"Seryosha, it has been," Yakovlev said in a joyful voice on the phone, and although it would be reported on television soon, Yakovlev wanted to personally inform Gorbachev's close ministers of the good news.
After putting down the phone, Seryosha felt excited, although he had known that the ultimate winner would be Gorbachev, but Seryosha knew that it was not easy to come by because he had personally experienced the struggle of the year.
The first thing Gorbachev did after taking office was the funeral of General Secretary Chernenko, the third supreme leader of the USSR to die in three years.
The frequent change of senior leaders plunged the political situation in the Soviet Union into a state of instability, and the great cause of reform was stagnant.
Not only have economic reforms been delayed, but the anti-corruption campaign advocated by Andropov has also been outright rejected.
Seryosha knew very well what kind of person Gorbachev was, and in the first two years of his administration, Seryosha would not expand his financial business into the country under any circumstances.
With the publication of the list of the funeral committee of General Secretary Chernenko, the common people soon became aware of who the new head of the family was, and Gromyko did not withdraw from the stage of Moscow politics, he was elected chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a position that was nominally the head of state of the USSR, but in fact had only a symbolic meaning.
Seryosha was honored to be assigned to the funeral committee of General Secretary Chernenko.
This is not an honor that everyone can get, because Seryosha's immediate boss Zhuravlev did not receive this honor.
Seryosha knew in his heart that this was Gorbachev's reward for himself.
Seryosha devoted himself wholeheartedly to the work of the funeral committee, and this time he was still in charge of external liaison and invited foreign dignitaries to Chernenko's funeral.
Nastya is in charge of specific things, and Seryosha only needs to be in charge of the overall situation.
Chernenko's funeral was the same as before, and two days before the funeral, Chernenko's coffin was laid down at the Moscow Workers' Cultural Center for mourning.
The cultural center was filled with garlands sent by the masses, but there were few ordinary people who could actually walk into the mourning hall to admire the appearance of Chernenko.
The first to arrive were the members of the Politburo headed by Gorbachev, who wore a red cuff with black trim on their right arm, the emblem of the CPSU.
As a ministerial-level official, Seryosha came with his colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, and because Seryosha was arranged by Gorbachev to be included in the funeral committee, several colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation were somewhat alienated from Seryosha, but Seryosha already felt that these matters did not matter, because soon Gorbachev would make major personnel adjustments.
At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation will be completely subdued by Seryosha.
During the two-day ceremony, which lasted for two days, Gorbachev received envoys and representatives from various countries who came to attend the funeral.
And the reception of these big names is Seryosha's main official business these days.
The delegation from Britain was very familiar with Seryosha, but Seryosha did not know much about them.
However, this did not prevent Seryosha from forming a new friendship with them.
Seryosha made an appointment with the British delegation in charge of trade, and Seryosha invited the other party to wait until after the funeral to go to the Ural Heavy Machinery Plant to inspect the landing of the steam turbine, and the other party happily agreed.
At the burial ceremony of General Secretary Chernenko, Seryosha had the honor to stand on Lenin's Tomb overlooking the spectacular view of the entire Red Square, and the mass phalanx in the distance was full of Chernenko's portraits and commemorative slogans.
Directly above Lenin's tomb, Gorbachev delivered a eulogy to the 200,000 people who had come to attend the burial ceremony, remembering and summing up the merits of General Secretary Chernenko's life.
Then everyone walked down Lenin's tomb and came to the back of a gun carriage carrying the coffin of General Secretary Chernenko, and followed the slowly advancing gun truck around the field for three weeks.
The coffin was then placed in the Novodevichy Cemetery.
Gromyko and Gorbachev stood on the left and right sides of the first row, while the relatives of General Secretary Chernenko followed closely behind.
The burial ceremony inside the Novodevichy Cemetery can only be seen by the common people on television, and Seryosha can only stand outside the crowd and look at it a few times, although Seryosha can walk into the cemetery.
The silence in the cemetery was broken by the gunfire of the guards, and after a round of gunfire, Chernenko's relatives came forward to say his final goodbyes, and then the coffin was closed with lids, slowly lowered into the pre-dug tomb, covered with floating earth, and the leader of the Red Empire was calm.
After Chernenko's burial, Gorbachev led the group back to the top of Lenin's tomb, because a grand military parade was about to take place.
With Gorbachev's order, the honor guards of the three services passed through Red Square with neat steps.
When the guard of honor passed under Lenin's tomb, they shouted: "Ula" Gorbachev took off his hat and held it in his hand, waved it to greet the officers and men of the Red Army, and looked at the army phalanx and various types of Soviet weapons passing on Red Square.
Delegates from various European countries gradually began to think differently, that the Soviet Union's powerful military strength was the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of European countries, and that both Eastern and Western Europe were jealous of the Soviet Union's military strength.
But now is not the time to take into account the mood of the delegates of those countries.
The sudden death of Chernenko, who had only been in office for a year, was a huge blow to the Soviet people, and a military parade could greatly boost the confidence and pride of the Soviet people in the country.
Yeltsin quietly walked to Seryosha's side, looked at the procession below, and said with emotion: "It would be great if our country could have fewer weapons and invest funds in causes related to the national economy and people's livelihood."
"When you arrive in Moscow, you can personally go to Secretary Gorbachev to discuss these matters, by the way, how is the handover of our workers' new city project now, when are you going to take office?"
Seryosha casually could.
"Yakovlev told me that I would be able to come to Moscow next month, and I can't do without your help then, Brother Seryosha," Yeltsin said in an excited tone.
"That's for sure," Seryosha replied cheerfully. t1706231537: