Red Moscow

Sokov's ambush in Tiexi District was quickly reported to the front army headquarters through special channels.

After Zakharov learned the news, he immediately called Sokov: "Misha, I heard that you were ambushed when you went to Tiexi District today. How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army. Thank you for your concern!"

"What's the matter with you? You're always being attacked in various ways." After Zakharov learned the news, he immediately thought that Sokov seemed to have been attacked more than once in the past few months, and he didn't know what to say. Bad luck or good luck. To say he is unlucky means that no one else has encountered such a thing, but he has encountered it three or four times in just a few months. To say he is unlucky means that he can avoid danger every time.

"I don't know either." Sokov said helplessly: "Whether I was attacked by the Germans or attacked by the little devils, in a word, I was unlucky."

"You can't say that. If you are unlucky, after being attacked three or four times in a row, you can still be as alive as you are now?" Zakharov said because he was very familiar with Sokov, so he didn't say anything. Scruples: "Look, General Vatutin was attacked only once, and ended up sacrificing his life in vain. If he were still alive, he would have become a marshal by now."

Sokov strongly agrees with Zakharov’s statement. Vatutin was Stalin's favorite general. In the disastrous defeat of the Third Battle of Kharkov in early 1943, the Voronezh Front and the Southwest Front suffered heavy losses from Manstein. Although he and Golikov were both dismissed, soon after, He was reactivated and transferred from the original commander of the Western Front to the commander of the Voronezh Front, and participated in the Battle of Kursk a few months later.

Sokov always believed that Vatutin was a general with great ambition and talent, and at best he was the material of a military commander. If he had not been loved by Stalin, it would be difficult for him to have a chance to hold a higher position. In the battle to liberate Kiev, his troops failed in repeated attacks. In the end, Stalin had to step in and let Rokossovsky lead the Belarusian Front to move north to the upper reaches of the Dnieper River, giving him room to attack.

Shortly after the liberation of Kiev, the German army launched a counterattack against Kiev. The Soviet army was retreating steadily and was about to be driven out of Kiev by the Germans. Stalin quickly transferred Rokossovsky to Kiev to assist Vatutin in commanding the troops to defend Kiev. Otherwise, The German army has a great chance of achieving a second victory in Kiev.

While Sokov was thinking about Vatutin, he suddenly heard Zakharov continue to ask: "Misha, who do you think will be the people who attacked today?"

“Although the matter is still under investigation,” Sokov replied without hesitation: “But I am certain that the person who attacked me should be a member of the Kwantung Army.”

 After listening to Sokov's words, Zakharov was silent for a moment, and then said: "Misha, I just discussed with Marshal Malinovsky and I think you should be allowed to return to Moscow."

Hearing what Zakharov said, Sokov couldn't help but trembled, and then asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, have I done anything wrong? Why should I be sent back to Moscow?"

"Misha, you made a mistake. We are letting you return to Moscow instead of repatriating you." Zakharov realized that Sokov might have misunderstood, and quickly explained to him: "Now the war in the Far East is over. Even if you stay here, you won't be able to play a big role. It's better to return to Moscow as soon as possible. I heard that your wife is pregnant. If you rush back now, you might be able to catch up with the birth of the child. "

Sokov said with some laughter and tears: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, my wife's due date is at the beginning of next year, and it is a bit too early to return to Moscow. I still have a lot of work in hand, how can I put down my work and return to Moscow at this time?" Woolen cloth."

"We will arrange for others to take over your job." After Zakharov announced the decision to Sokov, he also specifically explained: "Now that the war is over, maybe it will not be long before When large-scale disarmament begins, some troops with great military achievements will be disbanded. If you return to Moscow now, you may be able to find a more suitable job. When large-scale disarmament begins, a large number of generals will transfer to local work. I’m afraid the position assigned to you is not that suitable.”

"Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, I accept your arrangement." Sokov glanced at the open door and saw that no one was passing by, then asked: "Then when do you plan to arrange for me to return to Moscow?"

 “Tonight, if possible.”

