Red Moscow

  Chapter 299 The Long March (Part 2)

When Sokov got into the car, he saw that Assia was also in his own compartment, so he handed her the paper bag in his hand, and said at the same time: "Assia will give you this, you keep two, and the rest Distribute it to the wounded."

  Assia took the paper bag, looked inside with the help of the gas lamp in the carriage, and asked in surprise, "Misha, where did you get the apples?"

"It was given by the military representative at the station." After Sokov finished speaking, he looked around and found that his carriage was not too crowded, so he pulled Assia to sit down in a corner and asked with concern: " Are you tired from marching these two days?"

   Asiya thought about Sokov's question, then nodded and said, "A little bit. But I've gotten used to it a long time ago. By the way, when will we reach our destination."

   "It's hard to say." Sokov could still give an approximate date to Asiya's question before departure from Kursk. But after today's incident, he found that there are too many uncertain factors, so he can only say vaguely: "We have arrived in Moscow, and we have to take the train to Kazan, and then take the Volga River Fleet transport from Kazan." Ship, to Stalingrad, the time is about half a month to a month. Of course, this is relatively optimistic, otherwise it will not be there in two months."

Asiya was taken aback by Sokov's words, and she asked curiously: "The distance from Moscow to Stalingrad is only over a thousand kilometers, and we will go there by train and transport ship. No matter how slow the speed is, we can get there within a month." Arrived. Why do you say that it may not arrive in two months?"

Sokov said with some helplessness: "Assia, you don't know something. The current capacity is tight. I am very worried about whether we can find a train to transport us to Kazan after we arrive in Moscow, let alone the Volga fleet. Transport ship."

   "No way," Assia leaned close to Sokov's ear and asked inexplicably, "Didn't Comrade Chief of Staff arrange transportation for us? Are you still worried about any accidents?"

  Sokov turned his head to look at Assia, and asked back: "Assia, do you know why we returned to Moscow by train instead of the agreed truck convoy?"

  After hearing this question, Asiya frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't know, why?"

"Because when our troops arrived here, the truck convoy prepared for us by the superior had been transferred to perform other tasks." Sokov thought that Asiya was not an outsider, so he described what happened in the city today, Tell her in detail.

  After listening to Sokov's narration, Assia was frightened into a cold sweat. She held Sokov's arm tightly, and said excitedly: "Misha, you said that you pointed your gun at the officer on duty at the Garrison Command. Is this true?" Seeing Sokov nodding his head, She became more and more nervous, "Misha, you are a commander, how can you be so impulsive? If something happens to you, what should the troops do? What... what should I do?"

From Asiya's tone, Sokov heard her concern for him, so he put his arms around her shoulders, and said softly: "Asiya, don't worry, I have a sense of proportion. If I didn't If this is done, the commanders and fighters of the whole brigade can only walk back to Moscow. You also know that our brigade has a large proportion of recruits. If they walk more than 500 kilometers after they have just completed a march of more than 100 kilometers, they will inevitably It has caused a lot of non-combat attrition. There may even be... deserters."

   "A deserter?" After repeating the word, Assia asked in surprise, "Is it really that serious?"

"That's right." Sokov nodded and said affirmatively: "Before we set off, many new soldiers were unwilling to leave their homes, and thus the morale of the army was shaken. If our march this time is too difficult , then the unstable factors that have been suppressed with great difficulty will revive again, and it will not be so easy to clean up the mess."

  The two sat in the corner, chatting in low voices. While chatting, Sokov suddenly found that Asiya had lost her voice, and when he turned his head, he found that she had fallen asleep leaning on his shoulder. He quickly adjusted his sitting position, letting Asiya's head rest on his lap, so that he could sleep more comfortably.

   At dawn, the military column entered Moscow's Kursk Railway Station. Because Sokov stayed in a fixed position for too long, when the troops started to dismount, he couldn't even stand up. Seeing his embarrassment, Assia chuckled, and then called two soldiers to help Sokov get off the ranks.

