red moscow

Chapter 3101

After ending the call with Karsokov, Sokov put down the receiver, turned around, and slowly walked back to the table. He happened to see Major Vasya and Captain Alexa still bent over their maps, intently discussing the battle plan. He paused briefly, then said to the two, "Major Vasya, Captain Alexa, I have an urgent matter that requires my immediate return to brigade headquarters. I'll leave this to you."

Upon hearing Sokov say he was leaving, Captain Alexa quickly looked up and asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, please wait a moment. Currently, our two battalions are jointly carrying out combat missions. Who should be in charge of unified command and deployment?"

“Is there even a need to ask? Naturally, Major Vasya will be in command.” Sokov answered almost without hesitation. “Vasya is a major, and you, Alex, are a captain. According to our military regulations, officers of higher ranks automatically gain command of the battlefield, while those of lower ranks must obey unconditionally.”

After a brief pause, Sokov looked around at the two men and asked again in a calm but unquestionable tone, "Do you have any further questions about the command arrangements?"

Now that the brigade commander had given the clear order, there was no longer any dispute over the ownership of command. The two men looked at each other, straightened up, and shook their heads in unison, replying, "No, Comrade Brigade Commander, we have no more questions."

Sokov nodded and strode towards the command post entrance. He called out to the guards twice, and a moment later, a soldier with bandages wrapped around his head and his face blackened by gunpowder smoke rushed over, stood at attention, and saluted. Sokov recognized him as the deputy squad leader of the guard platoon and asked in a normal tone, "Deputy Squad Leader, where are the other soldiers in the guard platoon? Why are you alone?"

Upon hearing Sokov's question, the deputy squad leader lowered his head and replied in a hoarse and low voice, "Reporting to the brigade commander, the guard squad... except for me, has all been killed."

Upon hearing this, Vasha, who had come with Sokov, immediately stepped forward and suggested with concern, "Comrade Brigade Commander, it's really worrying that you're returning to the brigade headquarters with only one soldier by your side. Although the journey isn't too long, the situation is complex. If you encounter a small group of enemies or an unexpected situation, it might be difficult to handle. How about this, I'll immediately arrange a squad of soldiers to strengthen the security and escort you safely back to the brigade headquarters?"

At this moment, Alexa stepped forward and said, "Major Vasya, I see that there aren't many troops around your command post. Let our Second Battalion take over the escort mission. I can select experienced soldiers to form an escort team to ensure the brigade commander's safety along the way."

Sokov smiled and waved his hand, politely declining the two battalion commanders' offer: "I appreciate your kindness. It's not far from here to the brigade headquarters, and there are our troops along the way. With this soldier accompanying us, there shouldn't be any safety issues. You should focus your energy on command and troop deployment."

Seeing Sokov's resolute attitude, the two battalion commanders did not insist further. They accompanied Sokov to the edge of the town, solemnly saluted him in farewell, and watched him leave before turning back to the battalion command post.

It took Sokov almost an hour to finally reach the brigade headquarters.

The moment he stepped into the command center, before his eyes could even adjust to the indoor light, a figure rushed over from the side, opened his arms, and hugged him tightly. The person exclaimed excitedly, "Misha! I never thought I'd finally see you again!"

Sokov immediately recognized the familiar voice—it was his long-missed old comrade-in-arms, Bakharov. He chuckled and patted Bakharov on the back, replying, "Well, Bakharov, it's you! Tell me, how's it been at the weapons and equipment department? Is everything going well?"

“Of course it’s me!” Bakharov released his arm, his face beaming with the joy of a long-awaited reunion. “I was treated well there, but I couldn’t stop worrying about you. I was constantly on my mind, afraid that something might happen to you on the front lines and that you might be targeted by German snipers.”

"Come on, you jinx! Can't you say something auspicious?" Sokov took a step back, looked his old friend up and down, and then asked seriously, "Bakharov, I heard that you came to our brigade this time mainly to understand the performance of that batch of new weapons in actual combat?"

“That’s right, Lieutenant Colonel.” Before Bakharov could answer, a captain, whom he didn’t recognize, approached and chimed in with a smile. He saluted Sokov and continued earnestly, “Our main mission here at the front is to comprehensively collect data on the use of these new weapons in your brigade and their combat feedback, so that we can further improve and optimize them.” Sokov turned to his chief of staff, Karsokov, and after exchanging a glance, said, “Captain, since you’ve been here for a while, I presume my chief of staff has already given you a detailed report on the performance and effectiveness of these two new weapons in combat?”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel.” The captain nodded and replied solemnly, “The Chief of Staff did give us a comprehensive and detailed introduction. In addition, he also expressed on behalf of the brigade headquarters that he hopes to equip you with more of these new weapons in the future to enhance the firepower and combat capabilities of the troops.”

"Comrade Captain!" Sokov warmly greeted Bakharov and the Captain, inviting them to sit down in the command post. Then, with a serious expression, he continued, "We previously equipped ourselves with a batch of new rifles and rocket launchers, which have performed excellently in combat. However, due to their extremely limited quantity, they can only be issued to a small number of units, failing to provide an overall improvement in the combat effectiveness of the entire infantry brigade. Therefore, we urgently hope to obtain more new weapons support from the weapons and equipment department to comprehensively enhance our brigade's combat capabilities."

"Lieutenant Colonel, please allow me to ask a question." The captain carefully chose his words and asked respectfully, "Is it convenient for you?"

Sokov calmly made an inviting gesture and said in a gentle tone, "Please speak, Captain. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, and we will answer them truthfully."

"What I'd like to know is, how many troops does your infantry brigade actually have right now?"

Sokov did not immediately answer the captain's question, but instead turned his gaze to Karsokov beside him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please report to the captain on the latest troop strength of our brigade."

"As of yesterday's statistics, our brigade has a total strength of over 5400 personnel," Karsokov immediately and accurately reported the figure.

Surprisingly, no sooner had Karsokov finished speaking than the captain jumped up from his seat, his face filled with disbelief, and exclaimed, "This is impossible, absolutely impossible, this number is simply unbelievable."

Sokov and Bakharov exchanged a glance, both reading surprise and confusion in each other's eyes.

“Comrade Captain!” Sokov focused his gaze on the captain, his tone tinged with confusion: “What do you mean by impossible?”

"Of course it's the troop numbers you reported. How could an infantry brigade possibly have more than 5400 men?" the captain replied excitedly.

Upon hearing the captain's question, Sokov's face showed a helpless expression: "Comrade Captain, I assure you that this number has been rigorously calculated. What exactly are you doubting?"

“Before coming to your brigade, I specifically inquired about the situation with familiar staff officers at the army group headquarters. As far as I know, the infantry divisions under the 16th Army each have a total strength of only a little over a thousand men.” The captain looked directly at Sokov and said righteously, “You are only a brigade-level unit. How could your strength be more than several infantry divisions combined? This is completely illogical.”

(End of this chapter)