Timoshenko is back.

The defeat in the battle of Kharkov deeply stung him and his men. From Kharkov to Moscow, everything that happened on the battlefield was always in their minds. This is especially true for Timoshenko.

Since joining the army, he has been through countless battles, but has never suffered such a heavy defeat.

450,000 Soviet soldiers, a full 450,000! The battlefield was stained red with blood, and the corpses of countless Soviet soldiers were displayed in Kharkov.

However, to their surprise, when they returned to Moscow, they did not wait for the people of the People's Commissariat for State Security, but for the countless people who welcomed them!

Flowers, applause, constantly surround them

"Long live Comrade Stalin! Long live Marshal Timoshenko" was heard everywhere.

The banners clearly marked the warm celebration of the great victory in Kharkiv.

The subordinates did not understand, but Marshal Timoshenko understood the meaning at once

He smiled wryly, knowing even more that what was waiting for them down there.

Stalin did not live up to what he said, he did not personally come to "greet" Marshal Timoshenko, but appointed the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Army Zhukov to express his personal congratulations and that of the Soviet High Command to Marshal Timoshenko on his behalf, and hung a large medal on Timoshenko's chest.

However, when Zhukov took Timoshenko's hand, he said something that only he could understand:

"Take Care"

Take care for a moment, Timoshengo smiled

It's a bitter laugh. For themselves, and for the 450,000 Soviet soldiers in Kharkov

"Comrade Timilenko, how is Timoshenko?" Beria asked, sitting on her large couch.

"Him. Volvok, and Berekov were both brought back by my men and are currently being interrogated. Dimilenko sat down, and he brought a small suitcase with him.

"He's an old qualification, and he won't be so easy to explain." Beria glanced at the small suitcase: "Comrade Dimilenko, I think you must know the significance of this matter. Timoshenko offended many people in the past, and even openly contradicted the respected Comrade Stalin. Comrade Stalin's open-mindedness did not care, but I felt that Timoshenko was becoming more and more overdone to some of our comrades, always pretending to be old qualifications. constantly developing its own momentum, completely ignoring the Supreme High Command and Comrade Stalin"

Dimilenko nodded.

Many people, especially those led by Beria, have long looked at Timoshenko not so pleasing to the eye

"I heard that Timoshenko was involved in a kidnapping case some time ago?" Beria asked suddenly.

"Yes," Dimilenko said, "the family of his subordinate Kolkorok was rescued, and the rescuer was said to have been sent by Timoshenko. I don't think that's likely, though. After all, he wouldn't do such stupid things"

"Please keep your class vigilant, Comrade Dimilenko, nothing is impossible. Why should anyone use the name of Timoshenko? I know that Kol Korok was a subordinate whom Timoshenko admired very much, don't you think that there is any necessary connection between these things? Beria said unceremoniously, and then his gaze fell again on the small suitcase that Dimilenko had brought: "What is this?" ”

"What we found in the house of Marshal Timoshenko"

Dimilenko put the suitcase on the table in front of the sofa and opened it, and inside was some jewelry, as well as a letter.

"Something very valuable." Beria looked at the jewels: "What about the letter?" It's all written something. ”

"I'll read it to you." Dimilenko opened the letter:

"My friend Semyon. Konstantinovich. The Battle of Timoshenko Kharkov must have been commanded by you personally, and I think we will become friends, and I look forward to meeting you in Berlin or Moscow, and I think that your use of the Soviet 6th, 9th, and 57th armies is a necessary place for the decisive battle, and I think we should choose to congratulate our loyal friend on our upcoming victory. Ernst. April 2, 1942. ”

The more Dimilenko thought about it, the more frightened she became.

It's horrible, if the letter is true

Beria's eyelids twitched: "April 2, 1942? A letter before the start of the battle of Kharkov? The number of those armies on the letter. Exactly the same as our troops, Beria, what do you think this says? Ernst? It seems that of all the people I remember, there is only one person with this name, Ernst. Brahm! ”

"Yes, the skull baron." Dimilenko sighed, but then said: "Comrade Beria, I consider the authenticity of this letter. No one would have written such a letter so nakedly, and Marshal Timoshenko was already at the front at that time, how could this letter appear at his home in Moscow? Could it be that Timoshenko sent someone to send the letter back, waiting for us to find out? ”

There are indeed many suspicions, and it is obvious that this is a framed letter, and the means are not clever.

