The Chief of Staff looked at the officer's back as he left, and said to Pupchenko with concern: "Comrade Commander, the troops of the first battalion have been withdrawn for no reason, which may cause our defense to collapse. Look, will you report this matter to the division commander immediately..."
Before the Chief of Staff of the regiment finished speaking, Papuchinko immediately realized that it was inappropriate to send an ordinary officer to stop the troops from retreating. In this case, only by taking action in person can the troops be prevented from continuing to retreat. Thinking of this, he said to the Chief of Staff of the regiment: "Chief of Staff, I'll leave this to you to take responsibility. I'll stop the troops."
After giving this order, Papchinko did not wait for the Chief of Staff of the regiment to speak, and ran towards the defeated army with a pistol. The Chief of Staff of the regiment was afraid that something might happen to him, so he quickly called two guards to follow him to protect his safety.
"Stop!" Papuqinko rushed to the road and found that the officer he had sent to find a battalion commander was already squeezed aside by the panicked soldiers. He shouted to the troops that were retreating: "Stop it all!" However, the soldiers who were already panicked could not hear his shouts, and were still retreating backwards.
Papchinko raised his gun and fired two shots upwards. The huge echo of the bullet hitting the top of the sewer alarmed the retreating soldiers. They stopped and looked around in a daze, trying to figure out where the gun was being fired.
Seeing the soldiers stopping one after another, Papuchinko raised his voice and asked in a stern tone: "Who told you to retreat!"
The soldiers crowded in the passage and looked at each other. After a while, one of the soldiers spoke, "It was the battalion commander who ordered us to retreat."
Hearing someone speak, the soldiers around him also echoed: "That's right, the regiment commander ordered us to retreat."
Papchinko asked with a dark face, "Where is your battalion commander?"
The first battalion commander who was following the crowd originally wanted to get away with the crowd, but was discovered by the soldiers beside him: "The battalion commander is here!"
Seeing that he was recognized, the first battalion commander could only grit his teeth and come to Papchinko, and asked calmly: "Comrade Commander, what instructions do you have?"
"Say, why did you order the troops to retreat?" Papuqinko pointed his gun at the battalion commander and asked viciously: "Did you forget Order No. 227 and don't know if you want to retreat without authorization to go to the military court?"
"Captain, you... don't be angry." Looking at the pistol pressing against his forehead, the first battalion commander said nervously: "There is a reason for my order to retreat."
“What’s the reason?”
"The enemy who rushed into the sewer is equipped with flamethrowers. Whenever they encounter resistance, they will use flamethrowers to spray flames." The first battalion commander stuttered: "Even if the resistance soldiers are not burned to death by the flames, they will suffocate due to lack of oxygen. I have to order the troops to retreat in order to preserve the strength of the troops!"
"I misread you, you cowardly, afraid of death." Papchinko said, and was about to pull the trigger.
Although the Chief of Staff of the regiment sent two soldiers to take charge of Pupichenko's safety, he heard the gunshots in the passage and was worried that something would happen to Pupichenko, so he hurried over and saw Pupichenko want to shoot the first battalion commander, so he rushed over and lifted his hand up. The bullets that were out of the air hit the wall of the sewer pipe above his head, and the splashed gravel hit the soldiers' helmets below.
"Comrade Commander, don't be impulsive. The first battalion commander ordered the troops to retreat without authorization. He should be punished, but I think someone should be sent to the division commander to deal with it." The Chief of Staff of the regiment was worried that Papuqinko's shooting of the first battalion commander in public would affect the morale of the troops, so he hurried out to smooth things over: "Our current priority is to order the troops to return to their original positions and continue to resist the enemy's attack."
Hearing the persuasion of the regiment chief of staff, Papuqinko realized that he could not deal with the first battalion commander here, otherwise it would affect the morale of the troops. He called the officer just now and told him: "Take two soldiers, take the first battalion commander to the duty room at the factory gate, and hand him over to the division commander for disposal."
