In the Soviet Union in 1940, Leningrad was a city like no other. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

There is no mechanized, technological atmosphere of Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Stalingrad and other places, nor the oppressive feeling of the Moscow center of power.

In this city full of baroque architecture, you can feel the art everywhere. Everything here has a unique aesthetic. The people were dressed in Sven, their manners were elegant, and they thought they had come to Paris without looking at the red flags and listening to the Russian language that people spoke.

"Don't move!" Veronica sat in the café, holding a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other, carefully sketching the appearance of the man in front of her.

"Comrade Ustnova, what are you doing here? Why can't I move? Manturov, looking out the window at the snow, did not realize that he had become a work of art in the eyes of others.

"You're looking so special right now, I'm going to draw you."

"How long are you going to paint?"

"Soon, I'm almost done." By this time, Veronica had accurately drawn Manturov's head, leaving only his upper body.

"Comrade Ustnova, you have not yet answered my question." Manturov reluctantly maintained the posture he had just taken, and even when he spoke, his mouth did not flutter too much.

"What's the problem? Also, call me Veronica, don't call me 'Comrade Ustina'. ”

"Comrade Ustnova, why did you know from the beginning that this war would not go so smoothly?" Manturov did not seem to hear Veronica's words and still addressed the other party as Comrade 'Ustnova'.

Veronica kicked the other party with her long white legs, "It's all said, call me Veronica!" ”

"Okay, Veronica, then you can call me Vladimir."

"That's right," Veronica said, drawing Manturov's tie, "and the Red Army fighters who fought in the war were mainly from the warm regions of Central Asia, who were not adapted to the cold climate of Finland, and who were not familiar with the combat environment of snowy forests, and could easily freeze to death or be ambushed by the Finns." ”

"You know all this?" Manturov felt that the woman in front of him was far more powerful than he had imagined, and the second secretary of the Tyumen City Party Committee actually knew even about the affairs of the Red Army. When they first met at the Ministry of Petroleum Industry, this woman had already shown unusual skills and insight.

"Don't underestimate any woman." Veronica's smile was slightly confident, and she said, "If you don't know a little more, how can you gain a foothold in the Soviet party and government system?" ”

"No wonder you became the second secretary of the city party committee at a young age." Manturov's words were both appreciative and a little skeptical.

Previously, this woman had obtained documents from the Novosibirsk regional government through unknown channels, without the knowledge of Manturov, the secretary of the regional party committee.

This time, she again told about the Red Army soldiers.

All indications show that behind her, there are extremely extensive network resources. At least in Novosibirsk, and in the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, there are people she is familiar with, and even can do things for her.

"I heard that Black Rose has become the second secretary of the Moscow Municipal Party Committee." Veronica's eyes and tone betrayed her jealousy. "This is also normal, she is Voroshilov's only daughter, and she has a good relationship with Molotov and Kaganovich, two members of the Politburo. It seems that she will only rise in the future, not down. ”

"I've worked with her," Manturov defended his wife, "and she's very efficient and I don't think it's all about her connections, it's her ability to take into account." ”

"I admit that I worked with her when I was in Moscow, and her ability and insight are not ordinary. But I think her connections are also very important and play an indispensable role. ”

"Yes." Manturov also had to admit that Katia's connections played a role in her promotion. Her father, Voroshilov, was the closest person to Stalin.

On many public occasions, Voroshilov was always present next to Stalin, and at the same time in the same propaganda poster. He was second only to Stalin in terms of reputation and status, and was regarded as the second man in the CPSU, but after a while he would step down from the post of Minister of Defense and his status would decline.

In fact, Kaganovich, who is also the secretary of the Central Committee, a member of the Politburo, and a member of the Organization Bureau, is the second person in the CPSU in the true sense. But soon, he will be replaced by Zhdanov, Beria and Malenkov, gradually retiring from the arena of power.

But in any case, these two people are very important backers for Manturov and Katya. However, these two backers will be in danger of soil erosion, so find a few more, or build one.

"Vladimir, do you know some experts who have a deep study of petroleum refining? I'm talking about cracking. Veronica moved on to the topic she wanted to discuss the most.

Just before the outbreak of the Winter War, the Soviet Union imported some oil cracking equipment and related technologies from the United States. The equipment would have been sent to the oil refinery in Tyumen City, but the outbreak of the Winter War greatly damaged relations between the Soviet Union and Western countries such as the United States, Great Britain and France.

The United States announced the suspension of technical assistance to the USSR and withdrew specialists in oil refining. As a result, the USSR, having lost American technology, did not succeed in building a cracking facility in Tyumen.

Although the first cracking technique was invented by the Russian Vladimir Grigorievich Sukhov (Влaд nmnp_ Гpnгopьeвnч_wyxo в and patented in 1891, it did not gain much traction in Russia.

In the United States, however, oil cracking technology has been greatly developed. After decades of research, a set of advanced and efficient cracking technology has been developed, and even the Soviet Union, the origin of cracking technology, has to import a large amount of technology and equipment from the United States.

But alas, just when the Soviet Union was about to get American technology, the Winter War broke out. The Americans withdrew their agreement on technical cooperation, and the plans for the settlement of advanced units in Tyumen were completely in vain.

Under such circumstances, the Soviet Union had to use the original and backward oil refining technology, and the production efficiency was greatly reduced.

"Acquaintance, what's wrong? Are you interested in refining oil now? Although Manturov guessed the problems encountered by the other party, he did not dare to act too "smart" in front of this ambitious and confident woman, otherwise it would hurt the other party's self-confidence.

"It's not." Veronica swept her blonde hair and said: "After the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish war, the Americans withdrew technical assistance to the Tyumen oil cracking facility. They removed all the technicians and did not provide us with any technical documentation or equipment. So I need some Soviet specialists who have studied this aspect and improve our existing technology. ”

"That's right." Manturov immediately thought of someone, "I happen to know an expert who has developed a refining technology called fluid catalytic cracking, which is even more advanced than the American one. ”

Veronica's eyes lit up, and her turquoise eyes were full of curiosity. "Who is it?"

"His name is Vladimir Fedorovich Manturov."

"You?" Veronica smiled contemptuously and kicked her with her seductive, evenly proportioned legs, "Are you kidding me?" ”

"You don't believe it?"

"I don't believe it."

"Forget it, you can go to the experts yourself." Manturov quipped: "I think it will take them ten or eight years to develop a new, more efficient cracking technology, but it may not be better than my existing one." ”

"Then I believe you once."