Red Moscow

Chapter 2534

 The distance from Warsaw to Berlin is 523 kilometers. If it is a high-speed train from China in later generations, it can be reached in two hours at most. But in this day and age, any train traveling at 50 kilometers per hour is considered fast.

The train Sokov took set off at 11 o'clock that night. After ten hours of turbulence, it finally arrived at Berlin's Hamburg Station at 9 o'clock the next morning.

The sweet voice of a female announcer came from the radio in the car: "Dear passengers, the train is about to arrive at Hamburg Station in Berlin. Please pack your luggage and be ready to get off."

Sokov sat up and stretched: "Thank God, we are finally here."

Thinking that his visit to Berlin had a lot to do with Agelina, he asked: "Agelina, our train is delayed for nearly a day. Will the person who comes to pick us up wait for us?"

Hearing Sokov's childish question, Agelina couldn't help laughing: "Misha, what's wrong with you? Have you forgotten that you came to Berlin this time at the invitation of Marshal Zhukov, let alone If it is delayed by one day, even if it is delayed by half a month, the person picking up the station will not dare to leave casually. "

Sokov looked out the window at the scenery moving slower and slower, and asked casually: "Then where should we go to find the person to pick us up?"

"Don't worry," Agelina comforted Sokov: "When the train arrives at the station, we will stay in the box and someone will come to us."

As soon as the car stopped and the door had not been opened, Torba came over.

Seeing Torba arriving uninvited, Sokov couldn't help but be startled, wondering if he was the one who came to pick him up? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Agelina, trying to get an answer from her. After Agelina saw the look Sokov cast, she also guessed his intention, and shook her head slightly, indicating that Torba could never be the person to pick up the station.

“Comrade Sergeant,” Sokov asked politely, “What can I do for you?”

"That's it, Comrade General." Torba said cautiously: "The train has arrived at the terminal. I wonder how the German captain should settle down?"

Only then did Sokov remember that it was not just himself and Agelina who came to Berlin this time, but also Captain Hosenfeld, who was later called the "Righteous Among the Nations". He raised his hand and slapped himself on the forehead, and said to Torba with a smile: "Comrade Sergeant, look at my memory. If you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten about Captain Hosenfeld. Trouble. You bring him to my place and he will get off with us later!”

Torba saluted Sokov and turned to leave.

 A few minutes later, Hosenfeld, accompanied by a soldier, arrived at Sokov's box.

After the soldiers escorting Hossenfeld left, Sokov asked Hossenfel to sit down on the sofa in the box and asked with a smile: "Mr. Hossenfel, our soldiers didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"No, no." Hossenfeld shook his head and said, "They are very good to me. Whatever needs I have, they will do their best to meet them."

“Mr. Hosenfeld,” Sokov looked at him and asked, “Now that we have arrived in Berlin, what are your plans next?”

"I want to go home first." Hossenfeld said hesitantly, "I will consider other issues after I meet my family."

"Mr. Hossenfeld," Agelina translated Hossenfel's words to Sokov, then looked at Hossenfel and asked, "Have you ever thought that your home might have been destroyed during the Allied bombing?" , or it was destroyed when our army attacked Berlin. Your family has either left the city or died in the war. What are you going to do if this happens?

"I don't know, I don't know." After hearing what Agelina said, Hossenfeld held his head in his hands and said with a painful expression: "If what you said really happens, I really Don’t know what to do?”

“Agelina,” Sokov saw Hosenfeld’s expression and guessed that Agelina must have said something to irritate him, so he quickly asked: “What did you say to him?”

After listening to Agelina's retelling, Sokov sighed softly and said: "It's all this **** war that has caused so many families to be ruined and homeless. It's not just our country that suffers. The people, even Germany, which started the war, its people are also victims.”

At this time, there was a rush of footsteps in the corridor outside, and then Sokov heard a voice outside asking: "Excuse me, General Sokov from Moscow, and Comrade Agelina, are they inside?"

