red moscow

Chapter 2941

Sokov had no clue how to return to the future. Hearing Khabarov's speculation, he slowly nodded and casually said, "The situation you described could very well become a reality."

“By the way, Misha, I haven’t had a chance to ask you yet, what are you doing here?” Victoria asked curiously. “Are you in town for the military parade in a few days?”

“No, the reason we’re in the city isn’t to attend the military parade,” Sokov explained to Victoria, shaking his head. “By chance, I rescued the wounded Lukin and was ordered to take him to a military hospital in Moscow for treatment. Coincidentally, he was staying at this hospital.”

Upon hearing Sokov mention Lukin's name, Victoria's face showed a shocked expression: "According to the history books, wasn't Lukin already a prisoner of the Germans at this time? How could you have rescued him?"

Seeing that Victoria seemed quite familiar with the history of the Great Patriotic War, Sokov skipped the explanation and went straight to answer her question: "According to Marshal Rokossovsky's war memoirs, Lukin originally broke out with Lieutenant General Bolkin, commander of the 19th Army, but they were ambushed by the Germans while camping that night. During the battle, Lukin and Bolkin were separated and unfortunately became prisoners of war. Two days ago, I received Zhukov's orders to carry out a counterattack in the Borychevo region, where I happened to encounter Generals Lukin and Bolkin and their small unit, thus saving Lukin from capture."

“Oh, I see.” Victoria nodded after hearing this, and said thoughtfully, “Based on Lukin’s performance after the outbreak of the war, if he can fight the whole war, he can at least get the rank of general before the war ends, even if he can’t become a wartime marshal.”

"Misha, what was the highest military rank you received after your last time travel?" Khabarov asked curiously.

"General rank!" Sokov replied, "His position is army group commander."

Upon hearing Sokov's words, Khabarov's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "Did your troops participate in the Battle of Berlin?"

Sokov slowly shook his head and said regretfully, "Although I had served in the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 1st Belorussian Front, when the Battle of Berlin began, the troops I commanded belonged to Marshal Rokossovsky's 2nd Belorussian Front, which was responsible for East Prussia, and we missed the opportunity to occupy Berlin."

“That’s a real shame,” Khabarov said. “I thought that even if it wasn’t your troops that captured the Reichstag, they would at least be the first to storm into Berlin. Who knew they wouldn’t even qualify for the Battle of Berlin.”

Victoria glanced at the rank insignia on Sokov's collar and asked with some surprise, "Misha, I remember you were a brigade commander. Why would you personally go to such a small matter as escorting Lieutenant General Lukin to the city for treatment of his injuries? What was Marshal Rokossovsky's purpose in doing this?"

"Volokolamsk, which Panfilov's division held firm, has fallen. I suspect the army group plans to launch a new counter-offensive somewhere to disrupt the German offensive," Sokov said. "My superiors probably sent me to Moscow to reorganize my troops for the upcoming counter-offensive. By the way, Vika, be careful when you mention certain commanders' ranks in the future. Although we all know that Zhukov and Rokossovsky became marshals later in the war, at this moment, one is a general and the other a lieutenant general. If someone hears us referring to them as marshals behind their backs, it might cause them unnecessary trouble."

Victoria understood the implication in Sokov's words and quickly nodded, saying, "Misha, I understand. If I'm not mistaken, you're preparing to become one of these two marshals' most valued subordinates in the coming years, and therefore don't want any problems to arise with them."

Sokov didn't say anything, but simply gave Victoria a thumbs-up, praising her guess as correct.

After a moment of silence, Sokov asked Victoria with concern, "Vika, how is your injury? How long will it take to fully recover?"

“Misha, you should know that penicillin doesn’t exist in this era. Even sulfonamides, which are much less effective at reducing inflammation, are still in high demand.” Victoria replied with a wry smile, “If this injury were in modern times, I could probably be discharged from the hospital in a week. But I’ve been in the hospital for more than ten days. I’m afraid I’ll have to wait another week to fully recover.”

“Vika, I’m very curious. Aren’t you a police officer maintaining order? How did you get injured?” Khabarov asked, puzzled.

Victoria glanced at Sokov, a hesitant look on her face: "I was maintaining order outside the bakery when I was injured by a grenade thrown by the enemy."

"What? The enemy actually attacked a bakery? That's outrageous!"

Sokov noticed the unnatural expression on Victoria's face and guessed that she was not telling the truth, so he said, "Vika, there are only the three of us here, and no outsiders are present. You can tell the truth about what happened."

Khabarov raised an eyebrow, turned to Sokov, and said in surprise, "Misha, is there something else going on here?"

“If they were truly German agents who had infiltrated the city, their targets would certainly be important military locations and offices of institutions. Why would they attack an ordinary bakery where old men buy food?” Sokov explained to Khabarov. “I suspect there must be more to this story.”

“Misha, you’re right.” After much deliberation, Victoria decided to tell the two the truth: “The attack on the bakery by German agents was just a propaganda excuse. The real reason was what we had anticipated.”

"What exactly happened?" Khabarov urged, "Vika, tell me quickly!"

Just as Victoria was about to explain to the two, several wounded soldiers who had come out for a walk walked towards them. She quickly shut her mouth to avoid what she said being overheard by the wounded soldiers and causing unnecessary trouble.

Several wounded soldiers in hospital gowns approached and, upon seeing Sokov sitting on the bench, immediately stopped and saluted him. Sokov, though not rising, returned the salute.

After the wounded left, Khabarov urged Victoria, "Vika, there are no outsiders here, so please say whatever you want to say."

Victoria nodded, then said, "Do you know the Yeliseyev store in Leningrad?"

