After Sergey waited patiently for Sokov to finish his work, he urged him: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this is a bit far from the front headquarters. You'd better leave early."
Sokov nodded after hearing this, then looked at him and asked: "Comrade Major, I would like to ask where can I find transportation to the front army headquarters?"
I thought that Sergey would immediately arrange for someone to prepare a vehicle for him, but the other party shook his head and said to Sokov apologetically: "I'm sorry, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel. Although there are vehicles in the town going to the headquarters from time to time.
, but I have no right to mobilize these vehicles."
"What, you don't have the right to mobilize vehicles?" Sokov couldn't help but frowned when he heard what the other party said, and asked: "Comrade Major, aren't you responsible for the security of the town?"
"Yes, my superiors did order me to be responsible for the security of the town." Sergey replied with a wry smile: "But in this town, except for the sailors and soldiers under my command, no one in the army listens to me. If you want
If you want to take a ride, you can go directly to the roadside and catch a ride. Maybe the driver will see that you are also from the Army and will stop and give you a ride."
Sokov was very sympathetic to Sergey's situation. He did not make things difficult for him anymore, so he took Samoylov and Guchakov to the roadside outside the town and waited patiently for them to pass by.
vehicle to see if he could catch a ride.
Passing drivers saw three officers blocking their cars on the side of the road, and they all stopped and asked Sokov where he was going. Unfortunately, most of the vehicles were heading to the next ferry. Finally, there was one
The truck bound for the headquarters was for transporting the wounded. Seeing the wounded people crowded in the carriage, Sokov was embarrassed to compete with the wounded for space, so he waved his hand and let the truck leave.
After waiting for a while, the three of them still didn't get the bus. Samoylov suggested to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, it's not a problem for us to wait for the bus here. Who knows when the bus will be driven to the headquarters?"
It’s a car. Anyway, it’s only a few kilometers away from the headquarters, and even walking would only take an hour at most, so we might as well walk there.”
Seeing that there was no suitable hitchhiker for a long time, Sokov had been waiting impatiently. Hearing Samoylov's suggestion, he nodded and said: "Let's go, maybe we can catch a hitchhiker along the way."
As the three of them walked along the simple road, Samoylov curiously asked Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, I want to ask, we can obviously take a barge down the river and reach Mamaye directly.
Fugang. Now why do we have to go to Red October Town first, then go down the river and cross the river at the next ferry?"
Sokov remembered that when he was discussing the route with Vanya and Shamrih, both Samoilov and Guchakov were not around. Naturally, he had no idea why such a decision was made. It happened to be that he was leaving at this moment.
Nothing happened on the way, so Sokov told the two of them in detail the reasons for choosing this route.
As soon as he finished speaking, a truck drove up behind him. When the driver saw three commanders walking on the roadside, he quickly slowed down and pressed the horn several times to attract the attention of Sokov and others.
Sokov turned his head and saw that the truck behind him was actually an empty truck. He couldn't help showing an expression of surprise on his face. He was about to ask the driver where the truck was going, but the driver spoke first: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel
, where are you going?"
"We are going to the front army headquarters!" Sokov asked bluntly: "Comrade driver, where is your car going?"
"What a coincidence, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel. My car is going to the headquarters." The driver said with a smile: "If you don't mind, please get in the car."
The three of them were naturally overjoyed to catch a ride here. Seeing Sokov sitting on the driver's seat, Samoilov and Guchakov consciously climbed into the back compartment. After sitting down,
Samoilov raised his hand and patted the top of the bridge twice, and said loudly: "Let's drive!"
The driver was too lonely driving alone. It was rare to have someone sitting in the cab with him, so he finally found someone to talk to. So as soon as the car started, he curiously asked Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, where did you come from?"
Where did it come from?”
"We are from the town of Red October." Sokov answered briefly.
"No, no, no, you misunderstood me." The driver shook his head and said, "I know you came from Red October Town. What I meant was to ask where you came from."
Sokov felt that the driver was a talkative soldier and did not want to reveal too many secrets to him, so he said with a straight face: "Comrade soldier, haven't you learned the confidentiality regulations and don't know what to ask and what not to ask?
"
Sokov's words made the driver calm for a moment, but not long after, the driver couldn't help it anymore. He kept looking at Sokov from the corner of his eyes and asked tentatively: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are you coming down from the battlefield?"
