red moscow

Chapter 2638 Did I see it wrong?

While Sokov was chatting with Lukin, he twisted his body and accidentally touched the spot where he had just fallen and was hurt, and he couldn't help but groan.

Lukin asked with concern: "Misha, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Sokov rubbed the painful part with his hand and said with a wry smile: "It's nothing, I just accidentally stepped on the ice and fell."

Hearing Sokov say that he fell outside, Lukin could not help but frown and said unhappily, "What's wrong with the logistics people? I specifically told them that the main roads outside the building need to be cleared of snow in a timely manner to prevent people from falling. How come there is ice on the route you are walking?"

"Misha, the situation is like this." Lukin explained to Sokov, "Because the weather here is too cold, especially in winter, it snows every other day. The snow piles up on the ground. When more people step on it, it naturally turns into ice. If you are not careful, someone will fall. I am worried that people entering and leaving the headquarters will accidentally step on the ice and fall, so I specifically ordered the logistics department to arrange special personnel to clean up the snow and floating ice outside the headquarters 24 hours a day to prevent people from falling. I didn't expect that you would fall when you came to visit me. This is all the responsibility of the logistics department. I called them to criticize them."

As he spoke, Lukin was about to get up and call the staff in the logistics department to ask them why they did not faithfully carry out his orders.

"Lukin, don't call." Sokov stopped him quickly: "My fall has nothing to do with them."

"Misha, you don't have to speak well of them. If they are wrong, they are wrong. If you don't criticize them, they will make similar mistakes again in the future."

"Lukin, I didn't say anything good for your logistics department. My fall had nothing to do with them." Seeing that Lukin was determined to criticize the logistics department, Sokov quickly defended others and said, "On the way here, I saw a familiar figure and wanted to get off the car to see what was going on. Who knew that I accidentally stepped on a piece of floating ice and ended up falling?"

"You didn't fall at the door, but on the way here?" Lukin was still skeptical about Sokov's statement.

"Yes, I have already said that. I saw a familiar figure on the way, so I ordered the driver to stop the car and wanted to get out to see it more clearly, but I accidentally fell."

Seeing that Sokov didn't seem to be covering up for the logistics department, Lukin shifted his attention to another question: "Misha, you said you saw a familiar figure from behind. Can you tell me who that person might be?"

According to Lukin, many of the officers and soldiers transferred to Yakutsk to guard the prisoners of war were old subordinates who participated in the August Storm. Maybe Sokov met one of them. Without waiting for Sokov to answer, he confidently said: "You didn't see our former guard captain. He was on leave today and didn't come to work. Maybe the person you saw on the road was him."

"Guardian Captain?" Sokov asked in confusion, "Which Guardian Captain?"

"It was the guard company you led to massacre the Japanese gendarmerie when we were in Northeast China." Lukin explained to Sokov: "When I was transferred to Yakutsk, that guard company came with me."

Sokov felt a little proud when he heard Lukin talk about how he led a guard company to massacre a Japanese gendarmerie last August, leaving no one alive. He said with some surprise: "I didn't expect that the guard company commander was also transferred to Yakutsk."

"Yes, Misha, there are quite a few old subordinates who have been transferred here with me, and you know many of them." Lukin asked again: "Could the person you met on the road be one of them?"

"No." Sokov answered very straightforwardly.

"No?" Sokov's answer surprised Lukin. He asked in astonishment: "Then who is it?"

"Seryosha!" Sokov said with a serious expression, "He is not only my neighbor, but also my best friend. We have been together since the town of Khimki. When I was the commander of the division and the commander of the army, he served as the company commander and battalion commander in my guard unit."

Lukin could not help but frown again after hearing this: "Misha, since this man is your good friend and neighbor, and has always served as an officer in your guard unit, why have I never heard you mention him?"

