1200 Decent Exits

Zaitsev had a premonition of Stalin's words, but when he actually heard the other party say these sentences, he finally showed a broken expression: "Comrade Stalin! I can defend you to the last second with my life ! Please don't give up! We still have loyal soldiers, you can't abandon them and leave alone."

For Zaitsev personally, the emaciated Stalin in front of him was no different from his elders. He loves this great Soviet leader as much as he loves his own father. In the eyes of many people, Stalin, who was three-point cold, treated his confidant Zaitsev like a loving father, kind and tolerant.

The two worked together for 7 years. Since the first batch of soldiers from the Wolf Knight Academy graduated in 1932, Zaitsev came to Stalin's side as a commander. Although there are not many ruthless soldiers left now, he still feels that the hundreds of soldiers under him can protect Stalin from danger at critical moments.

So he never showed a desperate expression, and even waited for Stalin to change his mind. As long as Stalin is willing to leave Moscow, Zaitsev feels that he has the ability to take this man like his elder away from this dangerous place at any time.

"Son! Don't force it, don't force it... This place is like a huge cage, and we can't escape." Stalin said tragically: "Find a safe place and bury my body. This is my This is my last wish, I hope you can help me fulfill it... can you?"

With his own tears in his eyes, Zaitsev seemed to have exhausted all his strength to move his neck and nodded with difficulty. At this time, he could not utter a complete sentence, so he could only grab Stalin's palm firmly, hoping that the other party would suddenly change his mind.

Without looking at Zaitsev, who was already losing his composure, Stalin grabbed the phone on his desk and said to the other side: "I am Stalin, help me connect with the City Defense Command, and find Comrade Marshal Zhukov. I have something to say." Tell him."

The call was connected soon. This special line was specially laid in the subway tunnel, and there was no danger of being accidentally cut off by shells. It was also a benefit obtained in disguise after the defense line was reduced, because several headquarters were close to the subway tunnel. . At Zhukov's position over there, the German army was shelling, and the rumbling sound of shell explosions could still be vaguely heard.

"I am Stalin!" Holding the phone receiver, Stalin regained his spirits, his words were a little slow, with a trace of the majesty of a long-time superior: "Comrade Zhukov, I order you to automatically take over the Moscow city defense after 12 hours." command, understand?"

On the other side of the phone, Zhukov obviously didn't expect that Stalin gave him such an obvious order just after waking up. He knew what this order meant, so he felt that the receiver of the phone in his hand weighed like a thousand catties in an instant.

He did not immediately reply to Stalin,

Instead, he kept his mouth shut and remained silent, and the other side of the phone didn't seem to be eager to hear an answer, and also waited silently for Zhukov's answer. After a while, Zhukov finally spoke: "Comrade Stalin... If you allow me, I will return to the Kremlin right now... I want to say a few words to you face to face..."

"I understand what you mean, Comrade Zhukov. Facts have proved everything. You have lived up to my trust in you and repaid your loyalty to me." Stalin smiled wryly, and said to Zhukov on the phone: " You don’t need to persuade me anymore, this idea has been in my mind for more than ten days, and there is nothing to change.”

"There is nothing to talk about when we meet, Comrade Zhukov. The conversation between us may not be finished in three days, but I don't have three days." Stalin said with emotion: "Since we can't finish talking, then there is no need to say it." Alright, keep it all."

"Then, Comrade Stalin! Your order, I will take over the full command of the Moscow city defense in 12 hours... Please instruct me whether to continue fighting or allow the troops to make a choice of surrender." Zhukov heard that Stalin did not intend to let him Back in the Kremlin, I had no choice but to continue asking.

"Fight on! We must fight on! We are the banner of this war. If someone in Moscow finally surrenders, then this war will really be over! Do you understand?" After hesitating for a while, Stalin finally answered Zhukov's question: "Like a totem, stand still! Like a man, take death as home! Our death will eventually play a role, and the people in the German-occupied areas will stand up and avenge us!"