Beria smiled: "The truth or falsity of the belief is not something we can say clearly, let Comrade Stalin judge this." Comrade Dimilenko, now take this box and this letter with you and come with me to Comrade Stalin"

"Yes, Comrade Beria."

"The letter is fake, someone deliberately framed Timoshenko."

When he saw the letter, Stalin said without thinking: "The letter will not run back to Moscow on its own feet, someone is trying to let us find out." ”

After speaking, he asked again, "Did Timoshengo and his subordinates explain something?" ”

"Nope." Dimilenko hurriedly said: "They insist that there was indeed a major named Laskimir who came with a special team to rescue them, and they refused to admit any other charges. ”

"Timoshenko will not betray his faith." Stalin's voice suddenly became low: "It is impossible for him to collude with the enemy, everything is a conspiracy." But why did the enemy do this? Who of you knows the way? ”

Comrades Beria and Dimilenko shook their heads.

"I haven't figured out what it's for." Stalin groaned: "But in any case, Timoshenko is suspicious, and Kharkov has indeed suffered a crushing defeat to the Germans, and the responsibility cannot be washed away, and he thinks that he is no longer suitable for commanding the army." ”

Beria and Dimilenko understood everything in an instant.

From the beginning, Stalin did not believe that Timoshenko could collude with the Germans, but he also no longer trusted him.

Timoshenko's prestige in the army was too high, and after him, it was not a matter how old Zhukov and Vasilevsky were, but both of them were considered juniors in front of Timoshenko.

This was already a direct threat to Stalin's direct control over the army.

Before the battle of Kharkov, Stalin still needed Timoshenko to win for him, but unfortunately, Timoshenko failed, and now he can not achieve much.

Stalin deliberately showed such anger at Timoshenko's "betrayal" in front of Zhukov and Vasilevsky in order to tell these two people clearly, especially Zhukov, who liked to contradict Stalin:

Who is the master of this army, who is the master of this country!

It's him, Stalin! It's not Timoshenko, and it can't be anyone else!

So it was the Germans who gave this opportunity to Stalin!

Timoshenko was militarily defeated by the Germans, and politically he was not at all Stalin's opponent

"Take these things to Timoshengo to see." Stalin pointed to the suitcase: "At the same time, tell Timoshenko that I believe in his loyalty to his faith and will not fall for the Germans, but in view of the current situation and his physical reasons, I personally advise him to resign from his current position and stop worrying about the army." I think I can let him take charge of the traffic problems in the whole country. He's pretty good at it."

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Beria said cautiously: "Comrade Stalin, I think that with the current physical condition of Marshal Timoshenko, it would be more appropriate for him to recuperate at home. After all, taking care of traffic is also a hard job. ”

"Comrade Beria, you are very good at thinking about the marshal's body." Stalin nodded and picked up his pipe again: "Just do as you say." The enemy was everywhere, and Marshal Timoshenko should be given more guards, and told him that the enemy was very rampant, so that he could not leave his place easily. ”

"Yes, I see." Beria replied respectfully.

Do not offend Stalin, do not offend Stalin by anyone.

Dimilenko never spoke, but no one knew better than him:

All this was arranged by the skeleton baron again!

He used a seemingly clumsy method to successfully achieve the goal of removing Timoshenko from the military.

But what made Dimilenko couldn't figure it out was that Baron Skeleton could completely kill Timoshenko on the battlefield, so why would it take so much effort to do so?

Killing or capturing Temoshengo is a hundred, and now it seems a bit of a snake to do so.

Could it be that Baron Skeleton has a next move?

Dimilenko thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

Or what the hell Baron Skeleton was thinking, no one could have guessed! (To be continued.) For mobile phone users, please go to read. )