After the officer took the first battalion commander away, Papuchinko shouted loudly at the hundreds of soldiers in the passage: "Comrades, if the enemy successfully passes through our defense, then the Red October workers behind us will not be able to defend. Now, I order you to return to your original defensive position immediately and prevent the enemy from moving forward."
After shouting these words, Papuqinko was particularly angry when he saw the soldiers standing still. Just as he was about to take off, the Chief of Staff of the regiment said first: "Corps of each company come and gather, the regiment commander will assign tasks to you."
The three company commanders in the crowd heard the shouts of the regiment chief of staff and did not dare to neglect them. They hurriedly rushed towards the location where Papuqinko was, preparing to accept the orders given to him by the regiment commander himself.
Because the first battalion commander led his troops to retreat without authorization, the area in which the battalion was responsible for defense was quickly occupied by the German army. Some soldiers stayed in the ruins of the building did not receive the order to retreat, and did not know that the sewer under their feet had been occupied by the German army. As a result, the German soldiers coming out of the sewer were beaten to no avail. After a battle, the soldiers stayed in the ruins either died and became prisoners of the German army.
Sokov, who was staying in the observation center of the fighter camp, saw that soldiers were taken out of the ruins by the German army from time to time, and his face showed a surprised expression. Ballsak, who was standing beside him, was also puzzled: "Comrade Colonel, what happened? Why did so many soldiers become prisoners of the Germans? I just counted it, and there were at least thirty people."
"It's a hell." Sokov picked up the phone on the pillar and said to the microphone: "Operator, get me the command post of the 122nd Regiment immediately."
After the phone was connected, Sokov heard an unfamiliar voice and frowned and asked, "I am Sokov, who are you?"
"Hello, Comrade Commander." The Chief of Staff of the regiment heard the call from the division commander himself, and quickly replied respectfully: "I am the Chief of Staff of the regiment."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov looked at the soldiers who were captured in the distance and asked dissatisfiedly: "What happened to you? Why did I see many soldiers becoming prisoners of the enemy?"
Although the chief of staff of the regiment did not see the scene of the soldiers being captured by the enemy, when he heard Sokov say this, he immediately understood what was going on. He didn't know whether Papuqinko led his troops back to his original defensive position, so hesitated how to report to Sokov.
Hearing that there was no sound in the microphone, Sokov's dissatisfaction increased a little more. He raised his voice and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, why don't you speak?"
"Report to the division commander!" Hearing the division commander's anger, the regiment chief of staff replied awkwardly: "Not long ago, the enemy entered the sewer from the defense zone of the first battalion. However, the first battalion commander led the troops to retreat without asking for instructions, resulting in the defense zone of the battalion being occupied by the enemy. I guess those captured soldiers should have been stuck in the ruins on the ground, because they did not know that the underground troops had retreated, so they were caught off guard by the enemy."
The explanation of the Chief of Staff of the regiment made Sokov understand the reason why the warrior was captured. When he thought of the initiator, Sokov was furious, and he asked angrily: "Comrade Chief of Staff, where is that battalion commander? I want to send such a coward who is greedy and afraid of death to the military court and let him accept the punishment he deserves."
"I have sent someone to take him to you." The chief of staff of the regiment said carefully: "I believe you will see the first battalion commander in a while."
"Where is Lieutenant Colonel Papuchinko?" Sokov thought that he had never heard Papuchinko's voice and was worried that the other party would be embarrassed to talk to him, so he ordered the Chief of Staff of the regiment: "Let him talk to me."
"Sorry, comrade Commander, the regiment commander may not be able to speak with you for the time being." The regiment chief of staff reported to Sokov: "The regiment commander led the troops to the west, and he said he would see with his own eyes the lost defense zone was taken back."
"Nonsense, it's simply nonsense." Sokov said loudly at the microphone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, just leave these things to the commander below. How can he, a regiment commander, take risks? I'll order you now to send someone to bring back Lieutenant Colonel Papchinko immediately. Do you understand?"
"I understand, comrade of the division commander." The chief of staff of the regiment knew that he could not persuade Papchinko to come back, but now that the commander's order was another matter, he could send someone to call the regiment commander back with justification. He quickly straightened his body and replied, "I will send someone to bring the regiment commander back immediately."
