The two hugged each other tightly and told each other about the situation after parting. Borisova inadvertently looked up, saw the time of the clock on the wall, couldn't help but exclaim, quickly broke free from Rokossovsky's embrace, came to the telephone, pressed the intercom button and asked Althea: "Althea, have all the people who came to the meeting arrived?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Director." The secretary Althea hurriedly replied, "The factory director and managers you notified are waiting outside." After she finished the report, she took the initiative to ask for instructions, "Tell them to postpone the meeting?" ”

"No, no," Borisova replied, somewhat flustered, "please let them in in five minutes." ”

"Understood, Comrade Director." Althea replied briefly.

Borisova put down the phone, walked up to Rokossovsky, looked up at him, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Koschika, I have an important meeting right away, so I can only ask you to get out of here first." ”

"It's okay, it's okay," Rokossovsky said with understanding, although he was a little disappointed, "work is important, I'll wait until the next time I return to Moscow to see you." After he finished speaking, he turned around and tried to leave, but Borisova pulled his sleeve.

"Koschika, don't be angry." Seeing that Rokossovsky was leaving, Borisova hurriedly grabbed him and said: "Today's meeting is very important, and I can't push it off at all." At this, she tiptoed a glance out the window and said, "Did you come here in that black car outside the door?" ”

"Yes," although it is not clear why Borisova suddenly asked about the black car, Rokossovsky replied truthfully: "I came here in that car." ”

"Great, that's great." After receiving an affirmative answer from Rokossovsky, a smile appeared on Borisova's face: "Koschika, if you don't mind, can you go back to the city and wait for me?" She looked up at the wall clock on the wall, "In an hour at most, I'll go to you and walk around with you." I can see that you seem to have a lot on your mind, just enough to accompany you to relax. ”

Rokossovsky walked out of Borisova's office, nodded at Althea, who was sitting by the door of the outer office, and walked out quickly. In the corridor, several leaders of factories and mines who were attending the meeting were walking towards the office, and when they saw a general walking briskly, they hurriedly stepped over to the wall and watched Rokossovsky's departure with surprised eyes.

Rokossovsky returned to the sedan and sat down, and the driver hurriedly asked: "Comrade General, where are we going next?" ”

"Don't go anywhere, just wait here." After saying this, Rokossovsky leaned back, leaned back in his chair and began to close his eyes.

Every time Rokossovsky went to Moscow to attend a meeting, he appeared to be a loner on the surface, but in fact there were many plainclothes security personnel who followed him from a distance in other vehicles to ensure his personal safety. Seeing his car parked at the door of the Industrial Bureau today, he never left, and the security personnel felt the need to report this special situation to their superiors in detail.

When the security chief received the information, he immediately called Stalin and reported to him that Rokossovsky's car had been parked in front of the Industrial Bureau for an hour and had never left.

After listening to this, Stalin asked slowly: "Where is Rokossovsky?" ”

"Report to Comrade Stalin," said the other party excitedly: "General Rokossovsky stayed in the car, as if waiting for someone. ”

"I see." Stalin said in the usual tone: "Remember, your task is to ensure his personal safety without disturbing him, understand?" ”

"Understood, Comrade Stalin." Seeing that Stalin was very indifferent to the information he reported, the other party could only helplessly say: "We will protect the safety of General Rokossovsky." ”

Borisova asked Rokossovsky to wait for an hour, and it took almost two hours before she came out of the building of the Industrial Bureau. After she sat in the back of the car with a tired face, the driver knew that it was now time to go, so he turned his head and asked Rokossovsky: "Comrade General, where are we going now?" ”

In a hurry, Rokossovsky couldn't think of a suitable place to go, so he asked Borisova with a sideways face: "Where do you think it is more appropriate for us to go?" ”

"Vuitdenhan," Borisova said weakly, "Comrade driver, you drive to Vuitdenhan." ”

Wittenhaim, known as the "Exhibition Hall of Achievements of the Soviet National Economy", is located northeast of Moscow. Although there are not as many exhibition halls as in later generations, due to the beautiful environment and wide place, it is still a good place for citizens to relax and entertain.

