Chapter 438 Offense and Defense Against the Alien: She Must Win
After his wife left, Punonin sat in his study all night.
The long, quiet winter nights in Moscow, combined with the howling wind and snow outside the window, would normally be perfect for sleeping.
But that night, Punoning didn't sleep a wink, and the ashtray on his desk was overflowing.
As dawn broke, he stood up, washed off the smell of smoke, and without even having breakfast, grabbed his car keys and headed straight for Ivanov's villa.
As luck would have it, he ran into Ivanov's car on the way.
The latter saw him honk his horn, rolled down his window, and asked curiously, "Are you going to see Wang? Is there something you need?"
Punonin shook his head: "No, I came to find you."
Ivanov laughed: "Then why don't you go to the White House? If you're a step later, we'll miss each other."
Punonin paused for a moment before speaking: "Because I can't wait."
The car across the street opened its door, and Ivanov, escorted by bodyguards, got out. He then walked alone to Punonin's car, gestured for him to open the door, and got in: "What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Punoning fell silent again, and after a long while spoke, as if recalling a distant memory: "It's been a long time since you've taken a ride in my car on your own initiative."
Every time I let him get into my car, it feels like I'm taking his life.
Ivanov glared at him without any politeness: "You have the nerve to say that? How many times have you hit me?"
This huffy tone made Punonin feel a long-lost sense of warmth.
His tense facial muscles relaxed, and he even smiled: "Then why don't you tell me how outrageous you were before? Let Wang judge, and I guarantee she'll beat you even harder than I did."
After he said it, he lost confidence.
Well, maybe Wang Neng is even more of a scoundrel than him.
Capable and capable people are often more tolerant in the eyes of outsiders.
Ivanov rolled his eyes at him and urged, "What is it? Tell me quickly! I really have a ton of work to do."
He wanted to finish his work as soon as possible so he could go home early.
Wang didn't say when she was leaving, but he guessed she wouldn't stay in Moscow for long.
Good heavens, this long separation is the price they have to pay for their ambitions.
He glanced at his watch and said, "If it's long, just drive and talk as you go."
Punonin subconsciously started the car, looked at the person in the rearview mirror, and said seriously, "Now please answer my question, is your target the Kremlin in 2001? If so, I will cooperate with you to make adjustments."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Ivanov exclaimed, nearly jumping up in shock. "I already feel like I'm dying as a deputy prime minister! President? I'd rather jump into the Moscow River! I've said it before, I won't do it! I won't do it! Stop saying such weird things. I wish I could retire today!"
Punonin laughed and nodded, saying, "Okay, I believe you."
At least he can believe that he is sincere at this moment, and he would not stoop to lying such a lie.
The tax police major's gaze fell on the deputy prime minister's face again: "But now I have another question, what's the deal with Nemtsov? What do you mean by arranging for him to go to China to inspect township enterprises? And Wang was accompanying him."
The latter is what he truly cares about.
Wang's rise to fame during the presidential election has kept her a focus of attention in Russian politics even after she left Moscow.
Everyone is watching to see who this trader will bet on next.
Ivanov looked utterly bewildered: "Of course it's to inspect township and village enterprises, to provide a reference for our farm enterprises! Didn't you already give the answer? Wang Pei went with him because it was just a side trip. If I weren't the Vice Premier, I would be the one accompanying Wang to investigate those township and village enterprises! We inspect our partners almost every year..."
The reflection of the snow outside the window shone through the car window onto people's faces, making Punonin's expression look even more gloomy.
He interrupted the other man: "Ivan, you know that's not what I'm asking."
Ivanov paused for a moment, then frowned: "Vlamikil, actually I also wanted to say, don't get caught up in this."
As the other man's lips tightened, he sighed. "Boris had no intention of coming to Moscow. He prefers to get things done. Right now, we can't find anyone more suitable to take charge of the farm business. He's capable, and he's not afraid of offending people."
Punonin could not deny this; Nemtsov was notoriously reckless.
When Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, visited Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, he wanted to pay him a visit. However, Nemtsov, perhaps disliking Zhirinovsky's frequent scandals, showed no respect and refused to see him.
"We can't keep arguing or waiting any longer. We've finally managed to suppress inflation, and we must seize the opportunity to produce and save ourselves."
Ivan turned his head and looked at the other person seriously. "Vlamikil, I will continue to push for the tax police to be stationed in energy companies. You have to help me, you absolutely have to help me."
