red moscow

Chapter 2790

After Potapov left, Polosukhin's troops began to build fortifications centered on the Borodino battlefield.

Major Romanov’s 18th Infantry Regiment was deployed on Borodino Heights. Polosukhin personally told him: “Comrade Major, the tomb of the famous Prince Bagration is not far from the monument to the heroes of the War of 1812. When your regiment builds fortifications, you must be careful not to destroy his tomb, otherwise we will become sinners for all eternity.”

"Don't worry, comrade commander," the elderly Major Romanov assured Polosukhin, "I will warn the soldiers to bypass Prince Bagration's tomb when building fortifications and not disturb the peace of this ancestor."

Sokov heard Romanov say this and couldn't help but mutter to himself: Even if you carefully avoid Prince Bagration's mausoleum when building fortifications, it will be useless because the fierce German artillery fire will destroy it. After the experience of Tolstoy's manor, Sokov will no longer blindly mention the relocation of graves, because such cemeteries are cultural relics. If they are to be relocated, it requires the cooperation of multiple departments. This is difficult to do during the war.

When the regiment leaders were assigning tasks, Polosuhin occasionally secretly glanced at Sokov from the corner of his eye to see if he would interfere with his deployment. But until the tasks were completed and the regiment leaders left, Sokov remained silent.

Seeing Sokov's performance, Polosuhin felt relieved. Although he had only been in contact with Sokov for a short time, his performance had won his favor. As long as these liaison officers sent by their superiors did not make random comments when he was arranging combat missions, it would be the greatest support for him.

"Comrade Major," Polosukhin took out a cigarette case and handed it to Sokov, "Would you like one?"

"Thank you, I don't smoke." Sokov waved his hand to reject the other party's kindness.

Seeing that Sokov didn't smoke, Polosukhin didn't force him. He handed one to the chief of staff and the political commissar, and then took one out and put it in his mouth. The chief of staff quickly lit a match and lit it for him and the political commissar.

The radio operator Potapov had left with Sokov came over with a telegram and whispered, "Comrade Major, this is a telegram from the commander. Please convey the contents to Colonel Polosukhin as soon as possible."

Sokov took the phone, quickly read the content, and said to Polosukhin: "Comrade Colonel, I just received a telegram from the headquarters saying that new troops will enter Borodino tonight to strengthen the defense here."

Hearing such good news, Polosukhin was very happy, but he also asked the most important question: "After these troops enter Borodino, will they be directly commanded by the army headquarters or by me?"

"Comrade Colonel, since you are the main force defending Borodino, then these newly joined troops will naturally be under your command."

"That's great." Sokov's answer made Polosukhin very happy. As a battlefield commander, the most worrying thing is that the friendly forces deployed near him are directly commanded by the superiors. When his side needs help, he must ask the superiors, and then the superiors will issue combat orders to that unit. In this way, it is inevitable that the opportunity to fight will be missed. But if he is in charge, this drawback can be avoided. "With the addition of these troops, we are more confident in defending Borodino."

Then he instructed the chief of staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the troops are about to start building fortifications. You should arrange for people to set up guard posts in different directions. Once you find any troops approaching, report to me immediately so that I can deploy them to the appropriate area."

"Okay, Comrade Division Commander." The Chief of Staff nodded and said, "I will set up guard posts around the defense zone to ensure that if any troops appear, we can report to you as soon as possible."

…………

The next morning, Sokov, who was sleeping in a corner of the headquarters, was awakened by the radio operator: "Comrade Major, Comrade Major, please wake up quickly!"

Sokov opened his eyes, looked at the radio operator standing in front of him, and asked weakly, "What's the matter?"

"Telegram, it's from Comrade Commander." Hearing what the radio operator said, Sokov suddenly came to his senses. He thought something important had happened, so he quickly snatched the telegram and read it carefully.

