Red Moscow

Lyudnikov stayed on Sokov's plane for an hour, until the plane was refueled, and then reluctantly left the plane.

When the plane began to taxi on the runway, Lukin said: "Misha, you did the right thing. General Lyudnikov's 39th Army belongs to the Transbaikal Front and we will have many opportunities to fight side by side in the future. , it is very necessary to establish a good relationship in advance.”

After hearing this, Sokov smiled lightly and said: "Comrade Deputy Commander, actually before I got off the plane, I never expected to meet Lyudnikov, let alone the commander of the 39th Group Army. Our encounter, It was purely accidental. But you are right, having a good relationship with him will be very helpful for us to fight side by side in the future." In fact, Sokov still had something to say in his heart. Since the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, After that, he never heard from Lyudnikov again, and thought he had died. Unexpectedly, the other party not only survived until the end of the war, but even obtained the same military rank as himself.

Sokov and others were talking about Lyudnikov, and at this moment on Lyudnikov's plane, the second lieutenant in charge of security also asked Lyudnikov tentatively: "Comrade General, you and that Are you familiar with the Major?"

Lyudnikov looked up at his subordinates and said leisurely: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, among the countless generals in our army, who do you admire the most?"

"Needless to say, of course it is General Sokov who currently serves as the commander of the 48th Group Army." The second lieutenant said with a solemn expression: "As far as I know, when our army launched a major counterattack against the German army outside Moscow, He was still just a corporal, commanding a garrison squad of only ten people. But in just three years, he was promoted due to his repeated military exploits, and now he has even become a general. He is simply a An amazing legend.”

After hearing the heartfelt words of his subordinates, Lyudnikov had a smile on his face: "But not long ago, your idol wanted to come to see me, but he was blocked unceremoniously."

"What, I blocked my idol from coming to see you?" the second lieutenant said confusedly: "When did this happen? Why don't I remember it?"

But after a moment, the second lieutenant understood what was going on, and asked with shock on his face: "Comrade Commander, is that major the general Sokov?"

"That's right." Lyudnikov nodded slightly, "You guessed it right, he is General Sokov."

"But, but..." the second lieutenant stuttered, "but he is obviously wearing the uniform of a major?"

Hearing this question from his subordinates, Lyudnikov sighed softly and said: "This is the difference between famous generals and ordinary generals like me. You know, our Far East campaign is absolutely confidential. If Famous generals with great military achievements like Sokov appear in the Far East. Even a fool can guess that our army will take military action against them, and then they will strengthen their defense. As far as I know, this time I went to Haba Among the senior generals meeting in Rovsk, there are many well-known people who have adopted pseudonyms and military ranks that do not belong to them."

After Lyudnikov's explanation, the second lieutenant immediately understood why his idol was wearing a major uniform even though he was a general. He nodded and asked Lyudnikov tentatively: "Comrade Commander, I offended General Sokov today. After you see Khabarovsk, do I need to apologize to him in person?"

"There is no need." Lyudnikov waved his hand and said, "Sokov deliberately concealed his true identity when he went to Khabarovsk this time. If you take the initiative to go to him to apologize, it may lead to his identity being exposed. , I think it’s better to forget it. Based on my understanding of Misha, he is not a stingy person and will not argue with you over such a trivial matter."

The second lieutenant was silent for a moment and continued: "Comrade Commander, General Sokov looks so young, so when he puts on the military uniform of a major, no one would think that his true identity is actually a general."

"Yes, yes." Lyudnikov nodded and said with emotion: "He is also a general. He was awarded this military rank in 1944, and I only received this military rank two months ago. He is this year He is only in his twenties, and I am already in my forties. Judging from my age, there is not much room for upward development, but he is still young. If the opportunity is good, he may be able to become a marshal one day in the future. Woolen cloth."

The second lieutenant agreed with Lyudnikov's statement: "Comrade Commander, I agree with you. Originally, I thought that when the Germans surrendered, he would be promoted to general, but for some reason, he was still promoted to general. General title."

"I think the Supreme Command must give special consideration when it comes to promotion to military ranks." Lyudnikov said to the second lieutenant: "Even though he has made so many great military exploits, his age has become his shortcoming. A 20-year-old general, or even a marshal, has never appeared in the history of our country. In this Far East campaign, if he has made new military exploits, maybe the Supreme Command will make an exception and promote him to a general. As for becoming a marshal, it will take more than ten or twenty years at the earliest."

