When Sokov put down the phone, he had already woken up Samyko who was sleeping beside him. The chief of staff was lying on the camp bed and asked Sokov sleepily: "Comrade Commander, what happened in the front?"
"General Polubyarov reported to me that the enemy appeared in the defense area of his mechanized brigade. According to their analysis, the enemy may have attempted to seize the bridge on the Pushol River at night, but accidentally broke through. Entered our army's defense zone." Sokov said lightly while walking towards his camp bed: "This group of enemies was annihilated in just a few minutes under the attack of our army."
When he learned that the mechanized brigade had just eliminated a small force that had sneaked into the attack, Sameko suddenly became sober. He sat up and asked cautiously: "Comrade Commander, since the enemy wants to seize the bridge on the Pushor River, absolutely We will not give up easily just because of one failure. I am worried that they will continue to send troops to compete with our army for the bridge. The commanders and fighters of the mechanized brigade must be alerted to avoid being caught off guard by the enemy."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, just sleep peacefully." Sokov said confidently: "I have ordered General Polubyarov to inform the comrades of the mechanized brigade to prepare them for battle to prevent the enemy from possible attacks again. .”
When Samyko opened his mouth and seemed to want to say something, Sokov waved to him, "Comrade Chief of Staff, don't worry, General Polubyarov is also an old commander. If we deal with the Germans, He is very experienced in night attacks. You should rest peacefully, there is still a lot of work to be done when daybreak comes."
Now that Sokov has spoken to this extent, Samyko also feels that he is a little neurotic. If he can't even trust old commanders like General Polubyarov, then who else can be trusted in the future? Thinking of this, Samek lay down again, closed his eyes and continued to sleep.
There is an idiom that goes, "Extreme joy brings sorrow. Just when Sokov thought everything was under his control, something unexpected happened." Ten minutes before dawn, Sokov, who was in a daze, heard the phone on the table ring again, but he did not move. He knew that the person on duty would answer the phone for him.
Soon, he heard the phone ringing, and then the voice of the duty officer came: "This is the army headquarters, where are you?" The voice of the duty officer soon became panicked, "Okay, General Comrade, please wait a moment, I will wake up Comrade Commander immediately."
Hearing footsteps coming towards him, Sokov turned over, opened his eyes and asked the attendant who came to him: "What's the matter?"
"Comrade Commander, something happened." The watchman said in a panic: "General Polubyarov reported that the bridge over the Pushor River has been lost."
"What?" After hearing what the attendant said, Sokov rolled off the bed. He didn't even bother to put on his boots, so he rushed to the table, grabbed the microphone on the table, and put it to his ear. Nervously asked: "General Polubyarov, what is going on? I haven't always warned you not to be vigilant. Why did you throw away the bridge over the Pushor River?"
Because he was anxious, Sokov's voice was particularly loud, waking up Sameko who was sleeping beside him. He sat up with a start and looked nervously at Sokov who was answering the phone, trying to figure out what happened.
"Comrade Commander, our soldiers have not slept all night and have been on guard at the position."
"Have you been on alert?" Sokov asked angrily: "Then why did you lose your position? Did the enemy dispatch hundreds of tanks?"
"No, according to the soldiers' reports, there were no more than fifteen German tanks that captured the bridge."
"What, fifteen tanks broke through your defensive position?" Sokov was so angry that he slapped his hand on the table several times: "What are you doing with your mechanization? You can't even stop the enemy." ?" Fortunately, Sokov was on the phone. If the brigade commander who lost his position appeared in front of him, maybe Sokov would have dared to draw his gun and kill him.
Facing Sokov's thunderous wrath, General Polubyarov said nothing. After Sokov's attack, he cautiously said: "Comrade Commander, please listen to my explanation. The situation is like this. Enemy They were very cunning. After they discovered that the leading team was completely destroyed, they adjusted their tactics in time. They used an unknown number of tanks to drive back and forth 800 to 1,000 meters in front of our army's position to attract our army's attention. force.
While our army's attention was attracted by them, another tank unit was sent to detour back to the upper reaches of the Pushor River and along the river to the flank of our army. You also know that the fortifications we hastily built were facing the southeast for defense, while the enemy came from the northeast in a roundabout way. They immediately went around the back of our army. Although we carried out a tenacious defense, there was still no Block the enemy. "
After listening to General Polubyarov's explanation, Sokov slowly calmed down. He felt that the German army's evasive tactics were very effective. Even if he was commanding troops at the front, he might fall into the German trap. . Thinking of this, his anger gradually subsided. After pondering for a while, he said into the microphone: "General Polubyarov, the enemy has occupied the bridge. What are you going to do next?"
"What else can be done, of course, is to recapture the bridge. If the enemy gains a foothold there, they will definitely wedge themselves into our defense area through there." General Polubyarov assured Sokov : "Comrade Commander, I will personally command the troops to launch a counterattack and eliminate the enemies occupying the bridge before noon."
To recapture the bridge from the enemy's hands is easy to say but not easy to do. Sokov asked cautiously: "How many troops are there on the left bank now?"
"The mechanized brigade also has two fully equipped infantry battalions." General Polubyarov said: "When our troops on the right bank attack the enemy occupying the bridge, the mechanized brigade will launch an attack from the left bank at the same time, forming a formation on the enemy. The potential of a pincer attack.”
Sokov considered that the tanks of the tank army are now basically on the left bank, while the right bank only has tank troops. If they attack without the cooperation of infantry, they will be easily killed by German anti-tank fighters. After staring at the map for a while, he asked: "Where is the 84th Infantry Division of Major General Fomenko now?"
"Their station is two kilometers behind us."
"Since their station is not far from you, you should immediately contact Major General Fomenko and ask him to send infantry to attack with the tanks, and strive to regain the lost position in the shortest possible time."
