The recruitment effort was a great success, and Balzen felt that he had fulfilled his needs.
For the 324th Division, what the division needs most is communications troops. As for the so-called artillery sighters, there is not much demand for them.
He selected 60 people from the No. 1 Middle School alone, which was a great opportunity to catch all the outstanding talents.
By two o'clock in the afternoon, Balzen's work was completed, and immediately afterwards, there was a small dinner waiting for him.
There is a separate small restaurant in the cafeteria, where the school often entertains important visitors.
Principal Petrov is not a good teacher. He is a Russian after all and should love to drink.
Including representatives from the draft committee and the military region, only eight people gathered around the dining table.
Everyone drank it down in one gulp, and Petrov immediately asked the key question: "What do you think? These new recruits."
"They are very promising." Balzen only thought that the principal was talking nonsense. "There are still some aftermath problems, and that is the work of your school."
"Yes, I will sign their graduation certificate immediately. According to our agreement, they can leave for your military camp in three days at the latest."
"Very well, my time is very precious. I have nothing more to say. Let's raise a toast."
Balzen did not drink much on this day, and he also explained to Principal Petrov the upcoming arrival of his comrades.
Therefore, the students who were unsuccessful today still have the opportunity to recruit into the army, but they will not serve in the 324th Division.
They work part-time to take away all the top students in school! So what can be done? Students have great enthusiasm to join the army.
The part-time job the principal drank was a few glasses of bitter wine. The three teachers took turns selecting talents. Next year's tenth-grade graduates will inevitably plummet.
Not only that! Those boys who are now seventeen years old, Petrov knows the emotions of these people very well.
When they reach adulthood, they may all take the initiative to go to the open-air registration office in the city to register their names, and then go to the battlefield as volunteers.
Night was approaching in Perm, and Balzen had already invited Natasha to the military hotel where he and his party were staying.
It was also the first time for Natasha to come to this hotel built for military officers.
Let’s talk about the hotel in Perm. It is an old building built in the Tsarist Russia era.
In fact, at that time, it was a hotel for military personnel, and it is still used today.
However, the authorities still made some changes to it. The outer marble decoration could not be moved, a red star was erected on the roof, and the original ornate gilded decoration inside was recycled. A small amount of gold used in the decoration was also smelted into gold ingots by the authorities who were once in financial difficulty.
Its interior became very plain, but for a soldier this was just right.
Simple and tidy, just like a military camp.
In an independent small restaurant, Balzen and his party, as members of the 324th Division, are hosting a banquet for Speroskina, the hero of the Soviet Union.
The atmosphere really embarrassed this battle-hardened girl.
Although she had been assigned to Balzen's subordinates many times and participated in many battles, she had never accepted a banquet from her former boss with a very "high-ranking" reputation like today.
Natasha felt very uncomfortable, it would be different if General Berekov was sitting here.
She asked shyly: "Comrade Battalion Commander, will you stay here in the next few days?"
"Of course. Natasha, you can call me comrade division commander now. General Berekov also boarded the military column today, and he will arrive soon. He will probably rest here at that time, and you can follow him carefully at that time.
Let’s talk to him.”
"Of course, I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with him."
Natasha sat cautiously and obediently, with her long braid tied behind her head. She had all the beauty of a Russian girl.
The entourage brought by Balzen only recently learned about such a young Soviet hero, a very young girl, from the newspapers.
Now I actually saw her in person, sitting in front of everyone.
Then Youyou couldn't help but joke: "Comrade Commander, she...she is really the hero who killed 403 enemies."
"No!" Balzen said casually, and then sighed meaningfully: "That stingy Salinchkin can't make more statistics. There are obviously many records submitted, so he can't make more statistics."
The followers immediately heard the clues.
"So, her record is not only 403?"
"Of course." Balzen said seriously: "Sergey, don't underestimate her."
"No, Comrade Commander, that's not what I meant."
Balzen shrugged: "She is a very strong person. If you include unstatistical records, her record can be as high as 600. You must not underestimate her because of her beautiful appearance. I am sure that if it is arm wrestling,
, I’m afraid none of you sitting here can be her opponent, but I am more confident myself.”
Natasha actually enjoyed being praised and pointed at by others. Who doesn't like to hear compliments?
