After Sokov and others left the guerrilla camp, they walked out of the woods, preparing to find the armored vehicles parked there, and use the radio to send out the intelligence Maria had obtained as soon as possible.
As they approached the edge of the woods, they suddenly heard someone in front asking: "Comrade Brigadier, is this you?"
"Yes, it's me." Sokov recognized that the person asking the question was Vamko, and quickly replied: "We are back."
When everyone came to the armored vehicle, Sokov said to Maria: "Comrade Maria, there is a radio in the car. You can send a report directly to the army headquarters." Then he ordered everyone, "Christopher, help Maria.
The rest of you should be on alert."
When Maria started to send the message, Christopher held a flashlight to illuminate her so that she could see clearly what was written on the note in her hand. Sokov sat aside with his hands folded on his chest and stared quietly.
Looking at Maria who was sending the report, he was thinking: Is it really useful to send this vague information back? You must know that the troops of the 62nd and 64th Army have suffered heavy losses now. I am afraid even if Paulus'
The battle plan was placed in front of Chuikov. Without enough troops, he was helpless.
After Maria finished sending the telegram, Sokov picked up a spare German uniform, gave it to Maria, and said to her: "Comrade Maria, put on this German uniform, this will help us pass through Germany smoothly.
Human defense zone." Maria thanked Sokov and took over the German uniform.
While Maria was changing clothes in the car, everyone, including Sokov, got out of the car. Christopher asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade Brigadier, where should we go next?"
"Where else can we go?" Sokov glanced at Kristoff and said strangely: "Of course it is back to Mamayev Heights. Don't you know that the German army's large-scale attack on the city is about to begin?
"
"But, Comrade Brigadier, didn't you say that the weather is cold and you want to get a batch of leather coats to go back?"
Hearing Christopher mention leather jackets, Sokov immediately thought of the wooden pillars Gumuyev had mentioned. At that time, he was considering taking them back to wear for the soldiers on duty at night. Thinking of this, he shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Said: "Forget it, without Gumuyev to lead the way, none of us can find it, so don't think about it."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Maria, wearing a German steel helmet, leaned out from the top of the carriage and said to Sokov outside: "I have changed my clothes, can we go?"
Sokov looked up and then said to the others: "Comrades, get in the car!"
Just when everyone got into the armored vehicle and Vamko was about to start the vehicle, he suddenly heard someone in the distance shouting: "Wait a minute, comrade commander, please wait a minute."
Sokov heard the shouting and quickly ordered Vamko: "Vamko, someone seems to be calling us." After saying that, he stood up, held the side wall of the carriage, and looked in the direction of the sound.
A guerrilla trotted out of the woods. He came to the armored vehicle, looked up at Sokov, and said breathlessly: "Hello, comrade commander! I am a health worker of the guerrillas."
"
Sokov nodded to the health worker and asked: "Comrade health worker, what can I do?"
"It's like this," the health worker quickly explained: "When I just changed Comrade Gumuyev's dressing, I found that the wound was already inflamed, and he also had symptoms of high fever that persisted. If he was not sent to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible, I'm afraid he would
His life is in danger. Therefore, I would like to ask you to send Comrade Gumuyev to the hospital in Stalingrad."
Sokov thought that if Christopher had not broken the wound during the fight with Gumuyev and had not treated it in time, the wound would have become inflamed and the fever would not go away, so he sent Gumuyev to the hospital.
, was obligatory. Thinking of this, he quickly asked the health worker: "Where is Gumuyev?"
"Our soldiers are carrying him here." The health worker replied: "I was worried that you had left, so I came over to greet you first." When Sokov heard this, he thought to himself, you are in the woods.
When he called us, Vamko was preparing to launch the armored vehicle. If he had come a little later, you really wouldn't be able to see us.
