red moscow

Chapter 2985

Grich, who had taken the initiative to contact the power supply department, finally found the deputy director who was on duty at the power station. The deputy director was very unhappy because Grich had disturbed his sleep. He said in an official tone, "Sergeant, the power rationing in the city is a regulation from higher authorities. If we want to restore power to the hospital, we need a document from higher authorities. Do you have the relevant document?"

Griggs had no documents to restore power to the hospital, and for a moment he was speechless, unsure how to answer.

Seeing that Grigory had nothing to say, the deputy director said impatiently, "Sergeant, if you want to restore power to the hospital, you'll have to wait until you get the documents from your superiors." After saying that, he kicked Grigory out of his office.

After leaving the power station, Grigory stood at the door for a while in a daze, then listlessly returned to the police station to report his negotiation results to Sokov.

After listening to Grić's report, Sokov frowned slightly: "The power station staff said that to restore power to the hospital, they need to provide documents from their superiors?"

“Yes, Comrade City Defense Commander,” Grigory replied, nodding.

"Sergeant, if we can't provide the necessary documents, is there any way to get the power company to restore power?"

“That’s probably not very realistic,” Grigory said with a bitter face. “The deputy director’s attitude is very tough. Without a document from his superior, I’m afraid anyone could get away with it.”

“That’s not necessarily true.” Sokov thought that the field hospital would be arriving soon, and if the power supply station could not restore power to the hospital in time, the military doctors would not be able to perform surgery on the wounded. He stood up and said to Olga, who was sitting on the other side of the conference table, “Captain, take a platoon of soldiers and come with me.”

Seeing Olga go out to gather men, Grigg asked with some puzzlement, "Comrade City Defense Commander, what are you planning to do?"

"What else can we do? Of course, we should go to the power supply station and ask them to restore power to the hospital."

"But you can't provide the documents from your superiors, so that staff member definitely won't agree."

Sokov raised his hand and patted the pistol at his waist, then said to Grich with a cold smile, "Sergeant Grich, don't forget that this is wartime. As the city's defense commander, I have the right to take some special measures to maintain stability in the city."

“Special means?!” Grich turned to look at the open door, listening to the counting off of the officers and soldiers outside. He seemed to guess what Sokov was planning to do, and tentatively asked, “Comrade City Defense Commander, are you planning to take over the power supply station?”

“No, it’s not about taking over.” Sokov shook his head when he heard Grigory’s question. “It’s about sending troops to protect them. You see, the enemy is getting closer and closer to the city, and they might send people into the city to cause trouble any day. The power sector is their main target, so it’s absolutely necessary to send people to protect it.”

Grigory understood the implication in Sokov's words: "protection" was merely a euphemism for taking over. He wondered if the worker would still be as picky and difficult as before when Sokov brought these soldiers with him.

"Comrade Commander of the City Defense, may I go with you?"

“Of course, of course.” Sokov nodded in agreement to Grigory’s request: “We don’t know where the power station is, so we’ll ask you to be our guide.”

Led by Grich, Sokov and his group spent forty minutes walking from the police station to the power supply station.

A militiaman on duty at the entrance of the power supply station panicked when he saw so many people walking towards him. He quickly took off the rifle slung over his shoulder, frantically pulled the bolt, and shouted tremblingly, "Who goes there? Stop! I'll shoot if you don't stop!"

Sokov quickly raised his hand to stop the troops, then said to Grich, "Comrade Sergeant, could you please go and negotiate with them?"

Grich nodded, then took a few steps forward and said loudly, "Hey, comrade, don't shoot, it's one of our own! Sergeant Grich, the police chief, I was here a little over an hour ago!"

The militiaman lowered his gun and looked at Sokov and the others, asking, "Sergeant, who are those people behind you?"

"The commander following behind me is the newly appointed city defense commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. He brought his men here to inspect the work."

Upon learning that the visitor was the city defense commander and that he was there to inspect the work, the militiamen naturally did not stop him. He slung his rifle back over his shoulder and said to Sokov and the others, "Alright, you can go in now."

Upon entering the power supply station compound, Sokov, led by Grich, easily made his way to the deputy director's office.

The deputy director, who was sleeping with his head on the table, heard someone enter his office and quickly opened his eyes and looked up.

Upon seeing that one of the people who entered the office was Grich, whom he had recently dismissed, he said with dissatisfaction, "Sergeant, didn't I tell you that without a document from higher authorities, I cannot restore power to the hospital?"

With Sokov by his side, Grich spoke with much more confidence: "Comrade Deputy Director, let me introduce you. This is Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the newly appointed city defense commander. He is here to discuss restoring power to the hospital."

Upon learning that the commander standing next to Grich was actually the newly appointed city defense commander, the deputy director quickly stood up and shook hands with Sokov: "Hello, Comrade City Defense Commander!"

“Comrade Deputy Director!” Sokov did not rush to send troops to take over the power station. He thought that he should try to persuade them first, and if he could not convince them, he would consider using force: “I am the newly appointed city defense commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. I hope you can restore the power supply to the hospital as soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry, Comrade City Defense Commander.” But before Sokov could finish speaking, the other party refused his request without hesitation: “Without a document from higher authorities, I cannot restore power to the hospital.” Perhaps worried that Sokov would be angry, he added: “Besides, the medical staff and patients in that hospital have all been transferred to the rear. Providing power to an empty hospital would be a waste.”

“Comrade Deputy Director,” Sokov explained calmly, “Once my field hospital arrives, we will immediately admit the wounded to that hospital. If the hospital does not receive a power supply, the medics will be unable to perform surgery on the wounded. At the same time, the medical staff will also face many inconveniences in caring for the wounded.”

Hearing Sokov say this, the deputy director once again used the same rhetoric he had given to Grich: "Comrade City Defense Commander, the power rationing in the city is a regulation from higher authorities. If we want to restore power to the hospital, we need a document from higher authorities. Do you have the relevant document?"

“No, I have no documents.” Seeing the other party’s stubbornness, Sokov felt a growing anger: “Now, as the city’s defense commander, I order you to immediately restore power to the hospital.”

"I'm sorry, Commander of the City Defense." But the stubborn deputy director remained adamant, saying, "You are not my direct superior, you have no authority to give me any orders!"

Sokov didn't waste any words with the deputy director, but turned to Olga, who was standing to the side, and said, "Captain, immediately arrange for men to take over the power station and restore power to the hospital. Understand?" "Understood!" Olga replied, then turned to the soldiers standing outside the door and called, "You guys, come with me!"

Upon seeing that Sokov had directly ordered the takeover of the power station, the deputy director became anxious: "Comrade Commander of the City Defense, I must lodge a strong protest against your barbaric behavior. At the same time, I will report your actions to my superiors in writing."

Sokov snorted and continued, "Comrade Deputy Director, I have already told you. My field hospital is about to be deployed there. If the hospital cannot restore power, the medics will be unable to perform surgery on the wounded, and even the nurses will face many inconveniences in caring for them. But you have ignored what I said. As the city defense commander of Sun Mountain City, I can sentence you to death for the crime of sabotaging the Great Patriotic War."

The deputy director was immediately alarmed by Sokov's words. He carefully recalled what he had said and realized that if the other party really punished him for this crime, probably no one would sympathize with him.

In an instant, the deputy director's attitude made a 180-degree turn. He bowed and scraped to Sokov and said, "Comrade Commander of the City Defense, I was wrong just now. I am willing to assist you in restoring the power supply to the hospital as soon as possible."

Seeing that the other party had backed down, Sokov softened his tone and said, "In that case, take us to the power supply room."

When the group arrived at the power supply room, they saw that the soldiers brought by Olega had already occupied many important positions in the room, while the power supply staff were all gathered in the middle of the room.

Upon seeing the deputy director enter, an elderly staff member immediately approached him for help: "Deputy Director, these soldiers suddenly broke into the power supply room not long ago, demanding that we restore power to the hospital. You know, there's no one there; restoring power is completely unnecessary."