Besides, Uncle Balzen mentioned a very embarrassing thing.
Natasha was never satisfied with the fact that she killed 403 enemies. It was not even a fact, it was an "official fact" that was far from the truth.
In the battlefield, it is difficult to confirm that a sniper has killed an enemy on the spot. Many times it seems that the enemy has been killed, but in fact the enemy is pretending to be dead, or is just injured. Among Natasha's achievements, the evidence is these 403.
There are at least nearly 300 suspected cases in those documents, as well as more vaguely described injury cases.
So when it came to statistics, Salinchkin made certain reservations. After all, if he reported to his superiors that a girl killed 600 enemies, would his superiors accept it? This data is too outrageous!
In fact, out of the urgent need to create a hero and boost morale, the Soviet army did not further review Natasha's combat information. Instead, based on Salinchkin's higher position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they directly determined that his investigation was the final result.
.
At this point, Balzen said casually: "Natasha, I feel like you have lost weight."
Then, he snapped his fingers and ordered: "Sergey, Alexander, please bring those two linen bags to the table."
After being carried to the temporarily empty dining table with two large sacks, Balzen immediately picked up his waist with great pride: "Dear Comrade Speroskina, look, this is the gift I want to give you."
Natasha's eyes widened as she watched the junior officers untie the ropes of the sack one after another. She was very surprised that Balzen would actually give her a big gift. This gift was really very generous to her.
Let’s see what the gifts are!
The heaviest thing here is a khaki military wool coat, which is actually issued to officers.
Regarding this dress, Balzen deliberately introduced: "Before I set off, the general suddenly gave me instructions. He asked me to prepare some gifts for you. I thought I was not much taller than you. Unfortunately, we did not have the right equipment in the training camp.
If you have anything interesting to send, the coat I sent you will be given to you."
"Ah?! But, sir, this is yours..."
"It doesn't matter, maybe giving it to you is the most valuable thing."
The entire Soviet Union now lacks winter clothing. The reasons are, firstly, the low level of the Soviet textile and other light industries that inherited the legacy of Tsarist Russia, and secondly, the huge consumption of the war forced limited resources to be tilted towards the army.
In fact, if you look around the world, you will see that the only country that can mechanize knitting and meet the consumption of its own military and civilians can do this is the United States, which has a lot of money.
Over the past month, Natasha has visited state-owned clothing stores. The linen clothes on display there are relatively expensive and have average cold-proof ability. Ordinary residents have a set of cold-proof clothes. If they are lacking, they have to use various linen clothes.
Clothes were piled on the body, exchanging quantity for warmth, and finally transformed into the shape of a bear.
A real wool coat? I’m afraid it’s no longer available to civilians for the time being.
Here, Balzen did not dare to explain in detail why he gave Natasha this weapon to keep out the cold. It was really a weapon to keep out the cold! The soldiers wore it even when they were lying in snowdrifts, and the thick wool layer was not suitable for outdoor temperatures of minus 20 degrees.
An extremely cold bedroom can still keep its owner warm.
Balzen has a pessimistic feeling about his future.
The troops would rush to the front line in five weeks at the earliest. He divided them into clear positions and knew how to fight. If not, he might end up in a snow nest near Smolensk. Everyone is destined to die, no matter how much possessions he has during his lifetime.
Someone should eventually inherit it.
Now that the entire Ukraine has fallen, Balzen, who has never received any news from his family, has already acquiesced that they have been killed. So what worries him most in the world is his comrades.
It is very sad that none of the comrades who entered the swamps to fight side by side in the past are now alive.
And this Natasha is her old comrade who has been fighting alongside him for a whole year.
In addition to the very precious coat, Balzen also prepared some canned gifts, namely canned fish and canned sauerkraut.
Sure enough, Balzen didn't bring even a can of canned beef.
Everything was placed on the table, and Balzen introduced: "My dear, these are gifts for you, so that I can fulfill the general's request."
In Balzen's mind, he never looked down upon Natasha because she was a female soldier. On the contrary, because of her extremely strong will to fight, he had already regarded this girl as a male soldier, and all his requirements were in accordance with the standards of a male soldier.
treat.
