Chapter 466: Huo Ning's Decision

Guderian, who did not wait for Colonel Horning to speak, naturally knew what this meant. Guderian, who knew Colonel Horning well, had guessed that Colonel Horning would probably act first and ask for permission later. Guderian received a phone call immediately after finishing the last thing on hand.

"Come closer to me immediately, Horning, take all your troops! The Russians are launching a counterattack across the board. The flank of our Second Armored Group is in danger. Tula is also threatening our supply line! We must retreat and re-establish a solid defense line. If we fail again, all our efforts will be wasted. Act now!"

After a series of words spoken at high speed, Guderian, who was in a hurry, threw the phone down and went to do other things without waiting for Colonel Horning to reply, leaving Colonel Horning standing in front of the phone, disheveled.

The adjutant who had been following Colonel Horning like a tail barely heard the content of his brief conversation with Guderian. With a slightly surprised look in his eyes, the adjutant could not wait to speak.

"That's great, Colonel. General Guderian has ordered us to retreat. We don't have to stay in this cold and freezing place anymore!"

Not only Colonel Horning's adjutant, but almost all the German officers in the command post were surprised after hearing the good news. They even hugged and celebrated excitedly with smiles on their faces. It was completely unlike the war scene where the frontline was being hit hard by the Soviet army.

Seeing all this, Colonel Horning could not help but feel sad. Once upon a time, the German army was invincible and swept away the Soviet army deployed on the border in less than a month like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves. Even now, that time is the climax of the entire Operation Barbarossa.

But who could have thought that the German army would end up like this just a few months later? The previous celebration for victory and launching the attack turned into excitement and joy after learning the news of retreat.

This huge gap made Colonel Horning, who had a very high sense of honor, look ashen. He knew that at least before the end of winter, the German military spirit and the courage to face the powerful enemy in the war had been completely frozen by the biting winter of Russia.

Colonel Horning, with a mess in his mind, raised his head and looked north in the direction of Moscow. Colonel Horning, who had a strong military intuition, was almost sure that this should be the last time in his life that he would stand under the city of Moscow and look at the capital of Russia.

Colonel Horning's back, which seemed a little lonely and sad in his indifference, attracted the attention of the adjutant who was smiling. The adjutant, who vaguely guessed what Colonel Horning was thinking, stepped forward and gently stretched out his right arm to put on Colonel Horning's shoulder.

"We will definitely be able to fight back next spring. Moscow and the Kremlin will be ours sooner or later. It's just that the Russians will linger for a few months. Don't take it too seriously, Colonel."

The comfort from the adjutant did not dispel the dark clouds floating in Colonel Horning's heart. This plain and light-hearted sentence evoked another recent memory in Colonel Horning's heart.

It was several days ago. Colonel Horning, who could no longer remember the specific date, clearly remembered that the Great German Infantry Regiment captured a Soviet captain of the Tula garrison during the battle that day.

Because it was rare to capture such a high-ranking Soviet front-line officer in the siege of Tula City, the Soviet second lieutenant who was stunned by the shell was personally interrogated by Colonel Horning after being captured by the German army. However, Colonel Horning, who originally intended to pry some useful information from the Soviet captain, was greatly shocked during this interrogation.

"Tell me the defense situation of the city, mark it on the map! Tell me everything you know, immediately!"

The burly German interrogator's stern roar did not scare the Soviet captain, whose skin was already torn and muscles were protruding. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest that could be seen through his nose, Colonel Horning, who was listening at the side, would have thought that he was already dead.

Seeing that the Soviet captain didn't say a word, the German interrogator was about to pick up the baton in his hand and hit him harder. Feeling that he would definitely beat him to death if he continued like this, Colonel Horning stepped out of the shadows, raised his right arm in a black leather glove slightly, and blurted out the words in a low voice.

"Okay, stop first, let me ask him."

The dim light made the mottled wounds on the dying body in front of him particularly creepy. He did not object to obtaining necessary information from the captives to reduce his own casualties, but he did not support the use of such means to put it into action. The whole white German face seemed to be looking at an ordinary thing without any additional expression.

"Tell me what you know, which will at least allow you to leave this world peacefully. Everything that happens after your death has nothing to do with you. There is no need to continue to hold on for these."

The translator who followed Colonel Horning translated these words into Russian and spoke slowly. The Soviet captain who had been tied to the execution rack with his head drooped raised his head again as if he had come back to life.

"Are you the highest official here?"

The translator repeated, and Colonel Horning nodded.

"Yes, and I can tell you my position, Colonel Walter Horning of the Great German Infantry Regiment of the Wehrmacht. Now it's your turn to answer my questions."

After hearing Colonel Horning's introduction, he raised his mouth as if he had heard a funny joke, and the bloody phlegm that had accumulated almost immediately spurted out at a very fast speed and spit on Colonel Horning's face.

"If you want to know the answer, then I'll tell you, German. Our Soviet Red Army is not afraid of death, the soldiers fighting under the red flag are not afraid of death, and everyone living on the land of the motherland is not afraid of death!"

The sticky blood dripping from the corner of his mouth dripped onto the ground. Colonel Horning, who did not raise his hand to wipe the blood off his face, still stood there with his hands behind his back and listened quietly.

"What about you? Germans, are you afraid of death? When the Red Army's iron fist smashes the gate of your German capital Berlin, the red flag is planted on the roof of your tallest building, and the muzzle of the gun is against the head of your Nazi leader Hitler, will you be afraid of death at that time?"

Mumbling the blood bubbles in the throat, the words that were a little unclear gradually turned into a weird smile, and the laughter gradually deepened until it turned into a final loud laugh that shook the dome.

"We can't get what we want from him. Get rid of him, and do it now."