I followed the captain into the checkpoint and walked towards a small car parked on the side of the road painted gray-green. Seeing our arrival, the driver hurriedly got out of the car, ran to the back and opened the door, and then stood there straight. The captain walked quickly to the door, made a gesture of invitation to me, and then said respectfully: "Comrade General, please get in the car!" ”

We rode in a small car and drove slowly along the improvised road in the woods. Seeing that some bunkers and other fortifications appeared from time to time in the dense forest on both sides of the road, which was like a continuous wall, I couldn't help but ask the captain sitting in the co-pilot seat curiously: "Comrade Captain, where are we going?" ”

Hearing my question, the captain immediately turned sideways and said lightly: "Comrade General, I was just ordered to send you to the next checkpoint, and then someone else will take you to your destination." ”

I was a little annoyed by the captain's reply, but I couldn't do it, because he was only doing what he was told. Knowing that it would be in vain to ask any more questions, I had to turn my eyes back to the window, looking out at the wall-like primeval forest.

In the middle of the road ahead, two tall iron gates appeared, flanked by an earthy yellow fence that stretched deep into the forest, and the walls were covered with dense barbed wire. Outside the fence, which cut off people's view, there were groups of three or five patrols, almost every patrol with a military dog. Seeing the patrolling soldiers as if they were facing a great enemy made me even more curious about the base I was about to enter.

The car drove to a stop just a few meters away from the gate, and then the captain and the driver pushed the door and got out of the car, standing straight on either side of the car. Their behavior made me wonder to the extreme, I don't know why the two of them didn't even say hello to me, and just got out of the car.

Before I could decide whether to get out of the car, I saw two people coming out of the small open door on the iron door. And the captain, who was standing next to the car, saw the two men. He hurriedly stepped forward, raised his hand to one of them and saluted, pointed to me with his hand, and walked towards the car with the other party.

When the two of them came to the car, I saw that the captain had come with a major. The Major bent down and looked into the car. Then he raised his hand and saluted me, and said politely: "Hello, General Oshanina, I have been ordered to wait for you here and send you to the base." ”

I nodded and said politely, "Thank you, Comrade Major, then please get in the car." ”

Originally, I thought that the major would go straight to the back row, and I deliberately moved to the side. Unexpectedly, he directly opened the front door. sat in the co-pilot's seat, while the man he brought sat in the driver's seat. The major and other drivers closed the car door, ignored the captain outside, and directly ordered the driver: "Drive!" ”

As soon as our car started, the doors of the previously confined were opened. As soon as our car passed, the two gates closed again. I learned the lesson I had just learned, and I knew that the commander who led the way would not answer any questions, so I simply did not ask. Anyway, I'll know what's going on when I get there.

The car drove for about five minutes and turned right at a fork in the road. The driver was feeling slowing down. I hurriedly looked out of the gap between the driver and the major, and saw two large iron gates with walls in the middle of the road ahead, and seven or eight heavily armed soldiers stood outside the doors. When he saw our car passing, one of the officers-like men walked to the middle of the road, raised his right hand high, and signaled us to stop.

After the car is parked. The major pushed open the door and got out of the car and walked over to the officer who was blocking the road. After talking to the other party for a few words, he showed the other party what kind of documents. Then the officer leaned to the side and made a gesture of invitation. The door of confinement slowly opened again.

As soon as the major returned to the car. He immediately ordered the driver: "Go ahead!" ”

Our car drove slowly into the large iron gate, and I saw a simple duty room behind the iron gate, and the officer was talking to someone with a telephone.

"Major, is there a checkpoint ahead?" After seeing the iron door behind me close again, I asked cautiously.

"Yes, Comrade General." The Major turned to the side and replied respectfully, "We still have to pass through a checkpoint to reach our final destination." ”

After a few minutes, the car turned a corner again, and an iron gate with a wall appeared in front of it. Perhaps because behind the door was the secret base I was going to arrive at, it was more heavily guarded, and in addition to more patrols and fighters on duty, there was a permanent point of reinforced concrete on each side of the road. From the firing hole at the point of fire, the muzzle of the machine gun with a black hole was exposed.

This time the major did not get out of the car, but sat in the car and waited for the officer on duty to come over. The officer, who had been informed by his subordinates, walked through the side door of the iron gate. He opened the door, raised his hand to his forehead, and said, "Comrade Major, welcome back!" ”

Without saying a word, the major handed him a document. The officer took the papers, looked at them briefly, and returned them to him. After completing this formality, the officer bowed his head and asked me: "May I ask you, General Oshanina?" ”

"Yes!" I gave the officer, who was standing next to the car, an affirmative answer.

When he heard this, he straightened up and took a step back, raised his hand and saluted me. Seeing that the iron gate in front of him was also slowly opening, the major slammed the door shut and ordered the driver to drive again.

Soon the car stopped next to a tall reinforced concrete bunker. At a glance, I saw that outside the iron gate of the entrance, there were four soldiers and an officer on duty.

