Steel Soviet Union

"Yes, that's right, General Malashenko is going in, and he is here with me now."

"What? Which Malashenko? Could you please stop asking such idiotic questions, who else could it be? Of course it's the one, the one who can scare the piss out of a German guy just by saying his name, yes, That’s the one that always appears in Pravda. I’m not mistaken, you heard it right, that’s it.”

"If you want to report, hurry up. Comrade General is still waiting here. Well, hurry up! Okay, let's do this for now. I'm hanging up."

Malashenko was leaning outside the guard box, with a suitcase containing clothes and belongings at his feet. He was a little idle in the cold weather of early spring when the winter had not completely faded away, but he could only do so for the time being, quietly waiting for the person who came. The sentry who called to inform told himself the moment of the next news.

"Comrade General, I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long. I've already made a call, and I guess I'll be able to let you in in a while. I'm also doing things as a matter of routine and according to the rules. I hope you can understand."

The sentry standing guard at the gate looks a bit like a veteran at first glance. In other words, he is very smart, good at solving problems, and has a high emotional intelligence. The words he speaks and the expressions match his expressions, making him a very emotional and thoughtful person. As for being annoying.

Although he was stopped by a sentry who was older than him and had played a round faster than him, Malashenko was not angry, let alone blamed, and would not put on any official airs here.

He had neither a pass nor an order. After all, Morozov’s Second Design Bureau was a military base. What if he could just enter it as an individual? What's more, it is still a wartime context. There is nothing to say about being strict and doing all the inspections that need to be done. Malashenko, who knows this set of rules and procedures, also expressed his understanding and can act according to the rules.

"Is Morozov in there now? I have something to do with him, and I came here specifically to find him."

""

Malashenko's question came very suddenly and without any reason, and the sentry who had just recognized Malashenko at a glance seemed a little embarrassed.

"You should be here, Comrade General. I've been on guard here all day, and I haven't seen Comrade Morozov's car go out. He usually takes a car when he goes out to do errands. Time is tight, and he can't walk most of the time. "

"Um"

Answers like this are actually not nutritious. Malashenko couldn't say that he had any special reaction after hearing it. He just said a bland "hmm" and stopped talking. He held a cigarette in his hand and waited for the real answer. When you go in by yourself.

It was also when the third cigarette in Malashenko's hand was about to burn out, a figure finally hurried over from the inner area on the other side of the checkpoint. Seeing this scene, Malashenko guessed that he should It’s time to wait for the rightful owner.

"General Malashenko, it's really you! I didn't expect to meet you at this time. How did you get here?"

The person coming was not Morozov. Malashenko had seen a recent photo of Morozov at Kotin’s place before. The middle-aged man wearing glasses and with parted hair looked more like a middle school teacher. The science kind.

"I have something to discuss with Morozov. Where is he now? Can you take me to see him?"

Before arriving, I had already guessed that Malashenko's purpose of coming here was probably for Morozov. Of course, Morozov was the only one in the entire Second Design Bureau who could talk to Malashenko about certain things alone. , this middle-aged man with parted hair and glasses was not surprised by this.

"Comrade Morozov was presiding over a meeting and couldn't leave. I originally planned to pick you up in person, but he sent me here because he couldn't get away."

"Introduce yourself, Comrade General, I am Morozov's assistant Valokov. Comrade Morozov will rush over to see you after the meeting. He has already told me to entertain you. Please come with me.”

These top tank designers usually have to focus on production with one hand and design with the other. Regarding this, Malashenko has already learned from Kotin before. I was so busy all day long that I often didn't even have time to sit down on a chair and take a sip of hot water. It was even more common to host production or design meetings, so this was not a surprise.

"Lead the way, I'll wait for him with you."

"Okay, please follow me, Comrade General."

Morozov's Second Design Bureau seemed to be shabbier and smaller in scale than Kotin's First Design Bureau.

Especially the red brick and concrete building that is probably where the main building of Morozov's office is located. Even the exterior walls of the building seem to be in a state of disrepair and are quite old. It is different from Kotin's office building that has obviously been specially renovated. The comparison is like the difference between an old campus built 20 years ago and a new office building. The gap is obvious.

Malashenko didn’t know if this was the result of Kotin being more favored by Comrade Stalin. After all, if you want to say who is the popular person around Comrade Stalin, if Kotin says that he is not counted, then Morozov is even more Can't even touch the edge.

In terms of being loved and reused by the leader, Morozov is definitely not as good as Kotin, who designed a heavy tank in the name of the leader. What’s more, Kotin’s cheap father-in-law is also Comrade Stalin’s favorite general: Marshal Voroshilov. .

As one of the earliest marshals of the Soviet Red Army, Voroshilov experienced the Great Purge as a veteran of the Red Army, and he survived without incident and without any scratches. This shows how much he was trusted by Stalin.

Needless to say, the combined level of trust between the father-in-law and his son-in-law goes without saying. Malashenko guessed that Morozov, who could not produce any good works, should be far behind Comrade Stalin and that the gap between him and Kotin was obvious and formed. sharp contrast.

Needless to say, there is no need to say more about the issue of production resources and funding allocation. Kotin is definitely a stable group, and it is time to think about how to have a good chat with Morozov later.

"How is Comrade Morozov doing lately? How is his physical condition?"

Another question came out of his mouth without any warning, and the assistant who was obviously stunned by the question quickly reacted and gave the answer.

"To be honest, Comrade General, it's not very good."

"Due to design issues, Comrade Morozov has been working intensively for half a month and has not had much sleep. The news coming from the Cherkasy theater is not optimistic. Our new medium tanks still have poor performance in terms of performance. It is difficult to match the enemy's old Panther tanks, not to mention the enemy's newer and upgraded Panther tanks and heavy tanks called King Tigers."

"The construction time, materials and costs of bicycles are rising, but the actual performance and battlefield performance are unsatisfactory. Complaints from frontline troops keep flying towards us like snowflakes. Comrade Morozov is under great pressure , he has been thinking about how to improve the design, and I really hope you can help him. If this continues, his body will not be able to hold it. "