My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 157 Accelerating the Death of the Empire
The burly man lowered his head and sized up Xu Zhenbang. He noticed that Xu was well-dressed and had a calm demeanor, unlike the typical speculator who just joined in the fun.

After hesitating for a moment, I handed over the newspaper, which was already a little crumpled.

"Look, it's on the front page! Our Boss Qin is now a household name in the Soviet Union!"

The burly man spoke with an air of pride, as if Qin Yuan's success was also a collective glory for all the Chinese people who were working hard here.

Xu Zhenbang took the newspaper, and Wang Gongquan immediately squeezed next to him.

Despite Wang Gongquan's limited Russian proficiency, he could still understand the large title and the photos of Qin Yuan interspersed throughout.

Xu Zhenbang quickly and attentively skimmed the main content of the article, and the more he read, the more shocked he became.

The report, written in a simple yet powerful style, outlines Qin Yuan's legendary journey from the hutongs of Yanjing to Moscow, interspersed with sighs of helplessness about the state of Soviet light industry and subtle appreciation for the economic vitality brought about by China's reform and opening up.

The statements about "land that has been parched for a long time and now receives timely rain" and "lacking in modern production technology" pierced my eyes like needles.

A glint of light flashed in Xu Zhenbang's eyes. He turned to Wang Gongquan and said in a low voice in Chinese, "Brother Wang, your hope for a comeback probably lies with this man."

"This Mr. Qin is truly... incredibly audacious and has a sharp eye. This report is practically dancing on the pride of the Soviets, yet they can't refute it."

Wang Gongquan's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

Looking at Qin Yuan's young yet confident photo in the newspaper, and listening to the excited, admiring, and envious chatter of the other traders around him, he was deeply moved.

He originally thought Qin Yuan was just a particularly successful middleman, a businessman who was good at seizing opportunities.

However, the scope, vision, and profound understanding of the economic situation of both countries demonstrated in this report far exceed the scope of an ordinary middleman.

"Trading canned goods for airplanes...Exploring modern business opportunities in traditional beverages...Building clothing brands..."

Wang Gongquan muttered to himself. He had worked on development projects in Qiongzhou and knew all too well the difficulty of any of these operations and the enormous resources and connections required.

Qin Yuan, described in the report as a "hutong huzi" (a term referring to someone who frequents alleyways), actually promoted so many amazing projects in a foreign country and won recognition from mainstream Soviet media.

This requires not only courage and luck, but also extraordinary strategic vision, execution ability, and... a kind of magic that can leverage the times.

Just then, a commotion broke out inside the hotel, and someone shouted, "Brother Binzi is here!"

A tall man, nearly two meters tall, emerged from the hotel's backyard, clearly disturbed by the commotion outside.

He glanced at the crowd that filled the courtyard and corridors.

"What's going on? Why are you all gathered here?"

Binzi raised his voice and asked, his tone was ordinary, but it had a certain intimidating power, and the crowd quieted down a little.

The burly man who had been reading the newspaper quickly explained, "Brother Bin, everyone is reading the article about Boss Qin in the newspaper! These two are new comrades, and they want to take a look too."

Binzi walked up to Xu Zhenbang and glanced at the newspaper in his hand: "You speak Russian?"

"Yes, hello comrade."

Xu Zhenbang put down his newspaper, extended his hand with neither humility nor arrogance, and said, "My name is Xu Zhenbang, from Sichuan Airlines."

"Sichuan Airlines?" Binzi raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

He knew very well that of the seven aircraft ordered from Kuibyshev, four belonged to Sichuan Airlines.

"Well, we at Sichuan Airlines would like to discuss some things with your General Manager Qin, and also take the opportunity to investigate the business environment in the Soviet Union."

Xu Zhenbang then revealed the purpose of his trip.

“Then you’re out of luck,” Binzi said casually. “My brother took a train from Moscow to Kuibyshev yesterday.”

