Before Cuikov went to the health team, he told Sokov to inform the 64th Army Command of the 64th Army that he had been injured. Sokov agreed to this. According to Sokov's idea, isn't it just a phone call, or a trivial matter that can be solved in minutes.
But when Sokov asked someone to call the Army Command, he found that things were not as easy as he thought. The operator of the 64th Army heard that Sokov was looking for the Army Commander and asked politely: "Which part of you are from?"
"I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade." Sokov said to the microphone: "I have something important to report to the leader of the group army."
Unexpectedly, after hearing Sokov's report, the operator politely and distantly said: "I'm sorry, comrade Lieutenant Colonel, since your troops are not affiliated with the 64th Army, we cannot connect to the headquarters for you. Please forgive me!" After that, he hung up the phone without waiting for Sokov to speak again.
"Hell, what's going on?" Sokov put down the phone and said to Belkin with annoyance: "The operator said that I was not under the command of the 64th Army, but he refused to connect to the Army Command for me."
After Sokov finished speaking, Belkin continued, "Comrade Brigade Commander, this situation is understandable. Think about it, if one day, the commander of the troops who had never heard of a number called you, maybe the operator of our brigade communications company would hang up his phone directly."
"What should we do?" Seeing that the phone could not be reached, Sokov was helpless: "You can't send a communications soldier to the 64th Army Command to tell them the news that General Cui Kuff was injured."
"Comrade Brigade Commander, have you ever thought that although we do not belong to the 64th Army, we belong to the Stalingrad Front." Berkin reminded Sokov: "Since the telephone number of the Army Command cannot be reached, you can always try the telephone number of the Front Command. If it cannot be reached, it will not be too late for us to think of other solutions."
"This is a good idea." Sokov picked up the earpiece and stuck it in his ear. When he heard the voice of a communications soldier inside, he immediately ordered: "Check me the Front Command."
After Sokov finished speaking, the correspondent soldier asked in an uncertain tone: "Comrade Brigade Commander, are you going to talk to the Front Command?"
Sokov did not answer his question, but asked back: "Can it be connected?"
"This,..." the communications soldier said in a panic: "It's hard to say whether it can be connected, I can only try."
This was originally a matter of luck, but I didn't expect that the communication soldier was lucky. Not long after, he connected to the Front Command. Sokov didn't care whether the operator of the Front Command was too busy, so his communication soldier could get the command's phone so easily.
He heard a voice from the earpiece and immediately said, "Please help me find Comrade Khrushchev. I have important things and I need to report to him."
After a moment, Khrushchev's voice came from the receiver: "I am Khrushchev, who are you?"
"Hello, comrade Military Commissioner." Sokov said respectfully to the microphone: "I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and I have an important thing to report to you."
"It's Cuikov's business?" Unexpectedly, before Sokov could tell what was going on, Khrushchev had already said first: "The Stalingrad City Urban Defense Committee has reported to me and said that you are sending your troops to rescue me. How about it, is Cuikov's situation okay?"
When he learned that Khrushchev had already known about the accident of the Trikov plane, Sokov felt a little disappointed, thinking that he had lost the opportunity to show his performance in front of Khrushchev. Just when he was disappointed, he heard what Khrushchev said, "Military Comrade, we have successfully rescued General Cuikev. When the plane crashed, he and the pilot were both dropped out of the cockpit, their foreheads were broken, and their body might have been a little contusion. I was arranging a military doctor from the health team to check him."
"So Trekov is with you." Khrushchev heard Sokov say this, and his originally hung heart finally returned to his stomach. He said to Sokov: "I'll hurry over and see him now."
Sokov knew the location of the Front Command, not very far from Mamayev's Gate, and he thought to himself that Khrushchev would arrive here in at most half an hour. Before he arrived, he should do the necessary vigilance.
While Sokov was arranging the soldiers of the guard company to the area where the health team was located to perform a warning mission, the phone ringing on the table suddenly rang. Sokov picked up the phone and heard Vanya's panic sound coming from inside: "Comrade Brigade Commander, something happened."
When Sokov heard Wanya say this, his heart skipped a beat and thought to himself that I had just ordered the commanders and soldiers to take turns to experience life. Could it be that some soldiers were sick if they couldn't stand the environment inside? Thinking of this, he asked in a panic: "Captain Wanya, tell me slowly, what happened?"
"That's right, comrade comrade," Vanya said on the phone: "Didn't you let us set up checkpoints in the main traffic conditions?"
"Yes, that's what I told you." Sokov's heart felt much more at ease when he learned that it wasn't the warrior that something happened in the tunnel. He continued, "Is there anything wrong?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander, a general claimed to be the commander of the 62nd Army, Lopatin. When he was about to pass our level, he was stopped by the sentry." Wanya said in a panic tone: "The guards he accompanied and our soldiers started to fight. We had two soldiers injured, and seven of them were injured."
Sokov never dreamed that the checkpoint he arranged would have a conflict with Lopatin. What was even more surprising was that the checkpoint warriors knocked down seven people on the other side when only two were injured. Sokov suppressed his smile and asked Wanya: "Comrade Captain, how did you deal with it?"
"I have apologized to General Lopatin," Vanya said on the phone: "He said he was here to visit General Chokov, and I wonder if he should be released?"
