Red Moscow

Early the next morning, before Sokov got up, the phone in the living room rang.

He got up and went to the living room, picked up the phone, and said weakly: "I'm Sokov!"

Yakov's voice came from the receiver: "Misha, we are going to Borodino today, don't you forget?"

Sokov looked up at the clock on the wall. The hour hand was pointing at five o'clock. He said displeasedly: "Yasha, you didn't say you were leaving at eight o'clock. Why did you call me now? You didn't even look." What time is it now?"

Yakov on the other end of the phone laughed dryly, and then said: "Misha, I'm so sorry for disturbing you to sleep. I was also sleepy and thought it was almost time. After I got up and washed up, I looked at the time. , it’s not even five o’clock, so I’ll take the time to call you and remind you by the way.”

After hearing this, Sokov was really dumbfounded. He thought to himself that you were confused and had mistaken the time. You could just lie down and continue sleeping. But you still had to call yourself to disturb your dream: "Okay, okay." , you go to bed quickly. I warn you, don’t call me after eight o’clock, otherwise I won’t go to Borodino with you today.”

After putting down the phone, Sokov went back to bed and lay down. When he was about to continue sleeping, he suddenly felt something crawling along the sheets. He couldn't help but shiver, thinking, could it be a mouse? But after the thing went to bed, it didn't move around, but stayed directly on his abdomen. Sokov stretched out his hand cautiously, but after touching it, he immediately realized that he was overly concerned. It was not a mouse, but Luna. She might have felt uncomfortable sleeping in the cat nest he prepared for her, so she ran away. Come to bed and sleep.

Sokov had raised a cat, so he naturally understood that a cat sleeping on a person was a sign of trust in the person, so he lived up to this trust and continued to let Luna sleep on him.

After not knowing how long he had slept, Sokov felt someone shaking his shoulders. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Asiya. He forced a smile on his face: "Asia, are you awake?"

"Misha, look." Asia found Luna sleeping on Sokov and said excitedly: "Luna is actually sleeping on you. Listen, she is still snoring. It looks like , this kitten really likes you."

Sokov pretended to be surprised and said, "I don't even know when Luna climbed into bed. By the way, what time is it now?"

"It's just after seven o'clock." Asiya said: "Aren't you going to Borodino with Yasha today? Get up quickly. After washing up, he should drive to pick you up soon."

At a quarter to eight o'clock, Sokov heard a knock on the door, opened the door and saw that it was Yakov standing at the door.

"Misha, it's almost time, let's go."

"Yasha, can you take a detour later and send Asiya to work?"

"Misha, this is not good." Before Yakov could speak, Asiya said first, "This will delay your schedule."

"It doesn't matter, Asya, it's just a matter of a little grudge." Unexpectedly, Yakov said cheerfully: "I will send you to work first, and then go to Borodino with Misha."

After Yakov waited for Sokov and Asya to get in the car, he drove straight towards the military hospital on Lenin Street.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of the military hospital.

As soon as the car stopped, Sokov, who was sitting in the passenger seat, immediately opened the door, went to the rear door, opened the door and helped Asiya get out of the car.

As soon as Asiya got off the car, she heard a voice greeting her: "Hello, Asiya!"

Sokov heard the voice seemed familiar. He turned around and saw that it was Aurora. He smiled and greeted the other person: "So it's you, Olilin, you came quite early too."

"Comrade General, I really didn't expect that you still remember my name?"

"Of course." Sokov nodded and said in a friendly tone: "You are the daughter of a hero. I will definitely remember your name."

After Sokov got back in the car, Yakov asked curiously while driving: "Misha, I just heard you call that little girl named Aurora, what kind of hero's daughter she is. Can you tell me, she Who is his father?"

"Colonel Porosukhin." Sokov looked at Yakov and said the name of Aurora's father: "He once commanded the troops and resisted the German attack for six consecutive days in the Borodino area and successfully crushed it. Enemy attempt to capture Borodino.”

