Red Moscow

Sokov, escorted by Vaserigov, returned to the Adlon Hotel.

Thinking that he was going to write a report to Zhukov on forming a new German army and assisting the Soviet army in maintaining security in Berlin, he politely asked the female soldier at the front desk: "Girl, do you have paper and pen here?"

"Yes, Comrade General!" The female soldier lowered her head, picked up a piece of paper and a pen from the table, and handed them to Sokov: "Here, here they are!"

"Girl, this is far from enough." Sokov smiled and said to the female soldier: "I want to write a report and give it to Marshal Zhukov, which requires a lot of paper."

Hearing what Sokov said, the female soldier showed an embarrassed expression on her face, because her status in the Adlon Hotel was only a receptionist and she was not qualified to use more resources. Vaselgov, who was next to Sokov, saw her embarrassment and interrupted: "Call your manager, she knows how to deal with this kind of thing."

After Vaseligov reminded her, the female soldier immediately came to her senses, grabbed the phone in front of her, and called the hotel manager: "Comrade manager, General Sokov who checked in yesterday said that he was going to call Zhukov The marshal is writing a report, and I hope we can provide him with paper and pen..."

Before the female soldier finished speaking, the manager asked anxiously: "Where is he now?"

"Right at the front desk."

"Okay, I'll be there right away."

A few minutes later, a middle-aged female officer wearing a lieutenant's coat ran out along the passage. When she came to the lobby, she immediately saw Sokov and Vaserigov standing at the front desk. She quickly stepped forward and stood at attention and saluted: "Comrade General, I am the manager of the hotel..."

"Comrade Lieutenant," Vaserigov interrupted the female manager's words and said rudely: "Comrade General is not interested in your identity. I wonder if you can provide the general with paper and pen to write a report."

"Yes, of course." The female manager took out a ball of letterhead paper and a few pencils tied together with rubber bands from her coat pocket, and handed it to Sokov: "Comrade General, this is The paper and pen prepared for you are not enough, just say hello to the front desk and I will give them to you.”

"Thank you, Comrade Lieutenant." Sokov took the paper and pen from the female manager's hand and expressed his gratitude to her: "I will contact you again after I finish using it."

Sokov returned to the room, and Agelina came up to him and asked with concern: "Misha, have you had dinner?"

"No." Sokov shook his head and said with a wry smile: "When I went there, Marshal Zhukov was talking to Chief of Staff Malinin. When I left, the two of them still had work to discuss, so naturally they didn't have time to entertain me for dinner."

"Don't worry, Misha, I have already prepared dinner for you." Agelina pushed a small dining cart in front of Sokov: "I calculated that you should come back at this time, so I gave it to you in advance. Dinner is ordered." After saying that, she placed the plates with food on the table one by one.

After Agelina took away the dark plate covering the dinner plate, Sokov saw clearly that the dinner plate contained fried steak, lamb stewed with potatoes, thinly sliced ​​ham sausage, and even a bottle of champagne. and two goblets. He looked up at Agelina and said with a smile: "Today's dinner is really sumptuous."

But Agelina said apologetically: "Misha, although the war is over, Berlin's material supply is tight. This is the best dinner the hotel can make."

"Agelina, I am telling the truth." Sokov said: "During the war, we ate slices of bread every day. At that time, we never dreamed of eating such delicacies."

Agelina opened the champagne and poured it into two goblets. After handing one of the cups to Sokov, she raised the other cup: "Misha, let's drink to our smooth arrival in Berlin!" After a moment of pause, she specifically explained, "Although we arrived yesterday, because it was too late I’m tired and I’m not in the mood to celebrate at all, so I just made up for it today.”

Sokov raised his goblet, touched it gently with the glass in her hand, and drank the champagne in one gulp. When he picked up the wine bottle and poured the wine, he asked casually: "Agelina, when will you start working?"

When Agelina heard Sokov's question, a hesitant expression appeared on her face: "It stands to reason that someone should contact me today and assign me a new task. But so far, I haven't seen anyone yet. ”

"Could it be that they don't know you live here?"