While waiting for the four guerrillas to arrive in front of the armored vehicle carrying a stretcher, without waiting for Sokov's instructions, Christopher and others got out of the car and helped carry Gumuyev into the vehicle. After they were settled,
Gumuyev Sokov waved his hands to the guerrillas under the car and said: "Comrades, don't worry, I will definitely send your deputy captain to the hospital safely."
After the armored vehicle started, it drove forward along the road it came from. Ten minutes later, it was already dawn, and there was a fork in the road ahead. Vamko was about to take the road on the left in order to return to the city as soon as possible.
.Unexpectedly, before he could turn around, he heard Gumuyev say from behind: "Take the road on the right."
"Go to the right?" Sokov looked at Gumuyev and asked in confusion: "Comrade Gumuyev, if we take the road on the right, we will be farther and farther away from Stalingrad."
"Comrade Commander," Gumuyev said, trying hard to put a smile on his face: "Didn't I say that there is still a batch of finished clothes stored in the fur factory where I used to work? Now that you are here,
, we might as well go and take those clothes back to the city."
"Comrade Brigadier, we cannot let down Comrade Gumuyev's kindness." Before Sokov could express his stance, Christopher took the initiative and said, "Why don't we just take a trip?"
Seeing that several subordinates in the carriage were looking at him expectantly, and Sokov was also interested in the batch of finished furs, he did not object, but nodded and said: "Since
If that’s the case, then we’ll take the road on the right.”
The armored vehicle turned onto the road on the right and drove forward for four or five kilometers. Sokov suddenly found that this road seemed to slow down exceptionally. German tanks and trucks pulling artillery were slowly moving forward along the road.
Groups of infantrymen walked on one side of the road to make way for tanks and trucks.
"What the hell." Seeing this situation, Sokov couldn't help but tremble in his heart. He actually broke into the middle of the Germans unknowingly. He thought with some guilt: "What if some officer passing by had a whim?"
, if you stop your armored vehicle for inspection, won’t everything be ruined?”
Fortunately, what everyone was worried about did not happen. After driving forward for a while, a fork road appeared leading to the side. Gumuyev whispered to Sokov: "Drive through that fork road and you can reach it.
The fur processing factory where I used to work."
When the armored vehicle drove onto the side road, away from the marching German troops, everyone in the vehicle sighed in unison. Christopher smiled bitterly and said: "When so many German soldiers passed by us just now, my
I was sweating in my hands, thinking that if the Germans discovered me, I would shoot immediately without hesitation. Killing one would be enough, and killing two would be profitable..."
In order to liven up the atmosphere in the car, Sokov deliberately said to Gumuyev: "Comrade Gumuyev, I think you have also seen how much risk we have taken here.
If we don’t find the fur clothes we want, it will be a real loss.”
"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Gumuyev said with a red face: "I promise you, no matter whether you can enter the fur processing factory or not, I will not let you go in vain."
Listening to Gumuyev speaking so confidently, Sokov couldn't help but start to wonder: Gumuyev secretly hid a batch of clothes somewhere in advance, otherwise he would not dare to say such confident words.
The armored vehicle drove forward for some distance, and a small village appeared in front. Gumuyev said loudly before Sokov could ask questions: "Don't enter the village, go around outside the village, you will see it soon."
That fur processing factory."
After bypassing the village, everyone saw a processing factory surrounded by a red brick wall in front of them. Probably to prevent someone from entering and stealing, there was actually a barbed wire fence on it. Before the car could get closer, Sokov's heart
I understand that it is almost impossible to get to the warehouse of the processing factory to take out the more than one hundred fur wooden blocks.
It may be that a certain level of the German army's command organization took a fancy to this processing plant and converted it into a headquarters. In addition to the crossbar and sandbag fortifications at the entrance of the factory door, there are also two groups of patrol dogs patrolling outside the wall.
german soldier.
When the car passed twenty or thirty meters away from the factory gate, Sokov asked Samoylov: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, what kind of headquarters do you think this is for the German army?"
