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墨書 Inktalez
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Kremlin
Stalin is smoking his beloved cigar, and sitting across from him is the widow of the great mentor Lenin, the fifty-year-old Krupskaya.
Today, Stalin deliberately finished his heavy workload ahead of time and went directly to visit Krupskaya at her residence, not far from his office. She had recently caught a cold.
"Comrade Krupskaya, you must take care of yourself and not overwork. Comrade Lenin worsened his condition due to lack of rest, so you mustn't do the same," Stalin intended to first inquire about Krupskaya's health.
"I also want to stop working, but I can't," Krupskaya sighed.
"I must continue to carry out Ilyich's wishes without stopping for a moment, to fulfill his legacy."
"You can leave this matter to me. You don't need to worry about these things, especially working with some reactionary elements, which is harmful to the revolution. I have always regarded Vladimir as my mentor, and I will continue to follow his will," said Stalin sincerely.
"If you truly follow Ilyich's wishes, then you should hand over the position of General Secretary right now."
Krupskaya said angrily, and then, due to her excitement, she began to cough violently, having to cover her mouth with a handkerchief. After a while, she finally calmed down. "Ilyich's will mentioned the strengths and weaknesses of everyone in the Central Politburo. Have you forgotten his evaluation of you?"
Without waiting for Krupskaya to finish speaking, Stalin abruptly interrupted her with a cold and harsh voice, " Stalin is too rough. This flaw can be tolerated among us Communists in our interactions with each other, but it becomes intolerable in the position of General Secretary. Therefore, I suggest comrades carefully consider a way to remove Stalin from this position and appoint someone else to take over."
This person is only a little stronger than Comrade Stalin in all other aspects, such as being more patient, humble, polite, caring for comrades, and less willful, etc.
Of course, I remember Comrade Lenin's evaluation of me. I lie in bed every night thinking about this question, why Comrade Lenin does not approve of me. I have been thinking about it for two whole years!
Stalin's tone was as calm as ever, but there was a hint of unwillingness in his voice.
"I have never understood why Lenin did not designate me as his successor. Am I really no different in his eyes from Trotsky, Kamenev, and Zinoviev? I risked my life to rob a bank in Georgia to ensure the party could function normally, and I handed over every penny to the party, even though I was destitute at the time and didn't even have money to pay for my girlfriend's medical treatment."
Stalin was clearly speaking from the heart, his voice slightly trembling as he continued to puff on his pipe.
"Comrade Stalin, everyone has their own place to go. You are obviously qualified as a member of The Bolshevik Party, but as the General Secretary of The Bolshevik Party, you are obviously unqualified. Why not hand over power to someone more suitable?" Krupskaya advised.
"Last year, you united with Comrade Kamenev and Comrade Zinoviev to overthrow Trotsky, which can be said to be due to the reasons of the ideological struggle. But then, at the meeting of the First Five-Year Plan, you openly supported Bukharin's policy of agricultural industrialization, opposed Comrade Kamenev and Comrade Zinoviev's policy of rapid industrialization, and united with the right-wing factions within the party, including Bukharin, to overthrow your former comrades."
"I remember you also support industrialization policies, so why did you join forces with Bukharin to suppress Comrades Zinoviev? What is the purpose behind it?"
Krupskaya, despite her old age, has an exceptionally clear mind and did not relax her vigilance due to the goodwill shown by Stalin.
Faced with Krupskaya's questioning, Stalin's face turned red and then white, as he tried to feign composure.
"This is to centralize power. The Soviet Union can only have one driver. Under the encirclement of imperialism, we must concentrate our strength. To disperse our strength is a dead end."
"In extraordinary times, we need extraordinary measures!" Stalin said.
"A very appropriate excuse," Krupskaya said meaningfully.
"Relying on political struggle cannot unite others. Ilyich united the party's Opposition with truth and patience, even the arrogant comrade Trotsky. Comrade Stalin, you cannot expect others to follow you by suppressing dissent."
Did he really make a mistake? Faced with Krupskaya's strong criticism, Stalin began to doubt his actions. Was he truly dedicated to the party, or could he be inadvertently doing harm despite his good intentions? Or should he relinquish the power he held?
Krupskaya stared at the bowed and contemplative Stalin, genuinely hoping for a peaceful resolution to the party's internal struggles and power conflicts. She believed that without it, bloodshed was inevitable. In response to her hope, Stalin lifted his head. Unlike his deferential demeanor in front of Krupskaya before, he now reverted to his original, or perhaps true, self. The rebellious and untamed spirit reemerged within him.
"Comrade Krupskaya, I believe that the Opposition within the party will follow me."
"Why?" Krupskaya was a bit puzzled.
"Because if they don't follow me, then I'll have to let them follow Comrade Lenin."
Soviet Union
Sheremetyevo International Airport
After traveling for more than ten hours and changing trains several times in between, he finally returned to Moscow from Kirov. He walked down the plane's gangway unsteadily, feeling a bit dizzy.
You should know that in the 1920s, airplanes were far from being as comfortable as they are now. Many of them were small aircraft, and the feeling was really like riding a roller coaster, not to mention sitting for more than ten hours.
Kirov took a deep breath of the air of the Soviet Union, well, the air of the socialist country is a bit more fragrant.
He saw the guard who came to meet him and the latter immediately saluted.
"Hmm? Where's Andrei? Isn't my security chief supposed to pick me up?"
Kirov looked at the unfamiliar face in front of him, feeling somewhat puzzled. Logically, his schedule was always managed by Andrei.
"Comrade Kirov, Comrade Stalin has given us orders to bring you to Moscow immediately upon your return to see him," the latter explained.
"Indeed, there's no time to waste. Let's leave immediately," Kirov nodded.
It was clear that Kirov's trip back to Moscow needed to be kept secret. He was taken from the airport in a car disguised as a private vehicle, with no markings, by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Kirov could only glimpse the outside world through the crack in the window curtain. The car took back roads, with few pedestrians in sight.
It seemed that the situation in Moscow was even more serious than I had imagined. Kirov looked serious.
Stalin's betrayal of Kamenev and Zinoviev was indeed unexpected, catching them off guard and leading to Stalin's great success. However, Stalin did not completely defeat them, as Zinoviev and Kamenev still held significant power within the party and regrouped with Trotsky to launch an attack against Stalin. In order to ensure victory, Stalin planned to unite with the right-wing members of the party, such as Bukharin, to defeat the Opposition. However, it was clear that Stalin's forces could not accept such a significant shift in a short period of time. Many party members who supported Stalin strongly opposed the alliance with Bukharin, demanding that Stalin support industrialization and re-establish the triumvirate of Stalin, Kamenev, and Zinoviev.
The ideological conflict led to a lack of unity in the hands of Stalin, so in the struggle between Stalin and Bukharin and the Opposition in this year, the Stalin and Bukharin alliance was at a disadvantage for a time, and the situation was critical.
To be frank, Kirov was also part of these people. He believed that the Soviet Union must achieve industrialization, so he also did not understand why Stalin wanted to betray Kamenev and unite with Bukharin.
"If Comrade Stalin asks me to suppress the Opposition within the Stalin faction, what should I do?"
Kirov is a bit confused. He supports Stalin because the latter was the most devout follower of Lenin Comrade, at least he used to be. But now, Stalin's actions have deviated from Kirov's beliefs, and Kirov doesn't know if he should continue to support Stalin.
"Taking it one day at a time, maybe things will turn around," Kirov can only console himself this way.
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