Punonin started working on this project in the autumn of the year before last, with the first wave of companies to move in being Siberian Oil Company and Surgut Oil Company.
Because it was proposed by Wang Xiao and Ivanov, the process was very fast, and it was implemented in 1995.
But when Punonin tried to replicate this model in other companies, the 1996 presidential election came.
At that time, Zyuganov was riding high, and the Davos Agreement had tied the oligarchs and the president together. If Punonin wanted to really get tax police into other people's companies, it would be all bark and no bite.
After the presidential election, the oligarchs, as the heroes, were rewarded, and the implementation of the tax police presence became even more difficult.
Now Ivanov is unwilling to drag this out any longer.
The government has no money, so many people are owed wages and pensions, and taxes are not coming in. How are they supposed to make a living?
Punonin scoffed at him, "Now you're feeling the headache? Asking you to pay taxes was like asking for your life!"
Ivanov glared back at him: "Then why don't you say that your way of collecting taxes is tantamount to killing people? Alright! Focus on the big picture and collect the taxes you can first."
He sighed, his brow furrowing involuntarily. "We hope to make a concerted effort this year to achieve an economic recovery by next year. But there are many problems, such as legal systems and market rules, which all need to be established."
He reached out his hand to Punonin. “Vlamikil, I need your help. I’m prepared to be crushed to pieces and become a political criminal, but I don’t want the infamy I bear to be meaningless. Even just a little bit will do.”
He had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, and when those eyes were filled with a deep blue, lake-like sorrow, even the cold-awake tax police major general couldn't help but be moved.
The latter softened his tone and comforted him, saying, "Look on the bright side, Ivan, you've always been lucky."
Ivanov nodded: "Yes, when I'm finished and everyone kicks me out of the White House with stones and spit, the King will take care of me."
As he said this, the corners of his lips even turned up, revealing a smile.
He remembered Wang Xiao's words: "When others throw mud at me, I use the mud to plant lotus flowers, then harvest lotus roots, and sell the harvested lotus roots to make money."
He was stunned when he heard that.
She also argued that mud is very precious on the island, and that the soldiers stationed there bring their own soil to the island bit by bit so that they can grow their own vegetables and enjoy fresh food.
This is the king.
In her eyes, nothing seems to be absolutely bad. Even the worst things can become a usable opportunity.
Punoning was truly exasperated: "How can you laugh at this?"
After hearing Ivanov's explanation, he fell silent again, and subconsciously wanted to smoke.
However, he was still driving and it was inconvenient for him to get a cigarette. He asked Ivanov to get him one, but Ivanov gave him a disdainful look and said, "I don't want to smell like smoke."
Punoning had no choice but to sigh: "Lydia asked why the king wouldn't have a child with you, saying that way you'd have someone to keep you company, and we had a fight."
There was actually no argument, but he had to make his stance clear: he opposed his wife's idea.
He couldn't stop his wife from talking to anyone; he didn't want Lydia's words to be interpreted as his attitude, causing him to offend people for no reason.
Upon hearing the first part of the sentence, Ivanov frowned. Why do people always seem to be interested in other people's lives?
Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, he could only manage a wry smile: "God! Lydia must have forgotten the pain once the wound healed. Lena and Tonya have grown up so much that she's forgotten how hard it is to take care of children. How could she possibly think I have time to take care of kids?"
If he hadn't become the deputy prime minister, he would certainly have been able to spend all his time with his children, and even bring them to work.
But he's so busy now that he doesn't even have time to go home and sleep, let alone take care of his children.
Yes, yes, he can hire a nanny, the highest-class kind.
But is that useful? At least one parent needs to be present with the child for the child to grow up healthily.
Ivanov concluded definitively: "Tell her to stop thinking about it; I don't even dare to think about it myself."
Punoning smiled bitterly to himself. He wished it were true, but how could he control what she thought?
Before they could finish speaking, the car had already arrived at the White House.
As soon as Ivanov got out of the car, reporters who had been waiting rushed up to him: "Sir, could you answer a few questions for me? Will the government really increase its investment in agriculture this year?"
"Yes! The government will vigorously develop water conservancy projects to help farmers produce. The initial goal is to achieve food self-sufficiency, and the subsequent goal is to transform from a food importer to a food exporter. Are there any other questions? I can provide the answer to one more question for free. This year, the government will also regulate taxation to stabilize fiscal revenue."
