Except for the cold water, everything else in the military camp was very satisfying: although not clean but dry bedding, soft bread and a few pieces of beef, the soldiers finally felt the atmosphere of the capital.
The most important thing is that the soldiers were allowed to sleep until eight o'clock the next day... The wake-up whistle was usually blown at six o'clock, even though it was not yet dawn.
This made the soldiers a little uncomfortable. Several soldiers who woke up because of their biological clock hid in their beds and played cards. They were usually homemade cards made of paper, but Leonev had a real pair of cards in his hand.
In the sense of playing cards, he brought them from Kiev and always carried them with him.
At this time, with a piercing whistle, Major Gavrilov's low voice sounded throughout the barracks like a wake-up call: "Get up!"
The soldiers immediately jumped out of bed, and within 3 minutes they made their beds and put on their military uniforms, which also included wrapping their feet and ankles with foot wraps and stuffing them into boots.
Then the soldiers ran out of the military camp one by one with their guns on their backs, and then lined up neatly.
Only then did Shulka see "outsiders" in the military camp... holding old-fashioned cameras of various sizes in their hands to take pictures of the troops.
"stand at attention!"
"Take a break!"
…
Following the command, the troops walked onto the street under the spotlight. Then at some point, many people gathered on the street, which was quiet last night. They waved red flags and flowers on both sides of the street and cheered:
"Welcome, Hero Regiment 333!"
"Moscow welcomes you!"
"Welcome, breakout hero Shulka!"
…
Wait, breakout hero Shulka?
Shulka looked doubtfully at the assistant instructor walking next to him. The assistant instructor had no expression at all and just followed the queue like a wooden man.
Later Shulka learned that this was just a ceremony to enter Moscow, just like they entered Odessa after winning the battle.
Unlike Odessa, the 333rd Regiment walked on the streets for more than two hours and made a long circle before finally returning to the military camp.
Along the way, people kept cheering on both sides of the street, and many people were discussing who was the "breakout hero."
Of course, it wasn't over yet after returning to the military camp. Several reporters were waiting for interviews in the military camp, and the main interviewee was Shulka.
"Comrade Shulka, I heard that they gave you the nickname 'Breakout Hero'. Can you tell me the origin of this nickname?" The reporter put the recorder in front of Shulka.
Shulka suddenly understood the reason why the deputy instructor wanted to forcibly change his nickname to "Breakout Hero".
The reporter who interviewed Shulka was named Varrasha. She was wearing a boat-shaped hat. The red five-pointed star on the hat was in sharp contrast to her blue eyes and cold words.
Look at the military rank, he's a major...major? Major Gavrilov has fought in so many battles and is just a major!
Varrasa’s self-introduction comes from Pravda.
I also know a little about "Pravda" Shulka. It was a publication for the Russian workers, that is, the proletariat, during the Tsarist period. It can be said to be the official newspaper of the Soviet Union.
Varrasa's expression was very serious, her words were clear and confident when she spoke, and her eyes were somewhat casual and disdainful. This reminded Shulka of the deputy instructor and Captain Bogdan, so this interview was a bit like an interrogation.
"Yes!" Shulka replied: "Perhaps this is because I made several breakout suggestions and they were adopted and succeeded!"
"Can you elaborate on what the suggestions are?" Varratha asked.
"Brest, Pripyat Swamp..."
"Kiev, Comrade Shulka!" Vallasha interrupted Shulka: "Tell me about Kiev, how you implemented a counter-encirclement against the enemy!"
Then Shulka understood that the breakout from Brest Fortress and Pripyat Swamp was nothing, because it was "escape", but Kiev was different. It was a heroic counter-siege after being surrounded by the enemy.
!
At that moment, Shulka felt a burst of anger and sadness for no reason. He looked back at Valrasa and replied: "Sorry, Major! I think the battle in Brest is also essential, because our troops
A considerable number of people broke out from Brest, and the comrades who died there were the same as in the Battle of Kiev. They shed blood and sacrificed their lives for the motherland, trying their best to block the enemy's advance...
They are also heroes, without them there would be no us!"
Varrasa didn't expect Shulka to answer like this, and was stunned for a moment.
"Shulka!" Major Gavrilov reminded in a low voice from the side.
"Sorry, Major!" Shulka said to Varrasa: "I think I'm not ready for this interview yet. Major Gavrilov was involved in all the planning and he can tell you everything you want to know!
"
After saying that, Shulka stood up, saluted Varrasa, and then left.
The deputy instructor found Shulka in the dormitory, handed Shulka a cigarette, and said: "They need to use the victory in Kiev to boost their morale... You know, Kiev successfully launched the campaign even though it was almost surrounded.
We launched a counterattack. This victory has spread throughout Moscow, and your name, 'Breakout Hero' Shulka!"
Shulka looked up at the deputy instructor.
"This is not what we advertise!" the deputy instructor spread his hands and replied: "The wounded were transported from Odessa to Crimea, and Crimea has trains transporting supplies to Moscow every day, so..."
"You want to take advantage of this, don't you?" Shulka asked.
"Why not?" the deputy instructor replied: "People in Moscow are panicked. They are afraid of being surrounded by enemies. If there is a 'breakout hero' here, and there are 'breakout troops' who successfully broke through in Kiev..."
"But the situation in Kiev is different from that in Moscow!" Shulka said: "Just because we can resist the siege in Kiev doesn't mean we can do the same in Moscow!"
"I know!" The deputy instructor nodded: "They know it too, but that's not important. What's important is that the people have psychological comfort. Do you understand? This is very important to Moscow!"
Shulka understood that the reason why the 333rd Regiment was sent here was probably just to stabilize the people's sentiments as a placebo.
After a pause, the deputy instructor continued: "So, no matter what you say, they will never write Brest in the newspaper!"
"I know!" Shulka said: "Because Brest fell, it was a failure, it was an escape without an order to retreat... But it does not mean that the comrades who fought there and died there are not heroes!"
The deputy instructor patted Shulka on the shoulder and left without saying anything.