Struggle in Soviet Russia

Lubyanka 2, the small theater on the east side of the 4th floor of the building.

In the darkened room, only the beam of light from the slide projector was beating. The smoke from the noses of many smokers swayed in the beam of light. For a while, purple light and shadow bloomed, and then it turned into a light blue mist.

In front of the curtain, a beautiful girl who was in her early twenties, wearing a summer dress made by the NKVD, was speaking in front of the curtain. Although this girl looked beautiful and weak, the emphasis on her speech was powerful and imposing. .

However, including Victor, everyone present did not pay attention to this girl, but focused on the screen of the slide projector without exception. There was no way, the deadline given by Comrade Stalin was very tight. , If the task cannot be completed within this time limit, everyone present will not have good fruit.

The person who appeared on the slide was a thin-faced young man in his early thirties. He was dressed in the uniform of the NKVD. He had a pair of dark and sharp triangular-eyed birds. It was obvious at first glance that this was a strong personality. People.

Yes, this person is Grigory Ivanovich Kotov. The information he provided to the NKVD became an excuse for the military to shirk the failure of the Kharkov offensive. Moreover, he The subsequent acts of surrendering to the enemy caused tremendous trouble to the NKVD. Not only did it lead to the suspension of Comrade Merkulov, but also Comrade Beria had to conduct a public review at the committee meeting of the NKVD.

Now, the people who are irritated by this incident are not only Comrade Stalin, but also Comrade Beria. Therefore, the execution of Kotov has become a task that the NKVD must do at the moment, and it must be done as soon as possible. .

The slide projector screen introduced some basic information about Kotov. This person was born in a peasant family in Nobaraba, Armenia. His parents, two brothers and a sister died in the massacre of the Armenians by the Turks. He himself grew up in the International Children's Home established by the Armenian Soviet Republic, so he soon joined the Bolshevik Party as an adult.

Speaking of it, this person was really brought up under the care of the NKVD. He was trained as an agent of the NKVD system since he was young, and even his wife was introduced by the NKVD.

Before the outbreak of the war, Kotov served in the Armenian People’s Committee of the Interior and was the head of the Razdan region of the Committee. It was not until after the Battle of Kiev that he was assigned to the Kharkov region to engage in underground intelligence work. Because of his strong professional quality and rich experience, Comrade Merkulov promoted him and entrusted him with important tasks when he established the internal intelligence network of the Kharkov-Stalinno region.

Who knows that this appointment has brought immeasurable losses to the NKVD, and it can even be said to be a shame to the NKVD.

In the past few months, Comrade Merkulov’s work has been very effective. After the NKVD decided to make the task of hunting down Kotov the first priority, it was quickly reported by the Kiev Intelligence Team. , They discovered Kotov's whereabouts in Kiev.

The girl's explanation finally came to an end. The screen of the slide projector went black, and then the lights in the projection hall came on, showing rows of senior members of the People's Committee of the Interior with school-level military ranks.

Victor’s position is in the middle of the front row, and on his left is Nikita Arkadyevich Krimyan, who is in charge of the work of the Armenian People’s Committee of the Interior, a member of Beria’s confidant group. Worked with Beria in Georgia. This person is irritable, cold-blooded and ruthless, and a bit bloodthirsty. He doesn't know how to do things, and can do everything on impulse. After the Kotov incident, this person immediately controlled Kotov’s family. After confirming Kotov’s surrender to the enemy, he took Kotov’s family without further instructions from Moscow. The wife and two children less than ten years old were shot to death.

For this reason, Victor is very disgusted with this guy, he always feels that this guy is full of pungent blood. If Mir-Jafar Abbasovich Bagirov can be called "Beria of Azerbaijan" because of his cruel and murderous methods, then Crimean should be called "Beria of Armenia".

Sitting on Victor's right hand side is a withered middle-aged man. His skinny face looked sluggish. He seemed to be distracted at all times. No matter what reaction he made, he seemed to slow down others, like Is a mentally retarded.

