red moscow

Chapter 2895 Testing
"This is exactly the problem that is giving us a headache," said Politic. "If we want to retreat to our defense line in the east in an organized manner, we will definitely have battles with the enemy along the way. It is still unknown how many people can reach the destination safely. If the enemy chooses to break up into small groups and pass through the German defense line in the form of a small team, there will also be great danger. Once discovered by the enemy, there is a possibility that we will be defeated one by one. That is why we sent a telegram for help, hoping to get help from friendly forces."

"Comrade Colonel," Sokov glanced at the radio station not far away and raised his question: "Why did you choose to send a distress telegram yesterday? Why did your radio station remain silent before that?"

"The reason is very simple, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Politic replied with a wry smile, "Our radio could not be used for a long time because it had no batteries. It was precisely because of this that we completely lost contact with our superiors for three months. Yesterday, we got the batteries needed for the radio through our guerrilla comrades and restored contact with the outside world."

"Oh, that's how it is." After listening to Politic's explanation, Sokov finally understood why this unit reappeared in everyone's sight after being out of contact for such a long time. He then asked: "Comrade Colonel, after your radio was officially put into use, didn't you contact your superiors immediately?"

"Of course I have contacted them, but unfortunately there has been no response." Politic said with a painful expression: "Perhaps they were annihilated by the enemy."

Since the outbreak of the war, not only have multiple Soviet army-level headquarters been annihilated by the German army, but even the Western Front Command has not escaped such a fate. Senior commanders in the headquarters have either been captured or sacrificed, causing the Soviet army to lose many excellent commanders. The inability to contact Politik's superiors should also be in this situation.

Since Politik's superior was no longer around, as long as his troops could be brought back to the 16th Army's defense zone, the troops would naturally come under Rokossovsky's command without having to worry about any jurisdictional disputes.

"Comrade Colonel, since you are unable to contact your former superiors, once the troops return to our defense zone, they can be directly assigned to the command of the 16th Army." Sokov looked at Politic and asked, "You don't have any objections, do you?"

"As long as my troops can return to our defense zone smoothly, no matter who is in command, I will resolutely obey the arrangements of my superiors." Politic said, "But the problem we are facing now is how to bring this unit back to my defense zone?"

Just as they were worrying about how to evacuate the troops, a second lieutenant came in and reported to Politic: "Comrade, the soldiers sent out for reconnaissance have returned, and they also brought back a wounded officer."

"Injured officers?" After listening to the soldier's report, Politic raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where are they now?"

"Just outside the church."

"Let them in quickly."

Soon, Sokov saw a Soviet lieutenant without a military cap and with blood on his forehead walking in with several soldiers.

When the lieutenant saw Sokov, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it quickly turned into confusion.

Sokov was sharp-eyed and noticed the change in the lieutenant's eyes. He couldn't help but wonder, "Why does he look at me in such a strange way?"

While he was thinking about it, those people had already walked in front of Politic.

A sergeant saluted Politic and reported respectfully: "Comrade Commander, we have successfully completed the reconnaissance mission. No trace of the enemy was found in the designated area. It seems that they did not find that we have moved."

Politic stared at the lieutenant and asked the scout, "Comrade Sergeant, where did this lieutenant come from?"

"Comrade, this is what happened," the sergeant quickly explained to Politic, "We were on our way back when we suddenly heard gunshots in the woods. I led some people over and saw that the lieutenant was being chased by the Germans, so we fired and repelled the enemy and saved him."

"Lieutenant, which unit are you from and why are you here?"

Hearing Politic's question, the lieutenant saluted him and said politely: "Hello, Comrade Colonel, I am Lieutenant Grande, an officer of the Intelligence Bureau. I was unfortunately captured by the Germans while performing a reconnaissance mission. They beat me up and knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself lying under a tree, and the German who was guarding me was smoking next to me. I took advantage of his inattention and quietly escaped. Unexpectedly, I didn't run far before I was discovered by the Germans, and they immediately chased after me with weapons."

Lieutenant Grande turned his head and glanced at the scout next to him, and said with gratitude: "Luckily, I got the scouts under your command. They fought off the Germans chasing me and saved me." At this point, he reached out and patted the scout on the shoulder, "Thank you, Comrade Sergeant. If it weren't for you, I would definitely die under the German guns."

"Medic, medic!" Politic saw that Lieutenant Grande's forehead was still bleeding, so he called out to the side twice. As he shouted, a female medic ran over with a medical box. He pointed at Grande and said, "The lieutenant is injured, bandage him."

The female nurse agreed, came to Lieutenant Grande, and said politely: "Comrade Lieutenant, please sit down first. You are too tall, and I can't reach you."

Grande sat down on a chair nearby, and while the female nurse was cleaning the blood from his forehead, he asked Politic in a nonchalant tone: "Comrade Colonel, where did these Germans come from?"

Seeing that Politik was about to reveal his identity, Sokov quickly shook his head at him and winked at him, signaling him not to reveal his true identity.

Although Politic didn't understand why Sokov gave him such a hint, he didn't tell Grand the truth: "These Germans were just captured by us. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone who knows German here, so we can't interrogate them."

Hearing what Politic said, Grand immediately offered himself: "Comrade Colonel, as an officer of the Intelligence Bureau, I know some German. If you have no objection, I can help you interrogate these prisoners."

"Will you help us interrogate the prisoners?" Politic looked at Sokov as he spoke. Seeing that Sokov nodded slightly, indicating that he could accept his proposal, he nodded and said, "Well, Lieutenant Grande, please help us interrogate these prisoners."