"Kuybyshev?" Xu Zhenbang was taken aback. "The Kuybyshev who produced the Tu-154 passenger plane?"

Binzi glanced at him and Wang Gongquan, and said truthfully, "Yes, if you set off now, you might still make it in time."

Xu Zhenbang traveled all the way to Moscow to find Qin Yuan and explore the possibility of establishing an air route.

Now that Qin Yuan is not in Moscow, what's the point of him staying here?

He looked at Wang Gongquan and said, "Brother Wang, I need to go to Kuibyshev immediately. Are you going to stay in Moscow or come with me to see Boss Qin?" Wang Gongquan was all alone at the time. He came to Moscow not only to resell goods, but also because of Far East trade and because of Qin Yuan.

He had already witnessed the enormous influence of Far East trade in the Soviet Union.

Now, only Qin Yuan is left.

Almost without hesitation, Wang Gongquan readily agreed:

“Come on, I’ll go to Kuybyshev with you.”

Meanwhile, Kuibyshev.

After traveling for nearly twenty hours, Qin Yuan and his group, carrying three hundred truckloads of goods, finally arrived at the station.

“We’re here. We’re finally here.”

"This must be Kuibyshev, right?"

"I heard that this is a major industrial city with a population of one million, and it was the core hub connecting the European and Asian parts of the Soviet Union."

Chen Jianhua, Wang Haiyang, and the others, aboard the speeding train, gazed in amazement at the city, which was covered in ice and snow yet still pulsated with the pulse of its massive industry.

Huge factories, towering chimneys, and a dense railway network flash past the window, showcasing the formidable strength of this important town on the Volga River.

Not only him, but also Ma Gan's fiancée Zoya and Elena were obviously visiting Kuybyshev for the first time, and their eyes were filled with curiosity.

Ma Gan'er himself, along with Qin Yuan, Andrei, and Makov, remained relatively calm.

Qin Yuan watched all this with a smile on his lips.

He knew that this place not only contained the plane he had always dreamed of, but also harbored enormous demand and opportunities.

Oh oh oh!
As the whistle sounded, the train gradually slowed down and then came to a stop beneath the massive platform.

This train station is no smaller than those in Moscow, because of Kuibyshev's geographical location, water transport, shipping, rail transport, and road transport are all very well developed.

Therefore, this train station was built to be particularly tall and magnificent.

To Qin Yuan and the others' shock, as soon as their car came to a stop, they saw that the platform was already packed with people.

Workers, citizens, people who looked like government officials, and even reporters carrying cameras all seemed to be waiting for something.

"Qin, all these people are waiting for you."

Elena appeared behind Qin Yuan and said with a faint smile, "The three hundred truckloads of supplies you brought will directly revitalize this city and help them get through this winter."

Qin Yuan shook his head: "It's only for this one winter. To be honest, Kuibyshev exchanging airplanes for canned goods is a great thing for me, but it may not be a good thing for this industrial city."

He saw further ahead; while the deal solved the immediate problem, it was like a shot in the arm, and after a short-term stimulus, it might exacerbate existing structural problems.

Elena, however, was more open-minded, or rather, more realistic: "At this moment, there is no one else in the entire Soviet Union who can get so many supplies in exchange. You have given them hope, hope that they can get through the cold safely. That is enough."

Qin Yuan remained silent; he knew very well that what he was offering was not hope.

Rather, a greater desire—

A strong desire for more enjoyment, more satisfaction, and more material resources to support their daily lives.

If hard times continue, people may get used to it.

But after a brief period of success, they fell back into hardship.

That's simply unbearable.

The crowd will erupt in protest and demand change, and those in power will do everything they can to make changes.

This awakened need and desire will surge like an undercurrent, eventually converging into a tremendous force for changing the status quo.

Qin Yuan was well aware that his appearance, and his subsequent actions, would hasten the demise of this empire!
(End of this chapter)