Two black Volga cars were parked in front of the gate of the representative office, and two Germans in their thirties stood beside the cars and watched around. Dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with a solemn expression, at first glance, he knew that they were bodyguards.

In addition to them, Leo and Lucas brought a lady in her thirties from Berlin. A dark blue professional dressed in NB Electric, with short spiritual hair, a small bag twisted in her left hand, and a trolley case in her right hand, she looks like a white-collar worker, but in fact she is also a bodyguard.

"Mr. Zhang, His Royal Highness the Prince is right, you are responsible for all of us. I know you don't like being followed, but it's so chaotic that you don't want to go anywhere without security. ”

The laborers moved the crowd as if they were facing a great enemy, and the charter was really unaccustomed to it, so he pretended to be unhappy and asked, "Is this a threat?" ”

Leo smiled fearlessly, "You can think so, His Royal Highness the Prince promised that if you were fired because of this matter, then he would offer us a job with a higher salary." ”

There is still some distance from the train station, and Lucas doesn't want to delay his time, while motioning to the female bodyguard to put the luggage in the trunk, he whispered: "Mr. Zhang, this is the kindness of His Royal Highness the Prince, for the sake of mutual cooperation, you can't refuse." Not to mention that they are not only very reliable, but also very capable.

Franck? Mr. Estner, a former diplomatic courier, fluent in English, Russian, French, and Spanish, with whom I had many dealings before reunification; Yang? Joseph and Madam Magdalena, though they were once part of the 'Stasi,' have been in security work before, and believe me, they have never done a single dishonorable thing. ”

The man was recruited by Daniel and Steyr, chairman of NB Industrial Manufacturing. One of them even dealt with Lucas. Should be very reliable.

Considering not leaving them. Prince Meteb might have brought in a group of Arab bodyguards, and the charter could only agree: "Well, I accept your kindness." ”

"We will deal with this matter, Mr. Zhang and Miss Xia, I wish you a happy stay in St. Petersburg."

After just three days of getting along, Natasha, who is going to Berlin on an NB Airlines plane tomorrow, was really reluctant, took Xia Yao's hand and said, "Xia, I will miss you." ”

Xia Yao patted her hand. said in a gentle voice: "Zhang Lin is very easy to get along with, you will not only become classmates, but also become a pair of good sisters who have nothing to say." When Zhang finishes this business, we will go to see you. ”

Some people are just different!

I wanted to go abroad before, I wanted to go crazy, learn English, learn German, take the TOEFL and Kaodelford, but the visa was delayed. With the arrival of the charter and Xia Yao, everything is no longer a problem. NB Electric came forward, and the embassy visa officer knocked the coveted stamp on her passport without even asking.

Ticket to NB Airlines, letter of acceptance from the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin. A part-time job with a salary that would allow her to finish her MBA, and everything felt like a dream. Natasha really didn't know how to thank Lu Dao, so she could only remind: "There are many thieves on the train, you should be careful." ”

"Aren't they there?" Xia Yao smiled, hugged again, and then got into the car behind him with the charter.

Leningrad railway station is located in the center of Moscow - Komsomolskaya Square.

The station was built in 1844, during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and is the oldest railway station in Moscow. The equipment looks old, but the building is magnificent, spacious, with wall carvings and oil paintings, continuing the original appearance of the 19th century, which makes people feel very cultural. The whole building is very artistic, except for the waiting room and ticket gate, a group of six people walked to the door of the carriage and lined up to hand over their passports and tickets to the conductor.

Fredrick, the confidential secretary of the former embassy who accompanied him, stuffed a few dollars, and the conductor's attitude suddenly became enthusiastic, and he beckoned everyone to board the train without even checking their passports.

The two cities are 700 kilometers apart and take nearly ten hours to run, so two soft sleeper boxes were booked. The train was not yet electrified, there were no lights, no air conditioning, like a dark stuffy jar, so hot that sweat beads on the ground. But the sheets and sheets were washed very white, and each piece was ironed with meticulous care.

Frank, a former diplomatic messenger, was like a security supervisor, pointed to the box door and said: "Mr. Zhang, Miss Xia, there are three locks on the door, this is the first, this is the second, and this is the third. From now on, the three of us will take turns guarding outside, and no one but us and Mr. Frederick will open the door, although this is basically impossible to happen. ”

The train from Moscow to St. Petersburg was notoriously unsafe, especially after dark, and the charter nodded slightly, "Thank you, we'll take care of it." ”

Hearing that the door was going to be locked, Xia Yao, who had just put down his luggage, hurriedly got up and said, "Then I'll go to the bathroom first." ”

The female bodyguard Magdalena was very dedicated, let go of her body and smiled: "Miss Xia, I'll accompany you." ”

The car was powered on, and the eyes suddenly lit up, and a cool breeze was sent out of the air conditioner. After a while, the conductor brought four bottles of mineral water and four small breads in plastic bags, I don't know if they were given special treatment because of tips, or if they should be treated as a soft sleeper. It's just that he can only hand it over to Frank, and he doesn't even have a chance to knock on the box door.