  There are nine train stations in Moscow, and the troops must not transfer trains at this train station if they want to go to Kazan. So after getting off the train, Sokov asked the military representative at the station, and only then did he know that there was a train to Kazan at the Yaroslav Railway Station.

  However, when Sokov led the troops to the Yaroslav Railway Station, the military representatives at the station were not there, and the deputy station chief received them. Hearing that Sokov and the others were going to Kazan, the deputy station chief shook his head like a rattle and said, "I'm sorry, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the military column to Kazan is already full. If you start queuing now, probably After forty-five days, it will be your turn."

  When Sokov heard the deputy station master say this, he couldn't help putting his hands on the holster around his waist again. He wished he could draw the gun and kill the deputy station chief immediately. It took one and a half months for my own troops to go to Kazan. Fortunately, Belkin found Sokov, grabbed his hand, and asked the deputy station chief with a smile: "Comrade deputy station chief, our transfer was arranged by the Supreme Command, and we are required to rush to the station as soon as possible." Kazan. Can you think of a way?"

The deputy station master didn't know that he had already walked through the gate of hell, and said to Belkin in an official tone: "Comrade deputy battalion-level political commissar, the dispatch of the military column is arranged by the superior, and I have no right to change it. I advise you It's better to go back and come back in a month and a half." After speaking, he turned and left.

"Comrade Brigadier, what should we do now?" After the deputy station chief walked away, Belkin let go of Sokov's hand, and asked with some helplessness: "We can't really wait here for a month and a half, right? "

"If you don't want to wait, there is another way." Sokov looked at Belkin and said in a low voice: "Let our commanders and fighters go to Kazan on foot. Anyway, it's not far away, only more than 700 kilometers. We should be able to reach the destination within a month, right when we carry out long-distance training."

  Belkin knew that Sokov was speaking out of anger, so the infantry brigade with so many recruits marched more than 700 kilometers in half a month, and the troops were not dragged down? He smiled wryly, and said to Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, this is not the time to complain. Think about it again. Is there any other way we can do it?"

  Sokov thought for a while, and then said: "How about I call Comrade Chief of Staff, tell him our situation, and ask him to arrange a military column for us."

  After the two reached an agreement, Sokov found a telephone in the office of the station and dialed the switchboard of the General Staff. But after a female operator's voice came through the receiver, Sokov said politely: "Hello, please help me to the office of General Vasilevsky, Chief of Staff."

Unexpectedly, as soon as his voice fell, the other party said coldly: "I'm sorry, you are using a civilian line and cannot communicate with important military units." After finishing speaking, Sukov hung up without giving him a chance to defend himself. phone.

  Sokov held the microphone that came from the blind voice, looked at Belkin, and said dumbfoundingly: "Comrade political commissar, the switchboard refuses to transfer the call for us."

  Belkin stretched out his hand to Sokov and said, "Comrade Brigadier, give me the microphone, and I'll try it."

  Belkin's attempt soon ended in failure again, and the female operator was not willing to connect them to the office of the Chief of Staff. After calling twice in a row, the operator may have cut off the line on their side, and even the switchboard could not be connected.

  The two stood in the office and looked at each other. Belkin put the microphone back on the base of the phone, and asked Sokov with a mournful face: "Comrade Brigadier, what should we do now? Are we really waiting 45 days?"

"Comrade Commissar, do you have any friends in the city?" As soon as Sokov said that, he realized that his expression was not accurate enough, and quickly added: "I mean, do you have any friends in the army who are now in Moscow?" Is it? Since we can’t get through to the General Staff, we can only think of other ways.”

Belkin shook his head and said, "Comrade Brigadier, although some of my friends are generals, they are all fighting at the front and not in Moscow at all. It is impossible to ask them for help." Goodbye Erkin was also helpless, and Sokov walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, thinking about who he should turn to to solve the military problem.

