Chapter 10

This struggle has been unfair from the very beginning. Each person present, in terms of rank, is on par with him. In terms of experience, Yury Andropov is even more shallow. There are many people here who have served the Soviet security agencies for over twenty years, some of whom can trace their history back to the Beria era. "Yuri, share your thoughts!" Shelepin gently reminded him, and as the head of the KGB, Shelepin quickly took the side of the people.

"This is the responsibility of the First Chief Directorate. As the head of the Third Chief Directorate, I should not meddle in foreign intelligence operations, as that would interfere with the work of the First Chief Directorate. I cannot make such a mistake!" Andropov kept backing off, almost making the head of the First Chief Directorate laugh out loud. You meddle a lot, don't you?

"Don't be modest. We all see the results of your work in Italy!" Shelepin reminded his subordinate to get to the point. "Comrade Sakhatovskiy is right. No one here understands Italy better than you..."

During Andropov's brief term as ambassador, his achievements were significant enough to leave a lasting mark in the diplomatic system. The Italian Communist Party's victory over the Christian Democratic Party marked the first time a Western European communist party had gained control through parliamentary elections. The spread of pyramid schemes was just a minor side effect that did not affect the Soviet Union, so the people present did not take it seriously.

"Then I'll give a brief overview!" After some thought, Andropov realized that the Olympics were still more than a year away. Even if he were to be sent to handle explosives, it would be in the future. For now, engaging in a bit of verbal sparring was not a bad idea. With this in mind, Andropov did not hold back. "From the current situation, since the foreign comrades came to power, Italy has transformed into a mixed economy, supported by our Soviet market and American financial aid. Italy has already escaped the difficult situation of the past few years! We have made a good start. Italy is our breakthrough in Europe, so we must, even at the cost of our own blood, make Italy a positive example to show Europeans that socialism is not scary, to change their hostility towards us into acceptance!"

"Continue!" The ashtray on Shelepin's desk was already full of cigarette butts. He took a sip of water and continued listening to the person directly responsible for the upheaval in Italy.

"We absolutely cannot abandon Italy!" Andropov said firmly. "Sacrificing part of our market to support Italy's exports is not a problem. Even if we engage in a protracted struggle with the United States, it will ultimately benefit us. During this process, we can use Italy as a pilot to closely observe the advantages and disadvantages of the two economic systems. The strengthening of Italy's mixed economy in recent years is evidence of this!"

One point that General Sakhatovskiy made was correct. As the direct planner of the change in Italy, Andropov indeed understood the situation better than others. When Andropov finished his detailed plan, Shelepin led the applause, and a round of enthusiastic applause echoed in the meeting room...

"Since that's the case, we will contact the engineering corps to form a construction team to aid Italy in building sports facilities!" Shelepin looked around and said, "The First Chief Directorate will dispatch agents from the Fifth Department to assist the construction team in Italy, and a batch of agents from other departments will be mixed in with the aid team to gather detailed information about the entire country during this assistance!"

"Most importantly, we need someone who understands Italy to take charge!" General Sakhatovskiy added, "A good leader can turn plans into reality! We need such a person now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes were back on Andropov. Andropov cleared his throat, about to refuse, but Shelepin loudly declared, "Comrade Andropov will be responsible for this. He will have leadership over the aid construction work in Italy and the activities during the Olympics. We can move on to the next issue..."

This decision was made with such speed that it left no room for argument. Shelepin announced it without a pause, taking a deep breath afterward to alleviate his slight oxygen deprivation.

"Does Comrade Andropov have any objections?" General Sakhatovskiy asked on behalf of Shelepin, who was still catching his breath.

"I... have no problem!" Andropov looked at the overwhelming trend and decided not to argue. It's just overseeing some Italian affairs, nothing he hasn't done before!

The full meeting of the KGB was held in the main hall. Chairman Shelepin sat in the center of the stage, flanked by the fifteen vice-chairmen of the KGB Central Committee, including the two first vice-chairmen. Below, in the first row facing the stage, were the heads of the various chief directorates, about twenty of them. Behind them were nearly two hundred departmental and bureau leaders. There were also representatives from the Red Army intelligence bureau and the GRU, as well as leaders of KGB offices in major and medium-sized cities, important district internal affairs bureau chiefs, and many internal affairs troops and border guards, including representatives from the KGB's four major clusters and sixteen military districts. The total number of attendees was nearly a thousand.

From the stage, Shelepin looked at the many responsible persons below, feeling a rare surge of emotion! This was the full strength of the Soviet secret service, not just a KGB meeting. The last time such a scene occurred was during Beria's tenure as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was these same people who, a few years ago, supported Beria, giving him the ability to challenge anyone.

Despite the large number of people in the main hall, it was silent. Shelepin summarized the KGB's achievements over the past year into the microphone, and only during pauses did the rehearsed applause break the silence.

"National security work cannot be relaxed in the slightest. As a solid defense for the Soviet Union, I, like my comrades, take Comrade Dzerzhinsky as a role model and throw myself into security work with great enthusiasm!" Shelepin's report was nearing its end, and he suddenly stood up and said loudly, "As the sword drawn to defend the Soviet Union, we must detect and eliminate traitors..."

"Ura..." All the attendees, dressed in various military uniforms, stood up, and a整齐的、带有宏伟气势的有节奏的高呼响彻大厅，“作为苏维埃出鞘的利剑，唯有嗅出并铲除叛徒……”

“作为苏维埃出鞘的利剑，唯有嗅出并铲除叛徒……”Andropov面无表情地看着主席台上方的镰刀锤子旗，随着上千名苏联代表一起高呼。

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