1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 533 The Olive Branch of the Ye Family
In 1982, Yuri Andropov, nicknamed "The Jeweler," rose to even greater heights after stepping down as KGB chairman, reaching the pinnacle of power in the Soviet Union.

At the committee meeting that same year, Yuri first proposed the view that "in order to accelerate economic development, we must mobilize all labor resources and catch up with and surpass Western developed countries in the shortest possible time, given the current scarcity of national resources."

Following closely behind, the KGB reached the pinnacle of its power, establishing branches throughout the country and wielding privileges exceeding those of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the military.

Countless KGB members took to the streets and entered entertainment venues such as cinemas, opera houses, and hotel bars to strictly check the ID cards of every citizen. If they found that someone was slacking off during working hours, they could be arrested and sentenced on the spot. If the person was a government official, the punishment would be more severe.

During Yuri's two-and-a-half-year rule, the number of people in the Soviet Union who were documentedly convicted reached over 2.4 million.
In 1984, Yuri Andropov died of kidney failure.

"Mr. Zhai, Comrade Yuri's failure in labor reform precisely illustrates that the intervention of administrative means will only exacerbate the crisis. Only by allowing the market to self-correct can we achieve true economic reform."

69 Lenina Street, Hotel Isnet.

As a distinguished guest attending the banquet tonight, Alexander Poplavsky, commander of the 7th Artillery Division, sat at a round table and was talking eloquently.

Both being soldiers, Alexander had a more refined demeanor than Orlov, and his physique wasn't as exaggerated as the big guy's.

"Unlike Comrade Gorbachev's progressive reforms in Moscow, our de facto representative in Yekaterinburg, Comrade Yeltsin, now Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, has always advocated shifting the national economy onto a market track in the shortest possible time, which is what the people call radical reforms."

As Alexander spoke, he used his fork to pick up a dumpling from the plate in front of him, stirred it in the sour cream, and put it in his mouth with a look of delight.

He paused, then smiled at Zhai Yuan again, his tone relaxed, and said, "So from any perspective, your Far Eastern Bank is very much in line with Comrade Ye Liqing's governing philosophy. To be honest, before coming to the banquet tonight, I received a call from Comrade Ye Liqing in Moscow, instructing me to make sure that such an outstanding entrepreneur as you stays in Yekaterinburg. If you don't have to attend the Federal Conference frequently in Moscow, he will definitely meet you personally at his official residence in your hometown."

After listening to Ye Zhiming translate the entire conversation, Zhai Yuan smiled and said to him, "Please tell him that I feel very honored to be able to contribute to Yekaterinburg's economic reforms."

Alexander laughed heartily upon hearing this, changed the subject, and warmly invited Zhai Yuan and Ye Zhiming to have a meal.

A dish of pickled tomatoes, a dish of pickled cucumbers, dumplings with sour cream and beetroot salad, a large plate of Kiev chicken cutlets as the main course, and vodka and kvass as drinks.

Although the discussion revolved around a million-dollar Far Eastern Bank branch deal, the celebration banquet seemed rather meager.

After barely managing to eat a couple of bites, Zhai Yuan put down his knife and fork, glanced at Alexander, who was enjoying his meal, and another middle-aged man in a suit next to him.

Both appeared to be focused on their meal, and after praising Far Eastern Bank, they did not bring up the topic again.

"Those damn Soviets are deliberately keeping us in suspense."

Zhai Yuan turned to Ye Zhiming with a smile and said, speaking in Cantonese without fear of being overheard, his smile still warm: "Brother Ming, help me ask those two bastards how to fill their stomachs."

Ye Zhiming smiled and took the initiative to start the conversation: "General Alexander, if I may ask, how long will it take for us to obtain the approval from the Far East Bank?"

Alexander slowly raised his head, wiped his mouth with a towel, and smiled, "Approval? Mr. Zhai, Yekaterinburg is not Moscow. There is a stronger sense of community here. We value efficiency, especially when it comes to friends. If we are fortunate enough to become friends with you, Mr. Zhai, your Far East Bank can open smoothly even without approval."

"Oh?" Zhai Yuan looked at the other party and said in a relaxed tone, "Of course, we would be very willing to make friends with the general."

“It’s not just me, Mr. Zhai.”

Alexander's lips curled up upon hearing this. He looked at the middle-aged man beside him and introduced him to Zhai Yuan, saying, "If you want to run a bank, you will inevitably need to hire professionals in economics. Fortunately, we have such an economics PhD at our table, Stanislav Sergeyevich Shatalin, the director of the Economics Department of the USSR Academy of Sciences, who was also Comrade Ye Liqing's campaign advisor when he ran for Chairman of the Russian Federation."

