Burning Moscow

Chapter 701: Stirring Up the Snake (Part 1) Although Xie Jierikov had already given us a detailed report on the 1st Regiment’s recent reinforcement of over two thousand troops, I remained skeptical about the regiment’s current combat effectiveness. After all, with such a sudden influx of new recruits, it would take time to verify whether they truly possessed the formidable combat capabilities he claimed. Just as Akhromeyev was assigning tasks in Obestan, the telephone on the desk rang. I was closest to the phone, so I picked it up without thinking. Trikov’s voice came through the receiver. He asked cheerfully, “Oshanina, I’ve already been in touch with General Petrov. He agreed to send you a telegram personally explaining the matter. Have you received his telegram yet?” ” “I have, Comrade Commander,” I replied respectfully. “In the telegram, General Petrov specifically mentioned this Captain Karpov and said that if he had been evacuated from Odessa at the time, he would have been awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his outstanding performance on the battlefield. Although we have no further information on Captain Karpov, I believe the action we are about to take regarding him has a .” Tikhov was silent for a moment, then finally said slowly, “All right, since you’re so confident, let’s give it a try. If we fail, we’ve lost nothing; but if we succeed, it could affect the enemy’s morale. Who do you plan to send to carry out this difficult mission?” “After deliberation by our division leadership, we have decided to send Comrade Savchenko. Like Political Commissar Kirillov, he comes from the army’s Political Department and is politically absolutely reliable.” “All right, since you have a suitable candidate, go ahead boldly. I’ll be waiting for news of your success.” No sooner had I hung up the phone than Kirillov asked anxiously, “Comrade Oshanina, how did it go? What did the Commander say?” I nodded at him and replied with a smile, “Rest assured, Comrade Political Commissar. The Commander has agreed with our proposal and given us the green light to proceed.” Sheyerykov didn’t know what the two of us were talking about. After we finished, he couldn’t help but ask me out of curiosity: “Comrade Division Commander, are you planning to carry out some major operation?” I waved my hand at the nosy Shederikov and teased him with a laugh, “Go on, go on—don’t pry. At your rank, you’re not authorized to know.” ” Even after I scolded him a couple of times, Shelyerikov still wore a grinning expression. Half-jokingly, half-seriously, he said, “Commander, Political Commissar, I’d like to make a deal with you: if there’s any fighting to be done, you absolutely must not forget the 1st Regiment. You should know that our regiment’s combat effectiveness is in no way inferior to what it was in its heyday.” “Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jerikov, is what you’re saying really true?” Hearing Xie Jerikov mention the First Regiment’s combat effectiveness again piqued my curiosity. Based on what I knew of him, though I didn’t think he was bragging, I still asked him earnestly, “Is the First Regiment’s current combat effectiveness really on par with what it used to be?” “Comrade Division Commander, would I lie to you? Of course it’s true.” Sensing the doubt in my voice, Shelyerikov couldn’t help but defend himself with a slightly aggrieved tone: “If you don’t believe me, you’re more than welcome to go see for yourself.” “Fine, I’ll go see.” Hearing him say that, I actually began to consider visiting the 1st Regiment. “I’ll go with you right now. I want to see with my own eyes just how strong your regiment’s combat effectiveness really is.” Upon hearing that I intended to visit the 1st Regiment, Kirillov quickly stood up to stop me. “Comrade Oshanina, you were in danger just a few hours ago—how could you have forgotten so quickly?” In an effort to change my mind, he urged me earnestly, “You are the commander of the 1st Division; your place is at division headquarters, not running around like a company commander.” Sheyerykov knew nothing about my close call. Hearing Kirillov’s words, he immediately asked with concern, “Comrade Division Commander, you were in danger today. What happened?” Akhroomeyev, who had just finished briefing Obestain on his mission, happened to hear this and immediately explained: “At dawn, the Germans launched an attack on the 4th Regiment’s positions. The Division Commander wanted to assess the situation of the battle, so without taking a single guard , he went up to the observation post halfway up the mountain. Unexpectedly, just as the German attack on the 4th Regiment’s positions had been repelled, a group of Germans wearing our uniforms crept up the mountain and exchanged fire with the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Regiment stationed there…” “Wait a moment. Are you saying German