Still, the Soviet leadership was gripped by unease. Stalin, Zhukov and the command of territorial air defense understood very well that it was probably impossible for the Soviet side to completely hide from the Chinese in terms of combat readiness. China's secret services have never lost their vigilance, and China's reconnaissance planes have not flown into the skies over Moscow so many times in vain.

Soviet reconnaissance agencies have been informed that the Chinese Air Force is planning some kind of major operation...... There are many scenarios that can only be guessed. As the squadron penetrated deep into Russian territory, the newly built airfield of the Chinese Air Force was getting closer and closer to Moscow. According to exact information, just to ensure the attack of the Central Army Group on Moscow, the Chinese Air Force concentrated 2,400 combat aircraft.

And what preparations did Chinese make for a direct air attack on Moscow, they would not attack Moscow aimlessly, but had specific targets: the Kremlin, the Central Party building, the Pravda building, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, administrative organs, large enterprises, bridges, railway junctions, densely populated residential areas...... It would be nice to have an eye that sees everything...... These discerning eyes will surely see that the command of the Central [***] team has carefully selected personnel from several aviation groups that are good at fighting to form a special air group.

The long-range bomber group of the 53rd "Han Wu Regiment" of China has been transferred to the forward base near Moscow. This brigade has savagely bombed a large number of Soviet cities. The "Quick Knife" medium bombers formed by the air brigade flew over Moscow and Stalingrad more than once.

The Chinese 4th "Great Qin Regiment" bomber brigade was also transferred in the direction of Moscow. In 1943, the brigade ruthlessly bombed Sverdlovsk, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Kuibyshev and other Russian cities.

The 55th Chinese "Dawan" special mission bomber group flew to the airfields of the Kazan region, and the 28th bomber group also reached the Perm region...... Thousands of new bombers of the squadron were preparing to carry out a devastating bombing of the Soviet capital. The crews of these bombers are the backbone of the Chinese Air Force, and about half of them are captains with the rank of colonel.

This special air group is under the unified command of the 2nd Air Force Command, which is working to plan a variety of scenarios for the intensive bombing of Moscow from different directions, at different heights and at different times. All actions were carefully considered and pre-arranged in a rigid and restrained manner in the Chinese. In fact, even with an anti-aircraft defense, Moscow is doomed.

The Soviet leadership was not clear about the plot of the Chinese High Command to destroy Moscow by air strikes. In Stalin's view, all measures should be taken to defend not only Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk and Kharkov, but also the coal mines on the outskirts of Moscow and countless military targets...... Stalin pondered and worried. At this moment, the most uneasy person in the heart is Stalin. Although his official duties were complicated and he had a lot of ideas, his mind was always conjured up from time to time with the unmarked bombers that appeared over Moscow and the scenes of firing at them.

Stalin's fears were exacerbated by an incident that occurred at three o'clock in the evening. Before dawn, Stalin returned from the Kremlin to his dacha in Kontsevo, when suddenly he was awakened by the sound of anti-aircraft guns and quadruple anti-aircraft machine gun fire. He hurriedly put on his clothes and went to the open-air balcony on the roof for sunbathing, and saw a series of snow-bright searchlights, as if in the unclear sky, sweeping away the dense sparks of the explosion of anti-aircraft shells. The sparks in the sky are so dense that it makes people feel that there are many large flower beds in the depths of space, and the bright and dazzling roses in the flower beds are falling under the sweep of the white light broom.

Shrapnel whistled all around. The shrapnel ball fell with a hiss, crackling on the ground. The roar of an airplane engine was heard in the sky. But not a single bomb was dropped on Moscow from high in the sky. Only in the distance, the cannon shot a string of golden points of light, briefly flickering. Apparently it was a company of anti-aircraft guns firing wildly at an unseen aircraft.

Stalin stood under the eaves of the pavilion and used to take shelter whenever he walked on the balcony and encountered rain.

The air raid sirens were quickly lifted. There were still a few places in the sky filled with gunsmoke. It's getting dark. Afterwards, Stalin learned that it turned out to be an irritating and dangerous misunderstanding. The Soviet bomber group, after performing a combat mission, returned to an airfield near Moscow and, having lost its course, flew towards Moscow. The air intelligence station did not identify the aircraft, but reported their course. As a result, an air raid siren was raised, and Moscow had a false alarm.

Stalin ordered Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Mekhlis to summon Artillery General Voronov, head of the Headquarters of the Territorial Air Defense, and Major General Zhuravlev, commander of the First Army of the National Air Defense, who was defending Moscow, to thoroughly find out what had happened, while he himself was busy attending the meeting of the "Canadian Politburo" and dealing with the pile of urgent business to be done.

