MTL - Big Time 1958-Chapter 883 Andropov passed away

The coast of the Black Sea, Crimea, this is the place where Andropov chose to recuperate. Yalta is a famous recuperation city in the Soviet Union. Soviet people who come to the beach on vacation can be seen everywhere on the beach, but Yalta is more famous for the World War II. During the meeting of the three giants of the Allied Powers gathered here, the heads of the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, held a meeting here, and signed the famous "Yalta Agreement" on the issue of the post-war world arrangement, known as the "Yalta Conference" in history.

The   Yalta Conference determined the political landscape after World War II, and soon the world turned to the Cold War. For Andropov, it was a place of extraordinary significance, as he was here with the politicians who changed the world, except that he was nowhere near as physically fit as Stalin was at the time.

  This is the largest health resort in the Soviet Union. Unlike Serov who went to Siberia when he had nothing to do, most Soviet leaders still liked the Crimea Peninsula, which was also the largest shipbuilding center in the Soviet Union. Not only is there beautiful scenery, but also Soviet warships can often be seen.

Andropov, who was wearing light clothes, sat hunched on a chair. At his request, the people around let him rest outside for a while, looking at the scenery of the sanatorium, with a blank expression, he seemed to have forgotten the loss of time. . He didn't even notice the uncontrollable trembling of his body, but the surrounding security guards noticed it, put Andropov on a stretcher and sent him back to the villa.

   Even here, he is also the general secretary of the Soviet Union, and many people will come to visit him. Today, a member of the Soviet Central Presidium, Defense Minister Marshal Ustinov is here. And he could only lie in his hospital bed, greeting the Secretary of Defense with an IV bottle, and he was still working, even if he couldn't do anything but sign off and agree to the aide's plan.

On the occasion of the Russian New Year, Kryuchkov came here. The two are friends. Only these few friends spent this New Year with him. very happy. There was a somewhat difficult smile on his face, and this smile was so reluctant that Kryuchkov couldn't help but feel sad.

   "Kryuchkov, I wish you a happy New Year." Andropov said with great difficulty raising his glass, "I also thank the doctor for allowing me to drink a glass of wine. Thank you for coming here."

Kryuchkov's face was heavy, and he toasted Andropov on the hospital bed. On the day of the Russian New Year, as a friend of Andropov's long ago, he couldn't help but feel for Andropov. The body rushed to worry.

"Comrade Kryuchkov, Chairman Serov has recalled you to the KGB, I have seen the relevant telegram, congratulations!" After everyone left, Andropov recalled Kryuchkov alone and asked "Is Moscow calm now? How is Ryzhkov, Ligachev and their work?"

"No problem, but Chairman Serov has rarely left Lubyanka since you left Moscow. He only went to the Kremlin a few days ago, which surprised everyone." Kryuchkov said about this .

"Shelov seems to feel that his situation is very dangerous. He is afraid that the fate of Beria will befall him." Andropov said with some difficulty, "I really hope that I can have more time to let the young cadres really Can be prepared. But it doesn't seem easy, Chernenko also wants to lead the country, but he has a resistance."

   "Are you talking about Chairman Serov?" Kryuchkov said in surprise, because so far no security cadres have become the top leaders of the Soviet Union, and Kryuchkov still can't imagine such a situation happening.

"Maybe, I'm just guessing." Andropov shook his head, "People didn't notice this before, because many people are older than Serov, and because Serov was a member of the Central Presidium very early, people always It is ignored that his age has an advantage over everyone else, and he never interferes in matters other than safe work, so he did not raise people's vigilance, and now these conditions have been lifted. Because of my physical condition, Serov and Chernenko found that there was a rivalry between the two, and that he did not leave Lubyanka to prevent Beria from being suddenly arrested."

   "If Chairman Serov felt that his life was threatened, would he take risks?" Kryuchkov said in surprise, "General Secretary, now only you can stop the confrontation between Serov and Chernenko."

"Do you think Serov will lose? You don't know your chairman very well." Andropov looked at his old friend and said, "Serov may be hesitant to face Chernenko's old leader, Brezhnev, but When facing Chernenko, he will not hesitate at all, on the contrary, if Chernenko goes too far, he may be kicked out."

