Red Moscow

"Why didn't you call me?" Kopalova said unhappily, "You know, the three of us used to be good friends."

Sokof said with a smile, "You were already lying down to rest, so I went out to have a cup of coffee with Seryosha in order not to disturb your rest."

"So that's how it is." Kopalova patted the bed with her hand, "Misha, come sit here with me!"

Sokof walked up, sat down next to Kopalova, and asked with concern, "Won't you feel sleepy if you don't rest?"

"I've said that although I feel very sleepy, my mind seems very excited, and I can't sleep no matter how hard I try."

"Since I can't sleep, let's chat." Sokov said, "Maybe you will fall asleep while chatting."

"Then you lie down with me and chat together."

"This bed is a bit narrow, and it's too crowded for two people to sleep."

"I don't care, I want you to lie down with me." When saying this, Kopalova was like a little girl who loves to act coquettishly.

"Okay, okay, let's lie down together."

Sokof let Kopalova sleep inside, and he slept outside, with one foot on the ground to prevent Kopalova from rolling over and squeezing him out of bed.

"Misha, I'm curious, why don't you accept Comrade Khrushchev's invitation to work in Ukraine?" Kopalova thought of Sokov's repeated mention of the Great Famine, so she asked tentatively: "Are you really worried about the Great Famine?"

Sokof was thinking that according to later records, the problem of food supply difficulties did not only exist in 1946, but lasted until 1953, when the food rationing system was completely abolished.

Thinking of this, he asked back: "Kopalova, do you still remember the food ration cards used during the war?"

"Yes, of course I remember." Kopalova nodded and said: "After the Great Patriotic War began, Moscow and Leningrad began to issue food tickets and certain industrial consumer goods tickets in July 1941. By November 1942, 58 major cities across the country implemented ticket supply. The wartime food ration limit is: bread, workers 800 grams per day, clerks 500 grams, dependents 400 grams, children 400 grams. Sugar, workers 500 grams per month, clerks 300 grams, dependents 200 grams, children 300 grams. But when you actually go to collect it, it may be discounted or stopped due to insufficient reserves."

"Do you think the food ration cards will continue to be used?"

"How is that possible." Kopalova shook her head and said: "By last year, In November, the whole country completely abolished the food rationing certificate. Now, just a few months have passed. How could it be restored again? Misha, I think you think too much. "

Sokov said with a serious expression: "Kopalova, I am not worrying too much. Judging from various signs, as long as Ukraine has a significant reduction in grain production, it is possible to restore the food rationing certificate again."

Kopalova turned her head and looked at Sokov: "Is it really that serious?"

"Well, the probability of a great famine is very high." Sokov shook his head and said: "The reason why I repeatedly rejected Comrade Khrushchev's invitation is that I don't want to see countless hungry people who are emaciated and skinny appear in front of me."

Kopalova was silent. She was thinking about what Sokov said repeatedly in her mind, wondering whether such a thing would really happen, or whether Sokov was just fantasizing.

Sokov saw that Kopalova was silent and thought she had fallen asleep. Just when he was about to get up, Kopalova, who was lying flat, turned over, hugged him with one hand, and uttered a vague mutter: "Misha, just lie with me for a while. With you by my side, I will feel at ease."

At this moment, Sokov wanted to die. The bed was too narrow. The two of them were lying side by side, and most of his body was hanging in the air. He only relied on one foot on the ground to avoid rolling off the bed. If he continued to maintain this posture, it would not take long for his waist to be completely useless. But Kopalova had finally fallen asleep. If he got up at this moment, he would definitely wake her up. Once awakened, she didn't know when she could fall asleep again.

There was no way, Sokov could only maintain this uncomfortable posture, with half of his body lying on the berth, and secretly prayed in his heart that after Kopalova's hand released him, he could get up and leave the berth.

After an unknown amount of time, when Sokov felt his waist was about to break, Seryosha's voice came from outside the door: "Misha, Misha, are you sleeping?"