"Comrade Brigadier, if I remember correctly, you are a Muscovite." Belkin walked Sokov back and forth in the room, and asked with a little luck: "Do you have any friends who can help us?" ?"

  Hearing Belkin mention his friend, a familiar name suddenly appeared in Sokov's mind. He immediately stopped, turned to Belkin and said, "Thank you, Comrade Political Commissar."

  Sokov's nonsensical words made Belkin confused, and he asked in confusion: "Comrade Brigadier, what can you thank me for?"

"Comrade Commissar, you reminded me. In this city, I really have a friend who can talk directly to Vasilevsky. I will contact him now." After finishing speaking, Sokov walked to At the table, pick up the phone and start dialing.

  As soon as the phone was connected, Sokov said into the microphone: "Hello, please help me find Yakov Dzhugashvili! Please tell him that my name is Sokov and I just came back from the front line."

   After a while, Yakov's voice came from the receiver: "Misha, hello! I'm Yakov, where are you?"

   "Hello, Yakov!" Sokov immediately relaxed after hearing Yakov's voice: "I am now at Yaroslavsky Railway Station in Moscow."

   "Damn, when did you return to Moscow, I don't know." Yakov said a little excitedly when he learned that Sokov had returned to Moscow, "I'll send a car to pick you up immediately."

"No, Yakov." Seeing Yakov's enthusiasm, Sokov quickly explained his situation to him: "I led the troops to Moscow to transfer to Kazan. But the deputy station of the Yaroslav Railway Station The commander told me that the current military column is full, and we will have to wait for 45 days at the earliest before we can be arranged to go to Kazan by car."

   "Just kidding, let you wait in Moscow for 45 days, the deputy station master of this station should be dragged out and shot." Yakov then asked: "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Yakov, the situation is like this. Our transfer order was arranged by Chief of Staff Vasilevsky. I learned that I could not leave Moscow as soon as possible. I originally wanted to call him to report the situation. Who knows The operator of the General Staff is unwilling to connect me to the office of the Chief of General Staff." Sokov asked tentatively: "Yakov, can you help me?"

After Yakov heard Sokov's question, he was silent for a moment, and then said: "Okay, Misha, I will help you with this. I will call General Vasilevsky right now, and I believe it will be settled soon." Someone will take care of it."

  After hanging up the phone, Sokov said to Belkin with a relaxed face: "Okay, Comrade Political Commissar, it won't be long before someone will come to the station and stand up to help us coordinate the military column."

  Belkin looked at Sokov and asked in a suspicious tone: "Comrade Brigadier, your friend has such great ability, how can he call Comrade Chief of General Staff directly?"

   "Others may not be able to, but he can definitely." Sokov was unwilling to reveal Yakov's identity, but said vaguely: "Let's just sit here and wait. Presumably the superior will send someone over to deal with this matter as soon as possible."

   After about forty minutes, several soldiers walked in from outside the office. Seeing that a major general was walking in the front, Sokov and Belkin couldn't sit still, and quickly stood up and saluted each other. After the general returned the salute, he looked at Sokov and asked tentatively, "Are you Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade?"

   "Yes, Comrade General! I'm Sokov." Sokov looked at the medium-sized general and asked respectfully, "I don't know what I should call you?"

   "I am Major General Antonov, Deputy Chief of Operations of the General Staff." The general replied, "I am here to solve the military issue for you on the order of Comrade Chief of the General Staff."

  The name Antonov may be very common to Belkin. But to Sokov, it was like a thunderbolt. The general in front of him was the future chief of staff of the Soviet Army. He hurriedly stood at attention, raised his hand again to salute, and said respectfully, "Hello, General Antonov, nice to meet you!"

"I've heard of you, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Antonov pulled Sokov's hand from his forehead, held it tightly in his palm, and said with a smile, "It's nice to know you too." very happy."

  (end of this chapter)