In mid-September 1991, after completing the first phase of negotiations on the "canned aircraft for aircraft" deal, Zhou Qingfeng, as the president of "Holy Light", was invited by the Ministry of Aviation Industry of Mao Xiong to lead a team to fly to Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport.
The Soviet side sent representatives to greet them, and Russian girls in national costumes presented bread and salt, which symbolized friendship and enthusiasm, to the guests from afar.
Several media outlets conducted on-site interviews. Zhou Qingfeng broke off a piece of bread in front of the camera, dipped it in salt and ate it. The two sides also held an impromptu press conference in a warm atmosphere.
The weather in Moscow in September is quite refreshing, but the temperature is a bit low. It is only about ten degrees during the day, so you must wear thicker clothes.
Gong Wei from the ‘Holy Light’ Business Department has been in Moscow for more than half a month, and he arranged the travel and accommodation for Zhou Qingfeng and his party.
This 'Propaganda Officer' seemed to be quite adaptable in a foreign country. When he saw Zhou Qingfeng, he stepped forward as if crying, "President, are you here?"
"What's wrong?"
Zhou Qingfeng got into the Mercedes-Benz arranged by Gong Wei, left the airport and drove to the Nikolskaya Hotel in the city - a five-star hotel. It only takes about ten minutes to walk to the Red Square.
"This place is so chaotic. Just last month, there was a coup in the city. Those idiots drove tanks into the streets. The marshal and the chairman of the KGB did it.
The radio and television stations were blaring all day long, and I didn’t understand what they were doing. All the institutions in the city were paralyzed, officials were expelled, ordinary people took to the streets, but there was nothing in the market.
There was almost no one in the whole city. I stayed in the hotel for a week and didn’t dare to go out. The hotel wasn’t necessarily that good either. I didn’t have food or drink for a few days and many of the waiters ran away.”
Gong Wei was waving his hands wildly with a rich expression, obviously frightened.
Zhou Qingfeng asked: "How about our Vice Minister Chuikov?"
"Lao Cui was lucky. I gave him the few boxes of gold I brought as planned. He was very satisfied every time. Probably because he was rich, he won over many people.
But the Ministry of Aviation Industry to which Lao Cui belongs has also stopped operating, and he himself is also elusive and hiding. Unless he shows up on his own, I can't find him."
Speaking of this, Gong Wei smiled and pointed to the few cars he had arranged, "But there are advantages to chaos here. I didn't know the situation when I first came here, and I suffered a lot.
Later, I finally saw through the people and things in this place. Many people had too much time to take care of themselves. Just give me a piece of straw and they would come around. So I paid a lot of money to hire a lot of people, men, women, old and young, to work for us.
It only takes a hundred dollars to make them do what I want, and many civil servants even asked me for asylum, letting them do whatever I asked them to do. It really felt like they were mentally broken and just wanted to escape.
I also met a lot of beautiful girls. They wait outside the hotel every day. They are all from regular song and dance groups, and even some gymnastics groups, or from Moscow University. They are very enthusiastic."
When Gong Wei said this, he chuckled, "I keep in touch with a few of them, and they are all very beautiful and have good personalities. If the president needs them, I will call them right away to be your tour guide."
Tourist guide?
Zhou Qingfeng didn't even bother to roll his eyes, "Where are the members of the negotiating team who came with you?"
A full charter flight of negotiating team members arrived in Moscow with Gong Wei, all of whom were arranged by Director Ma Qianshan. Gong Wei spread his hands and said, "Those guys are so bold. In addition to coming back to me every few days to get money, no one is around."
I can't see them. But they all know local people, so they don't worry about their safety.
Most of Maozi's scientific research institutions and factories are concentrated in the greater Moscow area, and they run around all day long, so bold. But I don't know where they go.
A few days ago, they mysteriously wanted to charter a plane to transport a batch of things, but they were stopped at the airport. They were all breaking out in a cold sweat. It was me who came forward and found someone to pay to help them settle the matter."
Gong Wei smiled cheerfully and felt that he had made great contributions. Zhou Qingfeng asked: "What did the people of the negotiation team transport away?"
Gong Wei's smile faded, and he spread his hands and said: "I don't know, and I won't tell them if I ask them. It's just a dozen big iron boxes, and a few old men following them.
Afterwards, Chuikov came to me and threatened to expel me. I gave him a box of gold bars, and he talked about how friends should help each other.
I was deeply impressed by the few old men who were involved in the accident. They were locked up in a small room at the airport, and I used money to ransom them out.
Their eyes seemed motionless and their faces were pale and pale, like zombies. When they boarded the plane to leave, they actually thanked me."
Ma Qianshan, that veteran of the ministry, had a lot of people in the 'Holy Light' negotiation team. They had no money before and they were powerless. This time, with the help of the US$5 million in public relations fees provided by Zhou Qingfeng, they can be considered as taking advantage of it.
Big bargain.
I just don’t know what advantages I’m taking advantage of.
So curious!
Mao Zi's tragedy has just begun. What will follow will only be worse, not the worst.
"What about our affairs?" Zhou Qingfeng asked, "How is the Kuibyshev Aircraft Manufacturing Factory?"
"I have been to Kuibyshev, which is a small city southeast of Moscow and belongs to the Samara Oblast. The small city is more stable than Moscow, but the current life of the manufacturing plant is not easy.
The situation in Maozi is similar to ours, or even worse than ours. The young people want to run away, and those who remain have no intention of working. The managers in the factory are very keen on our need to overhaul the line."
"Where is the Tupolev Aircraft Design Bureau?"
"I have also been to that design bureau, which is located in the Greater Moscow area. But the people in the design bureau were not very happy about my arrival. No one entertained me, and no one showed me around. I only stayed for half a day and was asked to leave.
Chuikov said there was nothing he could do, and now some units did not listen to him. He recommended us to go to the Ilyushin Design Bureau, saying that as long as we buy more aircraft, we would be allowed to invest in the research and development of Tu-204 and IL-96."
Tu-204 and IL-96? One is medium-sized and the other is large-sized.
Not to mention the former, the latter model was developed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau in the mid-1980s and first flew in 1988. It is progressing very quickly.
It can be regarded as a modern passenger aircraft, using a large number of Western standards and components. The improved version is even planned to use the American Pratt & Whitney engine, which is much more powerful than the Tu-154.
By 1993, the IL-96 could be put into commercial operation, which was a short and quick project.
Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly. It sounded like a good idea, but he felt something was wrong for some reason. Thinking about it again... wasn't this Damao's trick to coax the third brother to become a villain?
The third brother first cheated on Da Mao and used millions of dollars to pay back the debt of 10 billion U.S. dollars. But when he turned around, Da Mao held him down like a fat sheep and slaughtered him until he was slaughtered out of his psychological shadow.
After experiencing the tragedy of the "Marshal Gorshkov" aircraft carrier, when Mao later tricked his third brother into joining the "Su-57" fighter jet and "PAK-DA" bomber projects, even the always easy-to-talk third brother refused to agree.
Mao Zi made it clear that he only wanted other people's money to support his own projects, yet he just said it so nicely.
What kind of "joint research and development" is this?
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