Red Moscow

  Chapter 193 Visitation

   Sokov carried the big bags and came to the gate of the hospital with Annie. When Annie saw that Sokov handed most of the things to herself, she said shyly, "Misha, it's too much. You gave too much. I can't take it."

"Annie, aren't we friends?" Sokov asked Annie with a smile on his face. Seeing her nodding in affirmation, he continued, "Since we are friends, why do you refuse a gift from a friend?" After finishing speaking, he stuffed these extremely precious things during the war into Annie's arms.

   "Misha, thank you!" Faced with Sokov's kindness, Anne said a little embarrassedly: "If there is anything I can do to help you, just come to me."

  Annie’s words reminded Sokov that he had contacted Tonya at the beginning because the hospital often went to the Dimiryazev Agricultural College to treat the wounded, and he wanted to take a car to visit Rokossovsky. Now that Dongnia has gone to the front line, it is still unknown when she will be able to return, so he can only pin his hopes on Annie.

  Thinking of this, he grinned at Annie and said, "Annie, I have something I want to ask you for help."

"What's up?"

  Sokov said cautiously: "If your hospital sends someone to pick up the wounded at the Timiryazev Agricultural College, can you arrange for me to go with you?"

  Sokov's request aroused Annie's vigilance, and she asked with a serious expression, "Misha, what are you going to the Timiryazev Agricultural College for?"

"It's like this," Sokov saw that Annie was suspicious of himself, and quickly explained to her: "My superior, a general, was injured some time ago, and I escorted him to Dimiri by plane." Yazef Agricultural College. You also know that the transportation from here to that hospital is very inconvenient, so I can only ask for your help."

   After figuring out what was going on, the expression on Annie's face softened. She lowered her head and thought for a while, and then said to Sokov: "Misha, if you really want to visit your superior, then I can arrange it for you. But," she said with some embarrassment, "I don't know When will the ambulance leave and where should I go to inform you?"

   "Annie, I live on the third floor of that house." Sokov pointed to the residence across the road and said to Anne, "If there is any news, you can send someone there to inform me."

  After the two separated at the entrance of the hospital, Sokov waited for Annie, who was carrying a bunch of things, to disappear from his sight before turning around and crossing the road to return to his home.

After he ate something, he lay on the bed and recalled the military meeting he attended today. He clearly remembered that among the three fronts participating in the Battle of Kharkov, except for the Bryansk Front, the other two fronts all suffered losses. heavy. If one's troops were placed under the command of the Southwest Front Army, what awaited one would be killed or taken prisoner on the battlefield. If you want to get rid of these two unfortunate fates, you can only talk to Rokossovsky. According to his memory, he served as the commander of the Bryansk Front shortly after he was discharged from the hospital. Only under his command will there be a glimmer of life.

  Because he got up too early in the morning, he fell asleep after lying on the bed for a long time. He didn't wake up until someone knocked **** the door outside. He turned over and got out of bed, walked to the door with sleepy eyes, and opened the door.

  Anne was standing outside the door. Seeing Sokov like this, she asked a little suspiciously, "Misha, are you sleeping?"

   "Yeah, I'm sleeping." The listless Sokov asked weakly: "What's the matter?"

   "Misha, aren't you going to the Timiryazev Agricultural College?" Annie said anxiously, "The ambulance is downstairs and will leave in a few minutes."

"What, the ambulance is downstairs?" Sokov couldn't help being shocked when he heard Annie say that, and he immediately became sober. In order to make sure that he heard correctly, he deliberately asked: "I heard correctly Bar?"

   "Yes, Misha, you heard me right, there are two ambulances waiting downstairs." After Anne gave Sukov an affirmative answer, she urged: "Hurry up, don't keep the driver waiting."

"Thank you, thank you, Annie!" Sokov gave Annie a hug and kissed her on the forehead, then put on the military coat and boots as quickly as possible, and finally put the military cap on his head , Said to Anne: "I'm ready, let's go."

Annie didn't expect Sokov to kiss her suddenly, and her whole body was in a state of shutdown immediately. After hearing what Sokov said behind her, she blushed and nodded, and replied in a low voice: "Okay, Misha. We let's go!"

  The two came out of the building, and Sokov saw an army green ambulance station parked by the side of the road. The huge red cross mark on it seemed to have just been painted on. A driver poked his head out of the car window and shouted at the two, "Hey, let me tell you, you two should move quickly, the other car has been going for a long time."

   On the way to Timiryazev Agricultural College, Annie asked Sokov: "Misha, do you need me to wait for you later?"

"No need." Sokov thought that after seeing Rokossovsky, he would have to talk for a long time. If Annie stayed and waited for him, it would affect her work, so he politely refused: "I don't Know when to leave."

  Annie asked with some concern: "If you don't have a car, how will you go home then?"

"Don't worry, Annie." Seeing that Annie cared about him so much, Sokov couldn't help feeling warm, and he replied with a smile, "There are so many cars coming in and out of the hospital every day, I can just take one and go home." .”

   Sokov asked Tonya to help him come to the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy in order to sneak into Rokossovsky's ward pretending to be a medical staff. But he later found out that this kind of thinking was too wishful thinking. Since there are so many people in the hospital protecting Rokossovsky's safety, how could he easily sneak into the ward? Fortunately, now that I have a special pass, the sentries in the corridor and outside the ward will no longer block my way.

   The ambulance arrived at the Timiryazev Agricultural College. After Sokov said goodbye to Anne, he went directly to the floor where Rokossovsky lived. Seeing Sokov's appearance, the sentinel in the corridor immediately stepped forward to block his way, and said politely: "I'm sorry, Comrade Major, you can't enter here casually."

