Soviet Union 1991

When Moscow entered the dead of night, the whole city was hushed in a quiet atmosphere.

Many people had fallen into bed and fell asleep, leaving only a group of conspirators who were ready to act, carrying out some shameful secrets under the cover of night.

Moths attracted by the firelight lingered around the dim chandelier hanging overhead. The narrow apartment was filled with papers and photos. No one would have thought that two senior leaders of Moscow would appear in this apartment to discuss some shameful secrets.

Gneralov smoked a cigarette and unfolded a huge building structure map on the table. He marked several important locations on the map with a fountain pen. He turned around and said to Comrade Lukyanov behind him, "We have arranged our people in some important positions in the Foros Villa. Once you take action, we will cut off the internal power supply of the villa, and then strictly control Yanayev in his bedroom, prohibiting him from entering or leaving. Our people will turn the Foros Villa into an airtight temporary prison until you complete the Moscow plan. Only then will this Tell him the bad news. But I must remind you that there are two divisions of troops stationed near the Foros Villa, as well as a Black Sea Fleet. So you should understand what I mean. Time is short, and we must solve all the troubles in one night at the latest, otherwise we may face an army the next day. "

Lukyanov waved his fingers, thinking about the feasibility of Gneralov's plan, and finally he asked, "Can you arrange more manpower? I think the KGB leadership bureau may be a little short of manpower. "

"No. "

Gneralov threw the pen directly on the map. He threw the cigarette butt in his mouth into the ashtray, turned around and said to Lukyanov, "In addition to the normal arrangements, I also mobilized a special operations team in Alpha to ensure the success of the plan. This is almost all the people I can mobilize. If more people are needed, they must go through official procedures, which will be easily discovered. Our coup is not about the number of people, but about quick action. As long as we can end the coup in Moscow as quickly as possible, the pressure on the Foros Villa will naturally dissipate."

Gneralov and Lukyanov have been planning for almost a year, including backup plans such as assassinating the general secretary, including poisoning and causing plane crashes, but without exception, they were rejected because of Vladimir's team's strict defense.

Lukyanov walked to the window and opened a small piece of blinds. Looking out from here, he could just see the red star on the dome of the Kremlin. This apartment was rented by Gneralov a few years ago and was processed for counter-reconnaissance. No one would have thought that an ordinary and inconspicuous small apartment near Red Square would become the base for planning a coup.

The gray wall was covered with photos of Vladimir appearing in various occasions, as well as his recent meeting schedule. They carefully recorded some key data and made full preparations for the next coup. The windows were sealed, and only a fluorescent light illuminated the dim room.

"Put down the blinds, Comrade Lukyanov. If you don't want to be noticed by the KGB agents outside, now we can only assume that there are enemies lurking outside, and they have noticed the next move. Be careful about everything. If you take a wrong step, you will lose everything. I don't want to hear you nagging about why you failed on the way to exile in Siberia."

Gneralov nailed Yanayev's photo to the wall. He looked at this man with a peaceful smile, but he had a strange sense of fear in his heart. He was afraid of the pressure from the other party, like an lingering red ghost lingering around him, reminding himself that there was a pair of invisible eyes watching him in secret.

Countless spider silks spread and woven around the Kremlin, and finally became a dense intelligence network. Any disturbance could not escape the sharp eyes in the office. He made the Kremlin into a spider's nest, specifically capturing those prey who betrayed the Soviet Union.

"After Yanaev arrived at the Black Sea villa, we will immediately hold an emergency meeting and let Vladimir attend without his knowledge. The meeting place will be filled with our agents, and once he appears, he will be immediately controlled... In this way, even if Moscow is controlled by several divisions, they will be powerless and will never be able to stir up trouble again."

The conservatives are not rootless. When the army realizes that the young and vigorous faction can no longer fight back, they will naturally stand on the conservative side. Anyway, the army has no losses in the coup, and they will obey the leadership of the political bureau whoever holds power.

Lukyanov was very satisfied with his plan so far. In addition to the time pressure, this was the most powerful counterattack against Yanaev. When the news came from the Foros holiday villa, Vladimir had already held a funeral in the form of accidental death.

He certainly did not expect that the empire he built with his own hands would be defeated by his allies around him in one fell swoop. He would never have thought that the successors he had worked hard to cultivate would fall one by one after his power was reduced.

Lukyanov wanted Comrade Vladimir to see their fate with his own eyes, the fate of going against the conservatives.

Gneralov sat on the table, slowly crossing the calendar until the last one, calculating how many days Yanaev would leave here.

"There are also quite a few veterans in the Politburo who are very dissatisfied with Yanaev's actions. They don't say it now, but once we have a coup, they will quickly turn to us. These people are important resources. They can even influence the entire situation. We must seize the opportunity."

Gneralov reminded his colleagues that when the incident happened, he was thousands of miles away in the Black Sea and had no time to pay attention to what happened in Moscow.

"There is also our last chess piece hiding next to Yanaev. It's time to exert his influence. After the general secretary left, the entire Kremlin was useless. He would not have expected that we were ready to counterattack and still trusted the most critical card with confidence."

The pointer turned twelve quarters, and Moscow ushered in a new day.

The countdown finally started.

"Yanaev will leave on April 1st and go to the Black Sea holiday villa. Now it has officially entered the final countdown." (To be continued.)