After two hours of march, Sokov and Vlasov came to a small city called Berezhan with the remaining defeated soldiers.
Before the war broke out, this city had more than 6,000 permanent residents. Most of the residents in the city worked in Kiev. They took a small train to work in the city every morning and took the bus home in the evening. Therefore, there were only a few people in the city.
There are restaurants, clothing stores, a hospital, and a movie theater, but there are no pillar industries at all.
After the war broke out, some young and middle-aged people joined the army as soldiers, and some stayed in the factories where they worked and joined the militia. The old, weak, women and children who stayed in the city were all evacuated to other places. When the Battle of Kiev broke out,
This place has become an empty city with no human habitation.
When Sokov and the others entered the city, they saw that the buildings on both sides of the street were filled with commanders and combatants with smoke-filled faces. They must have fled from Kiev. Faced with the appearance of Sokov and the others, they
It did not cause any sensation. The officers and soldiers with numb expressions gathered together in small groups, chatting and smoking, and no one glanced at this unit.
When Sokov and the others were approaching the church in the city center, an officer who was sitting on the roadside smoking suddenly saw Vlasov and Colonel Del in the crowd. He quickly threw away the cigarette in his hand and stood up and shouted.
: "Everyone stand up!"
Following his shout, a group of commanders and fighters sitting on the roadside stood up and stood at attention.
The officer quickly ran to Sokov and others, raised his hand and saluted Vlasov: "Hello, Comrade General!"
After Vlasov raised his hand to return the salute, he asked expressionlessly: "Comrade Major, which department are you in?"
"Comrade General," the officer replied respectfully, "I am Major Mira, the regimental chief of staff of the 851st Regiment of the 284th Infantry Division."
"Where is your regimental commander?" Colonel Del asked first.
Major Mira's expression darkened: "Sacrificed!"
"Where are the deputy commander and political commissar of the regiment?"
Major Mira lowered his head and replied in a serious tone: "He also died."
"Major Mira," Vlasov asked, "how many men are left in your regiment?"
Mira raised her head and glanced at Vlasov, then pointed at the soldiers standing on the roadside with her hand: "All the living members of our regiment are here."
Vlasov's throat squirmed, and then he asked with difficulty: "Are there only so many people left?"
"Yes, Comrade General." Major Mira nodded and said, "Including me, there are a total of 67 people in the whole regiment."
"Major, do you know where the headquarters is in the city?" Colonel Del asked again.
"No, there is no headquarters." Mira replied: "At least I didn't find the headquarters after I entered the city."
"I see that there are many troops in the city. Isn't there a unified command?" Vlasov asked with a frown.
"That's right, Comrade General." Mira replied in a positive tone: "As far as I know, these troops all retreated from different places, with many numbers, some like us, sixty or seventy people;
Very few, just two or three people."
"Comrade Commander," Colonel Del waited for Mira to finish speaking, then turned to Vlasov and said: "We will immediately take in the troops, restore their organization, and establish new defenses."
Regarding Colonel Del's proposal, Vlasov did not immediately express his position. Instead, he folded his hands on his chest and stared at the church in front of him in a daze, seeming to consider whether he should follow the advice of the chief of staff to form a new defense here.
Seeing that Vlasov didn't speak, Colonel Del turned his eyes to Sokov: "Captain Sokov, what do you think?"
Major Mira next to him saw an expression of astonishment on his face when he saw that Colonel Del actually asked Captain Sokov for his opinion.
From the moment he entered this small city, Sokov noticed that the commanders and fighters on the roadside were all dejected and had no fighting spirit. The troops that had lost their morale, even if they were pieced together, would probably have no fighting power at all.
Establishing a new defense here is equivalent to concentrating personnel and allowing the Germans to come directly to capture prisoners.
Sokov shook his head and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I don't think it is necessary to build defenses here. It is better to contain the troops and move them to the Yagotin area to strengthen the defenses there."
