Chapter 44

The Red Army soldiers of the 65th Tank Regiment of the Guards leaped down from the T-54 tanks with a clean and neat motion. This action was so familiar, yet the scene was the same at different times, especially for the German residents of West Berlin who faced the Soviet Red Army. Seeing this scene, they couldn't help but take a few steps back.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" A little girl in a red top tightly held onto her father's hem. In the little girl's heart, her father, the most reliable person, was always the one who could protect her the most. But today, he was unusually nervous, as if he had recalled something very terrifying. Many middle-aged people around him had the same expression.

"Nothing, honey!" The middle-aged man tried to calm his child, his eyes fixed on the other side of the barbed wire. One by one, Soviet Red Army soldiers jumped down from the tanks. He had seen this situation before; fourteen years ago, the same unit had stormed into Berlin. Even the posture of the soldiers sitting on the tanks was similar. When he was a teenager, he had seen countless Red Army soldiers sitting directly on the tanks as they stormed into Berlin. Now the scene was replaying, except the T-34s had become T-54s, and the Red Army soldiers' uniforms were a bit more presentable.

This situation was due to the lack of armored personnel carriers in the Red Army at the time. To maintain mobility, many soldiers sat directly on the tanks. The 65th Tank Regiment of the Guards recreated this scene because of the sudden situation on Shelepin's side, so they immediately mobilized the tank units. Shelepin didn't know that this scene had caused psychological trauma to many Germans, but he knew one thing: if this happened a few more times, the concrete ground in Berlin would need to be repaired...

The 65th Tank Regiment of the Guards had ninety-four T-54 tanks and forty-six armored personnel carriers. Of course, the armored personnel carriers were not present here, but the ninety-four T-54 tanks that appeared here were clearly more threatening. Especially compared to the Sherman tanks on the other side of the barbed wire, which were almost obsolete, the T-54 tanks showed a comprehensive advantage.

"What are you going to do? West Berlin is managed by the three occupying powers, which the Soviet Union recognizes. Do you want to overturn the current situation? Are you not afraid of starting a world war?" To be fair, the temperature in Berlin in March and April was not high, but Stevenson's white shirt was as if it had just been taken out of the water. The two Shermans did not threaten Shelepin, but he clearly felt the threat from the T-54 tank's main gun.

"If I'm not mistaken, it was you who first used the Sherman tanks! Even if it causes a world war, the responsibility will be on the United States, and besides... you can't win anyway..." Shelepin's light words were transmitted through the loudspeaker, "Why do you have to oppose the Soviet Union in a field you're not good at?" Unlike the Red Army soldiers who jumped down from the tanks, Shelepin climbed onto the tank and stood on top, facing Stevenson not far away.

Ignoring the other side of the barbed wire, Shelepin turned and stood on the top of the T-54 tank, facing the surrounding Red Army soldiers. These young Soviet soldiers might not have experienced the war, but their spirit and fighting spirit were no less than their predecessors, which Shelepin could clearly feel.

More than forty years ago, this unit captured the Winter Palace; fourteen years ago, they captured Berlin. The times changed, but the mission of the Red Army did not. Protecting the homeland and the people! This is the people's army. Some people who betrayed their beliefs constantly defamed them, and once they destroyed the Red Army's inner guardian, they could easily disintegrate the country.

"If I give you two hours, can you capture West Berlin?" Shelepin's words made all those who understood Russian change their expressions, especially the journalists surrounded in the scene. In this encirclement of steel, everyone was silent, afraid to speak.

"Of course we can!" From a tank not far from Shelepin, a colonel wearing an armored cap pushed open the hatch and walked down, responding loudly. This person was not tall but very robust, with a physique that seemed disproportionate to his height, and his uniform looked a size too small. This person was the commander of the 65th Tank Regiment of the Guards, Colonel Oleg. Oleg walked to about five meters from Shelepin and saluted, introducing himself, "Commander of the 65th Tank Regiment of the Guards, Colonel Oleg..."

"Comrade Oleg, thank you for your quick response!" Shelepin thanked him first, then loudly asked, "Are you communist fighters? Are you willing to die gloriously for your ideals?"

"Sworn to the Soviet homeland, the people, and the government. As a soldier of the Soviet armed forces, I am always ready to defend my country, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics." Colonel Oleg used his enlistment oath as a response.

"I am always ready to defend my country, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics!" All the Red Army soldiers present responded in unison.

"General Shelepin, if you cause a conflict, you will be the sinner of world peace!" Stevenson, listening to the translation, felt an unprecedented tension enveloping him. At this moment, he remembered the old advisor's words: Shelepin never knew what it meant to be threatened. Hoping Shelepin would back down was like hoping the Soviet Union would recall him.

Shelepin slowly turned to look at Stevenson, his face showing a look of disdain, as if he were looking at a clown jumping around. He said with contempt, "As a defender of the free world, Mr. Stevenson, why don't you try ordering the Sherman tanks to knock down the barbed wire? Maybe I won't dare to order an attack?"

As he spoke, Shelepin raised his right hand high, like a commander about to give an attack order. The T-54 main battle tank's main gun slowly turned with his gesture, and the standard shooting posture of the infantry behind the Soviet tanks was ready.

As long as Shelepin gave the order, the two Sherman tanks from the same era as the T-34 would certainly become brilliant fireworks, living up to their reputation as large lighters.

Stevenson was like a wild dog cornered, his mind in intense conflict. He wanted to make a desperate attempt but was first scared out of his wits. His tightly clenched fists showed that he was really不服气 (unwilling to back down). For a moment, he really wanted to order the Sherman tanks to knock down the barbed wire that looked not very sturdy.

"Stevenson, the person on the other side is irrational. He is a secret police chief, not a diplomat! You are different; you cannot bear the consequences of a conflict!" The interpreter beside him loudly reminded him, afraid that he would act rashly and knock down the barbed wire. Shelepin had already said that he would definitely shoot them on the spot.

"Mr. Shelepin, there is a misunderstanding. We can talk!" Stevenson, with a grim expression, said, trying to extricate himself from this difficult situation and find a way out with dignity.

"There is no misunderstanding. The current situation reflects our true relationship! As for negotiations, there is no need, unless you can reimburse the fuel costs for the 65th Tank Regiment's mobilization. If not?" Shelepin's originally calm face suddenly changed, and he roared, "Then go back to West Berlin. Don't overestimate your strength and challenge the Soviet Red Army. The occupying forces in West Berlin should be good hostages..."

[Thank you to all the readers for your support. Your support is the driving force for Green Mountain to move forward.]

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