"Colonel Porosukhin is an amazing hero." Yakov glanced at the military hospital gradually going away through the rearview mirror, and said with emotion: "Misha, if you had told me earlier, what happened to Colonel Porosukhin?" My daughter is also in this hospital, maybe I can arrange for her to go to Borodino and visit the place where her father fought.”

"There will be a chance." Sokov said: "Even if you don't arrange it, she will go by herself if she has the chance. After all, her father once severely attacked the German invaders there."

Borodino is a small village located 120 kilometers west of Moscow. It is world-famous because in 1812, the famous Russian military commander Mikhail Kutuzov led his troops to severely defeat the invading French Napoleonic army here. This battle occupies a special position in Russian history. Together with the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 and the Battle of Poltava in 1709, it is collectively known as the three famous battles in ancient Russia.

In the 1941 Moscow Defense War in World War II, the Soviet army fought bloody battles in Borodino for six days and nights, tenaciously resisting the German invading army, and once again wrote a heroic poem with blood and lives. The 32nd Red Banner Infantry Division commanded by Colonel Porosukhin just mentioned is the main force holding on to Borodino.

Sokov also knew that the stories, characters and sites in Borodino have attracted much attention and protection from future generations and are Russia’s precious historical and cultural heritage and patriotic education base. In 1839, the 112 square kilometers surrounding the village of Borodino was designated as the "National Military Historical Site Reserve", becoming the largest military museum in the world built in a war zone. In the same year, "Borodino Battle Day" was also officially determined. The tradition of holding commemorative events on the anniversary has continued to this day and has now evolved into one of the important festivals in Moscow: on the first Sunday of September every year, in Borodino Simulation demonstrations, memorials, parades and other activities were held at the site of the Battle of Zino.

The vehicle driven by Yakov drove on the road for more than two hours and finally arrived at the museum in Borodino.

The curator of the museum is a little old man with a goatee. He may have heard the news about Yakov's arrival, so he waited at the entrance of the museum early. At this moment, he saw a black car approaching and rushed towards it. As soon as the car stopped, he opened the door on Sokov's side.

As soon as Sokov got out of the car, he immediately held Sokov's hand and said respectfully: "Hello, General Yakov! I am the director of the museum. Welcome!"

Seeing that the other party had mistaken him for Yakov, Sokov quickly explained: "Comrade Director, you are mistaken. The driver is General Yakov!"

The curator glanced at the military ranks on the shoulders of Sokov and Yakov who had just gotten out of the car, with a look of astonishment on their faces. But he immediately walked around to Yakov from the direction of the front of the car, leaned forward slightly, stretched out his hand to Yakov, and said respectfully: "Hello, General Yakov, welcome to our museum."

"Hello, Comrade Director." Yakov said politely as he shook hands with the Director: "I hope our arrival will not cause you any more trouble."

The curator led the two people into the museum and saw the old-fashioned artillery placed in the open air, all of which were damaged to varying degrees. Yakov couldn't help but asked curiously: "Comrade Director, what's going on with these artillery pieces? Why are there so many damaged places? Is it because they are too old?"

"That's not the case, General Sokov." The curator shook his head and said, "When the Germans attacked Borodino in 1941, the troops who stood here brought these artillery pieces to the battlefield as weapons to attack the enemy. .The damage you see is what you see on the battlefield."

Sokov once saw in some documentaries that the Soviet army used horse-drawn carriages to pull old-fashioned artillery and rushed to the front line to participate in the battle, so he had no doubts about the curator's statement. At the same time, he also recalled that in the movie "The Defense of Moscow", after Colonel Porosukhin came to this museum, he ordered people to take away all the flags of the Tsarist Russian army in the exhibition hall and distribute them to every unit fighting on the front line.

Thinking of this, Sokov tentatively asked the curator: "Comrade Director, I heard that during the Battle of Borodino, Colonel Porosukhin, who was responsible for the defense of this area, once came to the museum and took the items displayed in the exhibition hall. All the flags of the Tsarist Russian army have been taken away, is that true?”

