Cannon Fire Arc

Wang Zhong frowned, realizing the situation was not as simple as it seemed.

Before he could refuse, Ludmila had already welcomed the person outside into the study.

Wang Zhong was stunned and even blurted out subconsciously, "Eh?"

Because the woman who entered, even for someone like Wang Zhong, who was notably bad at judging the ages of Western women, could tell that this lady was a bit older.

If described in terms easier for those familiar with anime culture to understand, it would be like the age of "Auntie Akiko"?

Just, it was clear from her appearance that she had aged, but one could also tell that she must have been dazzling in her youth.

Ludmila introduced her, "This is Gabriel Uliyanovna, a state dame, Olga—His Majesty the Tsar recommended her to serve as your—your secretary."

Wang Zhong, seeing Ludmila's awkward shift in how she addressed him, couldn't help but want to laugh.

At that moment, Vasily said, "A state dame-class female official, eh? That's impressive; she definitely won't have any problems with typing!"

Madame Uliyanovna pushed her glasses up, "I am indeed very good at typing and organizing files."

Wang Zhong stood up and vacated the spot in front of the typewriter, "Please, by all means!"

Madame Uliyanovna confidently strode to the typewriter and sat down.

Vasily described, "That posture is like the Tsar approaching his throne, it seems we won't have to worry about typing matters anymore."

Madame Uliyanovna said, "No, you should form a committee to review weapon improvements, right? Considering it needs to review all weapons in the Ante Empire, you'll need at least 20 typists."

Vasily had an epiphany and clapped his hands, "She's the commander of a typing army group!"

Wang Zhong, "Uh, Madam State Dame, could I entrust you to organize these typists?"

Madame Uliyanovna nodded, "If I'm given the authority, I can organize it."

Wang Zhong, "That would be great, what else can you organize? Do you have experience with clerical work, Madame State Dame?"

Madame Uliyanovna looked at Wang Zhong, "Why are you treating me with such reverence? Is this some kind of mean joke?"

Wang Zhong thought, can you blame me? You exude an aura akin to a school disciplinary head, who would stealthily move to the back door of the classroom during evening self-study, quietly observing all the youngsters whispering among themselves.

Anyone who's gone through twelve years of education would instinctively stand straight and adopt a respectful manner in front of this lady, wouldn't they?

Wait a second, Wang Zhong's impression of this lady had shifted from "Auntie Akiko" to "Professor McGonagall"; the leap was somewhat vast, and he needed a moment to digest that.

As Madame Uliyanovna saw Wang Zhong wasn't speaking, she continued, "You shouldn't treat me so reverentially, first, my husband's title is far lower than yours, second, I'm just a state dame-level female official, while you are a duke, I should be the one showing reverence to you." .net

Wang Zhong, "Alright, Madame Uliyanovna."

The lady sighed, "Don't address me with such formality."

Wang Zhong, "I personally think, in terms of age, my respect for you is understandable."

He meant to argue that his actions were appropriate from the perspective of respecting elders.

But Madame Uliyanovna's anger clearly rose.

Wang Zhong then remembered that in the West, mentioning a lady's age was generally taboo.

It was very impolite.

Wang Zhong, "Sorry, what I meant was..."

Ludmila patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder, partially stepping between the two, "Madame, what Alyosha means is that a reliable female official such as yourself deserves ample respect. He's like this with everyone here, even with our hired elderly gardener, he speaks with utmost respect."

Of course, the gardener had white hair, and Wang Zhong habitually treated him with esteem—this was a tradition in Ceres, and Wang Zhong was no longer at an age where he didn't know to respect his elders.

Madame Uliyanovna carefully observed Liu Xia's expression before relaxing, "That's true, after all, the esteemed general is quite the favorite with the church."

Eh, that can be interpreted that way? I'm not okay, this is a quality I brought from my homeland.

Then Madame Uliyanovna said, "Although my husband isn't one of those die-hard nobles, he also isn't a nouveau riche secularist like your father, is that alright with you?"

Wang Zhong, "Uh, that's no problem. If your husband is middle-of-the-road, then that is exactly who we're trying to win over, so there's no problem."

"Alright then, rest assured, I won't take any documents out of the workplace, nor will I discuss any work-related matters with my husband."

At this point, Vasily clapped his hands with vigor, "I remember now, a state dame must be a married female noble to hold the position; going upwards, there are only two ranks left, the second being the court headmistress and the first being the chief court headmistress.

As a state dame, she would be an important official in charge of several thousand maids in the palace!"

Madame Uliyanovna looked towards Vasily, "Well said, Mr. Vasily Vladimirovich."

Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow, without looking at the external plugin for names, he wouldn't even remember Vasily had such a long patronymic, nor did he remember his last name was Bradsky.

Vasily, "Just call me Vasily. Starting today, I'll be the general's aide-de-camp, soon to be a colleague, Madame Uliyanovna."

