Chapter 189 missed

  On the way home, Sokov remembered what happened in the coffee shop yesterday, and quickly said to Yakov, "Yakov, I don't have any documents on me. What should I do if I encounter a patrol inspection when I go out?"

Hearing what Sokov said, Yakov couldn't help laughing: "Misha, it's not that you don't know, it's a special period, and it's very common for you to be checked on the street when you walk on the street. You must have seen it "Lenin in October", even our Comrade Lenin has his ID checked on the street, let alone you."

   Seeing Yakov’s disapproving expression, Sokov could only smile wryly and say, “It’s a pity that the people checking the documents are not patrols or policemen, but personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

   "People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Yakov immediately restrained the smile on his face, and asked in a serious tone: "What's going on here? Why did they check your documents for no reason?"

Sokov told Yakov in detail how he and Tonya went to the coffee shop to eat yesterday. When they entered the door, they met an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who wanted to check their documents. In the end, they saved the day. , and finally said: "Yakov, I don't have any documents on me. If I meet someone serious, I might be arrested as a deserter. Look, can you get me a temporary pass or something?"

Regarding Sokov's request, Yakov pondered for a moment, and then said: "Misha, you are right. If you walk around in Moscow without a certificate, it is easy to be caught as a deserter or a German spy. A temporary pass will be prepared for you as soon as possible."

  The car stopped next to the house where Sokov lived, and Sokov politely said to Yakov: "Yakov, go up and sit down, drink a cup of hot tea before leaving?"

   "No," Yakov waved his hand and said, "I have other things to do, so I won't go up. I will send someone to deliver your temporary pass to you as soon as possible."

   Sokov returned to his home, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw a note full of words on the ground, which looked like it was torn from some book. He quickly bent down to pick up the note, and looked at it carefully.

The note was stuffed in by Tonya through the crack of the door, and it said: "Misha, I didn't see you today, I guess you might be delayed by something. I didn't want to take the liberty of disturbing you, but I suddenly answered On a special mission, I will join a medical team and go to the front line, it is not clear when I will return. I left you the address of the hospital, remember to write to me when you are free... Tonya."

   Sokov finished reading the letter, folded it, put it in the pocket of his military uniform, turned around and walked downstairs. He was thinking as he walked. Judging from the handwriting on the note, Tonya should have written it in advance in the hospital, but unfortunately, I had something urgent to do today, so I missed the chance to meet her in vain.

  Sokov came to the hospital, found the consultation room that Tonya had mentioned, and saw that there was no one at the door. He stepped forward and knocked twice on the door. Before there was any sound from inside, he twisted the doorknob with his hands and tried to open the door. But after twisting twice, the door was not opened. It seemed that the door was locked.

  A passing nurse saw Sokov standing outside the clinic and quickly reminded him: "Sorry, Comrade Commander, the doctor in this clinic is not here now. If you want to see a doctor, please go to another clinic."

   "Comrade nurse," Sokov asked the nurse quickly, "Do you know where the people in the consultation room have gone?"

  The nurse thought for a while, and then replied: "I should have gone to the front line. You also know that due to the shortage of medical staff on the front line, from time to time, people will be temporarily deployed from the rear to form a new medical team..."

   "Do you know where Tonya has gone?" Sokov asked anxiously, "When can I come back?"

"I don't know." The nurse shook her head and said, "Where they go is absolutely confidential. As for when they will come back, I can't tell. It may be a week or two, or it may be a month or two or longer." .”

  Seeing that he couldn't get any useful information from the nurse, Sokov couldn't help feeling a little anxious. He hurriedly asked: "Where is the dean? The political commissar is..." As soon as he said that, he immediately realized his mistake. This is just a local hospital, and the dean is not part of the military establishment. Naturally, there is no political commissar in the hospital. , Hastily changed his words and asked, "Where is the military representative?"

  Seeing Sokov's gaffe, the nurse quickly raised her hand and pointed upwards, and replied in a panic, "Upstairs, the dean and the military representative are in the office on the third floor."

Sokov found the stairs to go upstairs. After walking up a few steps, he stopped. He thought to himself: "What am I doing? I only met Tonya once, and now I want to find out For her whereabouts, I hurried to find the dean and the military representative. Others thought that something serious happened. Forget it, even if I found the dean and the military representative, others would not know the whereabouts of Dong Niya. Tell yourself it's a military secret after all."

  Thinking of this, he gave up his plan to find the dean and the military representative, turned around and walked downstairs. He met the nurse just now at the stairs, and the nurse asked in amazement: "Comrade commander, did you come down so soon?"

Sokov shook his head and said, "Since you don't even know where Tonya and the others have gone, even if I ask the dean and the military representative, I can't find any answers." He thanked the other party Afterwards, he strode away from the hospital.

  Back to his home, Sokov lay on the bed, read Tonya's message again, put it aside, and began to quietly recall the upcoming Battle of Kharkov.

  Twelve days after the start of the major counter-offensive under Moscow, the Southwest Strategic Direction Military Committee submitted a report to the headquarters of the Supreme Command, preparing to launch an offensive against the German forces in the southwest direction. The strategic commander in the southwest direction is Marshal Timoshenko, the member of the Military Council is Khrushchev, and the chief of operations is Major General Baghramyan. According to their vision: to assist Zhukov in the south of Moscow, that is, the right wing in the southwest strategic direction At the same time, it also launched a separate offensive campaign in the southwest direction, launching assaults to the west of Stalino, Volnovakha, and Mariupol, liberating the coalfields of the Donbass, and completely blocking the German army. Hope for the Caucasus. If possible, continue to advance to the lower reaches of the Dnieper River, respond to the offensive launched by the Crimean Front Army, drive the German Eleventh Army out of Crimea, and create favorable conditions for the liberation of Odessa and Kyiv.

  This campaign concept as a whole coincides with the idea of ​​the headquarters of the Supreme Command, because it was passed very quickly. But neither the planners nor the approvers of the campaign plan overlooked a problem: this kind of offensive plan greatly exceeded the capabilities of the Soviet army in the southwestern strategic direction at the moment.

Yakov told himself that when participating in the military meeting hosted by Marshal Timoshenko, he should not express any opinions casually, so as not to arouse the marshal's displeasure. My permission. If you sing a different tune, you will not only offend Timoshenko, but also Stalin.

  Considering these, Sokov decisively decided: If he could really attend the meeting chaired by Timoshenko, he would try his best to keep silent and never express his views lightly. I am humble and light-hearted, even if I express some opinions, Timoshenko probably won't listen to it, so why should I do such a thankless thing.

  (end of this chapter)