When the German soldiers walked through the rubble with their weapons and led the Soviet delegates to negotiate out of the front line between the two armies, several Soviet negotiating officers clearly lost their former arrogance, and they carefully passed through every line of defense, full of respect for these Wehrmacht soldiers stationed on the front line.

The Soviet officers were then put onto a military truck and drove along the streets that the Germans had already captured, towards the headquarters of the German Army Group A in the distance. Two jeeps were filled with German soldiers, carrying assault rifles, and following back and forth, protecting the Soviet soldiers to reach their destination safely.

Nothing happened along the way, the security environment in the German-occupied Moscow area was very good, most of the area was affected by the war, so there were not many locals living in it, there were tents set up on the street everywhere, and the German soldiers on the side of the road were resting and waiting on the side of the road, wearing vests or carrying towels around their necks, looking at the cars driving on the road with curious eyes.

After all, these German military off-road vehicles are not as good as luxury cars in terms of shock absorption, and their main function is to drive on rough roads, and they are reliable and trouble-free - Mercedes-Benz military cars are a good interpretation of the term military cars, sturdy and simple and cheap.

"Cherish your last chance, there's not much you can fight for. Jumping out of the car, a German officer looked at the Soviet officers who were bent over from the truck, ready to jump, and said in fluent Russian: "I don't know why you came to negotiate with us at such a time, but you should know that delaying time is useless." ”

"Mr. General...... We very much cherish this opportunity for negotiations, and we have no intention of delaying time. Because we really feel that it's time to end everything in front of us, to end this war that doesn't make any sense. The Soviet officer jumped out of the truck, looked at the German officer, and replied slowly.

Without waiting for the German officers who were stunned, the Soviet representatives straightened their clothes and, under the guidance of the guards of the headquarters of the Wehrmacht Army Group A, walked into the reception room next to Rundstedt's office. Several people were carefully searched, and then waited for about ten minutes before Marshal Rundstedt, who had entered the room with his secretary and chief of staff.

"Long live Führer Accardo, Rudolph!" The guards standing at the door of the conference room raised their arms and saluted the standard Great German salute when they saw the marshal and the others. They had their chins held high and looked very energetic. This scene was very embarrassing to the Soviet officers in the room, who had already stood up, because they did not know whether to get up and salute or continue with the handshake they were more accustomed to.

Rundstedt looked at the Soviet officer in a dilemma, and did not mean to embarrass the other party, after all, the two sides were still at war, and it seemed a little too hypocritical to let the negotiators follow the local customs. So the German marshal waved his hand magnanimously, opened his mouth and said with a smile: "It is a pleasure to meet you, guests from Moscow. I am Field Marshal Rundstedt, Commander-in-Chief of Imperial Army Group A, and welcome to my headquarters. ”

His greeting made the embarrassed Soviet officers feel a lot more comfortable at once, so several of them nodded gratefully, skipped the detail of saluting the Germans, and hurriedly opened their mouths to report a message to Rundstedt, who was dressed in a decent military uniform and had an iron cross on his neckline, which stunned everyone present for a few seconds: "Your Excellency Marshal...... Not so long ago, our leader, Comrade Stalin, in his office, committed suicide ......"

The air seemed to freeze all at once, and even the not-so-obvious smile of the smiling Rundstedt remained at the corner of his mouth, and everyone fell silent, trying to digest the really surprising news. Rundstedt paused for a few seconds before continuing: "I'm really sorry to hear this...... He's a very respectable opponent and I personally want to talk to him. ”

"I'm afraid, your ideas can only be lost. The Soviet officer, who had been ordered to negotiate, lowered his head slightly, sighed before continuing: "He has his insistence, and we can only accept the fact that he has left in great pain...... So we are here to negotiate a ceasefire and surrender agreement with you and the surrounding German troops on behalf of the Soviet troops guarding Moscow. ”

Rundstedt had already recovered from the news that Stalin had committed suicide, and he looked at the officers in front of him, so he had to retreat and ask: "Oh, since Stalin is dead, then the current commander-in-chief in Moscow must be your Marshal Zhukov, right? Did he give the order to surrender?"