"Captain Sokov, it is a crime to abandon this city without a fight." Colonel Del waited for Sokov to finish and then said with a straight face: "You will be sent to a military court."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, don't scare Captain Sokov." Unexpectedly, Vlasov supported Sokov and expressed his attitude: "The number of troops that can be accommodated in the city now is only 300 at most.
There are many people, plus the people we brought over, the total strength does not exceed 500. Not only are we small in number, but we also lack enough ammunition, our morale is slack, and our morale is low. I don’t think the defense established under this situation can
Block the fierce German offensive."
"Then what should we do?" Colonel Del heard what Vlasov said and realized the seriousness of the problem: "Abandon this city?"
Vlasov looked around, was silent for a long time, nodded slowly and said, "Yes, under the current circumstances, we can only give up on this city."
"Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov lost no time in saying: "Can I express my opinion?"
"Tell me, Sokov." Vlasov said reasonably: "I think you must have your own ideas."
"As Comrade Commander just said, there are less than 500 troops in the city now. Not only are they disorganized and demoralized, they also lack sufficient ammunition. Even if they are deployed in the city, they may not be able to last long in the face of the German attack.
." Sokov said: "It is better to abandon this city, bring these troops to Yagotin, and set up new defenses there. I think they can play a greater role."
"But here is still more than 20 kilometers away from Yagotin." Colonel Del glanced at the surrounding troops and said to Vlasov in a low voice: "Our soldiers have traveled such a long way and have not eaten.
They are already tired and hungry. If we let them continue marching, I'm worried that the army will collapse halfway."
"Major Mila," Vlasov felt that what Colonel Del said was reasonable. If the troops continued on their way, there might be a collapse. But staying here was not an option. The residents in the city had long been evacuated, making it impossible to proceed.
Instead of waiting for supplies, it would be better to try his luck. He turned around and asked Mira: "Do you know where the train station is?"
"I know, Comrade General."
"Take us there." Before Vlasov left with Major Mira, he told Colonel Del and Sokov: "I'll go see if there are locomotives and wagons at the train station. After you have collected the troops, bring them to the station.
.”
Sokov didn't trust Major Mila in his heart. Who knew if the Germans broke into the city at this moment, he would abandon Vlasov and run away with his men, so he called Lieutenant Zhukoven and ordered him
He said: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, please take a few people to protect the safety of Comrade Commander." After saying this, he assigned Yegor, Romanov, Dyuburo and Chulsin to him.
Seeing that the people assigned to him by Sokov were all comrades who escaped from Kiev together, Zhu Kewen felt Sokov's trust in him, nodded his head vigorously, and assured him: "Don't worry, comrade captain,
I will definitely protect the safety of the commander."
The job of containing stragglers was not easy. The Soviet army's successive defeats had caused many soldiers to lose confidence. Therefore, in the face of the persuasion of Colonel Del and Sokov, they remained silent and stood still with two feet as if they were taking root.
, not willing to move at all.
Sokov knows that force is not sweet. Many soldiers no longer have the will to continue fighting. Even if they are forcibly incorporated into the team, they will not be able to play a big role. If the battle situation is unfavorable, these people may still take the lead.
Escape, disturb the morale of the army, and cause the defense line to collapse.
It was out of this consideration that Sokov took it upon himself to say: "All officers and soldiers who are willing to follow us stand behind me. Those who are unwilling to leave, put down your weapons, take off your military uniforms, and then
You will be free to leave."
"Captain Sokov, do you know what you are talking about?" Colonel Del suddenly became angry when he heard what Sokov said: "You are destroying my military morale!"
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov knew that his approach was difficult for Colonel Del to accept, but in order to complete the task of containing the troops, Sokov patiently explained to him: "These people have already been attacked by the Germans.
and became panicked. Let them stay with our troops.
, not only cannot strengthen our strength, but will become a factor of instability. If one day on the battlefield, they see the enemy's fierce offensive and take the lead in escaping because of timidity, it will lead to more people escaping, which will lead to our
The army's defense line collapsed. Do you want to see this happen?"
Colonel Del stopped talking, and just waved his hand at Sokov, indicating that he should contain these defeated troops according to his wishes.
