Red Moscow

After everyone returned to the guest house, Sokov asked Bezikov to arrange for Captain Feng and the others to move in, and then pushed Lukin's wheelchair back to the second floor with Yakov.

"Misha," Yakov asked with some urgency as soon as the three of them entered the room: "I see that you are very interested in the comrades of the International Brigade. Not only did you take the initiative to invite them to our army, you even promised to change our uniforms. The best weaponry."

"Yasha, don't you think their equipment is quite poor?" Sokov said sternly: "If you let them use such equipment to perform missions behind enemy lines, I'm afraid they will suffer a lot of losses."

"How is that possible?" Yakov said disapprovingly: "Their mission is to go deep into the enemy's rear to collect information. How dangerous can it be? You know, during the Great Patriotic War, many of our guerrillas were active behind enemy lines. , I’m afraid the equipment is not as good as theirs.”

"The two situations are different and cannot be compared."

"What's the difference?" Yakov said unconvinced.

"As far as I know, the reason why the Anti-Japanese Alliance retreated into our country was because the Kwantung Army carried out 'returning villages and merging households' to create no-man's land and group tribes in order to achieve the purpose of political siege and economic blockade by the Anti-Japanese Alliance. At the same time, The Kwantung Army also strengthened its search and control of food, resulting in people in the Northeast not having enough to eat and unable to provide food to support the anti-alliance forces." Sokov said: "The anti-alliance forces, which originally numbered tens of thousands, lost their Without the supplies of food, ammunition and soldiers, their situation became more and more difficult during the Kwantung Army's encirclement and suppression. In order to preserve the fire of the Anti-Japanese War, the surviving Anti-Alliance fighters retreated into our country one after another to recuperate."

After listening to Sokov's brief introduction, Lukin said: "Misha, if you go by what you said, the comrades of the International Brigade will face unimaginable difficulties if they go deep behind enemy lines to perform reconnaissance missions. They may even be able to come back alive." , is it all an unknown number?”

"Yes, Comrade Deputy Commander, you are right." Sokov affirmed Lukin's statement and added: "I gave them sophisticated weapons to increase their chances of survival. .”

"So that's it, I understand." Lu Jin nodded slowly and said, "I agree with Misha. After arriving in the army, we will equip these comrades of the International Brigade with new weapons."

Yakov took out his cigarette case, gave one to each of them, and then asked, "When will we set off tomorrow?"

"In the morning, I don't know the specific time." Sokov said: "But the means of transportation may be a train. We need to take two days to reach the military station."

"By the way, Misha, I almost asked you something." Yakov suddenly said: "Did that Sonia come to see you later?"

"No." Sokov shook his head and replied, "I haven't had any contact with her since the shootout in the restaurant. Why, didn't she contact you?"

"Misha, I have a feeling that this Sonia is approaching me with some purpose."

After hearing this, Sokov smiled lightly and said: "Yasha, you are right, I feel the same way. When we went to the military hospital to pick her up that day, she seemed to be more enthusiastic about you whom we just met. Maybe she saw you Your military rank is higher than mine. I feel that by associating with you, I can learn more information."

"Misha, since you think there is something wrong with this Sonia, why don't you report it to your superiors?" Lu Jin asked with a straight face: "You know, the Kwantung Army is worried that our army will attack them at any time, so they sent a large number of Spies have infiltrated, and maybe this Sonia is one of them."

"No way." Yakov scratched the back of his head and said, "I heard from Misha that this Sonia came to Khabarovsk as early as 40 years ago. If she is really a spy of the Kwantung Army, how long has she been hiding? It’s a bit too long.”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you must know that before the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, we fought against the Kwantung Army twice and won both times." Lu Jin said: "In order to obtain our intelligence, we sent people to infiltrate in the small days. It's entirely possible. As for you saying that she has been here for five years but has not revealed her identity, maybe it is because she is performing a latent mission, and she will not take any action until she is awakened.

Think about it, now that the war is imminent, if she is really a spy in her childhood, through contact with you, she will find ways to obtain information about our army to analyze whether our army will launch a new attack on the Kwantung Army. "

"But, Comrade Deputy Commander." Yakov said hesitantly after hearing this: "But if we make a mistake, will it cause unnecessary trouble to her?"

