Struggle in Soviet Russia

It was already night, and the light rain was still sparsely and non-stop.

In the two-story apartment on Muravijov-Amursky Avenue, there is a sound of water in the bathroom with ground glass doors.

Under the lotus-like shower spraying water, Victor looked down at Sophia who was squatting in front of him, watching the spraying warm water wash away the dirt that had just been made by herself on her face, and after a sigh, he relaxed. Open the hand that grabbed her hair.

Sophia stood up from the ground, pushed his chest with both hands, pushed him aside, stood under the shower, rushed over with warm water, then turned off the water valve, and measured a bath on the towel rack. The blanket, while turning around to wipe the water stains on Victor's body, he said, "What do you want to eat later? I'll let someone prepare it."

"Whatever, not very hungry," Victor said casually, raising his arm.

"That's not good," Sophia said. "Don't forget, you can invite Zobnin and Smolov to dinner tonight. If you are too casual, it will make them feel that you are insincere or do not value them. of."

"Oh?" Victor patted his forehead and said, "I almost forgot about it. Forget it, you can arrange it. Well, it doesn't matter what you eat. Prepare two good bottles of vodka. I heard these two. The guy loves to drink."

Zobnin, full name Sergei Abramovich Zobnin, rank of major, head of the Chita NKVD.

Smolov, full name Artem Alexandrovich Smolov, rank of major, head of intelligence work of the Khabarovsk Internal Affairs People’s Committee.

As Victor received a telegram from Moscow yesterday, the decision of the NKVD on the reorganization of the NKVD was officially communicated to the Far East today. This official document contains several items, including New promotion decision: Comrade Serov, as a "three-level national security commissioner" (lieutenant general), presides over the daily work of the National Security People’s Committee; Comrade Feijing, as a "national security division level" (major general), Responsible for the general affairs and organization of the National Security People’s Committee, as well as the work of the Security Bureau and other departments; Comrade Victor, as a "national security division level" (major general), is responsible for the intelligence organization of the National Security People’s Committee.

As the National Security People’s Commission is currently in the process of being established, the relevant appointment documents will be implemented in the next period of time. However, the Organization Bureau of the National Defense People’s Commission’s opinion is that the National Security People’s Commission will be directly subordinate to the National Defense People’s Commission. The committee department is directly responsible for and under the leadership of the People's Committee of National Defense.

Comrade Serov will be mainly responsible for the distribution of supervisory work within the committee department, and Comrade Serov will also be responsible for the work arrangements of related committee members.

What this means is that the National Security People’s Committee is still setting up a stage, so not all the committee members are in place, and the existing three committee members will bear all the leadership work of the committee. In this process, Victor will be in charge of internal, external and counterintelligence work. Comrade Serov will be responsible for the allocation of specific work arrangements for the remaining four committee members after they take up their posts.

The newly established National Security People’s Committee is not responsible to the NKVD for specific work, nor is it under its leadership. Its superior department, at least during the war, is the NKVD.

The appointment of this appointment is of great significance to Victor. Prior to this, because the Internal Intelligence Bureau of the NKVD was once the basic board of Merkulov, many people at the grass-roots level were promoted and appointed by him. As a newcomer, Victor doesn't know when he will be transferred, the people below really don't have any sense of identification with him.

"I listen to what you say, but I don't necessarily do it, and I don't necessarily satisfy you when I do it, and I will definitely not do what you didn't say, and I will definitely not satisfy you." This is an attitude, and Victor knew it in his previous life. An attitude, and most airborne or unstable positions have to face the troubles of this attitude.

For the grassroots leaders of the Internal Intelligence Agency, Victor is just a passer-by, and it is possible that Comrade Merkulov will return, and it is definitely not a wise choice to rush to show loyalty to a passer-by.

But the situation is different now. The Internal Intelligence Agency was separated from the organizational structure of the NKVD and merged into the NKVD, and Victor was the first deputy commissar of the NKVD. He also Being in charge of intelligence work, one can say responsibly that for a long period of time in the future, he will be a shadow over all the grass-roots heads of the internal intelligence agency, and the former comrade Merkulov is no longer possible. Provide them with shelter again.

Therefore, Zobnin and Smolov, who belonged to the Far East before, but who have been slow to show up, are now rushing to Khabarovsk, waiting for Victor to summon them, fearing a slight omission in their attitude.

