Chapter 13: Trip to the Soviet Union (1)

ps: Yesterday’s update…

Contini's arrival was a very important event in the political life of the Soviet Union. At least that was what Comrade Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin thought. He did not simply invite Contini or the United Group to come to the Soviet Union. During the visit, he wanted to endorse his theoretical propositions. Of course Contini knew this, so he came because he knew who would be the winner in the end of this series of line struggles, and he hoped that he could gain some benefit from it. Or... plant a few time bombs.

The ship to the Soviet Union was only sent out on July 24. Contini did not choose to go to Moscow or Leningrad by rail. Instead, he chose to take a ship through the Mediterranean via Turkey and into the Black Sea through the strait, ending in cities and resorts along the Black Sea coast of the Soviet Union. Sochi.

This time is different from going to the United States. I changed to a Mediterranean cruise ship with a smaller tonnage but more luxurious decoration. Since the Mediterranean Sea is always calm and calm, it is no different from a big bathtub, so the cruise ship can boldly distribute the tonnage and weight in relatively luxurious places. However, what is more majestic than last time is that it is accompanied by warships: the Goben (renamed Yavos), which Turkey commissioned from Italy for repairs, has been completely repaired, the holes in the hull have been made up, and the damaged boilers have been replaced. , the Italians very considerately replaced it with an oil-fired boiler, so the Goeben, which was originally purely coal-fired, is now powered by an oil-coal hybrid boiler. The total power has increased from 52,000 horsepower to nearly 60,000 horsepower, and the speed has actually exceeded At its peak, it was 26.5 knots and could run 27.4 knots.

What's more important is the core of tactics, and the fire control system is also complete. In fact, the fire control systems of Italian and German warships are completely different. However, the existing joint group is involved in German affairs, and the fire control system is simply remade under the guidance of existing data. question. Taking advantage of the maintenance opportunity, the Italian Navy has basically mastered the technical characteristics of the Goben. To be honest, they think the Goben is good. Even from the perspective of 1925, it is still a good ship.

Even though the gun caliber of the Goben is only 283mm, which is not as good as the 12-inch cannon of the Dante or the Count of Cavour-class, with a tonnage of 23,000 tons, it achieves a defensive capability that is slightly inferior to the Count of Cavour-class and exceeds that of the Count of Cavour-class. It is the fastest among the three, surpassing the level of the Dante, and the 283mm naval gun mounted on it is also destructive enough. These ideas are very instructive for the Italian Navy to restart and complete the Caracciolo-class fast battleship. In a sense This class of battleship is equivalent to an enhanced version of the Goeben!

At the time of departure, he didn't know how to coax Ada, who had promised to accompany her to the Far East last year, but it was half a month before he left this summer, and the destination was changed from the Far East to the Soviet Union. However, Ada's expression was normal after seeing him, and she didn't look unhappy at all. This made him suspicious: Did the leader tell Ada? The original stock of 60 million liras was not only a benefit from Libyan oil exploration, but also included intercession fees. If the leader didn't say anything and Ada got angry in the future, he didn't know how to explain it.

This worry disappeared after crossing the Greek Channel. One night when she was alone, Ada finally took the initiative to mention this matter, but the first question made Contini very embarrassed: "Sister Vivian" How are you and the kids?"

Contini didn't know what to say, so he responded vaguely: "Not bad!"

"I would be sad if she was unhappy because you stayed with me... To be honest, I didn't know so much was going on."

This sentence was even more unanswerable. Contini stood awkwardly on the deck, leaning on the railing, staring blankly at the dark sea, not knowing what to say.

"Before departure, my father, mother and I had a conversation. I learned a lot about you. There are many more stories about you than I imagined..." Ada said to herself, "Father said, You are the youngest and most promising person in Italy. You are the most outstanding in Italy in terms of knowledge, ability and means, and your family background is also good... But apart from being the daughter of the Prime Minister, I can only be said to be average in other aspects. "

"Ada..." Contini couldn't stand listening anymore. How could a father talk to his daughter like this?

