Chapter 339 Fortune Lies in Peril: Who Dares to Say You're Stupid?

Just like how the five permanent members of the UN Security Council gather for a smaller meeting after the general assembly, the afternoon tea ended, and the president took his core team to his office.

When he came to the reception room, the people accompanying him were the Minister of Defense and Berezovsky.

When he left, he took the Minister of Defense and Punonin with him.

Honestly, this shift is quite normal. They're obviously going to discuss more confidential matters that aren't suitable to be discussed in public.

No matter how close Berezovsky's relationship with the president was, he was still just a businessman, not a high-ranking government official, and it was not appropriate for him to participate in such a small meeting.

But there is no doubt that the president's actions embarrassed the head of Channel One and the financial oligarch.

Because, along with the two merchants Wang Xiao and Ivanov, Yura was also left behind.

The latter was not discouraged by the fact that he was also not qualified to hold a small meeting. Instead, he looked at Berezovsky meaningfully, with a half-smile, clearly watching the show.

He's not depressed at all; he's in the Kremlin because the cabinet is behind him.

In military operations, no one discusses the details with him.

He was only happy that the president hadn't lost his mind and treated Berezovsky like some rare treasure, taking him away at a time like this.

Berezovsky clearly didn't want to suffer Yura's schadenfreude, nor did he seize the opportunity to use his smooth social skills to improve his relationship with the latter.

As long as the Auto Union's stock and securities continue to be issued, Yura will never be friendly to him.

Berezovsky muttered something to himself and stepped out of the reception room.

Yura watched him head towards the restroom before turning away with relief. She excitedly surrounded Wang Xiao, exclaiming, "My God! How did you come up with the idea of ​​cracking down on the Mafia?"

He felt this was simply a stroke of genius; no matter how many history books he searched or how hard he racked his brains, he could never have imagined it could be done this way.

Wang Xiao couldn't very well say that he got his inspiration from cracking down on fraud industrial parks in Myanmar.

In 1995, this concept didn't exist yet.

But she would never be rendered speechless by the question. On the contrary, she blurted out, "Otherwise what? Why would you expect the people to support the invasion of Chechnya?"

Yura instinctively thought to say, "For the honor of Russia."

But he wisely swallowed the words back down.

What honor? There's no honor left.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991, they thought it marked the beginning of a new century. Instead, it became the starting point of chaos.

More than three years have passed, and not only have they failed to achieve anything remarkable, they have not even recovered to the production levels of 1991, and things are getting worse.

How can Russians feel a sense of honor in a Russia like this?

Wang Xiao sighed softly, looking at the speechless Yura: "People are more concerned about threats around them than distant enemies."

War always seems distant, but the threat from the Chechen gangs and other mafia parties is much more real to Muscovites, St. Petersburg residents, and ordinary people all over Russia.

Wang Xiao reminded him: "Combating organized crime and fighting corruption are both eternally politically correct. Because ordinary people genuinely believe that these are related to their own vital interests. If used properly, these two measures can solve many problems."

It is obvious that His Excellency the President is not a prudent person.

At the very least, when he left the reception room, he didn't even say when the people left behind would be allowed to leave.

Wang Xiao didn't want to stay any longer; she wanted to go back to the TV station and see the remaining contestants perform with her own eyes.

Ivanov had no interest in staying in the Kremlin; he was more concerned with the inspection and dispatch of military trucks.

But Yura wouldn't let them leave.

He circled around Wang Xiao and asked a question that had suddenly come to mind: "Hey! Wang, didn't you say that the United States didn't want the Soviet Union to collapse back then because they were afraid that a large number of weapons would get out of control? So now, isn't the United States afraid anymore?"

If Chechnya were to truly secede, other republics within Russia would undoubtedly follow suit. At that point, Russia would be fragmented, and its arsenals would be out of control.

That kind of chaos is the true sign of a completely disordered East.

Wang Xiao was at a loss for words to answer his question.

No one counted them, from top to bottom, not a single one.

Despite the fact that the Soviet Union has been dissolved for more than three years, these Russian elites still express regret that they have lost the glory of being a great power.

But in reality, they still have the mindset of a major power.

Even now, Yura, standing before him, still equates Russia with the Soviet Union.

"What are you afraid of?" Wang Xiao said softly. "You have received a loan from the G7, although it is far less than the amount promised before, but you cannot use it on your own."

She counted on her fingers, "Military industry conversion and nuclear weapons destruction are the only areas where this loan can be used. Simply put, when it's time to destroy our own capabilities, you won't need to pay for it yourself."

Yura blushed instantly and instinctively defended himself: "Your Majesty, you know that Russia needs to develop in peace."