Although Sokov had been to St. Petersburg, it was only a brief visit, and he had no idea about the store Victoria was talking about. He shook his head and said truthfully, "I've never heard of this store." Khabarov, however, exclaimed in surprise, "Vika, are you talking about the largest food store in Leningrad—the Yeliseyev Store?"

“That’s right, I’m talking about the largest food store in Leningrad,” Victoria said. “When I was in St. Petersburg for training, I heard old people talk about this food store, which was the largest during the Great Patriotic War.”

Although it was the first time Soko had heard the name Yeliseyev's Shop, seeing Victoria's serious expression, he realized that there must be something he didn't know, so he patiently listened to Victoria's story.

"According to official Soviet statistics after the war, at least 150 million civilians died of cold and starvation during the siege of Leningrad due to severe food shortages. However, in stark contrast to the hardships endured by the civilians, the Yeliseyev stores had ample food, allowing some of the city's residents to live the same way they did before the war."

Yeliseyev Store was the largest food store in Leningrad, and normally the source of food for the city's residents. However, after the city was besieged by the German army and faced a shortage of supplies, Yeliseyev Store announced its closure, and the store's doors and windows were boarded up.

The citizens assumed the shops were closed due to food shortages in the city. However, behind the sealed windows, the Yeliseyev store maintained an ample supply of food, with fruits, sugar, grains, canned goods, alcohol, and meat readily available, not much different from before the war. The only difference was that the store's clientele had changed from ordinary citizens to a special list of people.

According to relevant records, those on the special list received lavish meals, including butter porridge and sweet tea for breakfast, various meats and appetizer soup for lunch, and cheese, sausages, and precious caviar for dinner.

Upon hearing this, Sokov frowned. He had read extensively about the Siege of Leningrad, and without exception, it was mentioned that the citizens were suffering from hunger and cold, with each person receiving only a limited amount of bread and compressed biscuits; meat, eggs, and vegetables were virtually unavailable. Among the dead citizens, many, though not starving, died from severe malnutrition.

Khabarov asked cautiously, "Vika, did such shops really exist in Leningrad during the siege?"

“Of course it’s true.” Victoria nodded, giving Sokov a positive answer: “I’ve seen some relevant documents in the police station’s archives that show that Yeliseyev’s store was always open during the war, just not to the public.”

Sokov, noticing Khabarov seemed about to say something, quickly interjected, "Anton, I'm not too clear on the situation in Leningrad. But I can tell you that in Moscow these days, ordinary citizens are queuing up every day to get essential food from stores that are short of supplies. Military stores, on the other hand, have far more supplies, and there are no queues; they can buy things anytime. As for officers' stores, the supplies are even more plentiful."

Victoria grinned when she heard Sokov say that, and then said to Khabarov, "Misha was also a general, so he must have experience shopping in both military and officer stores. You can ask him for details."

"Misha, do the goods in the military and officers' shops really have a wide variety and unlimited supply?"

“I haven’t tried whether there are limited supplies,” Sokov replied. “But every time I go shopping, I not only get the goods I need, but I can also ask the store staff to deliver them to my home.”

Khabarov laughed after hearing this, and then said to Sokov, "Misha, you have to work hard this time too. If I want to buy anything in the future, I can benefit from your help."

“Vika,” Sokov asked Victoria tentatively, “do you want to recover as soon as possible?”

Victoria looked at Sokov and asked, puzzled, "Misha, what do you mean?"

“That’s right.” Sokov didn’t hide his biggest secret from Victoria: “After this time travel, I not only found that my German level had reached the standard of my native language, but I also unexpectedly discovered that my blood can help wounded soldiers heal quickly.”

"Your blood can help wounded soldiers heal quickly?" Victoria asked, her face full of shock. "Misha, is it all true?"

“Yes, I have given blood transfusions to wounded soldiers, and those soldiers miraculously recovered within hours of receiving the transfusions,” Sokov said solemnly. “Before the transfusions, the military doctors thought their injuries were too severe, basically beyond saving. But after receiving my blood, they recovered very quickly.”

Sokov had expected Victoria to show a look of surprise after hearing his words, but instead she frowned deeply: "Misha, how many people know about this?"

“Not many,” Sokov shook his head and said, “Besides the three of us, the rescued wounded, and the medical staff, no one else knows about it. If more people knew, it would probably bring me endless trouble.”

“Misha, you’re right.” Victoria agreed with Sokov’s statement: “If everyone knew that your blood had this amazing ability, many people would ask you for blood transfusions. Even if you drained all the blood from your body, you still wouldn’t be able to meet the needs of the massive number of wounded.”

She also emphasized, "Misha, I know you told me this to ask if I need a blood transfusion so that my injuries can heal quickly. I thank you for your kindness, but I don't think it's necessary. After all, I've already been in the hospital for so long, and it wouldn't matter if I stayed for another ten days or half a month. Besides, during my hospitalization, I won't have to brave the cold to carry out my duties, nor will I have to worry about being attacked by hostile elements again."

Seeing that Victoria had guessed his thoughts and had politely declined his offer, Sokov did not press the matter. Instead, he grinned and continued, "Vika, although you don't need me to give you a blood transfusion this time, it doesn't mean you won't need it in the future. After all, this war will last until May 1945, and no one can guarantee that they won't be wounded again in the next few years."

“Misha, I’ll remember your words.” Victoria held Sokov’s hand and said softly, “If I’m ever injured again and need your help, I will definitely ask you for it. I just hope you won’t refuse me then.”

"Don't worry, your safety and Anton's safety are very important to me. I will definitely not stand idly by if anything happens to you." Sokov looked at Victoria and continued, "There is one more thing I would like to ask for your opinion on."

(End of this chapter)