In the Kiev Railway Workers' Hospital, Nikolai Korchagin, the Secretary of the Izyaslav Komsomol District Committee, sat on a chair in a ward. Having experienced life-and-death tests on the battlefield in the First Cavalry Division of the Red Army, although Comrade Nikolai Korchagin had mentally prepared himself for blindness, when the nurse began to remove the bandages from his head, Comrade Nikolai still couldn't help clenching his fists, feeling an inner tension comparable to the moment before charging on horseback towards the White Army.

The bandages were undone, and the gauze covering his eyes was removed. The doctor's voice came to his ears, "Comrade Nikolai, please open your eyes. Slowly."

Comrade Nikolai suppressed his emotions, summoned his courage, and slowly opened his eyes. Before him was a blur; he only felt the bright light sting his eyes slightly, causing him to involuntarily close them again.

The doctor's delighted voice came to his ears again, "Comrade Nikolai, your eyes are recovering very well."

"But I can't see anything clearly," Nikolai Korchagin asked.

"Your eyes haven't been exposed to light for too long; they aren't adapted yet. They will get better in a while," the doctor explained happily.

Sure enough, as the doctor said, a few minutes later, Nikolai found his vision gradually clearing. He could already clearly see the doctor, the nurse, and his comrades from the First Cavalry Division in the ward.

By afternoon, Nikolai was ready to be discharged, but the doctor required him to stay in the hospital for observation for another two days. Nikolai knew that without the hospital's discharge certificate, running out on his own would be useless. So Nikolai Korchagin resolutely demanded to be transferred from the intensive care ward to a general ward.

Seeing that Nikolai Korchagin, as a Komsomol District Committee Secretary, still insisted on moving his own things, his comrades, while having their orderlies help Nikolai move, couldn't help sighing, "Nikolai, you haven't changed at all."

Although Nikolai was full of affection for his old comrades, he didn't like their current style. He immediately retorted, "Are we unable to even move a bit of hospital luggage?"

Although most comrades of the First Cavalry Division respected Nikolai, they weren't willing to get too close to him. The old comrades who could come here could stand Nikolai Korchagin's temper, so they weren't surprised. Fortunately, he didn't have many personal belongings, and the move was finished in moments. Colonel Alyosha stopped everyone from going to the general ward. "There are too many people there; let's talk here. Nikolai, the old commissar said you have been put on the observation list. The superiors are preparing to select secretaries for various departments in Kiev from the list. At that time, you led the Komsomol shock brigade to complete the temporary railway leading to the lumber mill; everyone recognizes your contribution."

This was good news, and also the reason these few old comrades had come. Because of Nikolai Korchagin's fierce personality, his promotion was considered slow among the old comrades. Now that Korchagin could finally be promoted, while the old comrades were happy for him, they also felt the superiors were becoming more human.

Being reminded of the past event of building the temporary railway, Nikolai was also filled with emotion. That was truly incredibly arduous work; the heavy labor had numbed both Nikolai and the comrades of the Komsomol shock brigade. The supplies sent by the superiors during the hardest part of the project left a deep impression on him. Metal tools, medicine, leather boots, wool socks, scarves, gloves, canned meat, canned fruit, instant noodles, black tea. The main labels on that batch of supplies were all written in Chinese characters. Nikolai didn't know Chinese characters at the time and couldn't understand anything except the picture logos. Only the paper strips obviously pasted on later had simple Russian printed on them, indicating what these goods were.

With these supplies, the youth shock brigade led by Nikolai suffered no attrition from injury or illness afterward, and the construction speed increased greatly. The temporary railway, which the engineers in Kiev thought impossible to complete, was finished before the severe cold froze people to death, providing the citizens of Kiev with a sufficient supply of firewood.

Since then, the Soviet Union's logistical supplies became more and more punctual, sufficient in quantity, and increasingly rich in variety. The only thing that dissatisfied Nikolai Korchagin was that the proportion of Chinese goods in these supplies was getting larger and larger. Although the labels had been changed to Russian, from the style and feeling of use, one could completely distinguish the difference between Chinese goods and Soviet goods.

This made Nikolai Korchagin feel very bad. Although China was a friendly country to the Soviet Union, and these Chinese daily necessities indeed improved the living standards of the Soviet people, Nikolai Korchagin hoped that every Soviet worker and peasant could use goods produced in the Soviet Union. A Soviet Union that produced goods to meet the needs of the Soviet people was Nikolai's ideal Soviet Union. If he could really become a higher-level cadre, Nikolai Korchagin hoped to express his views to the Central Committee.

