Chapter 367
Some people say that the Kuntsevo Villa is actually an extension of the Kremlin's power.
There is nothing wrong with this statement. Among the second generation of Soviet leadership, everyone knew one thing: whether one could get an invitation from Comrade Stalin and have the opportunity to enter the Kuntsevo Villa was often an important sign of whether one could gain the trust of Comrade Stalin.
Among those invited today, only two were entering the Kuntsevo Villa for the first time: Voroshilov and Suslov.
That’s right, as a veteran of the Soviet Army and a Soviet marshal, it was the first time that Voroshilov received such an invitation and had the opportunity to enter the Kuntsevo Villa for dinner - remember, it doesn’t mean that entering the Kuntsevo Villa means being invited, but that one has to stay here for dinner.
Yuri was the youngest of all the people present today, but this was not the first time he was invited here for dinner, but the third time. In the eyes of all those in the core of Soviet power, this was a symbol that he was receiving close attention from Comrade Stalin and a sign that he would be promoted again.
In the eyes of the people attending the meeting today, as a young man, Yuri is obviously a guy who is very good at flattering, and his way of flattering is so fresh and extraordinary.
Outside the south wall of the Kuntsevo Villa, on a large open space near the woods, a building model made entirely of stones has been built. Although it is just a model, it is several meters high and larger than an ordinary house.
This is a miniature version of the Palace of Soviets, made exactly according to the Palace of Soviets under construction. The statue of Lenin on the top is carefully made of copper sheets. Directly below the statue of Lenin, at the top of the entire building, there is a fan-shaped sign with the words "Long live the proletariat of the world!" written on it in Russian.
At this time, the sky had darkened, and the staff turned on the dimming lights on the model. Under the reflection of these lights, the entire model took on a light blue halo, adding a touch of mystery and majesty.
During the process of building the model, someone suggested painting the model with gold paint, but this suggestion was rejected by Yuri. He firmly chose the light blue appearance of the original stone - this was no joke. If Comrade Stalin felt that gold looked good and asked for the real Palace of Soviets to use this color, that would be the end of him .
As early as ten years ago, Comrade Stalin had seen a model of the Palace of Soviets. However, that model was made of wood and was only the size of a table. Many details were not reflected, and it was very different from the model before him.
There is no harm without comparison, so after seeing this model, Comrade Stalin was very happy. He patiently listened to Yuri's explanation of the arrangement of each part of the Palace of Soviets. When he heard Yuri say that he would design a special office for him on the top floor of the building, he first refused, but then, during the meal, he discussed with Yuri about the setting of the special elevator and the design style of the office. It was obvious that Comrade Stalin was looking forward to the office being put into use. Once that day came, he would be able to overlook the whole of Moscow from his office, but others could not see him.
Comrade Stalin hated his current office because it was too low. His previous office was not on the second floor of the current presidential building, but on the sunny side of the third floor. However, that office had two windows facing the nearby blockhouse, from which he could see everything in the office. Comrade Stalin thought that the office was unsafe, so he moved to a room on the second floor that was not sunny.
From 1933 to now, the 150-square-meter Office No. 1 with five windows has become Comrade Stalin's exclusive room for more than ten years. But in his heart, he didn't like that room, he even didn't like that building, because his ex-wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva committed suicide on the first floor of that building - well, that is the conference room that Yuri and others visited today.
Now, Yuri's proposal undoubtedly gave Comrade Stalin a second option. Once the Palace of Soviets was completed, he could move his office to this magnificent building, where he could always overlook his empire.
If the architectural model of the Palace of Soviets was Yuri's first birthday gift to Comrade Stalin, then the architectural concept of the "Seven Sisters" was his second birthday gift.
It was during this dinner that Yuri proposed in detail to Comrade Stalin the idea of building seven magnificent buildings in the "Stalin architectural style" in Moscow, thereby demonstrating the institutional superiority of the Soviet socialist Soviet Union and dispelling the absurd statement that there are no high-rise buildings in socialist countries.
Yuri was very well prepared. He even brought the design drawings of the Ministry of Heavy Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs buildings, which were expected to be built first. In addition, the construction budget was also clearly stated.