"What, tonight?" Sokov couldn't help but be a little shocked that he was so eager to drive him away. He said reluctantly: "Chief of Staff of the Front Army, there are dozens of wagons carrying machinery and equipment tonight, which will be sent to the country. .Do you think you can let me leave tomorrow morning?"

Zakharov thought about Sokov's request for a moment, then nodded and said: "Okay, Misha, it's only a dozen hours late anyway, I agree to this."

 “Am I the only one returning to Moscow?”

"No," Sokov originally thought that he would be the only one returning to Moscow this time. Unexpectedly, Zakharov said unexpectedly: "General Yakov will also return to Moscow with you. The two of you can set off together tomorrow. .”

 “Then who will be responsible for his work?”

"Lukin, Lieutenant General Lukin." Zakharov said: "Until the new commander and chief of staff arrive, these two positions will be acted by your deputy commander, Lieutenant General Lukin."

"I understand. I will hand over the command of the troops to Lieutenant General Lu Jin later."

After putting down the phone, Sokov sat on his seat and smoked a cigarette, got up and went to Lukin's office next door.

Seeing Sokov enter the door, Lujin smiled and asked: "Misha, do you have anything to do with me?"

"Yes, I do have something to ask you." Sokov nodded, walked quickly to the desk, picked up the phone on it, dialed a number, and said after hearing the operator's voice coming from inside. : "I am Sokov, help me pick up the Chief of Staff, General Yakov."

Soon, Yakov's voice came from the receiver: "Misha, what can I do for you?"

“I’m in the office of Comrade Deputy Commander, come over immediately.” After saying that, Sokov hung up the phone without waiting for Yakov to ask questions. "Misha," Lukin saw something was wrong with Sokov's expression and quickly asked with concern: "What happened?"

"Yes, Comrade Deputy Commander, something did happen." Sokov did not immediately tell Lukin about his phone call with Yakov, but said calmly: "I will tell you when Yasha comes over. you."

 A few minutes later, there was a rush of footsteps in the corridor outside. Lu Jin listened carefully and said with a smile: "Misha, it should be the chief of staff who is here."

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Yakov appeared at the door in a hurry. After seeing the two people in the room, he first nodded to Lu Jin, and then asked Sokov: "Misha, what's the matter with you coming to me in such a hurry?"

"You sit down first." After Sokov asked Yakov to sit down, he stood up and went over to close the door. Then he turned to the two of them and said, "I have something important to tell you. Tomorrow morning, Yasha and I will It’s time to return to Moscow.”

"What, return to Moscow early tomorrow morning?" After hearing what Sokov said, Yakov suddenly stood up from his seat and asked in surprise: "Misha, who informed you of this? Why didn't I hear anything about it? ?”

"It was Chief of Staff of the Front Zakharov who informed me on the phone." Sokov said: "I was originally asked to leave tonight, but I said that I would arrange for dozens of truckloads of machinery and equipment to be transported to the country, so he agreed to let me leave tomorrow. Leave again.”

"Both of us have returned to Moscow, who will do the work here?" Yakov did not expect that he would also return to Moscow tomorrow, and he was naturally unhappy: "Without a responsible person, everything will be messed up by then. "

"There will be no chaos." Sokov replied: "General Zakharov said, let both of us hand over the work to the deputy commander comrade. Before the new commander and chief of staff take office, all work will be done by He takes charge."

"Misha, what happened?" Lukin was also very shocked by the return of Sokov and Yakov to Moscow. He looked at Sokov and asked: "Will I meet you today?" Is it related to the attack?”

"Well, there must be a certain relationship." During the few minutes waiting for Yakov's arrival, Sokov carefully thought about the ins and outs of the matter, and felt that it must be some of his actions here that caused the superiors to People were dissatisfied, so he took advantage of today's attack to justifiably revoke his position and return to Moscow: "I think someone may be dissatisfied with what I did and made a fuss about it, so my superiors Only then will Yasha and I be arranged to return to Moscow."

