Chapter 367 You must guarantee the safety of our property: otherwise we will have to change presidents.
The president is much slower than the tax police major general.
After all, he is the head of state, and it is quite remarkable that he was able to take time out of his busy schedule in the evening to come to the hospital to visit the injured hostages and military and police personnel involved in the hostage crisis on Children's Day.
Thank goodness, the hospital administrators were at least somewhat intelligent enough not to do something as foolish as organizing the wounded into a line to welcome the president at the main gate.
The president himself led a team to the ward to visit the patient.
Dusk is the golden hour in Moscow in June.
The sunlight was no longer the scorching heat of midday, but had turned into a thick, warm honey color, generously spilling into every corner of the ward, carrying its own sweet and gentle atmosphere.
However, when the president stepped into the ward, he did not feel the unique softness and leisure of an early summer twilight in Moscow.
The air was thick with the smell of ink—fax machines beeped, portable typewriters clattered, and assistants moved back and forth between the wards and the machines, handing over newly prepared documents to the boss for his signature.
After being converted from a single room to a double room, this VIP ward became the temporary office of the Wuzhou Group.
Having just gone through a life-or-death situation last night, and with less than 24 hours since their surgery, the two bosses are now back to work, racing against time.
He's practically leading by example, driving his subordinates to their deaths.
Ivanov had just signed his name on a document when the door to the ward was knocked on.
He looked up and saw the president and his entourage. He instinctively wanted to get up to greet them, but touching his leg, he could only manage a wry smile: "I'm sorry, sir, I was rude."
The president stepped forward, placed his hand on his shoulder, and smiled with satisfaction like an elder: "Seeing you looking so well, my good lad, I'm relieved."
His words were not an exaggeration. Compared to Ivanov, who was full of energy despite having a cast on his leg, the president, whose face was noticeably swollen, looked more like a long-term patient.
Fortunately, the president was in good spirits. After seeing Ivanov, he turned around and smiled at another patient in the ward: "My beautiful lady, I am so glad that you look great."
Wang Xiao is pressing her fingerprint. Her right shoulder is injured, so she can't hold a pen to sign and can only use her fingerprint to prove her acceptance of the document.
Because of her limited neck movement, she couldn't even bend down to complete the action. Her assistant had to attach the documents to a folder and bring them to her so that she could continue the process.
Therefore, after hearing the president's compliment, Wang Xiao's expression didn't improve at all, and he spoke bluntly: "Sir, I'm not good, I'm not good at all."
As a father of two daughters, the president always showed more patience when dealing with women younger than his own daughters.
Despite hearing such a resentful reply, he still smiled broadly, displaying the tolerance of an elder looking at a younger person: "Oh, my beautiful lady, why do you feel bad? You know, all the ladies envy your taste now; you have chosen a brave and handsome husband for yourself. Look, what a charming young man."
He said this while laughing.
Because the television in the ward was showing footage of Ivanovzan on the shovel bucket.
That's right, even though the ward had been turned into an office, the color TV was still on, perfectly serving as background noise.
The president's words only fueled Wang Xiao's anger: "What are you looking at? This is my man, he's naked for me, what right do you have to look?"
The nurse was coming in to take their temperatures when he yelled at her. The young nurse, whose big eyes had been glistening with tears as she stared at Ivanov, immediately lost her composure. She lowered her head, placed the thermometer under Ivanov's armpit, and walked away expressionlessly.
Then Wang Xiao became even more unhappy and said sarcastically, "So our nurse only serves Mr. Ivanov?"
The president, seeing this scene of jealousy, was both amused and exasperated. He even took the initiative to smooth things over, speaking up for the nurse: "She probably just went to get a new thermometer."
Wang Xiao's response was to let out a cold snort.
Ivanov seemed unable to bear it any longer and had to bite the bullet and try to persuade her: "Your Majesty, she's just..."
"Shut up!" Wang Xiao said irritably. "Do you love attracting attention so much? Stop it. No TV station is allowed to show this scene again."
This really stirred up a lot of jealousy.
The president's entourage were both amused and exasperated: "Miss Wang, MTV broadcast it first."
Moreover, it was broadcast in a special interlude format.
“I’ve already yelled at them, and they’ve stopped.”
She slowly moved her swivel chair so that she was facing the person speaking, "Which TV station dares to broadcast this? I'll sue them in court."
It seems she was quite jealous that day, to the point of being unreasonable.