Hearing this voice, Sokov immediately stood up and opened the door. He saw three soldiers standing in the corridor outside the door. The leader was a major officer. He quickly said: "I am Sokov. You are here to pick me up." Ours?”

"Yes, Comrade General." The major replied: "The car to pick you up is parked on the platform." He glanced at Hosenfeld next to him, and said with some surprise: "But the notice I received, It’s two people, but you have three people here.”

"It's like this." Since the other party was the one who came to pick him up, Sokov naturally wanted to explain clearly to him: "This is Captain Hosenfeld, a German. When our train stopped in Warsaw, I took him He was rescued from the prisoner of war camp. We will send him home later and then we will meet Marshal Zhukov."

“Okay, Comrade General.” Faced with Sokov’s proposal, the Major naturally did not dare to object and could only nod in agreement.

When Sokov was about to leave, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the assault rifle and ammunition boxes placed in the corner. He stopped and said to the major: "By the way, comrade major. These weapons were brought from Moscow. We are in Poland." At that time, I was attacked by gangs and some of the ammunition was consumed. The rest is here. Who do you think I should give these things to?"

 Major did not expect that Sokov would bring so many weapons and ammunition when he came this time. He frowned and thought for a while, and then said: "Comrade General, leave this matter to me, so you don't have to worry about it." After that, he called a soldier and asked him to stay in the box to take care of the weapons and ammunition.

After the major got off the train with Sokov and others, he did not immediately get on the black barrel car parked on the platform. Instead, he politely said to Sokov: "Comrade General, please wait a moment while I look for the station." The military representative, let him dispose of the weapons and ammunition you brought.”

After getting Sokov's permission, the major walked alone towards the military representative's office not far away, while another soldier was left with Sokov to protect his safety.

Sokov looked at Hosenfeld and said: "Mr. Hosenfeld, I wonder how long it has been since you returned to Berlin?"

Hossenfeld thought for a moment and replied: "I have not been back to Berlin since February 1942." "You haven't been back to Germany for so long?" Sokov asked in surprise: "Have you never been back to Germany? No holiday?"

"No." Hossenfeld shook his head and said: "According to the command, we are preparing to carry out large-scale immigration to Poland and Russia at the right time. Because those of us officers stationed in Poland basically do not return to Germany. Opportunity. Since I was imprisoned in the prisoner of war camp, I thought I would never have the chance to return to Germany, but I didn’t expect that with your help, I would set foot on German soil again. Thank you!”

"You're welcome, it's just a little effort." Sokov grinned and waved his hand at Hosenfeld: "Compared with your good deeds of risking your life and helping more than fifty Jews, it's not worth mentioning at all. "

When Sokov said this, he was thinking to himself: Poor Captain Hosenfeld, in real history, you died in a Soviet prisoner of war camp, with no chance of returning to Germany, not even your body. Where it is buried, no one knows.

At this time, a train stopped at a platform not far away, and countless passengers got out of the car. As soon as everyone got off the bus, they picked up their luggage and walked quickly towards the exit.

Sokov looked at the Germans who had just got off the train expressionlessly, wondering where these Germans came from. Were they expelled from East Prussia by the Soviet army, or did they come from other cities?

At this moment, a man wearing a black coat and a dark blue peaked cap walked quickly towards Sokov's location, carrying a suitcase. When the soldier responsible for protecting Sokov saw the man approaching, he immediately picked up the submachine gun hanging on his chest, pointed the muzzle at the man, and shouted sternly: "Stop, don't come over!"

“General Sokov, General Sokov!” Unexpectedly, the man stopped by the soldiers shouted loudly at Sokov, and he was still speaking in Russian.

　　Sokov thought he had met a retired subordinate, and quickly said to the soldier: "Let him come over!"

The man wearing a peaked cap came to Sokov, put down his luggage, straightened his back, saluted, and said: "Hello, Comrade General!"

Sokov looked familiar to him, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

Seeing that Sokov was staring at him non-stop, the man raised his hand and took off his cap, and said loudly to Sokov: "Comrade General, do you really not recognize me? I am Ernst. Ernst?"

