OOC:
A fun and interesting thread. Thanks for hosting it.
IC:
Beijing “The Pu Xuan Hotel", Tuesday 16 December 1947
The celebration for the victorious Yugoslav team, The Flying Pandurs, went on late into the night. It seemed as if every Yugoslav in Beijing, from the consul-general down to the sales representative of the smallest exporter, stopped by at one point or another to participate in a congratulatory toast and partake of the varied potent potables that fueled the party. The Yugoslav national anthem assaulted the ears of the other guests on at least three separate occasions.
At one point Konstantin Prigal, the team captain, stood atop a table and spoke:
“Friends, my countrymen! Allow me to offer a toast – to our humble Triglav, which carried our team to victory. To the engineers who designed her, to the workers who built her, to her mechanics who worked miracles to see her through the deserts of China. May she now rest in peace, or pieces rather – so arduous was her service. But next year, may we drive another to victory!”
The cheers echoed throughout the hotel, prompting the management to quietly ask the Yugoslavs to please keep their celebration to a dull roar.