The president's entourage instinctively tried to persuade her: "Miss Wang, Mr. Ivanov won't be seen as bad."
Wang Xiao stubbornly insisted: "No, only I can see my people."
She also made a request to the president on the spot, "You order them not to play it anymore."
That's truly domineering to the extreme.
Ivanov couldn't help but cover his face, looking ashamed to be seen.
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were completely bewildered, not understanding why their boss would suddenly care so much about this kind of thing.
Just moments ago, she was criticizing the boss with Lyuba.
Could it be that the boss is being this generous to Lyuba?
Lyuba pretended not to see the expressions on the faces of the two idiots.
She had to admit, they were very capable fighters. In the cafeteria, they practically swept through the Chechen kidnappers like a whirlwind.
But when it comes to brains, even two people combined might not be able to form a complete mind.
Use your brain! Is the boss jealous?
The boss was clearly protecting Mr. Ivanov's image and refusing to let the Kremlin use him as a tool for publicity in order to counterbalance Punonin.
The Kremlin wants to use two peaches to kill three warriors, but the boss won't let them have their way.
The president was indeed a gentle old gentleman. Witnessing such a farce, he was not angry at all. Instead, he nodded good-naturedly and said, "Well, Miss Wang, don't get upset. I'll go and tell Mr. Berezovsky that it was his fault for angering a beautiful lady."
He coaxed her like a child, "So now, can you stop being angry?"
The assistant, quick-witted and sharp-eyed, had already switched the television to the MTV channel, where a singer from a talent show was singing affectionately: "катенька, моячудная Катенька..."
Translated into Chinese, it means Katya, my lovely Katya.
The feeling of coaxing was quite obvious.
Even the president thought that the song playing on television was quite fitting for the time.
However, Wang Xiao remained unmoved and showed no respect for the president. In front of him, he vented his dissatisfaction: "No, sir, I'm angry. No one can be all smiles and not angry when they encounter a robber."
The president's entourage had had enough of this ill-tempered East Asian woman. Who was it that said East Asian women were gentle? God, let him see for himself how unreasonable and unruly this woman was.
He couldn't help but say, "Miss Wang, don't worry, no one can take away this determined young man. Your Mr. Ivanov will only belong to you."
“I’m talking about property, our property!” Wang Xiao glared at him without any politeness, then turned to the president, her words like gunpowder, “Everyone, all the smart people advised us not to act rashly when we decided to invest in the Sakhalin gas field project. They told me that Moscow was the Red Army’s domain, and that the Red Army would take all our property, just like what the Red Army did to the Americans in the 1930s, on the eve of World War II.”
She was referring to the history of the Soviet Union's industrial rise.
On November 23, 1920, the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic passed the "General Law and Economic Conditions Concerning Franchising Activities," which allowed foreign enterprises to set up factories in the Soviet Union through the form of franchises that permitted foreign capitalists to establish businesses there.
Furthermore, the Soviet government at the time promised to guarantee the interests of the licensed enterprises in the Soviet Union.
Undoubtedly, this was merely a stopgap measure by the Soviet government.
Eventually, all these companies with franchises had to go out of business.
This history became one of the pieces of evidence of the Red Army's crimes after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and was repeatedly brought up to criticize it.
Wang Xiao's comparison of the Russian Federation government to the Red Army was, in 1995, a rather severe accusation.
The president's entourage immediately retorted, "Miss Wang, you're exaggerating. How could we possibly be the Red Army?"
Hearing this, Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao thought to themselves: "Nonsense! Of course you're not the Red Army. Even if you were only half as capable as the Red Army, you wouldn't have made Russia what it is now."
Wang Xiao's reaction was to widen his eyes: "What's the difference? Our assets, our oil, the oil and gas we spent a lot of money and effort to finally mine—listen!"
Her voice rose, “This isn’t the kind of shell company oil that’s bought from drilling companies at an artificially low price of $2 a barrel and then sold for $18. This is the oil that we painstakingly extracted with $1 billion of our own hard work. It’s our property. Our property has been plundered. This is the act of robbery!”
Ivanov probably felt that the accusation was too harsh, and subconsciously said, "Your Majesty, it's not that serious."
"Shut up!" Wang Xiao said, his face full of disappointment. "You're such a pushover! If we rely on you to run the household, we'll go hungry nine times out of three days, and I'll starve along with you!"
The person being scolded instantly became like a quail again, obediently lowering their head and not daring to utter another sound.
The television in the ward stopped playing music, but the fax machine was still beeping and transmitting files.
