Chapter 400
On Gorky Street, a black Volga sedan with a marshal flag on the front of the car slowly drove through the street. Among the pedestrians on both sides of the road, there were those in military uniforms who would stop and salute in the direction of the car when they saw it .
In the back seat of the car, Yuri was crossing his legs and reading a newspaper.
This is the Pravda newspaper published this morning. The news on its front page is a critical article against former Central Committee member and Minister of Internal Affairs Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov.
This article written by Comrade Suslov himself lists many problems that led to Abakumov's decadent life after he became an important leader of the CPSU because of his weak revolutionary will. These problems include having improper relationships with multiple women, having many expensive custom-made suits, expensive watches, and handmade leather shoes from Italy in his home, etc. In the final analysis, this guy has left the ranks of proletarian workers, and in terms of ideology, life, and personal style, he has completely slid into the ranks of the decadent bourgeoisie, and eventually became an enemy of the people.
The entire article does not touch upon any other content except the issue of corruption. This is the characterization given by Comrade Stalin. Even the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection cannot make any changes, let alone discuss other issues in public.
Closing the newspaper and throwing it aside, Yuri slid down the seat a little so that he could look out the window.
The streets outside the car were very lively, with a surging crowd. All kinds of banners and red flags could be seen everywhere. There were also many people wearing various ethnic costumes, mixed in the crowd, looking around with curious eyes.
The new National Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union will be grandly opened in four days. This is the first time that the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has held a national congress in more than ten years. Party representatives from the Far East, Central Asia, Ukraine and other places have arrived in Moscow in advance. For many party representatives, this is the first time in their lives that they have come to the capital and entered Moscow. Therefore, everything seems so fresh and beautiful.
Yuri is naturally also a party representative. He represents the Central Supervisory Committee and is elected unanimously.
There were more than 1,190 delegates with voting rights and more than 160 delegates with speaking rights at this congress. They represented nearly 7 million Bolshevik members across the Soviet Union, and their main task was to prepare to elect a new Central Committee during the meeting.
Perhaps, few of the delegates from all over the country who were preparing to attend the congress knew that the real power struggle had already officially begun before the meeting, and it was very cruel.
For Yuri, the issue he needs to consider now is not whether he can be elected as a member of the Central Committee. This goal is a bit low-level for him. What he is really considering is whether he can enter the Presidium and occupy a seat at the top of the power pyramid.
If the number of members of the Presidium is expanded according to Comrade Stalin's idea, then there is no doubt that he will definitely have a seat, but that is not what Yuri wants now - a salary increase of 300 and a price increase of 5%, can that be called a salary increase? Obviously not, and this is Yuri's mentality.
If the size of the presidium does not expand and he, a newcomer, wants to join it, then needless to say, someone must make room for him. Yuri is not worried about whether there is such a position. Hey, there will always be one.
Half an hour later, the Volga sedan slowly drove into Lubyanka Square and finally stopped in front of the daunting building.
When the driver opened the door, Yuri hooked his windbreaker under his right arm, bent down and got out of the car.
Two security lieutenants who were walking down the stairs saw him standing next to the car, stopped hurriedly, and saluted him from a distance.
Waving to the two lieutenants, Yuri walked up the stairs at a leisurely pace, heading towards the main entrance of the building.
Nowadays, Yuri still has an awe-inspiring aura even when he is wearing casual clothes. In fact, people who have been in high positions for many years naturally have a kind of majesty. It is hard to explain, but it does exist and can be felt by others.
After entering the building from the main entrance, Yuri did not go upstairs, but turned right in the lobby and went to the so-called "interrogation room". Comrade Abakumov, who was arrested two days ago, was in this interrogation room. He had been here for nearly 80 hours.
In this world, if a person has no power and no money, it would be really miserable. No one will care about you, and no one will pay attention to you. You are like a worthless stone. Anyone can step over you or even step on you. Your temper is just a slight barrier to those who step on you.
