Chapter 297 Drawing guns and facing each other The infantry brigade headed for Yelets, taking the same road that the reinforcements had taken. It was thought that this road was full of swamps, tanks and artillery were impassable, so before leaving Kursk, Sokov ordered the tank company and artillery company to leave all their equipment and march with the brigade with only light weapons. Unexpectedly, after seeing that road, Sokov realized that he had made a mistake. He only thought of the many swamps and forests on the next marching route, but forgot that there were friendly troops passing here not long ago. In order to allow tanks and artillery to pass through swamps and forest areas smoothly, the tank army specially laid dozens of kilometers of Shuchai Road. After walking for a while on Shuchai Road, Belkin said to Sokov with a look of regret: "Comrade Brigadier, look how solid the tank army built this Shuchai Road, not to mention the infantry, even the army Tanks and artillery can also pass through swampy areas smoothly." Sokov didn't expect Rotmistrov to build the road so strong, but it was too late to regret it now, and Porochenko and Aritai couldn't go back to Kursk to find Rotmistrov Husband wants to get back the cannons and tanks left there, right? "Comrade Commissar," Sokov didn't want to get entangled in this matter, and quickly changed the subject of Belkin: "Our marching distance is almost two thousand kilometers. If we carry tanks and artillery, it will greatly slow down our progress. Marching speed. Didn’t you say that we went to Stalingrad to rest and reorganize. Since it is a rest and reorganization, what does it matter if the troops have tanks and artillery?” "However, Comrade Brigadier, even if we don't have to fight anymore, the training of tank companies and artillery companies cannot be stopped." Belkin said: "Without tanks and artillery, how do you let them conduct training?" "The training of the tank company and the artillery company will be put aside for the time being." Sokov said blankly: "Our current priority is to strengthen the training of recruits. Only by providing the technical and tactical level of the commanders and fighters can we reduce them Casualties on the battlefield." Belkin couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he heard what Sokov said, and then asked, "Comrade Brigadier, have you heard any inside information from Comrade Chief of Staff?" "How could there be any inside information, my Comrade Political Commissar." Sokov said a little bit dumbfoundingly: "Even if Comrade Chief of Staff is in control of our army's next battle plan, how could he possibly tell such a small person of this level to me. "
The straight-line distance from Kursk to Yelets is 120 kilometers. Sokov led the infantry brigade on the road for two and a half days, and finally reached Yelets. However, the city is quite different from when Sokov came last time. It has become a real front-line city. There are many bombed-out buildings on both sides of the street, and black bomb craters can be seen everywhere. , Trucks full of supplies and soldiers sped by from time to time. As soon as Sokov's team of several thousand entered the city, it attracted the attention of many people. A patrol team that happened to pass by here stopped, and the second lieutenant who led the team came over, glanced at the military ranks of Sokov and Belkin, raised his hand to salute the two, and asked politely: "Two commanders, comrades. , what part do you belong to, and what are you doing in Yelets?" "Comrade Second Lieutenant, we came from Kursk." It was Belkin who answered, and he asked with a smile: "According to the order, we will take the truck prepared for us here and head to Moscow." "The trucks prepared for you?" The second lieutenant repeated Belkin's words, shook his head with a wry smile, and said to Belkin: "Comrade Deputy Battalion Political Commissar, there were indeed a group of trucks parked in the north of the city two days ago, but yesterday They have all been driven away, and it is said that they are delivering urgently needed military supplies to the front line." "Comrade Second Lieutenant, who is the commander in charge in the city?" Knowing that the convoy waiting for him had left, Sokov couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He immediately asked loudly, "Where is the garrison headquarters?" "The commander of the garrison is General Kazakov," the second lieutenant said to Sokov, pointing to the front: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you go along this road, turn right at the intersection, walk about two hundred meters, and you will be on the right side of the road." You can see a square. The garrison headquarters is in the building on the east side of the square, where you can find General Kazakov.” After speaking, the second lieutenant raised his hand to salute Sokov