Seeing that Colonel Del did not object, Sokov once again spoke to the soldiers and said: "I will give you one last chance. Those who are willing to follow us, stand behind me. Those who are unwilling to leave, leave their weapons and uniforms, and then
You can go wherever you want. I will give you three minutes to think about it. If you haven't made a decision yet, I will assume that you are willing to follow us. If anyone dares to leave the team, he will be treated as a deserter and I will not
Enforce battlefield discipline with mercy.”
After a short silence, many soldiers came up behind Sokov and expressed their willingness to leave with Sokov. But most of the soldiers still stayed in place and hesitated.
"There's only one last minute left."
Hearing Sokov's shout, a soldier took off his military uniform and placed it on the ground along with his rifle and backpack. As he walked to the side, he looked back from time to time, for fear that Sokov would shoot him behind him.
Leng Qian finally moved to an intersection. Seeing that Sokov was still standing there without moving, he ran away and quickly disappeared without a trace.
With a leader, more people will naturally follow suit. But after a while, military uniforms, backpacks and weapons piled up in front of Sokov.
But Colonel Del's heart was bleeding at the moment. In just a few minutes, more than a hundred soldiers escaped.
Seeing so many soldiers leaving, Sokov felt a little disappointed, but when he saw that more people were left behind, he suddenly felt more at ease. He turned around and said loudly to the soldiers behind him: "Comrades, let these greedy people go away."
Let the cowards who are afraid of death leave and go as far as possible. Now, pick up the weapons and backpacks they left behind, re-arm yourselves, and prepare for a new battle with the enemy."
Sokov and Colonel Del led people to the train station, found Vlasov who was staying in the stationmaster's room, and reported to him: "Comrade Commander, the troops in the city have been accommodated. I don't know when they can set off?
"
Vlasov walked out of the station commander's office and saw the troops lined up on the platform. After roughly counting the number of people, he couldn't help but frowned: "Chief of Staff, Captain Sokov, the number of people seems to be a bit small?
"
"Yes, Comrade Commander, the number is indeed a bit small." After Colonel Del said this, he turned to look at Sokov and motioned for him to explain to Vlasov the reason for the small number.
"Comrade Commander, please allow me to explain to you." After getting Vlasov's permission, Sokov told the other party his thoughts in detail, and finally said: "The victory or defeat is determined on the battlefield.
The factor is not only the number of people, but also the morale and morale of the army. If those who have completely lost their will and courage to fight are allowed to go to the battlefield, it will be a very dangerous thing for the entire army."
After listening to Sokov's story, Vlasov was silent for a long time, and finally nodded slowly and said: "Captain Sokov, what you said makes sense. If those panicked elements are allowed to stay in the army, it will affect
In terms of military morale, what you did is completely correct."
In fact, when Sokov stated the facts to Vlasov, Colonel Del next to him was sweating in his hands, worried that he would be scolded by Vlasov, and thinking about how to smooth things over. But he didn't expect that Vlasov would
Rasov was actually so reasonable and agreed with Sokov's approach.
After a pause, Colonel Del asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, have you found the wagons transporting the troops?"
"Found it." Vlasov nodded and said: "Although the residents in the city have been evacuated, there are still many railway employees left. Before you came, I talked with the station master, and he said that there are still people at the station.
There is a locomotive and five freight cars that can take us to the Yagogin area."
"What about Comrade Station Master?" Colonel Del looked into the Station Master's room. Seeing that there was no one inside, he couldn't help but curiously asked: "He is not in the Station Master's room. Where did he go?"
"He went to find the train driver." Vlasov said: "Without the train driver, the train cannot move."
As he was talking, a middle-aged man wearing a railway uniform ran over from a distance. Still far away, he shouted to Vlasov: "Comrade General, the train driver has been found. The truck stopped at five
No., after adding coal and water to the train, it can set off. Have your people arrived? If so, I will take you to platform No. 5."
"Comrade Station Master, our people are all here and can pass at any time." Vlasov turned to Sokov and said: "Captain Sokov, take the soldiers to platform No. 5 to board the train!"