Chapter 761

Bantailiev looked at me, then at kirilov, and finally at the back of akhromeyev who was walking towards the telephone. He nodded thoughtfully. It seems that he also understands why kirilov asked akhromeyev to answer the phone.

It is understandable that we should take some actions according to the changing situation on the battlefield. Even if we plot against an enemy force without permission, we can be excused. After all, by doing so, we have weakened the enemy and strengthened ourselves. However, due to the numerous regulations, I was so tied up that I had to remain a spectator in this matter. In this way, if someone investigates after the event, akhromeyev can bear the responsibility, saying that he made the decision without permission. As long as this matter has little to do with me, I can intercede for him at the critical moment and save him. If I do this in person and get investigated by others, I can't escape the fate of going to the military court unless the commander of yelomienko level comes to protect me in person.

Although all three of us sat at the table and did not move, none of us spoke. We all listened to the conversation between akhromeyev and safchenko with our ears turned to one side: "Hello, is that Comrade safchenko? This is major akhromeyev, chief of staff. Do you have anything to report to the division commander? The teacher is busy and has no time to answer your call. You told me the same thing. "

After listening attentively for a while, akhromeyev politely said to the transmitter, "Comrade safchenko, I have made clear the situation. This matter is up to you to handle at your own discretion. Please remember a sentence often said by the teacher: a commander should know how to adapt to the changes of the battlefield."

As soon as akhromeyev came to our side, kirilov could not wait to ask, "chief of staff, what's the situation like? What does Comrade safchenko say?"

After akhromeyev sat down, he reported to the three of us: "safchenko said that he had just risked letting go of the sergeant among the prisoners and asked him to go back to contact captain Nikolay, the commander of the east battalion..."

Before akhromeyev finished speaking, bantailiev frowned and said, "what's the matter with Comrade safchenko? Why did he let the prisoners go so easily? What should he do if he brought in the enemy's large forces? In that case, comrade safchenko would be in danger."

When bantailiev spoke, akhromeyev always kept a smile on his face. After the other party finished speaking, he added: "Comrade deputy division commander, the situation is not as bad as you think. Comrade safchenko reported that after the sergeant was released, he took the rest of the soldiers with him to a safe place, except for one soldier who was on guard. He didn't show up again until he saw that the sergeant had only brought two or three people back, and there was no change in the camp. "

"After the connection?" Kirilov asked with concern.

"Safchenko reported that one of Captain Nikolay's adjutants had come to invite him to the camp to talk about cooperation." Akhromeyev briefly reported: "he called to report the incident. At the same time, he also said that he would try to rescue thousands of officers and men from the prison camp if he could defeat the army. So I agreed to his request, as long as I asked him to pay attention and act according to circumstances."

After listening to akhromeyev's report, I also had a general understanding of the whole matter. When everyone calmed down, I began to speak: "comrades commander, since Comrade safchenko has gone to meet captain Nikolay, there are only two endings. First, he could not agree on the terms, and safchenko went back with the comrades of the reconnaissance team; Second, the terms have been agreed, which involves how we can take over this unit and our comrades in arms who are locked up in the prison camp? "

"Isn't that easy?" Bantaileiev said lightly: "just now, the scouts did not report that there was only one platoon on guard in the forward position to the north of the fourth regiment, and they were not Germans, but Italians with extremely weak combat effectiveness. I think it is enough to destroy this enemy force and open a channel by sending a company to launch an attack. "

"What the Deputy teacher said is reasonable," kirilov promptly supported bantaileiev's opinion.

Unlike other officers in the army, I don't simply give orders. Instead, I habitually ask for everyone's opinions, so that everyone can have the opportunity to express their own opinions. In this way, when I make the final decision, they will carry out all the orders I give them to the letter. Because of this, when bantailiev and kirilov both expressed their views, I did not express my views. Instead, I looked at ahlomeyev opposite and asked, "what about you, chief of staff?"

Akhromeyev simply replied, "my opinion is the same as that of the government and the Deputy teachers."

Seeing that everyone's opinions were unified, I then put forward a new question: "according to safchenko's report, there are more than 1700 prisoners of war in the POW camp, plus the Oriental camp, which guards them. This is more than 2000 people. If they all rush into our defense area, how can we settle them?"

"If captain Nikolay did not think that we would not break up his troops, I would suggest that the battalion should be divided into several regiments as companies. As for those comrades who have been rescued, those who have been injured will be treated and those who have not been injured will be scattered among the units. " When kirilov said this, he hesitated for a moment, and then hesitated to say: "if one regiment can be built in the near future, then I think priority should be given to supplement them. After all, the other regiments can supplement them in other ways."

My heart sank when I heard kirilov mention a regiment. The position of the second battalion where Karpov is located is not the most fierce fighting area. However, in just one day, there are only a dozen soldiers left under Karpov's more than 200 soldiers. I believe that the casualties of troops in other areas will be more severe. Maybe tomorrow night, my regiment will be canceled.

Not only me, but also akhromeyev and bantailiev, when they heard kirilov mention a group, their faces became particularly ugly. It seemed that they were also worried about the unknown fate of the group. Kirilov seemed to find that he had said something wrong, so he quickly closed his mouth and stopped talking.

