"Qualified?"

Ryanaev's voice on the phone looked somewhat relieved, and he himself said, "Yes, you are qualified, Comrade Vladimir." Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info"

A brief silence followed, in which Vladimir was bewildered by Yanayev's answer, thinking that the other party did not hear his question, and asked again, "Excuse me, Comrade General Secretary, I did not understand what you were trying to express, and on what issue did I pass the assessment?" ”

In his bedroom, he looked out the window at the sandy beaches of the Crimean coastline and enjoyed a rare moment of peace. He even felt a little tired, disgusted with Moscow's intrigues.

Just as the emperor of Na had the supreme power and wealth of France, yet he never had a happy day. The same fate fell on Yanayev, even though he was the top leader of the country, but there was a group of people who spent all day thinking about how to push him to the top of the list.

That's why he spent eight years carefully cultivating his successor, as well as the eighth leadership group. When the dust settles, he will return to the village of Bilevods in the Gorky region, or stay as a professor at Moscow University.

Yanayev said with a smile, "You have given a satisfactory answer to the difficult problem of handling this coup d'état, including a series of follow-up handling, your performance is very good, and it seems that Comrade Vladimir can indeed grasp the overall situation." It's time for this country to be handed over to you and finish the great business we have yet to complete. ”

Vladimir was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect Yanayev to say this at all, and couldn't help but ask rhetorically, "What does the general secretary mean that this coup is actually an assessment of my ability to deal with it, and in fact everything is within your calculations?" ”

Yanayev affirmed, "Yes, that's what I mean. Lukyanov's coup d'état was, in fact, a clumsy theatrical performance. ”

Hearing this, Vladimir's face changed in shock, this is a coup d'état! Which general secretary in the history of the Soviets dared to make a coup d'état an examination question? No one can say what extent Yanayev's ability to control the overall situation has become. The only thing I know is that one bloody example after another is displayed in front of others, and told that this is what happened to the betrayer.

Lukyanov, the only one who knew the truth, lost a mess, not only for his own bad luck, but also for the capital accumulated over the years, while Yanayev had almost nothing to lose, just a sleepless night at the Black Sea holiday villa. There is also the calculation of the cost of repairs to the Supreme Soviet building.

However, Yanayev has only now said that he does not regard Lukyanov as a real opponent at all, and it is easy to pull out an agent, but it is not so easy to uproot the forces behind the conservatives. That's why it is necessary to use a Lukyanov to draw out all the secrets behind it.

Now it seems that the impatient coup d'état ruined them all, and there will be many more unlucky ones to be miserably implicated.

Yanayev said, "From the time Lukyanov was preparing to launch a coup d'état, all this was within my calculations, I had already greeted Akhromeyev and Yazov, they were the last trump card before the situation got out of control, once you can't deal with the situation in Moscow, the army will directly and forcefully intervene, but then more people will die, and after you control the situation, you basically don't pay too much price for casualties." Including the people you pulled out of the army, I didn't intend to get rid of them all. Just punish military personnel like Rudskoi who were directly involved in the coup, and the most important thing within the army now is to work together to solve the problems in front of you, not to start infighting, so you are right to let go of potential supporters who did not directly join the coup. ”

"But there's a small problem."

Yanayev paused, his tone hardened, "On that list, don't let go of any guy like Rudskoi who has directly joined this dangerous game. I will take matters into my own hands when dealing with them, and I will definitely not be merciful, and you will only be responsible for appeasing the officers of the Airborne Forces. ”

Vladimir, who has always been quick-witted, immediately understood what Yanayev meant, he wanted to keep the role of the bad guy for himself and give it to Vladimir to play the role of the good guy. Once he announced the pardon of the uneasy officers, they would become loyal followers of Vladimir.

Of course, there will also be a group of people who will begin to resent Yanayev's eradication and killing, believing that he is destroying the foundations that support him and moving closer in the direction of Vladimir.

General Secretary Yanayev ...... You don't have to sacrifice so much......"

Vladimir clenched his fists, and he said movingly, "General Secretary...... You could have taken all the credit alone, but why did you choose to give it all the credit? The country still needs you...... The people need you too, and you are the best fit for that position. ”

In his opinion, all this was arranged by Yanayev, he just followed the other party's rehearsed script step by step, and actually did not do much to turn the tide. On the contrary, the general secretary, who has always been calm, has calculated a coup d'état nine times out of ten, and every step has not been taken out of his consideration.

"No, you are wrong, the motherland no longer needs me as an old man, and the USSR in the future will be the world of your younger generation. Because you are the future of this country, it is necessary for me to come forward to be this evil person, and my task is to remove all the obstacles that hinder the development of the motherland and bring this country to normalcy. Comrade Vladimir, when the time comes, the whole country will be handed over to you. ”

Vladimir is thousands of kilometers away, and he can feel the heavy sense of responsibility on his shoulders.

Yanayev finally said on the phone, "I am old, I can't move anymore, I don't have enough energy to support a protracted struggle, and I am ready to retreat from the front line of the battlefield." ”

After eight years of faithfulness, he was like an old man with an oil lamp running out, burning out the last inch of the wick.

Until the end, he was still concerned about the country, the people that the Soviets dutifully guarded.

Even if he falls, he will fall on the land he loves.

"Just let me, an old man, do my last bit for the country before leaving. Finally, tell it, dear motherland, that I have done my best. ”