Chapter 552
Tripping Others
Chapter 552 Tripping Others (4000 words)
Lin Xiaohe and Colonel Ivanov agreed that Lin would first provide 1000 prototypes for a three-month trial period. If the prototypes performed well, the colonel would place an order for 5000 more.
As they left the building, the security guard scoffed, "Only 5000 orders? That's less than a county in China."
Lin Xiaohe still rode in Andrei's car: "What we need is the endorsement of the Russian military. Only with that can we enter the market."
The black Volga sped along the muddy roads of Moscow.
The five high-rise buildings of the Ant Hotel are right in front of you.
Andrei slammed on the brakes, stopping at the doorway: "Lin, if you were me, what would you do?"
Lin Xiaohe already knew that Andrei had been a KGB agent.
The 90s were the darkest period for the KGB, with nearly 50 people across the system facing unemployment or career changes.
Many KGB agents were forced to become taxi drivers, street vendors, or even bodyguards.
Institutionally, the KGB was dismantled into several independent agencies, including the Federal Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service.
It can be said that the KGB officers, who once had a strong sense of faith and professional identity, faced both economic pressure and the collapse of their sense of values.
Looking at Andrei, Lin Xiaohe recalled a KGB agent who had saved the life of the Soviet Union: "The large-scale privatization in the Soviet Union has become a feast for state-owned assets. The new elites, represented by the seven oligarchs, have monopolized the country's core wealth, such as oil and natural gas, through speculation and acquisitions, and have even directly interfered in politics. Preliminary estimates suggest that the losses from the privatization of state-owned assets have reached 9,000 trillion rubles so far, equivalent to 2.5 times the losses from World War II."
Upon hearing this, Andrei's eyes darkened, becoming as deep as an abyss.
Lin Xiaohe's words whispered in his ear, like a devil's whisper: "I know you can't stand these things. But shock therapy is just another way of waiting to die. If you want to change the status quo, you should do what I did and find a way to get into the center of power. Only when you have power can you regain your former glory."
Lin Xiaohe tore off a piece of paper and wrote a name and address on it: "Go find him. He was a KGB agent, just like you. I think you two will get along."
Andrei took the note.
Putin, a government employee in St. Petersburg.
Lin Xiaohe advised, "I remember you graduated with a law degree. Hmm, he needs your help right now. Last month, someone accused him of illegally issuing non-ferrous metal export licenses in exchange for food imports. It's a major crisis for him, but an opportunity for you."
Andrei clenched the note, staring intently at Lin Xiaohe: "What do you want?"
A layer of fog rose from the car window, and the hotel's colored lights shone in, creating a hazy effect.
Lin Xiaohe drew a five-pointed star on the car window with her finger: "If you want your country's market to open up to us, you'll occasionally need some preferential policies. And we will do our best to provide you with assistance, money, supplies, and valuable information."
“You don’t have to pay a high price, and your country doesn’t need to either. We are not as greedy as the oligarchs and the West, because our underlying color is red.”
……
As expected, Andrei resigned.
Lin Xiaohe notified Changhong Factory to ship 1000 prototype machines to Russia.
For their first transaction, to ensure everything went smoothly, the old factory manager was willing to spend more money to contact a freight forwarding company.
Freight forwarding companies have extensive experience in customs clearance and can minimize unexpected events.
"Factory manager, a female speculator named Xiao Ye wants to see you."
Lin Xiaohe raised an eyebrow. Xiao Ye?
The first image that flashed into her mind was a gentle and delicate face: "She..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Xiaohe received a phone call.
The call was coming from the Gulf of Finland; it was from the Russian manager of the freight forwarding company, and he sounded very anxious.
"Ms. Lin, your goods have been seized."
Lin Xiaohe held the microphone but didn't speak.
"Customs said the paperwork was incomplete, but we followed all the procedures exactly. We've done this more than a dozen times before without any problems. This time, a new customs officer said there was a problem with the classification of our goods and we need to resubmit them."
Xiao Dong, standing nearby, grew anxious: "Resubmit? How long will that take?"
The freight forwarding manager paused for a moment: "It's hard to say. It could be as quick as a month, or as slow as... three months is also possible."
After hanging up the phone, Xiaodong punched the wall.
"Director Lin, this is aimed at us! Everything was fine before, why did they have to change customs officers now?"
Lin Xiaohe scoffed.
Faced with such a distressing situation, Lin Xiaohe naturally had no time to see Xiao Ye: "Tell her to come another day."
Changhong Factory's influence in Russia is less than that of some old-timers.
