Chapter 356
The car was parked in the parking lot outside the former People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, now the Ministry of State Security. Yuri waited until the guard opened the door for him before bending down and getting out of the car. He straightened his military uniform, put on the military cap in his hand, and straightened it before walking towards the steps in front of the building.
Yuri was not a frequent visitor to this building, but he had come here quite often over the years. But today, he was calm when he came here. He was no longer afraid of this damn place. It was because the reorganized national security departments, whether the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the current Ministry of National Security, had no power to take direct action against a Soviet marshal like him.
Yuri walked up the stairs slowly, and when he reached the last step, he stopped. The guard behind him walked over quickly and showed his ID to the guards on both sides of the main entrance of the building. The guard first looked at the ID, then saluted Yuri, then ran into the main entrance of the building and made a phone call in the guard room.
In today's Soviet Union, many departments like the Ministry of State Security have internal security forces responsible for guarding. Even though Yuri has the status of a marshal, he cannot force his way into such a place. He must abide by the regulations here, show relevant documents, and obtain permission before entering.
The guard who made the phone call soon came out of the main gate. He returned to his post, stood at attention, saluted, and then gestured for people to come in.
Yuri walked into the main entrance of the building. When he stepped onto the terrazzo floor with complex patterns in the main hall on the first floor, a young man wearing colonel's epaulettes walked over quickly. He stood at attention and saluted from a distance, saying loudly, "Comrade Marshal Yuri Arkhipovich, I am Andrei Antipovich Solchiko from the Political Work Bureau of the Ministry of Security. I will be cooperating with you today."
Yuri returned the salute, but he felt a little emotional. This was the difference between different identities. Every time he came here in the past, he was cooperating with the NKVD's investigation. The atmosphere was tense as if he was being interrogated. But now? What did he say? This colonel was here to cooperate with his work. Although it was just a difference in words, it made people feel comfortable.
Hiding his inner thoughts, Yuri took a few steps forward and said to the young colonel: "Lead the way."
"Comrade Marshal, please follow me," the colonel turned sideways and said respectfully, then walked towards the elevator.
Following Major Andre, Yuri got into the elevator. Even his guards were not stopped and followed him into the elevator.
Amid the noise of the dragging steel cable, the elevator slowly went up and reached the 7th floor.
When the elevator door opened, a huge office appeared in front of us. Its specifications were similar to those of ordinary offices in later Internet companies. Inside, there were desks with small partitions. A large number of office workers gathered in them to deal with various tedious documents.
Although he had been here many times, this was Yuri's first time coming up to the seventh floor.
Following Major Andrei, Yuri walked around the outside of the office and headed right, finally entering an office with blinds.
The office is not large, but because the temperature is suitable and the windows face the square, it doesn't feel stuffy.
Major Andrei led Yuri to the only desk in the office and asked with a smile: "Comrade Marshal, would you like a cup of coffee?"
"No, give me a glass of water," Yuri said, looking at the other person.
"Okay," the major nodded, turned around and went out. After a while, he poured a cup of hot water and placed it in front of him. He said, "I asked Comrade Marshal to come here today because I have a few questions that need to be verified with you."
After saying this, he looked up at the two guards standing behind Yuri.
"You guys go out first," Yuri understood what the other party meant. He turned his head and said to the guard behind him.
The two guards saluted, turned and walked out of the office. These guards were from the Kremlin Security Bureau. Although this department was affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, due to their special status, the Ministry of State Security had no right to command and mobilize them. The only person who had the real right to directly mobilize them, apart from the people being protected, was Comrade Stalin's captain of the guard.
After the two guards left, the major took out a thick document from the drawer of his desk, placed it opposite Yuri, and said, "Comrade Marshal, I asked you to come here today mainly to consult you on a few questions, um, about Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov."
Yuri frowned, looked up at the young major, and said nothing.
Yuri was not unfamiliar with Novikov, after all, the two had worked together before. That was during the brutal Battle of Stalingrad, when Yuri was still an army commander, and Novikov was already the commander of the Soviet Air Force, the representative of the headquarters responsible for coordinating air force operations.
During that brutal period of war, Novikov, as the Air Force Commander and representative of the headquarters, had personally sneaked into the front lines of the most intense fighting countless times to analyze the battlefield situation in order to arrange for the Air Force to effectively assist in the war.
Although the two had few opportunities to meet and even fewer communications, they had met and talked several times, and deep down, Yuri still had a sense of identification with senior commanders like Novikov.
Who could have thought that the war had only been over for more than a year, and this soldier who had made outstanding contributions in commanding the Soviet Air Force in the war had become a thorn in the eyes of some people. Why did Yuri have such a bad idea when the major just mentioned Novikov's name? It was very simple, because the major in front of him directly called Novikov's name, but did not mention his rank, nor did he call him comrade, which in itself was a very bad sign.
"Comrade Marshal, do you know Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov ?" The major had no idea what Yuri was thinking, he just asked while looking at the documents on the table.
"I know him," Yuri fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one for himself, and then answered slowly.
"And when did you first meet him?" the major asked immediately.
"During the Battle of Stalingrad," Yuri answered simply.
"Oh, during the Battle of Stalingrad?" the major asked in a strange tone, "But as far as I know, Comrade Marshal, you were the commander of an infantry army during the Battle of Stalingrad, and Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov was the commander of the Air Force and the representative of the headquarters. You were commanding the defense forces on the front line, and he was commanding the Air Force in the rear to support the front. So, how did you get to know each other?"
After hearing the other party's question, Yuri took a puff of cigarette, leaned his back against the back of the chair, slightly raised his head and looked at the young man in front of him. After a moment of silence, he blew out the light blue smoke from his nostrils, then stared into the other party's eyes and said: "Your name is Andrei Antipovich, right? Your last name is Solchiko? Ukrainian?"
"Yes, Comrade Marshal," the young man hesitated and nodded .
"How old are you this year?" Yuri asked, continuing to stare into the other's eyes.
"Comrade Marshal, the question you raised has nothing to do with our work today," the young major was visibly nervous when he was stared at.
Even though he was a major in the Ministry of State Security and had once served in the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, when facing Yuri, especially when he was a little annoyed, this guy named Andrei could not avoid being affected by Yuri's momentum.
Don't regard momentum as an illusory rhetoric. For those senior commanders who have fought on the battlefields and commanded hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops, momentum really exists and it can give ordinary people a strong psychological pressure.
"I asked you how old you are. Is this question difficult to answer?" Yuri continued calmly.
"Three, thirty-three," the major swallowed unconsciously and answered with some stammering.
"Thirty-three years old, well, so you and I are the same age," Yuri continued in a very calm tone, "Then tell me, have you ever participated in a war? Where were you when the Great Patriotic War was going on? Have you been to the front line? How far away were you from the German front line when you were closest to it?"
"I," the major uttered a single word, and then was silent for a while before saying, "I am a civilian and served in the NKVD during the war."
"The war just ended a year ago, and now you have the rank of major," Yuri said with a mocking expression on his face, "and then you told me that you had never been to the front line. Now, you come to question an air force commander with great military achievements, thinking that he had never been to the front line and that he was just like you, hiding in the rear doing some civilian work and successfully became the commander-in-chief of the air force. Tell me, are you mocking this air force commander or yourself?"
The major's face turned red when he said that, and even the part of his neck that was exposed outside the collar of his military uniform turned the color of an eggplant.
"If you don't know how to ask questions, then get someone else," Yuri said, taking another drag on his cigarette. "At least someone who's not so stupid."
