Chapter 668

When I put down the phone, akhromeyev had already explained the task to mihayev. With kreilov's permission, I felt more confident. When akhromeyev asked me what else I needed to add, I went to Mikhail and said to him, "Comrade lieutenant, the distance from here to the German headquarters is not very close. It's not realistic to walk. Just in the tunnel at the foot of the hillside, there is a motorcycle with a sidecar hidden. You can go there by motorcycle. "

"Yes, I see." Mihayev agreed briefly, and then asked carefully, "do you have any other orders, sir?"

I thought for a moment and said, "I have told you the detailed task to the chief of staff. What I want to tell you is that after meeting the German commander, he should tell him that in order to facilitate them to collect the bodies of the dead officers and soldiers, the two sides should stop fighting for one day. The most important point is that the officers and soldiers who come to collect corpses must not only carry weapons, but also carry white flags. "

When I told the German army to play the white flag, kirilov was as excited as a chicken and echoed: "yes, sir, you are right. Lieutenant mihayev, when you see the German commanders, don't forget to let them fly the white flag. "

"Please rest assured that I will live up to my mission." Mihayev replied loudly.

After mihayev left, akhromeyev reported to us the detailed process of the battle of seizing the Soviet street last night. When he concluded his speech, he said: "judging from the battle last night, the skill and tactics of the joint forces of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd regiment and the 3rd regiment of the 1st regiment are very high. As the enemy had just occupied the Soviet street, they did not have time to build fortifications and build a solid defense. Under such circumstances, Captain horushov, who was directly in command of the operation, broke the troops into parts and took action in small groups. The detachment is a unit of 10-20 people. With the command of the commander, they quickly rush into the building by the side of the road and fight independently in it. This kind of play is totally unexpected to the enemy, so they are defeated by us. "

Kirilov nodded after listening to akhromeyev's words and explained to him: "Comrade chief of staff, it's not long since you arrived at the independent division, and it may not be clear. Since the establishment of this unit, division commander oshanina has been training the unit according to the pattern of street fighting. As far as I know, her training method was controversial in the headquarters of the 64th group army. After all, at that time, we were fighting face-to-face positional warfare with the German army, and there was no use for street warfare. If it had not been for the help of trakov, who was the deputy commander of the group army, this kind of training of Colonel oshanina would have been stopped by the higher authorities, and even the position of division commander of the independent division might have been removed. "

"Is that so, sir?" After hearing this, akhromeyev asked curiously.

I nodded and said, "yes. As our troops retreated along the Don river, I expected that the next battle would begin near Stalingrad, so I took precautions to train our troops in street fighting. "

After hearing this, akhromeyev was surprised and said, "Sir, you are so bold. As early as a month or two ago, you could have guessed that the battle would take place in Stalingrad. If you are known by the people in the interior department, you will be in great trouble. Your conjecture means that the enemy may occupy the city named after the supreme commander. To put it better, it is a ridiculous idea. To put it worse, it is a manifestation of defeatism. "

Kirilov waved his hand and interrupted akhromeyev: "come on, chief of staff, don't say that. What happened to the new fortifications of the fourth regiment? "

After listening to his question, akhromeyev quickly replied, "teacher, political commissar, I just want to report to you. After entering the northern Highlands, Colonel Gaidar's troops strengthened and perfected the fortifications on the basis of the original regiment. "

"Chief of staff, be more specific." Since the chief of staff, akhromeyev, came into being, I have never asked about anything like building fortifications. Instead, I let him take full responsibility“ How is it reinforced? "

"The fourth regiment built a large number of half moon shaped fortifications outside the original two trenches, dispersing the forces originally crowded in the trenches and increasing the intensity of firepower."

Kirilov nodded after listening, then looked up to akhromeyev and said, "tell lieutenant colonel gedar that perfect fortifications are not enough. We must hold the troops. If there is another incident of defection like that of the second regiment, it will not only be the platoon leader but also the battalion commander who will be held responsible. "

"When large regiments fight, military discipline must be strict!" Although I understand that this is a cliche, I still have to say it when it's time to say it. In order to let the commanders under me take warning, I gritted my teeth and took the LianZuo method no less than order 227 as my own military order to convey: "chief of staff, record the order: in the battlefield, if one class withdraws without the permission of the superior, only the monitor will be killed; When a platoon retreats at the same time, only the platoon leader is killed; One company with retreat, only kill the company commander; One battalion retreats together, killing only the battalion commander; If the regiment retreats together, only the commander will be killed. "

After what I said, kirilov and akhromeyev were stunned. After a long time, kirilov said to me carefully, "Comrade oshanina, is this kind of military law too strict?"

I waved my head and interrupted kirilov, who tried to persuade me. At the same time, I gave my own reasons: "Comrade political commissar, I know that this law follows the military laws of the old army, and even has the flavor of being a communist. However, it is very effective when we are facing a special period of life and death. I believe it can motivate our commanders and fighters so that they will not flinch and will not be afraid of bloodshed when they rush into battle. I believe that future practice can show that this decision is completely correct. "

Seeing my resolute attitude, kirilov gave up his attempt to persuade me, turned around and told akhromeyev: "chief of staff, convey the division commander's order to all regiments, and report it to the headquarters of the group army at the same time."