But after reading it, he realized that he was worrying too much. Potapov said in the telegram that he would go to the Borodino Battle Indoor Museum at 9 o'clock this morning, and asked Sokov to ask Polosukhin to go with him.

Sokov felt that for such a small matter, he could have just called Polosukhin to inform him directly, but he had to convey it through himself, which was a bit superfluous.

After Sokov read the telegram, Polosukhin immediately asked with concern: "Major Sokov, what happened?"

"Comrade Commander said that he will go to the Borodino Battle Indoor Museum at nine o'clock this morning, and asked you to go there as well."

Hearing Sokov's words, Polosuhin was stunned at first, then nodded thoughtfully and replied calmly, "I see."

When the time was right, Sokov and Polosukhin headed to the museum in a jeep, followed by two trucks full of guards.

The Borodino Battle Indoor Museum is located in the middle of the battlefield site. It was built in 1912 and covers an area of ​​more than 200 square meters. There are rows of old straight-barreled short and thick artillery on both sides of the small courtyard in front of the museum. In the center of the door stands a bust of the Russian commander Kutuzov, and on his left and right are busts of his two deputy commanders Bagration and Barclay. It is said that this is set according to the location of the Russian army they commanded at that time. In other words, the Russian army commanded by Bagration was on the left side of the battlefield; Barclay's troops were on the right wing of the battlefield; and Kutuzov was in the center of the entire battlefield.

Potapov and two guards were standing at the entrance of the museum, talking to the goateed curator. When they saw Sokov and Polosukhin coming, they immediately stopped talking and greeted them: "You are here!"

"Hello, Comrade Commander!" Sokov and Polosukhin both raised their hands and saluted Potapov.

After shaking hands with the two men, Potapov said, "Since you are here, go in and take a look."

Led by the curator, several people walked into the museum.

In the center of the museum, there is a standard large sand table, on which the terrain and features of the Borodino ancient battlefield are marked, such as settlements, rivers, roads, woods and major battlefields. The large oil painting hanging on the wall behind the sand table shows the fierce fighting between the Russian and French armies, and the smoke-filled scene. Various weapons, uniforms, flags and portraits of the Russian army in the early 19th century are displayed around it, as well as the spoils of war captured from the French army, including Napoleon's personal camp bed abandoned during his retreat from Moscow. When everyone walked into a showroom, Potapov frowned slightly when looking at the various flags of the Tsarist Russian army hanging on the wall, and asked the curator in an unhappy tone: "Comrade Curator, why haven't these precious cultural relics been moved yet?"

Hearing Potapov's question, the curator showed an embarrassed expression on his face: "Comrade General, the Germans came too quickly, and the evacuation committee did not have time to formulate a transfer plan, so most of the cultural relics in the museum are still preserved."

"No, we can't leave these things to the Germans. Even if the evacuation committee hasn't made any decision yet, we have to find a way to complete the evacuation as soon as possible." Potapov said, turning around and asking Polosukhin: "Comrade Colonel, how many people did you bring?"

"A platoon of guards." Polosukhin was also a smart man. He understood Potapov's intention from his words: "Comrade Commander, do you want my men to move the cultural relics in the museum?"

"That's right." Potapov nodded and said, "The first thing to move is the military flags displayed here. These flags represent the honor of the Russian army. We must not let them fall into the hands of the Germans."

Sokov couldn't help being a little stunned by the conversation between the two. He remembered that in the movie "The Battle of Moscow", these military flags were distributed to various combat units. Why were they in a hurry to be transferred to the rear now?

But soon, Sokov figured out the reason: in the movie, it was General Lelyushchenko who handed the military flag to Porosukhin and ordered him to distribute it to the troops. But now, due to the appearance of his butterfly, the commander of the 5th Army has become General Potapov. The two generals have different ways of dealing with problems, and naturally, they also deal with these military flags differently.

Thinking of this, Sokov quickly said, "Wait a minute."

Potapov, who was speaking, was stunned. He looked at Sokov and asked in confusion: "Major Sokov, what do you want to say?"

