Red Moscow

"Just do surveillance?" Karsokov was shocked. "Do we have to stand aside and watch when we see the enemy attacking our friendly positions?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov turned his head and looked at his chief of staff, saying seriously, "At present, we don't know the scale of the enemy that the third battalion search team will encounter, and what kind of equipment they have. Isn't it too hasty to make a decision rashly?"

When Karsokov heard what Sokov said, he immediately fell silent.

Seeing that the other party remained silent, Sokov continued, "After we understand the enemy's details, we can deploy our forces in a targeted manner. Of course, if the German army really launches an attack on friendly positions, I will definitely not choose to stand idly by.

A smile appeared on Karsokov's face. Sokov's words showed that he was a commander who took the overall situation into consideration and knew how to lend a helping hand when he saw friendly forces in trouble. Following such a superior, he would definitely not go wrong.

"By the way," Sokov suddenly remembered something and asked casually, "Have we established contact with our friendly forces?"

"Since our superiors sent us telephone lines and telephones, we have established contact with the headquarters of the 1073rd Regiment of the 316th Infantry Division." Karsokov pointed to the phone on the table and continued, "You can use this phone to contact friendly forces at any time."

Sokov was very satisfied with Karsokov's efficiency. Now his left wing was the Polosukhin Division that was holding on to the Borodino Heights. They would soon be repelled under the crazy offensive of the German army. But even if they could hold Borodino, it would not make much sense. After all, he and they belonged to different armies, and it would be very difficult to cooperate with each other on the battlefield. But the 316th Infantry Division on the right wing was different. Not only did they belong to the 16th Army with him, but this unit always fought well in the face of the superior German army. As long as he maintained close contact with them, he would not be fighting alone.

Sokov stared at the telephone in front of him, wondering whether he should call the headquarters of the 1073rd Regiment to get to know the other side. This would be very helpful for the subsequent coordinated operations.

Seeing that Sokov's eyes were fixed on the phone in front of him, Karsokov asked tentatively: "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you need to call the friendly forces?"

Sokov thought about it, then slowly shook his head: "Don't worry, I think we should wait until the Third Battalion reports the reconnaissance results before deciding whether to contact the friendly forces."

After saying this, he looked at his watch and muttered, "I don't know if the deputy brigade commander has arrived at the arsenal."

"Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander went there by car." Karsokov heard Sokov's whisper and said quickly: "I think he should have arrived at the armory by now."

Sokov didn't say anything, but just nodded. He was thinking, although the soldier who reported the news said that the arsenal had enough munitions to arm two divisions, who knew if this number was exaggerated? You know, the members of the search team were all temporarily assigned, and there were not many professional scouts. How could they find out how many troops the stored munitions could arm in such a short time?

Just as Sokov was anxiously waiting for news from Belkin and the Third Battalion, Morozova came over with a telegram: "Comrade Brigade Commander, a telegram from the Army Group Headquarters."

When Sokov learned that it was a telegram sent by the army headquarters, he naturally did not dare to neglect it. He quickly reached out to take the telegram and quickly read through its contents.

Karsokov also came over and asked curiously: "Comrade Brigade Commander, what did the telegram from the headquarters say?"

"Comrade Commander said that since the supplies provided by the superiors have not arrived yet, we may not be able to replenish weapons, ammunition and various supplies in the next two days." Sokov said lightly: "Let us be mentally prepared."

"Ah, there will be no supply for us in the next two days?" Karsokov asked in surprise, "How could this be?"

"There are wars everywhere now, and there are many places that need ammunition. I guess the output of the military factories in the city is limited, so the superiors will make corresponding adjustments to the supply work for the front line." Sokov remembered that he had seen a similar situation in Rokossovsky's memoirs. Due to the shortage of troops and weapons and ammunition, after Rokossovsky became the commander of the front, his troops did not receive any troops and weapons and ammunition for half a year. He could only rely on his own strength to overcome the problems he faced. "The weapons, ammunition and supplies allocated to the army by the superiors will probably be allocated to the 316th Infantry Division and the Cavalry Army first, and newly formed troops like us will not be considered."

At this moment, Karsokov was full of expectations for the secret arsenal: "Comrade Brigade Commander, if there are really enough weapons and equipment in that arsenal to equip two divisions, it will allow us to avoid running out of ammunition and food due to lack of supplies."

"Although the number of weapons, ammunition and supplies stored in the armory is still unknown, it should be more than enough for our brigade to use." Sokov thought that there might be a secret armory in the area searched by the Third Battalion, and he couldn't help but get anxious. He picked up the phone on the table and called the Third Battalion headquarters.

As soon as he heard Nazorov's voice, Sokov couldn't wait to ask: "Comrade Captain, I'm Sokov. How about the reconnaissance personnel you sent out? Do you have any new reports?"

"Comrade Commander!" Nazorov replied respectfully, "The scouts we sent out have not returned yet. But please rest assured that as soon as the scouts come back, I will report to you as soon as possible."

Sokov was disappointed to learn that the scout had not returned yet. He could only say helplessly: "Okay, report to me as soon as the scout returns."

Just as Sokov was about to put down the phone, he heard Nazorov's surprised voice: "Comrade Brigade Commander, don't hang up yet. It seems that the scouts are back. Yes, the scouts are back!"

