Chapter 7: Encounter
The cafeteria of the military school was converted from a large warehouse. It was a large house with a gabled roof. It covered a large area but was very simple.
In front of the cafeteria is the school's physical training ground. A wooden flagpole stands tall in the open space between the cafeteria and the ground. On the wooden pole next to the flagpole, there are four square speakers facing different directions.
"The sabotage in Bashkiria and Tataria proves that Sultan Gariyevism is still alive and well and that it has found a number of followers in the Eastern republics, especially in Bashkiria and Tataria, which shows beyond a doubt that the right-wing elements, who are the majority in these republics, are not an effective bulwark against nationalism."
When Yuri and his companion walked into the campus, Comrade Stalin's speech was being played on the loudspeaker. The content of this speech was obviously directed at the Pan-Islamism and Pan-Turkism that had emerged in Central Asia.
With the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish War, the situation in Central Asia began to become turbulent. The once-disbanded Basmachi gangs showed signs of revival, and the supporters of the "Sultan Garievists" began to create chaos in Bashkiria, Tatarstan and other places. All of this made Moscow very angry. The key point was that Moscow had already felt the military threat from Germany. At this time, the Kremlin could not tolerate the provocation of the separatist forces in Central Asia.
These days, the radio has been broadcasting the threat of "double pan-ism" to the Soviet regime; reviewing the damage caused to the Soviet people by the Basmachi gang; condemning the Young Turks, especially Enver Pasha's undisguised hostility to the Soviet regime. Yuri is very clear that these are all propaganda and agitation before the arrival of the big movement. If nothing unexpected happens, in the next period of time, the Kremlin's attention will shift from the military purge to the adjustment of ethnic policies. Hundreds of thousands of Crimeans who cry for the establishment of an "Islamic State" and a "Great Turkic State" will soon be in trouble.
Today's breakfast is pretty good, with cottage cheese, bread, black tea, and each person can get a fried egg and an apple.
"Hey, hey, hey, Paulenka, let's sit over there too." Yuri had just queued up for breakfast when he was pulled by August to the right corner of the restaurant, where the female soldiers who had just passed by were gathered together, chatting and laughing while eating breakfast.
Yuri resisted a little, but after struggling twice he failed to break free, so he could only go with him.
"Hey, beautiful comrades, hello," August seemed to have no idea what shyness was. He pulled Yuri to the table where the female soldiers were and greeted her in a frivolous tone.
"Comrade Captain, good morning." Among this group of female soldiers, the highest rank was lieutenant. When they saw two captains coming, a group of people hurriedly stood up and saluted to greet them.
"Don't be so serious," August put the plate on the table and said with a smile, "This is a school, we are all classmates, there is no difference in rank, come, sit down, sit down."
Yuri was not interested in listening to him getting close to a few female soldiers. He sat down in front of an empty seat, opened the book tucked under his arm, turned to the page he had marked last night, and then sat down leisurely, reading the book while eating breakfast.
"Introduction to the Art of War" is a military work by Antoine Jomini. It is not a textbook assigned by the school. However, Yuri had read another work by this person, "On the Great War", and felt that he gained a lot from it, so he borrowed this book to read.
Military accomplishment and command ability are all about talent. Yuri doesn't think he has a strong talent, nor can he expect to create miracles with the little knowledge he learned in his previous life. Therefore, he has been studying very hard during this period of time. He never thought about becoming a famous general, surpassing Zhukov, or something like that. He just hopes that his ability is not so bad that he will kill others and himself in the future.
Yuri happened to be reading the section titled "Military System" in this book. He was so engrossed in reading it that he didn't hear what August was saying to the female soldiers sitting across the table from him. It was only until he felt someone patting his shoulder that he looked up in surprise.
"Borenka, you came from the battlefield in Karelia. Which unit were you in before?" The person who took the photo was August, who was looking at him at the moment and asked.
"Episode 9, 163rd Infantry Division," Yuri answered casually. Although Episode 9 was not fighting in the Karelian Narrows, he had no interest in correcting it. The Soviet Union was too big. To be honest, he doubted whether the people present could distinguish the exact location of Murmansk and the Karelian Narrows.
