Tonight was an especially quiet night. Malashenko, who had eaten and drank enough, did not even dare to close his eyes at his division headquarters, let alone go to the camp bed to wrap himself in a blanket and sleep for a while to relieve his fatigue.
The thing about letting the German guy run away in the middle of the night last time was really a disaster for Malashenko. Malashenko, who had never had anything wrong before, really didn't expect that he would stumble into such a mess.
, and even angrily ate a telegram from Vatugin that was harmless and barely saved some face for himself.
It's enough for this kind of thing to happen again. If it happens a second time, Malashenko will really have no place to think about his old face. Even if Vatutin doesn't do anything to him, I guess
I can't wait to find a crack in the ground to crawl in. It would be really embarrassing if this happened a second time.
"You've been running around all day, how can you handle it if you don't get some sleep at night?"
It is not only Malashenko who is working the night shift at the division headquarters, but also our "elderly" political commissar comrade.
Comrade Lao Ma, whose eyelids were really fighting, perked up when he heard this, and immediately straightened his back and replied to Comrade Political Commissar.
"You should keep these words to yourself. No matter how bad I am, I am still a young man. I can bear to stay up late. But you, you are an old man and you are seriously ill and stay here to work late at night. If you can't hold it anymore, go back and rest quickly. If you have
I'll be even busier if there are three long days and two short days."
The words may sound a bit unpleasant, but political commissar comrades who are familiar with Malashenko know that this is the way this kid cares about people. He will not give in to you and care about people like a woman.
"I know what my body is like. If I can't bear it, I'll take a rest. Maybe you still have a tough battle to fight tomorrow. If you don't get some sleep, you won't be able to stay energetic all day tomorrow."
Malashenko didn't say anything immediately when he heard this. He knew that Comrade Political Commissar was telling the truth.
I'm fighting with my eyes right now, and I'm so sleepy. If I hold on until tomorrow, I'll probably feel even more uncomfortable, like a walking zombie.
But when he really wanted to tell himself to go get some sleep, he really felt uneasy. Malashenko was really worried that something would go wrong before the culprit was found out. The last time he didn't sleep, he made such a big mistake.
, if I go to bed this time, maybe something else will happen.
After weighing and pondering for a long time, Malashenko finally did not move his butt away from the ammunition box. He continued to sit at the table, raised the cup and took a sip down his throat. But then his whole expression suddenly changed, and his facial features were distorted.
"Damn it! Hans, this coffee tastes really bad! It's like horse urine!"
There are not many things that can be used to refresh one's mind these days. Apart from cigarettes, the only thing left is coffee.
Just a while ago, a bunch of them were seized from the Germans, and they were usually piled up in Karamov's house, which was in charge of logistics. Almost no one cared about them. Malashenko thought that it could refresh himself, so he went to ask for a few bags, but he didn't expect it.
The brewed taste of this cup is simply stronger than Nestlé Duijiang Xiaobai. I almost gave away Comrade Ma on the spot after taking the first sip.
"You want to fight that thing yourself, who can blame you? Let me tell you, wouldn't it be good to drink boiled water?"
Before he finished speaking, Comrade Political Commissar picked up the water glass at his hand and poured a sip of steaming boiled water down his throat. Malashenko, who was holding his hand and drinking Hans coffee, looked at it.
It's a frown.
"If it weren't for the sake of refreshing yourself, who the hell would be willing to drink this urine-like thing!? You are really asking for trouble for yourself."
After shaking his head, Malashenko still chose to hold his nose and pour it down his throat. He continued to drink. Although the taste was really not good, it did have a good refreshing effect. After a few sips, Malashenko
I don’t know if it was due to my own misunderstanding, but I felt that my whole body suddenly became more energetic. In short, since it has an effect, I will continue to drink it.
It was past midnight and everything was fine. Malashenko, who had drank countless cups of Hans coffee and smoked his third pack of cigarettes today, was still working hard to hold on.
But what Malashenko doesn't know is that something related to him is happening in the headquarters of the First Ukrainian Front at this moment. Two big bosses of the Red Army are also awake at this moment, sitting at a small square table.
We were eating late night snacks and discussing things.
"I come here this time with the words of Comrade Stalin, Comrade Vatutin. Comrade Stalin is very satisfied with the performance of your First Ukrainian Front. The battle in Cherkasy was fought beautifully from beginning to end. This
The First World War was the first large-scale annihilation war against the enemy since we entered the strategic counter-offensive posture. We are still fighting so well. Your front army has set a very good example and example for the entire Red Army. This is undoubtedly a good start to the campaign.
"
The person sitting opposite Vatutin is none other than the Red Army God of War who is currently very popular in the Red Army and Stalin's firefighting captain: Marshal Zhukov.
Zhukov, who specially went down to the headquarters of the First Ukrainian Front to inspect, had just arrived this evening.
He originally wanted to ask Vatutin to go downstairs with him to inspect the situation of the troops, but Vatutin stopped Zhukov in his tracks with his words.
First of all, it was getting late and the battle had not yet settled. Going down to inspect the troops in the middle of the night might get lost in the dark and accidentally get into the German influence. For safety reasons, Vatutin suggested that Zhukov could go back tomorrow.
leave.
Secondly, Vatutin still had some things to deal with and people couldn't leave. When Zhukov first arrived, Vatutin was busy sending people to persuade the Germans to surrender. If possible, he hoped to do so in a peaceful way.
To end this battle that has no meaning to continue and the outcome is already determined.
This matter is obviously more important than going down to inspect the troops immediately. This is a major matter involving the lives of tens of thousands of people, including of course the lives of countless Red Army soldiers.
Zhukov, who chose to follow Vatutin's advice, stayed and, as a representative of the Supreme Command, participated in the meeting that Vatutin personally chaired later. He made some comments on the recent war of the First Ukrainian Front.
He expressed his appreciation and encouraged all members of the Front Army Headquarters to continue their efforts and fight well in the final battle.
The rest of the meeting was basically handled and presided over by Vatutin. Zhukov, who had just arrived at the First Front Army Headquarters, had not yet figured out the situation or understood the details, so naturally he did not put it here to show off.
The leader talks nonsense.
The meeting lasted until after 11 o'clock in the evening. Vatutin and Zhukov, who were hungry and had not eaten, only had an extra meal at this time. They chatted while eating. The two big guys talked and talked.