In the ensuing silence, Wang Xiao's eyes blazed with fury as he bluntly stated, "I truly regret it. The federal government promised to protect the safety of its citizens and their property abroad, and that they would never resort to the Red Army's methods. I actually believed them, and I even persuaded my shareholders to believe them as well. And what was the result?"
She was heartbroken. "I really regret it. Now everyone is chasing me for an explanation. Is it because the shareholders are unwilling to give up the oil export rights that they are being held hostage, and are they trying to kill the shareholders?"
The president and his entourage were stunned.
These are two completely unrelated things. What does the Sakhalin-1 project have to do with the hostage crisis in the container market?
Oh, so the relationship is that all the victims are the same group of people.
Thinking about this, it does feel like there's mud in my pants, I can't quite put my finger on it.
But the president's entourage still refuted it righteously: "This is all nonsense, Miss Wang. You are a wise lady and should not be swayed by rumors."
Unfortunately, flattery was useless against Wang Xiao when it came to money; she was completely unmoved.
"Don't flatter me. If I were truly wise, I wouldn't have been fooled by the government's assurances."
Enraged, she laughed, a wicked thought rising within her: "Since the federal government can't guarantee the safety of my assets, then let's change the government!"
The visitors to the ward all changed their expressions, and even the president could no longer smile.
Wang Xiao, however, felt the situation wasn't quite right and went straight for the threat: "I only support heads of state who protect the safety of citizens' property. I think Mr. Zyuganov's proposals are quite good, and perhaps he is the right person to take the job."
This is no different from the grenade that was thrown from the second floor of the container market canteen last night, especially now that no Alpha special forces soldier kicked the grenade away, it can only explode on the spot.
Everyone's faces were stiff and ashen.
The president's aide blurted out, "Madam, how could you have such a terrible idea? Don't forget, Zyuganov is a communist."
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had made a foolish mistake, because the East Asian woman in front of him was indeed a businesswoman.
Normally, businessmen are afraid of the Communist Party. But her situation is different because she comes from China, and China is inherently red.
Realizing this, everyone became even more nervous.
Good heavens, if we're talking about next year's presidential election, who is the current president's biggest enemy? It would undoubtedly be Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
According to Russian election law, anyone who wants to run for president must obtain the support of one million signatures.
This threshold has stumped many people.
Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, was the first to register with the Central Election Commission on April 13th of this year, carrying the signatures of 1.7 million supporters.
Their strength is evident.
What terrifies the Kremlin even more is that, despite various setbacks, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation still has 500,000 members, making it Russia's largest island.
Furthermore, it has penetrated deep into the grassroots, with its organizations spread across 88 of Russia's 89 federal subjects, excluding Chechnya.
The president's entourage pursed their lips tightly, feeling that their stupidity was utterly hopeless.
Wang Xiao, however, remained unconcerned: "I don't care what party it is. All I need is for it to respect private property. Since even Jesus Christ was a communist, why are you all so afraid of the word 'communist'?"
The claim that Jesus Christ was a communist is a startling assertion by Zyuganov. His reasoning for this conclusion is that Jesus was the world's first communist because he wanted to establish a society where everyone was equal.
Therefore, it is not without reason that this Chairman was able to rise to prominence and quickly generate widespread social impact, allowing Russians to quickly recognize him and begin to support him in the shortest possible time.
At least they fully understood the principle of uniting all forces that can be united.
Whether these forces should unite or not is another question.
Such a politician, adept at presenting himself in public, undoubtedly poses a huge challenge to the current head of the Kremlin.
The president felt a throbbing in his temples and a slight discomfort in his heart.
He had no doubt that he was a beneficiary of the East Asian woman in front of him who was making threats and manipulating public opinion.
Because of her public relations strategy, the federal government's military action against Chechnya did not result in a passive position in public opinion.
Her past successful crisis management in business has further demonstrated her profound understanding of human nature.
If this emotionally unstable woman were to abandon her business career and enter politics in a fit of anger, joining the Communist Party of the Russian Federation to offer advice and strategies, it would undoubtedly pose a serious threat to his re-election.
The president didn't want this kind of danger, but he couldn't just kill the other person because of it; he wasn't that ruthless.
Moreover, if we were to actually do that, the consequences would only be worse.
The president could only try to calm the angry young woman down: "Madam, factories in Siberia need to produce, and people need to live. What will happen if there is no energy?"
Wang Xiao's anger was enough to set the entire ward on fire.
