I saw that Gaidar and Mihayev were about to go out, and quickly stopped them. I picked up the reconnaissance map on the table, walked up to them, and handed it to Mihayev.

Mihayev hurriedly took the map and asked nervously: "Comrade division commander, you handed over the map to me, is there something important that I need to complete?" ”

I nodded and solemnly instructed him: "Comrade engineer, you should take this map back first, and revise it again as soon as possible, and mark the types of buildings in the settlements, the thickness of the floor slabs and walls, the presence or absence of basements, the location of entrances and exits, the nature of the enemy's fortifications, the location of concealed gun holes, the location of obstacles and their shapes, all at the bottom of the map." ”

Mihayev nodded vigorously and replied earnestly: "Please rest assured, Comrade Division Commander, I will send you the map as soon as I complete the information." ”

"One map is not enough," I emphasized, "and after the information is complete, two more copies were made, one to the commander of the 1st regiment, Captain Sederikov, and one to the commander of the 2nd regiment, Captain Oleg." With this information, they can quickly determine the configuration of the enemy's firing points, their strafing sectors, and their dead ends. The information they know will undoubtedly have a direct impact on our offensive. ”

"Understood, Comrade Division Commander. I will do my best to complete the tasks you have given me. Mihayev replied briskly.

"And you, Comrade Captain." When I saw Gaidar standing beside him, with a bored expression on his face, I turned to him and said, "When you leave, take your reconnaissance detachment back with you." ”

After the departure of Gaidar and Mihayev. I said to Sedjerikov, who was still in the command: "Comrade Captain. It's not early. You should go back and rest early. When I met Vera, the leader of my guard squad, I remember asking her to take the soldiers in the squad back to rest, they must have been tired after running for so long. ”

After everyone was gone, I lay back on my little bed. Even though I tried to fall asleep with my eyes closed, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about one thing, why was it that Chuikov's attitude towards me was so different after just one night? To know. The deep combat friendship between me and Chuikov has been forged many times through death and life, and it does not mean that it will change. Could it be that during the time I was away from the defense area to reconnoitre, something unexpected happened on the side of the army group headquarters, which was big enough to change Chuikov's attitude towards me?

If you want to know what is really going on, you can only ask someone from the army group headquarters. Thinking of this, my mind began to think about who I could ask about this matter. The first thing that came to mind was Commander Shumilov, and as soon as this idea came to mind, I directly denied it, citing the friendship between him and me and the difference in rank. If you want to learn the truth of the matter from him, it is estimated that he will avoid talking about it; Military Commissar Abramov. I don't have much to do with him, and it's hard to get the answer from him; Serdyuk, the military commissar, had a better relationship with me, but he had already returned to Stalingrad for the time being, and could not get in touch with him for the time being. The only thing left is Chief of Staff Ruskin, whose rank should know a lot of things I don't know, and if I ask him, I might be able to figure out why Chuikov's attitude towards me has suddenly changed.

When I opened my eyes and looked at my watch, it was already three o'clock in the morning, and this time was obviously not suitable for disturbing Chief of Staff Ruskin. You know, now that the war is tense, everyone's strings are tight, and if Raskin learns that I am looking for him in the middle of the night, he will definitely be frightened, and he will definitely think that something serious has happened, and maybe he will also alarm the top brass of the army group such as Shumilov and Abramov. When he knew that I was not looking for him to report the military situation, but to inquire about Chuikov, he would be very angry with me, the guy who disturbed his sleep, and it was estimated that even if he knew what happened to Chuikov, he might have deduced that he didn't know.

In the midst of my thoughts, I fell asleep unconsciously.

I was sleeping soundly when I felt someone shaking my body. People can be very irritable when they are awakened from a deep sleep, and I am no exception. I sat up sharply with my eyes closed, trying to scold the person who disturbed my sweet dreams, but when I opened my eyes, I found that it was Sergeant Lazumeeva, the head of the communications squad, standing in front of me.

