red moscow

Chapter 2844: Acquaintance from the Previous Life

While Sokov was forming the fourth battalion and planning to deploy it on the flank of the first battalion, the army headquarters was a busy scene.

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Rokossovsky asked Malinin seriously, "How is the situation in Volokolamsk? Have the enemies who broke into the city been driven out?"

"Not yet, Comrade Commander."

"What's wrong with Panfilov? He hasn't driven the enemy out in such a long time." Rokossovsky said dissatisfiedly: "If the enemy is allowed to gain a foothold in the city, the pressure they will bear will be even greater."

"There's nothing we can do," Malinin said helplessly. "Panfilov has already put his reserve troops into battle, but the enemy is too powerful and has occupied a favorable terrain. We can't drive them out of the city for the time being."

"Colonel Orel," Rokossovsky stared at Volokolamsk on the map and thought for a long time, then called Orel to him and ordered: "Move the tank brigade to Volokolamsk to assist the 316th Infantry Division to drive the enemy out of the city."

"Comrade Commander, isn't it too early to send in the tank brigade now?" Hearing Rokossovsky's order, Orel hastily reminded him, "If the Supreme Command issues a new counterattack order, we may not have tank units to cover the infantry in launching an assault on the enemy."

"It is still unknown whether the Supreme Command will issue a new counterattack order." Rokossovsky said solemnly: "Our top priority is to find a way to drive the enemy out of Volokolamsk and never let them gain a foothold in the city."

"Okay, Comrade Commander." Seeing Rokossovsky's firm attitude, Orel had nothing to say and could only bite the bullet and agree: "I will immediately send a tank brigade to reinforce the 316th Infantry Division and try to drive the enemy out of the city as soon as possible."

Watching Orel's back as he left, Malinin couldn't help but say to Rokossovsky, "Comrade Commander, it is said that the infantry brigade has a reserve force of 2,000 men. Do you think we should let them participate in the battle in Volokolamsk?"

"That's not necessary." Rokossovsky shook his head and rejected Malinin's proposal: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you can't just look at the difficulties faced by the 316th Infantry Division. If we hastily transfer the infantry brigade to Volokolamsk, their existing defense line will become empty. Once the Germans realize the strength of our army and choose the infantry brigade's defense zone as a breakthrough point, the entire army's defense line will become precarious."

"So according to you, we can only let General Panfilov rely on the existing forces to drive the enemy out of the city?"

"That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff, that's what I think." Rokossovsky explained to Malinin: "Our defense line is hundreds of kilometers wide, but we have too few troops for defense. If we don't allow Panfilov to use his existing forces for defense, we will have to draw troops from other areas to reinforce, and then the defense of other areas will be weakened. If the Germans find out that we have a vacancy in some area, they will definitely concentrate their forces and use that place as a breakthrough point."

As the two were discussing the Volokolamsk battle, a staff officer came over and reported to Malinin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, a telegram from the Infantry Brigade."

When Rokossovsky heard that the telegram was from the Infantry Brigade, he frowned and asked Malinin, who was reading the telegram: "Chief of Staff, what does the telegram say?"

Malinin quickly read the contents of the telegram and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, it's still about the field hospital. Major Sokov said in the telegram that he went to the nearby town today to find medical staff to supplement the newly established field hospital, but the medical staff there have been evacuated. He hopes we can provide them with some medical staff."

After hearing this, Rokossovsky said with an unhappy expression: "Where can I find medical staff for him..."

"Comrade Commander, isn't there a medical team coming from the city today?" Malinin said cautiously, "How about sending this medical team to the infantry brigade to supplement the field hospital they have just established?"

"Since there is a medical team, send them over as soon as possible."

An hour later, Sokov received a call from a checkpoint near the brigade headquarters: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I am at checkpoint No. 15. A convoy has arrived here."

"A convoy?" Sokov asked instinctively, "What convoy?"

"A medical convoy consisting of seven or eight battlefield ambulances." The commander of the outpost reported to Sokov: "According to the leader, they are the medical team assigned to us by our superiors."