She had never seen such a shameless person.
They did so much for him, without receiving a single penny or any benefit whatsoever, yet he still wants to fleece them until they die?
Just because Ivanov is a third-generation Red Army descendant and she is a foreigner, does that mean she naturally owes him something?
Does he not understand the basic principle of equivalent exchange at all?
“Sir!” Wang Xiao said expressionlessly, “The Red Army only required a factory to be responsible for the livelihood of the people in its own neighborhood. You have already expanded to the point where we invest in Sakhalin Island, and you want to take care of how the people in Siberia live? You have truly surpassed your predecessors!”
Everyone present was extremely embarrassed, and the president's face turned red.
He muttered repeatedly, "No, no, ma'am, that's not how it works."
"So, are all the oil and gas fields in Siberia doomed? Why do we have to go to such lengths, stealing food from our own pot? So many oil and gas fields haven't been privatized yet; they're still state-owned. Instead of contributing to the country, are state-owned enterprises setting their sights on private individuals?"
Wang Xiao stated firmly, "Please don't go against the grain. What happens in Siberia has nothing to do with Project Sakhalin-1!"
These words were like a slap in the face, a heavy blow to the face of federal government officials.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and the once sticky, honey-like sunset secretly lost its warmth, hanging thinly on the wall, light and airy, as if a gust of evening breeze could blow it away.
"Your Majesty." Ivanov, whose leg had just undergone surgery, had to push his wheelchair to Wang Xiao's side, grasping her only movable hand, shaking his head pleadingly, and calling out again, "Your Majesty..."
Wang Xiao glared at him fiercely and said irritably, "Alright!"
Then the assistant, who was waiting beside him, was relieved and respectfully handed over a stack of agreements.
It wasn't handed to her, but to Lyuba.
Because Wang Xiao couldn't look down at the documents, Liu Ba had to lift them up and place them in front of her, flipping through them one by one for her to see.
The ward was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; even the fax machine had stopped working, leaving only the rustling sound of Lyuba flipping through documents.
It must be said that His Excellency the President is quite capable to have managed to remain in the Kremlin despite having made such a mess of the Russian economy.
Most importantly, after being rebuked, he did not fly into a rage or storm off, but patiently waited for what would happen next.
Time passed slowly, and the setting sun outside the window gradually shifted. Finally, after flipping through the eight pages of documents, Wang Xiao gestured for Lyuba to hand the documents to the president, and then fell silent.
Seeing that things weren't going well, Ivanov stepped in to explain, "This is our alternative plan."
The aide accompanying the president sighed inwardly upon hearing this.
Alternative options? That means they never intended to get involved in Siberia in the first place.
It was out of necessity, perhaps because this East Asian woman was considering Ivanov's feelings, that she had to back down.
What exactly does this so-called concession mean?
According to the agreement, the Sakhalin-1 project will increase investment and production capacity. The extra capacity will be used to support domestic demand in Siberia.
Wang Xiao complained, "Sakhalin Oblast just had an earthquake, and if we intensify our operations at this time, we're taking a huge risk."
The president's entourage wanted to complain that they didn't need to take this risk.
He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He was genuinely worried that the Wuzhou Group might be angered and turn around to fully support the Russian Communist Party.
After all, the two bosses of Wuzhou Group are a third-generation Soviet Red Army descendant and a Beijing native who flies the red flag.
If the Communist Party of the Russian Federation comes to power, there is no doubt that these people will be regarded as White bandits and will meet a tragic end.
Therefore, this hesitant withdrawal caused the president's entourage to lose the initiative to speak, giving Wang Xiao the opportunity to continue making demands.
"In order to protect our basic rights and to give us the confidence to persuade shareholders again, we need Siberian Oil Company's shares as collateral."
She finally revealed her true colors: "These are the minimum conditions that the shareholders can accept. If this cannot be achieved, then there is no point in discussing anything further."
She reiterated, "The affairs of Siberia cannot be the responsibility of enterprises in Sakhalin Oblast. Nor could the Red Army make such an absurd demand."
Damn it, the Red Army, the Red Army, can't she forget about the Red Army?
Despite the clenched teeth of his entourage, the president, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.
"Madam, you may not be familiar with Russia's privatization policy. These companies, including Siberian Oil Company, all need to be auctioned off publicly."
Wang Xiao dismissed it: "Sir, this shouldn't be my concern. Market economy is about equal exchange; no one should give for nothing. I think we've already proven that we will be the best operators of the oil company. We will use the most advanced extraction and refining technologies to maximize the benefits of oil and gas resources."