Wang Xiao made a gesture to stop him from continuing.

"OK, I'll answer your question. The answer is that more than three years is enough time for the United States to believe that it can withstand the consequences, such as the loss of weapons, resulting from further disintegration of Russia."

She sighed, her tone almost pitying, "There's a saying in China: 'Ignorance is bliss,' which means that if you know something, you're no longer afraid. The Soviet Union was an unknown, mysterious, terrifying, and nightmarish presence for the United States. But does modern Russia still hold any secrets for the United States?"

The overwhelming shame and embarrassment nearly knocked Yura to the ground; he simply didn't have the courage to listen any longer.

But Wang Xiao did not let him off the hook because of this.

She shook her head as she spoke: "I know I can't do it, but I can take it. How many military workers have been lost to the United States from Russia? My dear friend, you should know better than I do."

“I can’t do it, and I can’t take it away.” Wang Xiao paused, then made a snapping gesture. “I can destroy it. How many industries in Russia are paralyzed, especially research institutions? My dear friend, you should know that. Besides—”

She drawled, playing with a strand of hair that fell beside her ear, “For the United States, the benefits of Russia being fragmented are numerous.”

The map she had asked for earlier had not been taken away; it was still spread out on the table.

Wang Xiao stepped forward, pointing to the Russian border on the map, and showed it to Yura who had followed him: "Even if Russia splits up, it's still thousands of miles away from the United States. Chaos won't affect the American mainland. On the contrary—"

She pointed at Asia and Europe with her pen, saying, "A fragmented Russia is a serious destabilizing factor for the Eurasian region, a bomb that could explode at any moment. Eurasian countries have to spend a lot of money and energy to deal with this chaos."

She paused, then drew a circle around Europe. "The Soviet Union has fallen, and the only country in the world that could stand up to the United States no longer exists. Therefore, Europe needs to unite."

She clenched her fist with the hand that wasn't holding the pen, mimicking a boxing motion. "The power of a fist is always greater than that of five fingers. But in this way—"

She moved her pen back and forth between the United States and Europe, saying, "This means that the United States' influence over Europe has declined sharply."

During the Cold War, Western Europe had to align itself with the United States in order to gain some form of protection, out of fear of the Soviet threat (which was real; just look at the early 007 movies, where the main villains were mostly Soviets).

Yura was well aware of this.

"But now that the Soviet Union is gone, the international situation has changed dramatically. The relationship between Western Europe and the United States has also undergone a complete transformation. The United States needs to prevent the rise of the European Community, and a fragmented Russia is a very convenient tool."

Before Yura could fully process her words, Wang Xiao's pen turned to the Asian region.

"Similarly, as I have already told Vladimir, the disintegration of Russia would be a huge disaster for China as well."

Wang Xiao looked up at him. "So, don't doubt my motives. A divided Russia is not good for me; on the contrary, it would ruin my career, so I will do everything I can to prevent it from happening."

"Oh, Miss Wang, you really underestimate yourself." Berezovsky finally finished using the toilet and returned to the drawing room.

Facing Wang Xiao, he displayed his polite and gentlemanly manners, starting with a compliment: "With your intelligence and strong abilities, you can achieve great things anywhere and at any time."

“No.” Wang Xiao did not accept his flattery, but instead shook his head. “Sir, there is a saying in China that ‘times create heroes.’ If we have achieved a little bit of success, it is definitely the credit of the times and society. We are just lucky to be pushed to the forefront.”

Berezovsky smiled and said, "Really? You're too modest. Modesty is a characteristic of the Chinese. You should believe in your abilities."

Wang Xiao continued to shake his head and sighed, "It's no use, sir. Without a strong motherland as a backing, no matter how strong your personal abilities are, it's useless."

She looked extremely sincere. “We Chinese have a Mr. Sun. The revolutionary pioneer Mr. Sun once said in a speech that there was a wealthy Chinese businessman in Southeast Asia who forgot the time while discussing business and did not finish until the evening.”

Her fingers tapped lightly on the map, pointing to the location of Southeast Asia. "According to the local customs at the time, Chinese people were not allowed to walk outside at night. But the wealthy merchant had to go home. What could he do? He paid a Japanese geisha to accompany him home."

“Geisha are poor and have little status in front of their customers. But because she is Japanese, the police on the street don’t dare to stop her, for fear of offending the powerful Japan.”

"On the contrary, Chinese merchants were very wealthy and could boss around geisha. But because they were Chinese, the weak Qing government could not support them, so they could only rely on the protection of Japanese geisha to walk on the streets at night."