"He said... Sisters Vivian and Adriana are not fools. Based on their conditions, if they don't find you, they can find an equally first-class young hero. Of course, they will definitely be worse than you, but they have done a great job. The choice of courage, so he asked me what my choice was, should I bravely pursue the best in the face of many competitions and challenges, or would I be willing to settle for the second best and choose something worse? No matter which one, he respected my choice, he didn't He will never rely on the marriage of his children to stabilize his political status!"

Contini's face twitched: Well, Mussolini spoke so righteously in front of his daughter and he doesn't know who received the 60 million lire? Is it really okay to talk about such a heavy topic to a 15-year-old girl?

"What about your choice?"

"I will move forward bravely..." Ada looked at Contini with a strange light in her eyes, "I will make him believe that I also have the courage!"

Contini always felt a little strange when he heard a 15-year-old girl talking about courage and love in front of him, but once the matter was settled, maybe Ada's mind would change in a few years. Although Italian girls mature earlier, Maybe Ada herself can't tell the fine difference between attachment and love. Anyway, the feeling that he has no love for Ada until now is purely the feeling of a brother taking care of a sister. His physical age is 7 years older than Ada's, and his psychological age is 7 years older than Ada's. But he is 27 years older, almost the same age as Mussolini. This is a huge gap.

Even as the two talked about these illusory futures, there was also talk about the two of them in Sochi.

Georgi Vasilyevich Chicherin, Soviet Foreign Minister and head of the Soviet delegation to the Genoa Conference, was reporting to Stalin.

"The Italian side attaches great importance to this mission. Little Ciano is the son of His Excellency Ciano, the Minister of Transport, the Italian youth leader and the president of the United Group, and Ada is the daughter of Mussolini... There are always trails outside. There are rumors that Mussolini is preparing to recruit Ciano as his son-in-law or even his political successor. My opinion is that the attitudes of the two of them can basically represent the opinions of Mussolini and the Italian top brass."

Stalin nodded: "How are the negotiations on establishing diplomatic relations with Italy going?"

"It's been relatively smooth. We don't have too many historical disputes with Italy. The reparations are not large. Italy has made demands, but the attitude is not very tough. I think there is room for relaxation... We are trying to reach an agreement to give up or at least put aside the reparations. "Of course, if Italy's attitude is more friendly, we can also transfer some economic benefits to them."

Stalin nodded: "There cannot be concessions on the issue of reparations. This is the bottom line of the Soviet Union, but other aspects can be discussed in detail. This is a reliable guarantee whether the party's line and policy can be implemented..."

Chicherin knew what Stalin meant by these words. After Lenin's death, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) formed a collective leadership situation. Trotsky, who originally had the highest voice for succession, wrote "On Lenin" and "Lessons of October" , bluntly criticized the vacillating performance of Kamenev, Zinoviev and others in the October Revolution. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that he was completely using the topic to criticize the performance of the October Revolution as false and wanted to It's true if the two of them keep doing it.

This aggressive attitude prompted the two men to join forces with Stalin to form a joint campaign against Trotsky. The three published an article stating that "Trotskyism" was not true Leninism. Stalin also stated that "the task of the party is to bury Trotsky." "ism", the isolated Trotsky failed in the political struggle and was dismissed from his position as chairman of the Revolutionary Military Committee. Since the beginning of this year, the focus of the line struggle has become between Stalin and Kamenev and Zinoviev, but it is Bukharin who rushes to take the lead: the latter believes that the new economic policy must be continued and the farmers must be reduced. And hoped to build socialism in one country first, while Kamenev and Zinoviev in turn picked up Trotsky's views, opposed the amplification of the New Economic Policy and supported the ideas of world revolution, forming a new opposition.

Faced with this offensive situation, Stalin's purpose was clear: it was urgent to reach a package of industrial and trade agreements with Italy, thereby proving that peaceful coexistence with capitalist countries was not only possible for a period of time, but could also provide help for the construction of socialism. To prove the correctness of the theory of "building socialism in one country"!