We were still a few kilometers away from the headquarters of the army group, and we saw a large number of troops appear in the steppe in the distance. From their lowered flags and tired steps, as well as their scattered formations, I immediately judged that this was yet another unit of our army, which had been routed by the Germans and was retreating.

Chuikov, apparently spotted the unit as well, looked in that direction for a while, and then ordered the driver: "Comrade driver, drive the car over." The driver nodded, flicked the steering wheel and drove towards the broken force.

Seeing the jeep coming, the retreating commanders and fighters flashed to both sides to make way for our car. After the jeep drove some distance further, Chuikov ordered the driver to stop.

After I got out of the car with Chuikov, I also got out of the car. I walked up behind Chuikov and, like him, stood silently beside the car, quietly watching the commanders and fighters who had no strength to pass by us. I saw in the crowd in the distance, there was actually a tank, that tank was obviously out of fuel, several tankmen climbed out of the hatch, looked around for a while, jumped out of the tank and blended into the ranks of the infantry.

I was about to point out the tank that had been discarded by the tankmen to Chuikov when suddenly a crisp shot rang out from the side. The sudden sound of gunfire made my nerves tense, and although I was surrounded by our commanders and fighters, I still clenched the submachine gun in my hand and looked around vigilantly, trying to find the location of the gunshot. The commanders and fighters did not react to the gunfire, they just looked at us with blank faces, and continued to drag forward with tired steps.

Chuikov also heard the gunshot and looked to the side. Then he walked forward without hesitation. I thought he was going to find out why the tankmen abandoned the tanks. Hurriedly followed with a submachine gun.

We walked some distance through the crowd. Before he could get to the tank, another shot rang out, and Chuikov stopped, looked left and right again, then turned to the left and squeezed out of the crowd. As soon as I stepped out of the crowd, my vision suddenly opened up, and I saw a group of people standing on the grass in front of me. Without any hint, Chuikov led me towards them.

After walking two steps towards them, I heard another gunshot, which startled me, and I hurriedly looked intently, only to find a row of soldiers wearing boat-shaped hats standing there with their hands tied behind their backs and their heads bowed, five or six officers and soldiers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs wearing blue-topped hats standing behind them, and a man who looked like an officer with a pistol in his hand walked behind a soldier in a hurry, raised his gun and aimed it at the back of his head, and was about to pull the trigger.

That's when it happened. Chuikov roared angrily: "Stop! Stop me! ”

Hearing Chuikov's voice, the officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not turn around. Just turning his head, the pistol was still pressed against the back of the soldier's head, and after looking Chuikov up and down, he asked in surprise: "Comrade General, do you have any instructions?" ”

"What are you doing?" Chuikov asked sternly, picking up his pace as he walked towards them.

I walked down behind Chuikov and saw on the ground to the right of the soldiers standing in that row lying the corpses of several soldiers who had rushed down their heads, all of whom seemed to have died under the guns of this officer, and the shots we heard were that he was shooting them.

Chuikov walked up to him, pulled the gun away from the back of the soldier's head, and after looking at the rank on his collar badge, he asked dissatisfiedly: "Comrade second lieutenant, what is happening here?" ”

The second lieutenant put his pistol in his holster, did not even salute, and said disapprerovingly: "Report to Comrade General, we are shooting cowards, cowards from Kazakhstan, who left their weapons to the Germans when they retreated. ”

Hearing the conversation between Chuikov and the second lieutenant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the soldier, who was almost shot, turned his head and pleaded bitterly in broken Russian: "Please, don't kill us." We will atone for our sins, we will atone for our sins. ”

Hearing that someone was begging us for mercy, the remaining soldiers also turned around and said to us in stiff Russian: "Please, it's okay!" Okay, okay! ”

Chuikov raised his hand and pointed at the fighters and said to the ensign: "Let go of all their hands." ”

The second lieutenant turned his head to look at the soldiers who almost became the ones he had snatched the souls of, and at the subordinates who were beginning to be loosened by them, and said to Chuikov with dissatisfaction: "Comrade General, you don't have this right, I am the captain of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. ”

"And I, Chuikov, am the commander of the army group, I need fighters who fought for the Great Patriotic War, and I can't watch you kill them all." In response to the second lieutenant's protest, Chuikov directly raised his identity to suppress him. Although he did not show obvious anger, the fierce color between his eyebrows made the second lieutenant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who still wanted to continue to say something, frightened, and involuntarily cowardly, he opened his mouth at Chuikov, but he still did not dare to speak, so he had to watch his subordinates let these soldiers go.

Seeing the backs of those soldiers leaving after repeatedly thanking us, Chuikov slowed down and said to the second lieutenant: "Comrade second lieutenant, let me remind you again, don't kill people casually anymore. Then he said to me, "Let's go, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, and we'll go back to headquarters." ”

We had barely walked a few steps when we heard the second lieutenant shouting unconvincingly from behind: "I will report to my superiors and accuse you of this abuse of power." ”

Chuikov stopped, turned his head and looked at the angry ensign with contemptuous eyes, snorted softly, and continued on his way.