and Belkin, and took His subordinates left. The Kazakov that the second lieutenant was talking about was not Kazakov, the artillery commander of the Bryansk Front, but Kazakov, the former chief of staff of the Front. After he left the Bryansk Front, he was temporarily appointed by his superiors as Ye Commander of Letz's garrison. "It turned out to be General Kazakov." Before Kazakov left office, Sokov had dealt with him, so he said to Belkin in a relaxed tone: "Comrade Comrade, let's go see him, maybe We can get the truck we need through him." After arranging for the troops to rest in place, Sokov and Belgin took a few guards and walked towards the building where the garrison headquarters was located. On the way, Belkin asked with some concern: "Comrade Brigadier, we have nearly 5,000 people. Even if General Kazakov is the commander of the garrison, can he provide so many vehicles?" The question Belkin asked was also what Sokov was worried about. He grinned and said, "Comrade Commissar, we can only try our luck, otherwise, we will have to walk back to Moscow." The two came to the square and found that the security here was obviously much tighter than other places. In addition to the barricades piled up with sandbags, there were also wooden railings with barbed wire stretched across the road. Seeing Sokov and Belgin striding towards the buildings on the east side of the square, someone stopped them immediately and asked dryly, "Commanders, where are your passes?" Sokov snorted softly, and then said angrily: "I said, Comrade Lieutenant, we just came back from the front line, how could we have any pass?" Hearing that the two did not have a pass, the lieutenant who blocked the way did not embarrass them, but continued to ask: "What are you doing here?" "I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, Commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade of the Bryansk Front Army." Sokov waited for the lieutenant to finish asking, and then replied blankly: "I have something urgent to see the Garrison Commander Kazakov." When the lieutenant heard that the two were going to see Kazakov, he quickly called a corporal, leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words, and then said to Sokov: "Comrade lieutenant colonel, I will ask the corporal to accompany you to the commander's office." Ministry. Please follow him." The corporal who led the way was a talkative person. Seeing that he was already some distance away from the lieutenant, he asked Sukov curiously: "Comrade lieutenant colonel, are you from the Bryansk Front?" Asked, "Did you withdraw from the direction of Voronezh?" "No, we didn't withdraw from the direction of Voronezh." After answering the corporal's question, Sokov asked curiously: "Why, comrade corporal, have you ever seen troops from the Bryansk Front withdrawing from the direction of Voronezh? ?” "That's right, I've seen it." The corporal nodded, and replied affirmatively, "I heard that one of your group armies fought very badly, and less than 400 people were withdrawn from one division..." "What? What did you say?" Belkin immediately asked with wide eyes when he heard the corporal say this: "There are less than 400 people left in a division. Is it true?"
"Of course it's true," the corporal worried that Belkin said he was bragging, and quickly added: "Just the day before yesterday, hundreds of trucks that were originally parked in the north of the city were suddenly transferred away. Yesterday when the convoy passed through the city , I accidentally discovered that there were corpses piled up in the compartment..." Just like that, several people unknowingly came to the building where the Garrison Command was located. Sokov held out his hand to the corporal, and said politely: "Comrade corporal, thank you for sending us here. We will do the rest by ourselves." The corporal shook hands with Sokov, and then raised his hand to respect After a salute, he turned and left. Sokov and Belkin came to the gate of the building, and after notifying the officer on duty at the gate of their identities, the officer let the two of them enter the building, but the guards they brought with them all blocked them without exception. outside. The two came to the second floor and walked along the corridor. After walking for a while, Sokov saw a desk in front of a door, and a lieutenant colonel was sitting behind the desk. Hearing footsteps, the lieutenant colonel raised his head and glanced at the two of them, then buried himself in the documents in front of him. After standing in front of the lieutenant colonel and standing at attention, Sokov raised his voice and said to the lieutenant colonel sitting behind the desk: "Comrade lieutenant colonel, please go and inform the commander of the garrison, and say that the 73rd infantry brigade commander Sokov Colonel, Commissar Belkin wants to see him." Lieutenant