"Misha," Yakov pushed Sokov back to his office, first poured him a cup of hot tea, and then asked: "You have been in the hospital in Lubyanka for two months, what?
When can I be discharged from the hospital?"
"I don't know." Sokov shook his head and replied, "Didn't you see that the plaster on my leg hasn't been removed yet? It looks like I'll have to stay there for at least a month or two."
After hearing this, Yakov shook his head and said, "What a pity, what a pity."
His words aroused Sokov's curiosity. He put the tea cup to his mouth and asked casually: "What's the pity?"
"My father said two days ago that he would like to see you when you recover from your injury."
Sokov had just taken a sip of tea. When he heard what Yakov said, he immediately squirted out all the tea. Fortunately, Yakov raised his arm in front of him in time to prevent Sokov from spraying the tea on himself.
face.
"What did you say?" Although he sprayed tea on Yakov, Sokov had no time to apologize and couldn't wait to ask: "What did you just say, your father wants to see me?"
It has been two years since Sokov came to this era. He has grown from a little-known corporal to a general with great military exploits, but he has never had the chance to meet Stalin. At this moment, I heard Yakov say
Stalin wanted to see him, how could he not be excited?
"Yes, that's what he said."
"Then when can I go see him?"
"Don't be anxious, Misha." Yakov returned to his desk and sat down, looking at Sokov and said calmly: "It won't be too late for me to arrange for you to meet again after your injury recovers.
"
"Whether my injury is healed or not will not conflict with meeting your father." Sokov did not want to miss the good opportunity to meet Stalin because his injury was not healed, so he tried to tell Yakov and arrange a suitable meeting for himself.
opportunity.
"This is impossible." Yakov answered simply: "General Yereomenko was injured in an accident before the Battle of Stalingrad. After a period of treatment, his leg injury improved.
It was almost done, but he still needed to use a cane when walking. When he was ordered to see my father, the cane was left in the office outside. He endured the pain and limped into my father's office."
When Yakov said this, he paused for a moment to see if Sokov was listening to him: "When you go to see my father, you will definitely not be able to use a wheelchair to enter the office. Do you think you can enter alone in your current situation?
My father's office and stood there for ten minutes or even longer?"
Listening to what Yakov said, Sokov felt that he was taking it for granted. Yereomenko had a leg injury. When he went in to see Stalin, he couldn't even bring a cane, let alone a wheelchair. Even if he was notified at this moment to meet Stalin,
, I’m afraid I can’t even walk into the office.
Thinking of this, he could only sigh and said helplessly: "Hey, this is such a pity. It seems that I have to wait until my injury heals and I can walk like a normal person before I have the opportunity to meet the Supreme Commander himself."
"Don't worry, Misha." Yakov saw that Sokov looked a little depressed and comforted him and said, "As long as you recover and are discharged from the hospital, I will arrange for you to meet my father as soon as possible."
After chatting for a while, Yakov turned the topic back to the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun: "Misha, I just told you about the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun today, but judging from the drawings you drew and the plan you talked about, it seems that it was very early.
I have considered it mature before."
Sokov had already guessed that Yakov would ask him this question, and he was already prepared for the answer: "Yasha, you are right, I have indeed been thinking about this issue a long time ago."
"Oh." Sokov's answer was a bit beyond Yakov's expectations. He thought Sokov would tell him that he came up with a temporary plan on the way to the weapons and equipment department. He asked curiously:
"Then when did you start thinking about it?"
"When else?" Since he wanted to justify himself, he had to say it like that. Sokov pretended to be solemn and said: "During the Battle of Stalingrad, the German planes gave me a great headache. At that time
I was just thinking, is there any way to strengthen our air defense capabilities so that the German aircraft have no use?"
"So you started thinking about building a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun." Before Sokov could finish speaking, Yakov said smartly: "Am I right?"
"That's right." Sokov continued following his words: "Although our army has various anti-aircraft weapons, they have a common shortcoming, that is, they are inconvenient to move. When our army is defending, it is used to
The air defense is very good; but if our army turns to the offensive, the role of these air defense firepower will be greatly reduced."