Finally, I broke the silence in the headquarters, and I pretended to be relaxed and said, "comrades, what's the matter with you? We should know that in this war, every day, countless officers and soldiers give their precious lives to defend our motherland. As long as we can defeat the Communist aggressors, no matter how much we pay, it is worth it. I believe that chejerikov and his subordinates can understand this

With these words, I stood up, turned my head, and yelled at razumeyeva, "Lieutenant, report to me as soon as you have information from Comrade safchenko."

Razumeyeva, who was named by me, quickly got up from her seat, raised her hand, saluted us, and then replied loudly, "yes!"

After I sat down again, kirilov asked tentatively, "Comrade oshanina, does this matter need to be reported to the group army command immediately?"

After thinking about it, I shook my head and denied his proposal: "for the time being, there is no need to report this matter to the higher authorities. First, the communication of the headquarters of the group army has been damaged. If we use wireless communication, it is easy to leak secrets; Second, it's still uncertain whether this can be done, so we can't have too much hope for it. "

"The division commander is right," Bantai leiev said after thinking about it, "should we make a plan to rescue our comrades in arms from the prison camp if Comrade safchenko's counter operation fails. You know, they are only a few kilometers away from us now, and we are separated by an Eastern battalion, a small number of German soldiers, and a platoon of Italian troops in the forward position. "

As soon as bantailiev's proposal was put forward, akhromeyev was immediately interested. He stood up, pushed the map on the table in front of us, bent down, lit the mamayev post and the far away prison camp, and began to talk about his own views: "division chief, political commissar, deputy division chief, let me talk about my own views. In order to rescue our comrades in arms from danger, I propose that after dawn, one part of the fourth regiment should attack the enemy's forward position, seize and consolidate the position, and then send a part of the troops to rush to the location of the POW camp by truck, forcing the East camp to guard the POW camp. "

"Is the plan too risky?" Kirilov said uneasily: "if we attack enemy positions and they call for aircraft or long-range artillery fire, then our offensive forces will suffer heavy casualties? I suggest that after dark, let the fourth regiment draw a company and take a wooden boat down the river to join the small team led by safchenko. After the two troops are united in the POW camp, Captain Nikolay's determination may be strengthened. After the rebellion, except for a few who remained to help rescue the comrades in the POW camp, the rest immediately turned around and rushed up from behind the Italian army. After seizing this forward position, they covered the large army and turned to the mamayev post. "

"The plans of the political commissar and the chief of staff have their own characteristics." After listening to their plans, bantaileiev said his own views without hesitation: "but have you ever thought that the plans you put forward are all based on the fact that Captain Nikolay's troops will surrender to us. If Nikolay could not surrender when our troops arrived, and secretly informed the Germans of our action, then our troops would be in danger of being destroyed. Therefore, I think we should be cautious in this matter. At least when Comrade safchenko's new report arrives, we will discuss how to carry out the plan of rebellion and rescue. "

I couldn't help laughing bitterly when I heard that three people had three different views. After pondering for a long time, I think what bantailiev said is most reasonable. Our plans are all wishful thinking that Captain Nikolay will definitely surrender to us, and they all think too much about how to open up channels for them if they take over the troops. I didn't even think about what we would do if our troops arrived and captain Nikolay suddenly turned back and opened fire on us. Thinking of this, I can't help laughing bitterly. It seems that I'm still taking things for granted. I almost made the final decision hastily before the whole thing was written.

Seeing several people looking at me and waiting for my final decision, I coughed gently, cleared my throat and announced to them, "I think everyone's plans are very good. At the same time, I think the deputy division commander is right to remind us that it's inappropriate for us to make plans in a hurry before we know what captain Nicholas really thinks, So I decided to wait until Comrade safchenko's latest report comes, and then we'll make a plan. " After that, I raised my hand and looked at my watch. I found that it was an hour since the last contact between safchenko and Sartre. I turned to ask razumeyeva, "Lieutenant, do you have any information from Comrade safchenko?"

Seeing that razumeyeva shook her head and said no, I immediately told her, "call Comrade safchenko immediately and let him report their latest progress in time."

I thought it would take us less than two minutes to get the information from safchenko. But razumeyeva called for a long time, and there was no news from the radio station over there. Seeing that I couldn't get in touch, I couldn't help being anxious. I went to razumeyeva's side and asked her in a loud voice, "Lieutenant, what's going on? Why hasn't safchenko been contacted after such a long time? "

Seeing that I was angry, razumeyeva replied with a crying voice: "Sir, comrade, I have been calling, but there is no movement on the opposite side."

I suddenly felt someone patting me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw that it was kirilov. He said to me with a smile: "Comrade oshanina, you are a commander. No matter what happens, you should keep an ordinary heart." Seeing that I nodded in recognition, he bowed his head and asked razumeyeva kindly, "Comrade lieutenant, what's the matter? Why can't I get in touch?"