During the war for more than a year, Balzen was thinking about how to save his brothers as much as possible on the battlefield and rack his brains to find a large number of opportunities to annihilate the enemy.
He didn't have time to think about things like pleasing women and didn't dare to think about it.
This time, in order to fulfill General Berekov's request, he took a little time to think about what gifts he could prepare. In the end, he regarded Natasha as an outstanding soldier under his command, and all the gifts he gave were basically military supplies.
Of course, Balzen's head is not a stone. He subconsciously knows that all women like hairpins, lipstick and other cosmetics, and the military camp does not have these at all.
For Natasha, it was only after she returned to the land of peace that she was reminded of the fact that she was a woman. Of course she wanted to dress up nicely, but due to the poor economic situation, all state-owned stores in Perm were war-torn.
Lipstick and eyebrow pencil were quite luxurious before, but now they are not available at all.
Even so, when he looked at the gift that Balzen took out, he was still moved to tears.
"Oh! My dear, don't cry. I know how you feel now. Just take the gift I gave you."
"Yes! Comrade Battalion Commander... No! Comrade Division Commander. This is the first time you have given me a gift. It is a great gift for the first time. I... I am very touched."
"It's a pity that I was the one who assigned you combat missions in the past, but today I'm the one paying to treat you to a banquet. Alas, I hope there will be such an opportunity in the future."
"Thank you." Natasha wiped away her tears and thanked her quickly.
"Haha, you don't need to thank me too much. General Berekov will arrive soon, and he will definitely give you more gifts. My dear, you deserve this. Look at you, you are still so... thin.
"
In fact, Natasha has never been morbidly thin. She has always maintained a light figure like a long-distance runner as she has loved sports since she was a child.
Natasha pouted and continued to suppress the tears in the corners of her eyes: "I have gained a lot of weight. At school, I don't need long-term running training. Although there is long-distance running training once a week, it is only five kilometers without weight.
I have always been number one in training. Hehe, with this intensity of training, I ate potatoes every day and really gained a lot of weight."
Balzen shrugged. According to his own feeling, the 1939 version of the Infantry Drill Code that the army has been using has very low physical training requirements for soldiers.
He continued: "My dear, you should try your best to maintain your physical fitness. It is a good thing to exercise more. You will go to a higher military academy in the future, which is undoubtedly a good thing. When you go there in a year, you must continue to maintain
The physical fitness you developed during your time in the swamp."
"Yes! Sir!" Natasha couldn't help but stood up and saluted with a military salute.
Balzen responded instinctively and continued following the words: "So, you need to eat meat, eat a lot of beef. So, what do you think the staple food is when I treat you to dinner today?"
"Is it...slices of bread? Or bacon or something?" Natasha asked weakly.
Balzen laughed and said: "You are a hero, and I am the division commander of the active army. Can we solve the problem by sitting together and eating buckwheat soup? Unfortunately, the country is too difficult now, and Perm is too far away from Ukraine.
Dear, I am a Russian living in Ukraine, and I want to treat you to the famous Kiev Chicken. I hope I have the opportunity in the future."
"Well, thank you. But our guerrilla zone in the swamp is one hundred and fifty kilometers south of Kiev!"
"Yes, so when can we liberate Ukraine? I think we can achieve it with a few more large-scale battles. Alas, let's not talk about this." Balzen waved his hand, "I told the chef that today
The late dinner was beef pan-fried, an absolutely authentic French pan-fried steak. I also bought red wine from their cellar before the war, although it was a bit more expensive.”
"Ah!? Isn't this too rich?!" Natasha cleverly sat upright; "Sir, I'm sorry for costing you. I... I am rich, I can pay for it myself."
Balzen shook his head quickly: "There is no reason to ask a child like you to pay. Listen, money is all external things, but my comrades are the most precious. Natasha, you and I are comrades in arms, not to mention
Now, my military rank is only two ranks higher than yours."
"So, you are now a colonel?" Natasha asked.
"right."
Natasha understood the so-called principle of being a senior official. She quickly said: "So, I am still your subordinate, and you are still my superior."
"But you are not my soldier now, but you are my old comrade-in-arms. Since my military rank is higher than yours, don't ask any more questions. You must eat well this meal and eat more meat soon."
In response, Natasha could only nod obediently to show her compliance.