A week later, the discharged Nikolai became the Secretary of the Kiev Agricultural Committee. The first thing in the handover was to check the supplies and accounts. Secretary Nikolai Korchagin spent several days reading through the basic materials. Then he went to the Planning Committee and posed his question to the Secretary of the Planning Committee: "Comrade Secretary, regarding these production rewards, are they really in place?"

Nikolai Korchagin had asked this question at the Agricultural Committee meeting, and the comrades said they had only received the documents, but the supplies hadn't arrived. As the Secretary of the Agricultural Committee, Nikolai naturally had to come and ask clearly.

The Secretary of the Planning Committee was full of relaxed joy. After hearing the question, he answered readily, "Oh. Dear Comrade Nikolai, you've come just in time. The supplies have arrived. According to the plan, your portion will be sent over in the next few days. Since Comrade Nikolai is here, we can process the paperwork for you right now."

Nikolai Korchagin wanted to know if this was true. But the Secretary of the Planning Committee started asking about several renowned Red Army commanders of the Soviet Union, which made Nikolai feel very annoyed. When he joined the army, he joined the First Cavalry Division of the Red Army, which later expanded into the First Cavalry Army. Although the unit was now disbanded, as a unit raised by General Secretary Stalin, most of the officers and soldiers had become officers and cadres.

Those old superiors of Nikolai Korchagin were now illustrious senior commanders of the Red Army, and most cadres who had just met Nikolai Korchagin would often ask about these big shots.

If it were usual times, Nikolai would probably have given these social climbers a piece of his mind long ago, but this time was different. Nikolai interrupted the Planning Committee Secretary and asked, "When can we take these supplies away? Revolutionary work needs these supplies."

The Secretary of the Planning Committee was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Yes, Secretary Nikolai, you are right. Revolutionary work indeed needs these supplies! I will send someone to take you to receive the supplies right now."

Watching the retreating figure of Kiev Agricultural Committee Secretary Nikolai Korchagin leaving hurriedly, the Planning Committee Secretary sighed in his heart: *Worthy of a cadre from the First Cavalry Division, he indeed grasps the thoughts of the higher-ups very accurately.* General Secretary Stalin reused people from the First Cavalry Division. Other cadres had to find connections if they wanted promotion. Nikolai Korchagin from the First Cavalry Division only needed to complete the work immediately to get a very high evaluation.

Thinking of this treatment, the Planning Committee Secretary, who was originally from Trotsky's faction, couldn't help feeling a bit jealous.

Three days later, a truck convoy left the storage site in Kiev and headed straight for the rural areas of the Kiev region. Heavy snow had already fallen, and the mud roads softened by rain had frozen hard. On the vast wilderness, the wide wheels crushed deep tracks, completely obscuring the wheel marks left by horse-drawn carriages.

After driving for almost a whole day, the convoy rested at a cooperative. Although it was evening, all the members of the cooperative came out to surround and watch the convoy, which they rarely saw. The adults couldn't help sighing when they heard the convoy had actually driven all the way here from Kiev. The children first approached the trucks cautiously, soon found that the trucks were not dangerous, and then began to play around them. Some mischievous ones either tried to climb onto the trucks or crawled under the vehicles to see what the chassis looked like.

The adults, afraid of angering these cadres from the city, immediately pulled the naughty children down and gave them a few slaps as a lesson. Seeing the children crying after being beaten, Nikolai Korchagin couldn't help stepping forward to stop the parents' traditional educational methods. He also comforted the little guys, "Don't climb on the trucks; just watch from the side."

The parents rarely saw such a genial cadre and were very surprised. Someone asked carefully, "Cadre sir, are you really here to deliver rewards?"

Nikolai hadn't expected the masses of the cooperative to know the news already. He asked genially, "Fellow countryman, I am the new Secretary of the Agricultural Committee. Did the previous Secretary already notify everyone about the distribution of rewards?"

"Yes, Mr. Cadre, we were notified back in July. They said it would be distributed after the autumn harvest..."

"Vladimir, what are you saying!" A cooperative cadre scolded from behind the masses. Hearing the scolding, the man trembled involuntarily and shut up immediately.

Nikolai frowned and said unhappily to the cooperative cadre, "Comrade, don't be so savage to the masses! Now that the Agricultural Committee has undergone personnel adjustments and material transportation isn't punctual, this might have delayed things. Explain the specific situation to the masses, and they will surely understand!"

When he was the Komsomol District Secretary, Nikolai often had unpleasant disputes with comrades because of this attitude of being close to the masses. But at this moment, the cooperative cadre immediately said, "Secretary Nikolai Korchagin, your criticism is correct. I will pay attention in the future."

Since the other party said so, Nikolai didn't pursue it further but turned to the masses. "Fellow countrymen, the Soviet indeed has difficulties, but the Soviet has always been working hard to complete its work. So please give the Soviet some time. The rewards the Soviet promised to you will definitely be delivered. Look, aren't we here?"