He pointed to Punoning in the car, "Our tax police major general is here today to discuss the implementation of this plan."
Seeing that the reporter's camera was already pointed at him, Punoning had no choice but to get out of the car, nod to the reporter, and say seriously: "Stable tax revenue is the foundation of healthy economic development."
Before the reporter could ask any more questions, a car pulled up beside them, and Nemtsov jumped out and waved to Ivanov from a distance: "Hey! Ivanov, over here, I've arrived!"
They've been discussing the details of the farm business for days, and have become so close they could almost be called friends.
Ivanov nodded to the reporter: "I'm sorry, sir, I'm afraid I don't have time to answer any more of your questions right now. If you have any further questions, please leave a message in the mailbox. The office will select the most frequently asked questions and hold a press conference to answer them all. As for the questions that are not selected, we will reply to you separately."
As he spoke, he waved to Nemtsov and said happily, "Vlamikil is here today too, let's talk together."
He has to get things settled today; he really doesn't have the patience to keep dragging it out.
Watching the three figures hurriedly leave, the reporter couldn't help but sigh: Deputy Prime Minister Ivanov is really popular; local government political stars and heads of powerful departments are all cooperating with his actions.
Nikolai, the bodyguard who followed him closely, thought to himself, "Sure enough, things are different now. If their boss hadn't become the deputy prime minister, how could Mr. Punonin have been so devoted to him?"
That's the opposite.
He still remembers that in the autumn of the year before last, in Surgut, Major General Punonin deliberately teased Mr. Ivanov and Miss Wang, determined not to let them cling to his coattails; the two had no choice but to use every trick in the book, pestering him relentlessly, sticking to Mr. Punonin like glue, just to get his protection.
These days, fortunes change.
Power is like a surging river, sweeping everything along with it, moving forward in its direction.
His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister was so busy that he didn't even have time to answer reporters' questions.
Wang Xiao, who remained in the villa, was also busy looking through the faxed documents and had no interest in answering the phone.
But the person on the other end of the phone had a special identity, so the microphone was still handed to her.
Lydia asked anxiously into the microphone, "Your Majesty, are you home? Can I come over to you?"
The document printed from the fax machine was still hot, displaying graphs and densely packed numbers, with the word "Thailand" prominently displayed.
Wang Xiao's eyes were fixed on the graph, and she gently but firmly refused the request from the person on the other end of the line: "No, darling, you sound a little emotional. Driving at this time would be too dangerous for you."
She didn't have the patience to be a confidante. Lydia's predicament wasn't caused by her, so why should she have the obligation to help her solve her problems?
Lyuba unfolded the first page of the document for her boss. The ink on it read: In early February, international speculative capital led by Soros borrowed forward baht contracts from Thai banks, estimated to be worth tens of billions of US dollars, using US dollars as collateral. They began to sell off the baht, causing it to fall to a low of 26.18:1.
Wang Xiao's gaze fell on the numbers and characters, listening half-heartedly to the hesitant voice on the other end of the line: "But Wang, I need to talk to you."
Lyuba had extremely keen ears; she clearly heard the voice coming from the microphone and sighed inwardly: But her boss didn't need to talk to Lydia.
Things are different now. What can the wife of the tax police major general offer her now? What is there left for her to exchange for?
At the height of this lady's value, she spoke recklessly, embarrassing the boss in public. The boss, still having to maintain order, turned around and comforted and advised her.
This is probably why the lady had the illusion that, even now, her boss is still her free psychologist, and a private one at that, someone who is always there to support her.
Lyuba found it strange. Didn't she use her brain? Why didn't she think about why her husband, Major General Punonin, had rushed her and the children to the boss's place last night?
Good heavens! Does she really think her boss would have an emotional breakdown because of the death of his country's former head of state?
That was just an excuse that Major General Punonin had painstakingly come up with, a legitimate reason to try and get closer to his boss.
How can a person live in a dream forever?
Wang Xiao's gaze was focused on the second document, which stated: On February 17, the Thai government used $2 billion of its foreign exchange reserves to repurchase Thai baht.
Sure enough, under normal circumstances, no government would sit idly by and take a beating.
“Lydia.” Wang Xiao’s eyes didn’t have time to laugh, but that didn’t stop her from adjusting her voice to one of amusement. “Darling, let’s talk on the phone. I believe our tax police major general can still guarantee that our calls won’t be tapped.”
