Not long after the representatives of the Propaganda Department left, Wei Delin, accompanied by General Glazunov, commander of the 28th Guards Army, came to Chuikov's headquarters.

Chuikov, who was sitting on the sofa, did not stand up when he saw Wei Delin. He just nodded at him and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, General Wei Delin. My leg is hurt and I can't get up to greet you. Please forgive me for my innocence." present!"

   Wei Delin knew about Chuikov's injury before he came here. He even knew that the reason why the defense zone towards the zoo was shelled for more than ten hours was because someone shot Chuikov coldly there, and Chuikov's artillerymen were avenging their commander. Just because he understood the situation, Wei Delin said reasonably: "General Chuikov, you are injured, please sit down and talk."

   "General Weidling, I want to ask you, what is your identity?"

   "I am the commander of the 56th Panzer Army, and I was appointed by the head of state as the commander of the Berlin city defense six days ago." Weidling replied.

  Chuikov thought to himself, although the opponent has the position of city defense commander, but his time in office is too short, I am afraid that he does not have much prestige among the Berlin defenders. If you want the German defenders in Berlin to surrender, you must find someone with high prestige. But now that Goebbels committed suicide and Hoffmann died, I am afraid that only General Krebs is left among the people I know. , he had served as the chief of staff for a period of time, and the orders he gave must be more effective than Weidling's orders.

  Thinking of this, he looked up at Weidling and asked, "General Weidling, where is Admiral Krebs?"

  Hearing Chuikov's question, Weidling's face twitched violently a few times, and then replied with a sad expression, "General Krebs shot himself after returning from here yesterday."

   "What, Admiral Krebs also committed suicide?" Chuikov couldn't help being surprised when he heard the news, and asked immediately, "Why?"

"Because it is a disgrace for us to negotiate surrender with the enemy." Weidling said blankly: "General Krebs may have dishonored his military career by negotiating with you yesterday. Shame, he chose to commit suicide."

   "So that's how it is." After figuring out the reason for Krebs' suicide, Chuikov sighed softly, and then said, "What a pity."

  At this time Sokolovsky walked in from the outside. He first greeted Chuikov, then looked at Weidling and asked, "Chuikov, who is he?"

  Chuikov quickly introduced: "This is General Weidling, commander of the 56th Panzer Corps of the German Army, and now he also serves as the commander of the Berlin city defense."

   After finding out Weidling's identity, Sokolovsky looked at Weidling and asked, "Mr. General, how long have you been in the army?"

   "From 1911, when I was just an ordinary private."

   Sokolovsky nodded after hearing this, and said: "You have been a soldier for 34 years, and you have finally grown from a private to a general. It is really amazing."

   "Yes." Cuikov echoed from the side: "Like today's war years, some people even died just one day after enlisting in the army. Not to mention being a general, even a company commander or platoon leader has no chance for him."

"General Weidling, you have been in the army for 34 years. I think you must have a lot of connections." Sokolovsky said to Weidling: "You should give the troops in Berlin an order to let them all put down their weapons and attack the army." We surrender."

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency General." Sokolovski's proposal made Weidling very embarrassed: "I can't issue surrender orders to all troops, because there is no communication tool, and they will continue after I announce the surrender order. Resist. Also, so far, not many people know that the Führer is dead, because Dr. Goebbels strictly suppressed his death."

Sokolovsky said: "We have stopped all military operations, and even the aviation has stopped bombing. The 56th Armored Army under your command has begun to surrender, and the negotiating team sent by Fritsch has also announced Surrender. It was because they showed their attitude of surrender that we gave the troops an order to cease fire."

  Wideling waited for Sokolowski to finish his speech, and said: "I am willing to do my best to make the troops in the city that are still resisting stop fighting, lay down their weapons and surrender to you."

But then, he pointed to another place and said to Sokolovsky and Chuikov: "The remnants of the SS are stationed here. I have no right to command them. If they learn that I ordered the surrender, they may Will break out to the west."

   "Why?" Cuikov couldn't help asking after hearing this: "Why did the SS break out to the west?"

"The reason is simple, General Chuikov." Weidling explained to Chuikov: "As long as your troops capture the SS, they will be shot without mercy. If they want to survive, they can only flee westward to the Allied forces. Area."

   "We will deal with these SS troops." Sokolovski said: "Your task now is to draft a surrender order."

   "Okay, Your Excellency General." Wei Delin nodded, and then said: "I will immediately draft an order to surrender."

   Seeing Wei Delin holding a pen and paper and looking embarrassed, Cuikov couldn't help asking: "General Wei Delin, do you need me to find someone to help you?"

   Hearing what Cuikov said, Wei Delin nodded vigorously and said, "It would be great if there was someone to help."

   Soon, Colonel Duferwenge, chief of staff of the 56th Armored Army, walked in from the outside. He came to Wei Delin and asked, "Your Excellency, Commander, what instructions do you have?"

   "The Russians want me to draft a surrender order." Weidling said: "I have never written anything like this, so I hope you can help me."

"Your Excellency, Commander." Knowing that Wei Delin had called him in, and that he was planning to draft the surrender order with him, Dufwenge couldn't help but panic. He didn't want to bear the eternal infamy, so he waved his hands in a hurry and said, "I don't want to surrender either." If you can write something like this, you should find someone else.”

"Okay, don't dawdle." Seeing his chief of staff pushing back and forth, Wei Delin was a little unhappy: "Someone has to write the surrender order for the troops. General Krebs was unwilling to issue the surrender order. So I chose to commit suicide. Do you also want to watch me commit suicide?"

   Wei Delin's harsh remarks made Colonel Duferwenger change his mind: "Okay, Your Excellency Commander, then I will draft this surrender order with you."