However, as Comrade Kobrov’s assistant, Comrade Konstantin Sergeyevich Yevgeny is definitely not mentally handicapped. He is a disease called facial muscle dysfunction, just like him. For this disease, I was lucky that I didn't end up with a crooked mouth and eyes.

When the lights in the projection hall came on, Victor sat in his seat, took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and then whispered to Crimean and Yevgeny next to him. , Then stood up, turned to face everyone in the hall, and said: "Well, comrades, I believe everyone has understood the basic situation."

The whispering in the projection hall subsided, and the silence was soon restored.

"Now, we don't need to worry about those irrelevant questions, such as whether Kotov is a German spy or a treason who chose to surrender to the enemy after this incident." Victor continued, "Yes. Those issues are no longer important. What we must do now, and what we must do in the shortest time, is to get this guy out of Kiev and bring him back to Moscow, or bring his head back to Moscow. "

There was a pause in his tone, and Victor's gaze swept around the meeting place, seeing every serious face in his eyes, and then he continued: "The appearance of people like Kotov, his existence is very important to the people in the house. The blow by the committee is more serious than the defect of Lev Lazarevich Feldbin."

Lev Lazarevich Feldbin, the National Security Major of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the NKVD, was sent to Spain by the NKVD to engage in intelligence activities. He defected in 1938 and hid in the United States, and has since disappeared. .

If this guy is so concealed, it’s nothing. The point is that this guy is hiding in the United States and never stops. He wrote a so-called "The Secret History of Stalin’s Suppression of Anti-Counterism" and published it in Russian-Americans. It is circulated in his circle that if the war broke out and the Soviet Union and the United States formed an alliance to a certain extent, it is estimated that his book should be published in the United States.

During the negotiations between the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain last year, Moscow once asked the Americans to extradite Feldbin, but was rejected by Washington, but the NKVD has not given up on the pursuit of this guy.

"We have to understand one thing, that is, Kotov will exist in this world for one more day. It is a shame for everyone here to breathe even more oxygen," Victor said with a deep face. The tone is also extremely serious, "We should be able to feel how people in other departments look at us since the news of his surrender to the enemy has been confirmed. I ask you to come up with an action plan in the shortest possible time. I don’t need to know what the cost of this plan will be, and I don’t need to know how difficult it is to implement it. I just need this plan to be practical. ."

Speaking of this, he raised his wrist, looked at the time on the watch, and said, “It’s 11:04, 72 hours at most. I want to see this plan on my desk. If I I can’t see it, or if I see it, but it doesn’t make me feel satisfied, then, comrades here, the next decision I will make will also not make you satisfied.”

In these words, Victor was talking about murderous intent. To these people here, he would not save any face, because after several months of adjustments and arrangements, almost all of the current NKVD’s to the Internal Intelligence Bureau are Mel. The people arranged by Kulov and the guys present were all his confidants.

Victor is now only temporarily in charge of the work of the Internal Intelligence Agency, which is a part-time job. He is not interested in a major exchange in this department. Of course, he does not have the energy, but in order to establish personal prestige, he does not mind killing such a Two chickens are here to hack a few monkeys.

"Well, these are the things I want to emphasize," Victor said with satisfaction when there was silence for a while, seeing no one dared to speak out, "If there are no problems, I will prepare now."

Everyone in the theater got up with a clatter, whispering to each other and went out.

Seeing everyone leaving the table, Victor pursed his lips, even though he did not like Merkulov, thinking that this guy relied on Beria’s cronies and always wanted to show that inexplicable Strong, but having said that, even though this guy has various shortcomings, he is still loyal to the league. In terms of appointing subordinates, he is not a nepotism. At this point, he is better than Cobb. Love performed much better.

If there is any problem with the employment of Merkulov, it is the appointment of Kobrov's sloppy brother. This dark history is also the most direct reason why Comrade Stalin hates him.

Take the people here just now. Victor has read their information. These people are all promoted by Merkulov from local organizations. They are experienced NKVD workers. They are capable of There should be no problem.