Servant of the People in Kyiv

On the contrary, if he seizes this opportunity, with the training of Ukraine's number one leader, it should be no problem for him to grow into a core leader of Ukraine before its disintegration.

After hinting to Novikov for a long time, Haniyev also learned that Secretary Sherbitsky seemed to be in a bad mood because Gorsuch severely criticized him and ordered Sherbitsky to go to a sanatorium or even retire for improper handling and ineffective suppression of the Chernobyl accident.

Haniyev frowned and asked, "Did Gordi speak personally? He's going to deal with Secretary Shcherbitsky. Did the secretary agree?"

"Of course we can't let him do whatever he wants."

Novikov smiled and said, "Our Secretary is not a rootless figure like Grigory Romanov. Romanov failed to revive his Tsarist bloodline and enter the Kremlin, and was instead exiled because he lacked solid backing. But our Ukraine is not something Gorbachev can meddle in casually. You'll see, Secretary Shcherbitsky will teach our General Secretary how to do things."

Haniyev felt relieved after hearing this and smiled slightly, saying, "I hope our Sherbitsky can lead Ukraine forever!"

Novikov laughed and said, "May God hear your prayers."

After chatting and laughing, the car drove into the Mariinsky Palace again.

This blue and white palace is not very large and is not very high, but it has a long history of more than 200 years. Its architectural style is Baroque, and it looks dignified and beautiful.

After getting off the car with Novikov, we walked into the palace, went up to the second floor, and after passing through a corridor, we entered the restaurant again.

The restaurant was already filled with large and small plates of delicious food. It seemed that they had arrived a little early, and Sherbitsky had not yet arrived.

Novikov and Haniyev sat down casually and ordered two cups of coffee, slowly adding sugar cubes and milk to stir, and then drank it little by little with a spoon.

Since the Soviet Union did not produce coffee, the coffee powder supplied and sold was all imported. Compared with green tea from China and domestically produced black tea, coffee was more expensive, and Haniyev did not drink much.

Novikov's conditions were naturally much better. While tasting the coffee, he explained to Haniyev the differences between American Hawaiian coffee and Brazilian coffee.

Ten minutes later, the door was pushed open by armed police and Shcherbitsky walked in accompanied by a young man.

Haniyev and Novikov stood up hurriedly.

Shcherbitsky smiled and nodded, saying, "Sit down, Nikolay, sit next to Viktor Vladimirevich. You young people should get acquainted with him."

Haniyev looked at Nikolai's familiar face, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Nikolai, are you Secretary Sherbitsky's grandson? And also his secretary?"

Nikolay nodded and shook hands with Haniyev.

Sherbitsky had several grandsons, two of whom worked in the central government. However, the eldest grandson, Nikolai, was only 27 years old, so even though they had a grandfather who was the first secretary, the ranks of the two grandsons were not high.

The waiter served borscht, sausages, and potato pancakes as Shcherbitsky had requested. Shcherbitsky cut a piece of potato pancake with his knife and fork, then said, "Don't be shy. Just help yourself to whatever you like."

Novikov, Haniyev and Nikolay got up and took some food, and then the four of them ate quietly.

It was not until fifteen minutes later, after Sherbitsky had finished the food on his plate and had someone replace it with a pot of Japanese green tea, that he formally looked at Haniyev.

"Victor, you seem to have gained a little weight. How are you doing during your vacation at home? Are you feeling comfortable?"

After understanding the leader's casual questions, Haniyev knew that it was just a polite greeting from the old fox, so he also answered politely.

After the two chatted for a few sentences, Sherbitsky sighed softly and began to praise Haniyev.

As expected, Haniyev became excited and patted his chest to express his loyalty to Sherbitsky.

Shcherbitsky smiled with satisfaction and asked, "Did Semyon (Novikov) tell you that Comrade Gorbachev wants me to retire?"

Haniyev had observed Sherbitsky's words and expressions and had long realized that he had no intention of giving up power and retiring.

Haniyev, who knew history, understood that even if Gorbachev subdued the Ukrainian gang through the nuclear power plant accident and made Sherbitsky obey his orders, Sherbitsky still served as the first secretary of Ukraine and the central leader of the Soviet Union. This shows that Gorbachev did not have the prestige and strength to remove Sherbitsky before 1990.