I had no choice but to suppress my anger, raised my hand to look at my watch, and then asked angrily: "Comrade Sergeant, you woke me up at this time, is there anything wrong?" ”

Seeing my dissatisfied, Razumeyeva was so frightened that she took a step back before she timidly said: "I'm sorry, Comrade Division Commander. I don't want to disturb your sleep, but Colonel Raskin is on the line, and he's on the phone. ”

"Colonel Raskin, Colonel Ruskin" I have not fully recovered from my sleep, but mechanically repeated the name twice. I just wanted to ask Razumeyeva who this Colonel Raskin who disturbed my dreams was sacred, and suddenly remembered that the chief of staff of the group army I had been talking about all night, also called Raskin, I quickly grabbed Razumeyeva's hand and asked nervously: "Comrade sergeant, who did you want to talk to me just now?" Colonel Raskin, is it Colonel Raskin, Chief of Staff of the Army Group? ”

Razumeeva nodded, pouted, and said with an aggrieved face: "Isn't it him, if it were someone else, I wouldn't have come to wake you up." ”

Confirming that it was really Colonel Raskin, the chief of staff of the group army, I lifted the blanket covering my body, turned over and got out of bed, and without even bothering to put on my boots, I rushed to the walkie-talkie with an arrow step, put on headphones, picked up the microphone and said eagerly: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff, I am Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina." ”

"Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina." Colonel Raskin's voice was steady, and he didn't sound like he was in a hurry.

"Do you have any instructions?" I looked up at my watch again, the hour hand pointed to six o'clock, and if it wasn't for something, he wouldn't have contacted me so early.

"I heard that there was a bit of unpleasantness between you and General Chuikov last night, and his attitude towards you was very cold, is there such a thing?"

I deliberately pretended to be confused and asked, "No." Comrade Chief of Staff. You know that, too. Relations between me and General Chuikov have always been very good, not only have there been no unpleasant things before, but there will be no conflicts now, or even in the future. He may have been upset by my insistence on going on a reconnaissance mission, so his tone may have been a bit stiff when he spoke to me. ”

Ruskin listened to me. He snorted softly and said, "Even if you have a conscience, it's no wonder that General Chuikov wants to support you in front of your superiors and take all the responsibility on yourself." ”

Hearing Ruskin say this, my head buzzed at the time, and my heart was finished, Chuikov really had an accident, what should I do? Stimulated by the news, my mind was so confused that Ruskin said something next. I didn't even hear it.

It wasn't until Razumeyeva called me a few times that I came to my senses. Hurriedly asked Raskin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I would like to ask, what happened to General Chuikov?" ”

After a moment of silence, Ruskin told me in a bitter tone: "General Chuikov has been dismissed, and just now he has been escorted to Stalingrad by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. ”

"Why?" I asked, biting my lip.

"There are many reasons for dismissal, such as preventing the Overseers of the Ministry of the Interior from carrying out special tasks, using Gulag prisoners to form independent units, and so on." At this point, Ruskin paused for a moment, and then said to me as if he had made up his mind: "I think he suddenly became cold to you after learning that he was about to be dismissed, for reasons of protecting you. ”

Since I arrived at Stalingrad, I have always felt confident because of Chuikov's care, but today, for the first time, I have a sense of fear that chills in my heart. I thought to myself that if Chuikov was really sent to a military tribunal and imprisoned, it was really hard to say what the final outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad would be, so I cautiously asked: "What will happen to General Chuikov after he is escorted back to Stalingrad?" ”

"What else?" Ruskin said helplessly: "I think nine times out of ten you will be sent to a court-martial, and finally sentenced to imprisonment or something." If someone above intercedes for him, he may also be acquitted, but it is unlikely that he will be reinstated. Also, Comrade Oshanina, as a colleague, I feel it is necessary for me to remind you that the success of the independent division's attack on the settlements is related to the fate of your troops, and you must not take it lightly. ”

Chuikov was dismissed, and the independent division was suddenly in a particularly awkward position, and whether or not it could survive depended on the two-day battle. Originally, I wanted to ask Chuikov to provide small artillery and tank support for our division during the offensive before the attack, but now it seems that this has also been lost.

Seeing that I didn't speak, Raskin said again: "Although General Chuikov is leaving, if you need anything, you can ask me. I will do my best to do what I can do. That's all, good luck! With that, he cut off contact without saying anything.

I was sitting at the walkie-talkie in a daze, when I suddenly heard Sederikov's voice coming from the door: "Comrade division commander, good morning!" Breakfast is ready for you, now let the fighters bring it in? ”

I turned my head to look at Sederikov, who was standing at the door, nodded at him, and said weakly, "Bring it up." ”

Breakfast was simple, just two plates of bread, a bowl of mushroom soup, and a few finger-thick enema. I looked at the mushroom soup on the table and couldn't help but smile bitterly, I brought a few big bags of mushrooms to Chuikov and Lyudnikov last night, and I didn't even drink the soup. Unexpectedly, today it was still on my own territory that I drank mushroom soup.

