There was a soft knock on the door, and the door opened softly.
The man sitting behind the desk in the center of the room was just as Malashenko expected. The supreme leader of the Soviet Union, the loving father Comrade Stalin, was watching him silently with an unreadable look in his eyes.
Malashenko, who traveled through time from later generations, is used to seeing the masks that people use to protect themselves from others and the world. There are many different types of masks, and the eyes engraved on each mask are different.
All the same, either hypocritical or well-intentioned.
One of the biggest rewards of coming to this world, for Malashenko personally, is that he has found many sincere faces unique to this era. The personal experience of not having to show others with a mask is indescribable beauty.
Malashenko once thought that he could easily read what people of this era were thinking through the eyes known as the windows of the soul. In fact, this was indeed the case most of the time.
But... there are still surprises in everything, such as now.
Malashenko didn't know what was hidden in the eyes of the man he had seen countless times in black and white photos and color portraits, staring straight at him, or even a little bit of valuable information.
Can't read it.
Malashenko didn't know whether the man who held the core of the highest power in the Soviet Union was angry or happy. Those eyes were like black holes in the universe that only existed materially and had no spiritual philosophy. They couldn't be explained by conventional principles.
Malashenko didn't know what to do next, and even had no clue for a while. He just stood there stupidly and let the next thing happen according to the passage of time.
Strictly speaking, judging from his performance when he was summoned by Comrade Stalin for the first time, Malashenko was not bad, and even performed well. At least he did not start crying with gratitude on the spot like some rookies who were so excited that they were incoherent.
The extent of the nose.
The person who was the first to break the deadlock was the Kremlin master sitting behind the desk. He quickly blurted out his amiable voice like the chess master next door.
"I recognize you. You are the young man who stood on the first heavy tank at the beginning of the Red Square parade in 1941 and solemnly saluted me. Is that so?"
Malashenko did not expect that the dialogue would start in such a way, and the subsequent actions seemed a bit hectic.
"Colonel Malashenko, commander of the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, reports to you! Dear leader, Comrade Stalin, I wish you good health!"
In this office, which symbolizes the highest power of the Kremlin, there are many generals who were cordially received by Comrade Stalin, but there are only a few school-level commanders, and Malashenko can be said to be the most dazzling one among them.
Facing Malashenko's solemn salute and loud report, Stalin, who had already stood up behind his desk, smiled slightly, holding the pen for correcting documents and pointing to the sofa closest to his desk.
"Sit down and talk, little Malashenko. The hero of the motherland does not have to stand and talk."
Generally speaking, when big people speak, they cannot expect to express their meaning thoroughly. Malashenko understands the principle of leaving half a sentence behind, but as for what hints are hidden in the remaining half sentences, it all depends on his own thinking and understanding.
"Okay, Comrade Stalin."
When Malashenko sat down, Stalin, who had already returned to his chair, continued to control the speech and spoke slowly.
"What do you want to drink? There's almost everything here."
"..."
"Water is enough, Comrade Stalin, just ordinary water."
Comrade Stalin, who looked thoughtful, did not say any more words, but directly pressed the electric bell on the table to call his secretary from outside the door, and gave him the drink he needed and the boiled water Malashenko wanted to drink.
After giving the order, the things will be prepared and delivered as quickly as possible according to the orders of the supreme leader. This has always been the case.
The first meeting was not only for Malashenko himself, but also for Comrade Stalin, the most loving father who was the most powerful person in the Soviet Union.
A few inadvertent small actions and brief questions made Comrade Stalin leave a good impression on the legendary young man in front of him.
Compared with those frizzy and overwhelmed peers, this Malashenko is indeed, as Zhukov reported to himself, more mature and steady, able to handle ordinary details without making a fool of himself.
The widely circulated images of the Red Army tank heroes do overlap perfectly.
After a moment of silence, Comrade Stalin spoke again and temporarily stopped playing with the pen in his hand.
"Do you know anything about the "Red Stalingrad"?"
Malashenko was not sure whether Comrade Stalin was testing him. What he hid in his heart was probably nothing compared to this loving father of steel. He always warned himself that he must not underestimate the heroes of this era.
Rashenko decided to report the truth.
"I know a little bit, but not much. It's limited to what's in the newspapers and some rumors."
The Pravda newspaper published news that the Red Army had just completed testing a super weapon called "Red Stalingrad" and said that this weapon would be a weapon to defend the motherland to crush the ambitions of the evil fascists.
Combining this special name with some fragments of rumors circulating outside, Malashenko can probably guess what kind of weapon would be given this glorious name. Just thinking about naming a weapon of this level makes people wonder.
I know that it must be approved by Comrade Stalin himself and signed by him.
However, out of his own cautious considerations, Malashenko directly stated the problem without opening his mouth. There is no need to do more things that should not be speculated on his own. Soldiers must make their identities clear and stay away from the red line that exceeds the limit.
Far safer.
Is Comrade Stalin satisfied with Malashenko's answer?
I don’t know, no one can say the exact answer, but at least I didn’t show any anger because of it.
"This super weapon is of great significance to the future battles of our Red Army. This significance is not limited to war, but its role in promoting the national defense construction of the motherland cannot be underestimated.",
Comrade Stalin's next words confirmed Malashenko's conjecture, but they did not cause Malashenko to interrupt. The steely father's words continued.
"Zhukov has reported all the details to me, and you performed very well, little Malashenko."
"Neither Vatutin nor Zhukov mentioned the details of the award, they just submitted an application to Moscow."
"So, what kind of award do you hope to receive for these two great honors?"