When Vasily and the others occupied the building, they seized a submachine gun and several rifles from the annihilated German troops. While teaching Shulka how to use the German rifles, he casually asked: "Shulka, you are in the basement.
How many days did you stay?”
Shulka answered while fiddling with the rifle in his hand: "We have been in the basement for a week. If you don't come, we will run out of water and food."
"Are your family here too?" Vasily continued to ask.
"My wife and daughter were evacuated in late August, and my son was serving as a soldier in the Southwest Front. I received his death notice in July." Shurka said through gritted teeth: "I want to kill more Germans."
Japs, avenge my son!"
When he learned that Shulka's son had been killed in battle, Vasily did not speak, but sighed softly, reached out and patted the other party's shoulder gently twice to express comfort.
Shulka turned to look at the two neighbors sitting next to him and said to Vasily: "Comrade Sergeant, both of their sons died in Kharkov. The remaining people in our building have relatives who died at home.
It is in the hands of the Germans, so we must repay the blood debt from the Germans."
Even though Vasily is the supreme commander here, he is also an out-and-out recruit. He can't say anything quality to boost morale. However, he still looks serious when faced with the suffering of the residents in the building.
Said: "Comrades, we will severely attack the Japanese invaders here and avenge our dead relatives!"
"Comrade Sergeant," Vasily had just finished speaking when a middle-aged woman wearing a headscarf said to him: "I also have relatives who died in the hands of the Germans. Please give me a gun. I want it."
Avenge them!"
Vasily knew very well that with the twenty or so soldiers under his command, it was still very difficult to defend the building. But if he could get the help of the residents in the building, he would have more capital to deal with the German army. He thought
Here, he said to the residents sitting in the corner: "Comrades, although we have fewer people, as long as we unite as one, I believe we can still manage to defend this place."
Everyone can shout slogans, but to hold on to this building, there are many things needed: ammunition, food and water, all of which are indispensable. After counting, the ammunition and food can still last for two days; but the soldiers
The water bottle I carried was almost empty.
Seeing that Vasily was helpless about the water issue, Shulka quickly said to him: "Comrade Sergeant, don't worry about the water issue, we have a solution."
Hearing that Shulka could solve the water problem, Vasily's eyes suddenly brightened, and he quickly asked: "Comrade Shulka, where can I find the water source?" According to Vasily's idea, Shulka might be a suggestion.
He sent people to the Volga River in the east to fetch water.
Shulka found a wooden stick, drew a simple diagram for Vasily on the ground, and explained: "Comrade Sergeant, there is a sewer on the ground floor of the second unit, which leads directly to the flour mill. Although the flour mill suffered
It was severely damaged, but we were able to get drinking water and a lot of flour from the canteen."
Vasily thought he could only find water in the flour mill, but unexpectedly there was a lot of flour. He couldn't help but think to himself: As long as he has enough food and drinking water, he can persist here for a longer time.
. He quickly asked: "Comrade Shulka, can you act as a guide for us to get water and flour from the flour mill?"
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Shulka shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Comrade Sergeant, I can't take you there. You don't need to worry about this kind of thing at all."
Hearing Shulka say this, Vasily felt dissatisfaction with him. He asked somewhat displeasedly: "Comrade Shulka, why can't we go?"
"Comrade Sergeant, I think you should stay here to fight against the Germans." Shulka said this, turned to look at the women and children sitting in the corner, and added: "Going to the flour mill to collect flour and water,
Just leave it to us to complete it.”
"How can that be done?" Vasily said apologetically after knowing that he had wrongly blamed Shulka: "How can I let you take risks? What if you encounter the Germans in the flour mill?
"
Shulka patted the rifle in his arms and said confidently: "Don't worry, Comrade Sergeant, even if we encounter the Germans, as long as we have guns in our hands, we have nothing to fear."
"That's right." The other two middle-aged men echoed: "We are all flour mill workers and are familiar with the terrain. Even if we encounter the Germans, we can rely on the terrain to deal with them. There will be no problems.
It's dangerous. Comrade Sergeant, don't worry."
After the three Shulkas and five other strong middle-aged women set off in a team, the deputy squad leader walked up to Vasily and said to him: "Comrade Sergeant, can I give you a suggestion?"
Vasily nodded quickly and said casually: "Comrade Corporal, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to mention them."
