Chapter 346 Russian Metro: We've all become your sales managers.
Wang Xiao recommended a Russian metro company.
"The Soviet Union had extensive experience in subway construction since the 1930s. The Moscow subway, in particular, as you have seen, has indeed been built into a tourist attraction."
As Wang Xiao spoke, he laughed at himself.
Even though she spends almost half of each year in Moscow.
But in reality, wealthy people rarely use public transportation.
Because there are no security checks on the Russian subway, if the boss takes the subway, it will add a lot of unnecessary work pressure to the bodyguards.
Besides, Wang Xiao isn't a politician, so there's really no need for her to act so-called "people-friendly" in this regard.
However, Secretary Fang had actually ridden the Moscow Metro and was deeply impressed. Each metro station was a museum, a museum that bore witness to the brief but glorious history of the Soviet Union.
So she nodded and readily admitted, "The Moscow Metro is indeed very good."
But she immediately pointed out the problem: "However, the Moscow Metro is too old and cannot keep up with modern technology."
Indeed, the Soviet subway system had its glorious past. When Beijing began building its subway system, it also received guidance from Soviet experts.
However, after the 1990s, Beijing shifted its focus to cooperation with Germany and France.
This is also the direction for the construction of the Jinning Metro.
Last year, the Jiangdong Provincial Government went to Germany for an inspection tour, and one of the projects was the subway.
When the secretary came in to bring tea to Wang Xiao earlier, she also brought in a kettle of hot water.
When Wang Xiao noticed that the water level in Secretary Fang's teacup was low, he immediately picked up the kettle to refill it.
Secretary Fang quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, I can do it myself."
Wang Xiao refilled the leader's cup and then refilled his own before putting down the kettle. He smiled and said, "Secretary, what you said is true. But I still want to say a few words in defense of the Moscow Metro. It has its advantages, advantages that are hard to find in any other country, advantages that have withstood the test of history."
She then picked up the teacup and used it as a hot water bottle, smiling slightly in the white steam. "First of all, it's a deep-buried design. The Moscow Metro is particularly deep; I've heard the deepest parts are seventy or eighty meters deep, a complete underground kingdom. This underground kingdom was used as an air-raid shelter and military command center during World War II."
Her smile deepened. "Then came the long Cold War, during which the Soviet Union was constantly preparing for war. They built an even more complete and comprehensive underground kingdom in Moscow."
She wasn't exaggerating; Moscow's underground kingdom is literally a physical labyrinth.
Wang Xiao put down his cup, raised a finger, and said, "I can say without exaggeration that no country in the world can compare with the Soviet Union in terms of deep tunnel excavation, construction in complex geological conditions, and design of defensive fortifications for subways."
Secretary Fang fell silent, his fingers stroking the handle of the teacup.
Wang Xiao's description of the military command center and defensive fortifications truly touched her heart.
It is now 1995. Thirty years from now, people who pay attention to modern history should remember two things.
One example is the Qiandao Lake incident in the spring of 1994, where cross-strait relations deteriorated sharply because the government had no concept of crisis management and the information was not transparent.
Another one is the Taiwan Strait crisis from the summer of 1995 to 1996.
It can be said that in early 1995, given Nanjing's geographical location and historical status, as the top leader of Jiangdong Province, Secretary Fang could not possibly not consider what to do if war broke out between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the flames of war spread to Nanjing.
Don't think that thinking about this is just worrying unnecessarily.
In the 1990s, China's naval hardware was truly inadequate. If war broke out and the United States intervened, the course of the war would be very difficult to predict.
Wang Xiao recognized this point, which is why he specifically emphasized the military value of the Moscow Metro.
However, since it involved sensitive political issues, she, as a businesswoman, couldn't talk about it too much. So after emphasizing this point, she immediately moved on to the next one.
“Our city of Jinning is located on the riverbank, and the geological environment is already complex. If we were to build a river-crossing tunnel, the Soviet Union would have a real advantage in terms of technology and experience.”
