Red Moscow

Sokov didn't know the phone number of Lunev's office, so he called the telecommunications bureau directly, and politely said to the operator: "Hi, please help me get to the office of the deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

When he said this, Sokov was still very disturbed. He was worried that the operator would tell himself that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had a dedicated line and the phone he was using could not be connected to it like yesterday.

But what he was worried about did not happen. After listening to his words, the operator said politely: "Please wait a moment, I will connect you to the deputy minister's office right away."

After waiting for a short time, a strange female voice came from the receiver: "Hello, this is the switchboard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. May I ask which deputy minister you want to talk to?"

"Lunev!" Sokov said: "Deputy Minister General Lunev!"

The switchboard operator said in a polite and distant tone: "Please identify yourself."

"I'm Lieutenant General Sokov. I used to stay with Deputy Minister Lunev in the 27th Army."

After Sokov revealed his identity, he guessed that the other party might ask him some questions, so he began to think about how to answer in his heart. Unexpectedly, after hearing his name, the other party said pleasantly: "You are on the Kursk battlefield. Come on, General Sokov who wiped out two SS divisions of the German army?"

Sokov smiled and replied, "If you're talking about Sokov who defeated the Skeleton and Imperial Divisions, it's me."

"General Sokov," the operator said emotionally: "Please wait a moment, I will put you through Deputy Minister Lunev's call immediately."

Soon, Sokov heard Lunev's voice: "I'm Lunev, is it Misha?"

"Yes, it's me." Sokov said with a smile: "You didn't expect me to call you, did you?"

"Misha, where are you calling?" Lunev knew that the special line used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, ordinary numbers can't get in, so he asked tentatively: "You are not at the Frunze Military Academy at this moment. Bar?"

"No, I'm not at home." Sokov replied with a smile: "Didn't I tell you yesterday that I had moved to a yard on Lenin Avenue? I'm calling you at home right now."

"Oh, do you have a phone at home?" Lunev asked, "What's your phone number?"

Sokov saw a small note on the phone holder with a five-digit number written on it, guessing it might be the phone number, and read it to Lunev.

"Misha," Lunev asked with great interest after remembering Sokov's phone number, "tell me, what do you need to call me?"

"Lunev, the thing is like this." Sokov said into the microphone: "I want to go to the town of Khimki, but it takes several transfers to get there from me. See if you can send me car?"

Lunev did not answer Sokov immediately, but asked in surprise, "What are you doing in Khimki?"

"Asya's parents live in the town of Khimki," Sokov explained to Lunev, "I want to go there to see the two old people while I have nothing to do these two days."

Knowing that Sokov wanted to borrow a car from him to visit his father-in-law and mother-in-law in Khimki Town, Lunev readily agreed: "Since you are going to see Asiya's parents, I will send you a car there immediately. The driver is still Lieutenant Koshkin, you just wait for him at the gate of the community in half an hour."

After securing the vehicle, Sokov put down the phone and began to change clothes. Yesterday he wore casual clothes when he went out, but today he went to visit his father-in-law and his mother-in-law. Sokov put on his brand-new general uniform in order to show grandeur. And with the help of Asiya, she wore many medals.

When Sokov and Asiya came to the gate of the compound, the sentries standing at the gate saw Sokov's military uniform and the medal on his chest, not only did they not check their pass cards, they stood at attention collectively. Salute to Sokov. Seeing the sentry at the door saluting to him, Sokov quickly raised his hand to return the salute.

After walking out of the gate of the compound, Sokov and Assia stopped and stood by the side of the road waiting for the car driven by Lieutenant Koshkin.

"Comrade General," a sergeant at the door came over and asked politely, "Are you waiting for someone here?"

"Yes, Comrade Sergeant." Sokov nodded, and gave the sergeant an affirmative answer: "I'm going out later, and I'm waiting for the bus here."

"Comrade General, it's too cold outside." The sergeant said with a smile, "There is heating in the duty room, you should go in and sit and wait."