Lydia on the other end began to ramble on, recounting her anxieties and pain.
Wang Xiao, her eyes glued to the documents, felt a bit uncomfortable from the constant buzzing in her ears, so she interrupted the anxious conversation on the phone: "Honey, what do you think of Melanie?"
The major general's wife was taken aback by this sudden question and hesitated for a moment before answering.
Wang Xiao listened to the string of adjectives and nouns that came out of her mouth. They came together to form a word: a virtuous wife and loving mother.
Can Melanie's life be described only as that of a virtuous wife and loving mother?
In fact, for most of the time depicted in the novel, her husband was away fighting, and her status as a wife was almost non-existent.
Her health deteriorated rapidly due to pregnancy and childbirth, and she eventually succumbed to her illness and died. For her, motherhood was probably more of a nightmare than a reality.
Wang Xiao had lost patience and calmly interrupted the other person's reading notes: "What I remember is her courage and resilience. During the war and turmoil, she volunteered to become a medical worker to help others. When Scarlett killed the soldier who broke into her home, Melanie was standing by her side to support her, also holding a sword. When Scarlett was surrounded by rumors and slander, she always stood firmly by Scarlett's side, supporting her and protecting her, even at the cost of her own reputation and making enemies of the entire social circle."
Wang Xiao wanted to roar out loud. Even if Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler were combined, they couldn't compare to Melanie's significance in Scarlett's life.
They were the ones who supported and relied on each other amidst war and turmoil. They never abandoned each other, and no matter the circumstances, they would never leave each other alone.
But that's not the point. The point is: "Dear Lydia, Melanie's weakness has always been only in her body; that's innate, there's nothing you can do about it. Her heart and soul have always been strong and resilient. She is like Katyusha, capable of going to the battlefield, just as strong and resilient as all women in Moscow."
Wang Xiao smiled slightly and said her last words, "As resilient and strong as you, as resilient and strong as the earth."
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Wang Xiao made a quick decision: "Okay, darling, I believe you can overcome any difficulty and always shine, just like Melanie."
Throughout the entire phone call, her eyes never left the documents.
As she hung up the phone, a meaningful smile played on her lips as she said, "How long can the Thai government keep this up?"
Although Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao had long since given up on the idea of becoming the next Boss Tang, they still curiously asked, "Boss, will Thailand lose?", believing that it's always good to learn more.
Soros's fame was indeed at its zenith, and it is said that even now, the British people still cannot forgive him.
But victory and defeat are common occurrences in war; no one can truly go through life without ever losing. At most, one just doesn't make a fuss about losing.
Wang Xiao sighed: "It is quite dangerous. Look at this, the proportion of investment in Thailand's GDP has risen from 27% in 1987 to 41% in 1996."
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were bewildered. Wasn't this a good thing? The whole world was busy attracting investment and trying every means to attract foreign capital.
Judging from this data, the Thai government has done a pretty good job.
Wang Xiao shook his head and pointed to the data to remind them: "Look at this. In order to keep pace with the US dollar, Thailand's interest rate is 12%, and Japan's is 0.5%. The US dollar is appreciating against the Japanese yen at a rate of about 10% per year."
The Japanese government maintains this low interest rate level in order to stimulate economic development after the country falls into an economic crisis.
Simply put, it's about getting people to take their money out of the bank and invest or produce it.
"But for investors, if they choose to lend out yen, exchange it for baht, and then deposit it in a Thai bank, they can capture the 11.5% interest rate difference. This is only the first part. At the same time, they can also capture the exchange rate gains of the US dollar or baht against the yen. Together, the two create a total risk-free arbitrage opportunity of 21.5%."
Both of them gasped. Wow, this is really profitable!
Their boss started out in international trade, which basically means retail and wholesale.
Despite the outside world's claims that reselling goods is incredibly lucrative, the reality is that vendors in the container market are already quite content with a profit margin of around 15% after deducting all expenses.
Moving down to the factory level, consistently maintaining a 10% net profit margin indicates that the factory is operating quite well.
Listening to their reflections, Wang Xiao nodded and said, "That's right. Manufacturing is a hard-earned business. Foreign investment flowing into Thailand is more willing to put its money into high-profit industries like real estate and stocks."
The faxed data showed that from 1993 to 1996, the Thai stock market rose by 175%, and the average real estate price soared by 395%.