"This is impossible." Agelina shook her head and said: "We live here. It was originally arranged by the intelligence agency. How could we not know where I live? The only explanation is that the situation has changed and it is temporarily impossible to Put me to work."

Sokov originally wanted to ask Agelina what kind of job the Intelligence Agency sent her to Berlin for. But when the words came to her lips, she swallowed them back. If Agelina was willing to tell herself, she would take the initiative to tell her even if she didn't ask. If you don't want to answer, it's useless to ask.

"Misha," Agelina glanced at the pen and paper Sokov put next to her and asked curiously, "What are you doing with the pen and paper? Do you want to write a report?"

"Yes, I want to write a report to Marshal Zhukov." Sokov said: "These pens and paper should be enough."

"Report what?" Agelina asked casually: "Is it the process of going to the prisoner of war camp for inspection today? In fact, there is nothing to report. It is just a formality to make the representatives of the International Red Cross feel that there are people in the US military prisoner of war camp. "There was no abuse of prisoners of war. Even if you didn't say anything about it, wouldn't Marshal Zhukov know about it? Besides, you must have already reported these things to him verbally when you went to see him tonight."

"Guess what I will write in my report tonight?"

"On our way back, I heard you said to Vaserigov that you planned to propose to Marshal Zhukov to establish an army composed of Germans in Germany." Agelina asked in surprise: "What are you doing today?" The report you are going to write tonight is about this matter, right?”

"Well, you guessed it right." Sokov gave Agelina a thumbs up and said in an appreciative tone: "That's what I thought about it."

Unexpectedly, as soon as Sokov finished speaking, he saw Agelina shaking her head: "Misha, I think your suggestion is too early."

"Oh, it's too early?!" Sokov asked in surprise: "Why?"

"Our Patriotic War lasted for four years, and our people and the Germans have accumulated a blood feud, which cannot be resolved in just a few months." Agelina said with a serious expression: "In addition, After our army occupied the Germans, due to the lack of military discipline of individual units, they did many outrageous things, which deepened the Germans' hatred of us. Do you really think that we should form an army composed of Germans to help us? Can maintaining normal order in Germany resolve the conflicts between us and the Germans? "

Sokov really hasn't considered these things Agelina said. The reason why he was eager to propose the formation of an army composed of Germans was entirely because the troops of the occupying powers are now maintaining order in various cities in Germany. He tried to ease the relationship between the occupying forces and the local people by forming the Germans' own army. But now it seems that I thought the problem was too simple.

Seeing that Sokov was silent, Agelina continued: "I think you will definitely transfer personnel from the prisoner of war camp, plus a group of recruited volunteers, to form a new German army. But have you ever thought about it? However, what would these German officers and soldiers who have been locked up in prisoner-of-war camps since the end of the war think about the outrageous things our people did in Berlin? A few people with ulterior motives are fanning the flames. Will there be a mutiny in this army? If there is a mutiny, will you, as the advocate of this matter, be punished?"

After listening to Agelina's words, Sokov fell silent. He began to seriously think about whether it was inappropriate for him to propose such a plan at this time. You know, East Germany was established four years later, and it took another five and a half years before the East German army was officially formed. The reason why the commander of the cluster in Germany has been slow to form a new German army is probably because he has the same idea as Agelina.

"Misha," Seeing Sokov's delay in speaking, Agelina thought he was angry and quickly explained: "I'm just saying what's in my heart. If there's anything I say that's wrong, you must not Angry."

"No, Agelina, I'm not angry, I was just thinking about what you said." Sokov grabbed Agelina's hand, put it to his mouth, kissed it, and continued: "I I really think about the problem too simply. I just want to form a new German army as soon as possible to help us manage the city, but I forget that the war has just ended and there is still a bloody feud between our two countries. It is obviously impossible in just six months. Diluting such hatred and hastily building an army may have the opposite effect. "

"As long as you understand." Agelina asked tentatively: "Misha, have you told Marshal Zhukov your thoughts?"

