Chapter 401 All Thanks to the Competition: It Was All Own Goals
Moscow in March 1996 was unusually bustling.
Following his televised address to the Russian people on Sunday evening, March 16, calling on everyone to stand up and defend Russia, the president then marched confidently to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation early Monday morning, surrounded by reporters with their cameras and microphones, to file a lawsuit against the State Duma, accusing it of violating the constitution and endangering national security.
Oh my god!
I don't know how the world will react to this whole mess, but in Moscow, where Wang Xiao is, it's absolutely in an uproar.
Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, street corners, cafes, stadiums—this news was on every front page.
Even Muscovites, known for their aversion to discussing politics, couldn't help but gather in small groups to discuss this earth-shattering case.
My God!
Their president actually went to the Constitutional Court to sue the State Duma!
Has he forgotten that he is the president?
Shouldn't his normal tactic be to surround the State Duma and then unleash a barrage of attacks?
He's an expert at this. Three years ago, he did the same thing to attack the White House and landed the Speaker in jail.
Tsk, in the end, the Speaker was pardoned and released after only a few months in prison. Those passionate young people who died protecting the Speaker, I wonder how tall the grass has grown on their graves by now.
Merchants in the container market, when discussing this political gossip, unanimously agreed that it must have been because after bombing the White House, the president saw how painful the bill for repairing the White House was, which is why he gave up on bombing the State Duma.
Don't think this is impossible; even a penny can drive a hero to his death!
Wanbao Refrigerator, once a renowned company in Guangdong Province, was forced to shoulder a mountain of debt due to erroneous instructions from the Ministry of Light Industry. Its CEO, unable to bear such a heavy burden, fled and never returned.
The leaders of Guangdong Province were furious and threatened to align with international standards by having Interpol issue an arrest warrant for him.
As it turns out, Interpol is a capitalist organization that calls the shots; they charge $100,000 just to issue an arrest warrant!
The Guangdong leaders immediately backed down. Where did they get this budget? They had no choice but to swallow their pride and pretend the Vanke CEO's "defection" had never happened.
Russia is now a capitalist country, where everything is dictated by money. How could its leaders not consider economic considerations? They absolutely must!
Tsk, he really is the head of state of a major power; even at crucial moments, he still cares about saving face.
The president filed a lawsuit in court, and then gave a public speech, solemnly emphasizing:
Russia is not the Russia of the past. Some people are trying to revive the Soviet Union and still view things with the old Soviet mindset, thinking that there is no law on this land and that anyone with power can do whatever they want.
Now, by stepping forward as the President of Russia and filing a lawsuit, he is demonstrating to all Russian citizens and the world that Russia is a country that upholds the law, and that all people and organizations must abide by the law!
Good heavens, the president is indeed the president.
Listen to how eloquent they are! With this one move, they subtly shifted the blame for Russia's lack of legal system entirely onto the Soviet Union.
The State Duma is really going to be infamous now.
Look at the newspapers, the Russians are practically cursing the Duma and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation to death.
Indeed, ambitions may be higher than the sky, but fate may be as fragile as paper.
The Soviet Union was built on real bloodshed, with tens of millions of lives lost; every inch of its soil was soaked in blood.
You think you can just flip through a couple of sheets of paper and utter a few casual words and expect the Soviet Union to be back?
How many bottles of vodka must one have drunk to dare to dream such a big dream!
Well, now look what's happened. There are more people conducting interviews and opinion polls on the street, and more people are saying good things about the president.
It is evident that everything depends on the contrast provided by one's peers.
Wang Xiao and Ivanov led Mr. Smith around the container market, showing him the sights of this market, which is said to be the largest small commodity wholesale market in Asia and Europe. During the tour, they heard a lot of similar chatter.
She looked at Smith with a smile: "Sir, look, this is Moscow. It's alright, you don't need to worry at all about any changes affecting our business."
Smith remained skeptical: "No, madam, you Easterners always think too optimistically. Well, you come from a socialist country, so it's inevitable that you'll think of things in a more idealistic way."
