Hearing the rumble of artillery fire from the direction of Workers' New Village, at the factory gate one or two kilometers away from the family area, as if facing a formidable enemy, the annihilation battalion and militiamen all entered the defensive position and were ready to face the enemy.
Sokov and the others passed through the sewer and arrived near the factory gate. Seeing the exit right in front of them, Samoilov stopped and said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, if you go out from here, you will be on duty at the gate of the Red October Factory."
Room. We don’t know what the situation is outside now and whether there are any enemies. We’d better send a soldier out to observe it first.”
After Samoylov said these words, seeing that Sokov had no objection, he called a soldier beside him and ordered him: "Go out and see what the situation is outside. Are our people still in control of this area?"
area."
The soldier nodded, walked quickly to the exit, and climbed out with the help of the iron ladder built into the pipe wall. As soon as Sokov saw the soldier's figure disappearing from the exit, he heard a shout from above: "What?
People? Don't move, raise your hands!" Then the sound of a gun bolt being pulled was heard.
"No!" Sokov secretly yelled, "The people above regard our soldiers as enemies."
"Don't shoot! It's one of our own." Sokov soon heard the soldier's voice: "I'm from the Guard Battalion of the 41st Guards Division..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the person who spoke first: "Since you are from the Guards Division, why didn't you fight the enemy in Workers' New Village and come to us instead? I think you are a deserter!"
"I'm not a deserter." The soldier quickly explained, "I'm escorting the division commander here!"
Sokov felt that the voice of the person speaking above was very familiar. After thinking about it carefully, he immediately remembered that it was the commander of the annihilation battalion, Bolshak, and hurriedly walked towards the stairs, preparing to climb up and say hello. Unexpectedly, he was interrupted.
Samoilov held on tightly: "Comrade division commander, please wait until the misunderstanding above is explained clearly before you go up. If someone supervises the team, they will treat us as deserters and beat us to death."
"Don't worry, Comrade Second Lieutenant." Sokov gently broke away from Samoilov's hand and comforted him, saying, "I know the person who spoke above. I just need to go out and say hello to him, and the misunderstanding will be resolved."
After saying that, he walked to the stairs and climbed up on his hands and knees.
Before heading out, Sokov said loudly to the outside: "Bolshak, this is Sokov, tell your men to put down their guns to avoid misfires!"
The person reprimanding the soldiers above was none other than the commander of the annihilation battalion, Bolshak. He heard someone calling his name in the sewer and couldn't help but be startled. Then he turned to ask an annihilation battalion soldier holding a gun next to him: "Just now
What did the man say his name was?"
The soldier from the annihilation battalion who was asked responded in an uncertain tone: "He, he seemed to say his name was Sokov..."
"Comrade Commander," the soldier exploring the path quickly continued: "The person talking to you below is our division commander, Colonel Sokov."
"It's Colonel Sokov!" After Bolshak heard clearly that it was Sokov, he quickly ordered the soldiers around him: "The people in the sewer are our own people. Put down your guns and don't misfire!" Then he walked quickly.
He rushed to the exit, bent down and stretched out his hand to Sokov who was climbing on the stairs.
Sokov climbed out of the sewer with the help of Bolshak. As soon as he stood up straight, Bolshak grabbed his shoulders, pulled him forward, gave him a warm hug, and said excitedly
: "Colonel Sokov, where did you come from? I can't believe I can see you here."
"I didn't expect that, Comrade Bolshak." Sokov patted Bolshak on the back and said with a smile, "I will meet you as soon as I emerge from the sewer."
Hearing Sokov mention the sewer, Bolshak let go of him and asked curiously: "Colonel Sokov, how did you get out of the sewer?"
Sokov turned his head and glanced at the Workers' New Village, which was filled with gunfire and smoke, and replied: "I withdrew from the Workers' New Village. By the way, my troops will soon pass through the sewers and withdraw here. Please
Please say hello to your subordinates to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
"What, your troops have withdrawn from the Workers' New Village?" Bolshak's face suddenly changed when he heard what Sokov said. He took two steps back, looked Sokov up and down, and said with vigilance
He asked in a tone of voice: "Are you planning to become a deserter?"
"Comrade Bolshak," Sokov didn't expect that Bolshak would fall out as quickly as he could flip through a book. He also suppressed the smile on his face and said with a straight face: "We are not running away, but temporarily
Retreat. When the time is right, we will return to Workers' New Village."
"When the time is right?" Borschak repeated Sokov's words and sneered: "As soon as the new workers' village is lost, the Germans will immediately rush to the factory. What chance do you have to go back?"
