Chapter 406
"The key now is to figure out what happened," Kosygin said, playing with a cigarette in his hand.
“No, the key issue now is not to find out what happened,” Khrushchev said, rising from his chair, putting his hands on the table in front of him, and raising his voice, “but to determine what we must do.”
After saying this, he slammed his fist on the table, raised his voice again, and said: "Comrades, this is the most critical and urgent period for each of us present. I believe you all know what Beria and Malenkov want to do. Yes, they want to seize power and stage a silent coup. They want to dominate everything. We cannot give them this opportunity."
"I suggest!" Suslov stood up and said loudly with a flushed face, "It happens that nearly 1,200 party representatives from all over the Union are in Moscow. We should hold a plenary session overnight, or at least an enlarged meeting of the Presidium, and determine the list of new Presidium members based on the principles of inner-party democracy and the minority obeying the majority!"
These words were so shocking that everyone present, including Khrushchev, was shocked.
An enlarged meeting of the Presidium in the absence of Comrade Stalin? A plenary session? And in the early hours of the morning? Compared with what Beria and Malenkov did, this was a real coup d'état.
Moreover, this approach is too risky. Who knows what the party delegates are thinking? Can these people present reach a consensus with the numerous delegates? Can they get the results they want? If these people present cannot control the decision of the delegates, or even cause a backlash, it will be a disastrous consequence. No one present will have a good ending.
Yuri stood aside, his eyes scanning everyone's faces. Some of them were pale, some were flushed. There was no doubt that his position could be seen just by looking at their expressions at the moment.
"I agree with Comrade Mikhail Andreevich's opinion," Yuri hesitated, raised his hand and said calmly.
"I agree with Comrade Mikhail Andreevich's opinion," the second person who raised his hand surprised everyone. It was Mikoyan, and his tone was equally calm and unperturbed.
"I agree with Comrade Mikhail Andreevich's opinion," Khrushchev, the third person to raise his hand, said in a trembling voice, "As a supplementary opinion, we should print out the relevant comrades before convening the meeting and inform every delegate attending the meeting of what happened tonight ."
"Yes, this notice must be issued," Kosygin stood up and said, "The content should focus on announcing that Comrade Stalin's health is worrying and he can no longer preside over the work normally, and Malenkov and Beria are blocking the news and trying to seize the leadership of the Central Committee."
Having said this, he raised his hand and added: "I agree with Comrade Mikhail Andreevich."
Khrushchev's additional opinion was crucial, and it gave great courage to some hesitant people present. Why? It is foreseeable that the only variable in this plan is that the majority of party representatives who support Comrade Stalin will oppose any decision-making in the absence of Comrade Stalin. This additional opinion is equivalent to telling these party representatives that they are not choosing between Comrade Stalin and those present, but between those present and Malenkov and Beria.
Well, there may be quite a few party representatives who support Malenkov, but there are definitely not many who are willing to support both Malenkov and Beria at the same time.
"Who will talk to Comrades Poskrebyshev and Vlasik?" Bulganin asked with a frown.
If they wanted to convince the party delegates that Comrade Stalin had health problems, it was not enough for them to simply issue a notice, as that would not be convincing enough. Therefore, Comrade Stalin's chief secretary and the captain of the Kremlin guard were needed to provide testimony.
"I'll go talk to them," Suslov said.
Bulganin looked at him, hesitated, raised his hand and said: "Well, I agree with Comrade Mikhail Andreevich."
"Can you guarantee that the military will not interfere in this incident?" Andreyev licked his lips and said, "If you can't guarantee it, then the decision we make now will make us sinners of the alliance."
No one spoke, but everyone's eyes were focused on Yuri. Among those present, Yuri was the only one who could influence the army. Although Bulganin was once the director of the General Political Department and Khrushchev was also a military commissar, to be honest, the generals in the army might not necessarily give them face. No, to be precise, they would definitely not give them face.
In normal times, the positions of military generals would not actually determine anything, and those present could control them tightly, but now is a special period, and the leaders of the various military regions are in Moscow, and the legitimacy of the new presidium introduced by the coup needs to be recognized by all parties. If someone in the military does not recognize it and secretly colludes, the consequences will be disastrous, so from this perspective, Andreyev's concerns are very insightful.