While in the car, Chuikov said to me thoughtfully: "Oshanina, you were right. Many of the fighters from Central Asia did not understand Russian, so it would be very difficult for the political workers to communicate with them, and it would not be effective for them to overcome their fears in the face of the enemy. When I go back, I will have a good talk with General Shumilov and the two comrades of the military commissar to see if we can find an effective solution. ”

When we returned to the headquarters of the army group, we found that in addition to the commander Shumilov, the military commissars Serdyuk and Abramov, and the chief of staff Raskin, there was also a lieutenant colonel in the house without a military hat and a bandage on his forehead. The first impression that the lieutenant colonel gave me was at first sight. It's not like I'm here to report work. It is like being brought here for trial. Because behind him, stood a lieutenant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs wearing a blue-capped large-brimmed hat, and two fighters with submachine guns.

"Comrade Chuikov is back." When Shumilov saw us coming in, he quickly got up from his seat, greeted him, shook hands with Chuikov, and asked with concern: "How are things going?" ”

Chuikov nodded and replied in a low voice: "Comrade commander, I have been ordered to remove General Lopatin from his post. And let the herald Sidorin send him to the front headquarters in Stalingrad. ”

"How many troops did you bring back?" Shumilov asked straight to the point.

Chuikov shook his head and said bitterly: "Alas, don't mention it. Lopatin, a loser, buried tens of thousands of troops. When I arrived at him, there was only one platoon and a dozen communications corps left. Later, when the enemy attacked, the commanders and fighters of this platoon died honorably in order to cover our retreat. ”

Shumilov was taken aback by Chuikov's words, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face: "Tens of thousands of people are gone? ”

"Yes, it's all gone." Without thinking, Chuikov gave him an affirmative answer.

The two of them were talking, and before they knew it, they came to the place where they were sitting. Chuikov before he sat down. Pointing to the lieutenant colonel, he asked, "Comrade commander, what's the matter with this lieutenant colonel?" ”

I straightened up and stood behind Chuikov. Shumilov was heard to say in an angry voice: "This is Lieutenant Colonel Goleman, the commander of the 1077th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, who knows that Order No. 227 of the Supreme Command of Ludao once stated that the troops are not allowed to retreat a single step during the battle. However, he openly disobeyed the order and let more than thirty soldiers flee the battlefield without authorization. As a result, most of the deserters were shot by the Overseers under the command of Lieutenant Serov, and the remaining five deserters were also caught and will soon be executed. ”

After hearing this, Chuikov slapped the table angrily and said loudly: "For those deserters who are greedy for life and afraid of death, we must not be soft, and shoot as many as we caught." This Lieutenant Colonel Gorman could not be spared lightly, and immediately sent someone to bring him to a court-martial. ”

After listening to Chuikov's statement, Shumilov nodded with a smile, turned his head to Serdyuk, who was sitting on his right, and said: "Comrade Serdyuk, just now before Comrade Chuikov came back, we discussed whether to transfer the lieutenant colonel to the military court, and you were the only one who objected. Now that Comrade Chuikov has returned, and he has also resolutely stated that he will send the lieutenant colonel to a military court, do you have any other opinions? ”

Serdyuk sighed, and just wanted to say something, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of me standing behind Chuikov, and his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly proposed to Shumilov: "Comrade commander, I suggest to ask Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina again for his opinion on this matter. I don't know what you mean? ”

I was a little nervous about Serdyuk's sudden move to pull me into the water, and I didn't know the ins and outs of the commander of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment who let his subordinates become deserters, how could I express my position? I prayed in my heart that Shumilov would never agree to Serdyuk's proposal, otherwise I would not know what to do.

For Serdyuk's proposal, Shumilov showed an embarrassed expression on his face, it seemed that he wanted to refuse and was afraid of hurting the face of the military commissar, hesitated for a moment, he turned his head to Chuikov and asked: "Comrade Chuikov, what do you see?" ”

Chuikov turned his head to look at me, nodded and said, "Since Comrade Military Commissar said so, let's ask Comrade Oshanina's opinion." At this, he turned around, looked up at me, and asked sincerely, "Oshanina, tell me your opinion on how to deal with this matter." ”

I looked at the elderly lieutenant colonel, and saw that his face blackened by gunpowder did not reveal a panicked expression, but an indescribable look of pain. I don't think he should be a greedy person who is afraid of death, this matter may not be as simple as I heard, there must be something else hidden.

I took a deep breath and said, "Comrade Commander, may I ask this comrade lieutenant colonel what really happened at that time, is it okay?" ”

Seeing that Shumilov and Chuikov nodded in agreement, I strode up to the lieutenant colonel and stared into his eyes. Looking at the endless sadness in his eyes, I took a deep breath and asked, "Lieutenant Colonel Gorman, can you tell me why you want your dozens of men to withdraw from the battle?" ”

The corners of Lieutenant Colonel Goleman's mouth twitched a few times, and he suddenly began to cry: "My girls, I'm sorry for you, I killed you. ……”

His sudden cry startled everyone in the room. Just as everyone looked at him dumbfounded. The Lieutenant Serov who stood behind him. Raise your arm and slam it on his back. The lieutenant colonel was staggered, and his crying stopped abruptly.

