My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 232 The Grand Feast Begins: The Far East International Bank Opens

The prosperity surrounding the "One Ant" market in Moscow is ultimately just an isolated island in this vast land.

For the entire vast Soviet Union...

Shocks, upheavals, unrest, and persistent shortages of supplies.
That was the most real and common reality of the spring of 1991.

The Soviet Union was immersed in a cacophony of noise and commotion.

Newspapers were filled with debates, television broadcasts featured passionate speeches by politicians, and people on the streets discussed the future of the country.

The air seemed to be filled with a sense of impending doom.

It seems that more and more people are vaguely aware that this vast union spanning Eurasia has reached a crossroads that will determine its fate.

If not handled carefully, a once unbreakable alliance could face the threat of disintegration.

It was in this increasingly tense and confusing social atmosphere that Gorbachev decided to hold an unprecedented national referendum.

They attempted to determine the future of the Union by the will of the people, wanting to see if the entire nation agreed to continue the Soviet Union.

Thus, on March 17, 1991, the first and only national referendum in Soviet history began.

However, this referendum was shrouded in the shadow of rifts from the very beginning.

Of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union, only nine participated in the vote.

Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia explicitly boycotted the referendum.

Georgia's pro-independence stance is blatantly obvious, and the Baltic states are even more eager to separate themselves from it. If they were to participate, the outcome would inevitably be a rejection.

Even within republics where voting is involved, it is far from being "universal."

Ultimately, approximately 1.85 million citizens across the Soviet Union participated in the vote, representing about 80% of the country's total population.

Nevertheless, the referendum had a huge impact, and its results were largely regarded as a barometer of public opinion in the Soviet Union.

Perhaps outsiders will speculate that after so much turmoil and hardship, the people will choose to abandon this old alliance.

But the final results surprised many international observers.

Ultimately, 76.4% of voters supported preserving the Soviet Union, while only 21.7% opposed it, with a small number of invalid votes.

This figure clearly shows that the vast majority of Soviet citizens who participated in the vote were Soviet citizens.

Deep down, they still value this alliance where they were born and raised, and still hope that it can overcome the difficulties and continue to exist.

There is an inherent logic to this result.

The attitudes of the three Slavic powers—Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus—are of paramount importance, especially given the internal divisions and wavering within Ukraine.

The prevailing public opinion in Russia and Belarus still favors maintaining the alliance.

The five Central Asian republics of Tajikistan are relatively underdeveloped economically and have long relied on central government funding. The benefits of remaining in the Union are obvious, so they naturally became staunch supporters of the Union.

Therefore, the mainstream public opinion in these republics that participated in the vote was inclined to "retain".

More importantly, while many ordinary people were dissatisfied with the status quo, they still believed that the Soviet Union was a superpower capable of rivaling the United States for half a century.

Its foundation has not been shaken.

Although the Soviet Union was experiencing temporary problems, some of its constituent republics suffered losses.

However, once these problems are resolved, it will still be beneficial to the development of each member state.

Therefore, everyone still believed that the problems of the Soviet Union could be solved through internal reforms. As long as a suitable method was found and given enough time, all the problems could be resolved.

In any case, after this referendum, the opposition within the Soviet Union diminished relatively.

Each constituent republic has expressed its willingness to sit down with the central government again to negotiate and jointly find a way out of the problem.

A faint hope that "may still be salvaged" quietly sprouted amidst the chaos.

It was in this delicate and complex social atmosphere that the opening ceremony of a private bank attracted far more attention than usual.

Normally, the establishment of a new bank in Moscow wouldn't be considered big news.

But this time, it was because of the bank's owner and the lineup of guests attending the ceremony.

This transformed what was originally an ordinary commercial event into something extraordinary. Countless Moscow residents eagerly awaited it, and numerous media reporters flocked to the scene, all hoping to capture this highly symbolic moment.

Because April 1st is the day that Far Eastern International Bank officially opened on the Ten Nations Bank Street.

Qin Yuan, a Chinese man who is now extremely well-known in Moscow and even throughout the Soviet Union, is now in the spotlight.

Behind him were hundreds of congratulatory flower baskets from all walks of life, layered upon layer, almost overwhelming the bank entrance.

In front of him were countless flashing camera lenses and eagerly awaiting reporters.

He was the most well-known Chinese person in the entire Soviet Union.

He was the "madman" who announced a $1.5 billion joint venture with AvtoVAZ to manufacture cars.

He was a "capable person" who controlled the increasingly prosperous "Cherkizovo Market" and, to a certain extent, ensured the flow of some goods in Moscow.

He was an "anomaly" in the Soviet Union, a Chinese man who built such a vast fortune.

If all of this had been done by wealthy individuals from Europe, America, or locally, it might not have aroused such great curiosity.

But it is precisely because he comes from China.

This neighboring country had a complex relationship with the Soviet Union and was considered "backward" by many Soviets.

This is what makes all his achievements so dramatic and topical.

It's hard to imagine the effort he put in to gain a foothold in this foreign land.

And thus built such a vast business empire.

And now, this Chinese man is about to establish the first "Bank of China" in Moscow.

How could they possibly miss such a news story with such high reach and eye-catching appeal?

However, the reporters soon discovered that Qin Yuan was not the only focus of today's news.

As the ceremony drew near, the flower baskets that were sent became increasingly high-end, and the names on them became more and more astonishing.

High-ranking officials of the Moscow city government and prominent figures in the business community personally attended to offer their congratulations, making the event as grand as an important political event.

Surprisingly, even several of their rival Western banks sent people to deliver flower baskets.

Some sharp-eyed reporters even spotted the presidents of Citibank, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank in Moscow coming over in person.

The atmosphere reached its climax when Moscow Mayor Tatav and Deputy Mayor Luzhkov made a joint appearance.

This was undoubtedly a huge favor to Qin Yuan!
Upon seeing this, Qin Yuan immediately instructed Pan Shiyi, who was preparing for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, to greet the other guests first, while he himself quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"Mr. Qin, congratulations!"

Tataf shook hands with Qin Yuan warmly, his voice booming, "I've heard about the Cherkizovsky Market incident. You did an excellent job, effectively alleviating the city's supply pressure."

Qin Yuan smiled modestly and said, "Mayor, you flatter me. The key to economic reform lies in the word 'reform'."

"Change the rigid department store model of the past and make this more flexible large market model more circulated."

“When the market is active, the economy will naturally be vibrant. I’m just drawing on some experiences from the market economy.”

"Well said! Absolutely right!" Tataf patted Qin Yuan's hand hard and whispered meaningfully, "The higher-ups have already taken note of your name and contributions, Mr. Qin."

"Work hard. We welcome capable and responsible companies like Far East Group."

He stood side by side with Qin Yuan, flashed an official smile at the numerous cameras, posed for a few photos, and then walked into the bank surrounded by his entourage.

Luzhkov followed closely behind, and also went through the process of shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, and taking photos with Qin Yuan.

However, just as he turned to enter the venue, he paused slightly and said very quickly in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"New economic reform measures are about to be announced, and several large state-owned factories in Moscow that are not performing well have been put on the transfer list. Qin, this is a rare opportunity, you must seize it."

After saying that, he walked into the bank as if nothing had happened, without waiting for Qin Yuan's response.

Qin Yuan's smile remained unchanged, but a sharp glint suddenly flashed deep in his eyes.

He slowly narrowed his eyes, watching Luzhkov's disappearing figure.

Is the feast of devouring Soviet assets finally about to officially begin?
(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)