Chapter 365
After finishing a cigarette in front of the building, Yuri coughed twice, put the military cap tucked under his armpit back on his head, straightened it, and then turned and walked into the building.
Unlike usual, today he did not go up to the second floor and go directly to Comrade Stalin's office, but turned left in the corridor and went to the visitor lounge on the first floor.
Although it is called the Visitors' Lounge, in fact, visitors are not usually arranged here. This large office is a place for small meetings and "reflection". Generally speaking, some meetings that Comrade Stalin personally arranged but did not attend in person would be arranged here. At the same time, some people who were reprimanded by Comrade Stalin or disagreed with him on a certain issue would also be arranged here to "carefully consider" the issue.
At the beginning of the war, when Comrade Zhukov insisted on abandoning the defense of Kiev and actively moving the main force to the east bank of the Dnieper River, he was also asked to come to this room to carefully consider. In Yuri's previous life, when Rokossovsky advocated an all-out, multi-point offensive strategy in the "Battle of the Belarusian Balcony", he was also sent to this room to carefully consider.
The furnishings in the room were very simple, there wasn't even a carpet. There was just a large conference table and some bare chairs, but no sofa.
However, when Yuri walked into the room, he found that there were already several people sitting in the room. He counted the heads: Zhdanov, Khrushchev, Andreyev, Molotov, Voroshilov, and Bulganin.
When Yuri pushed the door open and saw these people, he was stunned for a moment. Like him, the people present were also stunned for a moment. However, soon, this surprised expression disappeared from everyone's face.
No one spoke or stood up to greet them, not even Khrushchev.
The reason why Yuri came to the Kremlin today was because he received a notice from Poskrebyshev, but he did not reveal the specific matter on the phone. He only told him to be at a certain place at a certain time, so he never thought that he would meet these people here.
The atmosphere in the room felt a bit depressing. Everyone had a cigarette in their hands, making the huge room full of smoke. Yuri didn't bother to greet . He walked silently to a chair not far from the door and sat down. Then he took out a cigarette and, without lighting it, started to tap on the table.
After about a few minutes, there was a gentle knock on the door.
Yuri looked at the people opposite him and saw that no one spoke. He hesitated for a moment, but finally got up, walked to the door, and reached out to open it.
A thin middle-aged man was standing outside the door. He was wearing a gray wide-brimmed hat, a gray woolen windbreaker, and a pair of spotlessly polished leather shoes.
Seeing Yuri standing inside the door, the visitor was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "Good morning, Comrade Marshal Yuri Arkipovich Kulyokov."
"Good morning, Comrade Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov," Yuri saw the other party extend his hand, shook hands with him and said with a smile.
That's right, the man is Suslov. He has been the Minister of the Central Propaganda Department for a short time and is in high spirits. However, he is very low-key and never shows up. At least in the few months after he took office, Yuri never heard his name in any newspaper or on the radio. Moreover, he should be a subordinate of Zhdanov, because Zhdanov is in charge of ideological propaganda. However, Suslov does not seem to be very close to his boss. He is like a shy shadow, always hiding in places that others cannot see.
After just a simple conversation, Suslov walked into the room. He didn't talk to anyone else, but walked to the chair where Yuri had just sat, took off his hat meticulously, and then took off his windbreaker. Then he looked around and saw that there were no hangers or hat racks, so he carefully folded his windbreaker and put it on the back of the chair. Then he sat down quietly and put his hat on his knees.
Seeing that this guy had taken his seat, Yuri didn't mind. He was about to close the door when he heard footsteps coming from outside the door, clattering. Judging from the sound, there should be two people coming, and their pace was not fast, giving people a very leisurely feeling.
As soon as Yuri heard it, he knew it must be Stalin coming. He stood up straight and opened the door a little more.
Sure enough, after just a few breaths, footsteps came to the door, and Comrade Stalin appeared, and the person following behind him was Poskrebyshev.
Comrade Stalin frowned when he walked in. Poskrebyshev, who was following behind him, seemed to be able to catch his psychological activities at any time. Before Comrade Stalin could speak, he had already walked in quickly, trotted to the window opposite the door, and opened a row of three windows.
