Burning Moscow

Chapter 124: Unexpected News After hanging up, I stood motionless before the desk, staring blankly at the telephone. My mind was struggling to process the news I’d just received: Zhukov had actually appointed me commander of the 8th Guards Division?! Since arriving in this timeline, although I had rapidly risen from an obscure nobody to a moderately well-known mid-level officer, aside from limited time spent commanding troops, I had spent most of my time merely playing a bit part. And now, out of the blue, this huge opportunity had fallen into my lap, making me the supreme commander of this heroic unit. “Lida!” “Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina!” General Leviadkin called my name several times before snapping me out of my reverie. I quickly replied, “Comrade General, did you call me?” The general shot me a disapproving look and asked, “Who was that on the phone just now? Why did you look so dazed after hearing it? I called you several times, and you didn’t even hear me?” “Ah!” I replied, somewhat flustered. “First, it was General Rokossovsky, the Army Commander. He hung up as soon as he heard that General Panfilov had fallen. Then, General Zhukov, Commander of the Western Front, called personally…” “What did Comrade Zhukov say on the phone?” Levyakin asked curiously. I gathered my thoughts before answering: “The General told me that, due to the outstanding merits displayed by the 316th Division in the battle to defend Moscow, the Supreme Soviet has decided to award our division the glorious title of ‘8th Guards Division’!” Having said this, I glanced at Colonel Levyakhin sitting across from me and Political Commissar Yegorov, who was sitting on the floor. Levyakhin stared at me listlessly, while Political Commissar Yegorov, though no longer muttering to himself, still kept his head bowed, looking as if he hadn’t been listening closely at all. I found the situation a bit tedious and was about to continue by sharing the news that Zhukov had appointed me as division commander. But before I could open my mouth, “Ah!” Leviyakin suddenly let out a startled cry, his face contorted with surprise, startling me completely off guard. Political Commissar Yegorov’s reaction was even more dramatic: he jerked his head up, pointed at me, his finger trembling uncontrollably, his mouth opening and closing but unable to form a single word. “The Supreme Soviet has awarded my division the title of Guards Division?!” “That’s right!” Hearing my unequivocal answer, Leviyakin’s expression grew even more agitated, the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably. Political Commissar Yegorov, supported by soldiers, tremblingly rose from the floor, took a few steps forward, and asked in a completely strained voice, “Are you sure you didn’t mishear that?” As soon as Yegorov spoke, Leviadin also calmed down from his initial excitement. He looked at me silently, waiting for my answer. Although the political commissar’s question was filled with doubt, both men’s faces were filled with boundless hope. “ “That’s right!” I replied firmly. “General Zhukov told me this himself. If you don’t believe me, you can call Comrade Rokossovsky or Comrade Zhukov yourself and verify the matter with them.” After saying this, I furrowed my brow slightly and glared at them with deep dissatisfaction, thinking to myself: Is it really worth lying to you just because a Guards Division title was awarded? Besides, it’s just an honor—is it really worth getting so worked up over? “No need.” Seeing how categorically I had spoken, Yegorov felt there was no need to verify it further. Instead, he asked the next question that concerned him most: “Did Comrade General know that General Panfilov had fallen? Did he say who would take command of the division? Will a new division commander be sent in, or will someone be appointed from among the division’s current commanders?” ” As he spoke, he cast a sidelong glance at Levyakhin beside him. I understood the meaning behind the political commissar’s glance. After all, Levyakhin was a general and now the highest-ranking officer in the division; it would be only natural for him to take command. I cleared my throat and said loudly: “ General Zhukov has ordered me to temporarily assume command of the division!” I was afraid of upsetting General Leviadkin, who was standing right in front of me. After all, he was a general, and having an officer of much lower rank—and a woman at that—take command would be somewhat of a blow to his pride, so I added the word “temporarily.” As soon as I finished speaking, I suddenly noticed that the political commissar’s face was covered in blood. Startled, I