So, knowing that what Gordi meant was probably a fart, Haniyev pretended to be indignant and spoke up for Sherbitsky, while constantly praising Sherbitsky and insulting Gordi.

Haniyev performed for a while and could clearly feel that Nikolay's attitude towards him was a little more intimate. Then he heard Sherbitsky say: "Although Comrade Gorbachev made mistakes, you can't judge him like this. After all, he is our supreme leader. We all support him, respect him, and stand by him.

Victor, you need to be more cautious and not be so aggressive anymore. Wasn't the May Day incident enough of a lesson for you?"

Shcherbitsky's tone was very stern, but there wasn't a single harsh word in it, and he certainly wasn't really angry.

Haniyev considered Sherbitsky's so-called criticism to be a kind of encouragement, but leadership naturally requires a general cover-up.

Haniyev immediately admitted his mistake, and then stopped stepping on Go's map and continued to praise Sherbitsky.

Because Haniyev's previous character was that of a fan of Sherbitsky, and he had a preconceived impression of him, now no matter how loudly Haniyev flatters him, it doesn't seem corny.

Shcherbitsky's mouth widened as he listened, while Nikolay held his head high with pride. Novikov, however, was secretly learning from him, thinking: Haniyev is so smart. If I were half as eloquent and good at flattery as him, I would have joined the Central Committee five years ago...

Chapter 066 I suggest you listen to Ge Tutu

Drinking coffee and green tea, Haniyev chatted with Secretary Sherbitsky, Nikolay and Novikov for a long time. The atmosphere became very lively due to Haniyev and Novikov's deliberate guidance and flattery.

In a blink of an eye, the clock hands on the wall pointed to 8:20 in the morning.

Shcherbitsky remembered that he had to preside over a meeting at the Central Committee Building at 10 o'clock, so he turned to Nikolay and said, "Go prepare my speech and set up the venue. Haniyev and I have some more things to discuss. Come back and pick me up in an hour."

Nikolay nodded, shook hands with Haniyev and Novikoff, and left quickly.

After Nikolay left, Novikov tactfully stood up and said goodbye. All the chefs and waiters in the restaurant also left. Only Haniyev and Sherbitsky were left in the huge room.

Haniyev was a little nervous. He knew that Secretary Sherbysky wanted to have a real talk with him, and the topic was probably very important.

Haniyev didn't dare to neglect the situation, nor did he dare to pretend that he didn't understand the situation. He took the initiative to ask, "Secretary Shcherbitsky, please tell me what you need from me. I will do my best and will not neglect it."

Sherbitsky nodded with satisfaction. Although he had expected Haniyev to have such an attitude, he was very happy to see this young man who had a firm belief in the revolutionary cause, ability, ideas and pride being impressed by him. He felt as happy as if he had drunk a large glass of vodka in front of a steaming fireplace in winter.

As he grew older, his energy waned, and he suffered repeated defeats in the power struggle with Gordić, Sherbitsky had become somewhat disheartened and felt that he could never defeat Gordić, who was thirteen years younger than him.

Therefore, the admiration and adoration of Haniyev, an outstanding young man, made Sherbitsky feel as if he had returned to his youth, as if he was still the central leader who could call the shots in the Soviet Union.

It was obvious that Shcherbitsky hadn't simply wanted to see Haniyev's loyalty by leaving him alone. He truly valued Haniyev's abilities and ideas, so while he was evaluating him, he also genuinely wanted to hear his opinions and suggestions. So, he smiled and asked, "What do you think I should do about Gorbachev's suggestion that I temporarily retire? Should I accept it or find a reason to reject it?"

Haniyev was not a fool. He didn't care whether Sherbitsky had thought of a countermeasure or not, but he knew what he should say now. It was absolutely not appropriate for him to show how outstanding his ideas were at this time. After all, Sherbitsky was not Liu Bei, and he was not Zhuge Liang who was invited three times.