Hearing the name spoken by the other party, Sokov immediately connected the person in front of him with the German prisoner he captured at the Istria Reservoir during the massive counterattack in Moscow: "I remembered you. It’s Ernst, Corporal Ernst. The German corporal who studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory for two years and speaks fluent Russian!”

“That’s right, Comrade General, it’s me.”

 Seeing Sokov open his arms to him, he also stepped forward and gave him a warm hug.

When the two separated and were about to speak, Hosenfeld, who was standing behind Sokov, suddenly said in a trembling voice: "Ernst, are you Ernst?"

When he heard someone calling his name, Ernst, who had just finished hugging Sokov, looked at Hosenfeld with surprised eyes, wondering who this man in Soviet uniform was and how he knew his name. name?

Just when Ernst was stunned, Hosenfeld shouted excitedly: "Cousin Ernst, don't you recognize me? I am your cousin William!"

“William!” Ernst looked at Hosenfeld and asked cautiously: “Are you cousin William?”

"Yes, yes, I am William." Seeing that Ernst recognized him, Hosenfeld stepped forward and hugged his cousin tightly, patted his back with his hand, and said excitedly: "I thought I'd never see you again."

After Ernst let go of Hosenfeld, he asked with some surprise: "William, where did you come from? How come you are wearing a Soviet uniform?"

“It’s a long story. If I hadn’t met the kind-hearted General Sokov, I would still be in a prisoner of war camp in Warsaw. Whether I could return to Berlin alive is still unknown.”

Agelina knew that Sokov did not understand German. When Hosenfeld and Ernst were talking, she acted as a simultaneous interpreter and told Sokov about their conversation in a timely manner.

Ernst knew that it was Sokov who saved his cousin. Without asking about the specific process, Ernst first expressed his gratitude to Sokov: "General Sokov, thank you, thank you for taking my cousin from prisoner of war." Without your help, I fear he would have died in the prison camp."

"You're welcome, this is just a trivial matter. The reason why I rescued your cousin from the prisoner of war camp was entirely because of the good deeds he performed while in Warsaw." Then Sokov told Hosen How Phil helped the Jews in Warsaw, and how one of the Jews named Spielmann repaid the favor by going to various prisoner-of-war camps to find the whereabouts of Hosenfeld, told Ernst in detail.

"So that's it." After figuring out what happened, Ernst's heart was full of luck. He thought happily that if his cousin had not helped the Jews, there would be no one at all after he was imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp. To save him, he would have to stay in the prisoner of war camp. If you are lucky, you will get the day to be repatriated to your country; if you are not lucky, you will die in a prisoner of war camp and become a lonely ghost in a foreign land.

“Ernst.” Seeing that Sokov and Ernst seemed familiar, Hosenfeld asked tentatively: “How do you know General Sokov?”

Hearing his cousin's question, Ernst chuckled and then explained: "I was transferred to the Eastern Front. Not long after I dared to go, the Soviet army in Moscow launched a full-scale counterattack. I was there I was stationed at the Istria Reservoir and was captured by the troops led by General Sokov who raided the reservoir. Because I had studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory for two years and could speak fluent Russian, I became a soldier after I was captured. The translator in his army.”

“Ernst.” Sokov waited for Ernst to finish his words and asked curiously, “Where are you coming back from?”

 “Frankfurt,” said Ernst, “I have just come back from Frankfurt.”

Sokov knew very well that although Frankfurt sounded like a French city, it was an out-and-out German city. He asked casually: "What are you doing in Frankfurt?"

Ernst laughed dryly and replied with some embarrassment: "Comrade General, I came to see my wife and children. You know, Berlin is not peaceful, so I sent them to Frankfurt soon after returning to Berlin. "It won't be too late to bring them back after the situation in Berlin improves."

Although Ernst did not explain why Berlin was not peaceful, Sokov knew that a considerable number of Soviet commanders and fighters who occupied the city not only looted German property, occupied other people's houses, and even women. Don't let it go. It was therefore understandable that Ernst moved his wife and children to Frankfurt.