Red Moscow

After arriving at his destination, Sokov hurried to Zhukov's office.

Although the room outside was still full of people in military uniforms and civilian clothes, patiently waiting for Zhukov's reception.

However, the lieutenant colonel sitting at the door saw Sokov entering and immediately came up to greet him. He said anxiously: "Comrade General, why are you here? Comrade Marshal is already waiting impatiently."

"Something happened to me on the way, so I was delayed." Sokov said: "I will sit for a while, and when Comrade Marshal is free, I will go in to see him."

At this moment, the door opened and a major walked out. It must be the lieutenant colonel who had just finished talking about work with Zhukov and was talking to Sokov. He hurriedly greeted him, as if he wanted to know something about the situation.

Sokov heard the people sitting next to him talking in low voices: "Who is he?"

"Major Poledenko, director of the General Staff Office."

Sokov was curious, what were the responsibilities of this staff office? Before he could speak, the person next to him continued: "The office is built according to the model of the office of our cluster staff office in Germany. Through it, the staff office is responsible for all the work of the bureaus and divisions of the Soviet military control agencies in Germany. Peter Fedor Major Lovich Poledenko serves as the head of the office.

In September this year, in order to publish and publish the normative documents and orders issued by the military control agency of our army in Germany, a printing press and a translation team were set up in the staff department, with a staff of 7 and 47 people respectively. Although the printing press and the translation group were independent agencies, by the nature of their work they were so closely connected with the General Staff Office that they were integrated into the office from October onwards. "

Just when Sokov wanted to know more about the situation in the staff office, he heard the lieutenant colonel calling him: "Comrade general, go in now, don't keep the marshal waiting."

"Okay." Sokov agreed quickly and walked quickly to the door. After thanking the lieutenant colonel, he opened the door and walked into Zhukov's office.

As soon as he entered the door, Zhukov, who was working at his desk, raised his head. After seeing clearly that the person coming was Sokov, he snorted heavily.

"Hello, Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union!" Sokov raised his hand and saluted Zhukov: "I have been ordered to come to report to you..."

"General Sokov," Zhukov stood up and said in a dissatisfied tone: "As a senior general of our army, you should know very well in your heart how important it is to abide by time. You are later than scheduled. "Have you ever thought about the consequences if your troops arrive at the designated combat area an hour later than planned on the battlefield?"

Before Sokov could finish speaking, Zhukov walked out from behind his desk and quickly came to Sokov, pointing at his dusty military coat: "Also, the most important thing for a soldier is his appearance. Look at what you look like now, your clothes are all covered in dust, as if you just rolled on the ground."

When Sokov heard what Zhukov called him, he understood that the other party was angry because he was late, and quickly defended: "Comrade Marshal, I encountered an attack on my way here."

"What, encountered an attack?" Zhukov heard Sokov said that he encountered an attack on the way here, and his face immediately showed a nervous expression: "Misha, you are not injured, are you?"

"No." Sokov reported the attack to Zhukov in detail, and finally said: "I have asked the garrison headquarters to take the captured accomplices of the attacker back for interrogation. Look, Can they get anything out of that guy's mouth?"

"It's not a simple matter to get his confession." Zhukov said, came to the table, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said into the phone: "I'm Zhukov! I have something to do. I would like to inform you that General Sokov, who once served as commander of the 37th, 48th and 53rd Army Groups, was attacked by unknown persons with a rocket launcher on his way to our headquarters. The attacker was killed while on patrol. After the troops and the garrison headquarters arrived, they captured an accomplice of the attacker. Your Ministry of Internal Affairs immediately sent someone to the garrison headquarters to interrogate the man. I want a complete confession before dark. Understand?"

Sokov, who was standing nearby, was thinking to himself that he had seen a joke on the Internet before, saying that a rabbit escaped into the forest. If the FBI from the United States came on stage, they would hold a loudspeaker and shout outside: You have been surrounded, quickly put down your weapons and surrender.

