Night gradually fell, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, Yang Mingzhi and his motorcade entered Lubyanka Square.
Coming here again, Yang Mingzhi no longer had any anxiety. Although he resisted seeing Beria now, as of now, he still decided to meet early and get things done.
"Comrade General, we are here." After saying that, Captain Larin, who was driving the car, signaled to Grishchenko, the co-pilot: "Drive the car to the same place, and then go back to the lounge and wait. Go ahead!"
At this moment, Captain Larin's skillful look made Yang Mingzhi feel that Grishenko no longer belonged to him.
Yes, Grishchenko was originally elected from Lubyanka. Larin is three levels higher than him and is qualified to give orders.
Yang Mingzhi got out of the car, carrying a suitcase in his hand, while young Dobroff carried two linen bags.
Soon the two people's luggage was "kindly" taken over by those in blue hats. Finally, under the leadership of Captain Larin, the two people entered the office building empty-handed. Including the Tokarev used by Yang Mingzhi for self-defense.
It was also taken away with "kindness".
Yang Mingzhi no longer had time to pay attention to the bright lights in the corridor, let alone Dobroff's excited and nervous heart.
"Captain Larin, my prototype guns, they..."
"Ah! What about this? Your sample gun is temporarily kept by our Ministry of Internal Affairs. Don't worry, we will keep it under strict supervision until the day of expert evaluation, and then we will unbox it."
"Alright alright……"
Yang Mingzhi didn't want to say anything anymore. When he arrived at this building and it fell into the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, of course it was whatever he said.
Fortunately, the many medals on his chest are like divine weapons to protect his body, and Beria will not show any arrogance.
Night has fallen in Moscow, the sky turns dark blue, and through the gaps in the air-proof balloons, the moonlight begins to shine into the city blocks.
Moscow strengthened its air defense, but the Germans did not conduct any more air strikes for more than three weeks after the special air raid.
Strict light controls have been lifted, but the policy of restricting electricity consumption for residents is still in place.
The interior of the Lubyanka Building, which was fully camouflaged with canvas, was brightly lit. In order to welcome Lieutenant General Berekov, Beria adjusted his work and worked overtime to wait for his arrival.
After more than three weeks, a tall man stood in Beria's second-floor office again.
Yes, compared to Beria's height, Yang Mingzhi can be called tall.
"Ah! Comrade Berekov, welcome, respected hero of the Soviet Union." Beria opened his arms and greeted him as a sign of respect.
The proper etiquette must be observed, and Yang Mingzhi stood at attention and responded with military salutes.
After a brief courtesy, Beria explained the next arrangements without any delay.
"Dear General, the leader is very fond of the firearms you have developed. Now, we are responsible for the safekeeping of all the boxes of your sample guns. You can rest assured about this. Next, please change your clothes and have another meal.
After dinner, I will personally escort you through the Red Square and into the Kremlin..."
It was still the same routine. Yang Mingzhi could only express his complete agreement, but when the words came out of Beria's mouth, Beria was a person who disgusted Yang Mingzhi, so these words had a negative feeling.
It was as if he was controlled by Beria, who was good at playing with power.
At this moment, Yang Mingzhi also noticed the twitching of Beria's eyes. His eyes were not directed at himself, but at the follower Doblov beside him.
Looking at the people around him from the corner of his eye, Yang Mingzhi could detect the trembling in Dobroff's body.
Yes, Beria was in the negative limelight during the "Great Purge" period. Together with Yezhov, he gave the public the image of being a ruthless executioner.
Dobroff was instinctively afraid of this tall man with a shiny forehead, so his body was trembling.
In order to break this embarrassment, Yang Mingzhi simply shouted: "Dear comrade NKVD, I trust you very much, but you should also understand that the leader ordered me to run three thousand kilometers to show off the new gun. I don't want to see anything bad."
situation. Since you are responsible for safekeeping, you..."
"Can't you trust me?" Beria narrowed his eyes, showing a hint of threat.
Yang Mingzhi was not to be outdone. He just wanted to compete with Beria. Secondly, he also wanted to show his follower Dobrov that he, the director, was also a figure.