soldiers wearing our uniforms?” Oberstein, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke up. “Has this been confirmed? Couldn’t they be deserters from our own army?” Oberstein’s words left me momentarily speechless. Ever since the ambush began, I had always assumed the attacking squad was Germans in disguise. Moreover, we had searched one of the bodies and found no identification documents to prove their identity. Just as I fell silent, Akhromeyev had already picked up the phone on the table. From the way he addressed the person on the other end, I could tell he was calling the 2nd Regiment’s command post. After all, today’s battle had taken place within the regiment’s sector, and those dozens of German corpses were still lying on their positions. To determine the attackers’ identities, going through the 2nd Regiment was the most appropriate course of action. However, before Akhromeyev could get to the bottom of it, I had already pieced together the facts in my mind. With absolute certainty, I said to Obestain, “I can confirm that it was Germans who attacked us. While Major Oleg, the commander of the 2nd Regiment, and I were trapped in an anti-aircraft bunker, we heard the voices of soldiers outside speaking German.” After hanging up the phone, Akhromeyev reported to me: “Comrade Division Commander, Political Commissar Vilor reports that over a dozen military ID cards were found on the bodies of the attackers. According to the information on them, they all belong to the 184th Infantry Division.” “The 184th Infantry Division—Colonel Koida’s unit.” Kirillov repeated the unit designation Akhromeyev had just reported, shook his head with a cold smile, and then said regretfully, “That division suffered such heavy casualties in combat that it was ordered as early as September 15 to withdraw to the east bank of the Volga River for rest and replenishment. “There’s no doubt about it—this small unit must be a German infiltration. Unfortunately, we don’t know which unit they came from.” I turned to Shcherbakov and said, “Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, Political Commissar Obestain won’t be returning with you later; he’s staying behind to handle more important work. While he’s away, you’ll be in charge of everything in the regiment.” Having said that, and without waiting to see if a look of resentment crossed his face, I turned to look at Kirillov and said, “Political Commissar, I intend to go to the 1st Regiment to assess their current combat readiness.” To my surprise, Kirillov did not object when he heard this. He paused for a moment, then said solemnly, “Comrade Oshanina, I have no objection to you visiting the 1st Regiment, but the road is unsafe. You should take several bodyguards with you. That way, Major Akhromeyev and I will feel at ease.” At this point, he turned to Akhromeyev and asked, “Don’t you agree, Comrade Chief of Staff?” “Yes, Comrade Political Commissar,” Akhromeyev replied. Then, picking up the phone on the desk, he added, “I’ll call Captain Basmanov and have him assign two guard squads to accompany the Division Commander on this mission.” Just as I was about to leave with Shederikov, Kirillov pointed at me with his index finger and kindly reminded me once more: “Comrade Oshanina, please remember that you are the division commander. Under no circumstances should you try to prove yourself by fighting like an ordinary soldier, facing the enemy head-on with a rifle in hand.” “Rest assured, Comrade Political Commissar.” Shederikov glanced at me before assuring Kirillov, “I’ll take full responsibility for the Division Commander’s safety. I’ll make absolutely sure nothing happens to her.” After hearing Shederikov’s words, Kirillov walked over, grabbed his arms with both hands, and patted them firmly twice to express his gratitude. Then he smiled and nodded at me, a silent sign of approval. When we reached the foot of the mountain, though it wasn’t yet dark, there wasn’t a soul in sight as far as the eye could see; the silence was almost eerie. When Sheyerykov arrived, he brought five guards; I brought about twenty more. Combined, our numbers were quite substantial. Sheyerykov looked up at the sky and said to me in a pleading tone, “Comrade Division Commander, with so many of us moving together, we’re too conspicuous. If enemy aircraft appear, we’ll become targets for an air raid.” “What do you suggest we do?” ” I knew he was concerned for my safety. Although I felt some resentment, I still temporarily handed over command of the small unit to him. “Divide our current force into three groups of ten men each. While marching, keep a thirty-meter distance between each group. That way, we won’t be such a large target while on the move.” “All right, all right, I’ll take your advice. We’ll do exactly as you say.” I agreed to his suggestion without hesitation. Half an hour later, we arrived at the residential area where the First Regiment was stationed. Since my last visit, the area had suffered multiple bombings. Some houses had been completely destroyed, while others had one or two walls collapsed; there were no intact buildings left to be seen. We skirted a half-collapsed building and came to an open area littered with rubble, where a column of over a hundred soldiers was assembled. As we approached, they were forming up. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but ask Xie Jierikov out of curiosity: “Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, what are they doing?” “It’s like this, Comrade Division Commander,” Xie Jierikov explained to me. “On the side of the buildings facing the road, we’ve stationed soldiers organized by company to stand guard and maintain vigilance. We made this arrangement because of the difficult terrain. If we had only a few men there, by the time they sounded the combat alert, the enemy would already be nearly upon our position. But with a company-sized unit, even if a large enemy force approaches, they can engage the enemy while sounding the alert, buying time for the regiment’s main force to reach the position.” I nodded in satisfaction at Sheyrikov’s plan and then asked, “How often do the units on sentry duty rotate?” “Every eight hours. The three battalions take turns handling sentry duty. Each battalion has three companies, so this arrangement ensures that every company gets to participate in the duty rotation.” The sudden appearance of our large group immediately caught the attention of the officers and soldiers who were assembling. The captain standing at the front of the formation, having ensured the troops were standing in perfect order, jogged over to meet us. As he reached us and raised his hand to salute Sheyrikov, he suddenly noticed me standing beside him—a superior officer—and froze in his tracks. Seeing the captain standing there dumbfounded, Shelyerikov quickly smiled and said to him, “This is our division commander, Colonel Oshanina. Report to her.” The captain immediately raised his hand to salute me, reporting loudly, “Comrade Division Commander, Captain Glakov reporting. The 9th Company of the 3rd Battalion has assembled and is preparing to relieve our allied forces. Please give your orders!” “Captain Glakov.” Looking at the unfamiliar captain before me, I replied politely, “Go carry out your mission!” The captain acknowledged the order, turned, and ran back to the formation, calling out to his men to take over the friendly forces’ defensive positions. As I watched his retreating figure, Sheyerykov explained to me: “ “This captain is from the 87th Infantry Division. When the division was ordered to withdraw for rest, reorganization, and resupply on September 14, he did not leave with the unit. Instead, he remained in the city with a dozen or so soldiers to continue fighting. A couple of days ago, after he and his comrades were scattered by the enemy, they inadvertently stumbled into our regiment’s sector.” Seeing that he had extensive combat experience and was a commander, I kept him in the regiment and made him a company commander.” At this point, he began pestering me again with his persistent pleas, “Comrade Division Commander, our regiment is truly short on commanders right now. Could you find a way to transfer a few over to us?” “Where am I supposed to get them from?” I said impatiently. “Or, how about I come over and serve as your company commander?” “No, no.” My words startled Xie Jierikof into waving his hands frantically, exclaiming repeatedly, “With your caliber, if you came to my regiment as a company commander, I’d have to go down to the company level and serve as a private.” He then continued in a pleading tone, “Please find a way, Commander. My Second Battalion is currently missing a battalion commander—could you help me secure a candidate for that position?” “Where am I supposed to find a battalion commander for you?! I’m not a magician…” Just as I said this, a candidate suddenly came to mind, so I stopped myself before I could finish and said cautiously, “If you really need a battalion commander, I do have a suitable candidate.” Hearing this, Xie Jerikov was overjoyed and asked repeatedly, “Who is it? Do I know him?” “His name is Serebryanoy. He’s a second lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment. A while back, I assigned him to lead troops into Soviet Street to assist the 42nd Guards Regiment in defending the position. To strengthen their resolve to hold the line, I promoted Serebryanoy to first lieutenant on the spot and announced publicly that if they could hold out until October 5th, I would promote every soldier in the company by one rank.” Upon hearing this, Sheyerykov’s face first lit up with joy, then clouded with a hint of worry, before he asked hesitantly, “Commander, will Major Oleg have any objections to you transferring the Second Regiment’s commander