Taketa Watanabe listened from the side.
He has visited the container market many times and will continue to do so, using it as a model for researching Moscow, Russia, the entire CIS countries, and even Eastern Europe. The container market's sales barometer reflects, to some extent, the economic consumption trends of the lower and middle classes in the former Soviet bloc.
Now, hearing Smith repeat himself, Watanabe Taketa couldn't help but say, "Sir, perhaps you are being too pessimistic. President—"
He adjusted his glasses. "The Kremlin president is perhaps more powerful than we all imagine. Just like in 1991, he has the ability to control the situation."
Indeed, he greatly admires the Russian president.
That's right, the president isn't smart. If he were, he wouldn't have been in power for five years and made such a mess of the country's economy.
But he is a competent politician.
He successfully tied his own national interests to those of Russia.
He subconsciously instilled in people the belief that even though he was very old, and even though he had significantly reduced his public appearances for a long time, he would still bravely stand up, speak out, and forcefully steer the ship of Russia to prevent it from being shattered when it hits a reef.
This is the keen insight and decisiveness that a qualified politician must possess.
This is a very rare quality in Russia.
The longer Watanabe Taketa stayed in Russia, the more he realized that the Soviet Union's terror was never its steel torrents, but its spirit—the spirit that inspired everyone to abandon everything and rush to it without hesitation, to fight for it.
Without this spirit, this so-called fighting nation is actually not that amazing.
Russia is not scary now.
Taketa Watanabe reiterated: "Mr. Smith, Moscow is not a den of dragons and tigers."
Smith, however, remained hesitant.
Ha, Easterners, even if Japan was attacked by the Soviet Union, it wasn't on Japanese soil.
How could they possibly understand just how terrifying the Soviet Union truly was?
When the Red Army arrives, they don't care about public opinion; everyone is doomed. They have no respect for public opinion.
Ivanov found him incredibly annoying. It was just a business deal, less than a million dollars, yet he had to be so long-winded and endless.
He grabbed a windproof lighter displayed as a sample on the stall in front of him and casually said, "Aren't you afraid of the Red Army? Don't worry, there won't be any Red Army soldiers. Because those who miss the Soviet Union are all old people, and in the army—"
He pressed the lighter, the flame illuminating his handsome face, the light and shadow flowing across his features with an almost eerie beauty. "They're all young people. Young people aren't interested in their stuff."
His voice was languid. "The August 19th coup in 1991 was originally intended to save the Soviet Union. But the lower-ranking officers in the army were all young people, and they defected, so the Soviet Union collapsed. The Russian army is the same now; the main force is young people, and the old-fashioned ones can't attract young people."
This is the saddest part.
Revisionism, disguised as communism, has been wreaking havoc on this land for too long, completely exhausting the people's goodwill and enthusiasm for it.
Young people who have never experienced the cruelty of World War II and the glory of the Soviet Union, and have only seen the ugliness of revisionist privilege, how could they wholeheartedly devote themselves to the communist movement?
Ivanov complimented the lighter in Russian, saying, "Beautiful!", then took out rubles, handed them to the stall owner, and stuffed the lighter into his pocket.
The container stalls weren't originally for retail sales, but when the big boss came, they had to give him face, so the stall owner readily accepted the rubles.
Ivanov turned to Smith and smiled slightly: "So, your worries are pointless. Cooperating with us is definitely the most cost-effective option for you."
Wang Xiao chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Smith. Look at Mitsui Group's massive investment in developing high-end office buildings in Moscow; they haven't withdrawn. Software outsourcing is basically intangible assets, so what are you worried about? At most, we'll just be doing free labor."
Watanabe Taketa felt his heart bleed as he listened.
Wasn't he afraid of the danger? If he wasn't afraid, he wouldn't have dragged the British into doing business in Moscow. Fortunately, they shared the psychological risk.
