red moscow

Chapter 3141

Lukin briefly briefed Sokov on the current security situation and living conditions of the citizens in Odessa; the conversation lasted less than ten minutes. After listening to Sokov's suggestions, Lukin found them reasonable and believed that he should discuss them with Zhukov as soon as possible, so he took his leave. Sokov didn't linger, seeing him to the door and shaking his hand in farewell.

The Internal Affairs Lieutenant standing guard beside the jeep saw Lukin emerge from the villa's gate. He immediately stepped forward, opened the back door, and respectfully saluted, waiting for Lukin to get in. Once Lukin was seated, the lieutenant gently closed the door and quickly got into the passenger seat himself. He turned to his superior in the back seat and asked, "Comrade Deputy Commander, shall we go directly back to our residence?"

Lukin shook his head and said firmly, "Don't go home yet. Turn around and go back to headquarters—I have something important to report to Marshal Zhukov in person." The lieutenant nodded in understanding and then ordered the driver in the front seat, "Change course and go to headquarters." The car started and drove along the road towards the gate of the compound.

About half an hour later, Lukin appeared hurriedly outside Zhukov's office. After being announced by his secretary, he quickly entered the room. Zhukov, who was working at his desk, looked up, a hint of surprise on his face: "Comrade Lukin? Didn't you say you were going to visit Misha? Why are you back so soon?"

"Comrade Marshal," Lukin said solemnly after steadying himself and giving a salute, "I just met with Misha and briefed him on the current situation in Odessa. He made a suggestion that I think should be reported to you immediately, so I came back specifically for this purpose."

But Zhukov frowned upon hearing this, tapping his fingers unconsciously on the table, and said somewhat impatiently, "Comrade Lukin, wasn't the proposal that you and Misha came up with already rejected by me? Your resettlement plan for veterans was well-intentioned and reflected care for the soldiers, but it was completely unsuitable for the current tense and complex situation, which is why I rejected it."

“No, Comrade Marshal, you’ve misunderstood.” Lukin quickly took a small step forward and explained urgently, “I came to see you not to restart the discussion on the resettlement plan, but to report on how to improve the extremely bad security situation in Odessa.”

"Improve the current dire security situation in Odessa?" Upon hearing this, Zhukov slightly raised his chin, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and asked in return, "Does Misha have any specific and feasible suggestions?"

"He believes that the most resolute and severe measures should be taken to ruthlessly crack down on criminals who openly disrupt social order and threaten the safety of citizens," Lu Jin replied firmly.

"How exactly should we crack down on this?" Zhukov leaned forward, his gaze sharp as he pressed on. "More than half a month has passed since I took office, and I've summoned the head of the police headquarters several times, clearly ordering him to strengthen public security management. But the reality is that street crime remains rampant, and the situation hasn't improved at all. I also agree that we must crack down hard on criminals, but how exactly should we implement this? Does Misha have any more practical ideas?"

"Comrade Marshal, to thoroughly improve public security in Odessa, relying solely on the police system is far from enough." Lu Jin's voice was lowered, but every word was clear. "There are intricate connections between those lawless criminals and certain police officers. Even if higher authorities issue orders for a crackdown, they may very well outwardly comply but inwardly defy them and do a perfunctory job." He paused briefly, then continued solemnly, "Therefore, I suggest that in this crackdown, we should not use police forces, but rather our own people."

"Our own people?" Zhukov's eyebrows furrowed again, his tone clearly questioning. "You mean... send troops to deal with the criminals in the city?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal."

Zhukov stood up, hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the spacious office, his boots making a steady, rhythmic sound on the floor. After a long pause, he spoke thoughtfully: "Comrade Lukin, our troops are good at fighting the enemy head-on—at least they know where the enemy is and who they are. But now you're sending them to maintain order in the city? How are they supposed to identify those who need to be dealt with from the vast sea of ​​people?" "Misha said to have the male and female soldiers transferred from various units for this operation paired up and pretend to be married couples. Each couple should carry a concealed pistol and infiltrate the areas where crime is most rampant. If they encounter a robbery, they should act decisively, killing the criminals on the spot to demonstrate the severity of the law. Afterward, the soldiers should post conspicuous notices on the bodies, stating the crimes committed, and place the bodies in a prominent location on the street as a public spectacle, sending a strong deterrent signal to criminals and curbing the spread of crime."

Zhukov sneered after hearing Lukin's words, a hint of mockery and reminiscence flashing in his eyes. He slowly said, "Disposing of criminals' corpses by the roadside reminds me of when our troops entered Berlin. Back then, we often saw civilians hanged from telephone poles along the way, their bodies swaying in the wind. It was a cruel method the Germans used to intimidate civilians, to prevent them from helping us capture the city. Now that the war is over, isn't it a bit too much to use such cruel methods again?"

“Not at all excessive.” Lukin quickly added, “Misha also said that it is precisely at times like these that we need swift and decisive measures. Only by deterring criminals and making them afraid to commit further crimes can the city’s security situation be completely improved.”

Zhukov's mind began to race as he considered the feasibility of the plan. Lukin, standing nearby, seeing Zhukov deep in thought, didn't disturb him. Instead, he sat down on the sofa by the wall, quietly awaiting Zhukov's final decision.

After a long while, Zhukov stopped thinking, looked at Lukin sitting on the sofa, and said, "Comrade Lukin, this plan does look good, but there are still some shortcomings that need to be improved."

Upon hearing Zhukov's words, Lukin quickly and modestly asked, "Comrade Marshal, where do you think the shortcomings lie?"

"You're saying that soldiers going on missions disguise themselves as a married couple to carry out operations in areas rife with crime," Zhukov said. "If there aren't many criminals committing robberies, two soldiers can easily handle it. But what if there are many? Not only will they fail to eliminate the criminals, but the soldiers will also be in mortal danger. Have you considered that?"

After careful consideration, Lukin realized that Zhukov's words made a lot of sense. If the soldiers on a mission were surrounded by a large number of criminals, their lives might really be in danger. He quickly asked, "Comrade Marshal, do you have any good ideas?"

"Since we need to improve public order, we must deploy troops into the city and form patrol teams to patrol areas where crime is rampant," Zhukov said with a serious expression. "In this way, if soldiers disguised as husband and wife encounter danger, they can rush to their aid in the shortest possible time."

"Comrade Marshal, since you agree to this proposal in principle, shouldn't we begin deployment as soon as possible?"

Zhukov nodded. "We'll hold an emergency meeting this afternoon to discuss this proposal. If no one objects, the rectification campaign will begin immediately."

(End of this chapter)