Chapter 61 - 61 Return to Soviet Union_l
Toothpaste, laundry detergent, small household appliances, refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, air conditioners, clothes, food and grains — these were the items that Nie Zhenbang had managed to produce in various light industry factories nationwide over the course of a month, thanks to his old man’s connections.
A whole trainload of goods, gathered from all over the country and then stationed in Jingcheng. Under the old man’s order, the Jingcheng City Military District dispatched troops to attach the sign of a military train, and it slowly started from Jingcheng railway station, bound for Manzhouli deep in the northern desert.
Nie Zhenbang, along with Liu Kun and Long, had also boarded the train to Manzhouli. The train journey took a day and a night. By the time Nie Zhenbang arrived in Manzhouli, it was already daybreak.
As he got off the train, Yuan Xinghua came forward to greet him. Upon seeing Yuan, Nie also quickened his pace. Although in terms of official positions, he was just a civilian who relied on the power of his elders; and in terms of age and relationship, Yuan was his elder. Yuan meeting him was certainly due to this being the first operation between Huaxia and the Soviet Union, but there was also a certain attitude demonstrated by Yuan.
“Uncle Yuan, your actions have put me in a very awkward position.” Nie Zhenbang said, lowering his posture as soon as he started speaking.
The saying that small details matter often determines a person’s fate, perhaps it’s these small details that matter.
Yuan Xinghua also laughed loudly at this moment, patted Nie Zhenbang’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Zhenbang, you’re too polite. Your Uncle Yuan is a soldier. Soldiers don’t care about these formalities. Your Uncle Yuan may be rough, but he truly admires what you’ve done. Otherwise, I would not have given you Long and Tiger – two elite men. Come, rest at my home for a day, we have a lot of things to do tonight. I’ve heard that the military is being frequently mobilized in the Chita region. It seems they are also fully prepared.”
Wee hours of the night
By now, the entire Manzhouli Railway Station had been put under martial law by the Border Defense Ninth Army stationed here. A train slowly came out from within the station. At this moment, the original standard track had been changed to the broader gauge used by the Soviet Union. Since the breakup of
China-soviet relations, this was the first broad gauge train that slowly entered Manzhouli Railway Station’s broad gauge railway.
Next, Nie Zhenbang, Liu Kun and the others who were waiting at the platform immediately followed and boarded the train. A soft sleeper compartment was specially attached behind the locomotive. At the same time, soldiers from the Ninth Army were stationed on every freight car, fully armed, and looking solemn.
At this moment, Yuan Xinghua, in military uniform, watched the train with a serious look and said in a deep voice, “Give my order. Open the broad gauge barrier. Full-scale martial law.”
Although both parties in the transaction were military, under such circumstances, necessary martial law and confidentiality were still essential. First, this is not something glorious. Simply put, this is typical smuggling. It’s just that the smugglers are the officials of Huaxia on one side and high-ranking Soviet officials on the other. Second, at this time, China-soviet relations are in a delicate period. If it becomes known to all, it will not only affect Huaxia’s international reputation and status, but also have some unpredictable effects on between the two countries.
As the train slowly moved, it soon approached the border line. At this moment, the green safety signal light lit up on the other side’s originally tightly closed and blocked tracks. At this moment, on the Soviet side, the perimeter was also full of soldiers.
Seeing the situation outside, Nie Zhenbang nodded in satisfaction. It seems that Alexander Shevchenko and Mikhail were quite experienced in such matters.
As the train entered Soviet territory, it immediately switched to the Soviet code. At this point, from the outside, there was no difference between this train and the ones from the Soviet Union. At the same time, the train slowly headed towards the Chita Train Station. As the train traveled a certain distance, the Soviet military gradually withdrew. They quickly disappeared into the dark night.
Like Huaxia, at this moment, the cargo station in Chita was surrounded by soldiers from the Siberian military region, with the security perimeter being set two kilometers away.
As the train pulled into the station and came to a steady halt, quite a few people were already standing on the platform. A quick sweep of his eyes, and Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but smile, turning to Liu Kun beside him: “Kun, it seems these people are more anxious than us. Every single one of them is here.”