Secretary Fang remained calm, nodded to indicate that he had heard, but still expressed his doubts: "I've seen that Russia's infrastructure construction has almost stopped in recent years, and the brain drain is quite serious. If they want to build a subway, will they still be able to muster the necessary personnel?"
“Yes!” Wang Xiao nodded affirmatively. “The Moscow government is very willing to spend money on the subway. They have been allocating funds continuously to this day.”
She gave an example to support her point: "In Moscow, subway drivers are a high-paying job, earning three to four times the salary of university professors, and they are still hiring."
This speaks volumes.
Whether an industry is doing well or poorly can be seen from the salary levels of its employees and whether it is hiring new people.
If wages are low and they're not hiring, then it's definitely a sunset industry, and the business itself will struggle to survive.
On the contrary, that means they have plenty of money.
Secretary Fang nodded and praised, "That was indeed not easy."
She had been to Moscow and had read a lot of information about it.
Strictly speaking, Moscow's overall infrastructure is better than Kinning's, and its economy is also larger.
However, Moscow and Russia as a whole face a major problem: its economy has been in decline, with industrial capacity and GDP continuously decreasing.
You can't even predict when this decline will end.
Insufficient funds and difficulty in providing upfront financing are likely common problems among Russian companies.
This is the first time Jinning has built a subway, and the province has put in a lot of effort to promote this project.
Secretary Fang certainly didn't want to lose sight of the bigger picture and have the project stalled halfway through.
It would be better to just find a German company to build the subway.
The leader stated frankly: "Our construction direction still focuses more on the localization rate and the ability to provide local services."
This sounds a bit convoluted, but in plain terms it means "market access in exchange for technology."
This strategy is perfectly normal in the development process of any country. If you want someone else's technology, you always have to give something in return.
Otherwise, why would they give you the opportunity to master the technology?
Wang Xiao took a sip of jujube tea.
That's how fruit tea is; the flavor becomes much weaker as soon as you add water.
Even though it's light, it's still fruit tea, and that doesn't stop the aroma of fruit tea from lingering on her nose and tongue.
She laughed and said, "When it comes to learning technology, I really think the Russians are the best teachers."
Secretary Fang sighed: "In the 1950s, when the Soviet Union provided industrial aid to China, they did indeed teach us step by step."
Because everyone shared the same ideology at the time, they genuinely had a teacher-student mentality, and...
Teachers inevitably favor students who are willing to learn.
Times have changed. The Russian Federation is not the Soviet Union anymore; the Soviet Union no longer exists.
Wang Xiao smiled and shook his head: "Even without the Soviet Union, Russia is still Russia that inherited the Soviet Union's culture. They also inherited the Soviet Union's customs."
How should I describe this?
Wang Xiao didn't know what the working patterns of Russian engineers and workers would be like decades later.
However, Russia, a newly established regime that has only been in power for a few years, still lacks a strong sense of secrecy, just like the Soviet Union.
Perhaps because they believed that all technology and cultural knowledge belonged to the people, those working outside the core military industry did not care about teaching apprentices.
Moreover, the mindset cultivated under the long-term planned economy meant they didn't have the fear of teaching their apprentices to starve themselves.
These combined factors mean that the Russian Metro remains the most generous teacher.
Wang Xiao sighed, "No country can match their generosity. Shougang's chip factory has been operating for about a year now. I bet Shougang's engineers and workers can't even touch NEC's core chip technology."
So what if it's a joint venture?
You want to trade market access for technology.
But they can take your market, your land, and your labor force, but they will resolutely refuse to transfer their technology to you.
Wang Xiao picked up the teacup again, looking at the red dates floating halfway up the cup, neither up nor down, swaying precariously.
She sighed softly, "And what I recommended wasn't that the Russian Metro company be the general contractor, but rather that they only handle the civil engineering; the core electromechanical projects are definitely beyond their capabilities. However—"
Her fingers traced the smooth ceramic cup. "For electromechanical work, you just need to install the equipment. But for civil engineering in complex geological conditions, no matter how much information you have, without extensive construction experience, you're likely to be completely lost."
