Chapter 176 Someone Wants to Quit: The Final Kick
The main force stayed in the mining area for 10 days.
It's true, everyone says that employees in large state-owned factories are inefficient, but you have to look at what kind of work they're actually dealing with.
When their own interests were involved, everyone reacted quite quickly.
At this point, they dared not wait for help or rely on others, nor did they dare gamble that the government would not abandon them. Didn't they see that the mafia from the neighboring mine had come knocking on their door? They went to the police station to report it, but the police were too lazy to even make a trip.
In just three days, the united employees quickly completed the privatization of the rare earth company and then changed their own boss.
At this speed, if it were a normal company acquisition, the acquisition team would be kneeling down and begging for mercy.
That's right. Originally, Wang Xiao only planned to take a stake in the rare earth company, and he would take whatever amount of 2.2 billion rubles he could get.
But the Mafia's power was probably too great, because even the company's general manager refused to keep any shares he could own and sold them directly to Ivanov.
This way, he kept his job without having to be the one to stick his neck out and take risks—it was perfect.
Ivanov and Wang Xiao discussed it and decided to leave the company's management team unchanged for the time being.
They still don't fully understand the situation, and taking any rash actions would only throw the company into chaos. What they need to do now is to get the company back to normal production as quickly as possible.
Industry and agriculture are essentially the same thing; if they are left uncultivated for too long, they will both perish.
Even after he acquired this new identity, Ivanov still felt it was all so surreal; it all happened so fast.
He remarked to Wang Xiao, "Back when I read 'Gone with the Wind,' what was Scarlett O'Hara's ideal man called again? Wesley, I think? A universally acknowledged gentleman, yet he couldn't manage his workers. But if you replaced him with a harsh and demanding one, his workers would be exceptionally efficient. Tsk, the world really is the same."
Wang Xiao rolled her eyes at him. "Bro, are you serious? How can you talk about your own compatriots like that?"
"Alright, alright, let's get things set up here quickly."
After handing over their work, they didn't continue monitoring the company's production but immediately returned to Moscow.
Why the rush? Because the election results in Russia are in!
Despite being vilified by the New Darwinian Party and having made a mess of Russia, Yeltsin garnered 60% of the public's support and remained firmly seated on the presidential throne.
On the day the news came, Ivan immediately took his own life.
He was chugging the vodka down his throat, making Wang Xiao afraid he might spontaneously combust from the alcohol.
Ivanov's situation wasn't much better, but he was a man who cared about style, or to be more specific, he was pretentious.
Instead of drinking vodka, he poured himself a bottle of red wine, poured himself a drink, and grieved under the moon.
Wang Xiao felt that she shouldn't touch a sore spot for her foreign friends, so she wisely kept quiet and watched from the sidelines from beginning to end.
Even though she tried to be so inconspicuous, Ivan, after drinking and vomiting and sobering up, still grabbed her, reeking of alcohol, and asked, "How could this happen?"
Yes, yes, Wang Xiao said before that the New Thought Tarlin Party couldn't hold up, and he was speechless after being told that, but he always firmly believed that the choice of the Russian people could explain everything.
Are the Russians out of their minds? They know it's a huge pit, yet they still jump in?
No country in the world would do something so stupid!
Wang Xiao muttered to himself, "That's not necessarily true. The world is vast and full of wonders. There's nothing that two-legged creatures won't do, only things you can't imagine."
Ivanov chimed in, "What should Russia do? What should it do in the future? We have so many problems. Why are there so many problems?"
Wang Xiao was so annoyed by their argument that he couldn't help but yell back, "Because frankly, there aren't that many shortcuts in this world!"
What does that mean?
Simply put, skipping a grade is a very difficult thing.
As is well known, whether it is "The Communist Manifesto," "Capital," or Marxism-Leninism, they all originated in capitalist society.
From the very first day this theory emerged, it was aimed at capitalism, and it sought to overthrow capitalism.
But what's intriguing is that it was put into practice not in the developed capitalist countries of Europe and America, but in the Soviet Union, which at that time was still called Tsarist Russia.
Why? The explanation given in the books is that when Marxism-Leninism was born, capitalism was flourishing, and the enemy was too powerful. The nascent communism, or the primary stage of socialism, was no match for it.
In contrast, Tsarist Russia's capitalist development was not good and its power was weak, which gave socialism a chance to succeed.