The conversation between Politic and Grand confused Haranchuk and several staff officers nearby. Everyone looked at each other and saw confusion in each other's eyes. Everyone knew that Sokov was one of them. How come he became a German prisoner and had to be interrogated in the blink of an eye?
Fortunately, everyone remained silent and no one spoke, thus avoiding the possibility of being exposed.

Soon, the "interrogation" of Sokov and others began with the cooperation of Lieutenant Grande. "Your name, position and rank." Politik asked pretentiously.

Lieutenant Grande translated what Politic said truthfully to Sokov and others.

After Grande finished speaking, Sokov pretended to be arrogant and said, "My name is Moritz, and my rank is major. Other than that, I will not answer any of your questions."

After Grande translated Sokov's words to Politic, he added: "Comrade Colonel, this German guy seems a bit stubborn. How about we take some special measures against him? Maybe we can get useful information from him?"

"There's no need to torture them." Politic naturally understood what Grande meant, so he shook his head and rejected his proposal: "We are an isolated force behind enemy lines. Even if we get some military intelligence, it won't be of much use."

Grande turned to Sokov and said, "Major Moritz, our superiors have said that if you don't behave yourself, you will be dragged out and shot."

Among the people standing behind Sokov, only Zhukov knew German. The other three had blank expressions on their faces when they heard what Grand said. Zhukov was surprised because he had never heard Politic say what Grand said. He was puzzled by Sokov's behavior, but he immediately understood Sokov's intention. The man who claimed to be Grand's lieutenant was testing his brigade commander.

Sokov sneered at Grande and then said, "Mr. Lieutenant, please tell your superior that as your prisoners, we hope to enjoy the treatment that prisoners deserve."

"Mr. Major, if you don't cooperate with us, you will be dragged out and shot soon. I'm afraid you won't have the chance to enjoy the treatment of a prisoner of war."

When Sokov heard that the other party was acting on his own, he became even more suspicious of his identity, but he still tried to remain calm and asked in a steady tone: "Mr. Lieutenant, you speak German well. Have you been to Germany before?"

Hearing Sokov's question, Grand hesitated for a moment, then replied: "I once studied in Germany, so I can speak German."

"You speak German well." Sokov looked at Grande and said with interest, "If I only heard you speak but didn't see you, I would definitely think you were a genuine German."

Seeing Grande and Sokov talking non-stop, Politic slapped his hand on the table and asked, "Comrade Lieutenant, what are you talking about with this German? You've been talking for a long time."

"Comrade Colonel," Grande hastily defended himself, "I am trying to persuade him, hoping that he can reveal useful information. If you give me a little more time, I will definitely make him confess."

"Okay, okay." Politic pretended to be impatient and said to Grande, "Keep asking. You must get some useful information."

Seeing that Politic allowed him to continue chatting with Sokov and others, Grande was secretly delighted. He turned his head and looked at Sokov and said, "Mr. Major, are you really not going to consider my proposal? If you provide us with useful information, we can let you enjoy the treatment a prisoner of war deserves. If you don't confess..."

"If we don't confess, what are you going to do?" Sokov asked with a sneer, "Drag us out and shoot us all?"

Grande probably didn't expect Sokov to say such a thing. After a brief silence, he said awkwardly, "This possibility exists. If you refuse to confess, they may indeed shoot you all."

"Just shoot him, what's the big deal?" Zhu Kewen, who had been silent, took a step forward and shouted at Grande: "For a German officer, even if he dies, he cannot go against his military oath and become a shameful traitor."

Grande, who was still testing Sokov, saw Zhukov so excited and said to Sokov: "Major, please ask your men to restrain themselves. If you anger the Russians, they will probably drag you out and shoot you."

Sokov smiled. He had originally suspected that there was something wrong with the lieutenant named Grande. When he heard him say that, he immediately had an answer in his mind. Maybe a Soviet commander would call his own people "Russians". Anyone who could say this word, even if he was wearing a Soviet uniform, was just a German disguised as a Soviet soldier.

"Mr. Lieutenant, I'm from the Brandenburg Regiment. Which unit are you from?" Sokov asked directly in German.

Hearing Sokov's question, Grande panicked at first, but then calmed down and replied: "Major, you are wrong, I am not a German."

"Come on, don't hide it, Lieutenant." Sokov said bluntly, "No one except us would call them Russians. If I'm not mistaken, you are one of us wearing Russian uniforms. I know all the officers of the Brandenburg Regiment, but I have never seen you. Which unit are you from, the Gestapo or the SS?"

Facing Sokov's relentless questioning, Grand hesitated for a long time, and finally said slowly: "Mr. Major, I don't understand what you are talking about. You must be mistaken, I am not German."

Seeing that the time was right, Sokov turned to Politic and said, "Comrade Colonel, I can conclude that this man is a German spy. We can arrest him."

When Grand heard Sokov suddenly speak Russian, his face turned pale. He reached for the pistol at his waist, but there were already several guns pointed at him. He had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​resistance and surrender.

Seeing Lieutenant Grande being arrested, Lieutenant Colonel Haranchuk, who had been silent for a long time, couldn't help but ask Sokov: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, how did you determine that he was a German in disguise?"

"When he came in and saw us, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes, and then turned into confusion." Sokov explained to the confused crowd, "According to my judgment, when he saw someone in German uniform in the room, he first thought that his companions might have occupied this place; then the confusion in his eyes might be because he thought that there was no fighting nearby, so how could a German officer be captured. It was because I noticed the change in his eyes that I winked at Comrade Colonel, signaling him to cooperate with me in a play to confirm the true identity of Lieutenant Grande."

(End of this chapter)