The lady nodded.

Wang Zhong, "That name is too long, Madame Uliyanovna, from now on, I'll call you…"

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Oh no, the fake Ante person Wang Zhong didn't know what the nickname for the name Gabriel was!

Ms. Uliyanovna said, "You can call me Abby or Ellie."

Wang Zhong: "Very well, Ms. Ellie, please start your work."

Ms. Ellie nodded, sat down at the typewriter, and discreetly reset all the settings that Wang Zhong had just messed up, then removed the paper that had been spoiled.

Wang Zhong began to dictate: "Specifications of the 100mm artillery transporter. Design objective: to destroy Prosen Tank units at distances between 1000 and 1500 meters, and to protect our Tank Operators as much as possible.

"It should be equipped with the navy's 100mm dual-purpose gun without compromising performance and have good reconnaissance capabilities, along with relatively reliable front defense."

...

————

The next day, when Wang Zhong got up, he realized he had slept on the sofa in the study, then he noticed the rhythmical sound by his ear was the sound of typing.

Wang Zhong stood up and saw Ms. Ellie still working, so he asked, "Didn't you finish typing all the documents yesterday?"

Ms. Ellie: "I only finished the initial draft. There are many places that need to be edited and revised, so the documents as they were are not acceptable, which is why I am retyping them. Additionally, this document needs to be submitted to three departments, so I typed three copies."

Wang Zhong "Oh"ed, as the electrostatic copier had not yet been fully developed in this era and was not widely used, so most documents had to be typed out like this.

Ms. Ellie continued: "Once our team is established, such documents requiring multiple copies can be made into plates for mass replication."

Wang Zhong: "Oh... I'll leave it to you!"

Ms. Ellie nodded: "Leave it to me. You should go wash up and have breakfast now. I think Ms. Mailehovna is waiting for you."

Wang Zhong still remembered Liu Xia's surname very clearly, so when he heard Mailehovna, he knew it referred to his wife.

Wang Zhong: "Then I'll leave it to you."

After speaking, he kicked Vasily, who was lying on the desk asleep: "Hey! Get up!"

"The enemy is coming? Where?" Vasily stood up, nervously patting for his Tokarev, then realized he hadn't felt it—adjutants typically do not carry long guns.

Wang Zhong: "Wash your face, change into a new set of clothes. We have a bunch of things to do today. Remember to bring the briefcase! Handcuff it to your wrist."

Vasily, while rubbing sleep out of his eyes, replied: "Yes!"

Ms. Ellie: "I'll have all the documents ready, Mr. Vasily Vladimirovich."

Vasily: "I've told you, just Vasily is fine."

Wang Zhong didn't bother with them and went straight out of the study, only to come face to face with Nelly pushing a cart toward him.

On the cart were a washbasin with water for washing the face, towels, and other items, as well as neatly folded new military uniforms.

Wang Zhong looked down at his uniform, wrinkled from sleeping in it, and complimented Nelly: "It's great to have you."

Nelly took a step back, crossing her hands over her chest.

Wang Zhong waved his hand: "No no, I'm not in the mood for that today. I'm going to find Liu Xia! Where is she?"

Nelly: "Dining room, she's been waiting for a while."

Wang Zhong nodded, quickly washed up, dressed, and headed to the dining room.

He heard the sound of Nelly opening the door behind him: "Breakfast is ready."

So the pushcart had breakfast hidden in it as well, the maids' carts are just as secretive as the undersides of their skirts.

————

Ludmila was in the dining room reading the newspaper of the day with the radio broadcasting the news beside her.

Wang Zhong: "Good morning, how did you sleep last night..."

Before he could finish the sentence, he let out a long yawn.

Ludmila: "What do you think of the lady-in-waiting recommended by His Majesty?"

Wang Zhong: "She's very capable, worth ten others. What's the matter?"

Ludmila sighed: "The day before yesterday, the girls in Ye Fort already got wind that you might hire a typist. Many clerks' daughters who can already type were hoping to come to you on that account."

Wang Zhong: "So Olga sent over a lady-in-waiting to manage these girls, and to set up a 'barrier', right?"

"It seems so. At first, I thought she would introduce young ladies to you, but in the end, it turned out to be such a steady married lady. Come to think of it, she would not want to increase her competition."

Wang Zhong looked at Ludmila, thinking to himself, is it really okay to be so straightforward? All the chess pieces are out in the open, and then they fight, and I'm supposed to know about it?

Ludmila gazed at Wang Zhong: "I know you've already clearly refused His Majesty many times, but she won't stop unless we make the marriage engagement official."

Wang Zhong: "No problem, the Rokossovsky family is now under my brother's management, I just need him to nod on my side, and you bring over your father, so we can officially get engaged."

Ludmila smiled: "Mm."

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