Chapter 357
Yuri really hated this kind of groundless frame-up, but this disgusting political game always existed, and some people seemed not only to be proficient in this game, but also to be intoxicated by it, and they didn't worry at all about being listed in the future.
Yuri knew very well what Abakumov's people wanted to get from him. If they wanted to attack Novikov, they had to find enough reasons, at least to accuse him of one or two crimes. However, when targeting a marshal of the army, a senior air force commander who made great contributions in the Great Patriotic War, it was not enough to just have a crime. They also needed to fabricate the crime and discredit his achievements and ruin his reputation.
In today's so-called consultation, the people from the security department just wanted to get some comments unfavorable to Novikov from Yuri, such as criticism of Novikov's command during the war. They didn't need too much, just one or two sentences would be enough.
Yuri is no longer the general he once was. He is one of the few marshals in the Soviet Red Army command system, and he is not a marshal of arms. In addition, he enjoys a high reputation in the Red Army system due to his meritorious service in the war, and his evaluation of a commander is still very influential.
As long as the security department controlled by Abakumov gets Yuri's negative comments about Novikov, they will definitely use this as a basis to discredit Novikov's achievements in the war, undermine his reputation, and finally pin some trumped-up charges on him - this is how the world is, it is not easy to create a hero, but it is easy to destroy a hero.
For Yuri, he was very clear about the other party's purpose, and he was also very clear about how his words would be used. So, let alone the fact that he and Novikov knew each other, even if the two did not know each other at all, he would not easily say such fatal words.
If it was half a year ago, when he had not yet been promoted to marshal, and when Beria was still in charge of Lubyanka, Yuri might have considered some issues more and would not have been so aggressive. Or, in other words, it was Stalin who really wanted to move Novikov, and the commander-in-chief showed a clear intention to move Novikov, so Yuri would have some concerns. But now, this is just a mutual attack between various forces with Stalin at the top, and Yuri does not think he needs to get involved, and of course, he does not need to give any face to Abakumov, the "prop man".
The most important thing is that although Yuri did not study much about the history of the Soviet Union in his previous life, he could still vaguely remember one thing, that is, people like Beria and Abakumov, and those guys who made random accusations and framed others in the political struggle, did not seem to have a good ending after the death of Comrade Stalin.
The reason why Zhukov was dealt with in the first place was because of Comrade Stalin's direct instructions. Moreover, Yuri himself did not get along with the arrogant Comrade Zhukov, so he did not care about making some criticisms against Zhukov.
But now it is different. The change in his status and identity has forced him to be more cautious, and any critical remarks cannot be made lightly. This is not only a matter of personal stance, but also a matter of principle.
After scolding the major without any reason, Yuri's real intention was to lure Abakumov out and let the other party talk to him in person.
Abakumov is now a rising star in the security system, and even Comrade Stalin thinks highly of him. But Yuri really has no respect for this rising star in the national security system. In his mind, this guy is nothing compared to Beria, and Yuri has never thought of saving his face.
It was not that Yuri was overconfident, but that he saw through the weight of Abakumov, the so-called "rising star". In the core of power in Moscow today, this guy was just a clown. Comrade Stalin pushed him out just to make him a tool. Tools always have a use period. Once the use period is over, he is nothing.
Although Abakumov dared to touch Novikov, it was because Novikov himself was not in the power system of Moscow. In peacetime, this air force marshal could not play any role in the power structure of Moscow. But Yuri was different. He was in the power system of Moscow, and he was in the most important position outside the power core. He had no faction of his own, and he did not follow anyone on the surface. In the entire power core of Moscow, he was regarded as a cadre promoted by Comrade Stalin.
As a dog, Abakumov can bite officials from any faction, and Comrade Stalin standing behind him will just sit by and watch the show with a box of popcorn, but if he goes to bite Yuri, then Comrade Stalin's attitude will be difficult to predict.
In fact, if we carefully analyze Yuri's current position, as a field marshal of the Soviet Red Army, his identity is actually quite embarrassing. His current specific position is the director of the executive bureau of the Disarmament Working Committee. Although he also holds a senior position in the Equipment Department, his position within the army has been fundamentally marginalized. Except for his own guard team, he no longer has the power to mobilize any troops.
At present, Yuri's power is mainly reflected in two aspects: one is the various construction corps under the Executive Bureau of the Disarmament Working Committee, and the other is part of the power of the Equipment Department. Of the two, the latter can be almost ignored, because he only holds a position there in order to match his status as a member of the Central Committee.
In the management practices of various construction corps, Yuri is currently in charge of the construction project of the Palace of Soviets and several logistical projects related to nuclear weapons research. Apart from these, he basically has no authority.
Let's analyze the two projects he was in charge of. The logistics work related to nuclear weapons research was easy to deal with. That was a work project led by the Presidium of the Central Committee itself, and it involved almost all departments of Soviet science and technology, production, industry, etc. Yuri was equivalent to a component of this huge project.
The construction project of the Palace of Soviets was a super-large engineering construction project that Comrade Stalin was personally responsible for. In other words, it was an engineering project that Stalin personally led and Yuri was responsible for its implementation. In this matter, Yuri was directly responsible to Comrade Stalin.
One was the construction and production work of the relatively independent production and construction corps in the Soviet Union, and the other was the Soviet Palace construction project, which was personally led by Comrade Stalin and in which no one else could interfere. Yuri was responsible for these two aspects.
It is hard to say how much power he has, but it is also very subjective to say that he has no authority at all. If we have to give an example for comparison, he is more like the CEO of a state-owned enterprise group in China in later generations, except that the enterprise group he is responsible for managing is a little too large.
Such a position made Yuri somewhat distant from the political struggle at the core of power in Moscow. At least, any faction at the core of power would hardly see him as a target of attack - this was not only because he was somewhat far away from the vortex of power struggle, but also because Comrade Stalin had always been very satisfied with his work.
Comrade Stalin is now keeping a close eye on the progress of the Soviet Palace project, and he believes that young Comrade Yuri is his man, promoted by him, not only loyal to him, but also very capable. The problem now is that no one knows whether Comrade Stalin will be angry if Yuri is touched, after all, the series of events in Belarus before have sounded the alarm for people.
Therefore, Yuri is now very clear about his position. He does not want to join any party's fight and only wants to work hard to do his job well. In the entire Soviet power system, he believes that his qualifications are still too shallow, and this weakness requires time and sufficiently dazzling achievements to make up for it.
The major was scolded so much that his face turned red and he fled the room in embarrassment. Yuri thought that Abakumov would come soon, but he obviously overestimated this coward whose ability was far from his ambition. From beginning to end, this uneducated guy never showed up.
A few minutes later, another slightly older major appeared in the office, apologized to Yuri, and then announced that the so-called consultation was over and Yuri could leave.
Although he knew very well that the people from the Ministry of National Security would not dare to do anything to him, Yuri was still surprised that the consultation was over so quickly. When he came out of the building, he turned around to look at this place that had once brought him so much psychological pressure.
Thinking back to the time when Beria was in power, how domineering was he? It was not to underestimate himself. In Yuri's opinion, if Beria was still in charge of this building today, he would not dare to reprimand the young major like a student. Why? Not only was Beria notorious, but he was also a member of the Central Committee Presidium. But what was Abakumov? He was not even a member of the Central Committee.
To put it bluntly, when Yuri wanted to see Comrade Stalin, he could choose to go directly or arrange a time through Poskrebyshev, but what about Abakumov? He could only make an appointment through Comrade Stalin's secretary's office, which might require waiting for several hours or even a day or two.
The status of the two is not equal at all, so how could Yuri take such a guy seriously?