"I think these flags can be left alone."

"Not moving?!" Potapov's expression turned serious. "Do you want to leave these precious flags to the Germans? I tell you, if you really do this, it will be a crime. Once the flags are damaged, you will be despised by future generations."

Facing Potapov's accusation, Sokov was not anxious at all. Instead, he patiently explained to Potapov: "Comrade Commander, you misunderstood me. I said that I would not transfer these flags because I wanted you to distribute them to the troops defending Borodino. Let these glorious flags bless us and bring luck to the troops."

After listening to Sokov's words, Potapov pondered for a moment, then looked at Polosukhin and asked, "Colonel Polosukhin, what do you think?"

"Comrade Commander, I think Major Sokov's suggestion is a good one." Polosukhin looked at Sokov with admiration in his eyes: "We should distribute these glorious flags to the troops, so that the flags of our predecessors can bless us to defeat the enemy."

"Since you have no objection, then this matter is settled." Potapov did not ask the director for his opinion, and directly ordered Polosukhin: "Colonel Polosukhin, let your people come in and take away all the flags."

The curator took out a guestbook, walked up to Potapov, and said with a smile: "Comrade General, please write a few words here."

Potapov asked in confusion: "What is this?"

"VIP guest book."

Potapov took the guestbook and pen and was about to write something when he saw Polosukhin directing the soldiers to take down the flag from the wall. He changed his mind and said, "Colonel Polosukhin, on behalf of the defenders of Borodino, please write something in this guestbook."

Borosukhin was not pretentious. He took the message book from Potapov and began to write: "We are here to defend the Borodino battlefield, Borosukhin."

Sokov, standing nearby, muttered to himself as he watched what was happening: In the movie, there is a scene where German Field Marshal von Kluge gives a swearing-in speech to the French volunteers from Lorraine in front of a war monument with an eagle on top. This is different from the real history, because the entire Borodino battlefield was under the control of the Soviet army, and it was impossible for them to be in that area before the battle started.

Potapov walked up to Sokov and whispered, "Major Sokov, do you know why I sent a telegram asking you to bring Polosukhin to the museum?"

"I don't know, Comrade Commander," Sokov answered truthfully, but in his heart he was complaining to Potapov that this was simply superfluous and unnecessary.

Unexpectedly, after hearing Sokov's answer, Potapov smiled faintly and said, "Although Polosukhin agreed that you serve as a liaison officer in his division, his subordinates may not be able to recognize your existence in a short time. Therefore, I can only use this method to let those people know that you are someone I value, which will help you gain a foothold as soon as possible."

Sokov was still complaining about Potapov, but after hearing what he said, he felt ashamed and said gratefully: "Thank you, Comrade Commander, thank you for everything you have done for me. I promise you that I will never let you down."

When Polosukhin saw that all the flags had been taken down, he walked up to Potapov and asked him, "Comrade Commander, are you going to go to the battlefield yourself and distribute these glorious flags to the troops?"

But Potapov shook his head and said, "No, Colonel Polosukhin, I have something else to do and need to return to the headquarters immediately. You will be fully responsible for distributing the flags. If possible, it would be best to bring Major Sokov with you."

"Of course, Comrade Commander, I will definitely bring Major Sokov with me." Potapov said with a smile: "After all, he is the liaison officer you sent to me."

"You should go quickly." Potapov looked at his watch and continued, "According to the latest intelligence, the Germans are only a few kilometers away from here. They may launch a fierce attack on the Borodino area at any time. We don't have much time left. We must prepare the troops for battle as soon as possible."

Potapov saluted and asked according to the regulations: "Comrade Commander, may I leave?"

"Allowed." Potapov nodded, then extended his hand to Polosukhin and said in a friendly tone: "Comrade Colonel, I wish you good luck! I hope that your battle to defend Borodino will be recorded in the history books by future generations."

(End of this chapter)