After crossing the Buzuluk River, the Ninth Army of Yegorov, who had forcibly for one night, burned the pontoon bridge with another fire, put itself in a position where it could only move forward but not retreat. To the west was Samara, and the main force of the coalition ground forces was likely to have set a trap in Samarab waiting for him.

Going eastward, you will turn back and cross the Buzuluk River again. Even if you cross the river and walk southward, you will not only walk a hundred kilometers more, but you will likely be protected by the enemies reinforced by Orenburg and Sorochinsk. The division commanders and political commissars of the Ninth Army knew that Commander Yegorov had burned the grass this time, and the Ninth Army had no way out and had to break out from Buzuluk, the hometown of 35-year-old Army commander Yegorov, who had to break out of the south.

When Alexander Ilyich Yegorov left his hometown to join the army, he never expected that he would come back with a team today as the commander of the Ninth Army of the Soviet Red Army. The town of Buzuluk has a long history. It is a small but famous transportation hub in Orenburg Prefecture. The Samara River, Buzuluk River and the Domashika River converge here, making it an important water and land hub in the Samara River Basin.

"Comrade Yegorov! The situation is almost done. We found a few fellow villagers and learned that the enemy stationed in the town was a cavalry brigade with about 5,000 people. The local people have basically not been seriously injured. Although the other party is the Cossack cavalry of the White Guards, it is directly affiliated with the Allied Alliance east of the Ural Mountains. The discipline is fine. When I first arrived, I even dispersed food for the people."

Xie Miao Budunny is just a commander of the cavalry division at this moment. In fact, Yegorov's position has always been above Budunny, but the relationship between the two is very good. In Wang Geng's previous life, there was a very famous movie in the Soviet Union, "The First Cavalry Army", which tells the battle between Budunny and his cavalry army and the Bai Guards in the direction of Chalijin. In that film, Yegorov is still Budunny's direct boss and the work of the army commander.

"Comrade Political Commissar, I will pass on my order. The entire infantry division will be evacuated and hidden. Take the time to bury the pot and cook and rest. I will give you all three hours. You must eat something and have to sleep with me!" Yegorov turned his head and ordered. Political Commissar Kniagnisky agreed to issue the order.

Yegorov then turned around and shook hands with Budoni, and asked with concern.

"Comrade Budunny, the comrades of the Cavalry Division have worked hard, can they still withstand it? How was the loss in the battle just now?" Yegorov was in a heavy mood before he could clean up the bodies of the Red Army soldiers who had fallen from the battlefield in the small highlands along the way.

"Report to Comrade Commander, the Special Cavalry Division is a particularly combative unit. The cavalry are ready to sacrifice their lives to defend the country at any time. My artillery company and heavy machine gun battalion are already setting up positions. As long as you give orders, we will launch an attack on Buzuluk Town! I promise to take it down for you so that my brothers don't have to sleep on the ground tonight!"

Budonnie saluted and reported loudly, then stepped forward and whispered, "More than half of the damage was lost, and one cavalry company on the other side had 4 machine guns and 6 mortars, which had very strong firepower and good command. How to fight below? I think of a way to find a way. Fortunately, the two artillery companies of the Cavalry Division have not been thrown away, and even the shells are not left, and there are fewer bullets in the heavy machine guns!"

"Uh... the other party is the Russian cavalry division in the coalition? Invite those two fellow villagers to me, I'll ask myself!" Yegorov rode a horse and was surrounded by soldiers from the guard cavalry company, and came to the tent set up behind a small hill bag. A ragged white-bearded old man hugged a child and shivered, chewing desperately about the baked potatoes handed to the two old and young.

Seeing the commander of the group army, accompanied by the division commander, the soldiers around him stood at attention and saluted the horse boots and quarreled. The movement scared the old and young men who were busy gnawing potatoes and shivered. The potatoes in their hands almost fell to the ground. The white-bearded old man had a thin face and deep eyes. His clothes were torn and ragged, and he looked like the wind was about to fall. The child holding him in his arms was only seven or eight years old. He had a big head and a small body. It was obviously caused by long-term hunger.

"Old man, don't be afraid. We are the Soviet Red Army, the working class and the poor and hired peasants, our own team! What's your name? Are you from here?" Yegorov got off the horse and smiled and took a bowl of vegetable soup from a guard next to him. While serving it to the old man, he said kindly.

"...Red Army...I know... All the food in the village was stolen by your work team... If it weren't... the army from the east of Ural Shandong came... We both had to starve to death like our children's parents..." The white-bearded old man took a step back and did not take the soup in Yegorov's hand. Instead, he turned around and protected his little grandson behind him. His eyes stared at Yegorov were full of vigilance and distrust.

"You old guy, what are you talking about? The Red Army needs food to fight against the White Guards and protect you ordinary people who are not enlightened. How do you speak for the enemy? What is the element of your family? Landlords or rich peasants?" After conveying the order, Knyagnitsky, the political commissar of the group army who had just followed, was furious when he heard this, rushed up and waved his horse whip and shouted at the white-bearded old man.

