Chapter 57

Big Brother is not cute; the Soviet Union has always lacked change in certain aspects. After twenty years of confrontation, the Soviet Union finally realized it needed China on its side. The relationship between the two countries showed signs of thawing but ultimately collapsed under the pressure of peaceful evolution. The sudden collapse of the Soviet Union changed the United States' attitude towards China, and it also woke up China, which had been intoxicated by the sugar-coated bullets, to the reality that the imperialists' desire to destroy us has never waned.

When the Soviet Union dissolved, Cherov was just born. In his vague memories, he had heard elders talk about how the Soviet Union and Russia were doing. As a child, he once thought the Soviet Union and Russia were two different countries, as it was too difficult for a child to understand what the dissolution of the Soviet Union meant. As he grew older, he came to know about this once-existing country and the former socialist bloc. He realized that his country was not alone; there were many friends in the past, such as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the German Democratic Republic, the People's Republic of Poland, the People's Republic of Hungary, the Socialist Republic of Romania, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

These once-existing countries spoke of a time when a group of people, driven by an ideal, embarked on a practice that made the world's powers feel a deep, bone-chilling fear for the first time. The fall of these countries does not mean that socialism lost; there is still one country that continues to walk this difficult path.

"Stop thinking about such sentimental things; it makes you soft!" On the way back to the base, Cherov kept muttering to himself. Why should a head of intelligence think about such grand matters? He asked the driver to stop the car as they passed by a section of the Berlin Wall. Standing expressionless before the wall for a long time, Cherov wondered if anyone on the other side was doing the same thing. But if there were, they would be the enemy.

"Director, what's wrong?" Isayevna got out of the car and asked with concern. Since leaving the press conference, Cherov had been in a dazed state, which worried Isayevna greatly.

"I'm looking at my own achievement!" Cherov walked to the wall and touched its cold surface, then turned to look at Isayevna with an unprecedented gaze, "It's unfair for the 1.2 million people in West Berlin. I also want fairness. Why? If capitalism believes it can defeat socialism, why force a country that lost 30 million and suffered 60 million casualties to fight a Cold War under such difficult conditions? Why is it right for them to pull West Germany into NATO to suppress us, but wrong for us to form the Warsaw Pact for self-defense? If they are so righteous, why don't they give us time to recover? I don't believe we would be worse than them if we started from the same point..."

After a long while, Cherov calmed himself down and muttered, "This world is unfair, and I want fairness!" His usually straight back bent slightly, a rare display of vulnerability for Cherov.

"Director, didn't you say that this path is very difficult, but we must walk it?" Isayevna, not knowing how to comfort him, did not want to see Cherov like this.

"You're right, give me a minute to calm down!" Cherov lit a cigarette and faced the Berlin Wall. From behind, it looked as if the youngest Soviet major general was urinating on the wall, but in reality, he was just thinking, "What do people think when they face this wall every day?"

"If a normal person is confined to a certain living area and faces such a high wall, their first thought would be to come out and see!" Isayevna replied without hesitation.

"I can probably stay in Berlin for another month!" Cherov looked up at the sky for a long time, then suddenly lowered his head and got back into the car, instructing, "Notify Yagoda to bring a team of psychologists from the country. I need to plan an operation to wrap up this trip to Berlin!"

The next day, a team of over a hundred people led by Dr. Yagoda got off the train at Berlin Station and entered the base of the 65th Guards Tank Regiment. Colonel Oleg specially allocated a barracks for these Soviet humanities researchers. Cherov spent the entire night discussing with these scholars and only came out the next day.

"I must remind you again, you must not add personal emotions. If the 1.2 million people inside the Berlin Wall were Russians, I would not be soft! They are White Russians, and I am a Soviet!" In the Stasi headquarters, Cherov sat at the corner of the table and handed the entire plan to Markus Wolf, "Stasi has over 2,000 informants in West Berlin; it's not hard to create some noise! But you are of the same ethnicity. If the people inside try to break out through the crossing points, the internal security forces must stop them. They can enter West Berlin but must not leave. I want to seal them off..."

"Okay, we'll handle it. Spreading the news isn't difficult, but how do we stop them? If the people inside insist on breaking out?" Markus Wolf said with some difficulty, "This isn't just a few people. If a riot really breaks out, it will be counted in the tens of thousands!"

"Open fire, they are West Germans." Markus Wolf was stunned, closed his eyes, and nodded fiercely.

This plan, developed by over a hundred experts in human behavior and psychology, was the final wrap-up of Cherov's trip to Berlin. Although the river diversion project still needed time, it could be used to implement the plan in the meantime.

On May 29th, the East German government ordered the opening of the Berlin Wall's crossing points and the release of anti-socialists, dissidents, and public intellectuals who had longed for West Germany. The release of these people was pre-announced to West Germany, and they would be escorted to the crossing points by internal security forces. It must be admitted that among them were over a hundred Stasi agents who would remain in West Berlin for a long time, their identities unknown even to their wives and children.

On the same day, without an official announcement, the river diversion canal was already being dug. This was not a secret; many people in East Berlin had seen the construction teams digging along the outer perimeter of the Berlin Wall. Only the people of West Berlin were still in the dark.

"Look at the faces of those public intellectuals. I really hope they can still smile when they get to West Germany!" In a car not far from the crossing point, Cherov watched the German public intellectuals, who were smiling as if they had found gold, and mocked them without hesitation.

"They are all good writers and well-known social activists!" Markus Wolf, speaking frankly, did not understand Cherov's thoughts.

"Hmph, these people are good for nothing but talking. What can they do besides write articles and complain? Their only way to gain attention is in East Germany, where they can attract the attention of Western countries. Once they leave East Germany, what can these people do with their expertise? Do they expect West Germany to fire their own propaganda personnel to hire them? These fools don't understand that they only have value in East Germany. Once they leave here, they can't compete with professional propagandists. By the way, these people must be recorded, and they must never be allowed to return..."