Struggle in Soviet Russia

Moscow Metro Sokolny Baseline, direction Komunarka, Lubyanka Station.

Victor walked on the island platform where the crowds were moving, looking left and right, looking for the direction of the exit. Behind him, Varenka, with a somewhat cramped expression, strained the hem of his military uniform, and from time to time, with a somewhat shy look, he spied on the young girls passing by.

"Let's go, the exit is over there," Victor sighed quietly when he finally found the position of the exit, stretched out his hand and pointed in that direction, turned his head and said to Varenka who was following behind.

Varenka didn't hear what he said. The young man was staring at a woman wearing a white dress with big wavy blond hair. To be precise, he was staring at someone's black silk calf that was exposed outside the skirt. In Kiev or Lviv, it is not a woman without a skirt, but most of the stockings matched are brown or white stockings. This black stockings is probably the first time Varenka has seen it.

Reaching out and patted Valenka's head like a hillbilly, Victor said helplessly: "Let's go, my Valenka, we need to hurry up."

"Oh, oh, okay, comrade captain," Varenka suddenly recovered, his face flushed.

The two walked one after the other to the exit. Victor was surprised to find that an escalator had been installed here, and there were both up and down lines.

"Ah, Comrade Captain, look, this thing will take people away by itself," Varenka was definitely the first time he saw this kind of elevator. He looked at the people standing on the elevator going up and down automatically, with surprise. The tone said.

Victor was a little embarrassed. He walked two steps quickly and went straight up the elevator. Unconsciously, Varenka chased behind him. He stepped onto the elevator in a hurry, and then started curiously touching and touching.

The weather in Moscow today is definitely not good. It was raining lightly outside. In fact, it was precisely because of such weather that the plane that Victor and the others was flying could not land at the military airport as close as possible to Moscow.

From the exit of the subway station, you can directly see the statue of Dzerzhinsky in the drizzle. A little further away, you can see the towering Ivan the Kremlin. The square Lubyanka 11, the NKVD building, is diagonally opposite the exit of the subway station.

"Comrade Captain, shall we stay in Moscow in the future?" Varenka staggered from behind. He swayed when he got off the elevator, and asked impatiently before he could stand firm.

"Why, do you really want to stay in Moscow?" Victor took a cigarette out of his pocket, lit one, and asked with a smile.

"Of course," Varenka said curiously, looking around, "I think Moscow is much bigger than Kiev, and I also want to go to the Red Square. I wanted to go to the Red Square since I was very young. Look, I heard that it is the largest square in the world."

The biggest square is not the Red Square. Victor murmured to himself, but said: "If you want to go to the Red Square, you can go anytime, it's there."

Reaching out his hand and pointing away, he replied, "However, I bet we won't stay in Moscow, and I don't want to stay here."

"Why?" Varenka asked.

Victor did not explain, it is hard to tell this young man that the power struggle environment in Moscow is too bad. He does not want to stay on the front line and act as cannon fodder, nor does he want to stay here as cannon fodder.

"Let's go, go to make a report." After adjusting the military cap on his head, Victor stepped down two steps and walked directly into the rain.

Compared with the Lviv People’s Committee of the Interior or the Kiev People’s Committee of the Interior, the atmosphere in Lubyanka 11 is much more tense, even though the lobby on the first floor is more than three meters high and has a marble floor. Spacious, uniformed clerks kept coming and going, but there was no sound at all. It seems that everyone is deliberately suppressing the sound of footsteps, making no noise as much as possible.

Victor showed the order in his hand in the guard room at the door, followed the instructions of the guard, went to the first room in the corridor to make a report, and was then arranged to the waiting room, waiting for the next arrangement.

In the waiting room of hundreds of square meters, Wuyangyang was full of people. A cursory glance showed that the ranks vary greatly, ranging from major to second lieutenant. Here, no one whispered, no one even talked, everyone sat quietly in their seats, waiting for the next order.

Victor took a look in the huge room, but was stunned that he could not find an empty seat. There was no way, he could only find a place not far from the door to stand.

According to the formal process, he should first wait for people in the personnel department to talk to him, then go to talk with people in the political department, and finally, see if the direct leaders have time to see him. Victor estimated that seeing so many people present, it is estimated that he would not have his turn this morning.