Yakov's words silenced Lukin. He knew very well that if he made a mistake, it might bring death to Sonia.

"Comrade Deputy Commander, I think this matter should end here." After some thought, Sokov expressed his thoughts: "She works in a military hospital, and the people she comes into contact with are basically military personnel. , if we wanted to get any information, I would have gotten it long ago, and we would not have waited until now. I think there is no need for us to meddle in our own business. At this time, we should leave it to the intelligence department in Khabarovsk. "

"Then do we need to report to our superiors?" Yakov asked tentatively.

"I don't think it's necessary." Sokov shook his head and said, "After all, we just have suspicions but no evidence. If we report it rashly, we might cause unnecessary trouble to her. Anyway, we will leave here tomorrow, and she Even if you want to get some information, you have no chance."

After Lukin waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he nodded slowly and said, "Okay, since Misha said to report, then I won't report."

But as soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside. Yakov quickly walked to the door, opened the door, and saw a soldier under Bezikov standing at the door. He asked politely: "Comrade soldier, what can I do?"

"Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff." The soldier raised his hand to his forehead and saluted Yakov, and then reported: "There is a girl outside looking for you."

"A girl?!" Yakov did not ask the soldier what the girl looked like, but turned to look at Sokov and Lukin: "What should I do?"

"Since others are looking for you, just meet them." Sokov said casually: "You won't lose any meat anyway."

Lu Jin laughed after hearing this, and then said to Yakov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, Misha is right. Since someone else has come to the door, you should meet him. Be careful when you speak, don't say too much that may leak secrets. content."

Yakov nodded after hearing this, and then said to the soldier: "Comrade soldier, take me to see her."

After Yakov left, Sokov closed the door and said to Lukin: "Comrade Deputy Commander, what do you think of today's military meeting?"

"This battle is not easy to fight." Lu Jin frowned and said: "The mountains of Daxinganling are blocking our front, and the superiors also assigned the only tank group army in the Far East to our front army. How can so many tanks cross the mountains? A difficult problem. You must know that heavy troops of the Eastern Army will definitely be deployed on those roads that pass through the mountains. If our tanks are forced to pass through these areas, I am afraid there will be a lot of casualties."

Sokov tried hard to recall some movies he had watched before, and vaguely remembered that when the Soviet armored forces passed through the Greater Khingan Mountains, they hoisted the tanks up the steep slopes through winches. During the process of hoisting the tank up the mountain, the driver will sit inside and control the direction of the tank. Although the entire hoisting process was careful and careful, many tanks still rolled down the cliff, causing vehicle crashes and fatalities.

"Comrade Deputy Commander," Sokov said to Lukin: "I think our tanks can avoid passing through these roads and directly cross the Greater Khingan Mountains, which will reduce the losses of the tank troops."

"Climb directly over the Daxinganling Mountains?" Lu Jin's eyes widened in surprise after hearing this, "Misha, I think you may not have understood what the slopes of the Daxinganling Mountains look like. It's very difficult for people to climb mountains. How can our tanks drive it?" Go up?"

Sokov sat down at the table, took out a pen and paper to draw a simple diagram for Lu Jin, and explained at the same time: "Comrade Deputy Commander, you see, we can set up a winch on the top of the mountain and tie two steel cables to the left and right sides of the tank. , the driver drives the tank up the mountain, using the power of the steel cable to drive up the steep hillside, thereby completing the operation of climbing over the mountain."

But after hearing this, Lu Jin waved his hands and said: "Misha, your method is too risky. Have you ever thought about how heavy a tank is? A tank weighing dozens of tons needs to be towed by two steel cables. It is very difficult to go down and drive up a steep hillside. Once the steel cable breaks, our tank will roll down the cliff, causing a tragedy of vehicle crash and death."

When the two of them were studying the problem of tanks climbing mountains, the door was pushed open from the outside. Yakov came in from the outside and said excitedly: "Misha, Comrade Deputy Commander, I want to go out. Maybe I won’t be back until very late, so I came here specifically to tell you so that you don’t have to worry.”