He emphasized: "No! That's not what I meant! Since you understand the importance of things, I hope you can take good care of them. So, when those experts start to evaluate, I hope that all the firearms and bullets are in good condition."
After all, when they were loaded into the truck, the commander of the Siberian Military District personally supervised them and personally sent people to escort them."
Beria felt a little unhappy, which was reflected on his forehead, as the reflection under the light became brighter.
In his opinion, this Berekov showed respect, and there was a real threat hidden in his words.
How could the Ministry of Internal Affairs not check these boxes? This is one of the duties of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In fact, regarding this matter, Beria was quite critical of Stalin's decision. He was just a general with some talent, but he just developed a
New rifle, did Stalin forget the fact that he was the leader of the Soviet Union at this moment, and insisted on becoming a company commander and handling the rifle himself?
Stalin wanted to personally handle the rifle and fire a few shots, just like he had done in his youth. For this, he did not even have to hire a substitute. This idea troubled Beria a lot. Stalin wanted to touch these things himself.
Weapons, in order to ensure the absolute safety of the leader, Beria did not hesitate to dismantle the box and could not wait to check every part.
Beria had to do this. In front of the inventor of the firearm, Belekov, he could not say this directly, as if he was full of distrust of Belekov.
Beria was very smart, and he and Stalin were close comrades-in-arms for a long time. It would not be a good thing if he was rude to the talents Stalin intended to cultivate at this moment.
"Okay! I respect your hope, and please respect my decision." Beria replied cautiously.
"I...I understand." Yang Mingzhi nodded and continued: "Next, it's time for me and my entourage to change clothes? I hope you have prepared a brand new general uniform for me!"
"Of course!" This changed the topic, and Beria was in a better mood, "You will wear a brand new military uniform, and your entourage, he..."
"What will happen to him?" Yang Mingzhi asked eagerly.
"He will also put on a military uniform, which is the uniform of a group army staff officer."
"What? Him?!" Yang Mingzhi was shocked, looked at Beria, and couldn't help but look at the shocked Dobrov next to him.
Beria immediately explained that the so-called Belekov is a group army lieutenant general, so the general's entourage should be a staff officer. Regardless of whether this person is really a staff officer, he must now assume the role of a staff officer.
Beria had clearly arranged the next thing, and Yang Mingzhi had no intention of saying anything else.
In a separate room in the Lubyanka office building, Yang Mingzhi started to like clothes according to their regulations.
Finally, without the interruption of outsiders, Dobroff's heart, which had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed a little.
When he saw the full set of staff uniforms neatly folded on the wooden chair, Dobroff hesitated.
Yang Mingzhi, who was changing clothes, saw the hesitation of his entourage and shouted indifferently: "What's going on? Are you scared by Beria?"
"No! I...I..."
"Don't be afraid. It's just a routine matter for Beria. Don't feel any psychological burden now. Besides, your political background is very clean, so there is nothing to worry about."
"Comrade Director, I..." Dobroff gritted his teeth, "I am not a soldier. Is it appropriate to wear the clothes of a staff officer? I am just a weapons designer."
"Really? You are an extraordinary young man. You are an ideal weapons designer. Change your clothes immediately. After dinner, we will go to the Kremlin. Listen!" Yang Mingzhi said.
Suddenly serious, "Just like Beria said, I am a general, and my entourage should be a staff officer. Forget your true identity, Comrade Dobrov, you are now my army chief of staff, and I will still be my chief of staff in the future."
I need your help with my job!”
After putting on neat clothes and hanging all the medals in the right places, Yang Mingzhi looked in the mirror and still felt that Lao Maozi's clothing style did not quite meet the aesthetics of Eastern people.
He remembered that the New China in that dimension even made a set of military uniforms imitating the Soviet military uniforms at the peak of the Sino-Soviet honeymoon period. However, it did not become popular at all and was canceled because the aesthetics were too awkward.
Dobrov, on the other hand, became energetic after changing into a staff officer's outfit.
What a young and promising staff officer, but he has no other medals except a Lenin Komsomol badge on his chest.
For Dobrov, everything was new after arriving in Moscow, especially the fact that he actually entered the Lubyanka office building as a visitor. If his father knew about this, would he faint from surprise?