“Other socialist countries are similar,” Wang Xiao sighed. “Take China as an example. Before this, it was a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country, and the power of capitalism was practically non-existent. Therefore, this leapfrog development meant that after the establishment of the new regime, for a long time, the most important task would probably not be to overthrow capitalism, but feudalism.”
Why are socialist countries prone to producing dictators?
Chairman Mao once commented that Stalin's severe undermining of the rule of law (referring to the Great Purge) would have been impossible in countries like Britain, France, and the United States. In his later years, Stalin brought the essence of feudalism into the communist movement.
Wang Xiao couldn't help but complain: "The biggest problem is that they've mistaken the enemy's identity. Using collectivism as a pretext to promote feudalism is what they're best at."
The fact that political parties that now support communism want to promote another strongman is completely putting the cart before the horse. Why would someone who has suffered enough from dictatorship want to endure further hardship?
On the surface, the Soviet people abandoned socialism, but in essence, it was feudalism in disguise.
They embraced capitalism so eagerly because history has proven that capitalism is a more advanced mode of production than feudalism.
Ivanov covered his mouth with his hand and remained silent.
Ivan muttered to himself, "So we're still living in the Tsarist era!"
Wang Xiao couldn't stand them anymore: "Alright, alright, things have come to this point. Unless you two go on to run for office, let's skip this part."
As they were leaving the mining area, they ran into the same group of miners who had accompanied a man in a military overcoat on a tour.
Wang Xiao clicked his tongue inwardly. It seems that the only thing that can keep the local mafia in check is the military. After all, they have more soldiers and guns.
Well, this matter is finally settled.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but when they returned to Moscow, their hearts were in their throats again.
Even Wang Xiao couldn't help but exclaim "God!"
What's going on here? Wasn't the election already over? Everything's settled, so why are there still so many protests and demonstrations in the streets?
She felt even more than before they left Moscow.
Ivan suddenly perked up, excitedly pointing out the car window and emphasizing, "Look, this is the true voice of the people! That damned drunkard should have been removed from office long ago!"
This time, Ivanov didn't secretly side with him; instead, he looked very serious.
His political enthusiasm had already been swallowed with that bottle of red wine; now, his business acumen was in control of his mind.
What does such a large number of protests signify? It signifies political instability, which is a very bad sign.
In an instant, he couldn't resist the urge to transfer his assets abroad again.
Wang Xiao was much calmer than him, and even gave a serious-sounding opinion: "No wonder governments around the world prioritize ensuring employment. If you want a country to be stable, the first thing you have to do is protect employment."
Today isn't the weekend; if everyone has work, who has time to go out and protest?
Now nobody's paying the protesters.
Ivanov glanced at her, his expression cryptic: "You seem quite confident."
"Of course!" Wang Xiao deliberately stabbed them in the heart. "Although the President is incompetent, given that his competitors are even more incompetent, I believe he can successfully weather this storm."
However, with such an advantage, only a minority of people were truly confident, and foreign investment in the Moscow market suddenly slumped.
How sluggish have they become? Take the Russian oil company as an example. They had previously tried to extort a so-called transfer fee from Wang Xiao and Ivanov before they would transfer their 15% stake in the oil and gas field project.
But now, they've actually contacted Ivanov and said they don't need the transfer fee.
Why? It's not because Japanese companies are unwilling to pay the money, but because they simply said no, showing no interest even in a 15% stake.
They felt the Russian market was unstable, and headquarters reassessed the situation, concluding that they should proceed with caution when expanding investment.
On the way to the government building, Ivanov looked at the Chinese merchants bustling around the free market and suddenly said, "It's strange, you Chinese people have more confidence in Russia than we Russians do."
This attitude wouldn't be the same in other countries.
Looking at the market, Wang Xiao casually replied, "Because Japanese and American companies entering Russia are basically backed by the government. We, the middlemen, are mainly acting on our own initiative, so we're not too concerned about these things. No matter who's in charge, as long as there are customers, nothing can stop everyone's enthusiasm for doing business."
Are you kidding me? Do you think the reputation of Chinese people as street hustlers on Earth is just for show? You can find a Chinese person selling instant noodles to you even in the Amazon rainforest.