Sokov felt that it was indeed too cold outside today, so he turned his head to look at Asiya, wanting to see what she meant. Before he could speak, Asiya had already said to the sergeant: "Comrade sergeant, thank you for your kindness. Our car will be here soon, so we won't cause you any trouble."

Now that Assia had rejected her offer, the sergeant didn't say anything more, raised his hand to salute Sokov, turned around and returned to his duty post.

Not long after the two stood in the snow, a black car drove over from a distance. Sokov knew that Koshkin was driving the car without looking at the license plate. After all, this car had carried him between the hospital and the Frunze Military Academy for three consecutive months.

Sure enough, the car stopped in front of the two of them.

As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Koshkin got out of the car by opening the driver's door, walked around from the rear of the car, opened the rear door, and respectfully invited Sokov and Assia to get in the car.

When the three of them got into the car, Koshkin turned around and asked Sokov, "Comrade General, are you going to Khimki?"

"Yes, I'm going to Khimki town."

After the vehicle started, Koshkin asked Sokov, who was sitting in the back seat, while driving with his eyes fixed on the front: "Comrade General, where are we going in the town of Khimki?"

Sokov didn't know where Asiya's parents' house was, so he could only look at Asiya for help.

"Lieutenant Koshkin, my parents live in the worker's village of the instrument factory." Asya said to Koshkin, "Do you know where?"

"I know," Koshkin said, nodding his head. "I've been there before, and I know the way to go."

After driving for more than ten minutes, the car gradually approached the town of Khimki.

Since the German army has been driven thousands of kilometers away from Moscow, the threat of war facing the city has been completely lifted. The barricades and roadblocks that were everywhere along the way are basically invisible now. , as if it had never appeared in this city before.

Seeing the empty road, Koshkin said with emotion: "After two years, Moscow finally doesn't have to worry about being attacked by the Germans."

"Yes." Regarding Koshkin's statement, Sokov nodded and said: "The Germans have been driven by our army to a place thousands of kilometers away from the city. Under the escort of military commanders and fighters, he entered the city as a prisoner of war."

"Comrade General," Koshkin immediately became interested when he heard Sokov say this: "I heard that the German officers and soldiers captured on the battlefield will be sent to Siberia in the shortest possible time, and no prisoners have ever entered Moscow."

"It didn't exist before, but it doesn't mean it won't exist in the future." Sokov thought of the 57,000 captured officers and soldiers of the German Army Group Center after the end of the Belarusian campaign and were paraded on the streets of Moscow, so he said to Koshkin: "I believe that in the near future, we will have the opportunity to see Germans parading on the streets of Moscow, fulfilling their dream of entering Moscow in a unique way."

"Well, Comrade General, what you said is very reasonable. Maybe there will be such a day."

Seeing that the buildings in Khimki town had been seen in front of him, Koshkin continued: "Before the big counter-offensive under the city of Moscow started, the German army once had a reconnaissance team that bypassed our army's defense line and tried to enter Khimki. But before they entered the town, they were stopped by a small force. Although small in number, they stubbornly held off the German attack and persisted until the militia at the nearby instrument factory Come."

When Sokov heard Koshkin mentioning his proud achievements, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up slightly. He turned his head to look at Asiya beside him, thinking again in his heart that it was after that battle that he met Asiya who came home to visit relatives.

"Lieutenant Koshkin," just as Sokov was staring at Asiya affectionately, Asiya suddenly asked Koshkin who was sitting in the front row: "Do you know who is in command of this small army?" ?”

Sokov had a knowing smile on his face when Assia asked Koshkin if he knew who commanded the small unit that blocked the German reconnaissance detachment. He felt that he could hear his name from Koshkin's mouth in the next second.

But Koshkin's reaction was far beyond Sokov's expectations. He shook his head and said, "Asiya, I don't know. To be honest, it was just a group of people who resisted the German reconnaissance team in Khimki town." A small army of about ten people, I guess even if some people survived the battle, they probably died in the two years of fighting."