"Misha, is it really feasible to install two 57mm anti-aircraft guns on the chassis of a T-34 tank?"
Sokov knew that the self-propelled anti-aircraft guns he was talking about today were all installed on the base of the T-54 tank. However, this tank has not yet come out. He can only temporarily consider installing it on the base of the T-34 tank. As for
He had no idea what the prototype car would look like when it was produced.
But since Yakov asked, he naturally had to answer: "I think we can test its effect after the prototype is produced."
Yakov felt that Sokov's answer was very perfunctory, but he didn't care. After all, before a new weapon is officially released, there will definitely be problems of one kind or another, and it can only be improved continuously during various tests.
.
At this time, the door was pushed open from the outside, and then Ustinov walked in. Seeing Sokov sitting in a wheelchair, he was stunned for a moment, then walked over with a smile, and from a distance, he
He stretched out his hand and smiled at Sokov: "Hello, Comrade Sokov, I heard that you were injured and hospitalized. I also said that I would visit you when I have time."
Yakov, who was sitting behind his desk, immediately stood up and straightened his body to greet Ustinov: "Hello, Comrade People's Commissar. I invited Misha here. He just told the man from the design department
Several designers proposed ideas for new anti-aircraft weapons."
"New anti-aircraft weapon?" Ustinov asked with interest: "What kind of new anti-aircraft weapon is it?"
"Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun!" After Yakov said this word, he realized that his expression was not accurate enough, and added: "According to Misha's idea, two 57 mm caliber anti-aircraft guns are installed on the T-34 tank.
On the chassis.”
After listening to Yakov's introduction, Ustinov couldn't help but his eyes shone: "Great, this idea is really great." He held Sokov's hand, shook it vigorously and said, "What if
If we can really develop this kind of self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, then our army will not have to worry about air defense issues when attacking the enemy."
After letting go of Sokov's hand, Ustinov stood up straight, turned around and asked Yakov: "Colonel Yakov, I wonder how long it will take to produce a prototype car?"
"Comrade People's Commissar," Yakov replied respectfully: "Since all the materials are readily available, we can start assembly work as soon as possible. If everything goes well, the prototype car will be launched in three days."
"Very good, very good." Ustinov smiled and nodded, and said with satisfaction: "Be sure to notify me on the day when you will test the prototype car. I will go and see with my own eyes how this prototype car looks like."
"yes!"
"Comrade Sokov," Ustinov came to Yakov's office just to ask if there was any news about new anti-aircraft weapons. Since he knew that a prototype would be ready in three days, he had no need to stay.
He looked down at Sokov and said: "Recuperate well and wish you a speedy recovery so that you can return to the front line as soon as possible."
"Comrade People's Commissar," Sokov remembered that Ustinov had personally arranged for Asya to take care of him in the hospital. He had always wanted to find an opportunity to thank him, so he just took this opportunity to express his gratitude to him:
"I'm really grateful to you for sending Asiya to take care of me."
"It's easy, you're welcome." Ustinov shook hands with Sokov again: "We'll see you later."
After seeing off Ustinov, Yakov looked up at the wall clock on the opposite wall and said to Sokov: "Misha, it's getting late, I'll take you back."
"Well," Sokov looked at the time and found that nearly four hours had passed since he left the Frunze Military Academy. I'm afraid Asiya was waiting impatiently in the hospital, so he nodded and said: "
It’s already so late, please take me back to the hospital as soon as possible, Asiya must have been waiting for me for a long time.”
Just as Sokov expected, Asiya rushed over as soon as she saw Sokov being pushed into the ward and asked anxiously: "Misha, where did you go and why did you come back so late?"
Sokov laughed dryly, and then explained to her: "Today Yasha came to see me at school and said that he had some problems with weapons and equipment and wanted to discuss it with me, so I followed him."
Only then did Asiya clearly see that the person pushing Sokov through the door was actually Yakov. She blushed and said hello to Yakov, and then whispered to Sokov: "You should at least send someone to
Let me say hello so I don't have to worry about you."
"I have thought about it," Sokov said helplessly: "But who of my classmates in the training class do you think can enter this hospital?"