The director seemed to be very adaptable. He even went to the canteen dedicated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to eat, and he was even familiar with the roads?!
It was Captain Larin who was the guide. Since he had been to this building many times, no one could guide him to the location of the canteen. Yang Mingzhi was able to touch it and even sneak into the back kitchen warehouse and bring out a few bottles of vodka.
Why is he so skilled? It's all because Captain Larin has demonstrated it many times.
It was no surprise this time. Sitting on a bench in the cafeteria, what was in front of me was slices of bread, grilled sausages and beetroot soup, the so-called "classic Russian meal set meal".
As usual, Captain Larin brought a bottle of vodka, hoping to take the opportunity to have a drink with the respectable General Berekov.
"Forget it, I have to go to the Kremlin in a while. You can drink wine anytime, but not today." Yang Mingzhi sternly refused.
"You decided not to drink? This is not a wise choice." Captain Larin's smile actually revealed a hint of regret. "As far as I know, you have a good drinking capacity, and having a drink will only make you more excited."
"Forget it! Forget it..."
The captain shrugged helplessly, "Since you insist. Well... maybe you are planning something? I will give you a piece of advice as a friend. Never drink with that Ustinov."
Ustinov again? What did Captain Larin say this man was doing?
"Why?" Yang Mingzhi asked.
"That man is good at drinking, and he must be a better drinker than you. You cannot agree to this drinking war. For your honor, please decline any invitation from that man to drink."
It sounds like Ustinov's greatest ability is drinking, and everyone who mentions this person always claims that he has a reputation for drinking.
"Thank you for your advice. I think that in order to avoid defeat, I only discussed weapons with Ustinov. That's all."
That said, Yang Mingzhi felt that drinking was something he couldn't avoid. Why? They all loved drinking and having banquets. It was a long and glorious tradition for men to get drunk.
Looking back at the peace negotiations between Russia and Poland in 1634, it was during a protracted banquet that the two countries completed the negotiation requirements that could not be reached in all previous formal meetings.
Ustinov had a reputation for drinking, and Yang Mingzhi was very interested in this person, and of course his future cultivation. During this war, Ustinov was responsible for supervising the production of all weapons, which was a key logistics
His work, so far, has been quite outstanding. He will definitely prove his extraordinary talents during the war, and he will always have a place among the senior personnel responsible for managing and coordinating Soviet weapons and equipment in the future until the end of his life.
Captain Larin drank three glasses of wine and said happily: "You told me that this is your Chinese etiquette. Drink three glasses of wine to show your respect."
"Yes...yes. According to Russia's understanding, there is no need for me to drink here."
"Yes, Comrade General, I think you will be worried. In fact, you don't have to worry about anything. Our Ministry of Internal Affairs is completely following the rules. Your sample gun and all your luggage are placed here, and we will keep a close eye on them.
.”
"I can understand." Yang Mingzhi smiled awkwardly.
Indeed, how did enemy agents infiltrate the office building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Impossible. The luggage was handed over to them for safekeeping. It seemed absolutely safe, but in fact it had to be inspected by them, and no privacy was left. Yang Mingzhi was frank,
I don’t know about Dobroff. After all, Dobroff also has a baggage in a linen bag, which is mainly clothes. As for whether there are any weird things, Yang Mingzhi doesn’t know.
"But there are some things you have to return to me as soon as possible."
"Oh? Please speak."
"At least give me the razor, right? Unless the administrators of the Grand Kremlin have razors ready in those rooms."
When Yang Mingzhi saw Beria again, Beria also changed into a formal suit. Beria, the NKVD who had great power in the Soviet Union, put on his standard uniform. Although he entered the Kremlin on this trip,
At best, it is the job of a guide, but you still have to meet Stalin himself.
There won't be any meetings in the palace tonight, just a small meeting.
By then, a young and promising general from a foreign country, and an equally young and promising minister, two young people of almost the same age, will create what kind of sparks of ideological collision? Beria is somewhat looking forward to it.
Seeing that General Berekov and his entourage were ready for everything, Beria, who stood in the lobby on the first floor and waited for a while, just said calmly: "Let's go! General Berekov, get in the car with me."
.”
Afterwards, Beria walked confidently into the Red Square street swept by the cold night wind.