Because Rotmistrov's position was higher than that of him, Sokov discussed with the other side the matter of division of troops and defense, he gave up his command and prepared to move the new command to the west of the city.
The convoy suddenly slowed down halfway, and after a while, he drove to the side of the road to stop. Seeing that the car had stopped, Sokov frowned and asked the driver: "Comrade Driver, why stop the car?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander!" The driver holding the steering wheel turned his head and said, "There are troops coming in front of him, blocking the road."
Sokov looked out the car window and saw a large group of people coming towards him. The streets and sidewalks were lined up or in groups of soldiers, and there were also many side tricycles and armored vehicles in the queue.
"Comrade Brigade Commander," said Belkin, "the one coming from the opposite side should be General Rotmistrov's troops."
Looking at the muddy warriors and the bodies of the cars were covered with mud, and they couldn't see the numbered tricycles and armored vehicles on it, Sokov could imagine how hard their long-distance march was. Hearing Belkin's problem, he nodded slowly and said, "Yes, it should be the mechanized brigade of the Tank Army."
"Look, comrade brigade commander and the soldiers all seemed very tired." Belkin said with some concern: "Can they block the enemy's attack after taking over the defense of the Third Battalion?"
"Don't worry, comrade of the political commissar, General Rotmistrov's troops in Kursk will definitely give the Germans a devastating blow, defeat the enemy and drive them far away from the city."
Watching the long team pass by his convoy, scattered into alleys, heading towards the east of the city. Sokov said to Belkin: "After General Rotmistrov's troops take over the defense in the east of the city, Andre's troops will be transferred back. Their battalion has suffered a lot of casualties in the two days of battle. Let them rest for a few days before participating in the next battle."
The new command center is located in a school west of the city. While the communications soldiers were laying telephone lines indoors and outdoors, Sokov called the guard company commander Xie Lesha and said to him: "Comrade Lieutenant, from now on, this is our command center. Since it is only two kilometers away from the position outside the city, you must strengthen the defense work here. In addition to building sandbag fortifications equipped with machine guns, machine gun positions must be established on the roof. When the enemy rushes to the nearest school, you can strafide from a high place."
"I understand, comrade comrade brigade commander." Xie Lesha replied respectfully: "I will arrange for manpower to establish fortifications immediately."
As soon as Selyosha left, the second battalion commander Vasily brought his company commander Grissa to him. Seeing the two of them coming, Sokov asked curiously: "Captain Vasily, is there anything wrong?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander, this is true. There is something wrong with the defense area where Lieutenant Grissa is responsible for. It is here to report to you." Vasily turned his eyes to Grissa standing behind him: "He will report to you in the specific situation."
Sokov remembered the defensive position of Grissa Company, which was south of the city. When he heard something was wrong, he couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Lt. Grissa, what's wrong with it?"
"This morning, some of the trenches on our position were flooded." Grissa replied: "After I learned the news, I immediately organized people to start draining. Who knew that after a few hours, the water level not only did not drop, but rose. So far, I even had water in all the trenches on my position."
"What, all the trenches are in the water?" Grissa's words confused Sokov: "It has not rained these days. Where did the water come from? Could it be that when you reinforce the fortifications, a soldier accidentally dug an underground river, which caused the fortifications to be flooded?"
"No, comrade comrade, not the underground river." Grissa quickly shook his head and said, "I took people to check it carefully and found that someone had opened the gate of the Tenebra River, which resulted in water pouring into our trenches."
"So, there are sabotagers doing sabotage!" Sokov frowned and asked, "Have you closed the gate?"
"No, the gate has been damaged and it may take two or three days to completely repair it." Grissa replied with a red face: "I have sent people to search nearby to see if I can find suspicious people."
Sokov knew very well that this so-called search had no effect at all. After a few hours of time, the destructors would still stand foolishly in place and wait for you to catch them? He did not get entangled in this matter, but continued to ask: "How high is the water level in the trenches now?"
"The water level in most trenches just passes the ankles. Some areas with low terrain reach the waist." Grissa continued: "I have organized the soldiers to drain the water, and I guess the water level will drop soon."
After Grissa finished speaking, Sokov asked lightly: "What tools do you all use to drain water?"
"Buckets, washbasins, lunch boxes, and even all the utensils, including the marching pots." When Grissa said this, a embarrassed expression suddenly appeared on his face: "Comrade Brigade Commander, you know that although it is summer, the water in the Tenebra River is still biting. I am worried that the soldiers' health may be affected by soaking in the water for a long time."
If Sokov first arrived in Russia, he would definitely think that Grissa's statement was ridiculous. After all, it is summer. Even if the river water is cold, it will turn into water vapor when it is sunny. The soldiers who stay in the trenches should feel stuffy. How can they feel cold? But Sokov, who has lived in Russia for so many years, naturally has common sense in life. He knows that even in summer, the temperature of the river water is still biting. The day may be better. When the temperature drops at night, those soldiers soaked in the water may suffer from frostbite.
In order to solve the problem of water accumulation in the trenches as soon as possible, Sokov looked at Vasily and asked, "Captain Vasily, if I am not wrong, you should be able to find a pump in the warehouse you occupied, right?"
"Yes, comrade comrade brigade commander, there are indeed many pumps in the warehouse." Vasily said with some embarrassment: "But without the power supply, these pumps cannot be used."
Sokov resisted the urge to beat someone and said to Vasily: "Captain Vasily, there is a machinery factory in the west of the city, and there should be many electricians in the factory. I think there should be no problem if they lead two power supply lines to the position."
When Vasily heard Sokov say this, he was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand and slapped his forehead hard, and said in annoyance: "Hell, why didn't I expect to find an electrician!" After that, he stood at attention and stopped his back and said to Sokov, "Comrade Brigade Commander, are you allowed to leave? I need to return to the warehouse immediately to prepare a drainage pump for a company."
"Allow to leave." Sokov nodded at Vasily and said to Grissa: "Comrade Lieutenant, since there are sabotage elements in your defense zone, you need to be vigilant to prevent similar incidents from happening again, do you understand?"
Chapter completed!