"Let me introduce you," the deputy director said to the staff of the power supply station. "This is the newly appointed city defense commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. His field hospital will soon be stationed there. Without a power supply, the military doctors will not be able to perform surgery on the wounded, and the nurses will not be able to take better care of them."

After the deputy director finished speaking, the staff member tentatively asked, "So what should we do now?"

"Of course, we will restore power to the hospital immediately."

Following instructions from the deputy director, the staff went to the location of the power switch and quickly switched on one of the switches.

After doing all this, he turned to the deputy director and said, "Deputy Director, the power supply to the hospital has been restored."

"Comrade City Defense Commander!" The deputy director turned to Sokov with a smile and said, "Power has been restored to the hospital. Do you have any further instructions?"

Sokov turned to Olga beside him and said to the deputy director, "Comrade Deputy Director, as the enemy gets closer and closer to the city, I'm worried that this place will become their main target for sabotage. Therefore, I plan to leave some soldiers to guard the power station and ensure its safety. You have no objections, do you?"

The deputy director knew perfectly well that when Sokov said he was sending people to protect the power station, he was actually leaving people behind to monitor him, to prevent him from cutting off the hospital's power without prior notice.

He quickly replied respectfully, "Comrade Commander of the City Defense, if you could leave someone to protect the power supply station, we would be more than happy to do so."

Sokov called Olga over and, taking advantage of the situation, said, "Comrade Captain, you leave two squads behind to protect the power station."

Olga naturally carried out Sokov's order without hesitation, immediately arranging for manpower to protect the power station.

As Sokov led the remaining men away from the power station toward the hospital, Grigory couldn't help but flatter him, saying, "Comrade Commander of the City Defense, your move was brilliant. Leaving people to guard the power station not only prevents it from being sabotaged by the Germans, but also keeps an eye on the deputy director, preventing him from secretly pulling the power switch to the hospital one day."

Upon hearing Grigory's praise, Sokov remained silent, only offering a faint smile.

When the group arrived at the hospital, the dispatched buses had already transported most of the injured.

Fortunately, the hospital's power had been restored, and the staff on duty at the entrance turned on the searchlights near the parking lot, illuminating the entire parking lot as if it were daytime.

Seeing the bustling scene, Olga couldn't help but ask with some concern, "Comrade Brigade Commander, with all these lights on, what if enemy planes come to bomb us?"

Sokov glanced back at Olga and said confidently, "Don't worry, Captain Olga. The Germans have a limited number of night bombers. Even if they were to launch a night bombing raid, their targets would be our front lines. They wouldn't have time to deal with this small city, which is dozens of kilometers away from the front lines."

After saying this, Sokov walked towards the parking lot.

An officer approached and saluted Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, Captain Zaryagin, the company commander of the Special Company, reports that our company has successfully escorted the field hospital to the city. I await your orders. Please give your instructions!"

“Well done, Captain Zaryagin.” Sokov shook hands with the man and continued, “Have the wounded arrived?”

“There are still some seriously wounded soldiers traveling by oxcart or horse-drawn carriage on the way,” Zaryagin replied. “But they should arrive before dawn.”

Do you know where the director of the field hospital is?

“He’s in the building.” Zaryagin turned and pointed in the direction of the inpatient building, explaining to Sokov, “Comrade Director said that there are many issues to deal with when a field hospital is stationed in a local hospital, so he went directly to his office. If you want to find him, you can go directly to his office.”

“No need.” Sokov knew the director must be very busy right now, so he didn’t want to add to his troubles. He said to Zaryagin, “Comrade Zaryagin, although the field hospital has arrived in Sun Mountain City, your company’s mission is not over yet. From now on, you will continue to be responsible for the security of the field hospital until the day we withdraw from Sun Mountain City.”

"The day we withdraw from Sun Mountain City?" Upon hearing Sokov's words, Zaryagin's face showed a look of astonishment: "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you mean that we won't stay in this city for long and will leave soon?"

Sokov realized he had spoken carelessly and quickly explained, "Comrade Captain, we will hold this city. But we must consider the worst-case scenario. Even if we can repel the enemy's attack, we must still plan for the safe relocation of the field hospital."

(End of this chapter)