Chapter 477 Very Quick Actions (Bug Fix): A Stable Government is Needed
The KGB truly lives up to its reputation as one of the most mysterious organizations in the world; its operational efficiency is indeed remarkable.
Two days later, Ivanov received a call from Punonin, asking him to go to the White House.
The reason is very simple: due to the requirements of confidentiality, some documents cannot be taken to Ivan's private residence even if he carries them himself.
Ivanov was highly suspicious: "You're not trying to trick me into going back to work overtime, are you? God, let me tell you, I still have one day off, I'm not going back to work until tomorrow."
Punoning felt that sometimes he really didn't want to talk to him.
Hearing the phone hang up, Wang Xiao asked curiously, "Who collected the information? Bureau T? Good heavens, has Bureau T not been shut down?"
What is Bureau T? It's the High-End Bureau, a new subordinate agency established by the KGB in 1963 when Suning began its microelectronics research. It represents technology itself.
According to the CIA, the purpose of Bureau T was to acquire Western equipment and technology to improve the Soviet Union's ability to produce integrated circuits.
It is said that the staff of this organization mostly used their identities as officials and employees of the Soviet Foreign Trade Bureau as a cover, and remained unknown to the public for a long time until the 1980s when its agents defected. The reason for the defection was said to be that his wife had an affair with his friend, and he himself had been unable to get a promotion.
Money, power, and desire have always been the three dominant factors in human activity.
Ivanov turned to her, kissed her forehead, and said honestly, "I don't know."
Although he was the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, theoretically, if the president and prime minister were both killed, he and another First Deputy Prime Minister, Soskovets, would be the natural successors. However, the structure of Russia's institutions meant that he never had any direct contact with the work of the intelligence services.
Naturally, he also knew very little about the other party.
As he changed into his oversized clothes to go out, Ivan couldn't help but feel down again: "I don't want to go to work. I don't want to go to the White House at all."
Good heavens! How comfortable vacation days are. He doesn't use his brain at all, just relaxes on the sofa watching pandas fight, and he's happy from morning till night.
What's the point? Isn't life just about eating, drinking, and relieving oneself? What meaning could there be?
Post-holiday syndrome is a common ailment for every working person; no one can escape it.
Wang Xiao had to coax him: "It's okay, it's okay, let's just go take a look. We're not going to work."
As she straightened his tie, she added, "I'll pick you up at 5 o'clock. Nobody can make you work overtime, okay?"
Ivanov pleaded pitifully, "5 o'clock, not a minute late."
Wang Xiao smiled and nodded, then helped him straighten the collar of his coat: "Okay, 5 o'clock, I'll pick you up at 5 o'clock."
Chen Jingjing needed a translator to understand her cousin and Mr. Ivanov's conversation. Well, she couldn't call him her cousin's husband, because her mother said there was no reason for the woman to be the one to make the first move and then rush into it.
Sigh, actually, even without her mother's words, she felt she couldn't bring herself to call him "brother-in-law".
Look at how these two are interacting. Do you think it's the wife seeing her husband off to work, or the mother taking the child to kindergarten?
She thought this way and secretly told her mother. She had never seen her parents like this before, nor had she ever seen her aunt and uncle like this.
Qian Xuemei glared at her daughter and warned in a low voice, "Shut up! What do you know? One monkey has one way to be chained up."
No matter how outrageous the thing is, as long as the person accepts it and has no objections, then there's no problem.
Ivanov not only accepted it, but enjoyed it, and even wanted to push his luck.
When Wang Xiao saw him off to his car, he stared at her intently, using all his strength to express his grievance: "Aren't you coming with me?"
If it weren't for the fact that Moscow winters are so cold that it takes nearly half an hour just to warm up the engine, his chin would be frozen and sticky against the car window, and he would definitely give a Gao Wen-style aggrieved JPG.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiao simply bent down, kissed him, and coaxed, "You can do it, it's okay, go ahead."
When he arrived at the White House, Punonin personally came downstairs to greet him, and his first words were: "Why are you alone? Didn't the King come with you?"