Comrade Stalin's brows relaxed. He glanced at Yuri who was standing at the door, nodded at him, and then looked at the people who had just stood up.
"Everyone, please sit down," Stalin said after looking around at everyone's faces. "Yuri Arkhipovich, you sit down too."
Yuri nodded, quickly closed the door, walked to a chair next to Suslov and sat down.
"Today is my birthday," Stalin said, supporting himself on the table with both hands, and slowly sitting down. "Andrik said he wanted to celebrate it properly, but I refused."
A smile appeared on his serious face, and he said, "Right now, the situation in all aspects of the country is not very good, and thrift is very important. Well, I plan to hold a small-scale dinner in Kunzewo, just for the people present now, Andrick, what do you think?"
Andrik refers to Zhdanov, which was Comrade 's nickname for him, showing the close relationship between the two.
What could Zhdanov say? He rose hastily and assented to the proposal.
However, Yuri did not pay attention to what Zhdanov said. At this moment, the first thought that came to his mind was to turn around and look at Suslov, but he controlled his impulse and just looked at Comrade Stalin with a smile in his eyes.
Comrade Stalin was going to the Kuntsevo villa to celebrate his birthday, and he designated a few people in a small circle. So, let's take a look at the people present. Are there any omissions? Yes, there are omissions, such as Kaganovich, Beria, and Malenkov. In addition to missing a few people, it seems that there are two more people who should not have been there: Yuri himself and Comrade Suslov.
Yuri's doubts did not last long, because Comrade Stalin then announced a very unexpected decision.
"Before that, I have another proposal," Comrade Stalin waved his hand to signal Zhdanov to sit down, and said with a smile on his face, "In view of some very serious mistakes Comrade Georgy Maximilianovich made in his work, we have removed him from the post of Secretary of the Central Secretariat. However, in order to ensure that the daily work of the Central Secretariat is not affected and to maintain the vitality of the Secretariat, I suggest that at the extraordinary meeting of the Central Committee after the New Year, Comrade Nikita Sergeyevich be elected as Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Comrades Yuri Arkipovich and Mikhail Andreevich be elected as Alternate Secretaries of the Central Secretariat."
When Yuri heard Comrade Stalin say this, he felt his head swelling and his heartbeat slowing down.
In the organizational structure of the Soviet Union, the most important department is of course the Presidium of the Central Committee, which is equivalent to the Central Political Bureau and is the place dedicated to formulating major policies and guidelines. The Central Secretariat is the department responsible for the administrative affairs of the Bolshevik Party. To put it bluntly, it is the place responsible for party affairs. The Council of Ministers formed in the previous reform is responsible for state affairs. From this point of view, the importance of the Central Secretariat is self-evident.
Nikita Sergeyevich is Khrushchev. Yes, he was not a secretary of the Central Secretariat before. He did not hold any position in this party affairs department. Before that, Comrade Stalin himself served as the first secretary, and the people sitting in the secretary position were Zhdanov and Andreyev.
Now, Khrushchev has entered the Central Secretariat and is also a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee, that is, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. His power is obviously greater. To a certain extent, he has surpassed Malenkov, Beria, Andreyev and Molotov and has become the nominal third in command of the Soviet Union.
Of course, Comrade Khrushchev has his own path to follow, and it is not Yuri's turn to worry about it. The problem now is that Yuri himself will be elected as one of the alternate secretaries of the Central Committee, and at the same time, he is a member of the Central Committee. In this way, if he is ranked in the party, he is equivalent to being ranked in the top ten - this does not mean that his power can reach this position, but that his position in the party has reached this position.
At this point, Yuri also knew why these people were present today, because this was equivalent to Comrade Stalin's assignment. He needed his intention to be approved at the interim meeting of the Central Committee after the new year. How to get it approved? It was approved by voting at that time. So how to ensure that the members of the Central Committee would vote for the candidate he proposed? This naturally requires someone to do the work of those members well and convey the intention of the leader.
The people present today almost cover all aspects of the party, government and military. Comrade Stalin put forward his ideas, and these people will naturally make his intentions come true. If anyone makes a mistake in his work, then he probably won't show up at the next similar meeting.