Alexander continued, "Comrade Shatalin is now serving on the National Economic Reform Commission, and he has clearly been a greater help to the Far Eastern Bank than a rough man like me."

Ye Zhiming repeated the name of the man in the suit across the table who had smiled at him after Alexander finished his introduction.

Zhai Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Stanislav Sergeyevich Shatalin?"

Ye Zhiming nodded in agreement.

Zhai Yuan's gaze lingered on the man in the suit opposite him for a few more seconds without him noticing, and he gave a soft "hmm".

If I remember correctly, I think I know who this Shatalin is.

At the same time, the economics PhD across from them, with a bald head and thick temples, also turned his gaze over.
Shatalin smiled and nodded at Zhai Yuan, gently put down his knife and fork, and leaned forward slightly.
His eyes revealed a shrewd calculation, and he said in a calm tone, "Mr. Zhai, hello. Before continuing with the topic of the Far Eastern Bank, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Yekaterinburg, which is also the future blueprint for Comrade Ye Liqing's economic reform of the entire Soviet Union, a plan called '500 Days'."

Sure enough, the big one is here!
Zhai Yuan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he breathed a long sigh of relief.

Shatalin, the economic advisor whom Gorbachev had personally promoted, has now completely defected to Ye Liqing.
The 500-day plan, later known as the Shatalin Plan, would become the final straw that broke the back of the Soviet Union.

As Shatalin recounted the story at a leisurely pace, the 500-day plan that Zhai Yuan remembered gradually came to light.

Breaking it down, there are four measures.
Privatization of state property, decentralized economic management, market shift towards free pricing, and provision of favorable development conditions for foreign-invested enterprises.

In summary, it can be said in one sentence: during these 500 days, the government will not intervene in the market and will allow the economy to fully open up and transition to privatization.

"Mr. Zhai, this plan was not only proposed by the Soviet leadership, but also jointly formulated by Western neoliberal economists and American intelligence agencies. They call it shock therapy, imitating the debt crisis in Latin American countries in the 1980s, sacrificing some market order and social stability in a short period of time in exchange for rapid economic reform. Bolivia has already overcome a severe debt crisis with this approach. We believe that after a brief 500-day 'shock,' the Soviet Union can also be reborn."

Shatalin’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of excitement as he stared at Zhai Yuan and said, “Mr. Zhai, the 500-day plan is a crucial opportunity for Comrade Ye Liqing to build political capital in the Russian Federation. We desperately need entrepreneurs like you, with an international perspective and substantial financial strength, to participate.”

After listening to Ye Zhiming's translation, Zhai Yuan exchanged a glance with him and both saw the gleam in each other's eyes.

The Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation sent two of his capable lieutenants tonight to extend an olive branch to him.

"Choose that mother! This time, she'll really become Ye Liqing's sworn brother."

Ye Zhiming, his smile undiminished, cursed and whispered to Zhai Yuan, "Even the Soviet Chairman has come knocking on your door, is there any point in establishing your damn club?" Zhai Yuan rubbed his chin vigorously, ignoring Ye Zhiming.

His thoughts raced, and he quickly guessed the purpose behind the Ye Group's offer tonight.

The only thing I have that could make me stand out to others is probably my money.

Ye Liqing was certainly short of money. When he was running for Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, he had Jewish capital spend hundreds of thousands of US dollars to bribe major domestic media outlets to expose the news of his assassination attempt by the KGB in Spain. The other two candidates were originally leading Ye Liqing in the votes, but as rumors, both true and false, spread, Ye Liqing quickly overtook them and was successfully elected.

Now that he has become the head of the Russian Federation and wants to go further, the local Jewish community's resources are no longer enough.

Aside from continuing to exploit Jews, Zhai Yuan is undoubtedly a comrade who can be cooperated with.

From Supreme Chairman of the Soviet to President of the Soviet, and then to replacing Gorbachev... Ye Liqing certainly had many places where he needed to spend money.

All the thoughts raced through Zhai Yuan's mind. He looked up and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Looking at the bald-headed Shatalin, Zhai Yuan asked with a smile, "Director Shatalin, what I'm curious about is whether you or the Ye Group have implicitly acknowledged the capitalist path?"

Shatalin paused for a moment, then nodded after a brief silence. "To allow citizens to enjoy a better and more dignified life, any method can be tried. Before this, Comrade Yavlinsky proposed learning from the economic system of the East, while his mentor, Academician Abalkin, preferred to emulate China's reform and opening up, but those methods are too slow to produce results..."

As Ye Zhiming looked at Shatalin, he suddenly realized that the Soviet man's eyes were very familiar, much like those of the gamblers on the Natural Selection ship who were eager to win back their losses.