Wang Xiao sighed heavily, "Even if I had that businessman's abilities and could make a lot of money, without the country backing me up, I would just be a ready-made fat sheep, and I would be slaughtered no matter where I go."

She nodded to Berezovsky, thus ending their conversation, and then lowered her head to gesture on the map, indicating to Yura, "You see, Yugoslavia was once recognized as the glory of socialism. In the late 1970s, when China was preparing for reform and opening up, Yugoslavia was one of the models we learned from."

Her pen gestured across the Yugoslavian region, "But now the Balkans have torn Yugoslavia apart, leaving it with absolutely no hope of development."

The pen returned to the Russian region on the map, "and if Russia were to be Balkanized, fragmented and fall into chaos like Yugoslavia, then from a geopolitical perspective, it would mean the fragmentation of the entire heartland of Eurasia."

The pen traveled along the railway lines between East Asia and Western Europe. "As a result, East Asia and Western Europe could no longer establish land transportation. The only reliable route between them was by sea. What does this mean?"

Wang Xiao looked up at Yura like a teacher.

The unfortunate latter became the underachiever who was called on by the teacher in class, staring blankly with his beautiful big eyes.

Since the start of afternoon tea, his head has been crammed with far too much knowledge he had never thought about before. He feels like he's been overwhelmed with learning, and it's difficult to even swallow it all, let alone think about it!

"Transportation, maritime transportation." Ivanov couldn't stand it anymore.

If your friend loses face, he loses face too.

He sighed and explained, "The United States has a powerful navy, and with its naval power, it basically controls all the world's sea lanes. If East Asia and Western Europe lose stable land transportation and can only rely on sea routes, then everyone will have to be at the mercy of the Americans."

Yura's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

My God! Is it really that complicated?

How could such a small place like Chechnya be involved in so many things?

"Not just that." Wang Xiao felt fortunate that she wasn't a real teacher, otherwise, dealing with these academic underachievers every day would drive her crazy.

“Saudi Arabia.” Her pen touched on Saudi Arabia again, “It also needs the chaos of Chechnya.”

Wearing a cloth over my head, I'm the richest person in the world. To the Soviet Union and Russia, these wealthy dogs were definitely not good people.

Because everyone is a major oil exporter, they are definitely in competition.

During the Afghan War in the 1980s, who was it that paid Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet Union? The big spenders.

Now that Chechnya is in chaos, who are the financial backers behind it? There are definitely some bigwigs among them, gleaming with wealth.

To put it bluntly, the determining factor between nations is always interests.

The difference lies in long-term versus short-term interests, and the scale of those interests.

Wang Xiao put down his pen and concluded definitively: "Therefore, the Chechen operation can only be a crackdown on the criminal activities of the mafia. Only in this way can any country or force that intervenes be seen as endorsing mafia criminals and interfering in Russia's internal affairs."

It seems that businessmen always react more keenly than officials. Berezovsky clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Brilliant! Miss Wang, you should run for chairman. You are truly amazing!"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "You flatter me. I only know a little about Chechnya because I'm also in the oil business. The investment is too big, and I don't even know when I'll break even. I'm very cautious."

Berezovsky smiled broadly: "You are a very meticulous person."

Yura rolled her eyes inwardly and silently thought, "I'm definitely more meticulous than you guys."

After all, it was the Russian Defense Minister who dared to send soldiers who were completely clueless, without maps or directions, to their deaths in Grozny.

The Kremlin official, passing by the door of the reception room, turned back and looked at them in surprise: "Gentlemen, are you going to have dinner here?"

If so, he needs to prepare in advance.

The people in the reception room were speechless.

Wang Xiao stood up immediately: "Then we'll take our leave. If you have any questions about public relations, you can call me."

Who wants to freeload off this meal? She can't stand blueberry dumplings.

Ivanov also wanted to roll his eyes, and followed Wang Xiao outside.

Yura looked left and right, feeling that there was no point in staying there, so she simply picked up her foot and chased after them.

Isn't that absurd? The president's guest was left unattended for half a day without any explanation.

Sigh! Countless absurd things have happened in the Kremlin, one more won't make a difference.

After going down the steps and getting into the car, the car didn't roar away.

This afternoon tea took so long that it would take over ten minutes just to start a car parked in Moscow's winter.

Yura's craving for a cigarette kicked in, so he got out of the car to smoke.

Wang Xiaozhen admired the courage of these smokers; in the Moscow winter, they actually dared to stand outside and smoke.

Ivanov ignored him, sitting motionless in the car, and sighed directly at Wang Xiao: "Isn't it stupid? Russians are so stupid."

He felt ashamed.