The car drove all the way to the government building, and this time the negotiations went much more smoothly. One side wanted to buy, and the other couldn't find any other buyers. The two sides talked for less than two hours and quickly signed an agreement.
When I came out again, the sun was still shining brightly outside.
To be honest, Moscow at the end of April is truly beautiful, with flowers in full bloom, lush green grass, and white doves flying across the blue sky.
Everything is fine as long as you ignore the packs of wild dogs in Red Square and the man lying motionless on the ground not far away.
Wang Xiao didn't look at much, so she was in a good mood. Even though having an extra 15% of the shares meant they would have to raise a large sum of money, she was still all smiles.
After entering Huaxia Commercial Street and looking at the list and ledgers, she reminded the person in charge: "Mosquito nets, get the mosquito nets ready as soon as possible."
Although the temperature in Soviet countries was generally not very high, there were plenty of trees, grass, and flowers, so there were a lot of insects.
Last year, the farmers they brought in from China complained that the Russian mosquitoes were quite fierce.
But the person in charge shook his head: "Mr. Wang, our mosquito nets sell so-so, we don't need to stock too many."
Wang Xiaoqi was puzzled: "Why? Our cooling balm, medicated oil, and floral water are all selling very well."
The former two were regarded as mysterious oriental potions, while the latter was developed into perfumes by many people and became particularly popular.
The person in charge said helplessly, "The Russians' beds are different from ours. They can't hang mosquito nets because there are no frames. Even if we sell beds, they won't buy a new bed just for the mosquito nets."
Wang Xiao suddenly realized: "Oh, this is easy. Okay, I'll contact the factory and we'll modify the mosquito net."
Just change it to a mosquito net in the style of a Mongolian yurt.
In her opinion, all the mosquito repellent gadgets combined can't compare to the effectiveness of a mosquito net. It's economical, safe, green, and pollution-free; it deserves all the praise.
Wang Xiao has made up his mind: he wants to build a mosquito net factory in Moscow, mainly producing the frame parts of mosquito nets.
Firstly, it can help avoid some taxes. Although the scope has been greatly reduced after the policy change, every little bit helps.
Secondly, Russia has cheap chemical raw materials, resulting in lower costs.
Thirdly, it's to improve public perception and solve some employment problems.
As for domestically, tent-style mosquito nets must be vigorously promoted; they are simply a blessing for humanity, as they are absolutely essential for preventing mosquito bites.
By the way—
Wang Xiao started to let his mind wander again. Mosquito nets, besides slippers, are needed in large quantities in the African market.
This could be used as medical supplies in Africa, where malaria is rampant.
Wang Xiao became more and more excited as she thought about it. She felt that this matter could be handled well and might have a much greater effect than simply selling goods.
But before Wang Xiao could finish planning her tent and mosquito net project, the atmosphere in Moscow turned sour.
Everyone had assumed that the power struggle between the president and Congress would come to an end with the announcement of the referendum results on April 25.
But it turns out that this was just the beginning.
The marches and demonstrations in the streets grew larger and larger, and the voices of protest grew louder and louder.
Actually, there were some clues to how things turned out this way.
Because after winning the support of voters, that infamous alcoholic president became more than twice as bold.
He ordered a constitutional convention to determine the basic law of the country.
According to the draft, the future Russia will not have a vice president, nor will it have a Supreme Soviet or Congress of People's Deputies.
When Wang Xiao heard the news, she was completely stunned. She felt that she really knew nothing about the capitalist political system. In any case, based on her limited knowledge, a country with a presidential system must have a vice president.
Without a backup plan, if something happens to the president, will the entire country be left leaderless?
I don't understand, I really don't understand.
She even felt that this so-called embrace of capitalism was an insult to capitalism.
If she, an unrelated foreigner, would scoff, what about a politician caught in a power struggle? This is clearly an attempt to take away someone's livelihood.
You're saying the Supreme Soviet is gone and that's it? What about all those representatives? That means the power they hold will also be gone.
Ivanov received information from his personal network that they were preparing to unite and hold a congress to overthrow the presidential constitutional government.
Before the conference could even begin, chaos erupted in the streets of Moscow. On May Day, countless demonstrators gathered for a massive march.
Early that morning, when Wang Xiao arrived at Huaxia Commercial Street and opened his shop to do business, he had no idea how serious the matter was.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and especially recently, there have been more and more demonstrations and protests. Moreover, Russians are generally orderly, and almost no one takes this opportunity to storm into shops to loot or vandalize; the main focus is on everyone doing their own thing and not disturbing others' work and lives.