"There are four antennas on the roof." Although the armored vehicle drove past the factory gate for a short time, Samoilov still observed many useful details: "There were two cars and several three-wheelers parked in the yard.
A motorcycle. In my estimation, this is at least a division-level headquarters."
"What, there is a division-level headquarters here?" Christopher couldn't help but his eyes lit up when he heard this, and then suggested to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, since we are already here, we might as well take the risk,
Rush in at full speed and take down this German command post."
Sokov did not speak, but reached out and touched Christopher's forehead. Then he said: "Comrade Lieutenant, I see you don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense?" He snorted softly and added,
"Do you think the German division headquarters is so easy to fight? Don't look at it. There are only a few of us. If we attack a headquarters guarded by nearly a hundred people, we will die. Do you understand?" Soko was beaten.
Christopher, who was criticized by his husband, could only keep his mouth shut obediently.
Samoylov on the side nodded and said: "Comrade Brigadier made a very accurate judgment. Based on the area of the processing plant, the German security force has at least one company. Not to mention that we are riding in armored vehicles.
Even if you drive a tank, you may not be able to attack it."
"Oh, what a pity." Sokov turned his head and glanced at the processing plant farther and farther away, and said with great regret: "I didn't expect that the Germans actually used this place as a headquarters. It seems that we want to go in to get wood.
Tun's plan has all come to naught."
"Comrade Commander," Gumuyev heard what Sokov said and replied with some embarrassment: "Actually, I still have some wooden blocks hidden elsewhere for use by the guerrillas. But from the current situation
Judging from the situation, I may not be able to return to the army for a long time, so I think I will give these wooden pillars to you."
After Sokov learned that Gumuyev had really hidden a batch of wooden blocks, he couldn't help but be overjoyed and quickly asked: "Comrade Gumuyev, I wonder where those wooden blocks are now?"
"In the small village I just passed by, I hid in an old lady's house at the east end of the village." Gumuyev said to Sokov: "The armored vehicle does not need to turn around, just keep driving forward. After crossing a small river,
Turn right and drive down the road, and we will be able to return to the small village we just came from."
Following Gumuyev's instructions, the armored vehicle returned to the east end of the small village and stopped at the entrance of the village. After seeing the vehicle stop, Gumuyev said to Christopher next to him: "Comrade, please help me."
I'll get off."
Christopher and Samoilov, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Gumuyev out of the car. Gumuyev pointed to a wooden house not far away and said, "That's the house."
Several people came to the front of the house. Gumuyev pushed open the ajar wooden gate with his hand, staggered in, and then weakly shouted: "Gina, is Gina at home?"
"Who is it?" Following Gumuyev's shout, an old voice came from the room.
"It's me, Gumuyev." Gumuyev quickly replied: "Aunt Zina, I came to see you specifically today."
The door opened, and an elderly woman as strong as a cow walked out. When she saw a group of Germans standing in the yard, she couldn't help being frightened. Fortunately, Gumuyev greeted her in time:
"Aunt Gina, it's me."
After hearing the familiar voice, Aunt Zina looked at Gumuyev carefully for a long time before she recognized that it was indeed Gumuyev. She couldn't help but asked in surprise: "I said Gumuyev, why are you wearing this?"
German military uniform?”
"We are performing a special mission." Gumuyev briefly explained, and then continued: "Aunt Zina, we are here today to pick up the wooden pillars that were stored here last time."
When Aunt Zina heard what Gumuyev said, she shook her head and said: "Since Germans often come to the village, I was worried that they would find my clothes, so I hid them in the woodshed. Come with me!"
Gina led everyone to the door of the woodshed. She turned to Gumuyev and said: "The clothes are behind the pile of wood. You can get them yourself."
After Gumuyev waited for Gina to finish speaking, he turned to Sokov and said: "Comrade commander, you heard it, right? The clothes are hidden behind the firewood. You can ask your men to move them out."