Hearing Nazorov say that the scouts had returned, Sokov's mood immediately became high: "Hurry up and ask him what's going on with those Germans?"

However, before Nazorov could ask the scout, Sokov said impatiently: "Comrade Captain, please give the phone to the scout. I want to ask him personally about the situation."

Nazorov handed the microphone to the scout who was speaking out of breath without hesitation: "Comrade Brigade Commander wants to hear your report."

The scout took the microphone, put it to his ear, and said in a panic, "Hello, Comrade Brigade Commander."

"Hello, Comrade Scout." Sokov asked the other party: "Tell me quickly, what have you discovered?"

"Comrade Brigade Commander," the scout calmed down and then reported to Sokov, "After we arrived at that location, we found no trace of the Germans. After surveying the road, we have reason to believe that the Germans seen by the search team should be signalmen riding motorcycles to deliver letters."

Sokov, who was originally nervous, felt relieved after hearing what the scout said. Since the search team only saw German signalmen, the search could continue. He then asked, "What is the search team doing now?"

"After discovering that it was a misunderstanding, the search team resumed their search." The scout said respectfully, "Comrade Brigade Commander, I believe they will report the search results to you soon."

As soon as I put down the phone, it rang again.

Sokov thought it was Nazorov who had something to say to him, so he quickly grabbed the microphone and said, "I'm Sokov!"

A strange voice came from the receiver: "Hello, I am the commander of the 1073rd Regiment. I want to talk to your brigade commander."

"I am Major Sokov, the brigade commander. What can I do for you?"

When the regiment commander heard Sokov announce his military rank, he was slightly stunned. He thought, the other party is a brigade commander, so how can he only have the rank of major?

But he was relieved soon. It was a war, and due to the heavy casualties among commanders at all levels, some troops had "low-ranking and high-ranking personnel". Major Sokov, who was talking to him now, should be in this situation.

After figuring this out, he continued, "Comrade Major, my men reported to me that there were people active in the forest near my regiment's position. After checking, I found out that it was your men. I would like to ask, what are you doing sending people to my regiment's defense zone?"

Sokov thought that the two sides would be partners in mutual assistance in the coming period, so he did not hide the truth from the other party, but answered truthfully: "Comrade, you may not know that our brigade has just been formed, and the weapons, ammunition and supplies provided to us by our superiors are limited, so that a considerable number of officers and soldiers in the brigade have no weapons. In desperation, I can only send people to search the nearby forests to see if there are any hidden arsenals, and use the weapons and ammunition stored in them to equip the troops."

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"So that's how it is." The team leader asked cautiously, "Do you have any results now?"

When Sokov put down the phone, Karsokov came over and asked in confusion: "Comrade Brigade Commander, didn't we find an arsenal? Why didn't you tell the commander of the friendly forces? Do you have any concerns?"

"I plan to move all the weapons, ammunition and supplies stored in the arsenal discovered by the First Battalion back for use by our brigade's officers and soldiers." Seeing Karsokov's confused expression, Sokov explained to him, "The Third Battalion's search area is close to the defense zone of the 1073rd Regiment. If they can find an arsenal, they will definitely share some of it with friendly forces."

"If we really find a hidden arsenal near the 1073rd Regiment's defense zone," Karsokov asked cautiously, "how much do you plan to give to friendly forces?"

"I can't say how much more, but 30% of the stock must be given." Sokov was worried that Karsokov might have some bad ideas, so he explained to him: "The 1073rd Regiment is a friendly army fighting alongside us. Only by giving them more sophisticated weapons can they hold out longer against the German attack. As long as they are not repelled by the enemy, we will not be fighting alone against the enemy's attack."

"You are right, Comrade Brigade Commander." Unexpectedly, Karsokov agreed with Sokov's arrangement very much: "If we really find a new arsenal near the friendly defense zone, we should indeed give some of it to the friendly forces. In this way, when we are attacked by the German army, I think they will help us for the sake of the weapons given to them."

Sokov smiled slightly, thinking that if a fight really broke out, it would be hard to tell who would help whom. You know, the 316th Infantry Division defending Volokolamsk was a thorn in the eyes of the Germans, and they would definitely want to get rid of it as soon as possible. If the 1073rd Regiment was attacked by the enemy, as long as the fighting here was not fierce, they could withdraw their forces to support the enemy.

Two hours later, the dusty deputy brigade commander Belkin appeared in the tent.

As soon as Belkin entered the tent, he quickly walked to the table, picked up the kettle on the table, unscrewed the lid, and drank the water in big gulps.

When Belkin put down the kettle and wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth, Karsokov immediately asked impatiently: "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, have all the ammunition in the arsenal been transported back?"

Belkin grinned and replied, "There are so many weapons and ammunition stored in the armory. It is impossible for us to transport them all back in one go with just a dozen trucks. I estimate that we will need to make at least five or six round trips to transport all the weapons and ammunition back."

Although Sokov and others had long known that there were enough weapons and ammunition for two divisions in the arsenal, he still had doubts about this. Hearing what Belkin said, he quickly asked, "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, is there really enough weapons and ammunition for two divisions in that arsenal?"

"That's right." Belkin nodded vigorously and answered in a positive tone: "I can tell you for sure that it is more than enough to arm two divisions."

"How many artillery pieces are there?" Sokov asked expectantly, "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, how many artillery pieces are there in that arsenal?"