Koshkin's words caused Sokov to ponder. If he hadn't happened to participate in the battle to defend the town of Khimki and achieved some results, he would not have attracted the attention of his superiors. Maybe in the next long time, Will continue to serve as monitor. If he was just a squad leader, he might really die in any battle that happened in the past two years, as Koshkin analyzed.

"Lieutenant Koshkin," Koshkin's answer obviously dissatisfied Assia, she asked in displeasure, "Don't you really know the person who commands the small unit?"

"I don't know." Koshkin really didn't know that Sokov commanded a small force to defend the town of Khimki. After all, it was just a small-scale blocking battle. Had this not been the closest the Germans were to the Kremlin, the battle would not have even been recorded. He asked Assia curiously: "Assia, do you know that commander?"

Assia turned her head and glanced at Sokov, and said with a smile on her face, "That's right, Lieutenant Koshkin, I do know that commander."

"Is this true?" Koshkin asked in surprise: "Where is he now, is he still alive?" Before Assia could speak, he took it for granted, "I think he may have been injured, just He was treated by you, that's how you know him. Am I right?"

"Actually, not only I know him, but you too." After saying this, Asiya put her arm around Sokov, leaned her head on his shoulder, and asked sweetly: "Misha, Am I right?"

"Yes, yes." Sokov said with a smile, "You all know each other."

"We all know each other?" Sokov and Assia's words made Koshkin confused: "Who could it be?" After saying this, his mind was running fast, thinking about who among the people he knew Who will be the commander who commanded the small unit and blocked the German reconnaissance unit.

After thinking for a long time, he didn't come up with an answer, so he shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Asiya, I really can't think of who it is. Can you tell me?"

"Far in the sky, close in sight."

After hearing this, Koshkin was taken aback for a moment, and then said with a look of shock: "What, that small army was commanded by Comrade General? Is this true?"

"Of course it's me." Sokov naturally wouldn't hide this kind of thing worth showing off. He nodded and said, "At that time, I was leading the garrison squad and was in charge of the defense of Khimki town. When I found the enemy's reconnaissance team When moving towards the town, he immediately asked the town Soviet committee member for help. At first he didn’t believe what I said. It wasn’t until the battle started that he realized that the enemy was really coming. An infiltrating enemy."

"My God," Koshkin said with some surprise: "Comrade General, this should be the first battle you commanded. Why haven't I seen any relevant records?"

Koshkin's question was exactly what Asya wanted to know. She asked Sokov: "Misha, tell me, what's going on, why didn't you command this battle? Record it?"

Sokov said with a wry smile: "Maybe the scale of this battle is too small. Just think about it. At that time, there were more than one million troops on both sides of the enemy and us outside Moscow, but the troops participating in the battle in Khimki town were only With a scale of dozens of people, it is inevitable to be ignored by the superiors."

Seeing that the car was about to enter the town of Khimki, Sokov suddenly remembered an important matter, and quickly asked Assia: "Assia, tell me, should I go to see your parents for the first time? Bring them something over there?"

After Sokov's reminder, Assia immediately remembered that she decided to visit her parents on the spur of the moment, and she did not bring anything with her. This time, she also panicked: "Yes, you accompany me to see my parents, how can you go there empty-handed?"

"This town is not big," said Koshkin, who was driving, "I'm afraid you won't find a military store."

"Then what should we do?" Sokov heard that there was no military store in this town, and began to be troubled: "Where can I buy gifts?"

"Misha, I remember there is a flower shop in the east of the town." Assia said, "Why don't we go buy a bunch of flowers and give it to my mother as a gift."

Sokov felt that Assia's proposal was not very good. After all, it was a snowy winter, let alone whether there were flowers for sale in the flower shop. Even if there were, the price would be quite high. But in order not to disappoint Asiya, he nodded in agreement, and then told Koshkin: "Lieutenant Koshkin, please drive to the east of the town. I want to buy a bouquet of flowers from the flower shop there."