The sedan was a few dozen meters from the Wittenham gate, and Borisova stopped the driver. Rokossovsky pushed open the car door and looked at the rectangular gate supported by 12 reinforced concrete pillars tens of meters high, and the bronze statue of the male and female farmers of the collective farm holding up the ears of wheat at the top, which was more than 10 meters high.

"Koschika," Borisova walked up to him and asked softly, "have you been here before?" ”

Rokossovsky hurriedly gathered his mind, smiled at Borisova, and said: "I used to be before the war, but I didn't expect that after so many years, it will still be the same. ”

"For Muscovites, it's changed a lot." Fearing picketing, Borisova did not hold Rokossovsky's arm, but walked side by side with him inside, saying: "At the beginning of the war, the bronze statue above the gate was removed, all the museum exhibition halls were covered with camouflage nets, and the open space in the park, at intervals, was an air defense position. Look," she said, pouting forward, "there is an air defense position on the left and right sides of the gate. ”

Rokossovsky looked in the direction she had indicated, and sure enough, he saw two sandbags in a ring of fortifications, each with a twin anti-aircraft machine gun. Next to the machine guns stood several anti-aircraft machine gunners, and an officer was holding a telescope, constantly holding it into the air, as if fearing that the enemy would emerge from somewhere.

On the left and right sides of the entrance, there were several policemen, their eyes vigilantly watching every visitor in and out of Wittenham, but they did not stop anyone to check their documents.

Seeing Rokossovsky walking side by side with Borisova, everyone's eyes straightened, they never dreamed that they could see a high-ranking general here. A civilian lieutenant hurriedly stepped forward, raised his hand to salute Rokossovsky, and reported: "Comrade General, Civilian Police Lieutenant Michely reports to you that we are carrying out daily security work, please instruct!" ”

Rokossovsky returned the salute and said to the lieutenant with a smile: "Please continue, comrade lieutenant. ”

When Rokossovsky and Borisova continued to walk inside, the lieutenant of the people's police came up and asked flatteringly: "Comrade General, do you need me to be your guide?" ”

"Thank you, Comrade Lieutenant." Rokossovsky turned his head to look at Borisova, "I already have the best guide!" ”

Hearing Rokossovsky say this, the lieutenant instinctively turned his gaze to Borisova. Borisova said to the lieutenant with a smile: "Comrade lieutenant, I am a Muscovite and am familiar with Wittenhan. Let's just go about it, and you can go ahead and get busy. ”

After the lieutenant left, the two walked along a wide, flat road towards the interior. As she walked, Borisova pointed to a nearby building and explained to Rokossovsky: "It was the Central Exhibition Hall, which was closed for a while and reopened not so long ago. It's the Coal Pavilion, it's still closed, and I guess we'll be able to reopen it when our army liberates the Donbass......"

When Rokossovsky waited for Borisova to finish, he pointed to a building behind the coal pavilion and asked: "And what kind of exhibition hall is that?" ”

Borisova replied directly without looking at it: "It is an industrial pavilion, which is dedicated to displaying the achievements of our country in industry." In a few days, the venue will also reopen. The meeting I'm having today is to discuss the latest construction achievements in this venue. ”

"Borisova," Rokossovsky asked carefully, "what you told me is not classified, right?" ”

"How so?" Borisova looked at Rokossovsky and said with a smile: "In a few days, the whole of Moscow will know what is in this venue, how can it involve any secrets?" ”

"I'm going to look for you today," Rokossovsky said carefully, "seeing that the guards outside have been strengthened, what the hell is going on?" ”

"It's simple," Borisova said in response to Rokossovsky's question, carefully avoiding some top-secret content, "and we have two new secret units in the building, so the security has been strengthened." She was worried that Rokossovsky would continue to ask, so she quickly diverted the topic, "By the way, why did you suddenly think of going back to Moscow?" ”

"I was ordered to come back," Rokossovsky said somewhat helplessly, "after the meeting, I will soon have to rush back to the front." ”