Yegorov really didn't expect that an old man in his hometown would be so hostile to the Soviet Red Army and the surplus grain collection system. Of course, because of the food shortage in Russia, if he wants to consolidate the Soviet regime, he must have food to support Moscow and Petrograd, and the working class and citizens of big cities like Moscow and Petrograd, so as to support the Bolsheviks and the Soviet Red Army. However, these principles can be related to an old man in a rural countryside.

"Comrade Political Commissar, be careful, just be fine. As for an old countryman, who is trying to investigate the three generations and backgrounds, you have a deep impression on his political commissar. Although the political commissar has the power to veto, the Soviet Red Army implemented a one-sided system, that is, the commander of the troops controls the overall situation and the military action plan. The actual responsibility of the political commissar is to monitor the military chief and mobilize the masses. Of course, leading the team to charge is also the primary responsibility of the political commissar of the Soviet Red Army.

Therefore, in the early Soviet Red Army, the proportion of casualties of political commissars at all levels was the largest, and it was also the least popular group. Especially when the military chief was born in the Tsarist Russian army and had relatively low qualifications within the Bolshevik Party, the political commissars were often thankless.

When Budonni heard the words of the old man with white beard in the countryside, his heart was turbulent. It was obvious that the countryside and farmers gradually moved away from the Soviets and the Red Army under the whip of the surplus grain collection system. This made Xie Miao Mikhailovich Budonni, a former Tsarist Russian company commander who was also from a poor peasant family at the age of 35, feel a sense of unrelieved boredom in his heart. This guy held the whip in his hand and raked, but didn't say anything for a moment.

Most of the Soviet Red Army soldiers around him looked at the old and young in the field silently. The child was probably very hungry and was trying hard to chew the roasted potatoes. He accidentally choked and coughed desperately. Yegorov stepped forward and handed the soup over again. The old man with white beard did not refuse this time. He put the potatoes in his arms in his arms, took the bowl of soup, patted the grandson on the back, and fed him the hot soup. Finally, he washed the potatoes in his throat.

The old man drank the leftover soup in his hand, and gently placed the bowl on the ground, turned to Yegorov, Budoni and Klayagnitsky,

"I am just an old man in the countryside in the village near Buzuluk town. Our ancestors all farmed as farmers in Buzuluk. The landlords and rich peasants in the village were arrested and shot when your team came to collect grain half a year ago. The charge was that they hid the grain and did not hand it over to the public against the Soviets. The landlords, rich peasants and middle peasants all followed the crowd and went to the east of the Ural Mountains.

My little grandson's parents didn't catch up and starved to death. My little grandson and I couldn't walk... I had to beg for food and beg for all day! If the army east of the Ural Mountains came to the town and opened the warehouse and released the grain, we both would have starved to death... I told the truth, I wouldn't believe it, so I would have been shot, but I would have been relieved if I died early. I would have suffered this year and every month. I pity my grandson... I was so hungry!"

The old man with white beard sat on the ground and talked for a long time. The little grandson in his arms had potatoes and vegetable soup at the bottom of his stomach. His face slowly faded away. He stared curiously at a group of senior generals of the Ninth Army of the Soviet Red Army in front of him.

"Old man, the army in the town is the army you mentioned that comes east of the Ural Mountains. How many days have they been here? How many weapons and equipment are they?" Yegorov sat on the small stool brought by the orderly officer and asked the white-bearded old man in front of him with a smile.

"There are so many people. It's been three or four days since I came, but I haven't stayed all of them. Thousands of people rushed to Nevdegorsk in the west. How many people are there in the town? It's hard to say, there are always four or five thousand people, but their military uniforms are much more neat. You're much stronger depending on the weapons and equipment..." The white-bearded old man muttered.

"Oh? Old man, how many cannons and machine guns do they have? Do you know this?" Yegorov was not angry, but continued to ask in a friendly manner.

"I don't know much about this. Anyway, there are many people, weapons, and artillery. They were martial law on the day they entered the town. After that, the residents of the town could only go in and not come out. My grandson and I didn't live in the town, so we had to order food every day. They put out the food on the first day, and it seemed that their own food was a little tight, so we didn't release the food on a large scale. However, my grandson and I went to the checkpoint every day to ask for a few bites of food, and the other party could give it to them... Although they looked very fierce, they really didn't beat and scold the common people! They were not allowed to enter and exit the town and checkpoint without authorization due to martial law."

"This old guy, I'm not sure what's useful for a long time. I've said good things from the other party, and I have no idea of ​​right and wrong. Hello! Old guy, the town is an Allies coming to invade our enemies. Why can't you tell the difference between good and bad people? Whoever gives you food will follow? Are you an enemy spy?!" Knyagnitsky, the political commissar of the group army, couldn't help but yell!
Chapter completed!