"Comrade Sergeant, you also know that this building has three units." The deputy squad leader said to Vasily: "When we go from one unit to another, we have to get out of the building. Normally it doesn't matter, but if the building is occupied by the Germans
We are surrounded, and if we go out like this, we may become the target of the enemy."
After being reminded by the deputy squad leader, Vasily immediately realized his negligence and quickly said to the deputy squad leader: "Comrade Corporal, you are right, if you want to defend this building, you must turn the three units into a whole.
You immediately organize your manpower and cut through the walls so that our soldiers can go from one unit to another without leaving the unit door."
Just as the soldiers were drilling holes in the wall with the tools they carried, a soldier standing by the window to monitor what was going on outside suddenly shouted to Vasily in a low voice: "Comrade Sergeant, there are a few people heading towards the wall."
We are here."
Hearing that someone was coming towards his building, Vasily asked alertly: "Is it a German?"
The soldier looked at it for a moment, shook his head and replied: "They are not Germans, they seem to be one of our own."
"Understood," Vasily said to the soldier: "You continue to observe, I will go downstairs to see who is coming. By the way, you ask the corporal and others to prepare for battle. Once they find anything wrong, they will open fire immediately.
"
Vasily came to the ground floor and hid behind a window without a frame. He looked at the five or six soldiers who were cautiously approaching the building with vigilant eyes. With the help of the bright moonlight, he could see clearly that the person who came was wearing a Soviet uniform.
, but he did not immediately jump out to greet the other party, but continued to remain hidden.
When those people were only ten meters away from the building, he suddenly shouted outside: "Stop, no one is allowed to move!"
Hearing Vasily's shout, the soldiers who were cautiously approaching the building fell to the ground. Then a voice came: "Who is in the building?"
When Vasily heard that the man spoke Russian with a clear accent, he hid behind the window and replied: "I am from the 73rd Infantry Brigade. Which part do you belong to?"
After Vasily finished asking, the other party was silent for a long time, and then the original voice sounded again: "We are also from the 73rd Infantry Brigade, which battalion are you from?"
"Guard company!" Vasily couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard that the other party was from the same army as himself, but for the sake of caution, he continued to ask: "What about you?"
"We are from the reconnaissance company." After the other party answered, he then asked: "Which platoon of the guard company are you from?"
"I'm from the sniper team."
As soon as Vasily finished speaking, the other party stood up and asked tentatively: "Are you Sergeant Vasily?"
Seeing that the other party called his name accurately, Vasily, although he did not recognize the other party, confirmed that the other party must be from the reconnaissance company, so he walked to the window and said to the outside: "Yes, I am Vasily, come here.
Bar."
After the soldiers from the reconnaissance company entered the building, the leading corporal immediately stepped forward to shake hands with Vasily and said: "Hello, comrade sergeant, I am Corporal Worstri, and I was ordered to come here to find Klimo
Captain husband and the guard platoon. I really didn’t expect to meet you here."
Vasily shook hands with the other party and said: "Corporal Worstri, you have worked hard. I was planning to send someone back to contact the brigade headquarters, but I didn't expect you to come first."
Worstri said: "Comrade Sergeant, if I understand you correctly, are you not planning to return to Mamayev Heights?"
"That's right, Corporal Worstri." Vasily gave the other party a positive answer, and then said: "I found that the geographical location of this building is very favorable. If we can hold on here, we can attack the German army.
Action poses a threat."
"Comrade Sergeant," Worster asked expressionlessly, "may I ask how many people you have under your command?"
"Including me, there are still twenty people in the class." Vasily replied: "We have just armed three more residents of the building, which means that we have 23 combatants."
"Comrade Sergeant, please forgive me." Worstri said rudely: "To hold on to a building like this, it's not enough just to rely on your people, and you don't have enough ammunition and food.
How long we can stay here is still a big question."
"Corporal Worstri," Vasily asked politely, knowing that what the other party said was not without purpose, "Do you have any good suggestions?"
Worstri nodded and continued: "I can send a telegram to the brigade headquarters to report the situation here to my superiors, and at the same time request them to send reinforcements and replenish us with necessary supplies."
"This is a good idea." Vasily was overjoyed when he heard what Vostri said, and quickly urged: "Then please send a telegram to the brigade headquarters as soon as possible."