Right?"
Before Sokov could answer, he asked himself again: "You will definitely ask me how I guessed that you came down from the battlefield. In fact, there is no need to guess, I can smell you when I sit next to you.
The smell of gunpowder smoke.”
"Does my body smell of gunpowder smoke?" Sokov instinctively raised his left hand, brought his sleeve to his nose and smelled it. There seemed to be no other smell except the smell of sweat: "No, why didn't I smell it?
The smell of gunpowder smoke.”
Seeing that Sokov was as surprised as he expected, the driver said with some pride: "The people my car has pulled are at least hundreds or thousands. Which ones are new recruits and which ones are veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles?
You can tell at a glance. As soon as I saw how you were dressed, I knew that you were still fighting the Germans on the battlefield yesterday."
Sokov originally thought the driver was a chatterbox and was reluctant to pay attention to him, but after hearing what he said, he suddenly realized that the driver was still a talented person, so he had the idea of poaching him: "Comrade driver, what's your name?
How many years have you been a soldier?"
"My name is Sayers, and I just put on the military uniform last month." The driver replied: "Although my military service is not long, I am an experienced driver. I drove a bus in Stalingrad for six years before the war."
"Sayers," Sokov felt that if he recruited such a person into his guard camp, he would definitely be put to great use, so he asked tentatively: "I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade.
Are you interested in coming to our hotel?"
"No!" Sayers said, shaking his head.
Seeing that the other party rejected his proposal, Sokov asked curiously: "Why?"
"I am from Stalingrad, and I want to do more to defend this city." When the driver said this, he turned to look at Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, since your troops have withdrawn from the battlefield,
It means that you are about to be transferred to the rear to rest. If I join you, I may be far away from the city, and I will not be able to see with my own eyes that the enemies attacking the city are defeated by us."
"Sayers, you only guessed half right just now." Sokov said to him with a smile: "My troops have indeed just come off the battlefield, but we are not retreating to the rear to rest, but preparing to re-enter the city.
, go and continue fighting the Germans. What do you think, do you want to join my army now?"
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I don't understand." Sayers was confused by Sokov's words. He asked puzzledly: "Since you still have to fight the Germans and you are not transferred to the rear for reinforcement, then what?
Why should you be removed from the battlefield?"
Since the driver hadn't expressed his position yet, Sokov naturally wouldn't tell him the truth. Instead, he said in a haha manner: "When you become one of us, I will tell you the answer."
The truck entered the headquarters of the Front Army. After passing through a long street, the driver stopped next to a building with a wooden fence outside, sandbags fortifications piled up, and a sentry standing guard at the door. Then he turned around.
Said to Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the headquarters has arrived!"
After Sokov got off the car, he first expressed his gratitude to the driver Sayers, and at the same time asked: "Sayers, are you really unwilling to join my army?"
"Well," Sayers replied with some embarrassment when Sokov asked, "I need to think about it carefully."
"It's okay, you can think about it slowly." Sokov said generously: "Come to me after you think about it." After saying that, he took Samoilov and Guchakov into the building.
.
As soon as he entered the building, a major came up to him, blocked Sokov's path with his hand, and asked expressionlessly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, what can I do for you?"
"Hello, Comrade Major." Although the other party's military rank was lower than his own, Sokov still raised his hand to salute the other party and said politely: "I was ordered to see the commander and the military commissar."
The major looked at Sokov with some surprise, then asked: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, your name and position."
"Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade." Sokov replied in a moderate tone: "I was ordered to come here to meet with the commander of the front army and the military commissar."
The major obviously knew that Sokov was coming. After hearing him announce his home, a smile appeared on his face: "So you are Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. I have been waiting for you for a long time. Please come with me!"
Sokov saw the major turning around and leaving after he finished speaking, and quickly followed him. Unexpectedly, the major stopped not far away and looked towards Samoilov and Guchakov behind Sokov.
After taking a look, he said to Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, please give all the weapons you have to your subordinates. I am ordered to take you to see the commander and the military commissar alone."
After hearing the major's instructions, Sokov handed over the assault rifle and pistol he carried to Samoilov without hesitation, and then said to the two of them: "You two stay here and wait for me."