Don’t forget that the company commander of the guard army was not Sokov’s subordinate, but Sokov’s military rank was higher than that of the other party. Naturally, the other party did not dare to refute the orders he gave. He could only reply obediently: “I understand, Comrade Colonel, I will immediately Organize residents and form patrol teams to protect the safety of warehouses in the city."
After sending away the garrison company commander, Sokov felt that the vigilance of the garrison in the city was really too low. If the German army bypassed the Soviet attack direction and attacked here, it is estimated that the garrison company itself would have died. Do not know at all.
Considering this serious problem, Sokov felt that it was necessary to set up security guards around the city so that the enemy's movements could be detected in a timely manner. Just at this time, Samoilov finished burying Ivanov and came back to report to Sokov. Sokov said to him: "Comrade Lieutenant, I have a difficult task for you to complete."
When he heard that he had a task assigned to him, Samoylov suddenly became interested and asked with a playful smile: "Comrade Commander, what task do you plan to assign to me?"
"Comrade Lieutenant, you are not an outsider. I won't hide some things from you." Sokov pointed to the map on the table and said to Samoylov: "Don't look at the friendly attack arrow, it is pointing at Manstein." Because of the headquarters. But if we can't kill a large number of the effective forces of the German army, no matter how many areas we regain, it may be difficult to hold on.
I am now worried that the enemy may send troops to bypass the direction of our attack, quietly sneak into the vicinity of the city, and attack us. You also know that there are only more than 300 defenders in the city now. It is basically impossible to defend such a vast area.
Therefore, I order you to lead a reconnaissance team to perform a reconnaissance mission nearby to see if any German troops are trying to approach the city. If there is, please notify me through the radio in time so that I can deploy defenses based on the actual situation. "
"Understood, comrade division commander." Samoylov assured Sokov, "I will immediately lead the remaining tactics of the guard platoon to go outside to perform reconnaissance missions."
"Wait a minute, Comrade Lieutenant." When Sokov saw Samoilov turning around and about to walk out, he quickly stopped him and said with some displeasure: "I haven't told you where to conduct reconnaissance yet. , are you about to take people out?"
"Comrade Division Commander," Samoilov turned to Sokov and explained: "After I came here, I have seen the nearby terrain. If the enemy wants to sneak attack the city, they can only come from the west, so I only need to If you take people to the west for reconnaissance, you can discover the movements of the German army in time."
Seeing that what Samoylov said was so reasonable, Sokov was speechless for a moment. After being silent for a long time, he nodded and said, "Comrade Lieutenant, what you said makes perfect sense. If the Germans want to surrender the city, the only direction they can appear is to the west."
Seryosha, who was staying outside, saw that Samoylov was about to set off with his men shortly after the meeting with Sokov. He quickly ran to Sokov and reported what he saw. report.
"It was I who ordered Lieutenant Samoilov to perform the mission." Seeing that Seryosha was so vigilant, Sokov was quite happy. He explained to the other party: "I am worried that the enemy may come to sneak attack the city, so it is necessary to send reconnaissance personnel to conduct reconnaissance on the enemy's only route."
"Misha, are you a little nervous?" Seryosha disagreed with Sokov's statement: "You know, the German army is being defeated steadily in the face of the powerful offensive of friendly forces. They How can it be possible to send troops to attack Luhansk by surprise?"
"Seryozha, have you forgotten Khimki?" Seeing that Seryosha underestimated the enemy, Sokov reminded him: "At the beginning, no one thought that the enemy would attack Khimki, so that in the whole town, there were only We were in the same class. If we hadn't been lucky enough to discover the Germans' intentions in time and ask the militiamen from the nearby instrument factory for assistance, I'm afraid you and I would have died in Khimki."
Hearing what Sokov said, Seryosha's mind immediately flashed back to the thrilling scene at that time, and he realized that he was dazzled by the recent victory and did not even have basic foresight. If the enemy really comes to surrender Luhansk, it will be simply impossible to defend the city with just two to three hundred people.
