But Sokov walked a few steps, suddenly stopped again, turned his face sideways and said to Asiya: "Wait a minute, Asiya, let's go to the second floor and have a look." After saying that, he didn't give Asiya the chance.
When she had time to react, she walked towards the stairs not far away. Asia didn't know why Sokov wanted to go to the second floor, so she hurriedly quickened her pace and followed him.
Seeing the two soldiers who came in to browse the mall, they suddenly went straight to the second floor. A fat salesperson who was chatting hurriedly said to his companion: "Look, those two people went to the second floor."
The skinny salesman next to him looked at the backs of Sokov and Asiya, and asked his companion cautiously: "Do you think they are people from the City Defense Committee who came to our place to inspect the fortifications?"
"No matter where they are from, this matter needs to be reported to the manager immediately so that he can prepare." The fat salesman said, came to the telephone nearby, picked up the phone and dialed a number, and said urgently: "
Comrade Manager, here are two comrades from the City Defense Committee, they have already gone up to the second floor..."
After Sokov arrived on the second floor, he walked directly towards the rooftop. He had already observed carefully before entering the building. If fortifications were built on the rooftop, a large area could be blocked with firepower.
area. He was even considering whether he should send a force to occupy the department store after the street fighting began, and use solid buildings to establish a fire support point.
However, when he came to the rooftop, the scene he saw made him frown. On the spacious rooftop, countless sandbags were scattered haphazardly on the floor, and no one actually piled them up into sandbag fortifications.
Asiya looked at the sandbags piled randomly on the rooftop and asked Sokov curiously: "Misha, what are you doing here? Look, there are sandbags everywhere on the ground, it looks messy."
"Asia, look!" Sokov pointed toward the broad street in front of the department store and said, "I'm thinking that if we build a firepower point on the rooftop and put anti-tank guns and machine guns here, we can
Completely block the street in front. If the Germans want to seize this department store, they will definitely pay a huge price."
Hearing Sokov mention the battle in Stalingrad again, Asya felt dumbfounded. She held Sokov's arm and said softly: "Misha, do you really think that the Germans
Will they storm Stalingrad?"
"That's right, Asiya." Sokov looked sideways at Asiya and said, "The Germans will definitely rush into Stalingrad. As the defenders of the city, we must take precautions in advance."
While the two were talking, a high-pitched voice suddenly came from behind: "Two comrades, are you from the City Defense Committee?"
Sokov and Asiya turned around and saw a middle-aged man wearing a white shirt and a pair of round glasses, standing at the entrance to the rooftop. Sokov did not answer his question immediately;
He asked: "Who are you?"
The middle-aged man took two steps forward, nodded and said: "Let me introduce myself. I am the manager of this department store. I heard from the salesperson that comrades from the City Defense Committee were coming to inspect, so I made a special trip here. Excuse me,
Are you from the City Defense Committee?"
"No, Comrade Manager." Sokov shook his head and said, "We are not from the City Defense Committee, but my troops are stationed at Mamayev Heights. I passed by here today and found that the rooftop here is a good defense.
I came here specifically to take a look at the location. By the way, Comrade Manager, why are these sandbags scattered on the ground and not piled up to build fortifications?"
"The sandbags were prepared according to the order of the Municipal Soviet. Originally, according to the regulations, fortifications should be built on the rooftop." The manager said with some embarrassment: "But, I think you have also seen that there are only a dozen saleswomen left in the entire mall.
, to carry out these tasks, the manpower is far from enough.”
"Even if there is only one of you left, you should build the fortifications on the rooftop." After listening to the manager, Sokov said in a stern tone: "Otherwise, when the Germans rush over, they will be able to do it without firing a shot.
With one shot, this solid building can be easily captured. Also," Sokov walked to the railing of the rooftop, pointed downwards with his hand, and added, "the merchandise display windows on the first floor should also be piled with
sandbag."
After the manager waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he smiled bitterly and said: "Comrade Commander, I understand everything you said. But I want to ask, will the Germans really hit Stalingrad? If they can't get close to ours at all.
City, what’s the point of everything we do?”
Sokov sneered and said: "Why, Comrade Manager, do you think it is impossible for the Germans to storm Stalingrad?"
