Chapter 275
The meeting did not last long and was declared over in less than forty minutes. During the meeting, Comrade Stalin mainly gave a speech. He seemed very excited. Of course, he had reason to be excited. The victory of the Great Patriotic War pushed his personal prestige in the Soviet Union to its peak. If he was already the commander-in-chief of this country before the outbreak of the war, then now he had become a myth.
According to convention, after a conference like this, personnel from the party, government and military will hold a small-scale tea party according to their own circles. The main purpose is to deeply understand the spirit of the meeting. At the same time, they will break down and analyze the tasks mentioned at the meeting and assign them to those who should carry them out.
With the end of the war, Yuri lost many of his positions. His only job now is Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Operations Department. In peacetime, these two positions are somewhat useless.
Yuri actually had not really thought about his future after the war . He wanted to switch directly from the military to politics, but that was obviously not very likely. Several years of war did not bring much loss to the Soviet political elites. Those positions were all filled to the hilt. As a general who came from a commander background, Yuri did not have the ability to grab a position for himself.
Most importantly, Yuri knew very well that in the years after the war, especially before Stalin's death, Moscow would become a huge political arena. Those who were not sensitive enough or did not have enough experience in political struggles would die in this arena, and he had no intention of being cannon fodder.
Since it is not realistic to turn to politics immediately, I can only continue to stay in the military for a while. There are many vacancies in the military, but where to go is worth careful consideration.
Walking out of the Grand Kremlin Palace, Yuri walked down the stairs and prepared to go to the parking lot. Although there was nothing for him to do at the General Staff Headquarters, he still decided to go there and take a look. Perhaps he could even have a say in the issue of the combat plan against Japan.
"Comrade Yuri Arkhipovich," someone called his name from behind just as he was about to step down the last step.
Stopping and looking back, Yuri saw that it was Petrkovsky, the head of Comrade Malenkov's secretariat and actually his main secretary.
"Comrade Yuri Arkhipovich," Petrkovsky hurried to Yuri's side, walked down the stairs and stood one level lower than Yuri, and then said, "The 'Special Committee' is going to hold a small-scale working meeting later, and Comrade Georgy Maximilianovich invites you to attend."
"Oh?" Yuri was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."
"The meeting will be held at the Ministry of Heavy Industry at 1 p.m.," Petrkovsky continued.
Yuri didn't say anything else. He looked at his watch and it was still a little early.
"The meeting will provide lunch," Petrákovsky added, "and you can come anytime."
"Thank you," Yuri nodded and thanked him.
The so-called "special committee" was proposed by Malenkov. Its main function was to be responsible for the overall demolition of large enterprises and mines in Germany after the war. This committee was established more than two months ago. It was equipped with a large number of experts and had high standards. The chairman of the committee was Zhdanov and Malenkov was the vice chairman.
Yuri thought that the most likely reason why Malenkov asked him to attend the meeting was because he had commanded most of the battles in Germany and he had a better understanding of the situation in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany.
Yuri didn't take this matter very seriously, and it was still early, not even ten o'clock.
Back in his car, Yuri was about to tell Arseni that he was going to the General Staff, but before he could open his mouth, the latter turned around and said, "General, just now Sheyov told me that Comrade Nikita Sergeyevich asked you to wait for him here. He has something to talk to you about."
Sheyov is Khrushchev's current driver and is said to be his distant relative.
"Here?" Yuri was a little surprised. You know, Khrushchev has always been very cautious. When meeting him, he would try his best to avoid other people's sight. Why did he choose to meet directly in this place this time?
"Yes, it is said to be here." Arseni nodded in affirmation.
"Okay then," Yuri nodded and said nothing more.
After the conference, Khrushchev and his small group of people were called by Stalin to attend another meeting. Yuri didn't know when he would be able to come out, so he simply sat in the car and closed his eyes to rest.
It was unknown how long he waited, Yuri even took a nap, and it was Arseny who finally woke him up. When he woke up, he saw Khrushchev standing outside the window.