"You are right, Comrade General, this is indeed the case." The curator nodded and said in a positive tone: "After Colonel Porosukhin took away those military flags, he distributed them to the troops who were standing in Borodino. , let them, under the guidance of the Russian military flag, strike hard at the German invaders."

Yakov heard the conversation between Sokov and the curator, and asked with great interest: "Comrade curator, I am very curious, what is the final outcome of those military flags?"

The curator sighed softly, and then said: "The vast majority of military flags were burned in the battle. The remaining few flags were also riddled with bullets and shrapnel. Although we later organized repair work , but due to a serious shortage of manpower, the repair work has not been completed until now.”

From what the curator said, Sokov understood a truth. There were not enough manpower to even repair the flags in the exhibition hall, so it would be even more difficult to collect Bagration's remains. It is already very difficult for them to collect some of them.

"When can Bagration's coffin be buried?"

"General Yakov." The curator heard Yakov's question and said with some embarrassment: "The double-headed eagle sculpture on the cemetery has not been completed yet, so the burial of the coffin will probably be delayed for two days. " He may be worried about being scolded by Yakov, and specifically explained to him, "After all, our manpower is limited, and we have done our best to be able to do this."

"Okay, Comrade Director, let's wait for another two days." Sokov asked, "Then where do you plan to place us?"

"There is a staff dormitory in the museum. If you don't mind, you can stay there for two days."

"Take us to see it."

The curator led Sokov and Yakov to a nearby dormitory. After opening one of the rooms, he said to them: "This is a double room. If you don't object, you can stay here first."

Sokov observed the room. There were two single beds in it. There was a writing desk and an armchair near the window. Other than that, there was no furniture. "Misha," Yakov next to him touched Sokov with his arm: "What do you think of this place?"

Although the furnishings in the room are very simple, Sokov knew very well that since the curator directly brought the two of them here directly, it is obvious that this is the best guest room for them. If they refuse, the other party may There is no way to arrange a better room. So after thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Then let's live here."

"Well, then we will live here." After confirming the residence, Yakov asked the curator: "I wonder where the bathroom and toilet are?"

The curator pointed to the other end of the corridor and said to the two of them: "Here, the bathroom and toilet are right there."

After confirming his residence, Yakov asked the curator: "Are there any interesting places nearby?"

"One kilometer to the east is Borodino Railway Station." The curator said politely: "If you want to go out for a walk, I suggest you go there. You will definitely get unexpected gains."

After bidding farewell to the curator, the two Sokovs set off towards Borodino Railway Station. Since the distance was not far, they did not drive and walked directly.

Ten minutes later, the two arrived at the Borodino train station.

Sokov took a closer look and found that the station was not big. It was a typical Russian-style two-story building. There was a triangular roof on the central door of the bungalow on the first floor, and a square base with a five-pointed star in the middle stood on the second floor. The cone-shaped tower stele has a green background with white edges and is decorated with various sculpture patterns.

After entering the station, the two came directly to the platform. Here, Sokov unexpectedly discovered many stalls set up with wooden boards, some selling fruit, some selling bread and cheese, and even sausages and bacon for sale.

When Yakov saw this, he couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Oh my God, I didn't expect that you can actually buy sausages and bacon in this small station."

Sokov also found it strange that sausages and bacon can be purchased in Moscow food stores, but in small quantities and with purchase limits. But the sausages and bacon placed on wooden shelves here seem to be served openly, because there is no line of people visible in front of the stall, and the stall owner's shouts can also be heard.

"Go and ask," Sokov said. "Maybe the price is much more expensive than in a Moscow food store."

Yakov agreed very much with Sokov's statement, so he quickly walked to one of the stalls and asked the stall owner about the price.

A few minutes later, Yakov returned to Sokov and said to him: "Misha, I asked, the prices of sausages and bacon here are similar to those in Moscow food stores, and more importantly, , as long as you have money, you can buy as much as you want.”