"We used to fight side by side in the assembly workshop. Don't you still know what kind of person I am?" Regarding Bolshak's doubts, Sokov patiently explained to him: "The enemy continues to launch attacks on the workers' new villages.
They launched two attacks and were repelled by us. Now they have adjusted their offensive tactics and used artillery fire to destroy the buildings in Workers' New Village one by one. If I don't withdraw my troops and wait until the enemy destroys all the buildings, I will
Almost everyone is dead. Everyone is dead, so what can I do to stop the enemy’s attack?”
Sokov's words made Bolshak realize that he might have wrongly blamed the other party. The muscles on his face twitched twice, and he tried hard to squeeze out a smile and said: "Colonel Sokov, maybe I made a mistake.
, please forgive me." In order to alleviate the embarrassment caused by the misunderstanding, he took the initiative to express his kindness and said, "It's too cold outside. You can follow me to the duty room to get warm. Comrade Zinchenko, the deputy director of the factory, is also there. You can talk to me.
Let’s talk to him.”
"Oh, Comrade Deputy Director is also here." Hearing that Zinchenko was also here, Sokov raised his eyebrows and said, "Take me to see him quickly."
Sokov left Samoilov behind to assist Bolshak's men in meeting the incoming troops. He and Bolshak walked side by side towards the duty room at the entrance of the factory. On the way, Sokov curiously
Question: "Comrade Bolshak, I remember that you used to be responsible for the defense of the factory building. How come you were transferred to the factory gate?" His purpose was to know whether Bolshak had offended Peter.
So I was assigned to this position.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Bolshak smiled and said: "Comrade Colonel, in fact, my fighter battalion was transferred to the gate of the factory, and it still has a certain relationship with you."
"Is it related to me?" Bolshak's words confused Sokov, and he asked puzzledly: "How can it be related to me?"
"The defense you organized in the assembly workshop has frightened the enemy. Maybe they are worried about being defeated again. Now they don't dare to attack from the north of the factory. They can only choose the direction of the attack in Workers' New Village." Bauer.
Shaq explained: "Since the enemy does not dare to attack the factory area directly, the defense task in the factory area will be much easier. Therefore, the comrade director of the factory transferred our battalion here to strengthen the frontal defense of the factory."
When the two of them said this, they had already arrived at the door of the duty room. Bolshak nodded to the sentry standing at the door, stepped forward and opened the door. He did not enter the room immediately, but said to the inside: "Deputy
Comrade Factory Director, look, who is here?" After saying that, he moved his body to the side so that the people inside could see clearly outside the door.
Zinchenko was sitting behind a desk, writing something with his head down. When he heard Bolshak's voice, he raised his head and looked out the door. When he saw clearly that the person standing at the door was Sokov, he suddenly
He stood up, walked around the table, and rushed to the door to greet him: "It's you, Colonel Sokov. I really didn't expect to see you here."
After the two hugged each other, Zinchenko led Sokov to the table in the room. After asking him to sit down, he ran to pour a cup of hot tea and handed it to Sokov's hand. Only then did he curiously
Question: "Colonel Sokov, aren't you supposed to be commanding the troops at Mamayev Heights? Why are you here?"
Sokov put the tea cup in his hand on the table, looked at Zinchenko and said: "Comrade Deputy Director, a regiment under me has taken over the defense of the 39th Guards Division in the Workers' New Village. I am a little worried.
, so he stayed there to observe the battle."
"Comrade Colonel, you are the commander of a division, how can you stay in such a dangerous place?" Zinchenko suggested to Sokov: "When the 39th Guards Division was responsible for the defense of the west of the factory, their division headquarters
It will be located not far from the factory gate, you may consider locating your headquarters there."
"Comrade Deputy Director, thank you for your kindness." For Zinchenko's kindness, Sokov expressed his gratitude to him: "I think the commander should still stay with the soldiers, so that he can understand them in time
Everything that happens on the battlefield and make necessary adjustments based on actual conditions."
"Comrade Colonel," Zinchenko once fought side by side with Sokov, knew his character, and knew that he would not appear here without reason. There must be some reason, so he asked curiously: "What do you want when you come here?"
Something important?"
"I have ordered the troops to temporarily abandon the Workers' New Village and withdraw here." Sokov replied lightly: "I came to explore the road first."
As soon as he finished speaking, before Zinchenko could ask the reason for his retreat, a middle-aged man wearing a black woolen coat rushed in from the door. He grabbed Sokov's lapel and said angrily: "Sokov
Colonel Koff, who gave you the right to actually leave the New Workers' Village to the enemy? Don't you know that once the Germans occupy the New Workers' Village, they can use it as the starting point for their attack and launch attacks on the factory area at any time?"
