On a quiet night on 18 August, Yeltsin, who had just returned from abroad, was enjoying a moment of peace in his dacha on the sofa of his dacha, and at the age of 60 he was undoubtedly the most promising reformer after Gorbachev. Even Yeltsin himself admitted that from the leader of the people to the president of Russia, he was destroying step by step the red empire that the Slavic people had spent sixty-nine years building.

Just as the August 15 issue of Izvestia published the detailed terms of the treaty of the new alliance, which he expected, the dilapidated edifice of the CPSU is now falling apart step by step according to his plan. The thought that this evil empire would end at his own hands, or at the hands of Gorbachev, Yeltsin's lips turned into a victor's smile.

"Beasts of the Evil Empire, thank me, Yeltsin, for the hope of democracy and freedom that Yeltsin has brought to you." Yeltsin proudly raised his glass and said to himself. A little bored, he stood up and was about to turn on the TV to watch the news that night, when the phone ringing at the desk interrupted him by pressing the remote control button.

At first, Yeltsin did not want to pick up the phone, but the phone rang like an emergency alarm and screamed, and Yeltsin felt uneasy. He had to put down the remote control, put on his slippers and walked to the table, picked up the phone angrily, and said hello in a rough voice.

On the other end of the line was the commander of the paratrooper unit, General Lebed, a fish that slipped through the net in Yanayev's political purge. At the same time, he was also a loyal follower of Yeltsin, and at this time, General Lebed anxiously reported to Yeltsin, "President Yeltsin, I am sorry to call you so late, but there is something I must report to you." ”

"Is there anything you can't report back tomorrow? It's eleven o'clock now. Yeltsin's voice clearly revealed impatience.

"No, it's really important." On the other end of the phone, he clenched the microphone and said in the most serious tone, "According to reliable intelligence, the top leaders led by Yanayev are preparing to carry out a mutiny, and I ask President Yeltsin to rush to the White House as soon as possible, and I will do my best to hold them back." ”

"You're kidding, General Lebed. To carry out the mutiny, the first thing they had to do was to limit Gorbachev's actions and then declare martial law, instead of running over to me. Yeltsin did not take Lebed's words seriously, and the current situation in the country is very good for Yeltsin, and taking a coup d'état is completely contrary to the act.

"There was a special plane going to the Foros Villa on the Crimean peninsula during the day today, and then two hours ago I received the news of the coup d'état, and now Defense Minister Yazov is actively mobilizing all the armed forces of the Moscow Guards Division, including the Taman Division, to prepare for the stationing of Moscow to maintain stability. Your Excellency President Yeltsin, you can now try to call General Secretary Gorbachev at the Foros Villa, and if it doesn't work, then my guess is nine times out of ten correct. ”

Now that General Lebed's words sounded less fanciful, Yeltsin quickly grabbed another phone and tried to dial the phone at the president's Black Sea resort, but no matter how many times he dialed, all he heard was busy. So he called his colleagues in the Politburo again, and the reply he received was that General Secretary Yeltsin's phone had been unreachable since noon today. When they questioned Plekhanov, the head of the Ninth Directorate of the KGB, who was responsible for defending the president, they received an ambiguous answer.

Now Yeltsin began to panic, and only then did he remember that the most critical Taman motorized infantry division was not completely in his hands, and it was the paratroopers led by Lebed who were willing to be loyal to him. At this time, a layer of fine cold sweat oozed from Yeltsin's palms, and he grabbed the phone that he had not put down, and said to Lebed, "Can you mobilize the paratroopers in your hands now?" ”

"Yes." Lebed's answer was short and forceful, and his tone had calmed down, quietly awaiting Yeltsin's next instructions.

Hearing this guarantee, Yeltsin's heart calmed down a little, and he issued the next order, "Transfer all the paratroopers you can mobilize to the White House to be responsible for defense, and I am now ready to go to the White House to call on the people of Moscow to stand up against the tyranny of the Soviets, defend Moscow, and defend Russia!" I can't believe that these high-level leaders dare to aim their guns at the people! ”

"Okay, I'll arrange it, and President Yeltsin takes care." Lebed said goodbye to Yeltsin in a solemn voice.

"You too, General Lebed. It is a real honor for the Russian people to have you. Yeltsin smiled with satisfaction, and the stone hanging in his heart finally fell, "You go and get busy first, I'm going to rush to the White House now, and I'll see you then." ”

"Goodbye...... President Yeltsin. ”

General Lebed, who was on the other end of the phone, put down the receiver, he looked up at Yanayev standing in front of him, and the heavily armed GRU soldiers around him, and said in a trembling voice, "I have done what you say, now you can spare my wife and son, right?" ”

"Of course, I am very grateful to General Lebed for his cooperation." Yanayev bowed slightly to Lebed and replied to him in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant, "Oh yes, do you know why your leader, Lieutenant General Grachev, was removed from his post and you retained?" ”

"No, I don't want to know." Lebed shook his head in alarm, the less he knew at this point, the better it would be for him. People who know too many secrets will never live long.

However, Yanayev obviously will not give him this opportunity, "Actually, I was just waiting for this day, and now, as a pawn, your task is accomplished." ”

"Thank God." General Lebed held his chest and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to stand up, Yanayev nodded to the soldier beside him. The soldier with a black mask raised a silencer-loaded pistol and aimed a bullet at Lebed's broad forehead. There was no fire, and the bullet from the muzzle of the gun drilled into Lebed's head at a very low decibel level.

The creek fell silently on his own plank, blood oozing from the bullet holes turning the yellow plank into an unsightly dark red. Yanayev squatted down and closed Lebed's eyelids, and said slowly, "Your task is completed, and the use value will naturally be gone, so thank God that you should tell him this kind of thing yourself." ”

Yanayev ordered his men to turn on all the gas stoves in Lebed's house, close the doors and windows, and quickly leave the house. When the concentration of gas in the house reaches a certain amount, it will quickly explode when it encounters the lights on in the house.

Yanaev, who had just walked outside the house, turned around and saw a huge orange fireball rising into the air, and the flames from the windows slowly burned the wooden building to ashes.

"Let's go, there's nothing to be nostalgic about, and there will be many people who will fall victim to reincarnation politics in the future." Yanayev lit a cigarette and said to the GRU soldiers beside him. These people are now Yanayev's coup supporters, and it can be said that as long as Yanayev succeeds, their originally bleak future will immediately become immeasurable.

Everyone got into the jeeps parked on the side of the road, and Yanayev instructed the driver to drive to the highway on the outskirts of Moscow, where he had carefully prepared a fireworks feast for Yeltsin.