Burning Moscow

46 Promoted to another level

The logistics department is on the second floor, but I have never been there before.

When I was going up the stairs, I happened to meet a soldier coming downstairs. I stopped him and asked, “Where is the logistics department, please?”

“The first room on the right hand after going upstairs.” The man replied and hurriedly walked away.

Walking to the door of the logistics department, I knocked on the door, and before there was any reply, I opened the door and walked in. In this room, only one commander was sitting at the table with his back to the door, and was writing something with his head down.

“Hello!” I greeted a little hesitantly, “Are you the person in charge of the logistics department?”

Hearing my voice, the commander who had turned his back to me turned around. I saw clearly that his epaulette was the rank of lieutenant colonel. Quickly take a step closer and stand at attention and salute him.

Lieutenant Colonel looked at me at a loss for a few seconds, then slowly stood up from the table and said, “I am Lieutenant Colonel Kudrin, and the logistics department of the front is in charge of me. Do you have anything to do?”

“I’m Major Oshanina.” I hurriedly reported my identity to him and explained my intentions: “Someone is dead downstairs. Comrade General asked me to come to you to see if I can find the coffin, so as to contain the body of the deceased. ”

“Comrade Commander sent you. Okay, I will try my best to see if I can find the coffin.” Then he picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and said to the microphone: “I am Kud Lieutenant Colonel Lin, is there still a coffin in the warehouse? Oh, and, that’s great. You immediately send a truck with a tarp to bring a coffin and four soldiers to the front of the front army headquarters to wait. Who is dead? Comrade Lieutenant, your curiosity is too heavy, it will kill you, so be it.”

He hung up the phone and said to me: “Fortunately, there are still a few coffins in the warehouse. You know, this thing is in short supply now.” Then he asked curiously: “Who is the dead? A general. ?”

“Yes, it is a general, an old general who has experienced many battles.” Listening to the words of Major General Smirnov before his death, I guess he has participated in a lot of battles, so he is said to have experienced many battles. The war is not excessive at all.

“How did you die? Was it killed by a German plane?” Lieutenant Colonel Kudrin was also very curious, and continued to ask me.

“Comrade Lieutenant Colonel!” I said to him in the tone he had just called on the phone: “Your curiosity is too heavy. There are some things you can’t get to the bottom of it, otherwise it will kill you.”

Kudrin was embarrassed by me, so he quickly turned off the topic and said, “The truck will probably be here soon. Let’s wait at the door.”

Ten minutes later, I took Kudrin and four soldiers carrying the coffin to the corridor. During the time I was away, someone had laid Major General Smirnov flat on the ground, lying on his back with his hands folded on his chest. I looked at his darkened face and felt nothing but regret.

“Put the coffin here.” Kudrin’s capable voice came from around him.

The soldiers placed the coffin next to Major General Smirnov’s body, opened the lid, and set it aside. Then he went over to raise the hands and feet of the major general, carefully put him in the coffin, and then closed the lid. Then in the silence, the soldiers began to clink and order nails.

After everything was busy, Kudrin said again: “Carry away!” Following his command, the soldiers lifted the coffin and walked along the corridor to the door. After putting the coffin on the truck, several soldiers climbed onto the truck with hands and feet and put down the tarp. Kudrin also opened the door of the cab and got in.

I stood in the snow, watching the truck carrying the body of Major General Smirnov swaying away, until I couldn’t see the shadow of the car, I turned back and approached the building.

At the place where the major general committed suicide by drinking a bomb, I don’t know who placed a tall coffee table against the wall with a few red carnations on it. I know the meaning of placing carnations very well. In China, this flower is a gift to my mother; and here, it expresses infinite sorrow.

Sitting at the door of Zhukov’s office was the young ensign who had stopped me just now. When he saw me passing by, he immediately got up and stood at attention, and stretched out his hand to open the door for me.

I walked into the room and saw Zhukov standing by the wall with his back to the door. There was a huge picture of the enemy and us on the wall. I reported to him loudly: “Comrade General! Oshanina came to report to you.”