"Yes, I have told Marshal Zhukov my thoughts." Sokov explained to Agelina: "I said that in order to facilitate the management of this newly formed force, their size cannot exceed the regiment level. But. Now it seems that even if a new unit is formed at the regiment level, it is completely possible to lose control. "

Knowing that Sokov had reported the matter to Zhukov, Agelina showed a worried expression on her face: "Misha, I wonder what Marshal Zhukov's reaction was after hearing your suggestion?"

"He did not make a final statement. He just said that he would ask Comrade Stalin for instructions on this matter to see if the Supreme Commander himself agrees with this plan." Sokov said: "But he asked me to write a plan and hand it to him tomorrow."

"Then do you still plan to write this plan for forming an army?"

Sokov thought for a while and then replied: "The plan must still be written. After all, this is the order given to me by Marshal Zhukov. But the content must be appropriately adjusted. For example, the newly formed troops, The highest organizational structure is a regiment-level unit, which can now be changed to a battalion-level unit.”

Agelina nodded to Sokov's small change: "There are only a few hundred people in a battalion, scattered throughout Berlin, and there are not many people in each district. Even if someone has any bad intentions, they will be overturned." Can’t afford any big waves.”

Sokov opened his mouth and wanted to tell Agelina that he did not want to form only one battalion-level unit of the new German army in Berlin, but several, at least ensuring that there was a battalion in each district of Berlin. But when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them again. Anyway, it was not certain whether the plan would be approved if it was submitted. Why did he need to explain it to Agelina in such detail and make her worry about him.

Just as he was thinking seriously, the phone on the table rang. He stood up and grabbed the receiver.

Ma Lining's voice came from the phone: "Misha, what are you doing?"

Sokov did not bother to ask Malinin how he knew his phone number, and quickly replied: "I am having dinner and preparing to write a plan to Marshal Zhukov later."

"Oh, you're still having dinner." Malinen said hesitantly.

Sokov guessed from Malinin's tone that the other party was definitely going to tell him something disappointing, but he still had to bite the bullet and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, if you have anything to do, just tell me. I don't think so." So it affects my appetite.”

"I just left Marshal Zhukov's office." Malinin said: "After leaving, we received a call from Moscow."

Sokov thought to himself that it was early in the morning in Moscow, and the call he made at this moment must be very important. Could it be the reply given to Zhukov after Zhukov reported his plan to Stalin? With this question in mind, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I wonder what instructions Moscow has?"

"Major Vaserigov, who is responsible for protecting your safety, must have introduced you to the organization of our cluster in Germany, right?"

"That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov said in a positive tone: "He did tell me about the establishment of the cluster in Germany today."

"Since you already know the organization of the cluster in Germany, you should know that there are three deputy chiefs of staff under my staff, namely the deputy chief of staff for military affairs, the deputy chief of staff for economic affairs and the deputy chief of staff for political affairs. ”

"Well, I know." When Sokov said this, his heart beat faster than expected, secretly wondering whether Malinin called him just to tell him that Moscow planned to appoint him as deputy chief of staff for military affairs. long?

"The original deputy chief of staff for military affairs, Lieutenant General Dratvin, returned to Moscow a few days ago." Malinin continued: "After consultations between Marshal Zhukov and I, it was decided that you would take up this position and submitted it to Moscow. Report. Tonight’s call is about this appointment.”

Sokov's heart beat faster, and he secretly said that his guess was indeed correct. Malinin's call was related to the position of deputy chief of staff for military affairs. Could it be that the Supreme Command had agreed to Zhukov's request to let him come? In this position?

But Malinin's next words made his heart freeze: "The Supreme Command informed us that after repeated studies, they decided that Lieutenant General Lukyanchenko would take over this position. Misha, I'm really sorry, we're leaving you Recruited from Moscow, I originally wanted you to take this position, but we cannot violate the decision of our superiors. I am sorry that your trip was in vain. Marshal Zhukov asked me to convey his apology to you."