However, unexpectedly, after he waited in the waiting room for less than half an hour, an acquaintance appeared in front of him.

"Hello, Comrade Victor Viktorovich," the young man was still in a gray suit. He walked in from the open door, ignored the full crowd in the waiting room, and walked straight to Victor, smiling. He stretched out his hand and said, "It's been a long time."

"Ah, hello, Comrade Major Dmitrijevic," Victor said quickly, shaking hands with the opponent, "Long time no see."

The visitor was Serov’s secretary, Daniil Dmitriyevich Kugaev. Although he was dressed in plain clothes, Victor knew that the other party’s rank of NKVD was a major, um, since it’s here. In Moscow, it is necessary to use the most formal term: Senior Superintendent of National Security.

"Just now I saw your report and I knew that you had arrived in Moscow," Daniel said with a smile. "It's a coincidence that Comrade Committee member just came back from the outside, and he wants to see you."

"Ah, okay," Victor said, fastening the collar button he had just unbuttoned. "Is it right now?"

"Just now, come with me," Daniil smiled, turned and walked outside.

Ignoring the countless gazes gathered in the waiting room, Victor told Varenka to wait for him here, and then he chased Daniil out of the door.

Serov’s office is on the fifth floor of the building. There is a room in the middle of the building. On the purple door, there are two signs. The upper part is "Senior Inspector" and the lower part is Serov's name.

Taking advantage of Darnier's opportunity to knock on the door, Victor straightened his military uniform and wore his general hat upright. After the door was opened, he followed Darnier and walked into the office.

In the spacious office, three staff members are organizing documents at a large desk, another staff member is organizing a large map on the side facing the door, and Serov is standing by the window and sucking. cigarette.

Hearing the footsteps, Serov turned around and glanced at Victor who was standing at the door saluting him. He did not speak, but waved at him.

General Victor took off his cap, clamped it under his right armpit, and walked quickly behind Serov.

"When did you arrive in Moscow?" Serov still looked out the window. From his position, he could see some views of the Kremlin.

"I arrived early this morning," Victor replied, "Because the weather in Moscow is not good, so the plane landed in Kubinka, and there was a little delay."

Serov nodded and then asked: "Did Comrade Bogdan Zakharovich talked with you before coming to Moscow?"

"Talked," Victor said. "He said that Moscow needs me more and asked me to accept the transfer and rush over."

Serov smiled, with a bit of mockery at the corners of his lips. Some things are out of reach of Victor's level now. Kobrov has gotten into a little trouble recently, and this trouble is caused by his wishing to hold it in his hand all day. Caused by his younger brother. That **** who had only been in the fourth grade of elementary school, relying on Kobrov’s relationship, became the head of the intelligence station of the People’s Committee of the Interior in Berlin. In the past two years, most of the intelligence sent from Berlin to Moscow, He is in charge.

As a result, just after the National Security Council went out of independence, the counterintelligence department cracked a German intelligence station lurking in Moscow, and derived a surprising piece of intelligence: by Amayak Zakharovich. In the Berlin intelligence station of the People’s Committee of the Interior that Kobrov is in charge of, there are 13 special agents and intelligence personnel who are assigned by the German intelligence service and sneak in. In addition, there are 6 double agents.

The appearance of this report angered Comrade Stalin. It has become the laughing stock of the global intelligence community. If Beria hadn't said kind words, it is estimated that neither brother Kobrov would end well. But even so, Comrade Beria was very disappointed with Kobrov. This is also the most direct reason why Serov was able to replace Kobrov as the first commissar of the NKVD.

Also affected by this incident, at the previous working meeting where the NKVD and the National Security Council were re-merged, Comrade Beria officially put forward the mandatory requirement that cadres of the NKVD must have a certain degree of education: in principle, there is no high school or above. Persons with academic qualifications and who have not received more than three years of professional training shall not be promoted to the senior state security superintendent, nor shall they accept corresponding positions.

The senior superintendent of national security corresponds to the rank of major. In other words, the guys who lack culture are at most rushed to the rank of captain.

It was also from the time that Beria gave this order, the NKVD and the National Security Council began to evolve towards the elite of cadres.