"I heard that you are fighting well in Ukraine, and you have successively liberated the cities of Zhytomyr, Berkichev, Betselkovy, etc." When Borisova said this, she looked around, and seeing that there were no tourists, she secretly grabbed Rokossovsky's arm and asked carefully: "You commanded this battle, right?" It's remarkable. ”

Hearing Borisova say this, Rokossovsky really couldn't laugh or cry. He grinned at Borisova and said: "How did you think that the battle was commanded by me? ”

"You still want to lie to me." Borisova suddenly pouted like a little girl, and said with some displeasure: "I called your command once last month, but the personnel of the command told me that you had been transferred to the 1st Ukrainian Front. ”

Borisova's words made the muscles in Rokossovsky's face twitch violently a few times, he never dreamed that Borisova had called him, but why did he return to the Belarusian Front for so long, and no one mentioned it to him? He turned his head to look at Borisova and said with a gloomy expression: "I made the campaign offensive plan, but it is a pity that I am not the executor of the plan. ”

Borisova's heart suddenly understood why he had a faint sadness on his face from the time he met Rokossovsky this time, it turned out that it was because of his efforts that he had achieved others, no wonder his mood became low. She hurriedly stood on tiptoe, gave a quick peck on Rokossovsky's face, and comforted him with a smile: "Dear Koschika, don't worry, I think you will have a chance to build meritorious deeds in the future." ”

Rokossovsky had no doubts about Borisova's statement, and in his memory, in a few months, the Supreme High Command would launch the Belarusian campaign and completely drive the Germans out of Belarus in a very short time.

Since it is winter, the fountains in Vuitenhanli are closed, and there are not many tourists in the whole park, which seems a bit deserted. After a round in the park, the two returned to the gate. Borisova suddenly asked Rokossovsky in a low voice with a crimson cheek: "Koschika, where are you going next?" Is it to the airport, or to ... Where am I? ”

Going to the airport means that you will soon be flying back to the front line. Nowadays there are no major operations in Belarus, except for skirmishes, and these things are enough for Malinin and Zakharkin. So he made a decisive choice: "I'll go to you." It's been a long time, and I don't know if you're still living where you were. ”

"Nasty!" Rokossovsky's teasing made Borisova's cheeks redder, and after a quiet laugh, she turned and walked briskly towards the door.

Rokossovsky asked the driver to send himself and Borisova to the dormitory of the Industrial Bureau, and then said to him: "Comrade driver, there is nothing for you to do here, you can go back and rest first." Come and pick me up tomorrow morning. ”

The driver, listening to Rokossovsky's words, not only did not leave, but said in embarrassment: "I'm sorry, Comrade General." I have been instructed to stay with you at all times before you leave Moscow by plane. He glanced at Borisova and added, "If you need to stay here, I can park the car downstairs and wait for you." ”

Seeing that the driver was so tenacious, Rokossovsky did not continue to talk nonsense with him, pushed the car door and got out of the car, and walked into the dormitory building side by side with Borisova.

When the two returned to the house, Borisova looked at the driver standing next to the car through the window, and asked with some concern: "Koschika, it's so cold outside, will the comrade driver be frozen if he doesn't go in if he stands outside the car?" ”

Hearing what Borisova said, Rokossovsky also walked to the window, looked at the tenacious driver downstairs, and was thinking about whether he would sit and chat with Borisova, so he immediately went downstairs and took the car to the airport, so as not to freeze this stupid driver?

Unexpectedly, at this time, a black sedan drove over and stopped next to the driver. A man in civilian clothes and a peaked cap got out of the car and handed a document to the driver. The two whispered a few words, and the driver raised his hand to salute each other, then got into the car and drove away.

"Koschika, who are they?" Seeing the sedan still parked downstairs, Borisova was surprised and asked: "Why did the driver listen to him and immediately drive away?" ”

"I don't know, I've never seen these people." Rokossovsky shook his head and said, "Okay, leave them alone, let's get ready for dinner." ”