After thinking about the matter, he apologized to Sokov: "Misha, you are right, I underestimated the enemy." After the apology, he asked Sokov for instructions: "Then what is the mission of our company?"
"Leave one platoon as a reserve in the city, and the rest of the troops rushed to the west of the city to find a suitable place to set up defenses." Sokov still hesitated when he issued this order. If the enemy really comes from the west, they will have to fight alone for a long time and stubbornly resist the German attack. "Until the main force arrives, you must hold your position at all costs."
"Don't worry, Misha." Seryosha said confidently: "Our company's combat effectiveness is strong. One company is equivalent to another's battalion. We are confident to stop the enemy."
A night of silence.
Early the next morning, Sokov received a call from Samoilov. He reported to Sokov: "Comrade Division Commander, a small German unit was discovered in the west of the city."
"A small German army?" Although Sokov had long anticipated the German sneak attack, he was still a little nervous when he heard that the Germans actually appeared: "Approximately how many people are there?"
"About two hundred people." Samoylov said: "According to the careful observation of our scouts, this is a light infantry. Except for a few mortars and machine guns, there are no tanks or armored vehicles."
"Comrade Lieutenant, your task is to be the first to fire on the enemy." Sokov told Samoylov: "Then you use the method of fighting and walking to lead the enemy to Seryosha's preset position and give them With a heavy blow.”
"Don't worry, comrade division commander." Samoilov said on the other end of the phone: "Even if you don't tell me, I will lead the enemy to Captain Seryosha's defensive position, rely on the fortifications there, and teach Germany a lesson. One pass for everyone.”
After saying this, Samoylov asked hesitantly: "Comrade division commander, the enemy's strength is about the same as ours. Do you think we can stop them?"
"Comrade Lieutenant, whether you can block the enemy is not a question you should consider." In order to prevent Samoilov's words from affecting the morale and morale of the army, Sokov interrupted him before he finished speaking: "Your mission is to lead the enemy to our preset position, and then engage in a decisive battle with the enemy there."
After Sokov ended Samoylov's call, he immediately asked the communications troops to connect to Seryosha's command post. When Seryosha heard Sokov's voice, he asked with some pride: "Comrade division commander, we have built some field fortifications overnight. The Germans will not come. If they are not afraid of death and insist on breaking through, we will We must rely on the terrain to teach them a lesson."
"Seryozha, your opportunity has come." Seeing that Seryosha was so confident, Sokov said bluntly: "According to Samoilov's report, there are more than two hundred German soldiers approaching from the west. Your defense line, I hope you can command the troops to stop them."
"What?" Hearing what Sokov said, Seryosha couldn't help but break into a cold sweat: "Did the enemy really appear?"
"What do you think, Seryosha?"
"So, the enemy is approaching us from the west." Seryosha asked nervously: "Misha, my two guard platoons only have more than a hundred people. Do you want to send the reserve team around you to them?" How much should I send over?"
"No." Regarding his request, Sokov denied it without hesitation: "There are still fifteen warehouses in the city. If you really can't hold the position in the west of the city and there are troops in the city, you can wait until the enemy rushes in. When we are in the city, we can at least have a thrilling street fight with them.”
To be on the safe side, Sokov called Samoylov and Seryosha, and then called the defending company commander. Hearing the other party's voice coming from the receiver, Sokov said straight to the point: "Comrade Captain, I am Colonel Sokov. I have important information to inform you now."
The defending company commander was startled by Sokov's tone and asked quickly: "Comrade Colonel, what's the matter?"
"There is a German army of about two hundred people approaching the city from the west." Sokov said: "With our current strength, let alone destroying them, even blocking them will be very difficult. Therefore, I give You are making this call to ask you to inform your superiors and ask them to send reinforcements for rescue."
"Comrade Colonel, is your information reliable?" The defending company commander was dubious about Sokov's statement. "Now that the enemy has been defeated by our army, how could they have the courage to bypass the fighting area and come here?"