"Let it go, Comrade Captain." Sokov thought that his troops would sooner or later be assigned to the command of the 62nd Army. Although Chokov would be replaced by Chokov for another month, under the current circumstances, it was not appropriate to offend him. So he ordered Vanya: "Anyone who comes to visit General Chokov, you must all be allowed to go."
A few minutes later, the sound of the car horns sounded outside the tent. Sokov knew that the people in the brigade would not honk the horns casually outside, so the ones parked outside the tent must be cars from other places. He quickly lifted the curtain and walked out of the tent. He saw two jeeps and a truck parked at the door, and a short and fat general was standing beside the car smoking.
Seeing Sokov come out of the tent, the general asked at him, "Are you Lieutenant Colonel Sokov? I am Lieutenant General Lopatin."
"Hello, Comrade General." Seeing that the other party was much higher than his military rank, Sokov hurriedly stepped forward to salute, and said politely: "Welcome to Mamayevgang."
"Lt. Colonel," Lopatin threw the cigarette in his hand on the ground, took two steps towards Sokov, and stopped, whispering: "Just just passed the checkpoint, my people had a conflict with your subordinates. After a fight, seven of my subordinates were injured. Tell me, how should I deal with this matter?"
"Comrade General, my people are performing official duties. I think they did not do anything wrong with passing people." Sokov did not admit his mistake in Lopatin's duties, but said confidently: "On the contrary, Comrade General, your subordinates and my subordinates have a conflict. The responsibility should be on your side."
"My troops were still passing yesterday when the road to Mamayev hills was passed." Lopatin said unhappily when he heard Sokov say this: "Why did you suddenly set up a checkpoint today? What is your intention?"
"Comrade General, I think you, as the commander of the army, should be very clear that the German army is approaching this city step by step. Although their troops have not yet arrived in Stalingrad, they have sent many agents to try to disguise themselves as commanders and fighters of our army and sneak into this city." Sokov said without fear: "The purpose of my establishment of the checkpoint is to prevent the Germans from infiltrating into our army's defense zone, so as not to destroy them and cause unnecessary losses to us."
Lopatin looked at the hill in front of him and said angrily: "You are just two ordinary hills. Even if the Germans get here, what else can there be to destroy? Don't exclaim here to me. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer to what happened today, I will never spare you..."
"General Lopatin, how do you plan to deal with Lieutenant Colonel Sokov?" Just as Lopatin was suppressing people, a familiar voice suddenly came from the side. Sokov turned his head and found that Khrushchev had arrived near the tent at some point and was helping him smooth things over.
"Hello, comrade Military Commissioner." Seeing Khrushchev suddenly appear, whether it was Lopatin or Sokov, he quickly stood at attention and raised his hand to salute him. When Sokov raised his hand to his forehead, he also said to Khrushchev: "Welcome to Mamayev's hill to inspect the work."
"You can wait for your work to inspect later." Khrushchev approached Sokov and asked in a low voice: "I don't know where Cuikov is now?"
Sokov pointed at a row of buildings near the river and said, "Report to the military committee member, right there. Outside the room where General Cuikov lives, I specially arranged personnel to serve as a warning."
Khrushchev did not immediately walk towards the health team, but verified to Sokov again: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, is Trekov really nothing wrong?"
"It's just that my forehead was a little skin. The assistant military doctor who went to rescue at that time had already helped him with the wound." Sokov replied: "Military Commissioner, if you go there now, you might still see him chatting with others."
Khrushchev nodded and walked to Lopatin, and now said to him: "General Lopatin, since the task of the infantry brigade is to defend this Mamayev hill, it is very necessary to set up checkpoints on the surrounding traffic roads and check pedestrians and vehicles. On the way here, I also heard about this, so I specifically asked the people at that time. After investigation, I felt that the soldiers on duty did a good job and were performing their duties."
Seeing that Khrushchev was about to help Sokov speak, Lopatin did not pursue the matter anymore, but looked at the other party and asked, "Comrade Military Commissioner, are you also visiting Cuikov?"
"Yes, I'm just visiting Cuikov." Khrushchev looked behind Lopatin and said with regret: "I really didn't expect that the commanders of the 62nd Army arrived. Why haven't the people of the 64th Army arrived yet?"
"Comrade Military Commissioner, I can explain this." Seeing Khrushchev's angry look, Sokov quickly explained to him: "I once called the 64th Army Command to try to inform them of General Cui Khov's injury. Who knew that the operator refused to answer the phone for us at all, so I called you. I think they may not know about General Cui Khov's injury until now."
"Okay, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, you don't have to say anything." Before Sokov finished speaking, Khrushchev interrupted him: "I will inform them personally of the news of Cuikov's injury, so you don't have to worry about it anymore. If you check the wound later, you will continue to stay here, and I will go with General Lopatin."
Sokov guessed that when Khrushchev was checking his flaws, there must be something important to talk to Cuikov. It would be inconvenient for him to be present, so he would leave him. As soon as Khrushchev finished speaking, he quickly replied loudly: "Yes, comrade of the military committee, I firmly obey your orders."
"Let's go, General Lopatin." Khrushchev put an arm on Lopatin's shoulder and said to him with a smile: "Let's visit General Chokov now."
After the two walked away, Belkin, who had emerged from somewhere, came to Sokov and asked with some concern: "Comrade Brigade Commander, our soldiers had a conflict with General Lopatin. Will he find an opportunity to wear small shoes for us?"
Chapter completed!