Wang Xiao looked utterly astonished: "Stupid? How could that be? Anyone who dares to say the Russians are stupid, just give them a math problem and they'll be stumped!"

How could Russians be stupid? Even thirty years from now, Russian mathematics will still be enough to stump a bunch of international students.

Not to mention its brilliant history in science and engineering; which high school student in the world hasn't memorized Mendeleev's periodic table of elements?

How many engineers did the Soviet Union train for Russia? They were all academic superstars!

“I’m bad at math,” Ivanov said, his voice muffled. “I’m just bad at math. I hated math when I was in school. I couldn’t understand anything.”

Wang Xiao's heart was breaking; she was completely swayed by this.

She softened her voice: "That's why Ivan is able to listen to other people's opinions. The problem with smart people is that they are prone to being self-righteous and stubborn."

Ivanov finally stopped acting like a puppy and looked up at her: "No, you're very smart, and you listen to what others say."

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Because I learned it from our Ivan. Everyone likes our Ivan, and I want to be like that too."

Yura hid in a sheltered spot, smoking and feeling nauseous.

Good heavens, look at the worthless smile on Ivanov's face.

Even Vlamikl's youngest son wasn't this easy to coax.

Oh my, what's this kid doing now? He's really disgracing Slavic men!

Inside the car, Ivanov leaned his head towards Wang Xiao and offered, "Go ahead and pet me, I know you want to pet me."

Wang Xiao burst out laughing, reached out to rub his head, and stroked his face, coaxing him in various ways: "Our Ivan is the cutest in the world."

Standing outside the window, Yura wished he could gouge his own eyes out. God, why was he here? He really didn't want to see anything.

Punonin walked down the steps, nudged Yura on the shoulder, and asked in confusion, "What are you doing standing here? Why don't you go wait in the car?"

Yura's eyes were filled with unspeakable sorrow: "God, look at Ivanov, look at the state he's in. I don't want to be with them."

Punonin glanced at him and solemnly warned, "You're not jealous, are you?"

Yura stared in disbelief, seriously suspecting that Punonin had also gone mad from studying too much: "Vlamikil, what horrible nonsense are you spouting!"

Punonin said expressionlessly, "You know, if she wanted, he could make everyone like Ivan."

Being so patiently and gently coaxed by a smart and capable woman is fatally attractive to any man.

He glanced at Yura and warned him, "Don't follow in Ivan's footsteps."

"Oh God!" Yura threw down her cigarette butt and got into the car in a huff. "Don't talk nonsense."

The doors to both the passenger and driver's seats were opened, but Ivanov, sitting in the back, was not welcoming at all.

He instantly transformed from a broken puppy into a fighting dog: "Flamikil, shouldn't you give me an explanation? Why did you call the Queen here? This had nothing to do with her."

“Otherwise?” Punonin showed no sign of apology. “Yes, I admit I received benefits. Wang helped me expose Grachev’s weakness and incompetence to the president.”

Ivanov, unable to contain his anger, clenched his fist and swung it at her: "So you're going to put Wang on the opposite side of Grachev? Are you trying to kill her? Gusinsky has already been forced to go to England."

"Fortune favors the bold." Punonin quickly gripped Ivanov's fist, his eyes fixed on Wang Xiao. "You agree, ma'am. Thousands upon thousands of people want to get close to the president, but not everyone has the chance. To be used at least proves one's worth."

Wang Xiao smirked and said, "Vlamik, your troubles have only just begun. Entering Chechnya means you're starting to get bogged down."

She raised her left index finger, “Mercenaries from various CIS countries, with veteran Red Army soldiers as their core, their combat capabilities should not be underestimated. I’m sure you’ve already witnessed it.”

She then raised her left middle finger, adding, "And there are the jihadists from the Middle East, who have Saudi Arabia, a major financial backer, behind them, so they don't have to worry about money."

“This is for you.” She held up her right little finger. “Our army is rife with corruption. Officers are busy selling weapons and equipment. Our soldiers don’t even have enough to eat. New recruits are bullied by veterans and even treated like slaves by their superiors, rented out to merchants to work.”

Punonin squinted. Of course he knew all this; he knew even more, and more seriously.

The most critical issue for the Russian army is the declining status of soldiers, leading to a reluctance among young people to enlist. Consequently, the quality of recruits has decreased, with some unsavory characters infiltrating the military.

Once they're on the battlefield, they become ready-made targets or potential destabilizing factors.

The tax police major general looked at Wang Xiao and said, "So, I won't rush to abandon you after you've served your purpose. Madam, as long as you demonstrate your value, you will get what you want."

Transactions are the essence of business.

So, let's make this deal.

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Good morning! [Let me see]