Where does experience come from? It comes from digging subway lines one by one under the pressure of war always looming.
Secretary Fang finally relented: "Bring the documents over. If they pass the review, we can proceed with the bidding for the civil engineering portion."
Wang Xiao laughed and spread his hands: "I don't have any documents on me."
Secretary Fang asked incredulously, "You didn't bring any documents?"
Wang Xiao was incredibly well-behaved: "I didn't know the subway approval had been granted before I came here."
The tea in the cup was still steaming, but Secretary Fang already gasped in shock.
Young people these days are really something else.
She didn't know about the Jinning Metro bidding, but as soon as she heard about it, she could give you a detailed analysis.
No wonder she always manages to seize opportunities, because opportunities are indeed reserved for those who are prepared, and she was always ready.
Secretary Fang nodded, then said helplessly, "Alright, alright, take the documents to the bidding office later."
She joked again, "You really care about Moscow, don't you? You never forget them, no matter what opportunity you have."
Wang Xiao nodded frankly: "The gap in our trade volume is too big. Now it's almost a one-way export. If Moscow has something that we can use, then I definitely have to find a way to make their things available to us as much as possible."
Secretary Fang also understood this principle.
This is how business is done in any country on Earth; everyone is after profits.
The direct cause of the First Opium War was that British goods could not gain a foothold in the Chinese market, while Chinese goods sold well in Britain.
Unable to resolve the issue through normal commercial means, the British resorted to war.
Once the agreement to let them bid was made, Secretary Fang wouldn't dwell on it too much.
She picked up her cup, took a sip of hot tea, and her tone became more relaxed: "Since you didn't come here for the subway today, what are you doing here?"
The leader even joked, "In the dead of winter, the yard is completely bare; the loquats, pomegranates, peaches, and grapes haven't even grown yet."
If you hear this, someone who's sensitive and prone to internal strife will probably want to dig a hole and crawl into it.
Look, last summer she had her secretary, Sun, pick loquats for her in a grand manner, and she lost face.
But Wang Xiao was thick-skinned. Not only did he not care, he also pressed his advantage: "These are the benefits of summer, Secretary, you have to save them for me. You also have to give me the benefits I want in winter. Otherwise, I won't have a good year."
Secretary Fang was overjoyed and kept shaking his head: "You can't even have a good New Year? Tell me, what do you want?"
"We need orders." Wang Xiao said seriously, "The LCD screen factory is almost finished and will start production this year. The electronics factory that makes Chinese character pagers will get their LCD panels from us."
When the LCD screen factory was first being planned, the provincial government had already given its full assurance, so now Secretary Fang readily agreed: "No problem, this order is definitely yours."
Although there is now an emphasis on separating government and enterprise, and on local governments not interfering in enterprise production, in reality, in 1995, state-owned enterprises were still government-owned enterprises.
Many jobs cannot be done by companies on their own without government intervention and coordination.
Wang Xiao then made a second request: "I heard that the electronics factory is looking for partners to make mobile phones. Could you also make the mobile phone displays for our LCD screen factory?"
Making mobile phones is just one of the plans of the electronics factory. When will they find a suitable partner and in what form will the cooperation take place?
Let alone Secretary Fang, even the electronics factory itself doesn't know about it now.
When it comes to the unknown, leaders are always the most generous. They're willing to make any promise.
At this moment, Secretary Fang was particularly generous and made a quick decision: "No problem, as long as the electronics factory makes mobile phones, they will definitely use your LCD panels."
She decided to resolve the issue once and for all, saying, "What other requests do you have? Just tell me."
Wang Xiao was blunt and showed no sign of being satisfied, like a glutton: "And then there are the chips. In the future, our Jiangdong Province will use our chips for food cards, bus cards, subway tickets, and credit cards issued by credit unions."
This is a huge market.
Home appliances are shared by family members. In 1995, few people lived alone; most people lived in family groups. And a family might only need one rice cooker.
