I set out to Alexandria. In addition to bringing Yushenko and a special guard, I also asked Bantaileev for the commander of the communication company Lazumeeva. After all, I had been with her for a while and were very familiar with each other, so I used it as a precaution.

Razumeeva and I were sitting in the back row of the jeep. Waiting for the soldiers to get on the bus, Razumeeva suddenly saw a soldier behind him carrying a coffin onto the truck, and asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, who is the coffin contained? Is it also a general?"

I was considering whether I should report this to my superiors after I negotiated the exchange conditions with the German army. When I heard Razumeeva ask this, I casually replied: "Yes, it's a general."

"Is it General Gurdiev, the commander of the 308th Division?"

"How could it be? General Gurdiev died in Alexandria, and his body was still parked in the city there." Speaking of this, I also turned around and looked back from the back window. Seeing the soldiers waiting for the car one after another, I continued, "The body of a captured German general in the coffin."

"The body of the German general?" Razumeeva asked in surprise: "Where do you want to send the body to be buried?"

"Send it to the Germans." After saying this, I leaned forward slightly, patted the driver's shoulder with my hand, and ordered: "Drive, comrade driver."

"Why should we give the German general's body to the Germans?" Razumeeva looked at me and asked worriedly: "You know if you are fighting, will you encounter danger if you send them the body over?"

"The body of this German general is very important," because Razumeeva is very familiar with me, so I explained to her: "Use his body, we can exchange for a group of captured wounded people. So even if we know there is danger, we must send the body to the Germans."

"Are we going directly to the Germans now?" Razumeeva asked tentatively, and from her slightly hoarse voice, I could hear that she was scared.

"No." I quickly replied: "Let the body be pulled to Alexandria, where there are German negotiators. After discussing the exchange conditions with them, arrange a suitable time and place for exchange." After that, I leaned back and leaned back on the back of the chair and closed my eyes to rest. After all, there were some things. Razumeeva did not have the authority to know yet, so as not to ask, and I don't know how to answer.

After entering Alexandria, the driver drove the car to the door of the division command under the guidance of the soldiers on duty on the street. After the car stopped, he turned around and said to me: "Comrade Commander, we are here."

"Thank you, comrade driver." After saying this to the driver, I turned my head and said to Razumeeva: "Lieutenant, wait in the car for a while. I will ask the communication officers in the division to come to you later."

"Yes, Comrade Commander."

I led Yushenko, led by a staff officer of the 308th Division, walked along the long corridor toward the conference room where Romanov was. When the officers in the corridor saw me appear, they all asked me to stand aside, leaned against the wall and raised their hands to salute me.

When we arrived at the end of the corridor, outside the two confined gates, an uncapped officer saw us appear and quickly stood up from his seat and raised his hand to salute me.

I glanced at his collar seal and asked casually: "Lieutenant, is the deputy commander in there?"

When the lieutenant heard my words, he was stunned for a moment, and then he understood the deputy commander I was talking about. General Romanov, the commander of the 308th Division, and quickly replied: "Yes, Comrade Commander, Comrade Commander, and the negotiations between the German army."

I didn't care that what he was talking about was not the division commander, but the mayors. Instead, I directly ordered him: "Lieutenant, my company commander of the communication company is still in the car outside. Please find someone to arrange her accommodation."

"Yes, Comrade Commander." The lieutenant replied quickly. "I'll make arrangements now."

I stepped forward, pushed open the heavy door, and walked in. There was a long table with exquisite workmanship in the room. At the end of the door, there were two people sitting, Romanov and Colonel Andrewsenko, the commander of the 171st Division. Several commanders sat on both sides of the table.

"Hello, General Oshanina, I'm glad to see you again." Before I could see where the German negotiator was, a familiar voice had already sounded in my ears.

I turned my head and saw German Lieutenant Colonel Hu Bo standing up from the door of the table. Seeing that I noticed him, I quickly put my legs together, bent my waist slightly to me, and then said with a smile on my face: "General, we had a small misunderstanding last time. Please don't mind and don't affect our negotiations today."

"Lieutenant Colonel Huber, I'm glad to see you again. Please sit down, I'll continue talking to you." After saying that, I made a seating position to him, and then walked straight to the location where Romanov was.

In fact, shortly after I entered the house, all the commanders, including Romanov, stood up from their seats, stood straight in place, and saluted me silently.

Romanov walked out of his position, reached out to me, and whispered: "Comrade Commander, you are here. This German guy is too cunning. He insisted that we exchange Eke's body first and then exchange General Khalitonov's body with the captured wounded."

I nodded slightly and replied in a low voice: "Okay, comrade Deputy Commander, let's leave this matter to us." As I said that, I walked towards the position where Romanov gave up. And Andrewsenko, who was originally sitting next to Romanov, shook hands with me and took the initiative to sit in the next position.

After I sat in the middle, I shouted at Lieutenant Colonel Huber in the distance through the long wooden table, "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, please tell me again about the exchange conditions for you Marshal Manstein."

Hearing my words, Huber, who had just sat down, stood up again and said, "God, our marshal means, please return General Ike's body to us first, and after confirming it, you will return your General Khalitonov's body and the other 200 captured wounded soldiers to your army."

After hearing Hu Bo's words, I sneered twice, and then asked in a sarcastic tone: "What should we do if we hand over Ike's body to you first, but you can't fulfill your promise after confirming it, then?"

My words made Huber speechless. After a long silence, he replied: "Gen. General, I am just here to discuss and exchange matters with you on the orders of Marshal Manstein. But I can assure you that once we receive General Ike's body, I will do my best to ensure that our army fulfills its obligations."

