Servant of the People in Kyiv

More than a dozen leaders greeted Haniyev with smiles on their faces, and Haniyev nodded politely in response.

Tugrov walked to the front and introduced the leaders of Rivne Oblast to Haniyev one by one.

After a while, Haniyev got familiar with everyone, and then the meeting began. Haniyev first introduced himself, and then said some polite words. As an experienced pragmatist, Haniyev's language skills were no worse than any provincial first secretary. After he talked for an hour, everyone had a preliminary impression of the new and very famous first secretary.

"There is no false reputation under a great name."

Although the members of the leadership team of Rivne Oblast did not understand this ancient Khitan saying, they all had a common understanding after interacting with Haniyev, that is, Haniyev is so young and so famous, and just by listening to him speak, they knew that this leader is worthy of his reputation.

Because of the precedent of overthrowing Gulenko and Sherbitsky's attention to Haniyev, the leaders of Rivne Oblast all had extraordinary respect for Haniyev, and they would spontaneously burst into warm applause from time to time when listening to his speeches.

For the first time, Haniyev also felt the enjoyment of a higher level of power and status, a feeling far more charming than when he was in Yalta and the Ukrainian People's Movement Committee.

The members of a state's leadership team were like a group of primary school students in front of him. Many senior leaders nodded in agreement to any of Haniyev's casual remarks.

"Frontier officials are indeed different."

Haniyev was filled with emotion. After the meeting, the Chairman of the Regional Soviet, Omilov, stood up and said, "Your Excellency Secretary Haniyev, it is a blessing for the more than one million people in Rivne Oblast that you can lead us. Your work achievements in Yalta are obvious to all. Even though you have been away from Yalta for two years, the people there are still grateful to you. I hope you can display your talents in Rivne Oblast and make Rivne even richer..."

Haniyev shook hands with Omilov and said, "Let's work together. I believe that as long as we work together, we will surely make Rivne Oblast better and better!"

Tugrove walked over and said, "The restaurant should be ready. Please go to the restaurant with the two leaders. Today we are welcoming Secretary Haniyev, and we also ask you to inspect the quality of our provincial party committee cafeteria."

Haniyev smiled slightly and went to the cafeteria under the guidance of his secretary. More than a dozen provincial party committees and Soviet leaders attending the meeting came in one after another and sat down at the huge round table.

Although it was lunch, there had to be wine during the meal. Under people's deliberate flattery, Haniyev couldn't help himself and drank two glasses of wine. After he had eaten and drunk enough, he went straight back to the dormitory to rest.

In a few days, Haniyev quickly opened up the situation with the help of Kharchenko and took control of the situation in Rivne Oblast. Although Haniyev was very cautious in the past few days and only familiarized himself with the situation and rarely issued orders, he still felt the glory and power of a frontier official.

As the first secretary of a province, his power and status are far beyond that of a city's first secretary. If the city's first secretary can mobilize tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people, then the first secretary of a province can control the future and destiny of at least millions of people and can dispose of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of rubles of funds.

When Haniyev served as the first secretary in Yalta, he had great power and could be said to have the final say, but that was because he had Sherbitsky behind him. Ordinary city first secretaries still had to consult the provincial party committee and the Soviet on many matters, and even had to obtain the consent of the provincial party committee before they could exercise power.

However, as the highest-ranking official sent by the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Party to the local area, the first secretary of the state has almost unlimited power in the state. Except for the lack of military and diplomatic power, his control over personnel, finances and materials is far greater than that of the first secretary of the city.

Although it had been less than five days since Haniyev became the first secretary of the province, he had gradually realized that he had almost supreme authority in Rivne Province. It seemed that a single word from him could decide the personnel appointments of a city, and even the industrial layout and economic prosperity of a city.

"The frontier governor is truly remarkable!"

At home, Haniyev has repeatedly praised his current power and status to his wife Tatyana, but Tatyana does not care.

"My dear, you are very capable. Being a state first secretary is just a stepping stone for you. You will definitely become a leader of the Party and the country in the future. I have confidence in you!"

Tatyana has admired Haniyev very much since she met him. She has more confidence in herself than Haniyev does, and has always believed that Haniyev is a person with outstanding abilities. In her mind, she has long felt that she will become the first lady of Ukraine in the future.

The affirmation of others always gives people a sense of accomplishment, especially the affirmation from the people they trust the most, and Haniyev is no exception.

His wife's admiration for him made Haniyev excited. He hugged his wife and gave her a deep kiss. Then he took his secretary and many department heads with great enthusiasm to conduct visits and research activities in various parts of Rivne Oblast. He planned to use half a month to understand the situation in the entire Rivne Oblast, and then make some achievements and provide more help and arrangements for the Western Ukrainian People's Movement Committee.