I beckoned Shederikov and Razumeyeva to sit down for breakfast together, and while eating, I asked: "I said, where are these mushrooms picked?" ”

Razumeeva, who was eating bread, replied angrily: "Comrade Commander, we picked them in the forest, there are not many mushrooms in the vicinity, but the further you go inside, the more mushrooms there are. ”

I turned my head to look at Sederikov and asked, "Comrade Captain, what are the other regiment commanders doing?" ”

After swallowing the bread in his mouth, Sederikov stood up and replied: "They are organizing troops for training." ”

Hearing that the troops were training, I pushed the plate in front of me, stood up and said to Sederikov: "Let's go, Comrade Captain, let's go and see." ”

Sedjerikov led me to one of the training points, where the commanders and fighters were still lined up, and a hundred or so people were standing in a neat line. See us coming. A lieutenant ran over and snapped a salute. shouted loudly: "Report to the division commander, regiment commander." A regiment of five companies has been assembled and is preparing to start training, please instruct! ”

After returning the salute to the lieutenant, I glanced at the neatly standing team with satisfaction and said, "Train!" ”

The lieutenant replied: "Yes!" He turned and ran to the team and shouted, "All of them: stand upright, turn right, and the detachment training will start now!" ”

With his password. Twenty fighters walked out of the ranks, five or six of them with submachine guns in their hands, and the rest of the fighters held either grenades or shovels and axes.

Afraid that I would not understand, Sederikov pointed to a sandbag fortification a few dozen meters away and explained to me: "Comrade division commander, please see, the sandbag fortifications over there are the target of the fighters' attack. Fighters with submachine guns first fired at the sandbag fortifications to suppress enemy fire, then fighters with grenades rushed up and threw grenades behind the sandbags, and finally the fighters of the assault team swarmed in. Use submachine guns, shovels, and axes to take out the remaining enemies. ”

I stood still, carefully examining the stakes behind the sandbags. Puzzled, he asked Sedelikov: "Comrade Captain, why are there several stakes behind the sandbags?" ”

Sedelikov looked in the direction of my finger and said with a smile: "Comrade division commander, those stakes represent the enemy, and the fighters, after crossing the sandbags, will use shovels and axes to knock down these stakes. ”

After listening to his explanation, I didn't speak, I could only nod my head, and then I was engrossed in watching the soldiers' training. I saw that the soldiers with submachine guns, after rushing out of the queue, rushed forward for a certain distance and stopped, or half-squatted or lying on the ground in a shooting posture. Then seven or eight fighters rushed out with a shout, rushed to the vicinity of their comrades and stopped, and threw the grenades in their hands one after another. The last to be dispatched were seven warriors with shovels or axes in their hands, who rushed past their warriors at a rapid pace, flipping over sandbags and slashing at the standing stakes with their tools. To my disappointment, though, none of the stakes fell, even though they were smashed.

At the training just now, Sedelikov smiled at it, and he asked proudly: "Comrade division commander, the training of our regiment is not bad, right?" ”

Instead of answering his topic, I ordered him: "Comrade Captain, go and call that company commander." ”

Although he was puzzled by my reaction, Sederikov honestly went over and called the lieutenant over. When the lieutenant stood in front of me, the irrepressible anger in my heart finally erupted, and I pointed to the lieutenant's nose and asked loudly: "Comrade lieutenant, let me ask you, is this how you train the troops?" Are you dancing ballet or acting in drama, can the troops trained in this way win the battle if they pull it up? ”

The lieutenant said with an aggrieved face: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, we are all training in accordance with the regulations. ”

I waved my hand and said angrily: "Don't give me any regulations, but the commander must know how to adapt to the situation, not do everything according to the regulations everywhere." You must know that these new fighters are civilians who have not undergone any military training, they do not have any combat experience, and even if they are familiar with these tactical moves, when they arrive on the battlefield, as long as they hear the gunshots, they will be scared to pee their pants. So in order for the troops to really form combat effectiveness, you have to change the existing training methods. ”

The lieutenant glanced at Sederikov and cautiously asked: "Comrade division commander, how should I change it?" ”

I saw that the fighters I had just trained had returned from the sandbags and re-entered the ranks. Then he commanded the lieutenant: "Go and call the seven warriors with shovels and axes." ”

When the seven warriors had formed a line in front of me, I pointed to the birch trees five meters away and said to them: "Comrades soldiers, those birch trees are your enemies, and I order you to cut them down." Now listen to my command, all of them, rush! ”

At my command, seven warriors rushed forward with a shout, rushed to the birch tree, and slashed open with a crackle as they waved their tools. Even though I didn't cut down a single tree, I shouted loudly: "Okay, stop, stop!" ”

Fearing that the soldiers would not be able to hear clearly, the lieutenant deliberately rushed behind them and repeated my order loudly: "Okay, stop, stop!" "As the warriors gathered their tools and walked back, I made a point of observing the seven birch trees that had been attacked.