It seemed like everything was going smoothly and advancing rapidly, but it was actually in grave danger.
As the saying goes, a country's economy must have strong supporting pillars, that is, economic engines.
Without it, any action would cause a huge shock.
She turned to the next page, which showed the impact of the Thai government's strong intervention on all parties.
Undoubtedly, the exchange rate has been temporarily stabilized, and the practice of raising short-term interest rates has caused economic losses to international speculative funds that have borrowed large sums of Thai baht from Thai banks. It is said that Soros lost $5 million in just a few days.
Doesn't it sound like Thailand has won a great victory, which is particularly inspiring?
However, at the same time, high interest rates dealt a heavy blow to Thailand's real estate market, which already relies on banks, and property prices have begun to fall.
This is not a good sign. The already inflated housing prices could plummet if a downward trend is signaled.
Xiao Gao nodded and began his analysis: "Soros is not the kind of person who would suffer a loss. He didn't make any money in Thailand, but instead lost money. He will definitely get his revenge later."
Wow! Both sides will definitely keep throwing money at it, let's see who can outspend whom.
To put it bluntly, it's like fighting a war; it's possible to win with fewer troops. But most of the time on the battlefield, it's a clash of raw strength between the two sides.
Wang Xiao nodded with a smile: "Yes, this is another kind of war. If you can't win, whether you can find allies to help supply guns, ammunition, and medicine, or even send troops directly into the battlefield, will affect the course of the war."
Xiao Zhao didn't join the conversation about the battlefield, but after a long pause, he suddenly blurted out, "Then Russia is quite similar to Thailand now."
The government issued a large number of short-term bonds to attract investment. People bought them because of the high interest rates.
Previously, the boss also borrowed money from Japanese banks and then bought government bonds, profiting from the interest rate difference.
A few days ago, Mr. Chubais of the Kremlin pleaded with his boss, who then began selling off government bonds to cool down the overheated bond market.
But other oligarchs are not cooperating; so far, at least, no banker has stepped forward to respond.
It remains to be seen whether Mr. Ivanov will join forces with Major General Punonin to threaten the oligarchs into cooperating by threatening to reopen the Ministry of Internal Affairs' investigation into whether there were any irregularities in the 1995 equity-for-loan auction.
What? You're saying that doing that would be a slap in the face to Mr. Chubais?
Hey! What a joke! Don't forget Mr. Kohler, the director of the National Property Management Committee. He was the real mastermind behind the entire auction plan; he did everything himself.
When necessary, he can certainly be scapegoated to bear the brunt of public anger and even legal punishment.
However, that's another topic altogether. Looking at Russia from Thailand now, it's just as dangerous.
Especially in Russia, the ruble has been plummeting in recent years, which has become almost the norm.
Every market crash is followed by the resignation of a high-ranking government official – it's all part of a predictable formula.
Xiao Zhao started to worry about her boss: "If Soros and his gang target Russia, how will Russia respond?"
Well, if the ruble crashes, Mr. Ivanov might just become the scapegoat.
He hadn't even warmed his seat as deputy prime minister before he was ousted from the White House. How tragic!
Wang Xiao sighed as he listened: "The same problem exists in all the new investment hotspots. What will the outcome be? It depends on the hard power of each country's government and how it responds."
She thought to herself, "Russia's choice is different from that of other countries. It directly announced a default on its national debt, no longer playing by the rules, and collectively crushed all investors, both domestic and foreign."
Isn't this a form of hard power? Without a powerful arsenal and military to back it up, who would dare to do this?
She straightened up, picked up the phone, and gave instructions to Zhou Liang on the other end: "Keep an eye on things, don't make any rash moves."
Zhou Liang was secretly glad that he hadn't acted rashly; otherwise, they would have been the ones who lost $5 million.
Good heavens, that's 5 million US dollars!
Compared to $2 billion, it's really not enough.
But if you exchange it for cash and put it in a bag, it could really kill someone!
Wang Xiao laughed out loud as she listened to his words, but sighed softly in her heart.
How can war not result in death?
This invisible financial war has killed far more than just individual investors.
It also strangled, or even more thoroughly strangled, the lives of an entire generation in these countries that lost the war, as well as the hopes for the country's development for the next few decades.
Therefore, she has to win; she absolutely must win.
————————!!————————
[Makeup] Good morning! [Let me see]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
