Chapter 245 Departure

"The general secretary's condition is not optimistic." In the hospital, Brezhnev was examined again. When the doctor came out, his face was full of worry: "The general secretary caught a severe cold during the military parade. Now, we have used the best medicine in the country, but the general secretary's health has not shown any signs of improvement."

It has been three days since the military parade. During these three days, the hospital corridors have been bustling with people coming and going. Senior officials have been coming and going like a revolving lantern, constantly visiting the General Secretary.

Unfortunately, after returning from the military parade, the General Secretary has been in a deep sleep and has not woken up until now.

Chernenko was very anxious.

"I've said it long ago that the General Secretary cannot be allowed to brave the severe cold to attend this military parade! The General Secretary's health cannot withstand the stress!" Chernenko almost stamped his feet, looking as if he was beating his chest and stamping his feet.

"Yes, that's right. The General Secretary's health has deteriorated because of certain people!" Sherbitsky said, "In such cold weather, they encouraged the General Secretary to attend the military parade!"

The two of them sang in unison, talking while watching the reactions of the people around them. This was their first attempt.

It is obvious that the General Secretary may not be able to hold on any longer. He has not woken up for several days in a row. This is definitely not a good sign. If the General Secretary is gone, who should sit in that position?

Chernenko wanted to sit, and Sherbitsky also wanted to sit, but both knew that they had another opponent, Andropov! This man was too threatening! They had to join forces to get rid of him first. Beria was an example!

It would be best to join others in the meeting, denounce Andropov, list his crimes in detail, and have him brought to justice on the spot, but this requires the approval of the majority of people!

Now, I just need to test the waters and see how many people will respond to me!

Unfortunately, the two were very disappointed. Most people, after hearing what they said, did not agree with them, but instead moved further away.

The people who are responsible for the security of this corridor are all KGB agents. How can they speak ill of their superiors here? No one is stupid enough to do this.

"How is the General Secretary?" Just then, a man walked over from the other side of the corridor. The tall figure and the unique expression were all Andropov!

"The situation is not good," Gromyko said. "The doctor just checked him out, and there is still no sign of him waking up."

"Really?" Andropov frowned: "Let's go in and take a look."

"We can't disturb the General Secretary's rest!" Sherbitsky finally couldn't help it and shouted, "We should all wait outside."

No one dared to go in, so how could we let you go in first? Sherbitsky was of course not satisfied.

Andropov's sharp eyes looked at Sherbitsky. Sherbitsky suddenly realized that he didn't dare to look at Andropov at all. That look was full of murderous intent! It made him feel chilled, so he could only lower his head.

"Oh no, oh no! The General Secretary's heart has stopped!" At this moment, a middle-aged nurse ran out of the ward shouting.

General Secretary, there is no heartbeat anymore!

On November 10, 1977, at 6:30 in the evening, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, a Ukrainian born on December 19, 1906 in Dnepropetrovsk, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and Chairman of the USSR Defense Committee, quietly stopped breathing in a Moscow hospital. The final cause of death was a heart attack.

This great politician, the helmsman of the Soviet Union, has been working diligently since overthrowing Khrushchev's rule in 1964. Under his rule, the Soviet Union became one of the most economically developed countries and was in an advantageous position in the Cold War. In the year of his death, the Soviet Union also successfully achieved a breakthrough in the Far East.

The departure of the great man made all the Soviet people extremely sad. The whole country lowered its flag to half-mast and observed a moment of silence for Brezhnev. The country was shrouded in grief.

At this time, the atmosphere in Moscow was somewhat unusual.

"Hey, Gromyko, what do you think of my proposal?" Ustinov said to Gromyko sitting opposite him: "Only Andropov has the ability to lead our country out of the current predicament. Our country needs reform!"

Gromyko, who had served as Foreign Minister during the three periods of Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev, could be said to be a veteran among the Communists. His words carried great weight, so Ustinov would meet with Gromyko in a small circle, hoping that Gromyko would support Andropov to come to power.

The country needs reform! This is a call that has emerged in the Soviet Union. With the continuous development of the national economy, the country's problems have also begun to become more prominent. Last year, Belenko and Vigilante defected twice, which shows that many people's thoughts at the grassroots level have begun to fluctuate. If you want to keep the Soviet Union vigorous, you must reform!

Andropov was the best candidate for reform. He was an expert in dealing with such issues and had handled the Hungarian incident brilliantly.

"Grishin, what do you think?" Gromyko still disagreed and said to the First Secretary of Moscow next to him.

This was a meeting of three people: the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Moscow, which together formed a small circle that could decide the fate of this empire.

This is a dangerous moment. If you stand on the wrong side, the consequences will be tragic. Think about it, in Beria's era, almost all officials who followed Beria were thrown into prison, and some even lost their heads.

If possible, Grishin would rather hide in a corner and watch these people fight each other, and then pledge allegiance to the new general secretary after the result is decided. There are many people who want to be the general secretary, in addition to Andropov, there are Chernenko, Sherbitsky... But now, when he was called by Ustinov, he knew that he had no choice.

Ustinov, the Minister of Defense, controls the military power of the entire country. His words carry the most weight. Moreover, the highest leader of the 4th Tank Division of the Moscow Military District, which is closest to Moscow, is the guy named Andrei, who is absolutely loyal to Andropov! They have arranged all this long ago. If something like Beria happens again, and Andropov is criticized by Chernenko and others and loses his position in the government, the reckless Andrei must dare to lead the 4th Tank Division into Moscow!