to my regiment?” “Don’t worry, Comrade Major,” I said casually. “When Serebryanoy and his men were transferred to Sovetskaya Street, Major Oleg was still serving as commander of the 5th Regiment at your current base. He doesn’t even know who Serebryanoy is. It’s settled then. After the 5th, I’ll transfer Captain Serebryanoy and his company to you.” “Commander, didn’t you just say ‘lieutenant’? How did that suddenly become ‘captain’?” Shcherykov asked, completely baffled. Furious, I kicked him and snapped, “Where were you when I was speaking? Didn’t you hear me say that if his unit holds out on Soviet Street until October 5th, I’ll promote every single one of them one rank?” ” Just as we were speaking, the soldiers relieved by the 9th Company began emerging one after another from several nearby buildings. Looking at this motley crew dressed in different uniforms and carrying various types of weapons, I asked Sheyrikov with interest, “Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, these are the troops you’ve just recently gathered, aren’t they? “Judging by their mismatched uniforms and weapons, I have no idea how effective they’ll be in combat.” “Rest assured,” Sherikhov told me with full confidence. “Although many of them have only recently taken up arms, they’ve all trained rigorously. In less than a day, every single one of them learned how to shoot.” ” Hearing Xie Jerikov say this, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him, thinking to myself that when I participated in military training at school, it took me only about ten minutes to learn how to shoot, and within a day I could already disassemble a rifle proficiently. Just as I was about to give him a piece of my mind, I suddenly saw a young woman with a bandage wrapped around her head walking past me with a rifle slung over her back. I quickly called out, “Miss, please wait a moment.” The girl stopped in her tracks, turned around, and after sizing me up from head to toe, this round-faced girl raised her hand to give me a somewhat imperfect military salute. Smiling politely, she asked, “Comrade Commander, were you calling me?” I nodded and pointed to the bandage on her head, asking, “How did you get that injury on your head?” The young woman’s smile froze on her face. She gritted her teeth and said, “I was injured by them.” “Who? Her words made me fly into a rage. I suspected that some soldier, attracted by her beauty, had tried to molest her and injured her when she resisted. So I scanned the area left and right and demanded angrily, “Who exactly did this?” My fierce expression startled everyone present. After a moment, Xie Jierikof, who was standing beside me, was the first to recover. He quickly smiled and explained, “Comrade Division Commander, you’ve misunderstood. This young woman’s head injury was inflicted by the Germans.” “Yes, Comrade Commander, she was injured by the Germans,” the young woman added, realizing I’d made a mistake. She hurriedly explained, “My neighborhood was occupied by the Germans. My neighbors and I, who were hiding in the basement, were all captured. While they were making us dig trenches, I took advantage of a moment when the German guard wasn’t looking and signaled to a few companions to run out along the half-dug trench. But halfway there, the Germans spotted us. They opened fire with the machine guns mounted on their armored vehicles. Several of my companions were killed on the spot, and I was wounded. Fortunately, there was a shell crater nearby. I jumped in without hesitation, which is how I narrowly escaped.” “Are you settling in here?” I asked with concern. “Do you need me to arrange for you to go to the east bank of the Volga?” The girl shook her head vigorously, her tone firm. “Comrade Commander, thank you for your kindness, but I’m staying here to fight the German devils alongside you and avenge those who’ve fallen for us.” With that, she turned and ran off without looking back. Watching her retreating figure, I asked Sheyrikov thoughtfully, “Are there many female soldiers like her in your regiment?” Sheyerykov shook his head and said, “Not many—only a dozen or so. Since they’ve all undergone militia training and possess some military skills, I’ve temporarily assigned them to the combat units.” “Let them stay in the combat units for a while,” I said with a sigh. “After some time, we’ll reassign them to the medical unit or the signal company. For female soldiers, those units are the most suitable.” “Yes, I’ll personally handle this matter.” After saying this, Shederikov glanced around and then said to me in a pleading tone, “Comrade Division Commander, it’s not safe out here. Let’s go to the regiment command post first.” Chapter 702: Stirring Up the Snake (Part 2)I had been sitting in Shejerikov’s regimental command post for less than five minutes—the black tea in front of me hadn’t even had time to cool—when a second lieutenant rushed