When Asiya thought about it, it seemed that this was really the case. The security measures of this hospital were strict and not just anyone could get in. So she did not dwell on the matter anymore, but asked Yakov politely: "Yasha,
Have you had dinner? How about eating some with us here?"
"No, no." Yakov waved his hands and said, "I still have something to do, so I won't stay for dinner. Asiya, Misha must be very hungry after being busy for so long. Please hurry up and prepare dinner for him."
"Yasha," seeing Yakov about to leave, Sokov specially warned him from behind: "When the day comes, remember to call me."
"Don't worry, Misha." Yakov said with a smile: "Since you are the designer, you will definitely be indispensable during the testing."
Asiya sent Yakov away, and when she came back, she curiously asked Sokov: "Misha, can you tell me what you went to the weapons and equipment department to discuss today?"
Sokov only thought about it for a few seconds before deciding to tell the truth to Asiya. Although the development of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns was a secret, for him, there was nothing to keep secret. Asiya was originally a weapon.
She could see the members of the equipment department as soon as she returned.
"We are studying self-propelled anti-aircraft guns." Sokov was afraid that Asiya would not understand, so he specifically explained to her: "It is to install the anti-aircraft guns on the chassis of the tank, so that the air defense area can be quickly changed."
After Asiya heard this, she said with a blank look on her face: "I have seen anti-aircraft guns installed on trucks before, but the anti-aircraft effect was very limited."
"Installing an anti-aircraft gun on a truck and installing it on a tank chassis are completely different things. There is no comparison between the two." Sokov said: "Installing it on a car only solves the mobility problem of anti-aircraft weapons.
, but the car itself is not a very stable shooting platform, and coupled with its scarcity, it will not play much role in air defense."
When Sokov said this, he suddenly remembered that the Soviet army had developed a 76.2mm anti-aircraft gun installed on the base of the T-26 light tank as early as the 1930s. It is said that the air defense effect is not bad. But unfortunately, this weapon
The designers were purged, resulting in the termination of all related research and development work, and the plan to mass-produce and equip the troops was also abandoned.
He paused for a moment, and then said cautiously: "A few years ago, the tank manufacturing factory in Kharkiv developed a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun mounted on the base of a T-26 light tank. The caliber of the gun was
76.2 mm. After testing, it was found that the air defense effect is very ideal."
"Since it has been developed a long time ago, why has this self-propelled anti-aircraft gun not been commissioned yet?"
Facing the curious baby Asiya, Sokov said with some laughter and tears: "Because the designer of the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was purged in the purge not long after, the research work he was responsible for was terminated, resulting in the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Plans to field troops have been postponed indefinitely."
Asiya finally understood the situation at this moment. Before she could say anything, she saw Vera coming over carrying a tray with dinner. She quickly stepped forward and put the things in the tray one by one.
On the small dining table in the ward.
When Sokov saw Vera preparing to leave with an empty tray, he quickly greeted her and said, "Vera, sit down and eat together."
"Thank you, Comrade General." Vera replied politely: "I have already eaten. Please use it slowly. I wish you all a good appetite."
"Misha, are you going to the weapons and equipment department in a few days?"
"Yes." Sokov replied: "The prototype will be produced in three days. I will go to the site to see the test results."
When Sokov said this, he suddenly remembered Yakov's words, and couldn't help but said to Asiya: "Asiya, Yasha told me today that his father wanted to see me."
"Yakov's father?!" After Asiya repeated Sokov's words, she suddenly stood up from her seat, looked at Sokov in shock and asked: "Misha, what did you say, Yakov?"
Kov’s father wants to see you?”
"Yes, that's exactly what it is."
"Oh my God." Asiya covered her mouth in surprise and said in an unbelievable tone: "Comrade Stalin actually wants to see you. This is simply unbelievable."
"It's not incredible. After all, I am now a lieutenant general and have the qualifications to meet the supreme commander himself." Sokov said lightly: "In addition, the relationship between me and Yakov, and the past relationship between my father and the supreme commander.
It’s a personal relationship between the commander-in-chief and it’s only a matter of time before he meets him.”