"What, the beauty has a date?" Sokov asked jokingly after hearing this: "Are you going to watch a movie or go to dinner? But don't forget the lessons you learned a few days ago and bring two soldiers with you, even if there is nothing If an accident happens, they can rescue you from danger.”

"No, no need." Yakov waved his hands and said, "I want to go to the military hospital to see someone. There shouldn't be any danger. There is no need for soldiers to follow me."

"Going to the hospital to see someone?" Sokov raised his eyebrows and asked tentatively, "Who is it?"

"Who else could it be?" Yakov said with a smile: "On our way to the outskirts of the International Brigade camp, didn't I tell you that before entering the headquarters building, I saw a person who looked a bit like my former superior Che General Ernyakhovsky? He is in the military hospital now, and I want to go and see him."

Sokov couldn't help but frowned: "Yasha, who told you that General Chernyakhovsky was in the military hospital?"

"Who else could it be? Of course Sonia."

"Did Sonia tell you?" Lukin asked with a serious expression: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I remember you once told me that General Chernyakhovsky wore the rank of lieutenant general, and I'm afraid he also used other ones. Pseudonym. How did Sonia know that you were once a subordinate of General Chernyakhovsky? "

After hearing what Lu Jin said, Sokov realized the seriousness of the problem and quickly asked: "Yes, Yasha, how did she know?"

"I know what you are thinking." Yakov quickly explained: "General Chernyakhovsky did use a pseudonym and a new identity, but he had already gone to the military hospital to pick up Sonia and the others for dinner. That day, he saw me from the window of the hospital bed. When Sonia changed his dressing today, he asked Sonia if she knew me. As you know, I did not use a pseudonym, so when Sonia revealed my identity , he said he was once my superior and hoped to meet me."

"Oh, that's it." Sokov nodded after hearing this, and then said to Yakov: "Then you should hurry up and see General Chernyakhovsky. Go early and come back early, so that we don't Worried about your safety.”

"Don't worry, Misha." Yakov said confidently: "It's not far from here to the military hospital. I'll be fine."

"Yasha, you must not take it lightly." Sokov reminded the other party: "Don't forget, the spies from Xiaozhi pretended to be our army and attacked a medical camp near the city, killing all the medical staff and the wounded. .Even in the city, we must prevent them from causing damage. I think for your safety, it is best to bring two soldiers with you."

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, Misha is also thinking about your safety." Lu Jin said from the side: "When you go downstairs, say hello to Major Bezikov and ask him to send two soldiers to follow you. You go to the hospital together. Anyway, you are not going to the movies or eating with that Sonia. There will be two soldiers following you, so it won't have any impact."

Seeing that Sokov and Lukin tried their best to persuade him to take two soldiers with him, Yakov no longer insisted on his own opinion, but said smoothly: "Okay, let Major Bezikov make arrangements for me when I go downstairs. Two soldiers are accompanying us, so you should feel relieved now.”

Although Sokov had never met Chernyakhovsky, since Yakov was going to visit him, he smiled and said: "Yasha, after meeting General Chernyakhovsky, please tell me I say hello to him and wish him a speedy recovery."

"Okay, Misha, I will convey your message to General Chernyakhovsky."

After Yakov left this time, Sokov turned to look at Lukin and asked curiously: "Comrade Deputy Commander, do you think General Chernyakhovsky's appearance in the military hospital here is a sign of the Supreme Command?" s arrangement?"

"I think it is entirely possible." Lukin said in a positive tone: "I once heard you say that when he served as the commander of the Third Belarusian Front at the beginning of the year, he was attacked by German artillery fire while inspecting the troops. Wounded. His appearance here is obviously an arrangement by the Supreme Command, but it is not clear whether he will serve as the head of the front army or as the deputy of Marshal Vasilevsky."

"I wonder if he has become a marshal now." Sokov was thinking. With his appearance, Chernyakhovsky, who had died a few months ago, actually appeared alive in the Far East. It is simply unimaginable: "If he has been awarded the rank of marshal, then he may serve as Vasilevsky's deputy to command this Far East campaign to make up for his regrets in East Prussia."