"Uh...... Your Excellency Marshal, in fact all the armies in the city are now under the command of Comrade Colonel-General Konev...... Because, because Comrade Marshal Zhukov has also followed in the footsteps of Comrade Stalin and left us forever. Although it was a little difficult to speak, the Soviet officers who came to negotiate reluctantly told the German officers who were waiting across the table with another piece of news.

"...... "All the German officers have the urge to open their mouths and curse -- you say that you have held Moscow for so long that you have not reduced the slightest loss of our losses, and you have committed suicide and martyrdom one after another when we are witnessing victory? Even if you are really not afraid of death, you will not play so decisively, right?"

Rundstedt suddenly had a feeling that he had been tricked by the other party, he sneered, then looked at several Soviet officers in front of him, and teased: "You're not joking with us, are you? When we were about to achieve a complete victory, you told me that none of your senior commanders committed suicide?"

"Facts...... In fact, it is...... Your Excellency Marshal, not only Stalin but also Zhukov, including a chief of the General Staff, three chiefs of staff, and more than a dozen high-ranking officers of the Front, have already cut ......themselves off," the Soviet officer at the head of the Soviet Union could only say stubbornly, he had no choice, because everything he said was true, and he was not allowed to change the slightest.

The room was quiet again, and Rundstedt didn't know if what he was saying was true. Because if all this is true, then the courage of the Soviet top brass when the end is approaching is really admired by Rundstedt. Not everyone in this world has the courage to end their own lives, and it is a miracle that there are so many in the Soviet Union.

"So, that's why you're here to surrender, right?" In the end, it was the chief of staff of Army Group A who broke the brief silence and asked the Soviet negotiators on the other side, "Because the commanders who insisted on fighting are no longer there, so you chose to surrender to us?"

"Yes, I don't want to admit it, but this is indeed one of the reasons for our surrender. The Soviet officer nodded and answered the German chief of staff's question: "Our Konev commander has ordered that officers and soldiers should not be allowed to commit suicide, so we have no choice but to come here and convey to you what we hope will surrender." ”

"God, this is a sad story. Rundstedt shook his head, sighed, and said, "So, since you are now the plenipotentiary of the Soviet defenders, tell me what the surrender conditions you want, right?"

"Your Excellency, we want to surrender with dignity and get out of the city where we are stationed. After all, we fought valiantly, so we should keep our honor. The Soviet representative said to Rundstedt: "So I ask for your mercy that our officers be allowed to wear their pistols, and that the soldiers may keep their belongings, leave Moscow in the prescribed direction, and after resting, be disbanded on the spot, and be treated differently from prisoners of war." ”

He paused, and without waiting for Rundstedt to speak, he continued: "In addition, these soldiers and all the officers will not be held accountable, nor will they be sent to concentration camps or prisoner of war camps...... We have no weapons, there is no threat at all, these hundreds of thousands of people have absolutely no ...... to your army"

"Oh, allow me to interrupt you. Rundstedt stretched out his hand to stop the other party's continued chatter, then looked at the other party's eyes with interest, shook his head and said: "As the top front commander of the German army, I dare not agree to any of these conditions you said!"

He stretched out his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and then slowly stretched out his first finger: "First, we have won this war, and in what way to treat the captives who surrendered in the encirclement, it is our freedom!"

Then he extended a second finger and continued: "Second, the Führer's special warrant allows you to surrender only unconditionally. The warrant makes it abundantly clear that the defeated country is not qualified to make conditions...... Got it?"

After saying this, Rundstedt's gaze swept sharply over the Soviet officers in front of him, he was exercising the power that only a victor could have, and this power made him feel very comfortable all over his body. The other party swallowed a mouthful of saliva, trying to open his mouth to say something, but in the end he couldn't bear it.