Chapter 1574 Corridor Episode

But what Malashenko and Kokin didn't know at this moment was that at the same time, in Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, which was not very far away, in the famous building that symbolized the center of the Soviet Union's highest power: the Kremlin.

A historic event that would determine the future transformation and development of the Red Army's light weapons was happening quietly.

"Please wait here for a moment, Comrade Marshal. Comrade Leader is summoning Comrade Beria to talk. I have informed Comrade Leader and explained your intention. Just wait here for a moment, it will be over soon."

Not everyone can sit on the sofa in the reception waiting room of the Kremlin. It depends on your identity and whether you have the qualifications.

Comrade Lao Zhu, who is known as the God of War of the Red Army, is obviously qualified. Now he is sitting on a small sofa, and the cup on the coffee table next to him is still filled with hot water that has just been delivered. This is what he personally requested. He often stays on the front line of the battlefield, but prefers to drink a sip of plain boiled water.

Facing the report from Stalin's secretary, Zhukov nodded and silently said that he knew it without saying anything more.

After finishing what he should do, the secretary smiled and showed respect to Zhukov and left quickly. Zhukov, who was sitting on the sofa with his chin in his hand and thinking, was the only one left in the huge reception waiting room.

"What should I say later to make it better? This is the first time to report on such a thing."

There is a first time for everything, even for a tough guy like Zhukov who dared to shout loudly in Stalin's office.

Zhukov had made countless face-to-face statements and reports to Stalin, but it was the first time in history that he came to Stalin seriously to talk about a weapon issue.

Although it cannot be said that he came to visit just for a weapon issue, the main reason why Stalin summoned Zhukov was to hear what he had gained from his trip back from the Cherkasy front and what new news he brought back that interested him.

But at this moment, Zhukov thought that reporting to Stalin was just a routine matter. There was nothing special about it. It was just his job.

The key point was what happened after the routine matter: explaining to Stalin the new assault rifle that Malashenko and Kotin had invented. This was the focus of this trip.

Zhukov was considering how to describe the details of the whole incident and how to answer questions that Stalin might ask, so as to ensure that this mess made by Malashenko would have a good result and would not anger Stalin.

Zhukov certainly did not want Malashenko to ruin his future and himself because of this incident. Zhukov never refuted those who said that he was protecting his son because he really admired Malashenko, who was young and had an incomprehensible skill and a little mysterious aura.

Zhukov, who volunteered to be a good mentor, had already made the decision to protect Malashenko before coming to meet Stalin on this trip.

Even if the gun itself was rejected in the end, at least Malashenko had to be saved and allowed to continue to fight in the army. This was Zhukov's bottom line in the worst case scenario.

It was just that the incident itself was too special, and Zhukov had not yet figured out how to deal with various possible situations. Even though Zhukov knew Stalin's personality and character, he was still unsure of Stalin's attitude on this matter. It was really hard to say.

Zhukov didn't have much time to think. Compared with discussing with Beria the Ministry of Internal Affairs' recent plan to launch a purge operation in the recovered Ukrainian occupied areas to prevent the emergence of elite German elements and potential saboteurs, Stalin valued what different news and surprises Zhukov could bring to him. As for Beria's proposal, it could be discussed later and there was no rush.

"Ah, long time no see, comrade Marshal! I heard that you just came back from the Cherkasy front. Thank you for your outstanding contribution to the motherland and the recovery of Ukraine."

""

Zhukov never expected that he would bump into Beria, who had just come out of Stalin's office, in the corridor.

To be honest, Zhukov didn't like Beria, an intelligence chief and the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but he didn't hate him either.

Zhukov had to admit that Beria was really good at intelligence. Under his management, the intelligence department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was growing stronger and operating efficiently, and it had obtained a lot of vital and useful information for the Red Army and played a big role.

If it was just for this point, Zhukov, as a senior commander of the Red Army, had to thank Beria, indeed.

But another problem was that Zhukov didn't like Beria's personality and his way of doing things. You could see the dark side of this person in many things.

Even though Zhukov knew that few people in the intelligence industry were like this, or that people who were not like this could not work in the intelligence industry at all, Zhukov could understand this. However, his upright and strong iron-blooded military character still prompted Zhukov to be reluctant to get closer to people like Beria.

"Long time no see, Comrade Beria. The intelligence sent by your Ministry of Internal Affairs helped a lot in the smooth progress of the Cherkasy Campaign and avoided many casualties of soldiers on the front line. For this, I would like to thank you on their behalf."

The polite words sounded nice, but Beria's eyes hidden under the thick round lenses could notice details that ordinary people would easily miss: Zhukov's smile at this time was more of a formal smile, and even if there was true feelings in it, it was probably not from the heart.

He was just expressing gratitude for his work, not for himself.

Beria, who knew this, did not show his emotions. No one knew what kind of momentary brilliance flashed in his eyes under the thick glasses, let alone what he was thinking in his heart. The words he blurted out were not hesitant at all.

"It's my job, this is just what I should do. Comrade Leader is waiting for you, and I look forward to seeing you next time."

"Goodbye, Comrade Marshal."

There was no emotional tone or any excessive verbal expression. Zhukov, who had gone through the formality, only had Beria's back and footsteps walking away in the corridor with a briefcase in his eyes.

Zhukov, who did not intend to continue to care about this episode, shook his head, calmed down, took a deep breath, and finally pushed open the door of the office at the end of the corridor in front of him and stood still.

"Comrade Leader, Zhukov has been ordered to return from the front line and report here!"