At the front, Mikhail and Gano stood together, and next to them were the two young men Andrei Levski and Alexander Shevchenko. To Nie Zhenbang’s surprise, Li Lixue was also standing there. Tiger, at this moment, was doing his best to stand beside Li Lixue.
As soon as he got off the train, Ganokovich, a little drama king, came up with an exaggerated welcome and gave Nie Zhenbang a firm bear hug. Then he laughed and said, “Nie, my dear brother, you’re finally here. We can hardly wait. In your Huaxia language, we are anxiously looking forward to your arrival. ”
The last idiom he said actually in Mandarin, which made Nie Zhenbang startled. Seeing Nie Zhenbang’s reaction, Ganokovich seemed very proud and laughed: “Ha ha, didn’t expect this, did you? I can speak Chinese now. This is my sister’s achievement in the past month.”
Beside them, Mikhail also came over. Unlike the enthusiastic greeting from
Ganokovich, which was obviously due to the relationship between the Ganokovich and Nie families, Mikhail also had an excited smile on his face. But his behavior was much more restrained than Ganokovich’s.
Similarly, Mikhail began in Mandarin, “Nie, you’re here!”
Then Mikhail continued in Russian: “Nie, according to your plan, the first batch of the deal. We have prepared a million dollars’ worth of weapons for you. Among them, there are a total of 50 ,ooo AK-47 automatic assault rifles. Each gun comes with 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Moreover, we have also prepared RPG-7 40mm individual rocket launchers, as well as RPG-18 64mm rocket launchers, as well as the corresponding shells. The estimated value is neither more nor less.”
This being their first trade, it was unrealistic to ask these people, who hadn’t yet tasted the sweetness of making money or really gotten their feet wet, to deal with tanks, planes or even aircraft carriers. Rubles weren’t even worth mentioning; these people were basically penniless. Where would they get any rubles? The most they could manage were these items. Given the status of Andrei Levski’s grandfather, obtaining these weapons was not a problem for them. Even if the military factories were out, they could easily justify a batch being lost due to standard wear and tear by the Siberian military region.
“Well done, guys, you have exceeded my expectations. The entire train is filled with goods worth a million dollars. There are clothes, food, electric appliances, daily necessities, anything one can ask for. These items are in high demand in the Soviet Union right now. I believe, after these goods are transported to Moscow, you will make tens of millions of dollars in profit overnight. Guys, do we have any wine here? Let’s celebrate our success with the fiery spirit of vodka.” At this moment, Nie Zhenbang didn’t care how cheesy his words sounded. He was like a ponzi scheme salesman, trying to stimulate the profit-seeking cells in these men’s brains.
Ganokovich quickly brought a bottle of vodka in from the station. Everyone poured a glass and raised them high, shouting in unison, “Ura! Ura!!”
At this point, the two trains had finished switching engines. Nie Zhenbang’s soft sleeper car was attached to the armament train. Seeing Nie Zhenbang’s private car,
Mikhail’s eyes lit up, and he laughed, “Nie, you really know how to enjoy life. I believe, next time we come, we will certainly have our own private car as well.”
Nie Zhenbang also laughed, waving his finger and said, “No, Mikhail, you should have full confidence in yourself. I believe, we are not far from having our own private jet in the future. Isn’t it?”
After the first trade, naturally, they agreed on the next trade time. However, next time, what Nie Zhenbang would need is not just weapons. Half of it would be cash.
After a brief exchange, both parties knew this was not the time for mere pleasantries, they got on the train with a tacit understanding. Naturally, Li Lixue also joined Nie Zhenbang on the return train.
Once on the train, Li Lixue took out a folder from her bag and handed it to Nie Zhenbang: “Master Nie, this is the record of the transaction. Four hundred million Rubles have all been exchanged for US dollars. Apart from the two hundred million US dollars deposited into that account at the Swiss Bank, the rest, as per your instruction, I have opened a secret account for you in the Swiss bank, and the remaining one hundred thirty million is all there.”
At this moment, Li Lixue looked up at Nie Zhenbang and said: “Master Nie, I have a favor to ask from you.. May I?”