As a businessman in Green City, Brother Bao naturally had plenty of opportunities to interact with the Russians. He believed that doing business with these arrogant "polar bears" was anything but pleasant. This was partly due to the Soviet system's numerous rules and regulations. Large-scale trade was impossible without significant kickbacks. Furthermore, the Russians often displayed an air of superiority towards the Chinese, their words often coming across as overbearing and irritating. Brother Bao was a fiercely competitive individual who couldn't tolerate even the slightest injustice. Therefore, after dealing with the Russians twice, he had no further contact. However, Brother Bao was still quite interested in the vast business opportunities they held. Their territory was rich in resources, and they seemed to have everything they needed, selling everything for a good price. If he could tap into their trade network, the money would surely roll in.
It was for this reason that when Leopard Brother learned that Zhao Xiaohai was planning to establish a company specializing in trade with the Russians, he immediately became interested. According to Zhao Xiaohai's requirements, his company's registered capital needed to be as high as one million. He would initially provide two hundred thousand, and the remaining amount would need to be borrowed from an agent to pass bank and audit verification.
If you look at it from the surface, what Zhao Xiaohai is doing is actually setting up a shell company. In Brother Bao's opinion, there are three possible purposes for setting up a shell company. One is to transfer assets, one is fraud, and the last one is that the founder is short of funds in the short term and needs to use this method to get through the difficulties.
After investigating Zhao Xiaohai, Leopard Brother felt the first two motives were unlikely. This guy had grown wealthy gradually over the past few years through small-scale trade and had no personal business, so it was unlikely he would need to transfer millions in assets. Furthermore, he was considered wealthy, with millions in assets at hand, so it seemed unnecessary for him to resort to fraud to illicitly profit. Excluding these two possibilities, the only possibility was that this guy had truly established himself with the Russians through years of accumulation. At least judging by the scale of the company he applied to establish, he already had access to millions of dollars in bulk trade with the Russians. Otherwise, his actions would be unjustifiable, as taxes are now levied based on company size.
"I didn't expect that there is such a low-key and capable person in Greentown who can quietly pry open the door of the Russians," Brother Leopard thought. He felt that he needed to meet with such a "capable person". Maybe through him, he could also get some benefits from the Russians.
Brother Bao's visit did surprise Zhao Xiaohai. To him, this well-connected man was not the same kind of person as him at all. He did not send his subordinates but came in person.
Brother Bao has connections to the higher-ups, making him a well-connected figure, known as someone who "walks the white road." Under these circumstances, every business he conducts is legal, at least on the surface. Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaohai's path is more low-brow, involving the underworld, smuggling, and illegal trade. What does it mean when two people with different aspirations and beliefs, who never interfere with each other, sit together?
Similarly, when Leopard Brother sat across from Zhao Xiaohai at the Yellow River Hotel, he too felt a sense of surprise. However, this surprise wasn't due to Zhao Xiaohai himself, but rather to the blonde woman named Sophia behind him, and the two expressionless, burly Russian men who remained hands-behind-the-back. Leopard Brother sensed a distinctly familiar aura in these three individuals, an aura he had grown accustomed to from his father, brothers, and uncles, and could never mistake. It was a soldier's aura, the cold, hard, and unmistakable quality of a professional soldier. This kind of commanding presence, even just standing or sitting there, commanded attention, and was definitely not something one would expect from a typical two-year conscript in the Soviet Union. Leopard Brother's knowledge of the Soviet military revealed that, with the exception of officers above second lieutenant or the personal guards of senior commanders, the general public was conscripted, required to retire after two to five years of service.
A small, unknown Chinese businessman, followed by two Soviet professional soldiers, and a female officer with a rank no lower than second lieutenant as secretary, and this businessman also wanted to do large-scale Sino-Soviet trade. It's interesting, really interesting. Now it seems that if you say that Zhao Xiaohai does not have the background of the Soviet Far East military, I'm afraid no one will believe it.
With the backing of the Soviet Far East military, Zhao Xiaohai certainly has the foundation to expand his company. As far as Brother Leopard knows, the military holds considerable power in the Soviet Far East. Due to historical reasons, the region currently operates under a semi-military system, with numerous factories and mines under direct military control. Furthermore, the current complex situation within the Soviet Union, with Gorbachev's pro-Western reforms in the Kremlin, has long fueled discontent and alienated senior military officials. A military aligned with the central government is a source of national stability, while one alienated from it is the most destabilizing factor. If a businessman were to collude with the Soviet Far East military, what potential for growth would there be? Consider the Soviet Far East, which boasts over 1.2 million regular troops and border guards, and also boasts the largest Soviet Pacific Fleet.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com