However, almost every family member, whether they are in school or working, needs a public transport card to meet their transportation needs.
Secretary Fang's eyes widened suddenly, and he said irritably, "You have the nerve to say that. Oh, you wouldn't listen when we told you to build the chip factory in Jiangdong. Oh dear, now you want to take our orders?"
The thought of Jiangbei having a dog's nose and rushing over to fight and snatch the slightest scent made her furious.
Wang Xiao nodded, his composure evident: "Of course. If I can't get the orders from Jiangdong, how can I ask the leaders in Jiangbei to help me coordinate and secure the pager LCD panel orders from Jiangbei? There has to be give and take, right?"
Secretary Fang chuckled and pointed at her repeatedly, saying, "Oh dear, after all this time, we've made you the head of the sales department."
Wang Xiao nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice: "It's all thanks to the support of the leaders."
Secretary Fang laughed so hard that tears almost came out.
A moment of regret did indeed well up in her heart; Wang Xiao truly lived up to all her fantasies about her daughter-in-law.
Unfortunately, Haoyu is really... well, never mind, talking about it would be too disappointing.
The leader's regrets are like a gust of wind; they're gone without a trace.
She nodded: "Okay, okay, if you can make it, Jiangdong will fully cooperate."
This is indeed necessary for the overall situation.
The provinces of Jiangdong and Jiangbei have teamed up with Shanghai to develop a strategic semiconductor industry. The local governments of the three parties will inevitably provide policy support.
Otherwise, if you don't even approve of it yourself, how can this industry chain be built?
Wang Xiao was overjoyed and, taking advantage of the situation, said, "Secretary, next time I eat at the provincial government canteen, I'll just use our meal card. Besides, with so many schools in Jinning, it's inconvenient for students to buy meal tickets."
Secretary Fang quickly waved his hand: "That's fine, let's do a pilot program first, and we'll talk about it again if the pilot program goes well."
There was a knock on the office door, and Secretary Sun reminded the leader from outside: "Secretary, it's time to start the meeting. Almost everyone has arrived."
Secretary Fang glanced at her watch; it was a locally made watch from Jiangdong. Since she took charge of Jiangdong, she has mainly consumed locally made products, actively supporting local brands.
"Oh dear, it's already this late." Secretary Fang greeted Wang Xiao, "Well, Mr. Wang, I have to go to a meeting now."
Wang Xiao stood up and said, "Secretary, please go ahead with your work. I'll bother you again next time."
Secretary Fang waved his hand: "Alright, alright, come again next time if you need anything."
If we let her stay any longer tomorrow, I wonder how many more demands she'll make.
Leaders also need time to process these requirements.
Wang Xiao waved goodbye with a smile, left the provincial government building, got into a car, and was taken to the main road.
A short distance ahead was an intersection, where a line of cars waited in order.
This winter is really warm; the taxi I was waiting for even had its window half open, so it was nice to get some fresh air.
Wang Xiao's gaze fell on the Sharp LCD panel installed in the taxi, which was playing local real estate advertisements; the advertisements were quite well-made.
It seems real estate developers are always good at advertising.
This can be considered a targeted approach.
After all, in 1995, people who were willing to take a taxi as a means of transportation had some money in their pockets.
It is precisely this kind of person who can afford to buy a commercial house now.
After the real estate advertisement, a car sped by on the LCD panel.
However, this time the light was green, so the taxi rolled up its window and drove off.
Wang Xiao couldn't see clearly what kind of car advertisement it was.
Her driver smiled and answered her boss's question: "Santana, this is an advertisement for Santana. This car is very popular now."
The era of automobiles in China is truly about to arrive.
Wang Xiao smiled but remained silent, thinking that lithium batteries must be mass-produced as soon as possible.
Otherwise, how will we develop electric cars?
At this time, I can go home just in time for dinner.
Because she was still jet-lagged, she ate and then took a nap before groggily getting up to call Ivanov.