But there was no other way; he was the one who spearheaded the Moscow project with Mitsui Properties. For the sake of his future within the group, he gritted his teeth and persevered; he couldn't possibly persuade the group to back down. On the contrary, he had to increase the stakes to convince everyone that nothing would go wrong in Moscow, thus raising the value of the office building.
So now, after hearing Wang Xiao's words, he could only keep smiling to prove that what she said was true.
“Alright.” Surrounded by the chatter of everyone, Smith finally gave in, “But a clause must be added to the contract that JM Company can terminate the contract at any time should war break out in Moscow.”
As a capitalist from the old British Empire, which exploited child labor to the extreme and even made workers sleep on ropes, what truly appealed to Smith was the cheap labor in Russia.
If he chooses to outsource here, the labor costs will only be one-third of those in the UK!
God, I envy Russia for inheriting such a wealth of intellectual resources from the Soviet Union.
Moreover, Russia's IT outsourcing industry is still in its infancy. They want to take on orders from Europe (well, no matter how much Russia claims to be a European country, Smith, as a British person, would never admit it), but they lack suitable intermediaries.
This means that JM Company can act as an intermediary and take a cut, allowing the Russians to make money for them continuously.
Ivanov was too lazy to argue with him anymore, but he was also afraid that if he continued to drag things out, it would drag on for who knows how long.
He nodded immediately: "No problem, let's draft the contract and sign it now."
The container market also has its own office area, and everything is readily available.
Having signed the contract, Smith realized there was no more excitement to be had in Moscow, so he booked a flight back to England.
After seeing someone off at the airport, Wang Xiao had just lowered his waving hand when he turned around and looked at Watanabe Taketa with a big smile: "Watanabe-kun, want to have some barbecue together?"
Taketa Watanabe was taken aback: "Barbecue?"
When he was in Japan, he often ate barbecue. Because when Japanese people don't know what to eat, barbecue is always a safe choice.
Especially when he was young, he would go to a yakitori shop with his friends, order a few skewers, and slowly savor them with beer. It was a truly memorable experience.
He laughed out loud: "Okay, where should we eat? Where's the best barbecue in Moscow?"
He really couldn't find a barbecue restaurant.
Wang Xiao laughed out loud: "Make it yourself."
She had thought about it the night before when she was looking at the night view from the balcony. She thought it would be really nice to have some barbecue and a few drinks.
The boss wanted homemade barbecue, and her all-powerful assistants naturally had to fulfill her request immediately.
The stove was lit, and the slices of fatty beef on the charcoal grill sizzled and dripped oil, their marble-like patterns gradually melting under the high temperature. Oil droplets splashed onto the charcoal, sending up plumes of fragrant white smoke that mingled with the aroma of burning pine, standing out clearly in the crisp March air.
At his host's invitation, Watanabe Taketa tasted a piece of tender, pink beef and sighed, "Miss, you are truly a model of success."
See, because she likes the taste of Wagyu beef, she was able to import and raise Wagyu cattle in Moscow.
Even though the winters here are long and cold, and the summers are short and cool, it is not suitable for the growth of Wagyu cattle that live in temperate regions.
But if she wants to raise them, she'll spare no expense to bring in the technology to do so.
Compared to her Wagyu cattle farm, Watanabe Taketa felt that those nouveau riche who chased after European luxury clothes, handbags, and luxury cars were nothing to look at.
He even felt that if things continued this way, her Wagyu cattle farm might be able to supply Europe on a large scale.
So what if the conditions aren't right? Isn't it said that Japan's climate isn't suitable for growing high-quality grapes for making wine? Yet, Japan hasn't given up on the wine industry to this day.
Wang Xiao laughed and skipped over that topic, shifting the focus back to Watanabe Taketa: "Watanabe-kun, it seems you've regained your confidence in Russia? Mr. Smith has great faith in your judgment."
Taketa Watanabe shook his head: "No, I just think, well, the president may not be outstanding, but he's good enough for Russia right now."
That sounds like an insult.
Luckily, Ivanov was busy stringing vegetables and didn't pay attention to their chatter, otherwise he would have rolled his eyes.
Wang Xiao, unburdened by any nationalistic sentiments, laughed out loud: "So, Watanabe-kun, has Mitsui considered increasing its investment in Russia?"
The rich aroma of Wagyu beef still lingered in his mouth, but Watanabe Taketa instantly forgot about the delicious taste on his tongue and looked at Wang Xiao warily: "Miss Wang, Mitsui's investment in Russia is quite substantial. Look, we've invested in oil refineries, office buildings, and we've even cooperated on truck technology."
He half-jokingly said, "And none of the federal government officials who attract investment are as proactive as you."
Wang Xiao shook his head with a smile: "No, Watanabe-kun, not enough, not enough. Mitsui has not yet truly entered the Russian oil industry, I mean the exploitation of oil and gas fields."
The beef on the iron rack had been marinated in advance with black pepper and sea salt, the fat seeping into the bright red meat, and the edges were grilled until slightly charred. In the tin pan next to it, the half-ripe tomatoes and bell peppers emitted a sweet and sour aroma, creating a wonderful olfactory reaction with the rich fat of the Wagyu beef.
Watanabe Taketa's breath hitched slightly, then he rejected the temptation without hesitation: "Miss Wang, Wuzhou has not yet truly acquired shares in Siberian Oil Company and Surgut Oil Company. Under these circumstances, it is impossible for Mitsui to acquire shares."
Wang Xiao was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Watanabe-kun, you're thinking too far ahead. It's not about oil companies. I'm talking about the Sakhalin-2 project. How about it, interested?"
In fact, Mitsui was one of the earliest foreign companies to enter the Sakhalin oil and gas exploration sector.
As early as 1988, the Soviet State Planning Committee began implementing related projects, and Mitsui established a joint venture with McDermott to prepare to take over the project.
However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sakhalin Oblast experienced several attempts at independence, leading to political instability and unclear policies, which prompted Mitsui to choose to remain inactive for the time being.
Later, the Sakhalin-1 project, led by Wuzhou Petroleum, produced oil and gas. After weighing the pros and cons, Mitsui chose to directly purchase the oil and gas and jointly build a refinery with Wuzhou, rather than exploiting the oil and gas field.
"So?" Wang Xiao looked at him intently. "Shell has expressed interest, and ExxonMobil is also interested. The total investment is $26 billion. Is Mitsui interested in joining in? We can team up."
This project should have started much earlier.
However, the Sakhalin earthquake last year gave foreign investors a significant shock. In addition, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation won a landslide victory in the State Duma elections, and the calls for Zyuganov to be elected as the next president grew louder, causing investors who were originally interested to hesitate again, which delayed their plans once more.
Watanabe Taketa's forehead wrinkles deepened with surprise as he stared at her incredulously: "Miss Wang, you're going to continue drilling oil and gas fields? You already have the Siberian Oil Company, the Surgut Oil Field, and Sakhalin-1! Are you really going to become the Oil Queen!"
Good heavens! Her appetite is far too great.
Wang Xiao shrugged, looking completely innocent: "What can we do? We want to bid for Yukos Oil Company, but we can't get into the auction room! We'll just have to find oil and gas fields ourselves."
Taketa Watanabe subconsciously pursed his lips and tentatively asked her, "Would Russia agree? I mean, maybe they prefer the oil and gas fields to be in different hands."
He truly couldn't suppress his envy and jealousy.
Becoming a chaebol is such a difficult thing.
In Japan, the rise of major conglomerates after World War II was the result of a bloody struggle.
As a result, once they arrived in Russia, these people easily rose to the top of wealth.
Wang Xiao slowly ate a piece of roasted bell pepper. Indeed, roasted bell peppers have a texture similar to peaches, with a faint sweet aroma.
She raised her right eyebrow slightly and asked with a smile, "Why object? Our project in Sakhalin has been training modern oil workers and engineers for Russia. It's a mutually beneficial thing."
Watanabe Taketa took a deep breath and flattered her, saying, "Miss Wang, you have such a broad perspective."
He didn't believe in the so-called mutual benefit. The reason why Wuzhou could so brazenly acquire oil fields one after another was simply because its connections were strong enough.
He had lived a carefree life for half his life, long enough for him to realize that in this world, no matter where the land is or what color the flag flies, relationships are always of paramount importance.
He then tried a piece of grilled Wagyu beef and, to be honest, it didn't taste as good as authentic Kobe Wagyu.
But this is Moscow.
He looked up at the outline of the onion domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, which blurred into hazy patches of color in the setting sun, like oil paint floating on water from an overturned palette.
Having Wagyu beef like this is already the best choice.
He picked up his beer glass, clinked it with Wang Xiao's, and exclaimed once again, "Miss Wang, you are a model of a business leader in this new era."
Wang Xiao smiled faintly and remained silent.
Of course she would invest in the Sakhalin-2 project, using funds from Siberian Oil Company and Surgut to develop it.
The loan-for-equity swap program launched in the second half of last year has obviously been plagued by various unreasonable issues.
The fact that this president can accept it doesn't mean the next administration will be willing to suffer this loss.
Russia is a typical energy-exporting country. With its manufacturing sector shrinking, the country's main source of revenue relies on resource exports.
If all these oil fields and mineral resources were to become privately owned, how would the Russian federal government feed itself and maintain its fiscal expenditures?
A strong-willed person like Punonin would absolutely not tolerate this situation. Or if it weren't him, any other clear-headed leader would have made the same choice.
And this was precisely the choice Wang Xiao wanted.
The reason is simple: if Russia doesn't do this, it will become like Ukraine later on.
Given Russia's diverse ethnic and geographical background, as well as its status as a major power on the international stage, it is likely to be in a worse situation than Ukraine. It will be fragmented, and it will be engulfed in war.
At that point, whether considering the interests of the nation or himself, Wang Xiao would be left speechless with despair.
But at the same time, Wang Xiao is a businesswoman. She's not so noble as to spend her own money and energy to benefit Russia; she wants to make money.
So what to do? Use a feint to cover up the obvious, while secretly advancing another. Use the resources of Russia's former state-owned oil company to enrich the Sakhalin project.
After ten or eight years, when Punonin couldn't resist taking back the original state-owned oil company to the national treasury, their Sakhalin project would be fully operational, and they wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.
Watanabe Taketa is not a mind reader, and in fact, he doesn't care about Wang Xiao's investment motives. He is more concerned about his own Mitsui Group.
“Miss Wang, I have always been very honored to be chosen by you and Mr. Ivanov. But I am a little curious, what exactly is it about Mitsui that attracted you? So that we can make the most of our own strengths.”
He's a seasoned veteran in the business world; even though he suspects something is amiss, he can make it sound so appealing.
Wang Xiao smiled and swirled the beer in his glass. It was late March in Moscow, and the chill was still in the air, but the charcoal grill was right next to him, and the warm glow made him feel refreshed after taking a sip of beer.
"There's no particular reason. It's just that Mitsui approached Wuzhou first, so it's better to stick with what you know."
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "If I had to give a reason, my answer would be that the object of my choice is actually Japan."
She took a sip of beer, accepted the grilled fish Ivanov handed her, took a bite, and exclaimed, "It's delicious!"
"The United States is a major energy exporter, so Sakhalin's oil and gas resources are icing on the cake for the United States, rather than a necessity."
"As for Britain, if it wants Russia's oil and gas resources, it can directly use Siberian oil and gas."
“Only Japan.” She pointed to Watanabe. “Geographical location dictates that Sakhalin’s oil and gas are Japan’s most cost-effective energy source.”
She laughed and said, "So if an international dispute occurs in the future, the Japanese government will definitely do everything it can to support Mitsui to the end."
She sighed and spat out the fish bone in her mouth. "We businessmen can't fight against tyranny; we have to rely on the government as our backing. So—"
She shrugged and said bluntly, "Mitsui is the most suitable choice we considered after weighing the pros and cons."
Taketa Watanabe didn't care that the Mitsui Group he represented was being picked over; in the business world, interests are always the glue that holds partnerships together.
He raised his glass and said with a smile, "Then, Miss Wang, Mr. Ivanov, let's drink to the benefits of our cooperation!"
After downing a small glass of beer, Wang Xiao took the pear soup Ivanov offered her and drank a couple more sips. In this dry, cold weather, eating barbecue could easily cause dryness, and she didn't want to get mouth ulcers, which would affect her appetite.
Lyuba quietly walked over, handed the boss's phone, and whispered, "It's Mr. Yura. He seems to be in a bit of a hurry."
Wang Xiaoqi found it strange. Although they were all members of Chubais's campaign team, her relationship with Yura was really not that close.
Especially after Ivan and he had a fight at Punonin's villa last time, it was still a bit awkward for them to meet again.
She turned to Ivanov and said, "It's Yura."
Then he answered the phone, pushed open the glass door, and went into the hallway to speak: "Hello, what can I do for you?"
Yura's voice sounded like she'd had a day of barbecue, the kind with spicy grilled fish, her throat was parched: "Quick, Your Majesty, something's happened."
Wang Xiao was completely baffled: "What happened?"
She wasn't nervous at all; she had no doubt that the president had been killed.
Because such an important and confidential matter was not something Yura should be informing them of.
Yura's tone was even more desperate than if the president were dead: "It was Soskowitz! He actually fabricated votes and got caught by the reporters. That damned idiot!"
Strictly speaking, Russia's current Deputy Prime Minister Soskowets is by no means an idiot.
Wang Xiao had dealt with him before, on Sakhalin Island. Last year, during the major earthquake on Sakhalin Island, Soskovets was the one who led the rescue team.
To be fair, judging from the rescue work alone, his work was quite methodical, and he was fearless in the face of danger, often going deep into the front lines, showing the courage and boldness of a veteran Soviet cadre.
Unfortunately, everyone has their own comfort zone and areas where they are not good at something.
Soskovets, an old-fashioned Soviet cadre, was appointed by the president to be in charge of the election, but he had no idea how a democratic election was conducted.
After all, in the Soviet era, who was elected was decided before the election, and everyone knew the answer.
So when Soskowitz was assigned by the president to rehearse the election at the Ministry of Railways, he messed up.
The railway workers received a harsh order: either vote for the president or pack their bags and get out.
Even so, Soskowitz still failed to complete the job smoothly.
Half of the ballots that were ultimately collected were fake.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
No, how could someone make such a huge mess? How could such a simple task be ruined like this?
Yura gritted her teeth: "That damned bastard! He'll send us all to hell!"
Let's see what the newspapers are saying about this!
The assistant had already run all the way back with a freshly printed newspaper, a left-wing newspaper.
Wang Xiao had been subscribing to this service in order to observe the movements of the Russian Communist Party.
Then she saw the headline of today's evening paper—"Shocking Scandal: Elections Are Just a Show."
In this news article, the reporter went to great lengths to be sarcastic, mocking the president as a skilled actor and the so-called election as nothing more than a performance.
To ensure the performance wouldn't go wrong when it actually took place, they turned innocent workers into extras, using administrative means to force them to cooperate with their act.
If that's the case, why bother with a costly and exhausting general election?
It would be better for the Kremlin to simply print 200 million ballots with the president's name already filled in, saving innocent Russian citizens the trouble.
Tsk tsk, the Kremlin just slapped the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the face, and now they're turning around and doing it back without any hesitation.
So what's the point of both sides even having an election? They might as well just sit quietly and wait for the other side to score an own goal!
————————
[Eating popcorn] Wow, it's already past 400 chapters. What does today's chapter tell us? It tells us not to be afraid of making mistakes, because others can always make bigger messes than we can.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