The fellow countrymen looked awkward. Facing a big official from Kiev, they naturally dared not speak carelessly. Moreover, in the past two or three years, although the arrival time of various supplies was indeed not punctual, at least there were indeed more and more goods on the shelves of the supply and marketing cooperatives, and one could indeed buy things when going shopping. But this was only a matter of the last two or three years; if speaking of earlier times, it was indeed a long story.

Just then, the fellow countrymen heard the big official from Kiev, Nikolai Korchagin, say, "Fellow countrymen, I saw some drawings on the barn wall. Were they drawn by the cooperative?"

The fellow countrymen quickly said, "Yes, Mr. Cadre, they were drawn in June this year. Do you want to go and have a look?"

Nikolai smiled. "Let's go together." Whenever facing hardworking masses, Nikolai Korchagin was very willing to have a good relationship with them. Although he knew roughly what those drawings depicted, Nikolai still wanted to go see them with the fellow countrymen. Only in this way could the fellow countrymen believe that the Soviet would never renege on its promises.

At this time, the red sun had dropped to the edge of the horizon, painting the drawings on the barn wall with a golden-red hue. Although the drawings had weathered wind and rain from July to now, a small part was no longer clear, and some damage had appeared due to peeling wall skin. But these small flaws looked warm at this moment, giving a feeling of being close to life.

Painted on both sides of the pattern were farmers working hard in the wheat fields. In the center of the pattern was a large red arrow pointing upwards from the bottom of the barn. Every certain distance, a number was written: 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, and at the very top of the arrow was 15000. Next to each number was a picture representing the reward that could be claimed after the grain delivery reached the corresponding figure.

This was the latest agricultural production reward scheme proposed by the Soviet Union. In the past, farmers received income after delivering and selling grain, and could use the money to buy goods at the supply and marketing cooperative. To stimulate the farmers' labor enthusiasm, the Soviet government proposed a reward scheme in addition to such grain sales. This reward was unrelated to the income farmers received from selling grain but was linked to the quantity of grain sold.

For example, those who sold more than 1000 could get a leather boot voucher, which could be exchanged for leather boots. Reaching 1500, one could get a sweater voucher. Exceeding 8000, one could get fuel. At this stage, the highest level was 15000. Once grain sales exceeded 15000, one could get an agricultural tricycle.

The masses had looked at this painting for several months. Initially, they just looked at it for fun, having no confidence in whether they could get the rewards. Now that a big cadre had finally come, they all stood carefully beside Nikolai Korchagin, waiting for this big cadre to speak.

It was actually the first time Nikolai Korchagin had seen this painting in the countryside. A few months ago, his vision declined rapidly. After hospital diagnosis, it was found that if he didn't receive good treatment, he would likely go blind. So Nikolai Korchagin was sent to the hospital in Kiev and had only recently recovered.

Looking at this propaganda poster, Nikolai felt a spontaneous reverence and love for the great leader, General Secretary Stalin. This young cadre, born in the countryside in 1904, a child laborer at 11, joining the First Cavalry Division of the Red Army at 15, and now 25 years old this year, had always hoped the people could be liberated and live a good life.

Seeing with his own eyes that his country could already provide such generous labor rewards to hardworking farmers, he felt the goal he struggled for was worth it. After a good while, when Comrade Nikolai came back to his senses, he saw the masses looking at him nervously, so he smiled and said, "Fellow countrymen, don't worry. The rewards have been brought. They are all loaded on the trucks."

That night, the soldiers escorting the trucks and the cooperative militia stood guard all night in the parking lot. Early in the morning, just as dawn dyed the sky red, the masses came out one after another. Seeing the convoy hadn't left, they returned to their homes.

At 9 a.m., Nikolai Korchagin began to preside over the reward distribution work. In the initial plan, these rewards were to be collected at the cooperative. However, after Nikolai became the Secretary of the Kiev Agricultural Committee, under new orders, the rewards were to be delivered directly to the grassroots. In internal notifications, regions that had started distribution earlier had some problems; some socialist parasites embezzled from within, trying to appropriate a part of the prizes for themselves. For example, Nikolai Korchagin's predecessor had tried to give a batch of motorized tricycles to his cronies. The problem was discovered through the diligent work of comrades from the Discipline Committee, and the former Secretary of the Agricultural Committee was brought to justice.

Nikolai had no sympathy for these parasites. For a dignified Secretary of the Kiev Agricultural Committee to do such a thing, death was not enough to expiate the crime. Nikolai Korchagin firmly believed that only by thoroughly cleaning out these parasites could the country become healthier. And the way to make the Soviet Union stronger was for Soviet industry and agriculture to produce more products to meet the needs of the masses. So seeing the surprised looks of the masses when they received rewards based on their output, Nikolai felt warm in his heart.

