Things turned out to be as Shulka thought, and early the next morning the troops came with the news that they were preparing to break out.

However, this is not because Shulka persuaded Major Gavrilov.

In fact, after Major Gavrilov returned to the command and made an impassioned statement to the instructor, he not only failed to tell the instructor to break through, but strengthened his determination to hold on.

"The situation is clear, Comrade Altu!" Major Gavrilov said: "If we don't break through again, it's too late and there will be no more chance!" ”

"You mean that there are still our comrades resisting in the central fortress?" The instructor asked rhetorically.

"Yes!" Major Gavrilov did not understand what the instructor meant by asking.

"You're saying we're going to leave them alone and break out?" The instructor asked again.

Major Gavrilov was speechless for a moment, but at the same time understood what the instructor meant.

"No, I will never leave our comrades behind!" The instructor said solemnly: "Comrade Major, have you ever thought that if we succeed in breaking through, then the Germans will concentrate their forces on attacking the central fortress, which almost means that we will cut off their way of life with one hand!" ”

"But we don't have a choice......"

Major Gavrilov is obviously right, there is no such thing as anyone harming anyone on the battlefield, and it is necessary to use the gecko's tail to preserve strength at very moments.

"Of course we have!" The instructor interrupted Major Gavrilov: "Believe in our Motherland, believe in our army, Comrade Major. We have enough supplies now to keep us there for half a month. But apparently, it will not take half a month for our army to drive these aggressors back, and then we will be saved! Don't you see? This is a great opportunity for us to make a difference! ”

Hearing this, Major Gavrilov understood, the most important thing is the words "meritorious service", at this moment of life and death, the instructor's mind is still unrealistically thinking: hold on to the Brest fortress, and when the Soviet army comes back, they will become heroes, and then they will be promoted and rich.

If Shulka had heard this, he would have known that it would not be possible unless they could hold out for three years...... The Soviets did not fight back again and recapture Brest until three years later.

But Major Gavrilov was not sure at this time, and at the same time he could not convince the instructor, so he could only sigh.

Originally, Major Gavrillo thought that the next step would be to continue to hold on to the fortress, as the instructor said, but things changed.

The impact came from the central fortress.

The situation of the central fortress is similar to that of the Kobrin fortress, it was commanded by Commissar Fomin and Captain Zubachev, the difference is that there are many officers and family members in the central fortress, and the other point is that Commissar Fomin and Zubachev have the same idea, they both believe that they should hold on.

On the one hand, this is because they need to protect their families and cannot break through with women and children, and on the other hand, they do not know the outside situation, thinking that this is a local battle that will end soon, and as long as they hold on long enough, they can wait for reinforcements.

Until a Soviet fighter plane appeared over the fortress......

It was an I-15 biplane fighter plane, and its appearance made the soldiers of the central fortress cheer loudly, they thought that they had finally waited for this moment, and the Soviet troops had fought back.

But before their cheers stopped, two German fighters emerged from the clouds, and then shot down the I-15 very simply.

Fortunately, the pilot parachuted in time and was rescued by the soldiers of the central fortress.

"Have the reinforcements arrived? Where are they? Commissar Fuming couldn't wait to ask the pilot.

"What reinforcements?" The pilot looked at the young commissar in front of him with puzzlement.

"Our army!" Fuming asked again, "Where are they?" We need rescue! ”

The pilot hesitated for a moment, then seemed to understand what was going on, and he regretfully told Fuming: "Sorry, commissar. Our troops had already retreated, and the Germans hit Baranovichi. There are no reinforcements, and no one knows that you are still fighting, I just lost my way......"

Fuming was stunned in place for a long time and didn't react.

Knowing the exact situation, of course, they no longer had the unrealistic illusion of clinging to the reinforcements, so they quickly made a plan to break out.

There is no doubt that the north is the best way to break out, because in addition to the ones analyzed by Shulka earlier, and because the Kobrin fortress to the north of the central fortress is still resisting, and the two armies should join forces to break through together.

So, Fomin sent several signal troops to the Kobrin fortress.

In the early hours of the morning, the sun gradually rose in the east, and the sun broke through the thick fog on the Bug River and shone golden light on the Kobrin fortress.

Shulka opened his jerky eyes and shivered, although it was already summer, the outside temperature was still in the teens at night, and sleeping in the trench with a cold gun was not a pleasant experience.

After a while, the other soldiers woke up one after another...... It wasn't the sun that woke them up, but the cooks who began to distribute food, and no one would want to miss this.

"Hey, it's bread today!" Longlegs screamed in surprise when he got the food.

"You owe a debt of gratitude to Comrade Shulka!" Pukarev glanced in Shulka's direction: "Thanks to him!" ”

"Of course!"

"For your bread, Shulka!"

……

The cook saw something from the soldiers' performance, so he secretly put half an extra piece of bread in Shulka's lunch box and shook Shulka's hand: "It's an honor to meet you, Comrade Shulka!" ”

"Thank you!" Shulka replied, accepting his gift with peace of mind.

But before Shulka could shove the bread into his mouth, fierce gunfire rang out.

Shulka was not in a hurry, he covered the lunch box and put it in his satchel before grabbing the gun, while the other Soviet soldiers dropped their food and grabbed the gun as soon as they were ready to fight in front of the trench.

Shulka proved right......

This time, unlike before, it had only gunfire and no cannonball, and the direction was coming from the south, which proved that it was not the Germans who attacked.

Sure enough, after the sound of gunfire, the surroundings fell silent again, except for the occasional fierce bark of German wolfdogs.

"It's a comrade of the central fortress!" Okunev whispered: "They want to cross the river and approach us at night!" ”

"It looks like they didn't make it!" Shulka said.

But soon Shulka realized that he was wrong, and just as Shulka and the others were about to take out their rifles, a small black spot suddenly appeared in the thick fog and stumbled to the side of the trench.