Xu Zhongyi's Achievements in the Far East

It's September again, another golden autumn.

Zhao Ping'an stood on the banks of the Songhua River in Harbin, watching the pedestrians coming and going on the street.

A blonde, blue-eyed Russian woman pushed a stroller past, but the child inside had black hair.

A Chinese man in a Zhongshan suit rode by on a bicycle, the bells jingling as he passed by, with a Russian girl in a dress sitting on the back.

The roadside vendors called out in broken Russian, occasionally throwing in a few words of Northeastern dialect, which both sides could understand.

Zhao Pingan turned his head and looked at Xu Zhongyi beside him.

"Comrade Xu, it seems your work has been quite successful."

Xu Zhongyi smiled and waved his hand: "Sir, this was all part of your plan; I was just carrying it out."

Zhao Pingan patted Lao Xu on the shoulder and pointed at Xu Zhongyi with his finger.

"Comrade Xu Zhongyi, you are too modest. I heard from Lao Xu that you have infiltrated the military regions and administrative commanders of the Red Empire in the Far East."

This achievement is unparalleled in the entire Northeast.

Zhao Pingan paused for a moment, then smiled and continued to joke.

"Your former role as a lowly shopkeeper in the Military Intelligence Bureau should have been upgraded to at least the Grand Administrator of the Far East by now, right?"

Xu Zhongyi quickly waved his hand: "No, no, please don't say that, sir."

He straightened his expression and said earnestly, "Sir, to be honest, it's all because of the quality of domestic products that we have them. You wouldn't believe it—"

He started counting on his fingers.

"The clothes, shoes, and all kinds of daily necessities in our country, from large items like televisions, refrigerators, and air conditioners to small items like radios, flashlights, thermos flasks, and watches, and even sewing machines... these are things that they simply cannot manufacture over there."

Zhao Ping'an nodded and walked forward with Lao Xu.

Xu Zhongyi followed beside him and continued speaking.

"And then there's the greenhouse technology we're promoting. Just think how cold it is there in winter!"

Let alone having vegetables to eat in winter, they can't even grow them in summer!

As a result, when we went there, we found that the scenery changed every season, and we had everything we wanted, all thanks to the hard work of our farmers.

Xu Zhongyi lowered his voice, a hint of a smile in it:

"Boss, let me tell you something interesting. Recently, there's been a rumor circulating in Moscow, in the European part of the country—people are coming to the Far East to find good husbands."

Zhao Ping'an paused for a moment.

Xu Zhongyi smiled and said, "Our workers and farmers earn money and take care of their families. They don't drink excessively, they don't beat their wives, and a small number of them can even cook very well."

Take a look at the kind of people they send to the Far East. They're thugs, prisoners, and all sorts of bad habits.

Compared to our working-class brothers and peasants, they are nothing but shortcomings.

Xu Zhongyi moved closer.

"Moreover, the policy you offered, leader, is excellent. They work normally, but only receive half their salary, with the other half going to the layers of management above them."

Once someone marries us, they get a full salary, a full set of work clothes, and even the same cafeteria meals as us. You have no idea how many brothers have found wives just by using a cafeteria card!

Zhao Ping'an found it both funny and exasperating.

"As expected, the driving force for humanity has always been having enough to eat and wear."

Xu Zhongyi then continued:

"And then there are the leaders! Some of our grassroots cadres and workers who are single have come to me asking what to do."

I gave them two ideas—our clothes are cheap, so we can give them one away occasionally;

And then there are our daily chemical products, like face cream, shampoo, soap, perfume, and hand cream, which we occasionally give away as gifts. And you know what? They're incredibly effective! Especially the face cream and hand cream—everyone here is scrambling to buy them after autumn arrives!"

……

The group walked slowly along the riverbank, a cool breeze blowing by.

Zhao Ping'an ended the casual conversation, "So, how's the plan going? How's it progressing?"

Xu Zhongyi straightened his expression and began to report.

"Leader, we have already dispatched 1.21 million male comrades to the Far East region. At the same time, we have received approximately 1.9 million female workers."

He paused, his tone filled with pride.

"Among the male comrades we sent there, 500,000 have already married local Russian women."

Of the Russian women who come to work here, nearly two-thirds, or 110 million, have married and settled down, though most are concentrated in areas north of Harbin.

Zhao Ping'an paused for a moment.

Xu Zhongyi continued, "In just over two years, the population of the Far East region opposite has increased by nearly three million—1.7 million Russian women of working age, plus 1.2 million of our male laborers. Their local leaders and military commanders are very satisfied, feeling that they have completed the task assigned to them."

He lowered his voice, a hint of pride in it: "Boss, your plan is incredibly visionary."

In our eyes, only children whose father is Chinese are considered "ours"; but in their eyes, regardless of gender, as long as one parent is Russian, the child is considered "theirs." This blind spot is exactly what we need.

He pointed to the women pushing strollers on the street.

"Look at those children, black hair, black eyes. When they grow up, they'll speak Mandarin and recognize Chinese characters. I think those officials will never imagine who they'll side with!"

"That was somewhat expected, but I didn't expect you to finish so quickly and so well," Zhao Ping'an affirmed Xu Zhongyi's work.