Zhukov looked back at me and said, “Major General Smirnov’s body has been sent away?”

“Yes, Georgi Konstantinovich!”

“It’s a pity, such an old comrade who was loyal to the motherland died like this, alas ”

Seeing me standing in front of him sadly without speaking, he changed the topic again, “Okay, don’t say it, so as not to affect your mood. Next, it’s time to say something happy.” He walked over. At the table, he picked up a piece of paper, raised it to me, and said, “Comrade Stalin sent someone to deliver it this morning, and it is related to you.”

is related to me? I couldn’t help but stunned for a moment, and thought to myself: Is it because I am going to be promoted again? You must know that although Stalin was very strict with the defeated generals, he was either exiled or shot. However, people with outstanding combat exploits are generously rewarded. I remember that a few months ago, the commander of the 63rd Infantry Army was promoted directly from the rank of colonel to the rank of lieutenant general because of his bravery and tenacious performance.

Zhukov took the paper and read to me word by word: “In recognition of Oshanina’s outstanding performance in the defense of the Polokino area, I was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.”

really promoted me? ! I can’t believe this is true. In just over two months in this time and space, I have been promoted from a corporal to a lieutenant colonel, from an unknown soldier to a figure who has a place in the Supreme Commander’s mind. .

Zhukov finished reading the appointment letter. Seeing that I was still standing here in a daze, with no reaction at all, he reminded me: “At this time, have you forgotten what to say?”

I just came back to my senses, I straightened my body and took a step forward, and said loudly, “I would like to serve the motherland of the Soviet Union!”

Then Zhukov called me to the front of the map and asked me: “How do you see the future situation, and tell me your opinion.”

I haven’t been able to read military maps. What’s more, there are densely written Russian place names that I don’t know most, so I stood up to the map that made me dizzy and didn’t speak for a long time.

“What do you think of the future situation?” Zhukov could not help but urge me a little anxiously when he saw that I was slow to speak.

“Georgi Konstantinovich,” I used the honorific title called Zhukov, and put forward my own point of view: “Do you think it is necessary to continue to stick to this place in Polokino?”

“Well, I’m also considering this issue.” Zhukov pointed to the map and said to me: “Look, due to the fierce German offensive, our army’s defense line on the two wings of Pologno was forced to retreat for 20 to 30 kilometers. The German army has formed an encirclement of the Porokino area. UU Reading www.uukānshu.com”

“Yes,” I added: “Although the counterattack on the 16th disrupted the deployment of the German army and restored all our positions in the Porokino area, effectively slowing the enemy’s advancing speed to Moscow, but Our troops suffered heavy casualties in the battle. If they are surrounded by the Germans, they will inevitably be annihilated. Therefore, I suggest that the troops be withdrawn from this area.”

“Retreat?” Zhukov asked rhetorically: “Where to evacuate? You must know that behind the line of defense is Moscow, we have no way to retreat.”

“You can withdraw your troops to Tula.” I only remember that during the Battle of Moscow, Guderian’s armored forces could not attack Tula repeatedly, and finally had to bypass Tula and attack Moscow from other directions. I wanted to show Tula to Zhukov very smartly, but after looking at the map for a long time, I couldn’t find the location of Tula on the map, so I had to give it up.

“Yeah, this proposal is good.” Zhukov looked at the map and nodded repeatedly. It seems that he agrees with my proposal very much. “I will report this plan to the Supreme Command immediately.”

He gestured on the map for a long time, then turned to me and said: “You don’t need to go back to the Fifth Army. I am going to let you go to the 16th Army of Lieutenant General Rokosovsky as a special commissioner. Go to work, do you have no opinion?”

“No, Georgi Konstantinovic.” You must know that this Lieutenant General Rokosovsky is also the future Soviet marshal. Knowing a few more important people will be good for my future, so I Replied Zhukov very readily, “I resolutely obey your arrangements.”