the soldiers in the event of German shelling. Do you understand? ”

The two of them agreed neatly: "Guarantee to complete the task!" "Next, each of them took his own troops, entered the designated position, and began to strengthen and improve the fortifications.

I looked at Akhromeyev who was standing on the side again, and said coldly: "Comrade lieutenant, since your task is to cooperate with our fortification. Then take your troops to the high ground on the right and assist Captain Kozara in the defense. ”

Seeing that my attitude towards him had suddenly become unusually cold, Akhromeyev was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood what was going on, and he saluted me with a wry smile, and replied loudly: "Yes, Comrade Major." I immediately went to assemble the troops and entered the position with Captain Kozara. ”

After sending Lieutenant Kozara and Lieutenant Akhromeyev away, I raised my binoculars again and looked around. The east and west sides of the heights were covered with forests and swamps, and if the Germans wanted to cut off our lines of communication, they would have to attack from the north. After watching for a long time, I didn't see the slightest attempt on the part of the Germans to attack, so I couldn't help but start feeling sleepy, and after yawning a few times, I found a shelter that originally belonged to the Germans, and slept in it.

Before going to bed, I specially told Gerasimenko, who was standing at the door: "Comrade sergeant, I will rest for a while, and if there is nothing serious, don't let anyone disturb me." Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Major. Rest assured, I won't let anyone disturb you until you wake up. ”

I nodded in satisfaction, slipped into the shelter, and lay down on a camp bed in the corner of the wall to catch up on my sleep.

I didn't get a good rest for a few days, and as soon as I got into bed, I quickly fell asleep before I knew it. I don't know how long later, I was woken up by the noise outside, I looked up at the time, it was already ten o'clock in the morning. In order to find out what was so noisy outside, I sat up, rubbed my face with both hands, walked out of the hall and asked loudly: "Comrade sergeant, what happened outside, why is it so noisy?" ”

Sergeant Gerasimenko, who was standing guard at the gate, hurriedly saluted me and replied: "Report to Comrade Major, it is the follow-up troops who are retreating from the passage under the hillside, and there are too many of them to wake you up from sleep." ”

I climbed out of the trench and stood on a high place to look down, and the narrow track passage below the slope was already full of retreating troops. Because there were no locomotives and wagons, the retreating troops had to leave on foot. At the moment, passing from below, it should be the troops belonging to the field hospital. In the middle of the walk are horse-drawn carriages, some carrying the wounded, others carrying medicines and medical equipment; On the left is a stretcher platoon of warriors, carrying the seriously wounded who cannot move, slowly moving forward with the procession; The lightly wounded on the right side, or with bandages on their heads or arms hanging from their chests, who can walk independently, move their feet forward, and those who are slightly more seriously injured put their hands on the shoulders of the warriors and are supported by them.

At this moment, the screech of shells flying was heard in the air. "Shelling!" The thought popped into my head, and almost at the same moment, the shells exploded on the hillside, lifting the dirt high. I turned around and ran into the trench, and within a few steps, a shell landed where I was standing and exploded. The blast slammed into my back with a powerful force, sending my body forward and into the trench.