Xu Zhongyi resumed his smiling demeanor, "Boss, to be honest, Chinese is now the common language in the Far East. Although those Russians don't speak it very well, and not many know it, everyone can say a few words. After all, you have to come here to buy things, and if they don't understand Chinese, we're really ripping them off!"

"Huh? Overcharging tourists?" Zhao Ping'an was taken aback, then realized what was going on. "Comrade Xu, Comrade Xu, this idea of ​​yours..."

Seeing that Zhao Ping'an didn't blame him, Xu Zhongyi continued to answer with a smile.

"Really. And the local leaders there even support this."

They felt that the sudden increase of three million people in their jurisdiction would generate enormous resources and benefits.

Although most of it needs to be shipped back to China for processing before being sold abroad, they have the advantage of being geographically close, and their lives have improved significantly in all aspects, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

"What used to be a harsh and cold place is now a place of enjoyment for them."

Zhao Pingan asked, "What's the attitude of their leaders over there?"

Xu Zhongyi said, "I support it. I strongly support it. Their top leaders and cadres already have enough meat, and they crave vegetables even more."

It turns out that all they could make was potatoes, which is why beef with potatoes is so popular.

But once our workers and farmers arrived and built greenhouses, the vegetables were incredibly fresh all year round.

This is more effective at relieving their itch than meat.

He paused, then added:

"By the way, they don't drink vodka over there anymore; they drink our baijiu now. Especially Fenjiu from Shanxi; they think that has a better flavor."

Zhao Ping'an's lips twitched involuntarily; this was probably also "cultivated" by Xu Zhongyi.

The group walked to an intersection and stopped.

There were long queues in front of the shops across the street.

The shop was filled with Russian women, each holding various tickets and coupons, waiting to buy things. The shop sign was written in Russian, with the words "Friendship Shop" written in Chinese below.

Xu Zhongyi pointed over there and said, "That's specially supplied to them. They need ration coupons to buy our goods. The coupons they receive each month are enough for them to live better than the middle class in Moscow."

Zhao Ping'an watched for a while and found it interesting. The rationing system, which he had vehemently opposed and had gone to great lengths to provide high-yield seeds and develop various industries for, was now appearing in a different form.

"And what about those officials?"

Xu Zhongyi said, "It's even simpler. We just deliver them. We send our TVs, radios, and refrigerators to their homes. At first, they put on airs, but later they found that their colleagues who didn't put on airs were living more comfortably, so they stopped putting on airs."

He smiled and said, "Sir, to be honest, the military and administrative leaders in the Far East are now closer to us than they are to Moscow. They consult with us first when there's something to discuss."

"Old Xu, Comrade Xu Zhongyi's assignment here has been incredibly useful," Zhao Ping'an praised Xu Zhongyi to Old Xu.

"Haha, Comrade Ping An, how about it? The person I recommended back then, not bad, right?" Old Xu joked as well. Although the two of them only see each other a few times a year now, their relationship has become closer as various tasks have been carried out.

Zhao Pingan gestured for Xu Zhongyi to continue his report.

Xu Zhongyi spoke again

"They know in their hearts that Moscow can't afford to care about them."

Food, supplies, and daily necessities all depend on us.

They give them orders over there; we give them real, tangible life.

Zhao Ping'an nodded and asked, "How are those women who married into the family doing?"

Xu Zhongyi thought for a moment and said:

"At first, some people found it difficult to get used to it, due to language barriers and different lifestyles."

But things got much better over time. Our brothers don't hit or curse anymore, they give all their earnings to their families, and they go straight home after work. They gradually became more at ease.

He pointed to the women pushing strollers on the street.

"Sir, look at them, are they smiling?"

Zhao Ping'an looked over.

The women walked in twos and threes, some looking down at their children, others chatting and laughing with those around them. The sunlight shone on their faces, and they were indeed smiling.

He looked back.

"What are your plans for the next step?"

Xu Zhongyi said, "Continue. Your plan of 1.2 million is far from enough."

The Far East is sparsely populated; even if you squeeze in another two million, it would still be big enough.

Once people move there, it will gradually become ours.

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

In the evening, Zhao Pingan boarded the special train back to Beijing.

Xu Zhongyi escorted him to the platform.

Zhao Ping'an gave instructions

"Comrade Xu, keep a close eye on things in the Far East."

Xu Zhongyi stood up straight and nodded.

Zhao Pingan added, "Those women who have married into the family, have the servants take good care of them."

Don't bully them, don't let them suffer. Have faith in the power of our culture, and in the improvement of our living standards brought about by our industrial progress.

Take your time, no rush. I'm very patient. I'm only 27 this year, and I believe I'll definitely achieve my plan by the time I'm 60...

Xu Zhongyi said, "Commander, I understand. Don't worry."

The special train slowly started moving.

Zhao Pingan leaned back in his seat.

I recall what Xu Zhongyi said—1.2 million people, 500,000 marriages, 3 million new residents, Mandarin Chinese has become the common language, and local officials have all been infiltrated.

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind:

Later, when those children with black hair and black eyes grow up, they will be able to speak Chinese, recognize Chinese characters, and know that they are Chinese, even though the household registration book of the Red Empire still says that they are citizens of the Empire.

But what if the empire is gone? Then who will own the Far East?