“Misha, I don’t think General Zakharov would have said that to you when he informed you.” Lukin waited for Sokov to finish and asked curiously: “How did he persuade you at that time?”

"He said that large-scale disarmament is about to begin, and many troops with great military achievements are being disbanded. If Yasha and I return to Moscow early, we can still find a good position." Sokov said that Zakharov had just What he said was repeated to the two men: "If after the disarmament work begins, a large number of generals transfer to other places, I am afraid that some good positions will not be available to us, so it is best to return to Moscow as soon as possible."

Lu Jin frowned and thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Misha, what General Zakharov said makes sense. Now that the war is over, our country no longer needs to retain such a large army. Disarmament is inevitable, so it is very necessary for you two to return to Moscow as soon as possible and find a suitable position."

Yakov heard this and interjected: "I used to work in the General Staff. Even if there is a large-scale disarmament, units like the General Staff will still exist. Even if I can't go to the General Staff, I can still go to weapons and equipment." Department. On the contrary, it is Misha who makes me very worried. I am afraid it will be difficult to find a position suitable for him."

"Don't worry, Yasha." Sokov smiled and said to Yakov: "Don't forget, the assault rifles, new rocket launchers, and anti-tank rocket launchers used by our troops were all invented by me. If there is no suitable For the position, I also want to go to the weapons and equipment department. After all, even after the war is over, the research and development of weapons will not stop."

Hearing what Sokov said, Yakov suddenly reflected: "Yes, Misha, how could I forget this? During the war, you did invent a lot of weapons and equipment. What did you just say? , will continue to equip the troops in the future. In addition, there are also hovercrafts that have been used before, which can also be changed from military use to civilian use. I believe Comrade Ustinov knows that you are willing to go to the Weapons and Equipment Department, and he will definitely feel that he agrees with it. of."

Sokov and Yakov both have places they want to go, and they are not so resistant to returning to Moscow. Seeing that Sokov seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, Lu Jin asked tentatively: "Misha, before you leave tomorrow, do you need to contact the garrison headquarters to understand the progress of the investigation?"

"I don't think this is necessary." Sokov shook his head and said: "Now that they know what the Kwantung Army prisoners of war did, the next thing they have to do is to eliminate the remnants of the Kwantung Army lurking in the city and help you build the city. As long as the security here is good.”

Through his observations during this period, Sokov discovered that Lu Jin, like himself, was very friendly to Commander Zeng and Political Commissar Tang, and handed over the command to him. Presumably he would not conflict with Commander Zeng and the others. "Comrade Deputy Commander, it's getting late. Yasha and I will hand over the work to you now."

After the handover of work was completed, Sokov and Yakov walked out of Lukin's office and returned to Sokov's office.

After the two of them entered the door, Yakov closed the door and asked Sokov: "Misha, since we are going back to Moscow, should we tell Asya the news?"

"It's not necessary." Sokov shook his head and said: "Although General Zakharov said that the purpose of returning the two of us to Moscow at this moment is to arrange better positions for us, I always feel that things are not that simple. If Asya is notified now, it will make Asya uneasy if the two of us go back and be locked up in a sanatorium in the suburbs to isolate ourselves from the outside world. I think it is better to wait until we return to Moscow before talking to her. It’s not too late to contact her, it’s time to give her an unexpected surprise.”

"Okay, okay." Seeing that Sokov already had his own idea, Yakov stopped trying to persuade him and just nodded and said, "Then it's up to you. We'll contact Asya after we arrive in Moscow. .By the way, have you asked General Zakharov whether we will take the train or fly tomorrow?"

“Yes, why did I forget to ask about this?” Sokov said with some embarrassment: “If you take a plane, it will take more than a day at most. If you take a train, I’m afraid it will take more than ten days on the road.”

Yakov picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and said into the phone: "I'm Yakov, help me pick up the front headquarters in Xinjing. I have something very important to talk to General Zakharov." .”

 A few minutes later, Yakov put down the phone and said to Sokov: "Misha, I have already asked clearly. Let's take the train back to Moscow."

 (End of this chapter)