Haniyev blurted out without hesitation: "The Soviet Union cannot do without Ukraine for a single day, and Ukraine cannot do without Shcherbitsky for a single day. Secretary, you are the backbone of Ukraine and the mainstay of the Soviet Union. Of course, you cannot retire!"

Haniyev paused, giving Shcherbitsky enough time to reflect, before continuing, "I don't think Gorbachev is an outstanding national leader. He's far worse than you. We all know he keeps talking about reform. In his eyes, you're a conservative who's defending the Soviet Union, an opposition figure who needs to be overthrown. No matter what he says or does, he's definitely considering his own interests, not the Soviet Union's.

You must be considering the entire Soviet Union and our collective interests, so his ideas are not suitable for our Soviet Union and will deeply hurt us Ukraine.

If you ask me, my opinion is that you cannot agree to his request. You must find ways to stop him and reject him. Perhaps you can ask other central leaders to speak up for him.

Sherbitsky was very satisfied with Haniyev's attitude. He pondered for a moment, nodded, and said, "What you said makes sense, but I want you to tell me if there is a plan that is more beneficial to me.

"Victor, your handling of this nuclear power plant accident demonstrates that you are a qualified Soviet Party member and a competent cadre. You are a rare example of a conscientious, capable, and intelligent young person among the current Soviet cadre community. I have high hopes for you, so I hope you can consider other solutions from your perspective."

Haniyev was stunned for a moment, because he had imagined the scenes and conversations of his meeting with Sherbitsky many times at home, but he never thought that Sherbitsky would ask him to help him with core affairs the second time they met. This sudden trust made Haniyev a little confused and even unbelievable.

Shcherbitsky seemed to see Haniyev's confusion and smiled, "The Kremlin called me three days ago and gave me their final instructions regarding the Chernobyl incident. They mentioned you, and even Secretary Gorbachev is extremely annoyed by your name. The Central Committee's opinion is that I find a reason to exile you to the Chukotka Peninsula in the Far East in three months. You won't be able to return, and you'll most likely die in the snowy plains there within three years."

Haniyev's face trembled, his face pale with fear, and he asked anxiously, "Then Secretary..."

Shcherbitsky smiled and said, "I refused directly, so the Kremlin may remember you. I don't intend to exile you. On the contrary, I will use you. However, if I can't protect myself, your fate will definitely be even more tragic..."

Only after hearing this did Haniyev realize that Sherbitsky was preparing to completely surrender him. This was the first time he had seen the methods used by a high-level boss. He also understood that for a boss at this level, there was really no time to waste, and he would directly use the most core interests to bind him.

Now that Sherbitsky has clearly rejected Moscow, he will inevitably be regarded as Sherbitsky's man by the bigwigs in Moscow. If Sherbitsky is in trouble, his fate will naturally be even more tragic.

After making it clear that he held Haniyev's fate in his hands, Sherbitsky quietly began to drink tea.

Haniyev knew from the beginning that he could only be Sherbitsky's man. Whether it was his interests, work location or ethnic origin, it showed that he could not become a reformer, let alone be favored by the reformers.

After understanding the boss's style of doing things and employing people, Haniyev felt relieved and said thoughtfully, "If you let me consider it from my perspective, because of the nuclear power plant accident and the mass incidents caused by me, your reputation within the party may decline, and even your ability may be questioned. If Gorbachev is really determined to deal with you, you will eventually suffer a great loss.

In this case, your best option might be... I mean, maybe you could follow Gotu's orders."

Shcherbitsky frowned and asked, "What do you mean? Do you want me to agree to temporarily step aside due to illness?"

Haniyev could see Sherbitsky's dissatisfaction, but he pretended to be ignorant and said, "Yes, I think the best option for you is to follow Gotu's request and go to the sanatorium to rest for a while."

Chapter 067 Retreating to Advance

After hearing about Haniyev's many decisions on responding to the nuclear power plant accident in Pripyat and evacuating personnel, Sherbitsky became interested in this young man. Later, Haniyev boldly used foreign news agencies to reverse Gorbachev's suppression of the Ukrainian gang, and saved the health of nearly one million people in Kyiv, avoiding the public opinion minefield that would subvert the Ukrainian leadership in the future.

