Ruhelie led the troops to walk in the forest all night. When it was almost dawn, he ordered the troops to stop and rest in the open space in the forest.
When the commanders and soldiers began to look for a place to rest, Ruhlie asked the chief of staff: "Did the scouts who stayed behind find anything?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander, your judgment is correct." Hearing Ruhlie's question, the Chief of Staff quickly replied: "According to the scout's report, a German army riding a motorcycle entered the city at three o'clock in the morning. Village. If we had stayed in the village overnight, we might have been engaged in a firefight with the Germans."
"What size of Germans?" Ruhle asked.
"According to the scout's report, the number of enemies is not large." The chief of staff replied: "There are about twenty people wearing camouflage uniforms, carrying submachine guns, and riding three-wheeled motorcycles."
After listening to the chief of staff's description, Ruhle said: "This should be the German reconnaissance team. Their large force is still behind. If we are discovered by them, they can hold us back through exchange of fire. Buy precious time for their large forces to arrive.”
"Order the scouts to guard this enemy closely." Ruhelie thought that it didn't snow last night, and anyone who was not blind would definitely be able to see the traces left by his troops on the snow. Then he told the chief of staff: "As soon as there is any latest situation, you need to report it to me immediately."
The troops rested in place for two hours. Ruhelie was about to order the troops to set off when suddenly it started to snow in the originally clear sky. Snowflakes like broken flakes fell one after another, falling on the hats and shoulders of the commanders and soldiers, and soon a thick layer of snow fell.
With this sudden falling snow, visibility will be reduced, but for Ruhle, it was an unexpected surprise. Therefore, in this way, heavy snow can quickly cover up the whereabouts of the troops, making it impossible for the enemies following behind to find them.
The chief of staff ran to Ruhle and reported to him: "Comrade Brigadier, the scouts sent a telegram again, saying that about a battalion of German infantry has entered the village. Due to heavy snowfall, they temporarily stayed in the village. Here. What should we do next, continue on our way?"
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." After learning that the German army had new troops stationed in the village, Ruhelie was still very uneasy. After all, his troops were only about 20 kilometers away from the village, and the enemy might catch up at any time. . He quickly ordered: "Order the troops to continue moving north and get rid of the pursuing troops behind them in the shortest possible time."
Ruhelie's order was faithfully passed on, and the commanders and soldiers who had not yet recovered their strength learned that the enemy's large forces had entered the village last night. While lamenting that the brigade commander's judgment was accurate, he also felt the crisis. Following the order, he marched towards the north through the snow.
The heavy snowfall did not stop until noon, and by this time, the tank brigade troops had already marched more than ten kilometers north. Seeing that the snow had stopped, Ruhle ordered the troops to rest in the forest again. After the troops were settled, he asked the chief of staff: "Is there any news from the cluster headquarters?"
"During the march, I received a telegram from the combat group." The chief of staff reported: "The superior asked us where we are. I remember you said that if you want to jump out of the enemy's encirclement, you must The contact with the superior was temporarily interrupted, so the operator was ordered not to reply to the superior's inquiry telegram."
"Chief of Staff, you did the right thing." Ruhle said approvingly after listening to the Chief of Staff's report: "We are too far away from the headquarters, and our superiors don't understand our situation at all. If they give us the wrong order, It may lead to the destruction of our entire brigade. As the brigade commander, I will never tolerate this happening. Therefore, there is no need to restore contact with the combat group until the troops arrive safely in Luhansk."
The chief of staff looked up at the sky that had become clear because the snowfall had stopped: "Comrade Brigade Commander, when will we set off again?"
"Don't be anxious." Ruhelie waved his hand and said: "The commanders and soldiers have not had a good rest from last night to now. Let them eat something first, take a nap as soon as possible, and replenish their physical strength before setting off."
"Comrade Brigadier." The Chief of Staff asked in surprise: "Are you still planning to let the troops march at night?"
"Yes, that's what I thought about." Ruhelie replied: "After dark, the enemy also stopped searching. If we march under the cover of night, the chance of being discovered by the enemy will be very small. By the way, the village What's the situation on the border, are the enemies out?"
"No." The chief of staff shook his head and said, "According to the scouts' reports, in the past few hours, two more troops have successively entered the village, and more than a dozen tanks have appeared."
"During the march, I received a telegram from the combat group." The chief of staff reported: "The superior asked us where we are. I remember you said that if you want to jump out of the enemy's encirclement, you must The contact with the superior was temporarily interrupted, so the operator was ordered not to reply to the superior's inquiry telegram."
"Chief of Staff, you did the right thing." Ruhle said approvingly after listening to the Chief of Staff's report: "We are too far away from the headquarters, and our superiors don't understand our situation at all. If they give us the wrong order, It may lead to the destruction of our entire brigade. As the brigade commander, I will never tolerate this happening. Therefore, there is no need to restore contact with the combat group until the troops arrive safely in Luhansk."
The chief of staff looked up at the sky that had become clear because the snowfall had stopped: "Comrade Brigade Commander, when will we set off again?"
"Don't be anxious." Ruhelie waved his hand and said: "The commanders and soldiers have not had a good rest from last night to now. Let them eat something first, take a nap as soon as possible, and replenish their physical strength before setting off."
"Comrade Brigadier." The Chief of Staff asked in surprise: "Are you still planning to let the troops march at night?"
"Yes, that's what I thought about." Ruhelie replied: "After dark, the enemy also stopped searching. If we march under the cover of night, the chance of being discovered by the enemy will be very small. By the way, the village What's the situation on the border, are the enemies out?"
"No." The chief of staff shook his head and said, "According to the scouts' reports, in the past few hours, two more troops have successively entered the village, and more than a dozen tanks have appeared."
"Comrade Brigadier." The chief of staff asked in surprise: "Are you still planning to let the troops march at night?" "Yes, that's what I thought about." Ruhle replied: "After dark, the enemy also stops After searching, we will march under the cover of night, and the chance of being discovered by the enemy will be very small. By the way, what is the situation over there in the village, have the enemies been dispatched? "
"No." The chief of staff shook his head and said, "According to the scouts' reports, in the past few hours, two more troops have successively entered the village, and more than a dozen tanks have appeared."