Her business partner was also sleepy-eyed.
After all, it was eight o'clock in Moscow, and the sky was just beginning to lighten. Ivanov had finally managed to get up and have breakfast.
He had just taken a sip of milk when he received a call from Wang Xiao: "Ivan, contact the Moscow Metro company. Jinning is building a metro this year, and I've secured a bidding opportunity for them."
Without hesitation, Ivan immediately agreed: "No problem, I'll arrange it right away."
He had already hung up the phone when Yura rushed over, looking completely bewildered: "What subway? Why are you looking for the subway company?"
Why is Yura staying at the villa? And having breakfast together so early in the morning?
Ahem, don't get me wrong, these two are both straight men, playboy-style straight men, neither bisexual nor gay.
The reason Yura stayed at Ivanov’s villa was because Punonin said it would facilitate centralized security and reduce risks.
However, Yura was quite suspicious that Vladimir's real intention was to have him take the bullet for Ivan in case things came to a last resort.
How heartbreaking.
Although he was willing to die for his brother, his status as a second-class citizen still filled him with melancholy, and he could only follow Ivan with a mixture of hatred and love.
"What can they do? Find them orders!" Ivanov complained as he flipped through his phone book. "Given the current boom in domestic infrastructure, how many more years can Russian subway companies survive if they don't go out and find ways to make a living?"
Yura couldn't believe her ears: "Ivan, when did you get involved in the subway company's affairs? What does the subway have to do with you?"
Before his friend could answer, he eagerly asked the next question, "Finding orders in China? Wang actually helped them find orders in China?"
Good heavens, he felt his worldview was in complete disarray.
When did the king become so kind and warm-hearted, almost like the Virgin Mary!
"Why can't we get them orders?" Ivanov looked at him strangely. "Everything has its give and take. We make money from Moscow, so naturally we should try our best to get benefits for Moscow."
Yura is not sensitive to economics, but he is now extremely sensitive to politics, especially the interests of various factions; he is practically hypersensitive.
"Luzhkov! So, all you've been doing is trying to curry favor with Luzhkov!"
Yura was furious; the feud between the cabinet and the mayor of Moscow had never stopped.
Last time, Wang Xiao even mocked him by mentioning Luzhkov, saying that Luzhkov was much smarter than him.
Ivanov, however, didn't hold back at all, directly retorting: "What else? In order to oppose Luzhkov, should we not fight for Moscow's interests and let Moscow's industry decline day by day?"
He scoffed, "It is this terrible partisan mentality that is causing Russia to decline day by day. You have forgotten a most basic element, which is that no matter what you do, if you want to succeed, you must make more and more friends and fewer and fewer enemies."
Of course, they want to further solidify their relationship with Mayor Luzhkov through the subway project. In Moscow, where shootings and bombings could happen at any moment, the more friends they have, the safer they are.
In the adult world, self-interest is always the best adhesive, binding everyone together tightly.
Yura covered the phone book in Ivanov's hand with his hand, a hint of disbelief in his voice: "Tell me the truth, are you trying to take over the Moscow Metro company?"
"So what?" Ivanov snatched back his phone book. "Why not if we need to?"
Yura suddenly felt a chill that was hard to describe.
He seemed to vaguely understand something.
Previously, he was unhappy that Vlamikl had let Wang Xiao go, but Vlamikl told him that they could not rely too much on Wang Xiao, otherwise her influence would expand to a terrifying degree.
Because she is so useful, anyone who collaborates with her can clearly see the tangible benefits.
Isn't Ivanov, who is now standing in front of him, the same?
The president will like him, the mayor of Moscow will like him, and even the cabinet will be unable to criticize him.
Who can criticize someone who is genuinely bringing benefits to Moscow and Russia?
Yura stood by the window, lost in thought.
If that day ever comes, who will rule this country?
A businessman?
What will Russia eventually become?
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[Let me see] Good morning! Whether a business could succeed in the 1990s, whether in China or Russia, the key factor was the relationship between government and business.
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