Although Haniyev repeatedly ordered that the party committees and governments of various regions and cities were not allowed to receive him, as the first secretary of the province, Haniyev's identity was too special and noble. Whenever he traveled, he was inevitably treated with high courtesy and welcome wherever he went. Many times when he was conducting research in various urban areas, there would be road closures and martial law.

Haniyev had no idea how much inconvenience his visits and investigations had caused in various cities in Rivne Oblast and how much the normal lives of the people had been affected. In his position, every trip had to be coordinated and arranged in advance by the Oblast Ministry of Internal Affairs. Security was one issue, and the fear that the local party committees and governments would see bad things while preparing in advance was another.

Therefore, what Haniyev saw during his visit and investigation was mostly peace and prosperity, and the people were rich and stable. It seemed that Rivne Oblast could enable more than 130 million people in the province to live a prosperous life comparable to that of the people in Kiev by relying solely on agriculture and forestry. People did not have to worry about having enough money to buy black bread and bacon and sausages.

Chapter 250 How Steel is Made

The Soviet Union had reached a dead end after Gorbachev's reforms, and the rationing economic system was on the verge of collapse. Even the supply of materials in Kiev had problems. How could Rivne Oblast have sufficient supplies and satisfy the people?

Haniyev was no fool; he knew that the scenes he had seen along the way had obviously been arranged in advance by the municipal party committees and Soviets.

However, after proposing several times without much change, Haniyev realized the terrible inertia of political power. Since he enjoyed the power to have the final say, he had to bear the backlash of increasing power.

It's like a family. If the parents have great authority and the children are afraid of them, they will certainly be obedient in many cases, but they may also choose to lie or cover up the situation in order to avoid the serious consequences of making mistakes. This situation will only be more serious in politics.

At the end of his research in Dubno, Haniyev stayed in a hotel suite in the largest guesthouse in the small town. Late at night, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

It has been eight or nine days since he was released. Although he called his wife a few times and she and the children were fine, Haniyev couldn't help but feel worried and missed them. He was also quite worried that he would be deceived and cheated more as his status grew.

After thinking for a long time, Haniyev felt that if he wanted to grasp the real situation in the future, he would have to go undercover. At the same time, he would have to cultivate a new team, such as the Ukrainian People's Movement, so that the members of the People's Movement could learn more about the situation in various provinces and cities. He would also set up an "official newspaper" in the committee to report in large quantities in the form of an internal newspaper, screen the information and compare it with the official reports from various provinces and cities to ensure the authenticity of the information obtained.

With a soft sigh, Haniyev lay down again, covered with the quilt, and muttered to himself: "I am a lonely man... The more power and position I have, the more lonely I become..."

Three days later, when Haniyev walked to the town of Ostrog and listened to the report of the local party committee secretary and Soviet director, he learned that this was the birthplace and hometown of Comrade Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky, the author of the famous book "How the Steel Was Tempered".

When Haniyev learned about it, he was first surprised, and then he was happy.

For decades, "How the Steel Was Tempered" has been the Soviet Union's number one masterpiece.

This book is basically an autobiographical novel by Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky. Although there are some humorous and exaggerated treatments in the plot of the novel, the life thread of Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky can still be found through the plot of the novel.

Because "How the Steel Was Tempered" was regarded as a classic in the Soviet Union, the author Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky's status had long been elevated to an extremely high position.

Both Moscow and Kiev have built memorials for Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky. In the neighboring city of Shepetovka in the northern part of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, where Ostrovsky lived after he was 8 years old, his former residence has been repaired and protected, and a memorial has also been built.

For Haniyev, most Ukrainians and even Soviet people, everyone has always believed that Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky's hometown is the city of Shepetovka. However, after visiting the "Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky Memorial Hall" in the village of Veriya, Ostrog Town, Rivne Oblast, Haniyev realized that this is the real hometown of Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky.

Ostrovsky was born and raised in the village of Veriya until he was eight years old. If World War I had not broken out, his father and family would have fled to Shepetovka. Nikolai Ostrovsky might have lived out his life in obscurity in the remote village.

However, the times favored this great proletarian revolutionary and writer. Ostrovsky created a great character "Paul Korchagin" based on his own life, and left behind an immortal classic for the world - "How the Steel Was Tempered".

The Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky Memorial Hall in the village of Veriya is very simple, just an ordinary house, which contains some old photos and old letters, as well as some versions of "How the Steel Was Tempered" in various languages. After Haniyev came out of the memorial hall, he couldn't calm down for a long time. He felt that it might be a good thing that Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky was from Volhynia. He should not give up this information, but should make good use of it to do something.