The grumpiness at work was even more intense than the grumpiness upon waking up. Ivanov gave him a sullen look, completely annoyed: "Aren't you going to talk nonsense? When is the King coming to the White House?"
Punonin warned him, "Ivan, watch your attitude. I'm doing this for you."
She even had a long face towards him!
Ivanov snorted through his nostrils: "If it were simply for my sake, you wouldn't have dragged me to the White House."
What kind of classified documents can't be taken to a private residence? That's ridiculous!
Punonin was speechless, this was probably the intuition of a slacker. Because they don't like to think, their intuition is often surprisingly accurate, and that's how they survive.
"Alright, alright." Punonin was too lazy to argue with him and took the initiative to make peace. "Hurry up, Mr. Chernomorkin is still waiting for you."
Ivanov exclaimed in surprise, "What are you trying to do? Why are you alarming our Prime Minister? God, you shouldn't be doing this!"
What is an intelligence agency? Because the KGB is comparable to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it has no connection with civil or military officials, and its loyalty is directly to the emperor.
Therefore, direct contact between the prime minister's department and the intelligence department, which the president is wary of, is actually a very sensitive matter in Moscow.
Punonin spread his hands, making a "calm down" gesture: "Alright, don't be nervous. Mr. Chernomyrdin didn't avoid it, so he must have his reasons. Good heavens! It's not that sensitive. This could involve a major change in Russia's industrial landscape. If the Prime Minister doesn't participate, it simply can't proceed."
Before Ivanov could even process what was happening, he followed the others into the small conference room next to the Prime Minister's office.
There sat a man wearing glasses, with gray hair, who looked like a university professor and was around 50 years old.
He seemed to be deep in thought, but when he saw Ivanov and Punonin enter, he quickly stood up, shook hands with them, and introduced himself as Konstantin Secherov, from the Russian Federal Security Service.
He didn't mention his specific position, and Ivanov didn't press him for details. He simply nodded and, while shaking hands, said, "Thank you for your hard work, sir."
When Secherov smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were as fine as the impenetrable frost of a Russian winter. His voice was quite gentle, sounding more like that of a university professor: "It's what I should do."
It took Chernomyrdin five minutes to sign a document, then he turned and went into the conference room, nodded to everyone, and officially began today's meeting.
“Alright, gentlemen,” Pronin began as the intermediary, “now please take a look at the documents in your hands.”
This specifically refers to Ivanov, because Prime Minister Chernomyrdin had obviously already seen it, otherwise he wouldn't have called him over from his home.
Ivanov quickly glanced through the documents and found that it was a rather detailed report on the future direction of Russia's military industry and technological development.
He frowned instinctively, looked up at Punonin, and said with a veiled meaning, "Vlamikil, are you sure I should get involved in this?"
He said this because, previously, on the issue of aircraft carrier technology cooperation, as a high-ranking official—though not a high-ranking military official—he strongly recommended that Russia accept the cooperation proposal with China at the highest-level meeting in order to achieve the maintenance and upgrade of the "Kuznetsov" aircraft carrier.
In the end, however, his suggestion was rejected, which drew the ire of the military and left him humiliated.
Punonin naturally knew the whole story, and he had even heard Ivanov's various complaints to him after the meeting.
Frankly, while Punonin didn't agree with cooperating with China on aircraft carrier technology—because it was clearly a one-sided technology transfer—he also agreed with Ivan's point that the "Kuznetsov" aircraft carrier couldn't just sit there as a mascot; its problems needed to be resolved as soon as possible.
The collapse of the Soviet Union was as sudden as the delivery of the "Kuznetsov," which lacked any real integration between the military (the users) and the shipyard's engineering team. Simply put, problems were discovered during its use, requiring adjustments and solutions from the shipyard.
This is crucial for aircraft carriers.
Because of the lack of this crucial link, the Kuznetsov almost broke down at sea and became immobile on its way back to Russia in 1991.
Later, in 1995 and 1996, during its deployment in the Mediterranean, one of its main boilers malfunctioned, causing a sharp drop in maximum speed.