"Lukin, this is what happened," Sokov explained to Lukin, "When I was the commander of the 27th Army, I was ambushed by the enemy and was unfortunately seriously injured. I was sent back to the military hospital in Moscow for treatment. After I was discharged from the hospital, I was sent to the Frunze Military Academy. When I returned to the front, I was assigned a new position. I once asked someone about Seryosha's news, but the answer I got was that he died in battle."

After Sokov finished his story, Lukin asked cautiously, "Misha, can you really confirm that the back figure you saw is the Seryosha you mentioned?"

"Yes, I am absolutely sure of that." Sokov said in a decisive tone: "Although he was wrapped tightly and I only saw his back most of the time, I am sure that he must be the Seryosha I am familiar with. He did not die, but survived."

"Misha, don't worry, I'll ask you another question."

"Excuse me."

"When you heard about Seryosha's death, did you ask where he died?"

"It's in what is now Ukraine, but I can't remember the exact location."

"No matter where in Ukraine," Lukin continued, "it's five or six thousand kilometers away from here. Even if Seryosha is still alive, how could he appear in such a remote place? Misha, I think you may have recognized the wrong person."

"It's not wrong." Sokov retorted, "I have been thinking about this problem on the way back. I believe in my eyes, and I am definitely not mistaken. As for why he appeared in Yakutsk, 5,000 to 6,000 kilometers away from Ukraine, have you forgotten that a considerable number of our officers and soldiers were sent to Siberia for transformation after being rescued from German POW camps? Maybe Seryosha was captured by the Germans after being injured, and was sent to Siberia after being rescued."

Sokov's words made Lukin fall into deep thought. After a long while, he slowly said: "Misha, your guess is correct. There is indeed a labor camp in Yakutsk, where thousands of our officers and soldiers who were rescued from German prisoner-of-war camps are detained. Since the beginning of this year, a group of them have been released one after another. Some have returned to their hometowns, while more have stayed in Yakutsk. If you really saw Seryosha today, he should be one of the people who chose to stay."

Sokov stood up suddenly and asked anxiously, "Lukin, could you take me to the labor camp now and check their roster to see if Seryosha's name is on it?"

"I'll make a phone call first." Lukin said, struggling to stand up, and Sokov quickly reached out to help him. Lukin came to the table, picked up the phone and dialed a number, then said into the receiver: "I'm Lieutenant General Lukin, please help me find Lieutenant Colonel Vitali! ... Lieutenant Colonel Vitali? This is Lukin, I want to visit you now, is it appropriate?"

After Lukin talked to the person on the other end of the phone for a while, he put down the phone and said to Sokov: "Misha, I have already talked to Lieutenant Colonel Vitali. We will go to see him now."

Seeing that Lukin had difficulty walking, Sokov wanted to persuade him to stay, but Lukin shook his head and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Vitali is from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He is not under my jurisdiction. Besides, he has a bad temper. If you go to see him alone, he might say a few official words to you and then send you away."

After hearing what Lukin said, Sokov gave up the idea of ​​letting him stay. In this strange place, without Lukin's help, he might run into obstacles everywhere. In front of the officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he, a general with no real power, was not taken seriously by them at all.

After nearly an hour of bumpy ride, the convoy arrived at the labor camp.

The labor camps were surrounded by barbed wire like prisoner-of-war camps, and there were watchtowers in several corners with soldiers on duty. The imprisoned officers and soldiers lived in log cabins with heating facilities, which were slightly better than the living conditions of the German and Japanese prisoners of war.

Led by an officer, Sokov and Lukin walked into the largest wooden house, where the head of the labor camp lived.

Lieutenant Colonel Vitali was a bald middle-aged man. When he saw Sokov and Lukin coming in together, he was startled at first, then he picked up the hat on the table, put it on his head, and then trotted to Sokov and Lukin, raised his hand to salute, and said politely: "Comrade Generals, welcome to my place."