After saying these words, Andropov rested for a long time, and finally said weakly, "Comrade Kryuchkov, thank you for visiting me today and spending what may be the last New Year with me. I look forward to it. I hope your work and life can be healthy and successful, which is the foundation of all careers."

"Thank you, General Secretary!" Kryuchkov was able to be sure at this time that Andropov himself thought he could not get through this and was ready for death. The two had known each other since the 1950s. At this scene, Kryuchkov felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, but it didn't show it on the outside.

   The most important thing for Serov every day is not to work safely, but to read Andropov's health report. And who Andropov sees every day, Ryzhkov just left Moscow for the Crimea.

Compared with snow-capped Moscow, the warm Crimea is indeed a good place to recuperate. After reading the general secretary's health report, Serov rolled his eyes and said, "Comrade Kryuchkov, you will be in charge of foreign intelligence work. At the same time, take into account the follow-up work of the anti-privilege movement, and communicate more with the comrades of the Central Supervisory Committee, maybe you will have frequent contact in the future."

The    Central Supervisory Committee was the last department of the Shelepin group that resisted. It contained a small number of cadres from the Shelepin group. Of course, there were no senior cadres.

   "Thank you, Chairman, I will do my best to finish the work." Kryuchkov didn't know what Serov meant either.

   "It is not necessary to do your best, sniff out and eradicate traitors." Serov replied coldly, Kryuchkov was transferred back entirely because of the August 19 coup. The vice president, prime minister, interior minister, and eight participants in the August 19 coup, but there was only one real organizer and leader. People are just participants, cooperating with Kryuchkov's plan.

  If the group responsible for the August 19 coup was one person, then Kliuchkov was the skeleton, and it was he who supported the final counterattack to retain the power of the Soviet Union. Without the nod of the KGB, the Soviet Union could not launch any coup.

   "Chairman, the general secretary said that he hopes that everyone can continue to work in good health." Kryuchkov hesitated for a while, but told Serov tactfully that Andropov might die soon.

"I know that some people should live healthy, like the general secretary." Shelov continued to read the report below, answered without looking up, then pointed to the door and said, "Your office is where Fedorchuk used to be. One room, let's go and have a look."

Since the New Year, Andropov's health has deteriorated sharply due to the accumulation of toxins in his blood. Time is running out. For this reason, he often loses consciousness. a worse situation.

   The morning of February 9th was the last day of Andropov's life. One day the nurse found Boris Crukov, one of Andropov's guards, saying that Andropov did not want to eat, and she begged him to persuade Andropov to eat.

  Crukoff came to Andropov and persuaded him to eat, but he finally agreed and ate. Then Crukoff left for a while. About an hour and a half later, there was a sudden commotion in the ward. The doctors ran into the ward, and the assistant to the safety director also ran in. Crukov called his assistant, who came to Andropov's ward to stare at the monitor and noticed that Andropov's pulse was slowing.

   "Rescue immediately!" Crukov left the room while instructing the medical staff. At the same time, Lubyanka KGB headquarters received a telegram from Crimea describing the current situation in cipher.

   "Regardless of the final result, immediately block the news." Serov immediately gave an order to the phone.

   "I thought the day would come when I didn't see you do it before I died?" General Alexei's old voice came from the phone, and then he simply cut off the phone.

   "What attitude!" Serov took out his never-used mobile phone from the drawer and called the commander of the Dzerzhinsky Special Operations Division and the commander of the Kremlin garrison.

   Ten minutes later, the phone on the table suddenly rang, causing the guilty general political commissar to almost throw the phone out of his hand.

   "Andropov is in danger!" Shirbitsky's voice was equally unsettled. His mentality at this time was the same as Serov's. His move was tantamount to betraying his own group, and he was also guilty of being a thief.

   You scared me to death and swallowed hard. Serov took a few deep breaths before answering, "I see, what are you going to do?"

   "I'm going to officially visit General Secretary Andropov!" Shcherbitsky decided to do it himself to confuse others. While the two were talking, Andropov's vital signs had disappeared from the monitor...