Moscow, Kremlin, Joseph's office.
By October, temperatures in Moscow had already begun to fall. Because of his advanced age, Joseph was even less able to endure cold weather. Thus, a fireplace had been specially installed in his office, and it was already burning.
Yet even so, the temperature in the office at this moment seemed to remain below freezing.
"Bzzzt~ Bzzzt."
Static crackled from the radio. Through the intermittent noise, German broadcasts could faintly be heard. A senior interpreter specially brought in was translating the content of the broadcast.
"The surrender ceremony of the Russian Western Front Army has officially begun. General Timoshenko, commander of the Russian Western Front Army, has handed his sidearm over to General Guderian, Army Group Commander of German Empire Army Group B.
Large numbers of Russian soldiers, standing in neat ranks, are handing over their weapons to the German military one after another. Their morale appears excellent; one can even see expressions of joy on their faces. Perhaps they are celebrating the fact that they no longer have to fight!"
Joseph and the group of Buru military and political high-ranking officials had faces as dark as the bottom of a pot. General Timoshenko was undoubtedly one of Buru's senior military leaders. Joseph had personally issued an order demanding that Timoshenko lead the Russian military in fighting to the last man at Smolensk, resisting to the very end. Yet now, in the blink of an eye, General Timoshenko had surrendered to the Germans. For Buru, this was undoubtedly a humiliation. Joseph in particular felt as though someone had viciously slapped him across the face.
"That damned bastard! I will never let him off!" Joseph said through gritted teeth.
The other high-ranking Buru Party, government, and military officials all remained silent. They could feel just how furious