"Lieutenant Colonel Vitali, let me introduce you." Lukin pointed at Sokov and introduced him, "This is Admiral Sokov, from Moscow. During Operation August Storm, he was the commander of the 53rd Army, and I was the deputy commander."

"Oh, it's General Sokov." After figuring out Sokov's identity, Vitali asked calmly, "I wonder what brings you here, General? What's the matter?"

"I saw a familiar figure on the road today. He looked very similar to one of my former subordinates." Sokov said cautiously, "It is said that this subordinate died on the battlefield in the later stages of the war. But from the moment I saw him, I guessed that the rumor might be wrong. He did not die on the battlefield, but might have been captured by the Germans. He was later liberated from the POW camp by our army and sent here. I wanted to come to you to check the roster to see if my former subordinate is on it."

After Vitali understood Sokov's purpose, he pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Comrade General, although you have a high military rank, neither prisoners of war nor labor reform personnel are under your jurisdiction. It is not appropriate for you to check the roster of labor reform personnel."

As Vitali said this, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze.

After an unknown amount of time, Lukin said, "Lieutenant Colonel Vitali, can't you make an exception for once?"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant General Lukin." Vitali said in a businesslike manner, "This is a matter of principle. There is absolutely no room for compromise."

Lukin wanted to say a few more words, but Sokov raised his hand to stop him. He knew that the other party was a stone in the toilet, smelly and hard. If he begged him humbly, he would become even more demanding.

"Lieutenant Colonel Vitali, you may not know that when I was the commander of the 27th Army, General Lunev, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, was my military commissar." As Sokov expected, Vitali was surprised when he heard Lunev's name. He quickly struck while the iron was hot and took out the order signed by Zhukov and Beria from his bag. After folding the upper half, he handed it to Vitali: "Look, this is the order issued by Marshal Zhukov and General Beria ten days ago."

Vitali took a closer look and saw the signatures of Marshal Zhukov and Beria, and the date was also this month. Seeing this order, Vitali began to speculate about Sokov's intentions: Could he be a secret investigator sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs?

Thinking of this, his attitude became humble: "General Sokov, how can I help you?"

"I want to look at the roster of the labor camp to see if my old subordinate is on it."

"Okay, Comrade General." Vitali said very cooperatively, "I'll have someone bring the roster over right away."

A phone call was made, and along with the roster came two second lieutenant officers.

"Comrade General," Vitali introduced to Sokov, "these two lieutenants are the data clerks responsible for managing the archives. If you want to find someone, just tell them and they will find it for you in the shortest possible time."

When Sokov heard Vitali say this, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy. With the cooperation of these two data clerks, he would be able to find Seryosha in the shortest time possible.

Thinking of this, he said to the two data clerks: "Two second lieutenant comrades, the person I'm looking for is called Seryosha, he is 42 years old this year, and he should have been captured by the German army in the Ukrainian battlefield in 1944..."

Before Sokov could finish his words, one of the older lieutenants said, "I'm sorry, Comrade General, there is no such person as you mentioned."

Sokov was stunned for a moment, then said, "Could it be that he has been released, so his name cannot be found in the labor camp roster?"

"No, Comrade General." The older lieutenant said in a positive tone: "As long as he has been in our labor camp, even if he is released, his name can still be found. I said no because there is no one who meets the conditions you mentioned."

"That's right, Comrade General." Another data clerk also agreed: "There are probably more than fifty people named Seryosha, but there is not a single one who meets the conditions you mentioned. If you don't believe me, I can show you the list with my own eyes."

After saying that, the data clerk took out a book from the thick list, flipped through a few pages, and handed it to Sokov: "Comrade General, all the Seryoshas are on this page. Their ages are between 25 and 38, and none of them are over 40 years old. More importantly, none of these people were captured by the German army in Ukraine."

Sokov carefully checked the list, and found that none of the names matched Seryosha's situation. He couldn't help but doubt what he saw: "Did I see it wrong?"

(End of this chapter)