Red Moscow

  Chapter 280 Contest (1)

   Following Sokov's order, Grisa's first company withdrew from their defensive position at noon that day, and Zelia's second company took their defense. After withdrawing from the position, Griza went straight to Sokov's brigade headquarters to ask him for an explanation.

  After listening to Griza's complaint, Sokov asked with a sneer, "What, Lieutenant Griza, you want to ask me for an explanation?"

"That's right!" Griza nodded vigorously, and said with certainty: "Although the number of recruits in our company is a bit too many, we have blocked the German attack after all. When the morale of the troops was high, you sent us Take it down, so that the soldiers have emotions in their hearts."

"I think you are the one with emotions, right?" Sokov unceremoniously exposed Griza's lie, "Since I pulled you down, I must have my consideration. But you are fine, as the commander of the company, Not only did you not stay in the army to appease the soldiers, but you came to me to protest and ask for an explanation, you are really capable."

   "But, Comrade Brigadier." Griza said unconvinced: "You must give me a reason to convince the soldiers!"

"Reason?!" Sokov heard Grisa say this, and said with a sneer: "In a small battle, your company consumed nearly 50,000 rounds of ammunition. Fortunately, we captured them from the enemy's warehouse not long ago. A large number of weapons and ammunition, otherwise, after this battle, the weapons in the hands of the soldiers will become fire sticks because they have no bullets, and in future battles, they can only fight the enemy with bayonets.”

Hearing Sokov mentioning that a battle consumed 50,000 rounds of ammunition, Grisa suddenly lost his confidence. After a long silence, he murmured: "Comrade Brigadier, even if we are in this battle, the ammunition The consumption is too great, but there is a reason, after all, there are too many new fighters..."

"There are too many new fighters, that's not the reason. The third battalion also has a lot of new fighters, but in the first two days of fighting, they blocked the two strong attacks of the German army, and the ammunition consumed was less than one-third of yours." Sokov told Griza: "Lieutenant Griza, I order you to return to the company immediately, comfort the soldiers, and let them take the time to practice shooting, so as to avoid wasting ammunition in the next battle."

   "Comrade Brigadier, you should withdraw me," Griza said angrily, "I don't have the ability to appease the soldiers."

  Seeing that Griza actually wanted to drop the pick because of his few words, Sokov was really angry and funny. After walking around the room twice with his hands behind his back, he stopped and said to Grisa: "Lieutenant, you go back to the army first, I will visit your company in the afternoon, and we will talk about it when there is anything to do."

   After Grisa turned and left, Belkin, who remained silent all the time, asked, "Comrade Brigadier, do you have any good methods to calm the soldiers' emotions and let them concentrate on training in a down-to-earth manner?"

  Sokov smiled lightly and said, "Comrade Political Commissar, I have a way to stimulate the soldiers and increase their enthusiasm for military training."

  Sokov's words made Belkin's eyes light up: "What way?"

"Find two new recruits who have just joined the army, and compare marksmanship with the soldiers of the first company." Sokov said with a smile: "As long as the soldiers of the first company find that their skills are not as good as others, it will stimulate their competitive mentality, so as to achieve the goal of training." Effect."

   "Recruit?!" Belkin asked with some surprise: "Among the recruits who joined the army at the same time as the soldiers of the company, is there such a person?"

   "Yes, Comrade Political Commissar." Sokov nodded and said affirmatively, "You come with me to Yilian in the afternoon, and I will let you witness it with your own eyes."

  In the afternoon, Sokov and Belkin led a guard squad to the company's garrison. The soldiers of the company had already assembled and formed three neat square formations in the open space. Griza, who was standing in the queue, saw Sokov and the others coming, and shouted loudly: "Everyone listen to my password: stand at attention!"

When all the soldiers had completed this action, Griza ran out of the queue and came to Sokov and Belkin. After raising his hands and saluting, he shouted loudly: "Report to the brigade commander, Comrade Commissar, All the soldiers of the company have assembled, please give instructions!"

   Sokov and Belkin raised their hands to return the salute, and said, "Please rest!"

  Grisa agreed loudly, ran back to the front of the queue, and shouted at the soldiers: "Slow down!"

Sokov came to the front of the queue and saw more than 400 soldiers paying attention to him, so he said loudly: "Hello, comrades!" Come to stand at attention.

"Please rest!" Sokov waited for the soldiers to rest again, and continued: "During the battle that took place early this morning, you made timely defensive preparations. Facing the enemy rushing into the trenches, you did not Shaken, did not escape, and successfully wiped them all out."

   After saying a word of praise to the soldiers, Sokov suddenly asked: "Many of you must be thinking in your heart, since we performed so well, why did the superiors remove us?"

   "Why?" As soon as Sokov finished speaking, several voices of inquiry came from the queue. ,

"Good question, why did I withdraw you from the position to rest? I will tell you the answer now." Sokov said to the soldiers without changing his face: "You consume too much ammunition in the battle .Do you know how many bullets you took out in this skirmish?"

  Although Griza has counted the consumption of ammunition by the troops, except for a few handlers, the vast majority of commanders and fighters do not know how much ammunition they have consumed. So hearing Sokov's question, everyone began to whisper in the queue: "Do you know how much ammunition we have consumed?"

   "I don't know, do you know?"

   "I don't know either, who knows how many bullets were consumed?"

  ...

Seeing the soldiers chattering non-stop in the queue, Griza couldn't hold back anymore, he turned to his soldiers and shouted loudly: "Stand at attention!" Following his command, the soldiers came again Standing at attention, the discussions in the queue stopped abruptly.

Seeing that the team became quiet again, Sokov went on to say: "Comrades, you have consumed a full 49,000 rounds of ammunition in the battle this morning. You know, the third battalion standing on the eastern outskirts, Fighting with the Germans for two days, the bullets consumed are only one-third of yours..."

   "Oh my God, so many bullets." As soon as Sokov said this, the discussion in the team rang out again: "I really didn't expect that so many bullets were used in the battle early this morning."

   "Is this data reliable? Our troops participating in the battle are only two platoons, can they consume so many bullets?"

"How is it impossible?" As soon as the questioning voice came out, it was immediately refuted: "Several recruits in our class who use submachine guns will not let go when they hold the trigger, and they will empty all the bullets in the drum in a while . . . "

  Faced with such a heated discussion, Sokov deliberately kept silent. Even Griza wanted to stop it again, but he raised his hand to stop him. He wanted the soldiers to fully express their true views.

  (end of this chapter)