Chapter 622 The Road to Return to the City (Middle)
After Sergei patiently waited for Sokov to finish the work, he urged him: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this place is a bit far from the Front Command, so you might as well set off early."
Sokov nodded after hearing this, then looked at him and asked, "Comrade Major, I want to ask, where can I find transportation to the Front Command?"
I thought Sergei would immediately arrange for someone to prepare vehicles for him, but the other party shook his head and said to Sokov with an apology: "I'm sorry, comrade Lieutenant Colonel. Although there are vehicles in the town that will be heading towards the headquarters from time to time, I have no right to mobilize these vehicles."
"What, you don't have the right to mobilize the vehicle?" Sokov couldn't help frowning when he heard the other party say this and asked, "Comrade Major, aren't you responsible for the security of the town?"
"Yes, my superiors did order me to be responsible for the security of the town." Sergei replied with a wry smile: "But in this town, except for the sailors and soldiers under his command, no one in the army listened to me. If you want to take a car, you can go directly to the side of the road to take a ride. Maybe the driver will stop and take a ride when you see that you are also from the army."
Sokov felt very sympathetic about Sergei's situation. He did not make things difficult for the other party anymore, so he took Samoilov and Guchakov to the side of the road outside the town, and patiently waited for the passing vehicles to see if he could take a ride.
The driver passing by saw three officers stopping the car on the side of the road, and they took the initiative to stop and ask Sokov where he was going. Unfortunately, most of the vehicles were heading to the next ferry. Finally, a truck heading to the headquarters was transporting the wounded. Looking at the crowded wounded in the carriage, Sokov was embarrassed to compete for a seat with the wounded, so he waved his hand and let the car leave.
After waiting for a while, the three of them still didn't wait for the car. Samoilov suggested to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, it's not a big deal for us to wait for the car here. Who knows when there will be a car to the headquarters. Anyway, it's only a few kilometers away from the headquarters, and even if we walk for an hour, we might as well walk over."
Seeing that there was no suitable ride, Sokov had been impatient for a long time. When he heard Samoilov's proposal, he nodded and said, "Let's go, maybe I can get a ride on the ride halfway."
As the three of them walked forward along the simple road, Samoilov asked Sokov curiously: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I want to ask, we can obviously take a barge down the river and go directly to Mamayevgang. Why do we have to go to Red October Town first, then down the river and cross the river to the next ferry?"
Sokov remembered that when he was discussing the route with Vanya and Shamricht, Samoilov and Guchakov were not around, so he naturally didn't know why such a decision was made. Just as he was walking on the road at this moment, there was nothing wrong with Sokov explained the reasons for choosing this route to the two in detail.
As soon as he finished speaking, a truck came from behind him. Seeing three commanders walking on the side of the road, the driver quickly slowed down and honked the horn a few times to attract Sokov and the others' attention.
Sokov turned his head and saw the truck behind him. It was an empty car. He couldn't help but look surprised. He was about to ask the driver where the car was driving, but the driver spoke first: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, where are you going?"
"We are going to the Front Command!" Sokov asked bluntly: "Comrade Driver, where is your car heading?"
"Come on the way, Lieutenant Colonel. My car drove to the headquarters." The driver said with a smile: "If you don't dislike it, please get in."
The three of them were naturally overjoyed to be able to ride here. Seeing Sokov sitting in the bridge, Samoilov and Guchakov consciously climbed into the rear car. After sitting down, Samoilov raised his hand and slapped the top of the bridge twice, and said loudly: "Drive!"
The driver was too lonely to drive alone. It was rare for someone to sit in the cab with him. Finally, he found the object of congratulations. So as soon as the car started, he asked Sokov curiously: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, where did you come from?"
"We came from Red October town," Sokov replied briefly.
"No, no, you misunderstood what I mean." The driver shook his head and said, "I know you came from Red October Town. I mean, where did you come to the town."
Sokov felt that the driver was a rap warrior and did not want to reveal too many secrets to him, so he said with a stern face: "Comrade Warrior, have you not learned the confidentiality regulations and don't know what to ask and what not to ask?"