"Mr. Zhai, may I share some more information with you?"

Shatalin leaned forward slightly, his voice seductive: "After Comrade Ye Liqing's return from his visit to the United States, the American side has agreed that as long as we implement the 500-day plan, they will continue to provide the Soviet Union with hundreds of billions of dollars in economic aid. The Soviet Union's future will definitely be better, and you, a clever businessman who uses the Far East Bank to absorb state-owned assets, will be able to receive greater protection at that time. Before that, you only need to make a small investment."

No matter how well the Far Eastern Bank was packaged, its operation of seizing Soviet state assets could not be hidden from the higher-ups.

This was an unspoken agreement, and Zhai Yuan was not worried that the other party would take the opportunity to cause trouble.

But when it comes to investing,
At this time, the so-called seven oligarchs were still in a vacuum, and their financial and power were far less than they had been at their peak.
Is there a chance that investing in Ye Liqing could lead to becoming a major shareholder behind oligarchs in the future?
The thought flashed through Zhai Yuan's mind. He slowly picked up the vodka in front of him and drank the first sip of strong liquor that night.

With the pungent smell of alcohol pressing against his skull, Zhai Yuan exhaled and asked, "As a businessman, I never do business at a loss. General Alexander, Director Shatalin, you can make your demands first, but this is not an investment, it's business. For me, business is all about bargaining."

Ye Zhiming glanced at Zhai Yuan again, hesitated slightly, and then translated the sentence.

Alexander and Shatalin exchanged a glance after hearing this.

"Mr. Zhai is indeed a smart man, only doing business and not getting involved in politics."

Shatalin smiled broadly, first offering a compliment, then slowly said, "Let's start with business. We hope Mr. Zhai can provide Comrade Ye Liqing with sufficient financial support for the next 500-day plan to ensure its smooth implementation. Whether it's policy funding, publicity expenses, or coordination with local officials and businesses, we need reliable sources of capital..."

Alexander took a swig of vodka and slammed his glass on the table before Shatalin could finish speaking.

He stated a number directly: "$7000 million, in cash."

The private room suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.
Ye Zhiming's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked at Zhai Yuan to relay the message.

Seventy million US dollars is enough to set up ten more luxury gambling ships on the high seas, and over five hundred million Hong Kong dollars is enough to buy half a plot of land in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, or acquire a listed investment bank in New York...

Zhai Yuan remained relaxed after hearing the story, simply chopping the dumplings on his plate with his knife and fork, as if he hadn't heard the astronomical figure at all.

Seventy million, compared to the billions of dollars the oligarchs later spent to force Ye Liqing into re-election,

This amount of money isn't much right now.

But obviously, one cannot simply hand over hard-earned silver based on empty promises, not even Ye Liqing.

"Then I'll just offer a simple price negotiation~"

Zhai Yuan gathered the chopped dumpling filling into a small pile, casually tossed aside his knife and fork, and clapped his hands with a smile: "Seventy million US dollars. Compared to what Chairman Ye is about to do, this amount of money is definitely not much. I also believe that Gorbachev's era will soon be over, and Chairman Ye will definitely move into the Kremlin in the future..."

Before he could finish speaking, Alexander suddenly raised his eyebrows and stared intently at Zhai Yuan.

Seeing this, Shatalin coughed lightly, then smiled at Zhai Yuan, his eyelids slightly lowered: "Mr. Zhai, your judgment of the Soviet Union is indeed bold, but you should avoid making such jokes, as they can easily cause trouble."

Zhai Yuan shrugged nonchalantly: "Sure~"

Since the other party is unwilling to be upfront about it, there's no point in making things too clear.

However, one thing is certain: if it were merely a matter of pushing forward the 500-day plan, there would be absolutely no need to spend a staggering 70 million US dollars, because the plan itself had Gorbachev's tacit approval and was also the last counterattack launched by Gorbachev and Yeltsin against the conservatives.

"Then let me change the subject."

Zhai Yuan leaned back in his chair, looked at the two Russians opposite him, and said with a smile, "I'm not like those poor Jewish devils. Seventy million US dollars is nothing; I can come up with it in a minute, and more is no problem. But compared to the empty promises of the Ye Group, I would prefer to see actual collateral in the areas of energy, finance, and media... But please rest assured, the Far East Bank is only holding all the collateral temporarily. Once the 500-day plan ends and the Soviet economy improves, you can redeem these assets at any time."

The premise is that the Soviet Union can hold out for another 500 days, and that Ye Liqing can redeem these collaterals in the future.

Ignore the subtle exchange of glances between Alexander and Shatalin.
Zhai Yuan picked up his wine glass and took his second sip of the night.

(End of this chapter)