Hearing kirilov's voice, razumeyeva quickly raised her head and replied, "report to the political commissar. When I just talked with commander safchenko, I found that the voice from the earphone was abnormal. Now I can't get in touch with them. Maybe there's something wrong with their communication equipment. "

"Ah?! What's wrong with the communication equipment? " Razumeyeva's words made us dumbfounded. We looked at each other and saw the helplessness from each other's eyes. If the communication equipment they were carrying had problems like what razumeyeva said, our contact with them would be completely interrupted. At least we would not get any useful information before they returned.

Watching razumeyeva continue to call in vain, but the other side did not respond at all, I knew that maybe she was right. But I'm still reluctant to drop a sentence: "keep calling until you get in touch." With that, I went back to the table dejectedly.

Bantai leiev saw me look depressed and comforted me: "don't worry, sir. Even if the communication equipment carried by Comrade safchenko fails, he will try his best to contact us. Don't forget, the last time our army's communication equipment broke down, he also took the risk of using captain Karpov's German radio station to contact us. "

My heart was still a little worried about gain and loss. After listening to what Bantai leiev said, I immediately felt that my eyes were bright. Yes, the last time I met Karpov, safchenko used the German radio to contact us. This time he went to plot against Nikolay, he could also draw gourds according to the ladle. Thinking of this, I was in a better mood and could not help saying easily: "Comrade deputy division commander, you are right, although I can't get in touch with Comrade safchenko for the time being. But once he gets feedback, nine times out of ten it's good news. "

The wish is good, but the reality is cruel. More than an hour later, I never received half a day's news from safchenko. Before I stopped, razumeyeva kept calling. In the end, kirilov couldn't see it and ordered razumeyeva, who was already hoarse, to stop calling.

Seeing that it's daybreak outside, but we still haven't got any information about safchenko, I can't help getting upset again. Just then, the telephone on the desk rang out of time. As the communication lines of the group army headquarters have been damaged, the only people who can call at the moment are my regiments. I grabbed the microphone, close to my ear and asked: "Hello, I'm teacher o'shanina. Where are you?"

Perhaps my tone was too harsh. After a moment's hesitation, the other party respectfully replied, "Mr. reporter, I'm commander Gaidar, the fourth group leader. I have important information to report to you."

"What information, comrade commander?" I asked coldly, "did the enemy attack your position? It's not the first time that the enemy has launched an attack on you. It's still the old way to resolutely beat them back. " With that, I wanted to hang up, but I heard Gaidar's voice: "Sir, please don't hang up. I really have something important to report to you."

I asked sarcastically, "tell me, comrade commander, I really want to know, what is the important situation that can make you panic?"

"Yes, sir." Maybe he was afraid that I would hang up. Gaidar spoke so fast that I couldn't hear many words clearly: "the frontier was attacked... What should we do?"

"What do you mean, comrade commander?" I recognized that he really had some important information to report, so I slowed down and said to him, "you speak slowly, I can't hear you clearly. Has your position been attacked by the enemy? " When I asked this question, I was quite puzzled. According to the reconnaissance, there was no large-scale German troops near the mamayev post, so where did the enemy who attacked their highlands come from?

"It's not what you think, sir." Gaidar slowed down, and I could finally hear what he was saying. "According to the observation post report, the German position to the north of our regiment's defense area was under attack. Three German tanks rushed into their positions from behind, followed by a black army of infantry."

"What? What did you say? " Gaidar's report confused me. Could the enemy fight with his own people, but it should not. Now it's daylight. Can't the enemy recognize his own people“ Is it the enemy who misunderstood and started fighting? " "It doesn't look like it," Gaidar said hesitantly. Although the three tanks attacking the position all had the German white cross mark, the infantry following them were not only in German uniform, but also in our uniform. The enemy's firepower on the position is very weak, and it seems that it will soon be irresistible. " Although Gaidar didn't finish his words, I already understood what was going on. I quickly gave him an order: "Comrade commander, you immediately order the commanders and fighters to enter the position. When you see that group of people coming through the enemy's line, don't shoot. They are all our own people."“ Who are you? " "But I didn't hear that we had a big army in the enemy's rear," he asked“ Comrade commander, after this unit enters your defense area, immediately ask Comrade safchenko, the leader of the unit, to give me a call. I will personally explain the next matters to him. And your task is to settle the commanders and fighters who pass through the enemy occupied area and prepare some food for them. " Putting down the phone, I excitedly said to the three men around the table, "comrades commanders, I have good news for you. The German front is being attacked by an unknown army. According to my judgment, nine out of ten, comrade safchenko rebelled against Nikolay and their troops and released the commanders and fighters in the prison camp, Attack decisively the enemy positions stuck between them and us, and strive to return to our defense area as soon as possible. " After listening, the faces of the three people all showed incredible expressions, because a few hours ago, we were still sitting around the table, worried about the unknown fate of safchenko. Just a few hours later, things turned around. The German position nearest to our division's line was attacked by unknown forces. I really didn't expect such a force to emerge from anywhere except for safchenko. Akhromeyev stood up, picked up the phone I had just put down, and said, "I'll ask the observation post on the top of the mountain, and let them have a closer look. Are the troops attacking the Italian barracks our soldiers?"