After that, it became known in the media as the "black smoke monster," and every time it was brought out, it became a laughing stock.
If Russia doesn't want to become a complete laughingstock, it really can't just sit idly by; it has to take action quickly.
However, the complex relationships involved not only included international relations but also internal factional struggles, conflicts between the government and the military, and so on. This made it impossible for Punonin, who had good relations with both the military and the government, to coordinate.
So now, when Ivanov's words were veiled and contained sarcasm, Punonin could only reassure him by emphasizing, "Ivanov, if you don't look, who will? Military production is also part of industrial production and requires overall planning."
Prime Minister Chernomyrdin also chimed in, playing the peacemaker: "Ivan, you should not only look, but look closely. We are undergoing industrial reforms, which will allow us to integrate the two."
He had read the entire document, and his biggest takeaway was similar to when he learned that Wang Xiao had smuggled a large amount of South Korean industrial technology into Russia.
That is, Russia has so many intelligent people who think about issues so comprehensively, so deeply, and so realistically.
Ironically, those in high positions often act like fools, knowing absolutely nothing.
Yes, when he praised Wang Xiao to Ivanov, he couldn't help but think—didn't any of these Russians consider these issues? No, absolutely not.
They simply fulfill their duties in their positions, and those who think about it are unwilling to overstep their bounds, do the work for their superiors and leaders, and then make themselves work overtime.
It's better to avoid trouble; nobody wants to add to their workload, especially in times when even getting a salary is difficult.
Now this report is in front of him, detailed and full of data, it is obvious that it could not have been produced in just a few days.
Its author must have spent an unknown amount of time analyzing and expended considerable effort collecting information and verifying data before finally having a clear vision and completing the work in one go.
If it hadn't been requested by higher-ups, this report probably would never have been written. Even if it had been written, it would have been kept secret and never submitted. Even if it had been submitted, it wouldn't have been taken seriously by superiors, and it certainly wouldn't have reached the Premier's desk.
Ivanov was still hurriedly reading the report, the words forming phrases imprinted on his retina—information asymmetry, hidden channels, and precise digging into specific technical fields.
This is an advantage that KGB possesses.
Their target was small and medium-sized European technology companies with military potential that had not received sufficient attention from mainstream capital markets due to their small size or financial difficulties.
Indeed, compared to the powerful and unified United States, the report argues that small and medium-sized technology companies in Europe are more worthy of being explored.
Because the latter is a disorganized mess, even though the EU has been established, its members are all sovereign and independent, and no one can overwhelmingly act as the leader. As a result, no one is willing to submit to anyone else, and it is almost impossible to establish a unified standard.
In such chaos, the collection of technological intelligence becomes much easier.
For example, companies in Germany's "hidden champions" or French professional laboratories that focus on precision optics, special metal processing, industrial software underlying algorithms, and image recognition technologies deserve close attention.
These technologies are essentially dual-use technologies, but because of their enormous civilian value, they have not yet triggered strict security reviews.
Using ostensibly compliant commercial companies established in countries like the UK and France as the acquisition vehicle can effectively downplay the geopolitical nature of the transaction and circumvent censorship mechanisms.
Transactions can be conducted through multi-layered offshore company structures, making it difficult to trace the ultimate source of funds and the actual controller.
The report also specifically mentioned that, amidst the chaos caused by widespread capital flight from Russia during the current financial crisis, such covert capital flows make this operation more convenient.
Ivanov almost burst out laughing when he saw this.
Oh God! The government's current $200 billion debt is utterly insignificant compared to the massive capital flight.
He continued scrolling down, and the technologies mentioned in the document were indeed areas where Russia was currently lacking.
For example, industrial automation and precision manufacturing, optoelectronics and advanced instruments, internet and communication technologies, and aerospace and new materials.
Of these, he focused on the first three.
Industrial automation and precision manufacturing are the cornerstones of modern industry. Many small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany and Switzerland have expertise in linear motors, position control, human-machine interfaces, and safety systems.
Optical lens design, laser technology, and high-precision measuring instruments are prerequisite technologies for many high-tech industries.