   "Comrade soldier," Sokov said to the sentinel with a smile on his face, "I am a subordinate of General Rokossovsky. I want to visit him, okay?"

   "No." The sentry said with a straight face: "Comrade General needs to rest, you can't disturb him."

  Sokov took out a special pass from his pocket, handed it to the sentry, and asked, "Can I visit now?"

  The sentinel took the special pass from Sokov, checked it carefully, and showed a embarrassed expression on his face. At this moment, a voice came from the other side of the corridor: "What happened, Sayit!"

  Hearing this sound, the sentry quickly turned and faced that direction, and replied: "Comrade Lieutenant, a commander wants to visit General Rokossovsky."

"What time is it, come to visit." A lieutenant with a medium build, no military cap, and some gray hair walked along the corridor, and said to Sokov: "Comrade commander, the visiting time is past now. You should come back, please."

"Comrade Lieutenant," Sokov came here with great difficulty, how could he give up so easily, he said politely to the lieutenant: "I am from the 16th Army. After visiting Comrade Commander, I will return to the front line. You see May I be accommodating?" To increase his leverage, he took his pass from the sentry, handed it to the lieutenant, and added, "Look, this is my special pass."

The lieutenant took the pass from Sokov's hand, looked at it twice, and said helplessly, "Well, Comrade Major, since you came back from the front line and you have a special pass, I'll make an exception. But don't stay too long, the general's body is still very weak, and he can't talk to people for a long time." After speaking, he handed back the pass to Sokov.

   After thanking the lieutenant, Sokov came to the ward where there was a guard at the door. When the two soldiers standing at the door were about to reach out to stop him, the lieutenant said, "Let him in."

  Hearing the lieutenant's order, the two soldiers quickly put down the ones blocking Sokov. There was even a soldier who actively pushed open the door of the ward, and said to Sokov with a smile, "Comrade Major, please come in!"

   Sokov walked into Rokossovsky's ward, and found that the space inside was quite large, with a desk, dining table, chairs, etc. all available. There are even two single sofas next to the hospital bed, which should be for visitors to sit on.

   Rokossovsky opened his eyes when he heard someone coming in from outside. After seeing clearly that it was Sokov, his eyes lit up, and then he said with a smile, "Misha, it's you. I thought you had gone back to the front line long ago."

   "Comrade Commander," Sokov hurried to the bedside, held Rokossovsky's hand, and asked with concern: "How are you feeling?"

"I can't die." Rokossovsky said with a self-deprecating sentence, and asked Sokov to sit down: "Misha, don't stand there, sit down quickly, and chat with me. After living here for so long For a long time, I have never seen anyone except the doctors and nurses. And after each examination, the doctors and nurses refused to say a word and left, leaving me lying on the bed alone in a daze. Tell me , why are you still in the city?"

Sokov sat down on the single sofa next to the hospital bed, organized the vocabulary in his head, and replied: "Comrade Commander, I have designed a new type of rocket launcher, which is very suitable for small troops or used in street fighting. .So the superior ordered me to stay in Moscow temporarily, and let me return to the army after the new rocket launcher is officially developed."

   "So that's the case." Rokossovsky, with a pale face, said a little panting, "How is the situation in the suburbs? Is our army's counterattack still continuing?"

"Strictly speaking, Comrade Commander, our winter campaign ended at the beginning of March." Sokov did not expect that Rokossovsky would live a life isolated from the world while staying here. No one reported to him, so he took the initiative to say: "But the Supreme Command is deploying a new campaign."

"A new campaign?" Hearing what Sokov said, Rokossovsky smiled faintly, and then said: "If my guess is correct, the Supreme Command probably wants to launch an active offensive in the south of Moscow. , trying to drive the enemy across the Dnieper in order to liberate more cities and regions from the enemy."

   Seeing that Rokossovsky was able to judge the next move of the Supreme Command so accurately without leaving home, Sokov couldn't help but secretly marveled. However, he knew that the content of today's meeting was still top secret, so he just smiled noncommittally at Rokossovsky's speculation.

Rokossovsky was a little embarrassed when he saw the smile on Sokov's face, and immediately guessed that the other party must know something important, but he didn't ask, so as not to embarrass Sokov, instead he took the initiative to change the topic: " Misha, where have you been living during this time?"

"The Supreme Commander himself rewarded me with a flat on Lenin Avenue." Sokov felt that Rokossovsky would know about some things sooner or later, so there was no need to hide them from him, so he replied truthfully, "It's Ya Cove took me there, and I was stunned when he told me that the house was awarded to me."

"You deserve it, Misha." When Rokossovsky heard that Sokov got a house, he didn't show the slightest surprise on his face, but thought it was a logical thing: "After all, you Leading people to rescue Yakov and saving the Supreme Commander himself from humiliation is a great contribution. Not to mention one house, even rewarding three or four houses is quite normal in my opinion .”

The two chatted for a while, and Sokov remembered that his troops would soon be incorporated into the Southwest Front Army, so he asked Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, from the analysis of all the information I have, or How long will it take for the Istria Battalion to be transferred to other fronts. I hope you can help me not to let my troops leave the Western Front."

"This matter may not be easy to handle." Regarding Sokov's request, Rokossovsky said with some embarrassment: "Once the Supreme Command has made a decision, no one can change it. Let alone me, just Even General Zhukov is helpless."

Seeing that Rokossovsky was in such a difficult situation, Sokov no longer forced others to be difficult, but asked tentatively: "Comrade commander, if... I said if, if one day you serve as a higher-level commander, can you command When there are more troops, can we put our business under your command?"

  (end of this chapter)