Chapter 823 The Most Precious Thing is Peace

Xiao Peng constantly teased Kashin as a "traitor to the revolution." While Kashin was Russian, he was actually Chechen. He was originally from the Eastern Battalion, and among the three bodyguards, he possessed the best combat skills. This was due to his training in Systema, a martial art inherited from the GRUUT special forces. And what was the GRUUT special forces' mission? Back then, they specialized in scouting behind enemy lines to eliminate Chechen forces.

It's a bit... black humor that a Chechen learned fighting techniques from the special forces that specialize in fighting Chechen armed forces and then served Russia.

In fact, the relationship between Chechnya and Russia is a bit strange.

Historically, Chechnya was an independent nation. Beginning in 1816, Tsarist Russia invaded Chechnya, sparking fierce fighting. The Chechens earned the nickname "Wolves of the Greater Caucasus" for good reason! They're known for their fighting spirit, ignoring life and death, and the Chechens, for their part, are known for their determination to avenge their grudges to the bitter end.

Compared with the Tsarist Russia at that time, Chechnya was a tiny country, but it was this tiny country that fought against the Tsarist Russia for 61 years! During these 61 years, Chechnya lost 75% of its population before it was incorporated into the territory of Tsarist Russia.

During World War II, the Chechens made a wrong choice, which was to cooperate with Germany to seek independence. As a result, after Germany's defeat, the Chechens suffered a liquidation: the Soviet Union at that time packed up almost the entire Chechen nation and threw it into Siberia and Central Asia, which led to the death of a large number of Chechens. It was not until 1957 that the Chechens were allowed to return to their homeland.

When the Soviet Union dissolved, the Chechens finally saw an opportunity for independence and declared it once again. However, this time, they were not recognized by Russia. The Chechens went all out and massacred over 20,000 Russians within their own borders. This set back Russia, which declared war on Chechnya, and thus began the most famous Chechen War of the 1990s.

The small Chechnya was really fearless in front of the giant Russia: after all, they had the support of Western countries behind them. A large number of mercenaries entered Chechnya. The first Chechen war ended with Russia's defeat and retreat: at that time, Russia suffered nearly 25,000 casualties, and the Chechen army and civilian deaths exceeded 100,000!

Life was going pretty well, but then, in 1999, Chechen militants attacked Russia, triggering a major crisis. The Second Chechen War began: Why does the Great hold such a high position in Russia today? He had just become Prime Minister when this incident occurred, on August 10, 1999. Two months later, he commanded 80,000 Russian troops in a counterattack against Chechnya. The war dragged on for eight months, ultimately defeating the Chechen separatist forces at the cost of 7,300 casualties. By the end of the war, Chechnya had suffered nearly 100,000 more casualties. Chechnya, then a country resembling Syria today, was in ruins. It wasn't until 2007 that the country finally stabilized.

But now it is completely different from what it was then. After more than ten years of construction, the country has become a beautiful country - at least that's what Kasim said.

Xiao Peng didn't quite believe Kashin's words: If it was so good there, why would he buy a house for his parents in Moscow? But there was one thing Kashin said that Xiao Peng believed: Chechnya had experienced too much war, and the Chechens now hated war the most. Why did Kashin join the "Eastern Battalion" and serve Russia?

It's not because they are spineless, but because the Chechens now understand clearly: without division, there will be no war! There is nothing better than peace in the world!

"Systema is one of the two major Russian martial arts, one being Sambo and the other Systema. Sambo is quite common among civilians, while Systema is a top-secret Russian military art. For a long time, it was classified as 'confidential' until the disintegration of the Soviet Union, when many former Soviet special forces entered the West. This martial art only became widely known. Now, it's a skill that special forces in many countries must seriously learn," Xiao Peng explained. "I've sparred with Kasin many times, and honestly, it's a truly excellent martial art. All of its techniques serve one purpose: to kill the opponent. Muay Thai elbows, in this unruly martial art, are powerful, but compared to Systema, which was developed with the goal of killing, it's still far too 'gentle'."

Abby curled her lips and said, "I really don't understand why you men think about fighting and killing all day long. Xiao, you should educate them. How long can they last just relying on fighting and killing? You have to teach them other life skills!"

Xiao Peng smiled and said, "Don't worry, isn't that what I'm doing now? Ka Xin and the others are all good crew members now. Do I really think of them as bodyguards? Ka Xin has been a soldier since he was fourteen and has become what he is now. It's already quite good."

Abby was shocked: "He joined the army at the age of fourteen?"

Xiao Peng nodded and said, "He participated in the Second Chechen War and joined the 'Eastern Battalion' after the war. His mother was also a 'White Socks'."

"White socks?" Abby didn't understand what the word meant.

Xiao Peng explained, "The Chechen War was a war for all. Men, women, young and old all fought on the battlefield. At that time, the most terrifying female soldiers on the Chechen battlefield were the 'Black Widow' and the 'White Socks'. The former... they carried bombs and committed suicide together. Let's not even talk about them."

Abby nodded and asked, "What about 'white socks' huh?"

Xiao Peng replied, "It's a nickname given by the Russian army to female snipers encountered during street fighting. There are two main types of snipers. One is Chechen locals who disguise themselves as refugees or Red Cross workers and shoot and run. The other type is mercenaries. During the First Chechen War, there were about 3,000 mercenaries entering Chechnya, and nearly 10,000 mercenaries during the Second Chechen War! To tell you something funny, these mercenaries were actually deceived by the Chechen authorities at the time. They paid their wages with counterfeit US dollars. I guess they didn't intend to let them return alive to spend the money."

Abby looked at Kasim in the ring and exclaimed, "I didn't expect Kasim to have such a past."

Xiao Peng nodded and said, "Kashin's mother was a Chechen shooting athlete during the Soviet era. She participated in both Chechen wars and taught Kashin military techniques from a young age. Don't blame his mother; she did it to keep Kashin alive. After the war, his mother sent Kashin to the 'Eastern Battalion' to protect the hard-earned peace for the Chechen people."

"I can't believe Kasim has such a story." Abby sighed.

Xiao Peng smiled and said, "Everyone has a past and their own story. Khedira's story is even more interesting. Do you want to hear it?"

"think!"

"Why don't we go back to the room and lie on the bed and talk slowly."