Sokov's words made the driver honest for a moment, but not long after, the driver couldn't help it again. He kept looking at Sokov with the corners of his eyes and asked tentatively: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are you coming down from the battlefield?"
Before Sokov could answer, he asked and answered himself: "You will definitely ask me how you guessed that you came down from the battlefield. In fact, there is no need to guess this. I can smell the smoke on you even when I sit beside you."
"Does there smell of gunpowder on my body?" Sokov instinctively raised his left hand, put his sleeve closer to his nose and smelled it. There seemed to be nothing else except sweat: "No, why didn't I smell gunpowder?"
Seeing Sokov as surprised as he expected, the driver said proudly: "There are at least hundreds or thousands of people in my car. Which are recruits and which are veterans who have experienced many battles, I can tell at a glance. When I see your outfit, I know that you are still fighting against the Germans on the battlefield yesterday."
Sokov originally thought the driver was a chatterbox and was reluctant to pay attention to him, but after hearing what he said, he suddenly realized that the driver was still a talented person, so he had the idea to dig him up: "Comrade Driver, what's your name? How many years have you been a soldier?"
"My name is Sayers, and I just put on my military uniform last month." The driver replied: "Although I don't have a long military experience, I am an old driver. I drove a bus in Stalingrad for six years before the war."
"Sayes," Sokov felt that if such a person was recruited into his guard battalion, he would definitely be used for a big purpose, so he asked tentatively: "I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. Are you interested in coming to our brigade?"
"I don't want to!" Sayes shook his head and said.
Seeing that the other party rejected his proposal, Sokov asked curiously: "Why?"
"I am from Stalingrad, and I want to do my best to defend this city." When the driver said this, he turned his head to look at Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, since your troops have been withdrawn from the battlefield, it means you will be transferred to the rear for rest. If I join you, I may be far away from this city, and I will not be able to see with my own eyes the enemy attacking the city being defeated by us."
"Sayes, you've only guessed half of it just now." Sokov said to him with a smile: "My troops have indeed come down from the battlefield, but we are not going to retreat to the rear to rest, but we are going to drive back into the city and continue fighting the Germans. How about it, do you want to join my troops now?"
"Lt. Colonel, I don't understand." Sayes was confused by Sokov's words, and asked in confusion: "Since you still have to fight the Germans and don't transfer you to the rear for revision, why should you be removed from the battlefield?"
Since the driver has not expressed his opinion yet, Sokov naturally would not tell him the truth, but instead said, "When you become one of us, I will tell you the answer."
The truck entered the front command's headquarters and passed through the long street. The driver parked the car outside a house with wooden fences and sandbags fortifications. He stopped beside the building with sentries standing guard at the door. Then he turned his head and said to Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the headquarters has arrived!"
After Sokov got off the bus, he first expressed his gratitude to the driver Sayers, and at the same time asked: "Sayers, are you really unwilling to join my army?"
"This," Sayers replied with some embarrassment when he heard Sokov's question, "I need to think about it."
"It's okay, you think about it slowly." Sokov said generously: "Come and come to me after you have considered it." After that, he took Samoilov and Guchakov into the building.
As soon as he walked into the building, a major came towards him, reached out to block Sokov's way, and asked expressionlessly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are you doing anything?"
"Hello, Comrade Major." Although the other party's military rank was lower than his, Sokov raised his hand and saluted the other party, and said politely: "I was ordered to meet the commander and the military commissioner."
After a bit of surprise, the major looked at Sokov and asked back: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, your name and position."
"Sokov, brigade commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade." Sokov replied in a humble manner: "I was ordered to come here to meet the commander of the front army and the military committee member."
The major obviously knew the news that Sokov was coming. After hearing his own report, he smiled on his face: "It turns out that you are Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. I have been waiting for you for a long time. Please come with me!"
Sokov turned around and left after seeing the major saying, and quickly accelerated his pace and followed. Unexpectedly, the major stopped, looked at Samoilov and Guchakov behind Sokov, and said to Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, please hand over your weapons to your subordinates. I am ordered to take you alone to meet the commander and military commissioner."
Hearing the Major's order, Sokov handed over the assault rifle and pistol he carried with him to Samoilov without hesitation, and then said to the two of them: "You two will stay here and wait for me."