"Yes, Comrade Stalin. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info" Bulganin heard Stalin's voice coming out of the earpiece and hurriedly said respectfully: "I have something important to report to you. An hour earlier, German tanks had captured the Dubosekovo concession station. ”

"Dubosekovo will give way?" Having repeated the name of the place, Stalin quickly found this inconspicuous place on the map, and then said with a frown: "Comrade Bulganin, if the enemy uses this as a starting point for their attack, they will be able to quickly rush to Volokolamsk." Where did you get this news? ”

Stalin now received countless messages every day about the loss of such and such a place, so he did not care at all about such an inconspicuous place as Dubosekovo's concession. When he asked Bulganin this, he wondered how even the loss of such a small place had to be reported to him by the military commissar of the front army by telephone.

"That's right, Comrade Stalin." As soon as Stalin finished asking, Bulganin immediately replied: "The enemy sent twenty tanks and an infantry battalion to attack the Dubosekovo station, and our troops holding on here were less than thirty men. Under the command of the first class instructor Krochkov, they fought tenaciously, and after destroying eighteen enemy tanks and some infantry, all the commanders and fighters on the position died heroically. And Comrade Krochkov, seriously wounded, shouted: 'Although the territory of the Rus is vast, we have no way to retreat, because behind us is Moscow. He then held an anti-tank grenade aloft and charged at a tank approaching the position, killing the enemy tank along with it. ”

"The level 1 instructor has shown tenacity." When Stalin heard this, he put his pipe on the ashtray and picked up a pen to prepare for the record: "Comrade Bulganin, what do you say his name?" ”

"Crochkov," Bulganin hurriedly added, "he is a political worker of the 316th Regiment of the 1075th Infantry Division, who not so long ago led his troops to a parade on Red Square. ”

"Oh, and he also led his troops to a military parade on Red Square?" Bulganin's words did not surprise Stalin at all, for he had recently received many reports from various units of how heroic those who had gone to the parade had behaved in resisting the German offensive before returning to the troops. If Bulganin hadn't repeated Crochkov's last words, perhaps he would have announced a posthumous award or something like that, but at the moment he had to seriously think about how to use it to boost the morale of his troops.

After some careful consideration, he said to Bulganin: "Comrade Bulganin, since they are all units that participated in the military parade on Red Square, and they have shown a fearless fighting spirit in battle, I have decided to award everyone the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. ”

"Awarded everyone the title of Hero of the Soviet Union?" Bulganin knew that the Hero of the Soviet Union was the supreme honor of the Soviet Union, and since the establishment of this title on April 16, 1934, it has been conferred on only a dozen people, and now he wants to award such an honorary title to nearly thirty commanders and fighters at once, he felt that he must have heard it wrong, so he carefully asked: "Comrade Stalin, do you mean to award Comrade Krochkov the title of Hero of the Soviet Union?" ”

"It's not just Krochkov who wants to confer this title," Stalin heard Bulganin ask, and he understood in his heart that the other party must have heard himself say that he would give such a title to thirty people at a time, thinking that he had heard it wrong, so he specially added: "It is all the commanders and fighters who died with him at the Dubosekovo Concession Station that must be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union." I'll leave this matter to you. ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Stalin." Hearing Stalin's orders, Bulganin hurriedly said: "I will do this as soon as possible, so that all the commanders and fighters who are still fighting tenaciously know that the commanders and fighters who died in the battle to defend Dubosekovo will be awarded the glorious title of Hero of the Soviet Union, so as to boost everyone's morale." ”

After the end of the call with Bulganin, Stalin felt that it was not enough to give the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to the fighters defending the Dubosekovo Concession Station. So he rang the bell on the table, and when Posekrebeshev appeared at the door, he ordered: "Comrade Poskorebeshev, go and invite Budyonny and Voroshilov to us." ”

Boskorebeshev nodded silently, exited the room, and closed the door with his hand. Back in his office, he picked up the phone and informed Voroshilov that they were coming to Stalin's office.

Budyonny and Voroshilov met in the corridor leading to Stalin's office, and as soon as the two met, Budyonny couldn't wait to ask: "Hey, I said old man, you also received a notice from Bosk Klebeshev to meet Comrade Stalin, right?" ”

"Yes, my old captain." Voroshilov, the former political commissar of the 1st Cavalry Army, always maintained enough respect for Commander Budyonny: "I went to see Comrade Stalin, and so did you?" ”

"Do you know anything?" Budyonny asked curiously.

"I don't know," Voroshilov replied as he walked forward, "I guess there must be something wrong on which front, and the two of us need to go out and solve it." ”

Two people who did not know the reason for being summoned by Stalin walked into Bosk Klebeshev's office together. Voroshilov asked in a low voice: "Comrade Boskrebeshev, do you know what the reason for the Supreme Commander-in-Chief himself summoned us?" ”

Boskrebeshev shrugged his shoulders, shook his head and said to the two: "I'm sorry, comrades two marshals, I don't know, what is going on, you just need to go in and know." So saying, he got up and walked to the door, opened the door, and invited the two marshals in.

Voroshilov and Budyonny looked at each other, then walked side by side through the open door and walked to Stalin, who was sitting behind his desk.

When Stalin heard footsteps, he looked up and saw that it was Voroshilov and Budyonny, so he put down the pen in his hand, picked up the cigarette butt resting on the ashtray, and walked around the table towards the two.

"Comrade Stalin," saw Stalin walking towards him, and the two hurriedly stopped. Voroshilov asked: "We have been ordered to come, do you have any important instructions?" (To be continued.) )