He came to the Kremlin, got out of the car and saw a changing of the guard under the arch at the entrance. Melnikov, the head of the Kremlin Guard, came to change shifts, and when he saw Stalin, he immediately ordered the small guard, lined up in two columns, to "stand up!" He himself stood motionless. Stalin greeted everyone as he walked, and suddenly stopped again. He thought that these young men armed with carbines, guarding the Kremlin, whose posts were not only at the gates, but also on the walls of the Kremlin, would surely be able to see the scene outside the Kremlin when the air raid sirens were raised.

"Hey, guards, how did you feel during the air raid?" Stalin asked them.

"It's business as usual, Comrade Stalin, everyone sticks to their posts." Melnikov replied.

"After the alarm was raised, how was it on the streets?"

Melnikov looked around the faces of the fighters with encouraging eyes and said: "Captain Zubikov, you answer Comrade Stalin's question; Then he explained to Stalin that "Zubikov has the best view of his post today - from the Nikolsky Tower to the Privy Council Tower......"

Alexei? Zubikov, who was long, well-proportioned and handsome, affirmed that from the Kremlin walls he could see with great clarity the beginning of Red Square and Gorky Prospect up to the Central Telegraph Office building. In his opinion, the alarm was sent late, because the roar of aircraft and the anti-aircraft machine guns were heard immediately after. It was only later, on Gorky Street, in the direction of the "Revolution Square" and "Volunteer Corps" stations of the subway, that there was a dense crowd of people who had not yet been fully clothed, many of whom were helping the old and the young, and carrying their bags...... "I really look a little depressed, Comrade Stalin." Captain Zubikov finally said.

Stalin walked to his office, full of anger and thinking about what he had just heard. After sitting down at his desk, he told Bosklebeshev, who had walked in, that he was going to talk to General Gromakin, assistant to the commander of the Moscow Military District...... When he picked up the earpiece, he seemed to see the crowd running on Gorky Street, and he was immediately furious.

"Excuse me, why are there air raid sirens? Why fire at your own plane? Stalin's voice was low, intermittent in anger, and Gromakin had a premonition that something was wrong.

"Comrade Stalin, the air intelligence station has not yet learned to distinguish between our aircraft and enemy aircraft based on the sound of the engines." Gromakin replied, holding back his panic, but he felt he was right. "Air observers clearly reported through the line that there were planes coming in the direction of Moscow. I knew nothing else at the command post, because I was not informed that this was our bomber, and besides, there was no need for our bombers to fly over Moscow at night...... Of course, I hesitated, so I raised the alarm a little too late...... However, in the future, I will give the order to shoot down any plane that attempts to enter the skies over Moscow......"

Stalin imagined Gromakin's round face, his eyes narrowed gravely under thick eyebrows that grew almost together, and he felt a sense of admiration for him: the general was right...... "All right, Comrade Gromakin." Stalin apologized to him and continued, "I am satisfied with your answer...... Tonight's episode is an air raid exercise......"

Stalin put down the earpiece, and only then did he remember that the anti-aircraft artillery did not shoot down even a single plane. How is this possible?

Since this incident, the uneasiness in his heart has not only not subsided, but has become more intense. Today, the planned exercise was to be carried out with the task of countering the daytime air raid on Moscow, and Stalin was impatient, probably because he felt that it seemed too late, and that the test should have been carried out a little earlier.

Stalin interrupted these disturbing thoughts, glanced at Kalinin and Malenkov, who were still sitting in his office, walked to the small table where the telephone was placed, and reached for the telephone microphone.

In the offices of the central departments of the USSR Party, in the offices of the Moscow city and state party committees, an unprecedented atmosphere of tension arose everywhere.

In the offices of the party leaders of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, the tranquility gives a sense of concentration and concentration in work. In a corner away from the desk, there is a tall clock with a glass cover, and the pendulum swings steadily, as if rhythmically directing the people in the room to work, so that they are meticulous and never slacken. Many of the people who come here have a premonition that something extremely important, extraordinary, even mysterious, is about to happen.

In a corner of the office, next to a huge oak table, sat a man with glasses, dressed in a military uniform without a military rank. He had a round face, a big head, and his hair was not too thick, parted to the right. On the fat lips was a large upturned nose, the flesh of the jaw was sunk deep into the collar of the military uniform, and the serene gaze that came through behind the glittering lenses made this man look extraordinarily kind.

This is Alexander? Sergeyevich? Shcherbakov.

On the table next to it, the Kremlin's special telephone rang.

"I'm Shcherbakov."

"Hello, Comrade Shcherbakov." A deep, familiar voice came from the microphone.

"Hello, Comrade Stalin!"

"There's one question that keeps me uneasy." Stalin's slow speech shows that he was carefully choosing the most appropriate words to express the mood that made him anxious. "Our bombers strayed into the skies over Moscow, and luckily the anti-aircraft artillery did not shoot down a single plane...... But why didn't it shoot down? …… You are the secretary of the Central Committee in charge of air defense, do you believe that our combat readiness is good? ”

"Believe, Comrade Stalin. But what makes me anxious is that too much artillery and technical equipment of the Territorial Defense Forces have been withdrawn. On February 18 we formed ten anti-tank regiments...... Pumped out two hundred anti-aircraft guns......"