When Stalin yelled these words, he was full of the fanatical passion of speech, he waved his arms, and his voice was loud and firm. Until now, he still firmly believes that someone will take over the banner of resistance from him, and he has always believed that the remaining Soviets can defeat Germany and restore the territory of the Soviet Union.

"I understand! Comrade Stalin!" Zhukov took the phone and replied to Stalin on the other end: "I will do my duty, please rest assured."

After saying this sentence, there was no movement on the phone. Two seconds later, the busy signal came. Stalin hung up the phone, and Zhukov had to slowly and solemnly put the phone back to the original place. position. Maybe this phone will never ring again in the future, so when he hung up, Zhukov couldn't bear to take his hand off the receiver.

In Stalin's office, Stalin, who hung up the phone, began to call in the various responsible persons one by one. Some were in charge of underground bunkers, some were in the logistics department, some were commanders of nearby armies, and there were some servants and attendants. He arranged these people one by one, and informed Zhukov that the command here would be handed over to Zhukov 12 hours later.

After seeing the last person, Stalin sat back behind his desk. He calmly opened the drawer on the desk. There is an exquisite iron box inside, next to the documents and various medals and seals. Holding the box with both hands, Stalin took it out of the drawer, placed it in front of him, and gently opened the lid.

Inside was an exquisite revolver, a few bullets, and a small vial of poison that had been prepared long ago. Seeing what was in the box, Zaitsev took a step forward, stretched out his hand and said tremblingly, "Don't..."

"Don't stop me! Zaitsev!" Stalin took out a fragile transparent glass bottle. His trembling hands seemed to be shaking the poison in the small container, and it seemed that he was trembling because of being too nervous. At any rate he went to the bed, shaking the vial, and beckoned Zaitsev to pick up the revolver that was in the box.

"Son! I hope to walk peacefully. I will chew this container in a moment. I heard that the process will be a little scary. You can aim more with your pistol so that I won't be in pain." Stalin sat on the edge of his bed and lifted his arms. He began to give instructions to Zaitsev.

With tears streaming down his face, Zaitsev nodded, then tried hard to suppress the pain in his heart, and wiped away the tears hanging on his face with his hands. He knew that nothing could be changed, and he could only use the remaining time to do what Stalin wanted him to do well.

"Bah!" Amidst the horrified eyes of a dozen senior officers outside the door, there was a desperate gunshot from inside the locked door of Stalin's office. The time was the morning of August 6, 1939. Stalin bit the poison in his mouth and was beaten to death on the soft bed by his guard captain.

The absolute ruler who once called the wind and rain in the Soviet Union and said nothing, just left this world. He once launched the Soviet-Finnish War and the Soviet-Polish War, expanding the territory of the Soviet Union to its limit, but he also experienced the largest fiasco in the history of the Soviet Union or human history, and lost his own country in this fiasco.

"Creak." With the rusty sound of the folding pages, Zaitsev pushed open the door of Stalin's office expressionlessly, and whispered a terrible fact to the crowd in front of him who no longer knew what to do: "The leader has left us."

Some people were crying softly, some people looked around at a loss, and more people just lowered their heads, not daring to look up into the empty door. Zaitsev spoke mechanically and called out to two guards: "Guards! Come with me, we can't let the leader's body be found by the Germans."

The two soldiers were also expressionless. They had long been prepared to live and die with Stalin. For these soldiers, this matter cannot be called a disaster. A more appropriate adjective should be relief. They can finally fulfill their vows, and have the time and opportunity to do so with dignity.

"Ring! Ringing!" In Zhukov's office, another telephone rang. Zhukov, who was lying on the table in thought, looked up and looked at the ringing telephone, his eyes full of entanglement and confusion. disturbed. Finally he picked up the phone, and hung up after a few seconds of silence.

Then he looked at the several officers and the chief of staff standing beside him, and spoke in a slightly sad voice, stating the brief content on the phone just now: "Comrades... the leader just left us."

No one spoke, and no one cried. The Soviet soldiers who are still living in the Moscow encirclement have been numb from the cruel battle. They just looked at Zhukov, waiting for the commander who seemed to be the highest-ranking commander to give the next order.