Hearing Seryosha's shout, Sokov quickly removed Kopalova's hand from his body, then rolled off the bed, stretched his body on the ground, and stood up with the help of the other side of the bed, stumbled to the door, and opened the door of the berth: "Seryosha, what's the matter?"

Seeing Sokov's behavior, Seryosha showed a meaningful smile on his face.

Seeing this, Sokov quickly explained: "Seryosha, don't get me wrong, I just slept on the berth for a while."

"Don't worry, Misha, I will keep this secret and will never tell anyone."

Hearing Seryosha's words, Sokov was simply at a loss for words, but he also knew in his heart that this kind of thing is really hard to explain, and the more he explains, the worse it gets. A man and a woman were alone in a box. When the man came out, his waist was sore and his legs were shaky. It would be strange if others didn't think of that.

"Seryosha, what do you want from me?"

"I asked you to have dinner." Seryosha said, "The major is already waiting for us in the dining car."

Hearing that he was going to have a meal in the dining car, Sokov covered his lower back with his hands and walked forward slowly. Seeing that he had difficulty walking, Seryosha stretched out his hand to support him and said sincerely: "Misha, although you are young and strong, you still have to exercise moderation in some things, otherwise it will be bad for your health."

"Seryozha, do you really think that Kopalova and I have been struggling all afternoon?"

"Isn't it?"

"Of course not."

"But why are you covering your waist when walking and looking like you're exercising too much?"

Just when Sokov was about to explain to Seryosha, he heard someone calling Seryosha's name. He turned around and saw a bald man wearing Lenin clothes and glasses, and casually asked: "Seryosa, what are you doing?" Is this your friend?"

Seryosha leaned close to Sokov's ear and said: "It's Kopalova's leader, the leader of the interview team."

"Hello, Comrade Maxim!" After Seryosha finished explaining, he extended his hand to the visitor and said in a friendly tone: "I didn't expect to meet you again."

"I was going to see a friend. I passed by here and happened to see you in front, so I called you." After Maxim said this, he turned his eyes to Sokov and asked with some hesitation: "Seryozha, I wonder who this general is?”

"Maxim, let me introduce you. This is Misha, my good friend and the partner that Kopalova grew up with."

"So you are General Sokov!" Maxim had obviously heard Sokov's name before. After listening to Seryosha's introduction, he stretched out his hands to hold Sokov's hand and shook it vigorously a few times. , "I have heard of your name a long time ago. I didn't expect to meet you here today. I am so lucky."

When Sokov shook hands with Maxim, he saw that the other person was a talkative person. If he stood in the aisle chatting, he didn’t know how long the conversation would take, so he took the initiative to invite the other person: "Comrade Maxim, Seryo and I Sha happens to be going to the dining car for a meal. If you don’t object, you can come with us.”

"That's really a wish."

The three of them came to the dining car and found that it was full of people.

Fortunately, Vaserigov came in advance to occupy a seat, otherwise the three of them would have to come back later.

Sokov sat down next to Vaserigov, while Seryosha and Maxim sat opposite him.

Although he already knew the reason for Maxim's appearance here, Sokov deliberately asked in order to find a common topic: "Comrade Maxim, I heard that your team was ordered to go to Vienna for interviews?"

"Yes, General Sokov." Maxim nodded and said: "You are not an outsider, so I won't hide it from you. Our superiors asked our interview team to go to Vienna for two purposes. One is to interview The military exercise is about to begin, and the second is to establish a reporter station there to report everything happening in Vienna in a timely manner."

As he spoke, he coughed violently.

"Comrade Maxim, are you okay?"

"I have nothing to do." Maxim waved his hand and said, "This is a problem left over from when I was stationed in Leningrad. As long as it's summer, there will be nothing to do."

Sokov thought to himself: The purpose of the interview team's trip, called to cover military exercises, was actually to establish a reporter station in Vienna. Their interview work was just to open up the initial situation.

"Comrade Maxim, if you want to establish a press station, how long will it take for you to return to Moscow?"