When the seven warriors returned to me, I walked up to a tall warrior with an axe in his hand. After calling him out of the ranks. He asked him with a stern expression: "Comrade warrior." I saw that there were only a few axe marks on the tree you cut down, why don't you do your best? ”

The soldier was so embarrassed that his face was flushed, and he muttered: "Comrade division commander, I have tried my best, but I can't cut it down!" ”

I snorted, pointed to the birch tree with my finger, and said coldly to him: "Comrade warrior. I order you to try again. Don't assume it's a birch tree, take it for the gulag's caretaker. Listen to my commands: target, just ahead, the guards of the Gulag, charge me! ”

As soon as I spoke of the Gulag's guards, the warrior, who had been a little timid, burst into flames with his eyes, roared wildly, and slashed at the poor birch tree with his axe, and in less than half a minute the birch tree fell to the ground with a bang. Warriors who cut down birch trees. He threw the axe in his hand to the side and knelt down. He covered his face with his hands and began to cry.

I walked over slowly, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, and whispered, "Comrade soldier, let's get into the ranks."

When I faced the seven warriors again, I felt the murderous aura emanating from them. These fighters from the Gulag concentration camp had no good feelings for the Germans, but they also had no bad feelings, and only the guards of the Gulag concentration camp could arouse their fighting spirit to fight against the same enemy.

I turned to Sederikov and the lieutenant who were standing next to me and said, "Comrade commanders, I will personally demonstrate to you how to train once, but you have to see carefully. I took a grenade from the lieutenant's hand, pinned it to the belt around my waist, and said to the seven soldiers: "Come with me, and I will teach you how to train." ”

With dozens of pairs of eyes in the accommodation, I came to the training ground with seven fighters. Before leaving, I specifically told them: "Later, you should pay attention to my instructions, and I will do whatever I tell you to do, do you understand?" ”

The seven warriors resoundingly agreed, "Understood." ”

As I led the charge with my submachine gun, I shouted loudly: "When you charge, don't straighten up, but bend down to charge, lest you become a target for the enemy." ”

Since we are doing a demonstration for everyone, we are not fast in the charge. When I was about ten meters away from the sandbag, I suddenly yelled: "Lie down! Then he took the lead and lay on the ground. Hearing my command, two or three of the quick-reacting warriors lay down on the spot, while the rest ran a few steps forward before they reacted and quickly fell down.

I picked up my submachine gun and pulled the trigger at the sandbag. After the gunshots rang out, several sandbags were broken by bullets, and dirt spilled out of the holes. I pulled out the grenade from my waist, pulled the string, and threw it out. The grenade flipped over and landed behind the sandbag, exploded with a bang, and then a puff of dirt rose into the sky.

I got up and yelled again: "Rush! Then he put the butt of the submachine gun on his waist and pulled the trigger desperately, and under such frantic shooting, the bullets in the drum were quickly exhausted. But the warriors were not ambiguous, and had already jumped over the sandbags, wielding shovels and axes in their hands to cut down all the stakes.

Returning to Sedjerikov and the lieutenant, I smiled at them and said, "If you don't see it, you have to train like this." It is necessary to treat all training as actual combat, so that the combat effectiveness of the troops can be improved quickly. ”

The sound of gunfire and grenade explosions drew the commanders of several commando units trained around, and they came over curiously to ask the lieutenant what was going on. Seeing the increasing number of commanders, I had an idea and asked Sederikov to send someone to summon the twenty company commanders and three other regiment commanders who had participated in the battle, and I had something to say to them.

But when the twenty-four commanders were in front of me, lined up in two neat rows, I began to lecture them: "Comrade commanders, I have just watched your training. To be honest, I was not satisfied with this kind of training. According to the way you trained, the soldiers went to battle, and eight or nine out of ten did not come back alive. I have just demonstrated the correct training method for the commanders and fighters of the seventh company of the regiment, and you can ask them for advice later. (To be continued......)