The second lieutenant turned his head and looked out of the plane through the glass. He saw that the plane Sokov was riding in was following his plane at a distance. Judging from the flight distance, the two planes should be one in front of the other. Then landed at the military airport in Khabarovsk. He withdrew his gaze and asked Lyudnikov again: "Comrade Commander, General Sokov's plane should arrive in Khabarovsk at the same time as us. Do you need to say hello to him after the plane lands? "

"No need," Lyudnikov waved his hand and said, "Who knows if there are spies hiding their childhood near the military airport. If they find out that we are talking to Sokov, they may be alerted and then specially target Sokov. Cove, the fake major, launched an investigation." After saying that, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

After learning that he could not greet Sokov after getting off the plane, the second lieutenant felt disappointed. He had always wanted to meet the idol Sokov, but he didn't expect that when the other person appeared in front of him, he would make things difficult for him. When he thought about it, he couldn't help but want to slap himself twice. He thought to himself: Although he couldn't say hello to the other party when he got off the plane, on the day of the meeting, when he met outside the venue, he could find an opportunity to express his apology to the other party. Yes, just do this. After the second lieutenant made up his mind, he also imitated Lyudnikov and began to close his eyes and meditate.

After flying for five hours, the plane finally landed at the Khabarovsk airport. It was completely dark now.

Fortunately, Vasilevsky had already arranged enough manpower and a fleet of vehicles. When the plane stopped on the runway, an officer immediately went over to ask the pilot about the crew list, and then arranged vehicles to send everyone off the plane separately. .

Regardless of the fact that the planes of Sokov and Lyudnikov were parked only more than thirty meters apart, after they got off the plane, they were taken to different places by different convoys for resettlement.

Sokov and others were placed in a guest house in the east of Khabarovsk. This guest house is a two-story brick and concrete building. But after everyone got off the bus, Bezikov negotiated with the person in charge of the guest house and arranged the security troops on the first floor. Sokov and others lived on the second floor, and the rooms near them were arranged with the most capable personnel. Several soldiers were moved in to ensure their safety.

The person in charge of the guest house waited for Bezikov to arrange the manpower, and kindly reminded him: "Comrade Major, I suggest that in addition to setting up two posts in the yard, it is best to arrange one or two patrol teams near the guest house. On patrol.”

After hearing this, Bezikov asked with some surprise: "Why?"

"I heard that a young spy sneaked into Khabarovsk the day before yesterday and tried to assassinate a general of our army." The person in charge explained to Bezikov: "He successfully sneaked into the headquarters and broke into He entered the general's office and fired five shots at the general sitting behind his desk."

Hearing this, Bezikov's heart tightened and he quickly asked: "So, Comrade General died?"

"The person who was shot died on the spot, but Comrade General was not in any danger."

"What on earth is going on?" What the person in charge said confused Bezikov: "Didn't you say that the spy sneaked into the headquarters, broke into the general's office, and shot him five times? , how can that general not be in any danger?"

"Major Bezikov, I think I understand what the person in charge said." Sokov happened to pass by and heard the conversation between the two, so he interrupted and said: "When I was young, I sneaked into our army's headquarters. This is a fact; it is also a fact that he shot the person behind the desk. However, according to my analysis, the person he shot five times was definitely not a real general, but maybe a stand-in who came specifically to attract the spies who were young. .”

The person in charge gave Sokov a thumbs up: "The major is right, this is indeed what happened. Not long ago, we received a report that a group of spies who were young had disguised themselves and sneaked in. He arrived in Khabarovsk and prepared to wait for an opportunity to assassinate our general. The comrade general was worried that he would become the target of spies, so he found someone to impersonate him and stayed in his office every day. The enemy's spies were really fooled , and killed the substitute as a general."

"You are right to remind us, we need to be more vigilant." Bezikov was worried that something might happen to Sokov and others here, so he quickly called a subordinate and began to arrange sentries and patrols. Since he is the guard assigned to Sokov by Stalin, he must be fully responsible for the safety of Sokov, Yakov and others in the Khabarovsk area without any mistakes.