Apart from a large number of police officers on high alert, no one else seemed to be affected by the protest.
Some customers even asked the shop assistants on the high street with great anticipation whether they would also follow the president's order to lower the prices of food and drinks.
“After all—” the graduate student who worked as a reseller at the university laughed merrily and winked at the sales clerk, “our president won because he promised the people cheaper sausages and vodka!”
Before the salesperson could answer him, shouts of alarm came from afar, followed by the sound of gunfire, then screams, and a large crowd of people running.
At first, people thought it was a street shooting, which is not uncommon in Moscow at the time.
But soon, everyone realized something was wrong.
Even gang fights don't involve this much scale.
Wang Xiao peered outside; it was chaos, teeming with people. Thousands upon thousands of people were gathered together. Police tried to create a safety barrier with shields, but this couldn't stop the angry mob from relentlessly hurling various bottles and cans at the officers.
Wang Xiao saw it clearly: no one was throwing eggs or tomatoes. Moscow in May wasn't hot, so these two things wouldn't spoil easily, and they weren't cheap either. The demonstrators were reluctant to waste them.
Even so, their onslaught overwhelmed the police.
Soon, mounted police appeared on the street, and then Wang Xiao saw fire trucks. The police tried to disperse the crowd with high-pressure water cannons.
Then, the streets descended into complete chaos.
In the words of the Russians working there, this was much more chaotic than the day of August 19th two years ago.
Even the person in charge of the commercial street was on high alert and rushed over to ask the boss in person whether they should temporarily close the store.
Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged glances, but the capitalist's profit-seeking nature ultimately compelled them to bite the bullet and make the painful decision: "We won't close. The customer is king; we can't just shut down the store like that. Tell everyone to stay alert, and the shift workers should stay on standby. Distribute the holiday bonuses again."
May Day is an important holiday, and all employees received their holiday bonuses yesterday.
Now that the boss says he'll be giving out more money, it's no wonder the employees are happy.
Some customers even joked, "Hey! You've been giving out extra bonuses, shouldn't you give us a discount?"
The shop assistant laughed: "But we're already having a discount today! To celebrate May Day, everyone gets a 5% discount. As for me—"
She smiled and took out a large bag of Big Bubble Gum, took one piece and gave it to the customer, saying, "This is for you, have a nice shopping experience."
The shop was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, seemingly a completely different world from the outside.
But one after another, people, covered in grime and in a panic, kept running into the shops on the commercial street, making it impossible for Wang Xiao and the others to ignore the carnage outside.
Ivanov's expression was grave. He held his high-powered military binoculars and kept looking out the window, muttering repeatedly, "Damn it, we're doomed, we're really doomed."
Wang Xiao removed the binoculars from his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, whether to encourage himself or reassure his companion, "It's alright, your president can handle it."
Ivanov stared at her, as if he'd seen a ghost, his face full of disbelief: "You really have complete faith in him. Why don't you give this president to China?"
“I don’t want to.” Wang Xiao made no attempt to hide his disdain. “Your president only knows what the Russian people want, but doesn’t know how to do it, or lacks the courage to do it. But our leaders not only know the main contradictions in society, but also know how to deal with them, and have the courage to carry them out. How much more foolish do we need someone like you?”
Ivanov was speechless.
Uh, that's true.
Poverty is not socialism.
Reform and opening up.
The handling of the 1989 incident.
The Southern Tour speeches in January 1992.
He is undoubtedly a political superstar in the international community today, and an idol in the hearts of countless people.
As for this guy? Heh, he's quite famous too, a notorious clown.
The street clashes intensified, and Ivanov saw people falling one after another, including demonstrators and police officers.
If so many people were to fall ill, it could lead to a murder case.
But he had no recourse other than to stand by and watch.
Wang Xiao was annoyed by what he saw, so she simply told him, "Stop looking at this. Let's think about what to do next."
The biggest investment right now is a 30% stake in an oil and gas field, a project worth hundreds of millions of US dollars. Putting all that money into it puts a huge strain on the cash flow.
Ivanov rubbed his face vigorously, trying to calm himself down: "Yes, this really can't be delayed."