Non-core but highly technological business units under traditional optical giants such as Zeiss and Leica, or small companies with unique expertise in specific niche areas, are more likely to yield value once you pay attention to them.
Ivanov's gaze lingered on this passage for a long time.
He recalled that before he came to the White House, when he and Wang came to discuss lithography machines, they specifically mentioned the German company Zeiss.
To this end, the government of Liangjiang Province even went to East Germany to look for unemployed former East German Zeiss technicians and offered them high salaries.
As a result, the two provinces of Jiangdong and Jiangbei almost came to blows.
This kind of eager energy is truly enviable.
Ivanov then looked further down into the area of internet and communication technology, which he himself had started a computer company in, so he naturally paid special attention to it.
The report recommends focusing on European startups with key patents but tight funding, or on underdeveloped technology projects being incubated by large telecom equipment manufacturers such as Siemens and Alcatel that have not yet received sufficient attention.
He agreed with this view.
In this section, Punonin and Ivanov differ; the former focuses more on communication encryption technology.
As is widely known, Chechen leader Dzhokhar Dudayev was targeted and then killed while making a satellite phone call.
However, what is not widely known or not well known is that the Russian military's communication and command system is also quite poor and urgently needs to be upgraded. Otherwise, the next person to be bombed while holding a satellite phone could very well be one of their own Russian commanders.
As for the final aerospace and new materials, Ivanov only briefly touched on targets such as "flight control software, manufacturing processes for lightweight composite materials, and specific subsystems of aircraft engines."
Although he owns an airline, this military industry sector is a highly valued and exclusive territory of the Russian military, practically a forbidden domain. They would never allow him to get his hands on it, and he had no reason to bother with it.
He read it from beginning to end, nodded, and gave his initial conclusion: "I agree. If a report is required, I will sign it."
As times change, intelligence work in the post-Cold War era of technological competition has evolved from simple espionage to a comprehensive, unrestricted warfare that integrates national strategy, financial capital, commercial cover, and talent competition.
Indeed, it cannot be an upgrade done in isolation, but rather a national-level plan.
Punonin was not satisfied with his conciseness and urged, "Say more, be more detailed. We need to come up with a detailed plan for the follow-up work."
Ivanov shrugged: "What do you want me to say? The next challenge is technology integration and value realization. How to effectively integrate technologies scattered across different countries and companies and ultimately transform them into usable products is a huge management challenge."
Punoning's gaze deepened as he gritted his teeth inwardly, thinking, "Isn't this obvious?"
He wanted Wang to come because she was good at integrating resources.
However, he also knew that this level of secrecy was indeed not something Wang should touch.
Ivanov also cautioned: "Another challenge is that while we can spend a lot of money to recruit top talent, how to integrate these top talents into the new work environment and management system, and retain them long-term to ensure that the technology is truly absorbed rather than just a short-term stay, also tests the wisdom of management."
This is precisely where the sadness lies.
It is universally acknowledged that Russia has been poor at governance since the Soviet era.
Otherwise, how could a country with a large number of science and engineering talents, which even the United States envies, gradually destroy its own industry?
Even Prime Minister Chernomyrdin was having a headache.
“No, sir, you’ve overlooked something, the most crucial point.” The security official, Secherov, who had remained silent and merely a background figure, suddenly spoke up. “Stability, a stable plan, like the original five-year plan, a plan that must be pushed forward. It’s a grand undertaking, not something that can be accomplished overnight.”
He let out a painful sigh, “We’ve always been chasing Western technology, but we can never catch up. We’re always just one step behind because we always fantasize about achieving it all at once and then being able to rest easy. But as it turns out, that’s absolutely impossible. Intelligence can be sent back again and again, but industrial production also requires repeated investment. Otherwise, we’ll be left behind again the moment we get close.”
He shook his head and said, "If we can't achieve stability and push things forward steadily, then please don't start it. It's pointless, utterly meaningless. It will only waste resources and manpower."
It is a plan whose results will not be seen in the short term. Perhaps it will take ten or twenty years before people can see the significance of the investment at this moment.