Maxim thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "When I left, the editor-in-chief specifically talked to me. I heard what he meant. If the reporter station is established, we will have to stay there for at least half a year or longer. We will not return to Moscow until someone new takes over."

Sokov secretly thought that although Kopalova would have to stay in Vienna for half a year or more, it would not be a bad thing for her. At least she could avoid the days of famine. Thinking of this, he smiled and said to Maxim: "Comrade Maxim, Vienna is a picturesque city. If you can stay there for a long time, it will be very helpful for your physical recovery."

Hearing what Sokov said, Maxim showed an unexpected expression on his face: "General Sokov, have you been to Vienna before?"

"No, I have never been there." Sokov shook his head and said: "The reason why I said your body can be recovered in Vienna is because I once read in a book that Elizabeth, the Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, The Duchess suffered from lung disease when she was Queen of Hungary, and later returned to Vienna to rest for a while and recovered. "

"Is it true?" Maxim heard Sokov say this, with an expression of surprise on his face: "Duke Elizabeth was infected with pneumonia, and after returning to Vienna to recuperate, she really fully recovered?"

What Sokov knew about the situation came from the movie "Sissi" trilogy. After contracting pneumonia, the heroine went to many places to recuperate, and finally miraculously recovered. But since he had been watching the movie for a long time, he couldn't remember exactly where he was recuperating and his body recovered, so he casually made nonsense about Vienna. Maxim couldn't find out the truth anyway.

"Misha, I don't quite understand what you said." Seryosha asked curiously while Sokov was speaking: "You said that Duchess Elisabeth was the queen of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Why did she go to Hungary to become the queen? Well, what is going on? "

"Seryozha, let me explain it to you." Maxim said to Seryosha: "Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria, her full name is Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, also known as Princess Sissi. The year of birth and death was December 24, 1837 ~ September 10, 1898. She was the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austrian Empire, the Queen of Austria and the Queen of Hungary.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire consisted of present-day Austria and Hungary, with Hungary being a vassal state of Austria. The Emperor of Austria also serves as the King of Hungary, and the Queen naturally also serves as the Queen of Hungary. "

"Oh, that's what happened." Seryosha nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "I really didn't expect that the relationship between Austria and Hungary would be so complicated."

"General Sokov," Maxim asked Sokov tentatively: "Did you also participate in military exercises when you went to Vienna?"

"Yes, I just went to participate in the military exercise." Sokov felt that at this moment, some things no longer needed to be kept secret, so he admitted openly: "I will participate as the commander of one of the troops. This is a massive military exercise.”

"The current commander of the troops in Austria is General Malinin." Maxim then asked: "As far as I know, he has a good relationship with you, right?"

"Yes, Maxim, you are right." Sokov replied: "During the war, I was under the command of Marshal Rokossovsky most of the time, and General Malinin served as Marshal's commander. The best partners naturally spend a lot of time together. As time goes by, the relationship will naturally become closer. "

"I don't quite understand." Maxim said hesitantly: "Since you were once in Marshal Rokossovsky's army, why didn't you go to Poland with him and stay in Moscow for a long time?"

Facing the question raised by Maxim, Sokov couldn't help but frowned. He was considering whether he should answer the other party's question.

Seeing that Sokov didn't speak for a long time, Maxim realized that he was too reckless and asked questions that he shouldn't have asked. He quickly apologized and said: "I'm sorry, Comrade General, this is my occupational disease as a reporter. I treat you as a human being." My interviewee. If I ask a question that I shouldn’t ask, you don’t have to answer me.”

"It's okay, it's okay." Sokov said nonchalantly: "Since you want to know, it doesn't matter if I tell you. The reason why I chose to stay in Moscow instead of following Marshal Rokossovsky to Poland is entirely because My wife is going to have a baby."

Unexpectedly, Maxim had a shocked expression on his face after hearing this. He first turned his head and glanced at Seryosha, and then carefully asked Sokov: "Comrade General, you just said that your wife is going to have a baby. Are you already married?"