Chapter 34 Last moment
Leading the dozen or so female relatives was a young female officer named Agata... Shulka recognized her as a Grand Master from her military rank.
Perhaps a non-commissioned officer could not be called an officer in the troops of other countries, but in the Soviet army, he could command a platoon or even a company.
Needless to say, the reason is that Soviet officers lost a lot for some reason before the war, so that Gavrilov can serve as the head of the regiment only as a major, which generally requires a colonel in other armies.
At this time, Agata was discussing something with the platoon leader Pukarev, and then Pukarev called out to Shulka, who was more than ten meters away, impatiently:
"Shuerka!" Pukarev raised his head towards the female relatives: "I have a task for you, responsible for their safety!"
"What?" Shulka was taken aback when he heard the words.
If he read correctly, these female relatives were all armed, and they all had pistols or even rifles in their hands, so they didn't need protection at all.
But Pukarev ordered without any explanation: "They are handed over to you!"
"Yes, Comrade Platoon Commander!" Shulka replied.
The female officer walked towards Shulka generously, stretched out her hand and introduced herself: "My name is Agata!"
Shulka saluted Agata and replied: "My name is Shulka, sir!"
Agata couldn't help laughing: "You'd better forget about the relationship between superiors and subordinates, Shulka! Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to carry out your mission!"
This is another place that puzzles Shurka. Agata has a higher rank than Shurka. It stands to reason that Shurka should obey Agata's orders.
Seeing Shulka's puzzled expression, Agata explained: "Don't doubt, Shulka, I manage the library, and I have never used it before..."
Speaking, Agata leaned the rifle in her hand against the wall, then sat down, and asked her subordinates to do the same.
Agata looks young, in his early twenties, with short hair, and looks very energetic in a military uniform, at least much better than those female relatives who use a few holes in the quilt as clothes.
"I don't understand!" Shulka said, "Why does the platoon leader look like that? He's like..."
"Dump us like a pile of garbage?" Agata laughed and asked, "Any smoke?"
Shuerka cast his eyes on Okunev, and Okunev spread his hands. He had used up all his Mahe cigarettes before the battle.
"Forget it!" Agata sighed: "Let's put it this way, Shulka! Your task is actually not to be responsible for our safety, but at the last moment...you understand!"
Shulka had a look of fear on his face.
Of course he understood what this meant, but he didn't know if he could do it by pointing his gun at the heads of these women and pulling the trigger.
Agata seemed to have seen through Shulka, and said: "You have to do it, understand? Each of us!"
Shulka couldn't help being speechless. He looked in Pukarev's direction, and Pukarev seemed to be ashamed to avoid Shulka's gaze.
Another difficulty was food...there was no shortage of food in Kobrin Fortress because Shulka found additional supplies, and they did bring food with them, but there was not much left after distributing it to the hungry others.
"We should look for food!" Major Gavrilov said: "Maybe there is something missing!"
Political Commissar Fuming shook his head and replied: "We have searched for all the places we need to find! Unless we can get rid of those ruins..."
Several soldiers were rummaging through boxes and cabinets in the basement, hoping to find something useful, and the thief Fovalikov was one of them... He used his housekeeping skill again to open the lock of a side door with a wire, and when he opened it, he only heard " With a bang, a lot of things rolled down.
"Oh, that's great!" The thief picked one up and put it on his head and said, "Look, we have a gas mask!"
"I'd rather it be a pile of bread, thief!" said veteran Matvey.
"Be content, veteran!" The thief casually threw a gas mask at the veteran, but the veteran didn't follow, and the gas mask rolled in front of Shulka.
"Sorry, comrade squad leader!" said the thief.
Shulka didn't answer, picked up the gas mask and looked at it... This is a gas mask with an extension tube. Because poison gas warfare was commonly used in World War I, gas masks were basically a must-have item for the armies of all countries in World War II. The Germans even had a pair in hand.
"What are you thinking?" Agata asked suspiciously, "Haven't you seen a gas mask?"
"No, of course I have!" Shulka replied.
Shulka lied, he had never seen it, at least not the real one.
"It's useless, Shulka!" Agata said: "The Germans don't need poison gas at all, it's a waste for them..."
"No, it might work!"
"Stop being funny!" Agata laughed, but gradually stopped smiling when she saw Shulka's serious expression.
"What you said can't be true!" Agata said.
Shulka got up with a gas mask and replied: "I may not be able to complete the task, Agata!"
"What?" Agata didn't understand the meaning of the words at first, and it wasn't until Shulka left that she realized that it was a "last-minute" mission.
Shulka found Major Gavrilov. He was discussing something with several battalion commanders facing the map. He supposedly was studying where it was easier or safer to get water.
The quality of Major Gavrilov is worthy of respect. He will not fall into negative emotions and choose to give up on himself in a crisis or even a desperate situation. He is still full of energy to boost morale, organize water collection, find food, etc. All efforts to make the best out of a bad deck, which even Shulka couldn't do... Shulka had almost given up.
In fact, Shulka also knew that this was only a small force shown by Major Gavrilov.
In history, he persisted in the Brest Fortress alone for more than a month with almost no other people... Brest's large-scale resistance was crushed in about a week, and then the streets and alleys relied on the ruins Hidden sporadic battles, such a battle could last for more than a month, until Major Gavrilov was seriously injured and captured.
This is impossible without tenacious perseverance and unswerving spirit until death. No one can persist in that state for more than a month. Shulka doesn't believe it, because he can't even stand it for a few days.
But a living example is right in front of Shulka.
"Comrade Major!" Shulka saluted Major Gavrilov, then handed over the gas mask and said, "I hope you can see this!"
(end of this chapter)
