Wang Zhong looked at Liu Xia’s smile and suddenly wanted to hug her, so he opened his arms to her.
Ludmila looked at him with the expression of a big sister watching her mischievous little brother, “You, come here.”
She shifted her sitting position and opened her arms.
Wang Zhong knelt on one knee in front of her and threw himself into the comfort that belonged only to him.
Ludmila, Rocossov’s gas station!
Just then, the phone rang.
Wang Zhong suddenly didn’t want to leave his comforting embrace to answer the phone, just like someone who doesn’t want to leave a warm bed on a cold winter morning.
Ludmila said softly, “If you pick up the receiver just a little later, hundreds or thousands of people may die in vain.”
Wang Zhong immediately stood up, walked to the phone, and picked up the receiver proficiently, “This is Major General Rocossov, who’s this?”
Belinsky’s voice came over the line, “Good morning, Major General Rocossov. I heard that your actions yesterday were unanimously praised by the Air Force commanders and fighters. For an army officer, that’s not easy.”
Wang Zhong, “Good morning, Your Highness. I merely listened to their feedback and spoke on their behalf using my new title. After all, the future production of new equipment needs my approval as the chairman.”
Belinsky said, “The Judge has reported to me your requirements, and you should be aware that we may not be able to produce something that meets those requirements now.”
Wang Zhong, “Can’t produce?”
The sound of pages turning came from Belinsky’s side; he must have had a report in hand: “We have several industrial centers. Argesukov was evacuated quite well, with seventy percent of the technicians and professional industrial workers evacuated to the rear,
“But the evacuation of machine tools, especially those for large specialty machines that we currently have low production rates for, is not going well.
“Shepetovka’s evacuation went a bit smoother, since there was more time. But correspondingly, places closer to the border barely had time to evacuate. Do you understand?
“And then there’s Saint Andrew Fort, our most important heavy industrial base. The enemy has blocked the regular roads, and we can only transport supplies over the frozen surface of the northern lakes!
“Through this route, we evacuated a million civilians, but only a part of them are engineers and industrial workers, most are women and children.
“In the electronic tube factory and optical glass factory at Saint Andrew Fort, none were evacuated, none! The workers and engineers plan to fight with the garrison, and even if we persuade them to leave, they refuse to go. Explore new worlds at m,v l’-NovelFull.net
“Even if they all leave, for these two industries, without those high-end production tools, it would be absolutely impossible to recover just with the workers.”
Wang Zhong, “Yesterday at the Ordnance Department, I was already aware of the difficult situation of our industrial production.”
Belinsky said, “Then you should know that right now, we desperately need help from the Federation—no, from all of our allies.
“Today the Federation ambassador and a delegation that has just arrived at Ye Fort by plane will meet with His Majesty the Tsar to discuss aid matters. The church will send a delegation from the Department of Civil Affairs to participate in the negotiations.
“I hope you can also attend the meeting. The Federation side has expressed a similar hope.”
Wang Zhong looked troubled, “I … I’m completely unprepared with the relevant documents. The documents I’ve been preparing all night were about establishing a review committee and developing a 100mm gun carrier.”
Belinsky, “Just by sitting there, you can have an effect. If we didn’t need your military expertise, I would have planned to send you to the Federation to lobby them. You’re on the cover of their biggest magazine, something called ‘TIME’ or something.”
Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow: Did I really make it onto TIME magazine? Isn’t this taking it a bit too lightly?
Belinsky, “The Federation ambassador plans to personally present this issue of the magazine to you, so you must go. I estimate that after I hang up, the court etiquette department will send you a formal invitation.”
Wang Zhong, “I understand. I will be there on time this morning.”
————
November 24, St. Ye Katerina Fortress, at half-past nine in the morning, Wang Zhong arrived at the Summer Palace.
The court etiquette department was already waiting for him at the entrance and immediately led him to the lounge.
The Federation ambassador and the delegation were already in the lounge.
Though called a lounge, it was actually for the purpose of fostering personal connections, as there would be confrontations at the negotiation table later on, but this did not prevent some exchanges beforehand.
After all, both sides were allies.
“Major General Rocossov!” The moment Wang Zhong entered the lounge, someone greeted him loudly in accented Ante, “The last time we met, it was still warm enough for summer clothes!”
Wang Zhong looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Federation military attaché, Colonel Johnwick, whom he had met at the state funeral.
After making eye contact, the colonel saluted Wang Zhong.
Wang Zhong returned the salute and took the initiative to shake Johnwick’s hand: “It’s been nearly three months since we last met. This time we’re allies.”
Johnwick nodded, “Yes. Actually, after August, I went back to my country and just returned with the delegation. This is for you.”
He took out a magazine from his briefcase with the large word TIME on the cover.
TIME magazine, the cover featured Reporter Mike’s partner Robert Capa’s full-length photo of Wang Zhong, with a T34 tank in the background.
Wang Zhong, with his poor English, could barely make out that the largest text on the magazine read “Star of Victory.”
This evaluation seems quite alright.
Wang Zhong took the magazine, casually flipped through it, and then gave it to Vasily, “Keep it well; this is a precious keepsake.”