Lin Xiaohe didn't want to go to Colonel Ivanov over such a small matter.
She knew in her heart that it was most likely the Japanese who were behind it.
With a clear direction for the investigation, the truth quickly came to light.
“Someone from the General Administration of Customs made a call,” Ivan said angrily. “A few days ago, people from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) treated several deputy directors of the Customs to dinner. The dinner was at a hunting ground outside Moscow. They hunted all day, and in the evening, girls accompanied them.”
Xiao Dong gritted his teeth in anger: "Those little devils, they really have a long reach!"
Ivan glanced at him and continued, "It's not just customs. The Moscow City Consumer Rights Protection Bureau has also received reports that a batch of Eastern color TVs is about to enter the Russian market, and their quality is questionable, so they are requesting stricter inspections."
Lin Xiaohe flicked her cigarette ash: "Is there any more?"
Ivan paused for a moment, then said, "Jiva is under pressure."
Jiva is the purchasing director of Moscow's largest electronics store and also Colonel Ivanov's mistress.
Out of consideration for her old lover, she originally agreed to set aside an area on the fourth floor of the mall for Changhong's factory to use as a booth.
“Someone went to see her yesterday,” Andrei said. “The Moscow representative from Panasonic and the economic counselor from the Japanese embassy in Russia talked for two hours. After the meeting, Jiva’s secretary called me and said that the shopping mall’s purchasing plan had been adjusted recently, and the things that had been discussed before might need to be re-evaluated.”
Xiao Dong jumped up: "Shameless! They actually managed to get government officials involved!"
Lin Xiaohe raised her hand and gestured for him to sit down.
These days, Ivan has been constantly contacting his old relatives and friends, and has learned a lot of information.
"The Japanese are not as high-profile in Russia as they are in Europe and America. But they have money, connections, and patience. Japanese trading companies entered the country right after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time, Moscow was in a lot of chaos. They were not in a hurry to make money. They made friends first. They invited and gave gifts to people from customs, tax, the Ministry of Economic and Trade, and the municipal government. After three or four years, their network of relationships was already well established."
He paused, looking at Lin Xiaohe.
“We are late, and…we came at the wrong time.”
Everyone knows what he means.
Those middlemen, those counterfeit goods, and those Russian citizens who were ripped off are all obstacles.
Lin Xiaohe stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window, the sky over Moscow was a hazy gray, with the Kremlin spires appearing and disappearing in the mist in the distance. "Xiao Dong, go to the Ant Market again tomorrow and find those people selling counterfeit goods. Ask them how the Japanese goods got in here."
The next afternoon, Xiaodong brought back the news.
"Director Lin, I've asked around. The Japanese goods here are going through official channels, but not the kind of official channels we think of."
He pulled out a small notebook, flipped through it, and said, "They don't sell directly to shopping malls. Instead, they find several large distributors in Moscow, grant them exclusive agency rights, credit terms, and advertising support. Those distributors then distribute the goods to their downstream distributors, taking advantage of the market city by city."
“Some of those distributors were former Soviet-era officials in charge of commerce, with connections. Some were gangsters with manpower. Some were Jewish, with money. The Japanese were good at picking people and offering huge benefits. Anyone who disobeyed was replaced. Anyone who got in their way was dealt with.”
The Japanese are indeed very skilled at public relations.
Lin Xiaohe listened without saying a word.
Xiaodong continued, "And there's more. Starting in the second half of this year, the Japanese have been sponsoring programs on several Moscow TV stations—not advertisements, but actual programs, such as appliance reviews, consumer guides, and new product recommendations. All the appliances being reviewed are Japanese, and the hosts' tone is entirely biased towards Japan, occasionally mentioning Korean products, but only briefly. Korean products? They're never mentioned."
"A war of public opinion," Lin Xiaohe uttered.
"That's right!" Ivan slapped his thigh. "Aren't those Japanese devils copying our factory?!"
Look at the timing; it's clear that the Japanese suffered a loss in the East and then learned this trick to use in the Soviet Union.
Everyone looked at each other.
My goodness, this is such a bittersweet feeling! Using their own weapon against them!
Ivan was dumbfounded and muttered, "Then what do we do? We can't afford to advertise, we can't build connections, and our distribution channels are blocked."
Lin Xiaohe stood up and walked to the window.
"Xiaodong, what are the names of those Japanese distributors you mentioned?"
Old Ma flipped through his notebook: "The biggest one is called Alpha Electronics, and the boss is Sergei Petrovich, who worked in the Ministry of Foreign Trade during the Soviet era. There's another one called Eastern Trade, and the boss is Jewish, surnamed Rabinovich. And there's another one..."
