Istria Battalion passed through the checkpoint and walked forward for another two or three kilometers. Sokov suddenly saw a jeep parked on the side of the road, and several soldiers were standing next to the car. One of the lieutenants was smoking with their backs against the body. Seeing Sokov's team coming, the lieutenant quickly threw the cigarette butts in his hand into the ground and ran over quickly.
After a few steps, the lieutenant asked loudly, "Is it Major Sokov?"
"Yes, I am Sokov." Sokov looked at the strange lieutenant and asked back: "Comrade Lieutenant, what part of you are?"
"Hello, Major Sokov." After confirming Sokov's identity, the lieutenant raised his hand to salute him: "General Malining sent me to find you, please come with me." After that, he made a gesture to ask Sokov to get on the car.
"But, Comrade Lieutenant." Sokov turned his head and looked at his subordinates, and said embarrassedly: "If I go with you to see General Malining, what will happen to my troops?"
"Don't worry, my subordinates will take them to the campsite." The lieutenant turned and called a sergeant and told him, "Comrade Sergeant, take the comrades from Istria to the campsite prepared for them."
Arranged the whereabouts of the troops, Sokov followed the lieutenant into the car. He asked the lieutenant who was driving for himself: "Comrade Lieutenant, don't you know where General Malining is?"
Regarding Sokov's question, the lieutenant smiled and said, "Comrade Major, you will know naturally when you arrive at the place."
While the car was driving, the lieutenant glanced at the assault rifle that Sokov held in his arms and asked curiously: "Comrade Major, are you holding the latest submachine gun?"
"No, it's not a submachine gun, it's a new type of assault rifle."
"Assault rifle?" After repeating the word, the lieutenant asked with some confusion: "I have never heard of this weapon, what is it?"
"It's what everyone often calls automatic guns," Sokov saw that the lieutenant knew nothing about this new type of assault rifle, so he took the opportunity to popularize him: "You can shoot targets in a distance like a rifle, and you can shoot continuously like a submachine gun. It is very suitable for trial in close combat, so I call it an assault rifle."
The lieutenant obviously went to the battlefield and had a certain understanding of weapons. After Sokov finished speaking, he asked again: "I don't know what bullets this assault rifle uses, rifle bullets or pistol bullets?"
"The power of the rifle bullet is too great, and the recoil is too great for firing. The power of the pistol bullet is too small and the penetration is not enough." Sokov replied: "This kind of rifle uses a 7.62mm short barrel intermediate power bullet that combines the advantages of rifle bullets and pistol bullets."
Seeing that the lieutenant wanted to continue asking, Sokov quickly interrupted him: "Comrade Lieutenant, this weapon and supporting ammunition are still secrets of our army. I can't say too much. Do you understand?"
The lieutenant who was about to continue to understand this new type of assault rifle, when he heard Sokov say this, he couldn't help but show an embarrassing expression on his face: "I understand, Comrade Major, I just saw that this kind of gun is special, so I asked a few more questions." After pausing for a moment, he asked tentatively, "I want to ask, will this kind of gun be equipped in the army in the future?"
"Yes, comrade Lieutenant, I will definitely do it." Sokov, who came from later generations, was naturally very clear that the low-priced, simple operation and strong structure of AK47 was the most produced and most widely equipped firearm, so he replied without hesitation: "This weapon will sooner or later become the standard weapon of our army."
The jeep driven by the lieutenant drove into a forest and drove forward along a rugged path. He drove forward for a few hundred meters. He parked the car in front of a building with sentries standing guard at the door and window. Then he turned his head to Sokov and said, "Comrade Major, we are here, General Malining is waiting for you."
After thanking the lieutenant, Sokov opened the door and got out of the car. The sentry at the door blocked Sokov's way and asked politely: "Comrade Major, do you have anything to do?"
"Hey, Comrade Sipiakin." Before Sokov's reply, the lieutenant who was about to drive away, shouted at the sentry that stopped Sokov, "This major is a guest of General Malining."
"I'm sorry, Major." When the sentry heard the lieutenant say this, he quickly apologized to Sokov: "I don't know you were invited by General Malining." After that, he put one side of his body aside and made a call. "You walk through the hall and turn right after entering the door. The general's office is in the third room on the right side of the corridor."
Sokov walked into the building, followed the sentry's instructions and arrived at the door of the third room. Malining sat behind a desk in the middle of the room, lowering his head and writing something, without even notice of Sokov's arrival.
Sokov quickly coughed gently, and when Malining raised his head when he heard the sound, he raised his hand to his forehead. According to the regulations, "Comrade Chief of Staff, Major Sokov is ordered to come, please instruct!"
"Misha, you are here." Seeing clearly that the person coming was Sokov, Malinin smiled. He stood up and walked around the table, came over to shake hands with Sokov, and then said apologetically: "I'm sorry, for various reasons, I was unable to provide you with the necessary means of transportation, which made you hike on the road. I'm so sorry."
Perhaps because I was worried about Sokov's bad association, Malining added after a moment of pause: "Although I am about to become the chief of staff of the Front Army, I have not officially taken office yet. Therefore, I do not have the ability to allocate many of the resources within the Front Army, so I hope you can understand."
"Major," seeing that the expression on Sokov's face had not changed, Malining greeted him to the wall, pointed to the map on the wall, and said in a formal tone: "I am ordered to hand over an important task to you."
Sokov looked up at the map on the wall, staring at the red and blue lines representing the Soviet and Germans, and patiently waited for Malining to issue combat orders to him.
Malinin liked Sokov's calm character. He picked up the explanation stick leaning against the wall and pointed to the map and said: "The German troops were rushing towards the Don River. They concentrated their main forces in the southeast direction, and some of the troops carried out north along the west bank of the Don River, trying to expand the breakthrough. However, their attack was stubbornly blocked by Major General Pukhov's 13th Army and General Lidukov's 5th Army.
According to the orders of the Supreme Command, we will carry out counter-assaults against the German army in this area. The 5th Tank Army should cut off the German transportation line advancing to the Don River, and attack them from the rear, crushing their attempt to occupy Voronezh. After discussions with my comrade commander, it was decided that you would lead the Istrian Battalion to intersect the enemy's rear, assist the 5th Tank Army troops and cut off the German transportation line."
After introducing the mission, Malinin looked at Sokov and said, "Major Sokov, this is a difficult and glorious task and a very dangerous task. Do you have any questions?"
"No." As soon as Malining finished speaking, Sokov shook his head and said, "I firmly obey your orders."
"Very good." Malinin was very satisfied with Sokov's attitude. He nodded and continued: "You and the comrades of the Istrian camp, first rest in the camp for one night. When tomorrow morning, I will send you a guide, and he will take you to the rear of the enemy. If you have any requests, you can ask me now. As long as you are within my ability, I will definitely help you solve it."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov had long been thinking about how to replenish the lack of supplies in the Istrian camp. At this moment, he heard Malining say this, and he proposed: "To complete the superior's task, we need to get ammunition and medicine supplies first. Secondly, the radio stations in the camp also need batteries, I hope you can help us solve it."
"No problem," Seeing that Sokov's request was simple, Malining readily agreed, "Before you set out tomorrow, you will get the supplies you deserve."