"That's how the Defense Council decided...... And what I care about is: why didn't the anti-aircraft artillery shoot down the plane? …… Will they shoot? ”

"Our bombers were in the firing zone for only a short time." Shcherbakov explained.

"It doesn't take a lot of time to drop a bomb at Moscow. The important thing is that it has already flown over Moscow. ”

"Comrade Stalin, when Gromakin sounded the air raid siren, he still wondered whose plane it was. This also has an impact on shooting accuracy. I have identified ......"

"However, Zhukov and I have already decided to take part in the exercises on the map held by the leaders of the 1st Army of the Territorial Defense and the 6th Army of the Fighter Aviation. It should be seen how they countered the daytime air strikes of enemy aircraft on Moscow...... Air strikes must be prepared at all times. ”

"Have you ordered the combat team to be ready?" Shcherbakov asked in a rather knowledgeable tone. He has repeatedly participated in similar exercises held by the commander of the Moscow Military District, General Artemyev.

"Arrangements have been made. Please come to the air defense command at 17 o'clock. Stalin put down the microphone.

Shcherbakov looked at the desk calendar, and on the page "January 21st" there were many things he was supposed to do on that day...... Behind him, there hangs a large map of Moscow like a magic carpet, which is clearly marked and colored. At the top left of the long conference table, there is a colorful map of the Moscow region, which occupies the wall, and the capital is surrounded by towns and villages. On the mottled map, factories and enterprises are indicated.

This man who works at a desk in a corner of the office is connected to everything marked on these maps. Yes, he was also in charge of air defense, and everything that was marked on that chart, which was spread out on the table and dragged to the floor. It marked the various regions of the Duteisk Line...... Shcherbakov also served as secretary of the Party Central Committee, military commissar of the Moscow Military District, and head of Soviet intelligence. It can be said that it is not easy for him to take on so many heavy tasks alone. He is indeed experienced. Until the age of forty, he held important positions in Western Siberia, the Gorky region and the city of Leningrad. He served as first secretary of the party committees of Western Siberia, Donets and Stalin. Perhaps it is because he has been trained for a long time and is well-informed, so he can cope with it wherever he is. Born in the old Rybinsk, he went to work in a printing house at the age of twelve, from whom he learned the spirit of rigor and seriousness. Later, he went to work on the railway, and his surname was marked with perseverance, methodicality, and a beginning and an end, and he studied at the Communarian University and the Red Professor's College, integrating the knowledge and accumulated experience he had learned, accumulating strength, and cultivating the temperament of the party's leader, which laid a solid foundation for the future rise to the top. Shcherbakov had an amazing ability to discern the inquirer's intentions in just a few words, and to make the most appropriate decision immediately. Therefore, various statements circulate in Moscow that the first secretary of the city party committee is most interested in people from a certain line. Whoever had the opportunity to meet Shcherbakov always had to do it for various reasons, and even to promote it for himself. But none of the most profitable of these were the eloquent journalists and writers, especially those who had been working in the Soviet intelligence service since the early days of the war. They eloquently and proudly proclaimed that they were the ones who could most win the favor of the first secretaries of the Moscow City Party Committee and the Moscow Region.

They weren't wrong, but they weren't right either. He did listen very carefully to the opinions of writers and journalists, especially those who came from the field troops. Not only listening, but also asking carefully, always trying to observe the war more deeply through what these people have heard and witnessed, and to appreciate the death that war brings. Eyewitness sights and a large number of reports from the front to the Soviet intelligence service made Shcherbakov understand better than anyone in Moscow how harsh the war was for them. Alexander? Sergeyevich not only saw clearly the strategic situation of the campaign in various areas of the front, but was also able to look at the entire Sino-Soviet battlefield. The whole picture of the war and the image of the people fighting high and going to the national disaster together flashed in his rich imagination from time to time. He knew that just as the language of passionate love can change people's face, the call of the motherland in the autumn of danger seems to change the face of the people, freeing them from the shackles of personal life. Shcherbakov is adept at "listening" to Moscow with all his feelings, and making decisions on the spot in response. He learned from the news agency that on the first day of mobilization, not a single conscript in Moscow, with a population of several million, did not go to the conscription station or reported late, and tens of thousands of people who were not included in the conscription also went to report...... As a result, the Party Central Committee received a report signed by Shcherbakov on the proposal of the city party committee on the creation of volunteer militia units...... The Moscow party committee did not issue a call, and thousands of housewives and schoolgirls took the place of male workers who drove the beds...... Only now, as a result of the war, the population of Moscow has plummeted to less than half......

(To be continued)