"Besides us, who else with experience in the production and operation of a modern oil and gas field like Sakhalin-1 could do this? The bankers?"
Wang Xiao made no attempt to hide his disdain. "American financial giants can use economic means to reap wealth from all over the world. Russian bankers are far inferior; besides using government deposits to pay government employees' salaries, all they do is plunder the wealth of ordinary Russians. We're different—"
She was very proud, saying, "We are engaged in real industry, the kind of real industry that Russia needs most. If the financial industry cannot serve industry and agriculture, it cannot generate any wealth at all. But for us, doing real industry is itself creating wealth."
Of course she wanted to swarm those financial oligarchs.
They're using dirty tricks behind our backs, using our Sakhalin No. 1 oil and gas field as a shield. If she doesn't retaliate, they'll really think we're easy to bully.
The president finally spoke: "Alright, the privatization of oil companies must be done through open auctions. You can participate in the auctions; they will be fair and just."
Fairness? Justice? That's just empty talk.
Wang Xiao smiled insincerely: "Yes, sir. When we acquire the shares of Siberian Oil Company, we will naturally supply oil and natural gas to the Siberian region."
The president tried to persuade her: "Madam, you have always been kind and must be able to understand the hardships faced by the people of Siberia."
"Then please speed things up, sir."
The last rays of the setting sun seemed to fall on Wang Xiao's face, making her smile look as sweet as honey. "After all, the factories and people in Siberia are eagerly waiting."
The president looked at her but said nothing.
Instead, Wang Xiao continued, "Sir, I don't really have much interest in politics. It's an honor for me to be a guest at the Kremlin, and I'm also helping a friend."
"In our China, there was a famous doctor named Bian Que, who was skilled in treating all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases. He had two older brothers. Bian Que himself said that his eldest brother was the best in medicine, treating diseases before they occur; his second brother was next, treating diseases as they begin to develop; and he himself was the worst, treating diseases after they have developed. However, because of his remarkable skills in treating serious illnesses, he became the most famous."
"Sir, which doctor do you think the patient truly needs? No matter what the illness is, the resulting organic damage is irreversible."
"You can't deny that the treatment plan given by the doctor treating sexual dysfunction is meaningless just because the situation hasn't gotten worse, can you?"
The president's aides muttered to themselves, thinking that she was comparing herself to Bian Que's second elder brother, implying that the idea she gave the president at the Kremlin was a good solution to prevent the Chechen problem from escalating further.
Wang Xiao stared into the president's eyes: "Don't you think the patient should also pay the doctor a consultation fee?"
The president looked at her and finally nodded: "Of course."
Wang Xiao's smile became genuine, and he immediately assured her: "Actually, I'm not very interested in the theories of the Russian Communist Party. I feel like they want to meddle in everything and add their own touches to everything, which has turned them into a chaotic mess with unclear policies and vague goals."
She raised her mobile left hand and said, "I still look forward to you, sir, leading the Russian people to complete comprehensive social and economic reforms."
The president shook her hand: "Thank you for your blessing and your support, madam. I believe you will not be disappointed by your decision."
Wang Xiao smiled: "Of course, I will always support a government that can guarantee the safety of my assets."
That's right, she will still support the current Kremlin lord in next year's presidential election.
It's not that the time isn't right, and that it's impossible to promote Punonin to the position.
But why was she so eager to support Punoning?
Punonin seems easy to talk to now, willing to humble himself before her, simply because he is only a tax police major general and his power is not yet great.
Once he truly holds power, given Punoning's assertive personality, he will absolutely not bow down to her.
Because his life has been too smooth, and because he has never truly experienced hardship, he may mistakenly believe that everything he has is something he is entitled to.
He doesn't yet understand that whatever you want, you have to pay a price.
Wang Xiao needs to understand this so that they can stay in touch more often in the future.
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Note: The characters Punonin, Yura, Ivanov, and Wang Xiao have no real-life counterparts. Also, I mentioned the Siberian Oil Company in the novel earlier, but in reality, this company was established in the summer of 1995 after Berezovsky lobbied the Kremlin, and Yeltsin signed the order to establish Siberian Oil Company on September 29, 1995. Siberian Oil Company is Russia's sixth largest oil company. Furthermore, the story of Zyuganov mentioned in the text is true; this gentleman is still the Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. In 1995, many people, including many Westerners, thought he would be elected president.
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