"Yes, as far as I know, Comrade Tretyak is exactly sixty-three this year." If Sofia had previously doubted Leopard Brother's words, she was now completely convinced. She knew that Tretyak was indeed sixty-three this year, and that he had indeed been wounded three times during the Great Patriotic War, earning him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1957, he had indeed studied at the General Staff Military Command College for three years as a major general.

"Haha, General Tretyak was still very young back then. Not even forty, but he was already a major general. While this is common in your Soviet army, it's rare here. Almost thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and while the high-spirited major general has been promoted to general, he's also older now." Brother Leopard said with a look of deep emotion, "Miss Sofia, next time you return home, I hope you'll give the old general my regards. Let him know that his Chinese friends miss him very much."

"I think I'd rather not." Without waiting for Sophia to respond, Zhao Xiaohai, who had been listening with a smile on his face, suddenly spoke.

"Why?" Sophia asked in great confusion.

"I'm also thinking about General Tretyak and Brother Bao's uncle," Zhao Xiaohai shrugged. "Haha, don't forget, although Sino-Soviet relations have eased, formal diplomatic relations are still far from the point where high-level military officials from both countries can have private contact. Moreover, your country's domestic situation is complicated right now, and Brother Bao's family background is equally complicated. Under such circumstances, if someone with Brother Bao's family background were to contact General Tretyak, it would probably have a very negative impact. What do you think, Brother Bao?"

"This little fox deserves to die! He's absolutely despicable!" Brother Leopard was furious. How could he not know the taboos Zhao Xiaohai mentioned? He had only just said this to bolster the bargaining chip for the upcoming negotiations. He was essentially telling Zhao Xiaohai, "My background is deep, so deep that I have direct access to the highest levels of the Soviet Far East Military Region. If you don't offer me satisfactory terms of cooperation, I can easily take away your business channels."

But Zhao Xiaohai's playful words were like kicking all the chips he had worked so hard to build into the river right in front of him. They were effectively telling him, "So what if you have a strong family background? So what if you can contact Tretyak directly? I'm not afraid of you. Your strong family background is your biggest weakness. Even if I gave you the guts, you probably wouldn't dare to actually contact Tretyak. I don't have much background, but at this critical juncture, it's my greatest advantage, because I can only represent myself, not anyone else."

Looking at Zhao Xiaohai's face, which always wore a lazy smile, Brother Leopard felt a pang of hatred. He wished he could pick up the teacup in front of him, smash it hard into that hateful face, and then stomp on it a few times. However, despite this hatred, Brother Leopard had to admit that his confrontation today was a complete failure, and this failure was also the only one he had ever experienced since he started his business at the age of twenty. Whether he wanted to or not, he now admitted that this seemingly careless man in front of him was indeed a powerful figure.

"Oh," frowned Leopard, suppressing his emotions and forcing a smile. "Mr. Zhao is right. It's my fault for not considering this carefully. Well, let's put this matter aside for now. I think if Mr. Zhao is willing to cooperate with me, there will be many opportunities to visit General Tretyak in the future."

"As long as there is no discussion about shareholding, I am willing to cooperate with Brother Bao in any form." Zhao Xiaohai smiled. He knew that he had finally won this confrontation.

"Mr. Zhao is truly... too shrewd," Leopard Brother chuckled bitterly. He had gone to such lengths to establish a partnership with Zhao Xiaohai, perhaps through a joint venture. Only then could he quickly uncover all of his secrets and perhaps even leverage his resources to seize control of this trade route. It seemed this "little fox" had clearly sensed his intentions and had blocked the path ahead of time.

"Brother Bao, we are the same." Zhao Xiaohai rubbed his palms and said with blinking eyes.

Zhao Xiaohai now fully understood what it meant to have such good fortune that even a city wall couldn't stop it. The addition of a series of Soviet officers, including Zyuganov, had effectively opened up trade routes for him. Before returning home, his biggest concern was the smooth flow of domestic trade channels. The situation in China was vastly different from that in the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, money was paramount; as long as you offered the necessary benefits, others would dare to cooperate. This wasn't the case in China, where friendship was still paramount. A network of connections was essential for true success, and such a network couldn't be built simply by throwing money at it.

The arrival of Brother Leopard swept away all the problems Zhao Xiaohai had faced before. To be honest, if it weren't for the excessive ambition shown by this person, Zhao Xiaohai would be very happy to let him buy a share in the company. After all, that would tie him firmly to his own business chariot.

The network of connections behind Brother Bao is something that cannot be underestimated. As he said, his uncle was already qualified to contact Soviet major generals nearly 30 years ago. So how far will it develop today? It is difficult to predict.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!