As she read out the names one by one, a dense network of relationships appeared in Lin Xiaohe's mind, like a spider web, waiting for its prey to walk into its trap.
What's even more worrying is that the Dongguo trader with the mole brought Lin Xiaohe some bad news.
"Our boss, Mu, sent me to remind you that someone is investigating you."
"Someone from the Japanese Embassy in Russia went to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Trade. They said that your Changhong factory is suspected of unfair competition in Japan and suggested that the Russian side be cautious in cooperation."
The Dongguo smuggler with the long mole moved his lips slightly. Thinking of the Japanese man's face-to-face slapping in the hall, he steeled himself and revealed another piece of information.
"I heard that someone from a Japanese trading company is inquiring about your whereabouts. They have connections with the Moscow mafia. When you go in and out of the hotel, please bring more people with you."
Lin Xiaohe expressed her gratitude and asked someone to take him back to his room, while she stood by the window, looking outside.
After going through round after round, it was already dawn.
Cars clattered past, and people hurried to work, carrying bread and hot tea in their hands.
Everyone was anxious, but dared not disturb Lin Xiaohe's thoughts, and could only stay by her side in silence.
"Ivan, go and do something for me."
"Please speak."
"Find out what Sergei Petrovich, the owner of Alpha Electric, has been up to lately. Also, does he have any rivals?"
Located 12 kilometers away from the Ant Hotel, in a gray building, the Moscow office of the Japan Color TV Association occupies the entire fifth floor.
Lin Yilang, the head of the office, sat in his office with several documents spread out on the table in front of him.
The top document is in Russian: "Brief Report on the Investigation of Changhong Factory in Liaoyang, Dongguo and its Panshi Brand Color Televisions".
He turned a page.
[They had a direct conflict with the Japan Color TV Association in Japan, using media manipulation and price reduction strategies to seize the Japanese market in eastern Japan, causing economic losses of over 2.2 billion yen...]
Kobayashi Ichiro frowned.
Two billion.2 billion.
He continued reading.
Lin Xiaohe has arrived in Moscow and is currently staying at the Ant Hotel, having booked the entire 15th floor of the Gamma Building. She has already been in contact with individuals including: Jiva, the purchasing director of a Moscow electronics store, and Colonel Ivanov of the Far Eastern Military District.
He put down the documents and rubbed his temples.
Ichiro Ida, the head of the Color TV Association in East Asia, believes that Lin Xiaohe came to Russia to purchase color picture tubes and plasma TV technology.
According to this investigation report, Lin Xiaohe did not contact any relevant people; on the contrary, she genuinely wanted to expand into the Russian market.
"Gentlemen, what do you think?"
A Japanese man with a mustache spoke up: "Although Ida is the representative to the East, he is also a member of Matsushita. Plasma is a research project in which Matsushita has invested a great deal of energy and money... What I mean is, can his conclusions maintain an independent and objective stance?"
Others chimed in, "We trust our own eyes more than his analysis."
Kobayashi Ichiro nodded: "Okay, let's continue according to plan and begin the report."
A Sony representative stated, "Customs has already informed them that their goods will be detained for at least three months. As for the shopping malls, Jiwa has backed down. Regarding the media, we have partnerships with several television stations and will not give them any exposure opportunities."
The Panasonic representative added, "The distributors have also been notified. Anyone who accepts goods from people from Dongguo (Korea) will not be able to get distributorships with Sony or Panasonic next year."
Ichiro Kobayashi nodded: "Not enough."
He looked out the window, his gaze wistful.
“I’ve experienced the resilience of people from the East firsthand back home. This Lin Xiaohe isn’t the type to give up after being blocked once. She’ll find another way.”
Kobayashi Ichiro turned back and said decisively, "Keep a close eye on Lin Xiaohe. Remember who she meets; remember where she goes; listen to as much as you can of what she says. I need to know her every move."
"Yes!"
Ichiro Kobayashi stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window, the Moscow River flows quietly, with a thin layer of ice still on its surface.
“In addition,” he said, “we should try to make contact with the Far East Military District.”
He paused.
"If the Far East Military Region wants to make a purchase, we can also submit a quote. Our price will be a little lower than the East Asians', and our terms will be a little better. No problem. The key is to prevent them from getting the order."
The group exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
In the Moscow afternoon, sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the Stalinist high-rises and the bustling crowds.
Unbeknownst to anyone, an unseen war was quietly raging in the shadows of this city.