This incident made Sherbitsky even more amazed at Haniyev's skills. He felt that this young man was like a prophet, and then ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct a comprehensive investigation of Haniyev's network of relationships, family background, etc. After confirming that he was a third-generation Ukrainian official with a clean background, Sherbitsky decided to recruit Haniyev as his confidant.

However, even if he decided to use Haniyev, Sherbitsky had to find ways to completely convince him to ensure that Haniyev would not be indecisive or have any other thoughts, so today's meeting took place.

Shcherbitz basically thought that Haniyev would say something insightful, such as asking him to find Gorbachev and attack his political mistakes to throw him off his feet.

But Sherbitsky never expected that this smart young man, Haniyev, would ask him to surrender and go to the sanatorium to rest as Gordiu requested. Sherbitsky frowned after hearing this.

He originally wanted to slam the table and curse Haniyev for talking nonsense, but on second thought he suppressed his temper, frowned and looked at Haniyev steadily, his sharp eyes like two spotlights.

Glancing up and down at Haniyev's indifferent expression, Sherbitsky asked coldly, "Then if you let me go to the sanatorium to rest as Gorbachev requested, wouldn't that mean I'm leaving the center of power? That would be surrendering to Gorbachev."

Hanif obviously saw that his words had aroused Sherbitsky's emotions, and he laughed in his heart: Even if you are an old fox, you have to submit to the top political struggle wisdom of the feudal dynasty from the Far East.

With a slight smile, Haniyev said, "Secretary Sherbitsky, when I was in college, I was very interested in the history and humanities of the Far Eastern Khitan. I read a lot of their books. I remember reading a saying in a book called 'retreat to advance'. I think this saying is very suitable for your current situation.

They say that when faced with an unfavorable situation, one should imitate the attitude of water and learn to retreat. Only by retreating can one have the opportunity to attack.

Sherbitsky pondered the phrase "retreat in order to advance". Having never been exposed to Far Eastern philosophy and culture, he was a little confused.

However, he also knew that Haniyev was talking about the wisdom of the ancient country in the Far East. Seeing the young man's confident look, he said calmly, "You might as well make your words clearer."

Haniyev knew he had to control his suspense; now was clearly not the time to play it safe. He coughed lightly and said, "Because of the recent Chernobyl accident and the mass incidents across Ukraine, the Party Central Committee believes Ukraine's work is lagging behind. You're indeed in a passive position. A direct confrontation with Gorbachev in this situation is at a disadvantage. But what if you take this opportunity to temporarily step back and take control from behind the scenes?"

I remember that during the Republic of China era, President Chiang Kai-shek faced three political crises, and he chose to step down three times and retreat behind the scenes to manage the country.

Shcherbitsky naturally knew of Chiang Kai-shek, the previous leader of the ruling party in Khitan, but he was not familiar with whether he had ever stepped down. He asked, "You want me to emulate him? What do you think I should do?"

Haniyev explained: "With your status and power in Ukraine, even if you temporarily leave the center of power in Ukraine as Gorbachev said, as long as you have made arrangements in advance and have the status of a member of the Presidium and connections with other central leaders, Ukraine will still be in your hands. So you have to temporarily satisfy Gorbachev so that he will not target you again, and you will have the opportunity to return to the stage in a more glorious way.

Even in order to make the Soviet Central Committee realize that forcing you to temporarily retreat is Gorbachev's misdeeds, I think you can also let some incidents break out in various parts of Ukraine while you temporarily retreat to the second line, something that will be even more difficult for your successor to control...

This is to show that without you, Ukraine is no longer a stable and united Ukraine; without you, Ukraine is no longer a Ukraine that continuously supplies blood to the Soviet Union's big machine; without you, Ukraine is no longer a Ukraine where Ukraine and Russia are as close as one family.

Perhaps you can go with the flow and step down as Gorbachev intended, and then let all officials and citizens of the Soviet Union see that Ukraine cannot do without you for a day, and the Soviet Union cannot do without Ukraine for a day.

If Gorbachev forces you to step down, it will become his willful disregard for national interests, and you can re-emerge when Ukraine is facing difficulties and appear as a savior, so that you can turn defeat into victory."