As soon as akhromeyev reported my new military law to the headquarters, trakov called me. "What's the matter, Colonel oshanina?" he asked in a hurry over the phone? I want to ask, why did you suddenly give the regiments such a puzzling order? "

"Comrade commander," I had long expected that this order would attract the attention of the higher authorities after it was reported. So at this moment, hearing the question from trakov, I answered with confidence, "even if I don't say it, you know how the current situation has deteriorated. Less than a month after the independent division held fast in mamayev post, the division's staff was reduced by nearly two-thirds. The next battle will be more brutal. In this case, wavering elements who are greedy for life and afraid of death will inevitably appear. If we do not formulate strict military regulations, I am afraid that if there is desertion, it will lead to the collapse of our defense line. "

After listening to me, trakov was silent for a long time. He didn't speak. If it wasn't for the noisy voice of the headquarters coming from the receiver, I would even have thought he had hung up.

I raised my hand and looked at my watch. It had been several minutes since trikov's silence. As I was about to remind him, he had spoken first. It seems that he made up his mind after a fierce ideological struggle: "Comrade o'xanina, the last time you mentioned to me the plan of" replacing soldiers with water ", you should study it with your commanders and fighters to see if it is possible to implement it." After that, I hung up without waiting for me to speak.

When I put down the phone, kirilov immediately came over and asked curiously, "Comrade oshanina, why do you look so ugly? What did Comrade commander say?"

Instead of answering his question, I looked at him and asked, "Comrade kirilov, you said last time that you participated in a book called on the map of the motherland." seeing that he nodded in affirmation, I then said, "can you tell me about this book in detail?"

Kirilov opened his mouth and read me a bunch: "our appointment is rising day by day. We are not the same today as yesterday, and we will not be the same tomorrow. We are not the Russians before 1917, nor is Russia, nor is the nature of our country. With the great changes that have completely changed the face of our country, we have changed and grown. "

Listening to these inexplicable contents, I quickly raised my hand to interrupt him and asked, "Comrade political commissar, what are you reading? The more I listen, the more confused I am. "

Kirilov stopped talking, looked at me like an alien, and said, "Comrade oshanina, it seems that you have never read the book" on the map of the motherland "compiled by me, even the preface written by Comrade zhidanov."

Akhromeyev suddenly asked excitedly, "Comrade political commissar, are you talking about Comrade Andrei aleksandrovitch zhidanov, executive adviser of the supreme command, member of the northwest direction Military Committee, member of the Leningrad Front Army Military Committee and member of the military and political propaganda committee of the General Political Department of the workers' and peasants' red army?"

Kirilov nodded and said with certainty: "yes, comrade chief of staff, of course he is. Otherwise, who is qualified to write a preface to this book that won Stalin's prize."

I couldn't help frowning. I didn't expect that zhidanov had so many titles. If kirilov was allowed to go on, he would be the only one in the headquarters in a few hours. So I quickly stopped him and asked him the question I was interested in: "political commissar, I'll ask you. When does the Volga River enter the dry season every year and when does it freeze? "

Kirilov is also a smart man. When he heard my question, his eyebrows could not help jumping on the Internet, and he lowered his voice and asked, "Comrade division, are you still thinking about the plan of replacing soldiers with water?"

I nodded and added: "it was just put forward by the commander himself. It seems that he also thinks that under the current situation, if the plan can be implemented, it can relieve the pressure on the north side of the city and free up some troops, but reinforce those tight areas."

Kirilov frowned and thought for a moment, then said slowly, "the source of the Volga River comes from snowmelt, groundwater and rain. The climate of the Volga basin varies greatly from north to south. From the source to the Kama estuary is a temperate climate zone, characterized by cold and snowy winter and warm and humid summer. From Kama River to the lower part of wowa mountain, it is hot and dry in summer and cold in winter, but there is little snow. The more South and east the temperature increases, while the precipitation decreases. The freezing period is November of each year, and the thawing period is from mid March to early April of the next year. Although it is not in the dry season, it is not easy to blow up the thick river bank. "

"According to my observation, teachers and political commissars, if we want to blow up such a thick levee and let the river flow into the plain, not to mention the manpower required, even if it is the explosive used to blow up the levee, it will take at least 10 to 20 tons." When it comes to this plan, akhromeyev is also worried. "It's almost impossible for us to transport so many explosives to the river and bury them so that they won't be found by the Germans."“ What if we work at night? " Kirilov asked, taking a chance. Akhromeyev shook his head with a bitter smile and said bitterly: "it's no use, comrade political commissar. I believe the enemy must send scouts to lurk around our positions. We don't think we can hide the eyes of the enemy scouts in such a large-scale operation. " Just as we were frowning, the telephone rang on the desk. Akhromeyev picked up the phone and said in a loud voice, "I'm major akhromeyev, chief of staff. Where are you?" Gaidar's voice came out of the receiver: "chief of staff, please tell the division chief that the enemy's corpse collecting troops are coming. What should our regiment do? Ask her for instructions!" Akhromeyev covered the microphone with his hand, looked up at me, and said, "Sir, Lieutenant Colonel gedar reported that the enemy's troops are here to collect corpses. What instructions do you have?"“ Tell him that if you want to limit the activity area of the enemy's corpse collection team, you can only advance to the foot of the mountain at most. As for the bodies on the hillside, only Colonel Gaidar was wronged to send our soldiers to carry them down. Another point is that since lieutenant mihayev is here, let him rush back to the division headquarters immediately. " After repeating my order to gedar, akhromeyev put down the phone and asked me curiously, "Comrade division commander, do you think lieutenant mihayev has detected the enemy's intelligence?" Almost without hesitation, I shook my head and said, "is that true? No matter how stupid the Germans are, they will not let an enemy of their own swagger in the defensive zone. "