"Before the meeting officially begins, I plan to hold a small meeting with party representatives from the military in the Ekaterina Hall to calm their emotions," Yuri said. "However, this alone may not be enough to make them choose a position that is favorable to us. Therefore, I need an authorization to promise to propose a proposal to establish a veterans' business department at this plenary meeting to ensure that various preferential treatment policies for veterans are implemented."
Andreyev hesitated, then slowly raised his hand and said, "I agree with Comrades Mikhail Andreyevich and Yuri Arkhipovich."
"I agree..."
"I agree..."
Then came voices of agreement one after another.
"Comrade Mikhail Andreevich, please draft the memorandum." Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Khrushchev immediately took over the right to speak. He first said something to Suslov, then clapped his hands and said loudly, "Comrades, let's take turns speaking to further improve the various topics of the next meeting. First of all, I think we should determine the qualitative work of Malenkov and Beria..."
Yuri pulled out a pack of wet cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, but found that the cigarette was completely soaked and could not be smoked at all.
Kosygin, who was sitting next to him, noticed his action, reached out and handed him the pack of cigarettes in front of him, and smiled at him.
"Thank you," Yuri said without hesitation. He took the cigarette and lit it.
"You're welcome. You helped everyone here tonight," Kosygin whispered. Then, he nodded at Khrushchev who was speaking excitedly and added, "Especially our Comrade Khrushchev, haha."
The meaning of the last "hehe" is a little unclear, but it reveals a bit of sarcasm.
Yuri did not respond. He was now somewhat dissatisfied with Khrushchev's performance. This guy seemed too impatient and a little petty.
Now, this motion was actually proposed by Suslov, who took a great risk. If this motion was not recognized by everyone present, he would face a tragic end. But now, everyone has recognized this motion, and the overall situation has been decided. Comrade Khrushchev immediately jumped out to take the floor, presided over the discussion, and asked Suslov to organize the memorandum.
This is a Presidium meeting. If nothing unexpected happens, the future members of the Presidium will be those present here. Comrade Khrushchev is presiding over the meeting, and he will undoubtedly be the first one in the Presidium. According to the established practice, he will sign first after the memorandum comes out, and the person who compiled the memorandum will be the last to sign, and will naturally be ranked last.
Comrade Khrushchev was too blatant in his tactic of elevating himself and stepping on his potential opponents at the same time. To be honest, now is a special period, and those present will not jump out to oppose him, but when the situation stabilizes, there may be only a few people who really care about him.
From another perspective , Comrade Khrushchev's eagerness to establish his own superiority actually created a rift in the Presidium.
However, for Yuri, this is a situation that best suits his interests.
Why did Khrushchev jump out to seize the initiative at this time? And why did he dare to step on Suslov? For no other reason, it was because he had an advantage here: Comrade Bulganin was his best friend, which everyone knew, and Yuri was very close to him, which everyone also knew.
The current situation is that the people present still need Yuri to appease the military. When they make this decision, they are actually defining the military as Yuri's base. The current delicate situation is that if Yuri chooses not to support Khrushchev at this time, Comrade Khrushchev's advantage will be lost in an instant. Among those present, including Kosygin, Mikoyan and Andreyev, they dare to challenge him.
With such a cracked and disunited Presidium, Yuri did not have to worry about being marginalized or even kicked out of the Presidium by Comrade Khrushchev.
From a long-term perspective, as long as Yuri can maintain his position in the Presidium, he will have an advantage over anyone present simply by relying on his youth. Oh, there is also a young comrade Suslov, but he has been pushed to the back by Khrushchev and his threat to Yuri is much smaller.
It is better to bully an old man than a young man who is poor. This view is held by everyone. As long as Yuri can occupy a better position in the ranking of the presidium, coupled with his youth, he will be able to enjoy more convenience in the future when he manages his own power.
so……
Yuri looked through the thin smoke that was spreading in front of him, at Khrushchev who was making an impassioned speech opposite him. For the first time, he thought, "This guy is just so-so. Why does he step on my head?"
