Chapter 157: Kyiv
**********
Lieutenant Agrip gave Major Gavrilov two options.
One: Waiting for the locomotive dispatched from Kyiv.
2: Transfer to a car and walk from the road.
"Take a bus!" said Major Gavrilov.
"I suggest you wait for the train here, Major!" Ensign Agrip said.
"Why?"
"Because it may be faster to wait for the train than to transfer to the car!" Second Lieutenant Agrip replied.
"That\'s impossible!" Major Gavrilov laughed.
But he saw the serious expression of Second Lieutenant Agrip, and the smile froze on his face.
"Are you serious?" asked Major Gavrilov.
"Of course, Comrade Major!" Second Lieutenant Agrip replied, "I know you have a mission, so how dare you lie?"
After a pause, Second Lieutenant Agrip explained: "The road is congested with a large number of cars, almost 24 hours of non-stop transportation, and the rain has not stopped, so the road condition is very poor, and it is not uncommon to be stuck for several hours. Instead, it\'s the train . . . no other trains are crowded with it, don\'t you think?"
So, in the end, Gavrilov could only choose to wait in place.
The side effect of waiting is that these soldiers of the 25th Army gathered around hoping to understand the course of the battle.
Of course, Second Lieutenant Agrip didn\'t ask too much because of his face. In fact, Shulka knew that he also wanted to know how a platoon could repel more than 200 enemies and kill or wound more than 100 of them. Yes, although they are guerrillas with little military quality.
Then they quickly found the point:
"So you are from the 9th Mechanized Army!"
"I can\'t believe it, Comrade Company Commander just now..."
The next words were not spoken, but everyone knew the meaning.
You must know that the 25th Army followed the 9th Mechanized Army and interspersed in Odessa in the battle. The success and combat effectiveness of the 9th Mechanized Army are obvious to all, but just now a company commander of the 25th Army actually ridiculed the 9th Mechanized Army Major.
Of course, when he learned that Shulka was the "escape hero", his eyes widened even more.
"Comrade Second Lieutenant, if you told us earlier, there would be no problem!"
"Yes, so that no one will have any doubts about your achievements!"
“Instead we think it’s nothing to be surprised about, and that’s how it should be!”
…
Shuerka couldn\'t help but despised them in his heart, thinking that the "escape hero" was like bean curd mixed with shallots when he hit the enemy several times.
How do they know how many crises they have experienced and how many risks they have taken.
But the cowhide was blown out just now, and now I can only smile stupidly.
On the contrary, Second Lieutenant Agrip came to apologize to Major Gavrilov and Shulka solemnly after he knew the identities of Major Gavrilov and Shulka.
"Sorry, Major, Second Lieutenant!" Second Lieutenant Agrip said, "I\'ll go back to what I said before, I didn\'t know it was you..."
"It\'s okay, Comrade Agrip!" Major Gavrilov patted Second Lieutenant Agrip on the shoulder and said, "As a soldier, we should indeed have the arrogance to admit defeat. Still to my own people!"
Major Gavrilov is right. If you don’t admit defeat to the enemy, you will fight them desperately. If you don’t admit defeat to your own people, you will fight harder and better than them.
"That\'s right, Comrade Major!" Second Lieutenant Agrip said, "This is my character, but... I don\'t think I can at least show arrogance in front of you!"
Major Gavrilov laughed.
"I think you should mean Shulka!" Major Gavrilov said: "Don\'t be embarrassed, I won\'t care!"
At this time, the locomotive from Kyiv arrived...the locomotive can reach a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour without a load, so the speed is relatively fast, which also proves that Lieutenant Agrip\'s suggestion to continue taking the train is correct.
However, after such a toss, Major Gavrilov and Shulka did not arrive in Kyiv until noon the next day.
It took more than 20 hours to travel for a journey that only took ten hours.
After a warm handshake and hug with the soldiers protecting the train, we bid farewell... The relationship between comrades-in-arms is like this, as long as they live and die together in a battle, they will become close friends and even relatives.
Though they don\'t even remember each other\'s name or appearance...it\'s hard to remember because it\'s mostly at night.
And it is very likely that they will never see each other again in the future, or they will go their separate ways or die on the battlefield, no one can be sure.
But it doesn\'t affect the comradeship between them at all.
It was the guard company sent by Admiral Kirponos to pick up people at the station. It was later that Shulka learned that Admiral Kirponos had also sent a security battalion to investigate the train station.
This battle surprised Major Gavrilov and Shulka.
On the car heading to the Front Army Command, Major Gavrilov leaned over to Shulka and said, "I think I\'ve been tricked by you?"
"What?"
"So many guards!" Major Gavrilov said: "You don\'t need so many people to greet a major! Comrade Kirponos is obviously worried that someone will be against you!"
Shuerka could only give a wry smile.
What Major Gavrilov didn\'t see was that if so many guards are needed in Kyiv to ensure safety, it means that Kyiv now is different from Kiev before.
Shulka was right, and General Kirponos quickly gave the answer.
"Welcome, comrades!" When Major Gavrilov and Shulka entered the headquarters, General Kirponos immediately received them.
"I heard you were in trouble on the road?" Admiral Kirponos said.
"Yes!" Major Gavrilov replied: "Partisans, but we beat them back!"
"It\'s unfortunate for them to meet you!" Admiral Kirponos smiled on his tired face.
"Comrade General!" Shulka asked: "Is something wrong in Kyiv?"
Admiral Kirponos nodded.
"The city is in panic, Comrade Shulka!" General Kirponos said: "You know, they are about to lose confidence in the army!"
Shuerka nodded clearly, he thought so too.
Before this, that is, when the German army first hit Kyiv, the people of Kiev believed that the Soviet army could stop the German army, so life in the city was as usual.
But now, the situation has taken a turn for the worse. The German army has crossed Kyiv and occupied the east bank of the Dnieper River, leaving Kyiv in a semi-encirclement by the German army.
Although the Soviet army fought a beautiful battle and penetrated to Odessa to gain living space, the situation is still not good for Kyiv.
Therefore, it will inevitably cause panic among the people in the city.
(end of this chapter)