"Of course it's true." Seeing that the other party didn't believe what he said, Sokov could only patiently explain to him: "I released a reconnaissance team to the west last night. The commander of the team just reported to me, saying German troops were spotted heading towards the city.”
"Then what should we do?" When the defender company commander heard what Sokov said, he suddenly panicked: "You know, we can't stop the enemy with just a few people. Comrade Colonel, how about we withdraw?"
"Nonsense!" Hearing what the defending company commander said, Sokov couldn't help but get angry: "Comrade Captain, what are you and your soldiers holding in your hands? Is it a weapon or a fire stick? I haven't seen the enemy's shadow yet. Come on, you actually thought of escaping, which is simply tarnishing the honor of the military. If you were one of my subordinates, I would have shot you with one shot as you just said those few words."
"What should we do?" The defending company commander, who was scolded by Sokov, became even more panicked: "With our small strength, we really can't stop the enemy."
"We must block it even if we can't. We must not let an enemy enter the city." Sokov said categorically: "As for the problem of insufficient troops, it can be easily solved by opening a weapons warehouse to arm the residents and fight against the enemies who attack the city. Let’s fight. As long as one of us is alive, we must fight the enemy bravely.”
"Okay," the defender's company commander said in a panic, "I, I immediately ordered people to open the weapons depot, arm the nearby residents, and fight the enemy."
"Mader, you damn coward." After Sokov put down the phone, he immediately ordered someone to send a telegram to Rokossovsky, briefly reporting the news that the enemy was approaching Luhansk.
After the telegraph operator finished sending the telegram, he asked Sokov worriedly: "Comrade division commander, what should we do if the enemy really breaks into the city?"
"What else can we do?" Sokov glared at the operator. "Of course, pick up weapons and fight the enemy. As long as there is still one person alive, the enemy must not be allowed to rush into the city. Do you understand?"
"Ming, I understand, Comrade Commander."
Sokov stood in front of the window, looking to the west and said to himself: "I hope Lieutenant Colonel Papuchenko's 122nd Guards Regiment can arrive soon, so that we can be sure to defend the city."
Hearing Sokov talking about the 122nd Regiment, the operator seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and quickly said to Sokov: "Comrade division commander, would you like to send a call to Lieutenant Colonel Papuchenko to urge him?" They speed up their march. This way, our main force may arrive as soon as the battle starts. A reinforced regiment of four to five thousand people can deal with a team of two hundred people."
"We must block it even if we can't. We must not let an enemy enter the city." Sokov said categorically: "As for the problem of insufficient troops, it can be easily solved by opening a weapons warehouse to arm the residents and fight against the enemies who attack the city. Let’s fight. As long as one of us is alive, we must fight the enemy bravely.”
"Okay," the defender's company commander said in a panic, "I, I immediately ordered people to open the weapons depot, arm the nearby residents, and fight the enemy."
"Mader, you damn coward." After Sokov put down the phone, he immediately ordered someone to send a telegram to Rokossovsky, briefly reporting the news that the enemy was approaching Luhansk.
After the telegraph operator finished sending the telegram, he asked Sokov worriedly: "Comrade division commander, what should we do if the enemy really breaks into the city?"
"What else can we do?" Sokov glared at the operator, "Of course, pick up weapons and fight the enemy. As long as there is still one person alive, the enemy must not be allowed to rush into the city. Do you understand?"
"Ming, I understand, Comrade Commander."
Sokov stood in front of the window, looking to the west and said to himself: "I hope Lieutenant Colonel Papuchenko's 122nd Guards Regiment can arrive soon, so that we can be sure to defend the city."
Hearing Sokov talking about the 122nd Regiment, the operator seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and quickly said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, would you like to send a call to Lieutenant Colonel Papuchenko to urge him?" They speed up their march. This way, our main force may arrive as soon as the battle starts. A reinforced regiment of four to five thousand people can deal with a team of two hundred people."