"What? A medical team sent to us by our superiors?" Sokov was delighted when he heard this. He then ordered the other party, "Send someone to guide them to the camp of the field hospital. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Comrade Brigade Commander."

After Sokov hung up the phone, he smiled and said to Belkin, "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, the No. 15 post called and said that the medical team sent by our superiors has arrived. I have asked them to send a guide to take the medical team to the location of the field hospital. The arrival of the medical team will definitely involve many problems. You go and deal with them."

Belkin understood what Sokov meant. He nodded and said readily, "No problem. I'll go to the field hospital now."

After Belkin left, Karsokov said excitedly: "Comrade Brigade Commander, now that the higher-ups have sent a new medical team, our field hospital will be worthy of its name. In this way, most of the wounded on the battlefield can receive timely treatment."

Sokov didn't know how many people there were in the medical team or what kind of strength they had, but in order not to dampen Karsokov's interest, he nodded and said, "Yes, with the addition of the medical team, our field hospital will be able to treat more wounded officers and soldiers."

Sokov tilted his head and looked outside the tent, then asked Karsokov thoughtfully, "Comrade Chief of Staff, has the reconnaissance team we sent out reported back?"

"Not yet, Comrade Commander." Karsokov shook his head and said, "I think they may not have found any trace of the enemy yet, so they can't come back to report to us."

"If we don't know the enemy's situation, we won't be able to formulate a battle plan," Sokov said somewhat disappointedly. "We can only stay in the fortifications and wait for the Germans to launch an attack at any time."

Two hours later, the sky gradually darkened.

There was no news from the reconnaissance team that was sent out, and even Belkin, who went to the field hospital to arrange work, had not returned yet.

Sokov raised his hand to check the time, and said to Karsokov, "Comrade Chief of Staff, I'm going to the field hospital to take a look. I'll leave this place to you."

"Don't worry, Comrade Brigade Commander," Karsokov said, "If anything happens, I will send someone to call you."

Sokov nodded to Karsokov and then walked out of the tent.

Bobrikov was staying in a tent not far from the brigade headquarters. When he saw Sokov coming out, he ran out of the tent and came to Sokov and asked, "Comrade Commander, where are you going?"

"I want to go to the field hospital to take a look." Sokov said, "The superiors sent us a medical team. I'll go over to see if they have been settled."

Knowing that Sokov was going to the field hospital, although it was only a few hundred meters away from here, for Sokov's safety, Bobrikov called the soldiers in the tent and prepared to escort Sokov to the field hospital.

"Comrade Captain, I don't think that's necessary." Sokov waved his hand to reject Bobrikov's kindness and said, "This place is not far from the field hospital. I can go there alone."

Seeing that Sokov was unwilling to have someone take on the protection work, Bobrikov did not force it, and waved to the soldiers who came out, signaling them to go back to the tent. Sokov came to the field hospital alone and found seven or eight gray ambulances with red crosses painted on the sidings parked in the open space in the forest. There were many wounded people lined up next to the two ambulances with open rear doors, apparently receiving some kind of examination.

At this time, a young female military doctor came to Sokov and asked, "Comrade Major, which unit are you from?"

After seeing the face in front of him clearly, Sokov was stunned. He thought to himself, isn't this the Tonya who worked at the Lenin Street Military Hospital in his previous life? He pointed in the direction he came from in a panic and replied, "I'm from the brigade."

"My name is Tonya." The female military doctor smiled sweetly at Sokov and asked, "Comrade Major, how should I address you?"

Hearing this familiar name, Sokov's heartbeat suddenly quickened. In his previous life, after he met this female military doctor, he even lent her the house that his superiors had assigned to him. If he hadn't been transferred to the front line later, maybe something would have happened between them.

"Donya, what a nice name. If I remember correctly, Pavel Korchagin's first love was named Tonya." After praising the female military doctor's name like he did in his previous life, Sokov said his own name: "My name is Mikhail, and my last name is Sokov. You can call me Mikhail or Sokov."