in excitedly. Without even saluting, he reported to Shejerikov: “Comrade Regimental Commander, a German force is moving toward our position.” The second lieutenant’s report excited Shelyerikov, as this was a golden opportunity to demonstrate the 1st Regiment’s combat prowess. He asked eagerly, “How many enemy troops are there?” “About a company.” ” The second lieutenant recalled, “According to our soldiers’ reports, the enemy infantry is accompanied by only one armored vehicle; no heavy weapons have been spotted.” Hearing that the enemy consisted of only a single company and possessed no heavy weapons aside from the armored vehicle, Sherikhov’s cheeks flushed with excitement. He turned to me and said, “Comrade Division Commander, the enemy has only one company, and with our regiment’s strength, we can easily annihilate them all.” I nodded and said to him with a calm expression, “Our forces outnumber the enemy several times over. Even if we can’t annihilate them completely, we can still deal them a crushing blow. Gather all your subordinates and issue your orders.” After receiving my permission, Shejerikov looked up and instructed the second lieutenant, “Comrade Second Lieutenant, immediately summon the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Battalions .” The second lieutenant acknowledged the order and turned to run out of the command post. In less than two minutes, the room was packed with over a dozen commanders from the 1st and 2nd Battalions. They gathered around the table, listening as Shejerikov issued his orders. The 1st Battalion was deployed on the south side of the road, within the ruins of buildings in the urban area; the 2nd Battalion, along with the 9th Company of the 3rd Battalion currently on sentry duty, was deployed within the residential area. Once the German forces entered the ambush zone, gunfire would serve as the signal for the troops lying in wait on both sides of the road to open fire simultaneously, aiming to eliminate the vast majority of the enemy in the shortest possible time. Upon seeing a red signal flare rise into the sky, all units were to charge without hesitation and annihilate the remaining enemy forces. But after all the commanders had left, Xie Jierikov smiled at me and said, “Comrade Division Commander, everything is in place. Do you have any further instructions?” Looking at the empty command post, I cursed inwardly: With all the other commanders gone, what good would my orders do now? I snorted and said angrily, “I want to go see how you’re going to wipe out this enemy force.” My words startled Shejerikov, and he hurried to dissuade me: “Commander, it’s too dangerous up ahead. You should stay here and wait for updates.” I insisted: “How can I know the 1st Regiment’s current combat effectiveness unless I see the battlefield for myself? No way. No matter what you say today, I’m going to join the battle.” Xie Jerikov was familiar with my stubbornness. Hearing me say this, he knew he couldn’t change my mind, so he reluctantly agreed: “All right, Comrade Division Commander. Since you’re determined to observe the battle, I’ll accompany you.” To give me a clear view of the entire battlefield, Shejerikov led me to the fourth floor of the building closest to the road. He pulled me over to a hole blown open by a bomb and pointed to it, saying, “Commander, you should stay right here. Not only is the view wide open, but you’re also less likely to be hit by enemy stray bullets.” I looked around and realized that I was now on the side of the building, with a window on either side. The guards I’d brought with me had taken up advantageous positions by the windows, resting their weapons on the sills and aiming down at the street below. I looked across the street below and saw that the officers and soldiers of the 1st Battalion were all concealed in the rubble, their guns set up. It was only from my vantage point that I could see clearly; if we were marching on the ground, we wouldn’t have been able to spot them unless we got very close. Xie Jierikof crouched beside me and asked ingratiatingly, “ “Comrade Division Commander, do you have a clear view from this position?” I looked ahead and asked without turning my head, “Did the enemy spot us when we were moving the troops just now?” “No, the enemy is still far away from us; they definitely wouldn’t have noticed.” After answering my question, he continued to explain: “In a moment, the enemy will pass right beneath the building we’re in. Once they enter our ambush zone, I’ll give the signal for the light and heavy machine guns hidden on both sides of the road to open fire decisively. First, we’ll stun the enemy, then we’ll pick them off one by one until they’re all eliminated.” A little while later, the enemy came into view. I quickly raised my binoculars and looked ahead. I saw an armored vehicle moving slowly in the lead, followed by a dense crowd of German