Tepunov immediately explained his purpose of coming, and he estimated that these people would happily agree.
Ivansky, the village leader and captain of the guerrilla brigade, burst into tears: "Thank you so much. When we get to the swamps in the south, we can always have enough to eat? In winter, no one will suffer from the cold?"
"
"Of course, we have plenty of food and clothing, and we even have briquettes. When you arrive in our guerrilla republic, you will be led by a collective farm, and everything will return to life as before. We soldiers will protect your safety."
Ivansky had not known about the so-called guerrilla republic before. Listening to the officer's tempting promise, he wished he could take the villagers to escape from this swamp tonight and rush to the happy land in the south.
These guerrillas are all people with integrity, and Ivansky does not want to simply leave. Besides, he saw these soldiers with live ammunition generously contributing a large amount of food. This was the first time for everyone to eat in months.
After a full meal, many people even burp.
With such great sincerity, Ivansky felt uncomfortable simply leaving, so he suggested: "Sir, I don't think we can simply leave. The troops you are leading are ordered to attack Loyev.
In this case, I can bring my people to join you. Even though it is only a small amount, it can be regarded as repaying your kindness."
"Ah?" Tepunov didn't know how to answer for a moment. He looked at the villagers, especially the armed guerrillas. If these people were very strong, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add them to the brigade temporarily.
However, the condition of the armed men was dire.
Tepunov politely declined: "Dear village chief, you are willing to fight for the motherland immediately. I am moved by the fighting spirit of you and your soldiers!"
"Really! So you agreed?"
"No! I refuse. Look at the weapons of your soldiers. Many of them are equipped with old-fashioned muskets. What we are fighting is not Napoleon's army, but the German army and those traitors. I welcome you to join the army of the motherland.
You have received formal military training, and you have to eat and drink well to build up your muscles before you can join the war."
Ivansky sighed: "Well, what you said makes sense. We are indeed so weak that we can only be passively beaten. We are desperately trying to hide and hide, but when will it end! Fortunately, you are here.
.”
Tepunov nodded: "Of course, I am opposed to your people going to fight in person. I am not opposed to you providing a group of guides."
"Guide? Of course you can, but what do you want a guide to do?"
"Of course you need to know the battlefield, especially this swamp."
At this moment, Tepunov had many problems, especially some information that Rechev learned from the guerrilla team leader. After some careful consideration, Tepunov realized that there was a big story in it.
For example, how did they steal the enemy's arsenal and get some explosives? Since they can drop explosives, they must have no problem stealing military rations.
It was impossible for them to walk across the bridge in a big way. They probably crossed the Dnieper River and penetrated into the city after reaching the other side of the river.
Tepunov asked: "You don't seem to be just being beaten passively. You blew up the enemy's train. Where did your explosives come from? As far as I know, they were stolen from the enemy's arsenal."
Ivansky responded cautiously: "It is indeed stealing from the enemy. We made some rafts, usually used as fishing tools, and we also tried to cross the river to steal food. We found that the enemy's food warehouse and ammunition depot were placed in the basement
, we only stole some explosives and not any food. In this operation, five of us died."
"Their granaries and ammunition depots are all underground, which is really unexpected." Tepunov became emotional. "Tell me, when did you steal it? How much food and ammunition did the enemy have?"
Ivansky could only estimate. He speculated that the food would be enough to feed all the enemies for a week. Because he had gone deep into the enemy's ammunition depot, he knew that the enemy did not have any heavy weapons. "I learned that the enemy had some large-caliber mortars.
It looks like there are three or four doors. The rest are mostly bullets and grenades, as well as some explosive packs. The enemy’s armed capabilities are not strong, so you will definitely be able to defeat them easily!"
"Of course, it is not only about liberating Loyev, but also about destroying enemy reinforcements as much as possible." Tepunov muttered a few words and ordered someone to record the old man's important information.
After all, these people were all controlled by the troops. They had great hatred and bitterness, and there would never be any traitors among them. Therefore, Tepunov briefly explained his plan to the old man.
His words were concise and comprehensive, and he summed it up in one sentence: Ambush here, and when the enemy suddenly appears, cross the river and attack in large numbers.
"We know nothing about the hydrology in this area, and the enemy must not have known about it accidentally. We will ambush at least two thousand elites here, and we must be able to quickly cross the river and reach the right bank of the river. How many rafts do you have now? How many rafts can you carry?
How many people are there? What is the average water depth of the Dnieper River in this area? Are there shoals? Can we swim across it?"
To this end, Ivansky reported one by one.
There are only five rafts owned by this guerrilla group, and the material is red pine. Pine trees are rich in rosin, which makes them easier to float. In addition, the trunks are very straight. Compared with birch and beech trees, pine trees are actually a better material for rafts.
They not only used red pine to make rafts, but also used this material to build houses. Considering the actual needs, the guerrillas made nine rafts, each of which was small.
Ivansky said with some worry: "A raft can carry up to five people. I see that your troops are carrying a heavy load. Maybe the raft can only carry two or three people."
"It seems we have to hurry up!"
After some negotiations, the guerrillas fully understood the intentions of this Soviet army, and they admired its bravery and surprise.
For paratroopers, the bodies of these soldiers are extremely strong. The large troops of the paratrooper brigade have set up camp and are now stationed in their respective defense areas. Most of them are sleeping drowsily, while a few sentries are alert to any abnormal noises in the surrounding forest.
The reason why Camp Rechev was sent deep into the swamp was because this camp had the best rest.
All friendly forces are taking the time to sleep and recharge their batteries for the battle ahead.
Camp Reichev responded in its own way - large-scale tree felling.
Tepunov issued a fatal order: "All officers and soldiers in the battalion, each squad must build a raft enough for the entire squad to cross the river before dawn! If any squad builds the right raft, I will personally ask the commander for credit."
"
The soldiers of the Reichev Battalion did not have the slightest objection to the assault on building a raft. Even the soldiers at the grassroots level were clearly aware of their position in this battle - probably at the center of the battlefield.
Perhaps, whether or not the enemy's reinforcements can be completely wiped out will largely depend on whether the parachute brigade, a surprise force, can attack decisively.
The guerrillas had ample experience in building rafts from existing vines and pine trees. Ivansky selected twenty capable men who would serve as guides for the paratrooper brigade and now became "raft engineers."
Finally, when the sky was blue, Reichev, out of breath, tired and unwilling, handed over an exciting answer sheet to his brigade commander.
There are a total of twenty-five rafts, each of which is enough to carry six fully armed soldiers, or the equivalent of a load of 500 kilograms.