However, the Russian government's characteristic is the establishment of dual institutions and the rotation of cadres. While this can effectively reduce the formation of small cliques, it also eliminates the possibility of any long-term plan being continuously promoted.
Without anyone cultivating the land deeply and without anyone guaranteeing environmental stability, how can we proceed?
The people in the meeting room fell silent.
In fact, in a sense, technology and funding are secondary; personnel issues are always the most complex and untouchable problems.
Prime Minister Chernomyrdin nodded, his tone gentle: "Mr. Sechelov, thank you for your reminder. We will take it to heart. Please believe that we will do our utmost to ensure that no one among us, who loves Russia and has sacrificed for the motherland, is disappointed."
After looking at so much information and talking for so long, everyone needs a break and a mental refresh.
Punonin and Secherov still had things to say, while Ivanov went with Prime Minister Chernomyrdin to have milk tea, which the Prime Minister had specially prepared for him—jasmine milk tea.
As soon as Ivanov arrived at the office and picked up his milk tea cup, Chernomyrdin looked at him seriously and said, "Ivanov, do you want to run for president? That would be the best way to ensure that this plan can be implemented."
Ivanov was lucky he hadn't started drinking yet, otherwise he would have definitely choked.
His eyes widened as he stared at Chernomyrdin in disbelief, and a sigh escaped his very soul: “Oh God, you are a highly respected gentleman, always so thoughtful, how could you joke with Chubais and the others? It’s not like you, sir, it really isn’t.”
He looked at him with suspicion. "Besides, don't you think you're more suited to run for president?"
Sixty is the perfect age to take risks. His Excellency the Prime Minister has rich political experience and good interpersonal relationships, so he has a very high chance of winning the election.
Chernomyrdin shook his head: "No, Ivan, that's absolutely impossible. The Kremlin would never allow it, and I've always been very clear about that."
Ivanov couldn't understand: "God, I don't understand why it's not working? Look, your work is very effective. Under your leadership, economic reforms have yielded results, and our industry and agriculture are recovering production."
In 1996, he said he couldn't do it, but Ivanov could accept it.
Because the economic situation back then was a complete mess, just like before, but things are different now. Everything is improving, or at least not getting any worse.
Chernomyrdin shook his head and let out a long sigh: "I've been prime minister for six years, that's too long, you understand?"
Ivanov fell silent.
Just as Secherov worried in the meeting room, no official in Russia can stay in office for long, especially those in the central government.
Their president is very sensitive to power, and he devotes most of his energy to the balance of power, which is how he ensures that he keeps all the power in his hands.
Among the top central leaders, Prime Minister Chernomyrdin was the only exception.
Perhaps it was because of his mild-mannered personality that he was so well-suited to cleaning up messes that, in the years leading up to the repeated failures of financial reforms, the president had to reluctantly allow him to continue serving as prime minister, otherwise, it could easily cause even greater turmoil.
Chernomyrdin was still sighing, a wry smile on his face: "Besides, I am a mild-mannered person with little personality, and I am not suitable to be the leader of Russia. Russia needs a strong and tough leader."
Ivanov had heard similar things before.
Legend has it that the president and prime minister met in 1985. The former's first impression of the latter was that he was mild-mannered and lacked personality, which is why the president never liked the prime minister.
Ivanov shook his head: "No, sir, you should not belittle yourself."
Chernomyrdin did not continue to refute him, but just kept shaking his head, and finally sighed, "Please think it over carefully, Ivan. I hope you can seriously consider running for office."
A president who emerges from the White House is more suitable for him than someone chosen by the Kremlin itself.
This means that their plans can continue even after the millennium elections are over.
Ivanov shook his head: "No, sir, there's always a way to solve this."
By evening, when the White House's normal working hours ended and they left the conference room, they hadn't reached a conclusion. Everyone focused their energy on which technologies were worth pursuing in depth.
If we can't solve the big picture, we should at least solve the small problems.
Ivanov stepped out the door, and as he went down the stairs, he suddenly turned to look at Punonin: "I keep my word, and I never go back on my promises."