But if the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the KGB came forward, they would rush straight into the forest. Before long, a bear with a bruised nose and swollen face will be brought out. The injured bear walked and muttered: "I am the rabbit, I am the rabbit."

When Zhukov put down the phone, Sokov asked tentatively: "Comrade Marshal, if someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs interrogates the conspirator, will he be beaten into submission?"

Zhukov stared at Sokov and said nothing for a long time, but Sokov seemed a little at a loss when facing Zhukov's direct gaze.

"Misha," after an unknown amount of time, Zhukov finally spoke: "Some Western media openly questioned in newspapers and periodicals: saying that in the areas we control, the management is too strict, so that the local people have private complaints. Today's publication This incident is just an opportunity. If there are any media reports about our strict management, we can use the incident of your attack to refute it. There is a possibility of being attacked by criminals, so what’s wrong with us to strengthen public security management?”

Sokov did not raise any questions about Zhukov's plan. He quickly took out the plan he had written from his pocket and handed it to Zhukov with both hands: "Comrade Marshal, this is the plan I wrote overnight. Please take a look at it." ”

Zhukov took the plan written by Sokov, sat down behind his desk again, and read through it carefully.

There wasn't much content, and it only took him a few minutes to read it.

After seeing it, he did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he read it from beginning to end twice, then threw the plan aside, leaned back on the chair and began to think.

Sokov felt uneasy when he saw that Zhukov did not express any opinions after reading his plan. He asked cautiously: "Comrade Marshal, I wonder what you think of the plan I wrote?"

"I called Comrade Stalin this morning." Zhukov did not answer Sokov's question immediately, but said to himself: "I reported to him on the formation of a new German army and cooperation with us in managing Germany. . At the beginning, he firmly disagreed with the reorganization of an army composed of Germans only half a year after Germany surrendered. After my persuasion, he reluctantly agreed that it could be formed, but the size of the new army must be strict. control."

"Comrade Marshal," Sokov said quickly after learning that Stalin had agreed to form a new German army: "My plan is to first establish a garrison headquarters, organized into a battalion-level unit, and the garrison commander will be sent by our side. , the German army can only serve as deputy commander. If you feel that one battalion is too strong, we can reduce it to two companies, and add another company from our army to form a new garrison headquarters."

"Your idea is very good." Zhukov asked: "Then where do you think the security headquarters should be established first?"

"Comrade Marshal," Sokov said with some embarrassment: "I have just arrived in Berlin not long ago and I don't know much about the situation here. Where do you think the security headquarters should be established first?"

"I think we can first establish a security headquarters in Karlshorst." Zhukov said this. Seeing the confused expression on Sokov's face, he guessed that he must not know where this place was, so he asked He explained: "Misha, maybe you don't know what place I'm talking about, but I only need to say one thing, and you will understand the importance of this place. The original surrender letter of the Germans' unconditional surrender was in Berlin. Signed in the hall of the Military Engineering School building in Karlsholst, SE.

"Oh, it turned out to be the place where the Germans signed the unconditional surrender document." After Zhukov's explanation, Sokov naturally understood the importance of this place: "Then we can locate the first security headquarters here."

Zhukov clicked and then said: "I think so too. We can select ordinary soldiers from prisoner-of-war camps, and we can also recruit some volunteers from civilians. But it is difficult to select officers for command positions. You have Is it the right person?”

Hearing Zhukov ask this, several names immediately came to Sokov's mind, and he said casually: "Yes."

"Oh, you have a suitable candidate, who is it? Tell me!"

"When I went to the US prisoner of war camp yesterday, I met several German officers." Sokov said: "They are Major Peterson of the 19th Armored Division, Captain Bruch of the 295th Infantry Division, and Da Lieutenant Si, they were representatives selected by the US military yesterday to answer questions raised by representatives of the International Red Cross.”