asked, “Comrade Political Commissar, what happened to you?” Yegorov wiped his face, then looked at the blood covering his hands. He paused for a moment before answering, “I must have been cut by shrapnel from the grenade just now.” “Medic!” Levyakin quickly called out to the medic standing nearby, who had been staring blankly. “Hurry up and bandage Comrade Political Commissar’s wound.” The medic stepped forward, helped the Political Commissar sit down at the table, placed his small briefcase on the table, took out medicine and bandages, and began dressing the wound. “Comrade Division Commander.” Hearing Leviadkin’s voice, I instinctively looked toward the division commander lying on the camp cot, only to find that his body had already been covered with a blanket. “Comrade Division Commander!” Leviadkin called out again, and it suddenly dawned on me that he was addressing me. I was now the division commander of the 8th Guards Division—albeit only acting in that capacity—so I quickly replied, “Comrade General, is there something you need?” ”“What is our division’s mission?” “Well…” His question actually stumped me. Rokossovsky had hung up the phone the moment he heard the news of Panfilov’s death; as for Zhukov, he had merely announced that our division had been awarded the honorary title of Guards Division and that I was to assume command—he had given no further instructions. Just as I was feeling at a loss, the phone on the desk rang again. I quickly reached out and picked it up: “Hello!” “Is this Lida?” Rokossovsky’s voice came through the receiver. “It is, Comrade Commander!” “Congratulations on your new appointment!” “Thank you, Comrade Commander!” Rokossovsky’s call had just saved me from an awkward situation, so I quickly pressed him: “What are the tasks for our 8th Guards Division in the coming period?” “It’s the same as always: hold your positions like nails in the ground; not a single step back.” His reply was concise and to the point. “Yes, we will ensure the mission is completed!” No sooner had I said this than Rokossovsky hung up. I put down the receiver, looked up at Levyakhin standing before me, and said, “The Army Headquarters’ order still commands us to hold Volokolamsk firmly at all costs—not a single step back.” Levyakhin paused thoughtfully, then asked, “ Will higher command reinforce us? After prolonged continuous fighting, the officers and men of all three regiments have suffered heavy casualties. If we don’t receive reinforcements, I don’t think we’ll be able to hold our current positions…” I waved my hand to cut him off and said, “At present, the Army Group’s defensive front is too wide, and we are severely understaffed. Unless we receive reinforcements from the rear reserves, it’s impossible for new troops to be assigned to our division.” “I’ll summon the regimental commanders here and reassign their tasks. What do you think, Comrade Division Commander?” The political commissar, who was bandaging his wound, spoke up. I glanced at Leviyakin and saw him nod in agreement. I had just assumed command and wasn’t sure how to proceed. Since they were proposing to convene a meeting of regimental-level commanders, I naturally had no reason to object, so I nodded in agreement as well. Seeing that the three of us were in agreement, the political commissar picked up the phone from the table and began dialing. While the Political Commissar was on the phone, Leviyakin gently tugged at my sleeve and nodded toward the door, signaling for me to follow him. Although I was completely baffled, I knew that if he was doing this, he must have something important to tell me, so I obediently followed him up the steps. When we reached the door, I lowered my voice and asked him, “Comrade General, is there something you need?” “Comrade Division Commander,” he replied in a low voice, “I made a special trip to Division Headquarters just to share some news with you.” I looked at him blankly, my mind racing with questions: What on earth could be so important that he’d come all the way here just to see me? He said, “Last night, I led a patrol along the stretch of road that had been ambushed by the Germans. We discovered several trucks that had been blown up—they were carrying wounded soldiers being evacuated…” He paused here, seeing that I remained silent, and continued bluntly, “We inspected them carefully. Most of the wounded and the soldiers escorting them were killed, but there were a few survivors—one of whom is Captain Oshanin!” ” “Oshanin is still alive?!” Hearing this unexpected news, I involuntarily took a step back. But I forgot I was standing on the steps; my foot slipped, and my whole body immediately fell backward with a thud.