The major pushed the car door open first, jumped out of the car, and took the initiative to open the rear door for me. I thanked the major and got out of the car slowly. I looked at the tall building in front of me and said in my heart: "Is this the secret base that Marshal Zhukov asked me to come to?" But it doesn't look like anything special, and the size of the building is a little too small, at best the size of a swimming pool. ”

While I was still looking at the building, the officer standing at the door came up to me, raised his hand to salute me, and said politely: "Hello, Comrade General." Please come in, Comrade People's Commissar has been waiting for you inside for a long time. ”

"People's Commissar?" When I heard that the person waiting for me inside was not Zhukov, but an unidentified People's Commissar, I couldn't help but wonder: "Which People's Commissar is it?" ”

"It's Comrade Ustinov from the Department of Weapons and Equipment." The officer respectfully said to me: "Comrade General, please, I will take you to the People's Commissar." ”

I followed the officer. Walked into this reinforced concrete building. As I walked along the long corridor, I saw a heavily armed warrior every ten or twenty meters in the corridor. Seeing such a high level of security, I couldn't help but talk to the officer and say, "You guys are very heavily guarded here." ”

The officer squeezed a polite smile on his face and replied to me: "Yes, Comrade General, this is the heart of the base. Heavily guarded is a matter of course. ”

We walked forward for a long time, and even went down forty or fifty steps twice. The further I went, the more I became interested in this mysterious base, although it didn't look too big on the outside, but most of the entire base seemed to be buried deep in the ground, if it wasn't for someone to guide the way, even if I went to the periphery, I would never have thought that there would be such a large base underground.

This is a long and winding tunnel, and there are many large and small caves densely packed on both sides. Quite a few fighters or technicians in white coats. Hurriedly passing by with documents or equipment in hand.

But when we came to the outside of a room where the sentries were standing, the officer stopped, turned to me, and said, "Comrade General, Comrade People's Commissar is inside, please come in quickly." With that, he raised his hand and pushed the door open, and gestured to me that I could enter.

I nodded my head and thanked the officer. Pushed open the door and walked in. The light in the room was much brighter than in the hallway, as soon as you entered. I saw Ustinov sitting at the long table, hurriedly walked up to him, raised his hand and saluted, and said respectfully: "Hello, Comrade People's Commissar. ”

Ustinov was talking to the others and heard my voice. Hurriedly turned his head and smiled at me and said, "Comrade Oshanina, you are here!" ”

"Yes, Comrade People's Commissar." I didn't know why he had called me to this mysterious base, so I could only honestly reply, "I was ordered to report to you." Listen to your orders, please instruct! ”

"Okay, okay, it's not an army here, so there's no need for so much etiquette." After asking the staff next to him to bring me a chair, Ustinov beckoned me: "Comrade Oshanina, please take a seat." I'm sorry to call you here before you have fully recovered from your injuries. ”

I had just sat down, and when I heard Ustinov say this, I quickly got up from my seat again: "Comrade People's Commissar, thank you for your concern, I am only a little injured and not in the way. ”

After I sat down again, Ustinov pointed to the engineers sitting around the table and said: "Comrade Oshanina, they are all our military experts, and under the leadership of Comrade Floning, they are responsible for the development of new weapons. ”

I nodded at those military experts, and said in my heart that I don't know anything about weapons and equipment, what are you calling me over? Just as he was about to ask Ustinov what was going on, he said: "Comrade Oshanina, maybe you are wondering, why did I suddenly call you here?" ”

"Yes, Comrade People's Commissar." Seeing that he asked so directly, I didn't hide what I thought in my heart, and said to him truthfully: "I am a complete layman in the work of weapons and equipment, I don't know what is important about you calling me here?" ”

"As far as I know, Comrade General." A military engineer not far from me asked: "You were the first user of the assault rifle developed by Comrade Floning, and I would like to hear your evaluation of this weapon." ”

"Comrade Engineer," I said politely to the engineer with a smile on my face, "I think this new assault rifle is very good, I have never had a jam or other malfunction in the process of using it, and the shooting accuracy and power are quite good." ”

"Do you think that if this kind of weapon is installed in the troops, it will make the combat effectiveness of the troops go to a higher level?"

When I heard that the AK47 assault rifle might be installed in the army, I couldn't help but be ecstatic. He nodded at the engineer and said, "You're right, comrade engineer. My special guard company was equipped with this assault rifle, and despite the fact that there were only a hundred of them, they could compete with at least one battalion of German troops, and they could still achieve a final victory. But ......"

When the engineer heard me praise the assault rifle, a satisfied smile appeared on his face, and when he heard what I said later, "but", his expression suddenly became nervous again, and he hurriedly asked: "But what, Comrade General?" ”

I sighed and replied, "It's a pity that it's just a lack of ammunition." Once the assault rifle has run out of ammunition, it can only be used as an ornament. If we can build a production line for this new type of short-barreled bullet, then the installation of assault rifles in the troops will become a reality. ”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ustinov continued: "Comrades, you have all heard the words of General Oshanina. The power of assault rifles on the battlefield is absolutely superior to our existing light weapons, so we must complete the construction of a short-barreled bullet production line in the shortest possible time. I don't know if you have any opinions? ”

"Nope!" Several military experts replied neatly.

After a moment of silence, another engineer spoke. But this time he said not to me, but to Ustinov: "Comrade People's Commissar, since there is a consensus on the production line of bullets for assault rifles, should we think about the issue of new tanks next?" ”

"I think you've all seen the power of the new tank." Ustinov seemed to have been prepared for the engineer's question, and when he heard his question, he immediately replied: "At a range of two hundred meters, not only our T-34 tank guns nor anti-tank guns, but even captured German tanks, cannot cause any damage to the new tanks." And it can destroy the latest German Tiger tank at a distance of 1,500 meters or more. ”

"This kind of tank is good, but unfortunately some production technologies are not up to standard." The engineer complained bitterly and said, "If you can produce a few cars, I estimate that it will take at least two years to mass-produce." ”

"What, two more years to wait?" Hearing the engineer say this, I couldn't help but interject: "Comrade engineer, have you ever thought that in two years, the Germans will be defeated by us, and then we will use this tank to equip the troops, what is the point?" (To be continued......)