In response to Sokov's question, the manager hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "I think it is impossible for the Germans to rush to Stalingrad. Think about it, there are hundreds of thousands of our troops to the west of the city. Could it be that they
Still can't stop the Germans? And," when he said this, the manager lowered his voice and whispered in Sokov's ear, "I heard the news that our airborne troops have successfully landed in Berlin.
Launch an attack on where Hitler is hiding. Maybe today, or no later than tomorrow, we will hear the news that Hitler was captured alive or killed by our airborne troops."
Sokov laughed angrily at the manager's words, "Comrade Manager, you actually believe such ridiculous rumors and think that our army has entered Berlin. Let me tell you the truth, sooner or later our army will enter Berlin.
Destroy all the enemies and end this damn war. But before that, what we have to do is to do everything we can to defend this city named after the Supreme Commander himself."
"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." The manager said with a smile on his face: "I will arrange manpower as soon as possible to pile up the fortifications on the rooftop. If you have time, you can come over and inspect it at any time."
When Sokov heard what the manager said, he nodded slightly, then shook his head at Asiya and said, "Let's go, Asiya, we should go back."
Seeing these two "gods of plague" about to leave, the manager's mood suddenly became happy, and he quickly said afterward: "I'll take you out."
After the manager sent Sokov and others out of the building and returned to the sales hall, the fat salesman who called the manager immediately came over and asked curiously: "Comrade manager, are they from the City Defense Committee?"
"No, they are not from the City Defense Committee." The manager shook his head and said, "They are from a nearby garrison. They are just here for a casual walk."
"I just saw them go up to the second floor." The fat salesman continued to ask: "What are they doing up there?"
"They hung around on the rooftop for a long time, and the male commander asked me why I didn't use sandbags on the rooftop to build fortifications." The manager sneered and said, "He is not a member of the city defense committee, so what qualifications do he have to tell me what to do?"
"Comrade Manager," the fat salesman said nervously after hearing this: "Look, if we take time one day to pile up all those sandbags, even if people from the City Defense Committee come to inspect in the future, we don't have to worry about being hurt.
Punishment.”
"Let me remind you, here, I am the manager, not you." The manager glared at the talkative fat salesman and said dissatisfiedly: "Even if the City Defense Committee comes to inspect, they will not carry out any surprise attacks. They will definitely issue a notice in advance.
, it won’t be too late for us to organize manpower to build fortifications at that time.”
On the way Sokov and Asiya returned to Mamayev Heights by car, Asiya saw Sokov not saying a word and looking worried, so she asked curiously: "Misha, what do you think?
Will the manager arrange manpower to stack sandbags on the rooftop?"
"No, I don't think he would do that." Hearing Asiya's question, Sokov shook his head and said, "Asiya, don't you see that the other party is just perfunctory with us? Sigh.
, there is no way, there is no reporting relationship between us and him, I have said everything that can be said, and whether he listens to it or not is his problem."
Asiya thought for a moment, and then made her own suggestion to Sokov: "Misha, see if you can talk to the people on the city defense committee and ask them to agree to us sending troops to take over the defense of the department store."
"This is impossible." As soon as Asiya finished speaking, Sokov waved his hands and said: "Although our brigade has nearly five thousand people, once the battle starts in the city, our few people will not be enough for the Germans.
If you have extra troops, you can defend the department store seven or eight kilometers away."
But when Sokov said that the troops holding Mamayev Heights were not enough to put a gap in the teeth of the Germans, the driver who was driving couldn't help but shuddered, and then the jeep lost control and crashed straight into a power line on the side of the road.
Fortunately, the driver responded quickly and stepped on the brakes in time, and the front of the car stopped only a few centimeters away from the pole.
The huge inertia caused Sokov, who was sitting in the back row, to rush forward and hit his head heavily on the back of the chair in the front row. While rubbing his bruised forehead, he turned to ask the guy next to him.
Thea: "Athea, are you okay?"
Asiya, who looked ashen, even though she had been frightened just now, after hearing Sokov's question, she forced herself to shake her head happily and said, "I'm fine."
Sokov stretched out his hand to hold the frightened Asiya in his arms, and said sternly to the driver: "Comrade driver, please drive carefully. I would rather be killed in a face-to-face fight with the Germans than die in a car accident on the street."
.Understand?”
"Understood, Comrade Brigadier." The driver turned around and said to Sokov with a red face: "I will drive carefully and ensure that something like this will not happen again."