After Haniyev finished speaking, Sherbitsky fell into deep thought. He had never considered the problem from this perspective before, and kept muttering in a low voice: "Retreat to advance... Retreat to advance..."

After thinking for a long time, Sherbitsky gradually understood something. He suddenly felt as if he had opened a door and saw another world of political struggle.

After thinking for a long time, Sherbitsky smiled and said, "What you said seems to make some sense, but I need to study it further."

Haniyev knew that Sherbysky would not easily agree to such a matter as it concerned his personal future and destiny, so he nodded in agreement.

Rising from the table, Shcherbitsky called out: "Vassily."

An armed police officer from the Ministry of Internal Affairs walked in.

"Send Mayor Haniyev back."

Haniyev stood up and saluted tactfully, then turned and left.

After Haniyev left, Sherbitsky paced slowly in the room, thinking.

About ten minutes later, his grandson Nicholas pushed the door open and came in: "Grandpa, the meeting is about to start. Can we go over now?"

Sherbysky thought for a moment and asked, "Have you heard of Chiang Kai-shek? Help me find some information about him, especially about the events leading up to and following his three resignations."

Nicholas was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, Grandpa, I'll arrange for someone to look for it later."

Shcherbitsky was a very cautious man and didn't want to gamble.

However, the more he thought about Haniyev's suggestion, the more he felt that this method of retreating to advance was indeed the most suitable for him as the leader of the conservative faction.

After all, if he were to temporarily retire due to illness, the interests of the Ukrainian gang could be fully guaranteed, and the conservatives could unite more closely around him with a common hatred of the enemy.

With the support of Ukrainian officials and conservative senior officials in the central government, Sherbitsky knew that his weight was still enough. Even if he did not become the first secretary of Ukraine, the officials and secretaries of various departments and states in Ukraine would still have to obey him within a year or two.

Therefore, he said that he had made Gorbachev get what he wanted, so he naturally had no reason to deal with the Ukrainian gang. His control over Ukraine would indeed cause some minor problems in Ukraine in the future, and he would have to step in to solve them. This would indeed make Gorbachev's reputation in Ukraine worse, weaken his prestige within the party, and would indeed cause Gorbachev to suffer some losses.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Before leaving, Sherbitsky instructed his grandson, "Nicholas, send someone to find Haniyev and ask him to make a list of the Khitan history books he has read, marking the key points. I'd like to read them when I have time."

Chapter 068 Wait and see what happens

After leaving the Mariinsky Palace, Haniyev returned home.

Now that the Chernobyl zone has been abandoned and its inhabitants resettled in Kyiv, regional officials have become useless.

Haniyev would call Chekhov, Kartov and others who were hosting the hotel every day to inquire about the latest developments. Yesterday, he learned that Chernobyl's radiation-proof sarcophagus was almost completed. By then, the Ukrainian government would build a new town in the southern part of Chernobyl. By that time, some of the officials from the original Chernobyl area would be assigned to the new area, and some would be transferred to other areas.

Kartov implicitly told Haniyev that Chekhov was old and the provincial party committee wanted him to retire and go to Crimea for recuperation, so the first secretary of the Chernobyl region would not be able to wait until the new region was established.

After learning about this, Haniyev felt secretly sorry in his heart. He had always been grateful to Chekhov for taking care of him. He thought that after a few days, when the sarcophagus was repaired and the radioactive dust was confirmed to be gone, he would visit Chekhov to express his gratitude to him. He could not let the old leader who had done him a favor feel disappointed. In order to reflect the characteristic of Haniyev that people are still grateful after they leave, Haniyev even wrapped several bottles of British imported whiskey in paper in advance, waiting to give them to Chekhov.

These bottles of wine are very expensive on the black market and are now unavailable in Kyiv's foreign trade supermarkets.

After that, Haniyev did not go out for half a month, but his close friends came to his house for drinks twice. Through Anato, Sergei and others, he also had a full understanding of the current public sentiment and changes in the streets of Kiev, and even the soaring prices and shortages of materials in the supply and marketing cooperatives.

Although Haniyev stayed at home because he valued his life, he also learned from Kartov that many people were looking for leaders to transfer to other regions.