Unexpectedly, Zhukov frowned and said displeasedly: "Since they are representatives selected by the US military from prisoner-of-war camps, it means that they are very close to the US personnel. If they are allowed to serve as officers of the garrison headquarters, , maybe it’s inappropriate?”

"Comrade Marshal, this is what I think about." Sokov didn't know that Zhukov was full of resistance to these German prisoners of war detained in the US military prisoner of war camps, and let such people serve as commanders of the soon-to-be-formed garrison headquarters. Officer, he would naturally not agree. Therefore, he said cautiously: "Although these three officers are representatives elected by the United States, they have also been tortured in the U.S. prisoner-of-war camp and can't wait to leave there. If they can really return to our control I think it’s okay to let them serve as officers in the garrison headquarters.”

"Misha, have you ever thought about it?" But Zhukov shook his head and said: "If they accepted some secret mission from the United States before returning to our control area and specifically entered our area to carry out sabotage, let them serve as important What consequences will it bring?”

Seeing that Zhukov vetoed his proposal, Sokov was not discouraged. Anyway, he had other candidates: "Comrade Marshal, since you do not agree with the three of them taking up positions in the newly formed garrison headquarters, then replace them with others." candidate.”

"Oh, do you have other candidates?" Zhukov said in surprise: "Tell me about it."

"One is called Ernst and the other is called Hosenfeld." After Sokov said the two names here, before Zhukov could ask questions, he took the initiative and said: "Ernst was killed by us after the big counterattack under Moscow began. Captured at the Istria Reservoir. After he was captured, he has been serving as a translator in our army and has a good impression of our army..."

"The one named Ernst sounds pretty good," Zhukov said thoughtfully, "But where can I find him?"

"Comrade Marshal, it's a coincidence that I met him at the train station on the day I arrived in Berlin." Sokov said: "I also chatted with him for a few words, and he said he came to Berlin with our troops. Now I live on William Street and I can go to him at any time."

"Don't be anxious, let's talk about the other one first." Zhukov said: "What's that person's name?"

"William Hosenfeld!"

"Yes, yes, that's the name. Come on, tell me, what is he like?"

"Hosenfeld was a captain in the German army stationed in Warsaw." Sokov introduced to Zhukov: "While he was in Warsaw, he used his authority to help more than 50 Jews. Later, our army occupied Warsaw. "

"In the prisoner of war camp in Poland?" Zhukov tapped his fingers gently to ponder, and asked in a low voice: "Then how did you know him?"

"The train I was traveling on was attacked by gangs in Poland, and the car body was seriously damaged. When it arrived in Warsaw, the train was stopped there for repairs." Sokov said: "Ajelina and I have nothing to do. We are in Warsaw. Wandering around the city, unexpectedly, he met a Polish pianist named Spielman. He was at the place where German prisoners of war worked, and asked about an unknown German captain, saying that this man had selflessly helped him. At this moment, he learned that he had been He was locked up in a prisoner of war camp in Warsaw, so I came here specifically to help him.”

Zhukov smiled: "I can't believe that this Polish pianist was a man who repaid his kindness and actually went to the prisoner of war camp to look for an unknown benefactor. By the way, how did he find him later?"

"After I learned about this at the time, I decided to help him, so we went to the garrison headquarters. Through the officer in charge of the prisoner of war camp, we found the German officer who had helped Spielman in one of the prisoner of war camps. And learned that he His name was Wilhelm Hosenfeld, and I rescued him and brought him back to Berlin. Coincidentally, we met Ernst when we got off the bus. He and Hosenfeld were actually cousins. "

"Misha, tell me the truth." After Zhukov waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he asked seriously with a straight face: "Do you think these two people are reliable?"

Facing the questions raised by Zhukov, Sokov seemed very hesitant. He didn't know whether the answer should be reliable or unreliable. After hesitating for a long time, he finally plucked up the courage and said: "Comrade Marshal, I think we can let them try. If you think they are not qualified for their jobs, just remove them both."