"Please?! Hum!" I stood up, snorted heavily, and said to Huber: "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel. Please go back and tell Marshal Manstein that we will conduct a live handover. While we hand over Ike's body to you, you must also release our wounded and return the body of General Khalitonov."

"This, this..." My proposal made Hu Bo's face look extremely embarrassed. After a long time, he said to me as if he had made up his mind: "God General, I have not obtained such authority. I must go back and ask the marshal for advice."

Hearing a loosening in his tone, I nodded and said generously: "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, your proposal is reasonable, I agree completely. You should go back and discuss with Marshal Manstein. Once you have a clear letter, you can ask your troops stationed outside the city to send someone to inform us."

Bo Hu picked up the military cap on the table, put it on his head, saluted me, then turned around and walked towards the door. A commander sitting at the door quickly jumped out of his seat and rushed over to help open the wooden door. Bo Hu nodded to the other party and expressed his gratitude. After walking straight out of the door.

After Huber left, Romanov immediately asked impatiently: "Comrade Commander, do we really want to trade with the Germans?"

"Yes, comrade Deputy Commander." Although Romanov is now the acting commander of the 308th Division, I am still used to calling him the deputy commander. "We cannot let General Khalidonov's body fall into the hands of the Germans. No matter what the price is paid, we must bring back the remains of the hero. Besides, Ike is dead, which poses no threat to us. Returning a body of no value to the Germans can replace the general's body. With two hundred captured wounded soldiers, no matter how we look at this transaction, we will not suffer any loss."

"But, Comrade Commander." A major sitting next to him suddenly spoke, "Didn't the Supreme Commander say that we have no prisoners of war, only traitors from the motherland? Is it appropriate for us to exchange the bodies of the German general for a group of traitors to come back?"

The major's sudden words immediately made the atmosphere in the room drop to freezing point. I looked at the major with a gloomy face, wishing I could go up and slap him twice, thinking to myself, don't you let me get off the stage in public?

Before I could speak, Romanov on the side slapped the table: "Comrade Major, what are you talking nonsense? Haven't you heard that the Germans said they would return it to us, are they all wounded? Our commanders and soldiers fought tenaciously against the enemy on the battlefield and were captured because of their loss of combat effectiveness. What's so shameful? I was captured because of injury after the war broke out. Am I a traitor to the motherland?" Romanov recalled the shameful history of his past from the wounded soldiers who were about to be exchanged. So when the major made inappropriate remarks at the wrong time, he said so much that the major was so embarrassed that his face flushed with shame and buried his head deeply.

"Comrade Deputy Commander is right!" I knew that at this time, I should take the initiative to stand up and express my attitude and unify the thoughts of the commanders present, so I clearly stood from Romanov's perspective and said: "Since the enemy wants to return these wounded people to us, it is proven that they are all good. Even if they are imprisoned, they have not surrendered to the enemy." I stared at the major, "Exchanging the captured wounded soldiers of our army with the Germans was a decision made after discussing with other military leaders. Major, do you say this? Do you want to create chaos in the army and play against the leaders of the two levels of the military advisor?"

The major was rude and sat in the seat without saying a word. He just lowered his head and sweated coldly on his forehead.

Seeing the major's expression, I thought of mercying people. After all, without asking for instructions from my superiors, I felt that I could exchange prisoners with the German army without authorization. If the superiors really investigated it, I still couldn't get away with it. Then I slowed down and said: "Major, listen to me, today's affairs end here. From now on, I heard you say that the captured wounded are traitors of the motherland, so I will remove your post and send you to the military court. Do you understand?"

The major quickly raised his head, looked at Romanov, and then looked at me, and replied with a pale face, "I understand, Comrade Commander. I was wrong. I shouldn't be talking nonsense. I'll review it!"

When only Romanov and Andrewsenko were left in the conference room, Romanov asked cautiously and concernedly: "Comrade Commander, without asking his superiors for advice, there will be no trouble in conducting private exchanges with the Germans without authorizing the instructions, right?"

"Deputy Commander, don't worry." Seeing his uneasy look, I quickly comforted him and said, "Although I didn't ask my superiors for instructions this time, it was because our army had been in battle, so it was normal for us to not be able to contact our superiors. After the exchange ceremony was completed, I would report to my superiors and not eat it."

"Is this appropriate?" The speaker was Andreshenko, who was also full of concern about the upcoming exchange ceremony.

"There is nothing wrong. I am the commander of the army. I have the right to make any decision based on the specific situation and my own judgment." In order not to be entangled in this matter, I deliberately checked the topic: "By the way, Colonel Andrewshenko, where will your division be arranged after it arrives in Alexandria?"

"All have been deployed," said Andrewshenko, standing up and walking to the wall, picking up a rolled map from the table beside the wall, walking back to the table, spreading it out in front of us, and reporting to me: "Comrade Commander, please see. After our division arrived in Alexandria, we were deployed on the west and south of the city, respectively, responsible for covering the flanks of the 308th Division."

"Very good, very good." After reading the deployment of the 171st Division, I turned my head and said to Romanov: "By the way, Deputy Commander, there is another thing I have not had time to tell you. The guerrillas commanded by Captain Shamricht had been adapted into the Fourth Battalion of the 22nd Tank Brigade. At the latest tomorrow, this unit will be transferred to Kirovgrad." In order to prevent Romanov from having any bad associations, I also made a special explanation, "Although there are many guerrillas, their combat effectiveness is too weak. The purpose of transferring them to Kirovgrad is to mix them with troops with rich combat experience, and strive to form strong combat power as soon as possible." (To be continued.)

...
Chapter completed!