Taking this opportunity, Yuri also proposed a plan for a new round of reforms to the Disarmament Working Group.
According to Yuri, after nearly two years of operation, the Disarmament Working Group has now entered a regular operation period, and the plan to completely disconnect from the military should also be put on the agenda.
Yuri proposed that the Disarmament Working Committee could be reorganized into three giant industrial consortia, namely: the Red Flag Engineering Construction Consortium, the Red Flag Production and Construction Consortium, and the Red Flag Road Engineering Construction Consortium.
These three industrial consortia are actually three giant state-owned enterprises . Yuri suggested that once the reorganization is completed, the three consortia can be respectively placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Road Department. Their main role is to be responsible for the construction of large-scale national construction projects.
To be honest, the Disarmament Working Committee was originally a temporary department. Its function was to divert and resettle the large number of soldiers who retired from the war so that they could find a job and live a stable life.
This department spans the three major areas of the military, local governments and industry. It controls a large amount of manpower and material resources and can generate astonishing financial resources. Therefore, its long-term existence is simply impossible. Under a centralized system, it is impossible to allow such a cross-field super department to exist for a long time.
Yuri took the initiative to propose a reorganization of the Disarmament Working Committee and ultimately to abolish this special department in order to avoid giving people the impression that he was too powerful. Working under Comrade Stalin would not work for incompetent people, nor would it work for people who were so outstanding that they monopolized power.
Yuri's usual prudence is his way of life, so he had been thinking about this matter a long time ago. As for making this suggestion in person in front of Comrade Stalin, it was a decision made today. This is a kind of feedback, a feedback on Comrade Stalin's nomination of him as alternate secretary of the Central Secretariat.
In fact, fundamentally speaking, whether the Disarmament Working Committee, a super department, can be retained is not something that can be decided by Yuri. The corresponding decision ultimately needs to be made by Comrade Stalin, or in other words, he needs to strike a balance between various political forces.
To put it bluntly, whether Yuri proposed this suggestion or not, it will be withdrawn when the time comes. If it should not be withdrawn, then there is no point in him proposing it. Therefore, Yuri's proposal is just a statement, intended to show that he has no ambition to seize power and will not cling to it.
On the other hand, Yuri made this suggestion in order to resolve the possible dissatisfaction of Zhdanov and Andreyev towards him.
The Disarmament Working Committee is really a very lucrative department, a department with great powers and which can easily produce results. Although the chairman of this department is Comrade Stalin himself, everyone is very clear about who actually controls it.
In Yuri's proposal, the reason why the "Red Banner Road Engineering Construction Consortium" was proposed to be assigned to the road department instead of the Ministry of Transport was to compensate Andreyev. It should be known that under the Council of Ministers, there is a Ministry of Transport and a "Ministry of Construction, Road Construction and Public Works and Manufacturing". In these two departments, Andreyev is in charge of the latter's main work, and Yuri's suggestion is to assign the "Red Banner Road Engineering Construction Consortium" to the department he is in charge of.
Sure enough, when Yuri made this suggestion, Comrade Stalin attached great importance to it. At the dinner table, he asked Andreyev, Khrushchev and Zhdanov for their opinions. Almost without any surprise, all three of them agreed with the proposal.
As Yuri moves closer to the power center of Moscow, his duties are also changing. Unlike all the current members of the Central Committee Presidium, Yuri has not yet established his own "sphere of influence", so he has no urge to compete with others for power. However, as his work experience changes, the people he meets are also infiltrating all aspects.
For example, the superior-subordinate relationships he established during his military career ensured that he still enjoyed a certain reputation and influence in the military after leaving the army. He was the one who set up and ran the disarmament committee, and all personnel decisions were made by him. Once the department was dismembered, the corresponding department leaders would also be relocated. As the promoter of these people, as long as Yuri was in office, these people would be his connections.
As the saying goes: Not fighting is fighting, this will never change at any time. As he moves step by step to the top of the power pyramid, Yuri is also consolidating his foundation step by step, and this change is subtle.