After putting down the phone, Sokov turned his head and said to Samoilov who was standing outside the door: "Lieutenant, let's go back to the duty room at the entrance of the factory. Lieutenant Colonel Papuqinko will send an officer who escaped in the last battle over here. You are responsible for sending him to the Army Command."
"What, escape at the last moment?" Not only Samoilov was stunned when he heard Sokov say this, but also Baulshak was stunned: "Comrade Colonel, I really didn't expect that there would be people in your army who were afraid of death."
"The forest is big, and there are all kinds of birds." Sokov sneered and said, "There are so many people in the army, and there are brave and fearless heroes, so there are naturally cowards who are afraid of life and death. Let's go, Lieutenant Samoilov, let's go back to the duty room now."
As soon as Sokov walked into the duty room, before he could talk to Zinchenko who was staying inside, he heard someone shouting a report at the door, and said without looking back: "Come in!"
A second lieutenant walked into the duty room, raised his hand to salute Sokov, and reported: "Report to the division commander, I am the combat staff of the 122nd Guards Regiment, and I am ordered to send the first battalion commander to you."
Sokov walked to the table and sat down, and ordered at the combat staff: "Bring him in!"
The combat staff agreed, walked to the door and said to the outside, "Bring people in!"
Zinchenko was confused by what happened. He stared at a major who was escorted by two soldiers and walked in dejectedly from the door, and asked Sokov in a low voice: "Comrade Colonel, what happened?"
Sokov had no time to pay attention to Zinchenko, but stared at the major who was taken in and asked angrily: "Tell me, major, why did you order the troops to retreat without authorization? It almost turned out to be a big mistake!"
"What, he ordered the troops to retreat without authorization?" Zinchenko said in surprise: "When did this happen? Why don't I know at all?"
"Do you know that because you ordered the troops to retreat without authorization, the enemy quickly occupied many areas controlled by your battalion." Sokov pointed at the other party and continued: "Because the soldiers who were staying in the ruins of the ground did not receive the order to retreat, they did not know that the enemy had occupied the area under their feet, so they were caught off guard by the enemy who came out of the sewer. Now many soldiers have been sacrificed or captured, and you have to bear the main responsibility for such consequences."
Although Sokov did not answer Zinchenko's question, from his words, Zinchenko had already understood what was going on. He stared at the poor major and thought in disgust: I really didn't expect that this major was a coward who was afraid of death. He could not be polite to such people. Even if they were not shot on the spot, they should be sent to the military court and let them accept the punishment they deserve.
"Comrade Commander, I was wrong." The first battalion commander said in a crying voice: "I am willing to make up for my process. Please give me a chance to redeem my sins."
"I'll give you a chance?" Sokov sneered, slapped the table hard, and then stood up and said, "Who will give the sacrificed soldiers a chance to be reborn? Lieutenant Samoilov immediately took him away, not wanting to see this disgusting face again." The words he said to Samoilov standing at the door.
When Samoilov heard Sokov call himself, he hurried into the duty room and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, what should I do with him? Should I drag him out and shoot him?"
It would be no exaggeration to shoot him immediately for the mistakes made by the first battalion commander. However, Sokov did not want to shoot a school-level officer at such a time, especially in the defense areas of a friendly army, which would have a different impact on the morale of the army. Therefore, he ordered Samoilov: "Take a few soldiers and take him to the army headquarters and hand him over to the military and legal department for trial. What should be done, the superiors will naturally arrange it."
After Samoilov took his men to take the first battalion commander away, Sokov looked at the combat staff and said, "Comrade Staff, please go back and tell Lieutenant Colonel Papuchinko. If something similar happens again, he will wait to go to the military court."
"Yes, Comrade Commander." After hearing what Sokov said, the combat staff quickly replied loudly: "I will convey your words to the regiment commander."
"Okay, there's nothing you have to do here." Sokov waved his hand to the combat staff and said, "Go back to your troops."