"Misha," Tonya unexpectedly called Sokov by his nickname. "I didn't expect you've also read Ostrovsky's How the Steel Was Tempered?"

"Yes, I have read it." Sokov nodded and began to recite some wonderful contents of the book. He continued: "There are also Gorky's "In the World", "Mother", "My University", Tolstoy's "War and Peace", Turgenev's books..."

After hearing Sokov recite fifty or sixty famous works by Tsarist Russian writers in one breath, Tonya's face was full of shock: "Comrade Major, I never thought that you know so much about Russian literature."

"It's just so-so." Sokov muttered to himself. When I went to study in Russia, my major was Russian literature. So it's a piece of cake for me to say the names of a few nationalities. He said modestly: "When I have nothing to do, I like to read books. It's not surprising that I know some book titles."

"So that's how it is." Dong Niya nodded and asked curiously, "Comrade Major, what do you do in the infantry brigade? Are you a political worker or a propaganda worker?"

Sokov laughed dumbly after hearing this. He pointed to his collar badge and said, "Comrade Dongnia, look at my rank. This is not the rank of a political worker."

"So you are a military commander." Dongya asked with a smile, "I wonder what you are doing here?"

"One of my old subordinates was injured, and I came here specially to see him."

"So you are here to visit the wounded." After learning the purpose of Sokov's visit, Tonya said enthusiastically, "I will call the head nurse over. You can ask her and find out where your men are now."

Before Tonya could call for help, head nurse Vera appeared in front of Sokov. She raised her hand and saluted Sokov: "Hello, Comrade Brigade Commander."

Sokov returned the greeting and asked curiously, "Comrade Head Nurse, did the pregnant woman give birth to her baby safely?"

"They're born." Vera nodded vigorously and said in a positive tone, "They're twins, both boys."

Sokov couldn't help being a little dazed when he heard Vera say this. He vaguely remembered hearing someone say that more boys were born in wartime, while more girls were born in peacetime. He didn't know whether this statement had any scientific basis.

While Sokov was daydreaming, Tonya asked Vera in surprise: "Comrade head nurse, is he the brigade commander?"

"Yes, he is the brigade commander."

"But, I saw in the afternoon that the deputy brigade commander had the rank of lieutenant colonel. How come he only has the rank of major?" Tonya asked in confusion.

"I don't know the details." Vera shrugged and spread her hands: "I just came here one day earlier than you."

After saying this, Vera made a gesture of invitation to Sokov: "You are here to see the deputy brigade commander, right? I will take you to see him."

"No, I'm not here to see the deputy brigade commander." Sokov shook his head and said to Vera, "I want to visit the wounded soldier who was brought in during the day to see how he is doing."

"Oh, you mean the wounded man you brought back yourself?"

"Yes, do you know where he is?"

Vera pointed to the ambulance not far away and said, "He is resting in the outermost ambulance. I will take you to see him now."

As the two walked towards the ambulance, Sokov specifically asked, "How serious are his injuries? Can he survive?"

Vera seemed a little hesitant when she heard Sokov's question. "Comrade Commander, I heard from the assistant military doctor that the wounded soldier had many wounds that had rotted and festered, and she had to use a knife to cut off the rotten flesh. Your subordinate was really brave. He was sweating profusely during the operation, but he didn't even groan."

Soon, the two of them came to the rear of the ambulance. Vera opened the door, turned around and said to Sokov, "Comrade Commander, the wounded are inside. You can go in."

After thanking Vera, Sokov got into the car.

There was a bunk bed on each side of the ambulance, with a wounded person lying on each bed.

When the wounded saw Sokov coming in, they all looked at him.

Before Sokov could see clearly who was Romanov, he heard a faint voice coming from the lower bunk on the right: "Comrade Major, you are here to see me, right?"

Sokov looked down and saw that the person who spoke was Romanov he was looking for.

He quickly took two steps forward, half-knelt beside the bed, held Romanov's hand, and asked with concern: "Romanov, how do you feel now?"

(End of this chapter)