Yuri quickly put on his military cap, bent down and got out of the car. As soon as he stood firm, he smiled and said, "I just returned to Moscow. I'm still not used to it. I didn't sleep well last night."
Khrushchev didn't seem very interested. He nodded and said, "Let's go for a walk together."
Yuri nodded and followed him out of the parking lot.
"The reason I asked you to wait here is to inform you of something," Khrushchev said after taking two steps. "Comrade Stalin proposed, and with the approval of the Presidium of the Central Committee, to add you and Zhukov and four others to the Central Committee. The corresponding consultation work will be carried out later, so you should be mentally prepared."
Yuri was stunned for a moment, but he didn't feel any surprise.
The so-called Central Committee is nominally the highest authority of the Soviet Bolshevik Party. It is elected by the Soviet Bolshevik Party Congress and is responsible for managing the affairs of the Soviet Party and government during the Bolshevik Party Congress. According to regulations, the Presidium, Secretariat, Organization Bureau and even the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee are all elected by it, and its power is limitless.
However, regulations are dead after all, but people are alive, so many things are often not done in accordance with regulations.
In fact, in the early 1930s, there were too many and too loud voices against Stalin within the Central Committee, and Comrade Stalin disliked this institution very much. Since the 18th Congress of the CPSU in 1939, no party congress has been held until now, and the Central Committee has become a decoration. The main decisions are actually concentrated in the hands of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, especially the Standing Committee of the Presidium.
Of course, it cannot be said that the identity of a member of the Central Committee is useless. After all, it is a symbol, and many positions require this identity as a background.
Yuri wondered, what kind of position was Stalin planning to assign to him by assigning him this identity?
"Comrade Stalin wants you to return to Berlin," Khrushchev said directly without asking him to wait. "This is Malenkov's suggestion. The reason is that you are more familiar with the situation there and can cooperate with the follow-up work of the 'Special Committee'."
Yuri was somewhat tempted. He felt that this was a good choice. On the one hand, he could stay away from the turmoil in Moscow. On the other hand, it would be quite comfortable to be the emperor for a few years.
"What's your opinion?" Although Yuri was somewhat tempted, he did not say it directly. He asked respectfully.
"My advice is don't go," Khrushchev said, frowning.
Yuri didn't say anything. He knew that Khrushchev must have his reasons. This guy was very cunning and must see things more clearly than he did.
"Yuri, you have performed brilliantly in all aspects in this war that has passed," Khrushchev continued. "If it were during the war, your outstanding performance would naturally be recognized by Comrade Stalin, because we all need victory after victory to prove ourselves. But now the war is over, and it is time to accept cheers. As a politically conscious person, you should choose to hide yourself at this time and give the position of receiving cheers to those who can decide your fate."
Yuri agreed with this statement deeply. Apart from nodding silently, he had nothing else to say.
"For everyone, the commander of the German group is not just a position, but also an honor." Khrushchev continued, "Internally, the person sitting in that position is a hero in the war against German fascism. Almost every Soviet person thinks so. Externally, that place will inevitably become the forefront of the fight against Britain and the United States. No matter who sits in that position, they will inevitably become a thorn in the eyes of the British and Americans. I think if you become this role, they will definitely use methods such as flattery and alienation."
Khrushchev paused, turned his head and looked at Yuri and asked, "Think about it. If one day, all Western media are trumpeting your achievements, piling all the honors of defeating the Germans on your head, and saying things like: The reason why the Soviets were able to fight Germany was because of Yuri Arkhipovich. At that time, what would Comrade Stalin think? What would others think?"
Yuri said nothing. He couldn't imagine what others would think, but he was sure that Comrade Stalin would be very uncomfortable. And according to his temper, if someone made him uncomfortable for a moment, he would probably make the other person uncomfortable for the rest of his life.
"Then, if Comrade Stalin insists on letting me go, how should I respond?" Yuri asked after a long silence.
"Believe me, Yuri Arkhipovich, Comrade Stalin will not insist on his own opinion on this issue," Khrushchev 's mouth twitched and a barely perceptible sneer flashed across his face.