  Ten minutes later, Wei Delin stopped the pen in his hand, handed what he had written to the translator standing aside, and motioned him to hand it over to Sokolovsky and Chuikov.

   Sokolovsky did not accept the order from the translator, but asked him to read it out in public. Not daring to disobey Sokolovsky's order, the interpreter began to read aloud:

"On April 30, the Fuehrer committed suicide. He abandoned us who had sworn allegiance to him. According to the Fuehrer's orders, we were to continue fighting for Berlin, but our ammunition was exhausted and the general situation It is meaningless for us to continue to resist. I order: Stop resisting immediately! Signature: Former Berlin City Defense Commander, Artillery Admiral Weidling!"

  After hearing this, Sokolovski smiled and said, "Why do you say 'former city defense commander'? You know, you are still the city defense commander of Berlin."

   Regarding the name of the surrender document, Wei Delin felt very embarrassed: "Your Excellency, do you think it is an 'appeal' or an 'order'?"

   Before Sokolovsky finished speaking, Chuikov said first: "Write 'order'!"

"Your Excellency, two generals," Weidling said, "my headquarters has a lot of personnel. I have two chiefs of staff and two retired generals, but they are still loyal to me and willing to take orders from me. I plan to let them Assist me in arranging the surrender."

   "General Weidling," Sokolovsky said: "We plan to send someone to carry your surrender order and read it out across the city in a radio van. Do you have any disagreements?"

   "No." Wei Deling said in a low voice: "I have no opinion."

   "In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings." Sokolovsky continued: "A German officer sits in every radio car, do you think it's okay?"

   "Yes." Wei Delin said weakly: "My subordinates will arrange it."

  Cuikov saw that Wei Delin was not in good spirits, and quickly asked someone to take him to the next door to rest. After he left, Chuikov said to the others present: "Have you noticed that Wei Delin's mental state is not good."

"I see." Sokolovski nodded and said: "I personally drafted an order ordering the Berlin defenders to surrender. This is an indelible stain on his military career. He has no choice Suicide like Krebs is not easy."

   Soon, a staff officer came in and reported, "The propaganda vehicle is ready and ready to go."

   "Let's go," Chuikov said: "Let those Germans who are still resisting hear the propaganda early to save their precious lives."

  When the radio van began broadcasting Weidling’s drafted surrender letter on the streets of Berlin, Chuikov’s adjutant came in and reported: “Comrade Commander, German Propaganda Minister Fritsch has arrived.”

   "Quickly invite him in!"

   Soon, a short man in a gray woolen coat and round glasses walked in from outside. After he sat down on the sofa opposite Chuikov, he began to introduce himself: "General Chuikov, I am the new Minister of Propaganda, Fritsch, and you must have heard of my name."

"Yes, Mr. Fritsch, I have heard of your name." When Chuikov said this, he murmured to himself: Your subordinates have been mentioning your name constantly since they entered my headquarters. I think I don't know and I can't do it.

"Mr. Fritsch," Sokolovsky said next to him, "we have dispatched a propaganda vehicle to the streets to broadcast the surrender order of the commander of the city defense, General Weidling, to let the German officers and soldiers who are still resisting in the city lay down their weapons. Surrender to us. What do you think of this?"

"I think this is what it should be." Fritsch said: "We have already lost the war. If we continue to fight, we will only sacrifice more innocent lives. My mission here is to help you end this **** war." war."

What Fritsch said made Sokolowski have a good impression of him: "Mr. Fritsch, we are very concerned about the safety of this city. Those who worry that they may be in danger can seek protection from us .”

  Friccie waited for Sokolovsky to finish, and immediately added: "Your protection alone is not enough. We should reorganize the escaped policemen and let them perform their duties."

"Mr. Fritsch, you don't understand me," said Sokolowski. "The policemen in Berlin are as much prisoners of war to us as ordinary soldiers. I'm talking about administrative officers. We They will be protected from anyone. Do you know what I mean?"

  Unexpectedly, Fritsch shook his head after hearing this, and said puzzledly: "Your Excellency, I don't understand. Now that the war is over, who will come to harm these German officials?"

   Sokolovsky sneered and said: "Because the Gestapo has done many evils and done too many bad things in the past, it is not ruled out that individual soldiers of our army, or even persecuted residents of Berlin, will carry out cruel revenge against these people."

   These words shocked Fritsch into a cold sweat, and he found that the situation Sokolovski said was entirely possible. He said in a panic: "Your Excellency, since the war is over, please stop this barbaric incident from happening."

Sokolovsky just smiled slightly after hearing this, and then said: "Don't worry, Mr. Fritsch. We have encountered the situation just mentioned. Therefore, we have appointed General Berzarin as the chief of Berlin. The commander of the police, and established police stations in various districts. They will take all possible measures against various acts of sabotage in Berlin in the future. How about it, do you have any other requests?"

   "Of course, Your Excellency General." Fritsch continued: "I once wrote you a letter, hoping to stop the bloodshed after the surrender of Berlin."

   "Don't worry, Mr. Fritsch, we will do our best."

   "Your Excellency, I would like to convey the news of Berlin's surrender to the new head of state—Admiral Dönitz."

"Mr. Fritsch," Chuikov interrupted, "before you came to us, we received a statement from Dönitz to the whole country that he had taken over Germany and that he would fight our country to the end. If Britain and the United States intervene, he will fight them to the end."

"Crazy, he is simply crazy." Fritsch heard the news, his whole body was not well, he shouted hysterically: "Does he want our country to be completely destroyed?" After shouting He seemed to be aware of his gaffe, and quickly explained to Sokolovsky and Chuikov: "Mr. Generals, I am very angry after hearing this news. If there is any gaffe, please forgive me. Regardless No matter what statement Doenitz makes, my propaganda department will surrender unconditionally to the Soviet army."