Although I felt that there was something else hidden, the performance of the lieutenant colonel made me feel a little dissatisfied with You, and when I saw him wipe away the tears from his face with his hands, I asked unpleasantly: "Lieutenant Colonel Gorman, please answer my question, why do you want to let dozens of soldiers leave the battlefield?" ”

Lieutenant Colonel Gorman wiped away his tears, straightened up and replied, "Report Comrade Colonel." There is a 300-strong women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion in my anti-aircraft artillery regiment...... "When I heard about the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion, my heart suddenly chuckled, and I immediately understood why there were more than 30 deserters in Lu. He was heard continuing: "Originally, our regiment was air defense, but when we found that the enemy had more than a hundred tanks rushing towards our position, I decisively ordered the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion to shoot the tanks with anti-aircraft guns. After a fierce battle, the entire battalion's anti-aircraft artillery was destroyed by enemy fire, and only about thirty female soldiers remained. Commanders, if I and the men of the regiment are sacrificed, we will definitely not have any complaints. In order to defend the motherland, pay a big price. It's worth it too. But these female soldiers were still teenagers, and a month ago, they were all tenth-grade students, and I could not watch them die on the battlefield, so I ordered the rest of the female soldiers to leave the battlefield immediately and go back to Stalingrad. Unexpectedly, they did not die under the enemy's fire, but died under the guns of those overseers. With that, Lieutenant Colonel Gorman covered his face and cried again.

When I heard that thirty young female soldiers in the prime of their lives had been beaten to death by the lieutenant colonel behind Lieutenant Serov and his men, I couldn't help but get angry, rushed over and slapped him in the face, and at the same time scolded viciously: "You damned brute." ”

Serov was slapped by me, stayed for a moment, and immediately reached for the gun. Before he could get the gun out, I grabbed the handle of the submachine gun and threw it upward, putting the muzzle of the gun directly against his chin. The two fighters next to him suffered the loss of their lieutenant and quickly turned their guns on me. Lieutenant Gorman hurriedly stood to my right and blocked the muzzles of the two fighters for me.

At this moment of tension, only to hear a loud crackling, Chuikov stood up and scolded loudly: "What are you going to do? Are your own people fighting with your own people? This is the headquarters of the group army, not a place for you to use your knives and guns, put down your guns for me. ”

Hearing Chuikov say this, I quickly put away the submachine gun and put it back on my shoulder, while taking a step back. Seeing that he was out of my threat, Lieutenant Serov waved at the two fighters and told them to put away their guns as well.

When Shumilov heard the truth of the matter, he was surprisingly angry, he quickly walked up to Lieutenant Serov and asked angrily: "Comrade Lieutenant, why didn't you tell us just now, those deserters you killed were all young female soldiers?" ”

Serov said disapprenousively: "Comrade commander, I am the captain of the overseer, and my duty is to eliminate those deserters. Since they are out of the battlefield, they are deserters, and I don't care if they are men or women. ”

Serov's arrogant attitude made Shumilov tremble with anger, and he pointed his finger at the lieutenant from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so angry that he could not speak.

Abramov, the military commissar who had not spoken, got up and walked to the door, shouting loudly outside: "Someone, someone!" ”

At his shout, five or six people came in from the sentry standing guard at the door. After raising his hand to salute Abramov, the second lieutenant who led the team politely asked: "Comrade Military Commissar, do you have any instructions?" ”

Abramov pointed his hand at Lieutenant Serov and the three of them, and ordered the sentry: "Take their guns down, take them out of the city, and lock them up." We will dispose of them after we have consulted the command of the Front. ”

Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a unit that makes people talk about it, they are weak in our territory at the moment, and to our soldiers, they are a flock of lambs to the slaughter. Several sentries answered, and immediately pounced, seized their guns, and twisted their arms to escort them out.

After seeing the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs being escorted away, Shumilov's mood stabilized, and he patted Lieutenant Colonel Gorman on the shoulder and said kindly: "Lieutenant Colonel Gorman, you have been wronged, please sit down." ”

After several of the commanders of the army group were seated, I also sat down side by side with Lieutenant Colonel Goleman.

Chuikov looked at me and counted me down in a tone of hatred: "Comrade Oshanina, I want to criticize you fiercely. You are so impulsive, how can you casually beat people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and point a gun at them? You must know that as long as they say a word, you can fall into a situation from which you will never recover. ”

Shumilov raised his hand and patted Chuikov's arm and persuaded: "Comrade Chuikov, don't be so excited. Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina was still young, and impulsiveness was inevitable. Besides, today's incident, it was originally their people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who did something wrong, and they killed dozens of young girls without asking questions, which is really too much. I will immediately report this matter to the Front Command, so that they can deal with these overseers seriously. ”

After Shumilov finished speaking, Chief of Staff Raskin cautiously asked: "Comrade commander, just now Lieutenant Serov said that there are still five girls in their hands. You see, should we send someone to get them out at once, if it's any later, they might be in danger of dying. ”

Serdyuk nodded approvingly and proposed again: "I agree with the Chief of Staff. I suggest that the task of rescuing the female soldiers be left to Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina. (To be continued......)

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