Of course, Victor is not a person with a small belly. He has never thought about showing up in front of these subordinates, or taking advantage of others. After all, work is the first place. With the cooperation of these people, his follow-up work can be even better. Unfolded smoothly.

Sophia wiped himself dry, Victor walked out of the bathroom, put on a dry military uniform, and went straight to the study. He stood in front of the study window, lit a cigarette, and looked down the street through the window.

At this time, on the street in the rain, there were two jeeps with sludge on their bodies parked on the side of the road. It should have been the car driven by Zobnin and Smolov—all the way from Chita, but they were divided into two cars. Two cars, hey, it seems that these two comrades are not getting along very well.

Sophia appeared in the entrance of the study in a skirt. She looked into the study and saw Victor looking down in front of the window. Then she asked, "Are the two people here?"

Victor didn't look back, and said casually: "It should be. Go down and take a look."

Sophia nodded and turned to leave. She really played the role of Victor's Secretary, and this role was obviously really suitable for her.

Hearing the sound of Sophia's footsteps, Victor reached out and pushed the window open. The room was a little hot and stuffy. Although there were air-conditioning facilities, Victor didn't like it. He preferred natural coolness.

The wind direction outside the window was not so good. The fine rain water was blown in directly by the wind and hit Victor's face. The coolness made him feel a slight itching in his nose and wanted to sneeze.

But this sneeze had been brewing in the nasal cavity for a long time, but in the end it was still not able to come out. The uncomfortable energy was beyond description.

Excited by this uncomfortable force, Victor suddenly remembered something. Since receiving the order document from Moscow, he has not contacted his immediate superior. This kind of negligence is really terrible.

Although the previous relationship with Serov was extraordinary, and Victor could even be said to be promoted step by step, but the relationship can always be approached step by step through maintenance, especially when getting along with the leader, absolutely can not take it for granted. If you don't feel connected, the leader should understand you. That is just your own idea. Can you still let the leader follow your own ideas?

Turning back to his desk, Victor reached out and picked up the phone and turned the handle a few times. After hearing the voice of the operator, he asked the other party to transfer to the headquarters of the Caucasian Front in Kislovodsk.

This transfer is more troublesome. Because Victor does not have a dedicated line to contact the front line, his phone used to be transferred four times, because the war in Stalingrad has not ended yet, the transfer of the switchboard needs to go in the direction of Transcaucasus, and arrived in Orr. After Zhong Niqize, he could transfer to Kislovodsk.

Regrettably, Victor waited for five or six minutes, and finally transferred the call to Kislovodsk, only to learn that Comrade Serov had gone to the front line of the Kuma River yesterday, and he has not returned.

Victor, who heard the news, slammed Yahuazi. He really did not understand the thinking of Comrade Serov. This new comrade of the People’s Committee of the National Security Committee seemed to have a mysterious yearning for the frontline battlefield. Since leaving Moscow, he went to the Caucasus. After the front line, he completely let himself go, and ran wherever it was dangerous, and interpreted the word death to the extreme.

Although he is in the Far East, as the head of the Internal Intelligence Agency, Victor has a clear understanding of the war in the Caucasus. Since last week, the German First Tank Group has launched an offensive in the direction of the Kuma River. The 44th Army, which is responsible for the defense in this direction, fought very hard, and the defense line may collapse at any time.

Helplessly putting down the phone, Victor hesitated and shook the handle again.

He made this call to Moscow. To be more specific, it was to the NKVD. Yes, he still needs to call Comrade Beria to express his "surprise and surprise" about the new appointment.

Official career is risky, and you must be cautious when you are an official.

In Victor’s philosophy, the new leader is certainly flattering, and the old leader cannot be ignored, especially in the current situation.

When Comrade Beria allowed him to go to the General Staff and Intelligence Bureau, the calculation in his bones was that he planned to merge the General Staff and Intelligence Bureau into the NKVD, but now? It's not just that the chicken is not there, but the dog of his own has been abducted by others. The most important thing is that in the newly formed National Security People's Committee, none of his people is actually useful.

Remember, there is a logic here! Comrade Stalin didn't use those close to him, but Victor. What does that mean? Logically, Victor is not his person.

Therefore, Victor needs to make this call, not to show his loyalty to Comrade Beria, but to tell the other party implicitly that although he is not a person of the other party, he has never thought of opposing the other party, and he himself Very surprised by this appointment.