Haniyev immediately asked his accompanying secretary and relevant cadres of the provincial party committee and the provincial Supreme Soviet to notify the cultural and propaganda departments, requiring the provincial party committee to take the lead in vigorously promoting the village of Vilya.

Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky and his book How the Steel Was Tempered must be firmly tied to his hometown, Rivne Oblast, and packaged and developed. The fact that Ostrovsky is a native of Rivne must be publicized so that the Soviet people and people all over the world know about it. The memorial hall in Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky's hometown must also be renovated and renovated. Ostrovsky must be firmly tied to the land of Rivne Oblast.

In response to this, Haniyev held a special meeting in the government auditorium in Ostrog. Eight or nine leaders, including the second secretary and third secretary of the provincial party committee and the chairman of the Soviet, and directors of various committees who hurried over from Rivne, made the huge auditorium seem small and crowded.

Sitting on the podium, Hanyev spoke eloquently in front of the cameras of the regional television station, emphasizing that "people used to think that Comrade Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky was from Khmelnitsky Oblast and that How the Steel Was Tempered was created in Moscow.

But we must know one fact, that is, the immortal masterpiece "How the Steel Was Tempered" was created by Comrade Nikolai Ostrovsky based on himself, which means that the stories in the book basically take place in Ukraine, especially the growth history of Pavel Korchagin takes place in our Rivne Oblast.

In the past, we did not pay enough attention to Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky and "How the Steel Was Tempered" and failed to grasp this valuable resource.

Now we must emphasize the fact that we are the hometown of Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky, and that Rivne Oblast is the true hometown where "How the Steel Was Tempered" was born. Without Nikolai Ostrovsky's childhood here, without the oppression and humiliation he endured in the old Tsarist society until he was eight years old, and without the hardships he endured in his early years, the great masterpiece "How the Steel Was Tempered" would never have been possible!

Haniyev's speech was very contagious. After years of training, his speaking ability has been steadily improved. After he made important instructions, the leaders of Rivne Oblast attending the meeting stood up and applauded excitedly.

After the Haniyev special meeting on May 20, the focus of Rivne Oblast became the promotion and development of Ostrog as the "hometown of steel".

Regardless of whether Rivne Oblast has sufficient funds, after First Secretary Haniyev made important instructions, personnel and resources across the oblast began to develop plans and projects around the development of the town of Ostrog.

By May 25, the first Soviet Congress of People's Deputies was held in Moscow.

Because it was the first congress, the meeting lasted two weeks. One week was used to discuss the merger of the People's Congress and the Supreme Soviet, and the second week was used to vote for the chairman of the Supreme Soviet in accordance with the principles of democracy and freedom.

When the opening ceremony of the First Congress of People's Deputies was held in Moscow and broadcast live nationwide, Haniyev, the First Secretary of Rivne Oblast, did not watch the live broadcast with his team members. Instead, he listened in his office to a report on the development of the town of Ostrog by the Second Secretary in charge of ideology, Macievsky.

Ostrog is just a small town, and Virya Village is a village under the jurisdiction of this town. The entire town has a small area and a small population. Under Haniyev's arrangement and deployment, the whole state will use its strength to build this small village.

The imbalance of resources makes this task seem not very difficult.

After Haniyev issued the request five days ago, he asked Macievsky, as deputy commander-in-chief, to personally dispatch personnel resources and come up with a plan for himself within a week.

Now, just five days have passed, and Macievsky has raised 5 million rubles of special funds and established a temporary "Working Group for Building the Town of Steel". He himself serves as the team leader, and more than 20 committee directors serve as members. He has come up with a complete construction plan.

According to the plan formulated by Macievsky and others, they would use a large amount of money to expand the "Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky Memorial Museum", build roads and even railways for the town of Ostrog and the village of Vilya, and build parks and sculptures in the town of Ostrog and the village of Vilya, and corresponding radio and television publicity.

After listening to Macievsky's report, Haniyev first praised him a few times, then coughed lightly and said, "There are still some areas that can be improved.

For example: Can the park learn from Disneyland in the United States and build a "How the Steel Was Tempered" theme park, restore the character sculptures and scenes from the story in a one-to-one scale in the park, and add some toys and visitor experience projects?

Or maybe add some more song and dance…

Oh, and we could adapt "How the Steel Was Tempered" into a musical, build a large theater in Ostrog, and perform for study tour groups, tourists, and students. This would comprehensively promote "How the Steel Was Tempered" and the spiritual core of the classic novel in a variety of ways..."