Of course, what is even more tragic is that those who originally held power suddenly lose their power. At this time, you will find that everyone is trying to step on you. Even those who could have stepped over you will have to take small steps so that their shoes can fall on you.
Poor Comrade Abakumov is like this now. He used to be a high-ranking figure. He could shake the whole Soviet Union with just a stomp of his feet. His eyes could scare people to death. But now, he has lost his power and has been convicted. Therefore, even if he wants to stay in a prison quietly, it has become a luxury. Those who hate him, those who envy him, and even those who have nothing to do with him are happy to see him get even more unlucky.
In the current building, no one dared to provoke Yuri, so he walked to the room where Abakumov was imprisoned without any hindrance.
The room consists of two rooms, an inner room and an outer room. When you enter from the door, the outer room is empty. Behind a huge transparent glass, there is another much smaller room, and Abakumov is locked in the inner room.
Through the transparent glass window, Yuri looked at the situation in the room. There was only a table and two chairs in the room, one was a soft chair, and the other was an iron chair fixed to the floor. Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room.
Abakumov was locked in the fixed iron chair. This guy who always paid great attention to his personal image looked extremely embarrassed. Due to lack of care, his face was covered with stubble, his face was pale and haggard, his eye sockets were black, and his forehead was greasy, which was an obvious sign of lack of sleep.
He just sat there in the chair, his eyes slightly closed, his expression dull, looking like he was asleep.
Yuri walked to the door leading to the inner room and turned the door handle. As expected, the door was locked.
He turned around and looked around. When he saw a red button on the wall, he walked straight over and pressed it.
A moment later, a young man in uniform walked in and saluted Yuri timidly without saying a word.
"Open the door," Yuri said, pointing to the inner door.
Without saying a word, the young man walked over quickly, took out a key and unlocked the door.
As soon as Yuri walked into the door, he smelled a disgusting stench. He subconsciously covered his mouth and nose and glanced at the chair where Abakumov was sitting.
There was a pool of water under his chair. Of course, it was definitely not water. If Yuri guessed correctly, this former leader of the Ministry of Internal Affairs probably had not left this chair in the past two days. He did everything from eating, drinking, defecating and urinating on this chair.
For anyone, this is a kind of torture, not only physical torture, but also mental torture. After a long time, the lack of dignity alone is enough to make another person completely collapse. Of course, this is also a means of interrogation. After all, the ultimate goal of interrogation is to break through the suspect's psychological defenses and pry open his mouth.
Holding back the nauseating smell, Yuri walked to the soft chair opposite Abakumov and sat down. He stared at him for a while, and seeing that he had no intention of speaking, he asked calmly, "Comrade Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov..."
Here, Yuri still used the term "comrade". In fact, fundamentally speaking, this executioner with blood on his hands had made outstanding contributions to this country.
"As a representative of the Central Supervisory Committee, I ask you to answer the following questions truthfully," Yuri said in a cold tone.
"I want to write a letter to Comrade Stalin," Abakumov seemed to be startled by Yuri's voice. He raised his head and looked at Yuri in a trance and said, "I am loyal, both to the motherland and to the party. I am loyal."
Yuri pursed his lips and waited for the other party to finish speaking before continuing: "You have the right to write to anyone, but you must answer my questions first."
"I will write to Comrade Stalin," Abakumov continued, pretending not to hear Yuri's words, "I am loyal, both to the motherland and to the party. I am loyal."
Yuri frowned, his eyes fixed on the other.
Abakumov also stopped muttering, but his cracked lips were still opening and closing, as if he was muttering something silently.
Without trying to continue the interrogation, Yuri stared at Abakumov for a while, then suddenly stood up and walked towards the door of the room.
Abakumov might be mentally ill, or he might just be pretending. However, none of this matters to Yuri.
After walking out of the stinking room, Yuri looked through the window for a while before saying to the cautious young man, "Please pass on my advice to Comrade Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov... At least give him some basic dignity."