infantry. However, they clearly hadn’t noticed our ambush and were approaching us at a leisurely pace, rifles at the ready. As the enemy drew nearer, I couldn’t help but whisper to the guards on either side of me, “Prepare for battle!” I knew that even veteran soldiers couldn’t help but feel a momentary surge of tension before the first shot was fired, so I habitually shouted this to boost the morale of the soldiers around me. The enemy was getting closer and closer. Now, even without binoculars, I could clearly see two German officers wearing peaked caps behind the armored vehicle. Pointing at the vehicle, I said to Sheyerykov, “Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, once the fighting starts, you must do everything in your power to take out the enemy’s armored vehicle. Otherwise, it will cause massive casualties among our troops.” Sheyerykov nodded and said with certainty, “I’ve positioned two anti-tank rifle teams in the building next door. As soon as the armored vehicle enters range, we won’t let it escape. At the same time, I’ve deployed several snipers specifically to take out the German commanders during the battle, so that the Germans, deprived of leadership, will be unable to mount effective resistance.” ” “Well done, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel.” Seeing how thoroughly Shejerikov had thought things through, I couldn’t help but praise him: “Your deployment is extremely thorough. Unless a miracle occurs, this German force will become meat on our chopping block—they’ll have no choice but to submit to our slaughter, with no chance of escape.” Just as I was saying this, a sudden, crisp “click” of a gunshot rang out, and I saw the bullet strike the German armored vehicle dead center, sending a small shower of sparks flying from the hull. That single shot served as a signal; a burst of gunfire followed like popping beans, and even the machine guns downstairs began rattling away, their dense barrage sweeping across the enemy ranks. Several German soldiers flanking the armored vehicle, caught off guard , were cut down by the hail of bullets; those behind them quickly dropped to the ground and raised their weapons, returning fire at our officers and soldiers. I looked at the German formation still a hundred or two hundred meters away and shouted to my left and right, “Who? Who? Who fired without orders?” No one answered. “Who was it, exactly?” I raised my voice even higher, my gaze sweeping over the guards as I tried to identify the one who had fired without authorization. But no matter whom I looked at, they all shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t been the first to fire. Because we were too far from the enemy, despite firing for quite some time, our concentrated fire inflicted only limited casualties on the enemy. Seeing that none of my guards admitted to firing the shot, Xie Jierikof clearly realized the problem might lie with his own men. He stepped closer, his face grim, and suggested, “Comrade Division Commander, it appears the original plan cannot be carried out. I propose we take advantage of the fact that the enemy is still resisting and has not yet retreated. Order the 1st and 2nd Battalions to launch an immediate assault. We’ll eliminate as many as we can—we certainly can’t let the enemy retreat so brazenly.” “I suppose we have no choice.” I watched as the German soldiers, who had been lying prone on the ground, began to crawl to their feet one after another, covering each other as they started to retreat. Gritting my teeth, I agreed: “Bring the anti-tank gunners here immediately. Even if we can’t eliminate many German soldiers, we must destroy that enemy armored vehicle.” Xie Jierikov stood up straight and ordered the second lieutenant who had been standing behind him: “Second Lieutenant, fire a signal flare immediately. Order all units to launch an assault right now—take out as many enemies as we can.” After hearing his order, the second lieutenant pointed at the armored vehicle, which was still stationary and firing wildly at us with its machine gun, and said: “ “Comrade Regiment Commander, but the enemy’s armored vehicle hasn’t been taken out yet. If we launch an assault now, our soldiers will suffer heavy casualties.” “A commander’s orders are not to be debated.” Xie Jierikof, who had been seething with anger, immediately snapped at the second lieutenant: “If you don’t fire that signal flare right now, do you think I won’t shoot you on the spot?” ’ With that, he drew his pistol from its holster and pointed it at the second lieutenant’s forehead. ‘Enough, Comrade Shejerikov! Stop dawdling—fire the signal flare now!’ I had heard every word between them. Fearing that Shejerikov might indeed act on impulse and shoot the second lieutenant, I turned and shouted at him. After the signal flare shot into the sky, the officers and soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Battalions burst out of their hiding places with a roar, quickly forming a skirmish line and charging fiercely toward the enemy in front. Although the machine guns on the enemy’s armored vehicles continued to fire relentlessly, mowing down many of the soldiers in the front ranks, those behind them did not slow their pace, charging forward without hesitation. Seeing over a thousand soldiers charging toward them, the German armored vehicles dared not linger and began reversing to retreat. The German soldiers lying on the ground providing cover, seeing that the armored vehicles had fled, fired a few random shots before scrambling to their feet and running for their lives. By the time our troops had finished their charge, aside from the thirty-odd German corpses on the ground, all the surviving German soldiers had long since vanished without a trace. Watching our troops, having cleared the battlefield, march back carrying over twenty captured rifles, a pang of sorrow gripped my heart, and I instinctively clutched my chest. Xie Jierikov, standing nearby, hurried over to support me and helped me sit down on a pile of broken bricks inside the house. Once I had rested sufficiently, Xie Jierikov helped me back to headquarters. By then, the commanders who had participated in the battle were all waiting inside. Upon seeing Xie Jierikov and me return, they all hung their heads in shame. I sat down at the table, looking at the pistol, five submachine guns, and a large pile of rifles leaning against the wall. I felt an overwhelming sense of regret. The plan had been so well thought out, yet because of that single shot fired prematurely, our entire operation had come to naught. Xie Jierikov paced back and forth in front of his men with a grim expression, then slammed his hand down on the table and shouted, “A perfectly sound plan, ruined by a single gunshot. Can any of you tell me what on earth happened? What on earth happened?” The commanders present lowered their heads even further, none of them speaking. “Speak up! Whose men fired that shot?” Xie Jierikof took a step forward, shoving several commanders from the 1st Battalion aside, then turned to the 2nd Battalion commander and said, “I heard the gunshot very clearly; it came from the north side of the road, and had nothing to do with the 1st Battalion, which was lying in ambush on the south side.” Under his interrogation, someone in the crowd suddenly whispered, “Reporting to the battalion commander, it was a soldier from our company who fired the shot.” I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Captain Glakov, the commander of the 9th Company whom I had met earlier. I was instantly filled with rage and, beating Shejerikov to the punch, asked, “Oh, Captain Grakov, so it was your men who fired? I wonder how many enemies that soldier killed during the battle?” “I don’t know,” Grakov replied in a low voice, his face flushed crimson as he kept his head bowed. “Do you realize that it was precisely because your men fired indiscriminately that they ruined our perfectly good ambush plan?!” Sheyevich also confronted the company commander with a face full of rage, while the commanders standing beside him shifted their bodies to the side, trying to keep their distance from him. “I, I know!” Sheyevich pointed at his nose and shouted, “Since you know which soldier fired the shot, why didn’t you bring him here? “We must deal severely with soldiers who break discipline like this; otherwise, similar incidents will happen again.” “He, he, he can’t, can’t come!” the captain stammered. “Why can’t he come?” Xie Jierikof demanded furiously. “Is he afraid of punishment and has secretly deserted the unit?” “No, no, it’s not what you think.” The captain waved his hands frantically as he explained to us: “Upon seeing the signal to charge, that soldier, hoping to atone for his mistake, was the first to burst out of his hiding place and charge toward the enemy. Unfortunately, he was struck by enemy machine-gun fire and has already fallen in battle.” As soon as Glakov finished speaking, the room fell silent. Respect for the dead takes precedence; although this soldier’s recklessness had led to the failure of our ambush plan, since he was already dead, we could no longer hold him accountable. I waved my hand and said to Shcherbakov, “Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, let’s drop it. There’s no need to assign blame. Just make sure you learn from this lesson and don’t repeat similar mistakes.” At that, I stood up, scanned the room with my gaze, and addressed the commanders in a firm tone: “Although today’s ambush failed, it has shown me the 1st Regiment’s combat effectiveness. Whether in ambush or assault, you fought with great discipline. Well done—this is all thanks to you commanders.” Hearing my praise, the officers and soldiers’ faces lit up with surprise, and the heads that had been bowed low now lifted high.