"Is the weather there really that bad? I heard it's over 40 degrees below zero?" a female soldier asked curiously. After she asked the question, she came to her senses and introduced herself, " Excuse me, Comrade Captain Yuri Arkhipovich, I'm Julia, Julia Guryevna Rulchka."
"Are you from Ukraine?" Yuri took a look at the other person. The girl was obviously not very old, and was thin and bony. Her dark hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head, which made her skinny face look exceptionally white.
"Yes, Comrade Captain Yuri Arkhipovich, I'm from the Crimea," the little girl said, nodding.
"Call me Yuri," Yuri smiled and said, "Karelia is different from your Crimea. In the winter there, temperatures of more than 40 degrees below zero are common."
At this point, his tone became serious and the smile on his face gradually disappeared: "Many of my comrades did not die under the guns of the Finns, but were frozen to death by the damn low temperatures there."
The expression on Yuri 's face seemed very heavy, as if he was mourning for his dead comrades, but in fact, he did not feel sad at all. After all, he had just been reborn not long ago. Not to mention the entire 163rd Division, he could hardly recognize a few people in his own platoon.
As long as the acting is good, false sadness can also infect people, and the atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became solemn.
"Our soldiers are all great, and their sacrifices were not in vain," another female soldier broke the silence and said, "We will win in the end, won't we? I read yesterday's newspaper, which said that the 13th Army has broken through the Finnish final defense line, and the 9th Army has also advanced to the suburbs of Viipuri. Perhaps it won't be long before the Finns surrender."
Following the voice of the other party, Yuri was instantly amazed. What a delicate woman. The first thing that came to Yuri's mind when he saw this woman was the famous Russian nine-ball queen Myskina in his previous life. How should I put it? This woman didn't look the same as Myskina, but the two were of the same type of beauty.
It felt like Yuri's gaze stayed on her face for a little too long. This woman wasn't shy at all - shyness didn't seem to be a characteristic of Slavic women.
"Comrade Captain Arkhipovich," the female soldier said calmly, meeting Yuri's gaze, "I am Olga Vlasovna Liangpova from Irkutsk."
"Oh, hello," Yuri came back to his senses and said subconsciously, and then he realized how the woman addressed him. She omitted her name and only used the father's name, which obviously seemed more intimate.
"I've heard of your name a long time ago," Olga continued, looking at Yuri.
"Really?" Yuri smiled. He was a propaganda hero in the Leningrad Military Region, but that was only limited to the Leningrad Military Region. He didn't believe that a female soldier from Siberia would have heard of his name.
"Yes, I have not only heard of your name, but also heard a report on your deeds," Olga said immediately, "just two weeks ago, in Vsevolzhsky, the headquarters of the 2nd Air Defense Force."
Vsevolzhsky is a city in the suburbs of Leningrad, only 20 kilometers away from the city of Leningrad. It is the headquarters of the 2nd Air Defense Force. Yuri had been there to give a report before, of course, arranged by Colonel Dmitri.
"Are you the student representative of the 2nd Air Defense Force?" Yuri asked in surprise. He didn't expect that this beautiful female soldier, who was called the angel of the academy, actually came from the same place as him.
"Yes, Comrade Captain Arkhipovich," Olga said with a bit of playful cunning, "Irkutsk is my hometown. I have been away from there for three years ."
"Ha, so you are comrades from the same unit," August interrupted excitedly, "What a pity, this is the college cafeteria, otherwise, we really should have a good drink."
Yuri smiled and didn't say anything. He and Olga were just from the same region, but not the same unit. After all, the 2nd Air Defense Force did not belong to the Leningrad Military District.
"It's okay, we can get together after school," Olga said generously, "I still have some cigarette quota, we can exchange it for vodka."
"I can also get 4 pounds (Russian pounds) of frozen meat," a female soldier sitting next to Olga cheered excitedly.
"I have some here too." The female soldiers present were all very interested in the party and reported their remaining quotas one by one.
This quota is actually part of the salary. For example, Yuri, in addition to his salary, can also receive 8 pounds of frozen meat, 0.5 pounds of sugar, 1 pound of mutton fat, 100 cigarettes, etc. at the supply station every month.
"Then it's settled," August was obviously more excited. This guy likes excitement to begin with, and now, besides excitement, there might be a romantic encounter, so how could he not be looking forward to it? "Let's make it this afternoon, and get ready after school."