After distributing these rewards, the masses couldn't help surrounding Nikolai, thanking him sincerely: "Comrade Nikolai, you are truly a person sent by God."

Nikolai Korchagin couldn't help frowning; the backwardness of the masses' thinking stimulated him. Believing in God was a thought from the Tsarist era; how could the people of a communist country believe in these things! But Nikolai didn't get angry. He wasn't angry with these hardworking masses. So Nikolai Korchagin said loudly, "Fellow countrymen, I am not a person sent by God. I am a person sent by General Secretary Stalin of the Central Committee of the CPSU! It is the Central Committee of the CPSU that arranged for me to be responsible for this work."

Hearing this, the cooperative cadre quickly raised his arm and shouted, "Long live General Secretary Stalin!"

The masses had been led to shout "Long live the Tsar" during the Tsarist government era. Now that they had truly received rewards, they shouted along with the cooperative cadre, "Long live General Secretary Stalin!"

After shouting, seeing the smile on the face of the big official from Kiev who distributed the rewards, the masses shouted it several more times. In the team of this trip, several people stared at Nikolai Korchagin upon seeing such an event.

A few days later, when this reward-delivering convoy returned to Kiev, the talk that Secretary Nikolai Korchagin was favored by Stalin began to spread. Subsequently, the Kiev Soviet Committee immediately convened a meeting to discuss what to do after distributing rewards. Finally, a plan was produced: rewards would be distributed centrally in the future, and after the masses received the rewards, they would shout "Long live General Secretary Stalin" three times. And this plan was sent down to the Kiev region.

By September 1930, the Ukrainian Republic within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics sent down a more perfect plan. Soon, the news reached Moscow. Comrade Stalin looked at the report, couldn't help sneering, but said nothing.

Committee Member Kirov next to him didn't know exactly what Comrade Stalin was thinking and didn't say much. But Committee Member Kirov knew very well that although Ukraine was indeed sucking up to Comrade Stalin, such rituals were not meaningless. for the current Soviet Union, forming a stronger central leadership core was very necessary.

So after the meeting, Committee Member Kirov went to see Grigory Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Economy of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Heavy Industry Committee. This time Kirov brought a bottle of cherry schnapps, and the corners of Committee Member Grigory's mouth rose slightly.

When Kirov took out a large bag of dried beef, Committee Member Grigory smiled. "Committee Member Kirov, you are too polite." Saying this, he stood up and took a jar of pickled gherkins from the bottom drawer of his desk.

Kirov liked this high-alcohol fruit wine very much. After drinking two glasses, he said, "Committee Member Grigory, the planning of the Ministry of Heavy Industry is proceeding according to plan. Is there room to continue increasing production capacity?"

Grigory shook his head immediately. "The Economic Committee has done a lot of calculations. Completing the plan has already made the work extremely tense; there really is no ability to do more."

Kirov felt that Grigory probably didn't want to put more pressure on the various departments of heavy industry. Now the various departments of the Soviet Union were indeed busier, but the pressure they bore was actually much lower compared to a few years ago. If they really had to press a bit more, it wasn't impossible.

However, Kirov also understood that the current Soviet Union had undergone tremendous changes compared to before. With the significant increase in the supply of light industrial goods, people's life concerns began to shift from daily necessities to the entirety of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Currently, what workers cared about most was no longer how many clothes and daily necessities they received each year; many conflicts already revolved around housing allocated by state-owned enterprises.

As the two talked and drank, they brought up the 'Stalin Buildings' that were about to be promoted. The Central Committee of the CPSU noticed the change in the masses' needs. Through inspection of China, the Construction People's Commissariat produced a complete set of reinforced concrete frame residential design drawings. China used this construction method to build a large number of buildings, providing housing for the rapidly increasing urban population. The Soviet Construction People's Commissariat believed this model was also suitable for the Soviet Union, and there was talk that these houses were prepared to have an unofficial name called 'Stalin Buildings.' This name really had the same effect as the practice in Ukraine.

What Kirov hoped for was that heavy industry could increase production so that more products and resources could be used to develop light industry. After all, nearly half of the light industrial goods currently provided by the Soviet Union were imported from China. If they continued to increase light industrial goods for the people, this proportion would continue to increase.

And besides being a member of the Heavy Industry People's Commissariat, Grigory was also the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Economy of the Soviet Union. The Chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Economy was equivalent to China's 'SASAC' (State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission). So Grigory stated frankly, "Committee Member Kirov, we have no way. We have tried our best, but we really can't do it."