Colonel looked up at Sokov, frowned and said, "I've never heard of the designation of the 73rd Infantry Brigade. Which unit do you belong to?" "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, we belong to the Bryansk Front Army." Belkin thought that the infantry brigade had just obtained the designation, and it was inevitable that it would be unknown, so he explained to the other party: "I was ordered to come here and transfer to Moscow." "Bryansk Front Army?!" The lieutenant colonel repeated Belgin's words, looked at him and said, "Comrade Deputy Battalion Political Commissar, but we belong to the Voronezh Front Army. If you have anything to do, you should go to your superiors, not Come to us." After speaking, he waved to Sokov and Belkin, indicating that they could leave. After more than two days of trekking, Sokov finally came to Yelets. He didn't see the person he wanted to see, so he couldn't just leave, so he said coldly to the lieutenant colonel: "Comrade lieutenant colonel , please go in and tell General Kazakov that Lieutenant Colonel Sokov wants to see him." "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," the lieutenant colonel looked at Sokov and said dissatisfiedly: "If you have anything to do, you can go to your own superiors, please don't interfere with my work here. If you don't leave , I will let the guards drive you away." After finishing speaking, he reached out to grab the phone on the table, preparing to call the guards and drive Sokov and the others away. Unexpectedly, as soon as the lieutenant colonel put the microphone to his ear and before he had time to dial, he felt something cold and hard against his forehead. He looked out of the corner of his eye and was immediately frightened out of his wits: Sokov He actually put a pistol to his forehead. The lieutenant colonel panicked: "Lieutenant Colonel Sukov, don't be impulsive, speak slowly..." "Notify General Kazakov of our arrival immediately." Sokov put the muzzle of his gun against the other's forehead and said in an orderly tone: "I will count to five, and if you haven't called, I will shoot." gone." Belkin on the side never dreamed that Sokov would draw his gun at each other when he disagreed with him, and hurriedly persuaded him from the side: "Comrade Brigadier, if you have something to say, put the gun down first." Sokov ignored Belkin and the lieutenant colonel, but started counting on his own: "One...two...three...four..." The lieutenant colonel was terrified, and before Sokov could count to five, he took the initiative to confess: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I will call you right away and inform the garrison commander..." He pressed the button A key on the phone, after a short wait, said into the microphone: "Comrade General, two commanders want to see you outside! ... What are their names? ... One is Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, and the other is His commissars, they say, they're from the 73rd Infantry Brigade, but I've never heard that number... Got it, I'll let them in right away." After the lieutenant colonel put down the microphone, he said to Sokov who was pointing the gun at himself: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the general invites you and your political commissar to go in and meet him." Looking at the gun in Sokov's hand from his forehead After the side moved away, he hurried to the door, pushed the closed door open, and then stood aside, making a gesture of invitation: "Please, comrades, two commanders." After Sokov and Belkin entered the room, the lieutenant colonel hastily closed the door, sat down on his seat, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and thought with lingering fear: "What if If I insist on not informing him, will Lieutenant Colonel Sokov really shoot?" Fortunately, Sokov didn't know what was going on in the lieutenant colonel's mind. If he knew his true thoughts, he would definitely tell him: "Yes, comrade lieutenant colonel, if I count to five, you haven't done anything for me. We brief and I literally shoot." At this moment, Sokov and Belgin stopped in front of Kazakov, raised their hands in salute, and said in unison: "Comrade General, the commander (political commissar) of the 73rd Brigade of the Bryansk Front Infantry Colonel (Belkin) reports to you, I obey your orders, please instruct!" Kazakov, who was working at his desk, heard the two men report their homes, looked up at the two men, then stood up, walked around from behind the desk, shook hands with the two men, and said at the same time: "Comrades, two commanders, Hello! A few days ago, I received a call from Comrade Chief of General Staff, saying that you are going to take a bus here to Moscow, and I specially arranged for people to wait in the direction you came from. Unexpectedly, you arrived today after waiting for a few days .” (end of this chapter)