He finally understood why this guy insisted on bringing him to the White House today: because Punonin wanted to use this opportunity to gain Chernomyrdin's support.
The three people who devised the plan were Ivanov, who was unwilling to run for office, and Chernomyrdin, who knew he would not be favored by the president. So, who was the one who could ultimately ensure that the plan was carried out?
Only Punonin remains.
To advance the plan, Chernomyrdin should also support Punonin.
The tax police major general sighed inwardly. After all, he had been the first deputy prime minister for a year and a half, and even Ivan, the little brother who used to follow him, had learned to be astute.
He smiled and said, "Of course, I have always trusted you completely."
After going downstairs and walking to the parking lot, he saw Wang Xiao waiting there and waved to him.
He thought to himself that he was no longer envious.
He once greatly envied Ivan and hoped to have a partner who could keep pace with him and even guide him.
This will save you a lot of trouble.
But now he realizes, why would someone who can truly keep pace with you sacrifice their future for you?
The only reason he could imagine Wang Xiao was willing to sacrifice herself to become the First Lady was that she hoped to gain more political capital so that she could become president herself in the future.
But she happens to be a Chinese, a genuine Chinese.
Russians might be able to accept that their First Lady is Chinese, but they would absolutely never elect a Chinese person to the presidency.
That path is blocked; she really has no hope of becoming the First Lady.
Punoning nodded to Wang Xiao, bent down, and got into the car.
He thought he had good judgment; Lydia had her own merits.
As the car door closed, Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Our Major General looks quite different now."
Ivanov laughed and sighed, "He's a real politician now."
Wang Xiao nodded in agreement: "That's a good thing."
Because of Ivan's sudden rise to prominence, Punonin, who was once considered a leading presidential candidate in the second half of 1995, is now rarely mentioned in the media.
Whether it's Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, Moscow Mayor Luzhkov, or even Gennady Zyuganov, the former leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation who once failed to win, all of them have a higher popularity than him.
If he doesn't have enough skills, how will he fight his way out of the presidential election in the new millennium?
Ivanov sighed again and turned to ask her, "How was today? Has Meiguang made any moves?"
Wang Xiao laughed out loud: "Micron is indeed short of money."
If they weren't short of money, they wouldn't need to go through all this trouble.
In order to secure this $300 million investment, it embarked on a series of steps to launder the reputation of its investors.
Doesn't the consortium represented by Zhou Liang have Hong Kong capital behind it? Easy, just move it to the Cayman Islands and set up multiple multi-layered holding companies.
Before and after Hong Kong's return to China, many Hong Kong companies did this, and some people even obtained British citizenship directly.
Micron actively planned to package the final investment entity as an international, market-oriented, purely financial investment fund.
It even helped to connect the fund's management with well-known bankers or former politicians with Western backgrounds to dilute its potential geopolitical affiliation.
Furthermore, in terms of public information, it ensures that the fund is managed by an independent investment committee and emphasizes that its investments are purely financial in nature, and that it does not seek board seats, participate in technical management, or obtain non-public technical information.
Wang Xiao laughed as she spoke, finding it very amusing.
What's so bad about undermining socialism? Capitalists are the kind of people who would sell their own rope to hang themselves as long as they can make money.
Once the money is in place, they can wield their shovels faster than anyone else when it comes to undermining capitalism.
Ivanov asked doubtfully, "Can it succeed?"
Sometimes his keen insight into the United States left him speechless.
Wang Xiao smiled and shook his head: "I don't know."
But she knew that after all this trouble, she was already in a very bad mood.
She decided to do something wicked and cause trouble for the US president.
What trouble? Of course, it's not the trouble she created, but the trouble of the president not being able to control his own crotch.
In 1998, besides the financial crisis, another event that attracted the world's attention was the infamous White House sex scandal.
The fact that the President of the United States had an affair with a young White House intern has caused a global uproar.
In January, the president swore that he had lied openly in court: "I have no relationship with that woman."
Wang Xiao's reaction to this was just one word: "Pah!"
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Sorry, I thought about it and finished writing this part anyway, which took up too much time. [poor thing]
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