He suddenly had an idea, "Why don't we go to Sakhalin Island and keep an eye on it? It's such a big investment project."
Wang Xiao had no objection, although she guessed that the reason Ivanov made such a suggestion was more likely because he didn't want to stay in Moscow any longer.
It saves me from seeing all the commotion outside every day and getting upset.
The two were discussing things enthusiastically, and that evening they even ordered takeout for the employees of shops on both streets. But when the food arrived, the deliveryman brought bad news along with it: something had happened, and it was quite serious.
Today's standoff between protesters and police has escalated into a bloody incident, with casualties on both sides.
Emergency rooms in Moscow's hospitals, large and small, are overwhelmed with patients, with reports of tens of thousands of protesters injured.
As for the police, it's certain that at least one officer has died.
Wang Xiao sensed something was wrong; the scale of this conflict was larger than she had imagined.
Ivanov was also at a loss, even finding no taste in the sweet and sour pork with pineapple, which he quite liked.
He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Never mind, we're going to Sakhalin Island tomorrow. If things get bad, we'll close the shop and save our lives."
But as we all know, no one can escape the influence of political activities, especially the economy.
Before they could even board the plane to Sakhalin Island, the Japanese and American oil companies informed them that they didn't need to go.
Why? Do the Americans and the Japanese want to monopolize the oil and gas field projects?
No, they gave up and decided to suspend the development of the oil and gas field.
When Ivanov received the call, he was dumbfounded, completely unprepared for these guys to turn around and fire a shot.
No, haven't you been following up on this project for several years, negotiating with the Soviet government since the 1980s?
Now that the Soviet Union has collapsed, you finally managed to get the project from the Russian government. The preliminary assessment alone cost you a fortune in money and manpower. Now you're just going to say you don't want it anymore?
Wang Xiao and Ivanov felt that they couldn't explain things clearly over the phone, so they quickly got into their car and rushed to the hotel to find the representative of the American oil company. They sat down and talked face to face.
The representative was quite handsome, and at first glance he looked remarkably like Harrison Ford. He spoke politely and praised Wang Xiao with great enthusiasm.
But when everyone sat on the sofa and discussed the oil and gas field project, his attitude was unusually firm: "I'm sorry, ma'am, sir, this is our company's decision. We must be responsible to our shareholders and employees."
The representative from the Japanese company that came over also chimed in, "Yes, this was also a joint decision made by our foundation."
Ivanov panicked: "We're about to start construction. Stopping it now means all your previous investments will be wasted."
The representatives from the Japanese and American companies exchanged glances, but it was the representative from the American oil company who spoke up: "It's better to skip a stone than to get stuck in the mud."
He stood up, walked to the French windows, drew back the curtains, and gestured for his guests to look: "Look at Moscow now, or rather Russia. Is it a suitable place to invest? Turmoil, turmoil worse than war, a precarious regime, policies that change every day—we can't believe that investing here will yield any results."
Ivanov retorted, "But I don't see any sign of Coca-Cola, McDonald's, or Sony withdrawing. Your president also has full confidence in our president."
The American company representative shrugged: "That's different. Coca-Cola and McDonald's can leave anytime they want, and their investment costs are limited. But we're working on oil and gas field projects. If even the slightest mistake occurs during the process—for example, even if the oil and gas are extracted, the government immediately changes its mind and forbids them from being shipped out of Russia—what will we do then? Tens of billions of dollars in investment will all go down the drain!"
The Japanese company representative's words were even more direct and harsh: "Rather than saying we are pessimistic about the current situation in Moscow, it is more accurate to say that we cannot trust the current Russian government."
He complained, "Our conglomerate has traveled all over the world, and we've never seen such a distrustful government. Their policies change constantly, and the law is practically a piece of paper."
Ivanov felt as if he had been slapped across the face; his skin was burning.
Shamefully, he couldn't even defend his own government, because he agreed with the view of Japan-America Oil Company that it was a complete garbage dump.
He could not dispel the concerns of the Japanese and American companies, and his confidence in the investment project was not much greater than theirs.
"So what's the next step? What are your plans?"
“Wait,” the Japanese company representative, with his neatly trimmed mustache, said. “Restart when the time is right.”
He bowed slightly and smiled at the young man sitting opposite him, "There are many investment opportunities; there's really no need to jump into a fire pit."
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