The train moves unhurriedly and makes a rhythmic sound.

Outside the window, a large grassy slope, wild grass in its native state, vast, lush, strong, untrimmed. In the twilight, you can also see scattered wildflowers, yellow flowers growing close to the ground, white flowers standing tall. Pale pink flowers can be seen occasionally, but rarely, and the color is so restrained.

The mountains in the distance are blue, and there is a coniferous forest on the top of the mountain that resembles the cedars of the Tien Shan Mountains. It was getting dark, and occasionally you could see something shiny, which was a pond or a lake.

The charter was fascinated by the thought, and secretly imagined that this thick land across the Eurasian continent coexisted with fertility and desolation, and honor and burden coexisted. What are you in this diverse, mellow place that was once the dream of your fathers, shining and scarred?

Just as the pear blossoms were blooming all over the mountain, Katyusha stood on the steep shore and sang like a spring light at dawn...... Familiar melodies lingered in my mind, thinking of what he said and what arrangements he made. Xia Yao couldn't help but put down the book and asked, "Charter." Big Brother really can't hold on? ”

"It's coming."

The charter eases God. While helping her peel pears, he said calmly: "The economy is inflationary, and the currency is depreciating. Politically, it is even more chaotic to the extreme, Lao Ge is the president elected by the People's Congress, Lao Ye is the democratically elected president of the Russian Federation, the two regimes coexist, the latter is more legitimate than the former, and it is difficult for one mountain to tolerate two tigers. Sooner or later, something will go wrong.

Although Lao Ye does not have an army, he has the will of the people, and the army is composed of an individual, and now it is a multi-party system and a presidential system, and those who win the hearts of the people win the world, so I think Lao Ye has a better chance of winning. But it's none of our business, we're just spectators. ”

Lao Ge, Lao Ye, actually called it that, Xia Yao laughed.

The charter sent the peeled pears to her: "Pears can't be divided." Ate them all. ”

"I can't eat it."

Bright as spring eyebrows, tranquil as a spring breeze. Soft as a spring rain-like smile, every time I see her cute appearance, I feel that I am the happiest person in the world, like coaxing a child, I said: "It's good to eat more fruits, others can't eat it if they want to eat it here, be obedient." ”

Xia Yao's face rose two blushes, took the pear, and whispered a little ashamedly: "You are so good to me." ”

"It's not good for you, but it's good for others?" Charter smiled, revealing a mouthful of white, neat teeth.

It was late at night, and the two hugged each other and slept together.

There is a bodyguard outside, and there are two bodyguards and a secretary in the next box, so there is no need to worry about the notorious Soviet thieves. The train swayed, like a cradle, and this sleep was extraordinarily sound.

When I woke up, I was already in St. Petersburg, walking on the platform in the morning light, and experiencing a cold and wet morning. Not far away, two familiar female colleagues greeted them with smiles, and it was Zhang Tingxiu, assistant to the president of the European company, and Linnie Heideman, deputy director of the commercial department of the European company, who had arrived for two days.

Zhang Tingxiu is a native of Hong Kong, and Linnie Hyndman worked as a "nanny" for her second sister Zhang Lin for a year before she officially joined the company.

François, the vice president of the European company, also came, because the city government attached too much importance to them as foreign guests, and sent not only cars but also drivers, so it was difficult to talk a lot on the road, until he took everyone to a villa in the suburbs, and then said: "Boss, everything that needs to be done is done, you and Miss Xia can live here, you can live in an apartment at St. Petersburg University, or you can stay in the former East German consulate with colleagues from BNB News and travel agencies." ”

The meadows, the woods, the wooden houses, the charter liked this environment, looked outside, and asked curiously, "Who is this villa?" ”

"Legally it belonged to the Soviet government, but de facto to a general of the command of the Baltic Fleet. His younger brother, who is still stationed in Germany, has a good relationship with a colleague of NB Airlines, so the general generously lent us the villa for as long as you want. ”

Accompanied by three bodyguards and a secretary, it is definitely not suitable to live in a St. Petersburg University apartment, anyway, it is not far from the city, and the charter smiled: "It's here, but you can't live in vain, the rent should be as much as you want." ”

"There is no need to pay rent," François said with a smirk smile, "Your Excellency the General is very interested in the exchange business we carry out, and is willing to provide us with all conveniences, such as transportation." ”

The Saudi royal family has too much appeal to the Soviet MSL, and has even been secretly providing funds to national independence elements, and although diplomatic relations have been established, relations between the two countries are still very tense. Considering that it was easy to exchange rubles in the Soviet Union, but how to transport them out of the country was a problem, the charter said thoughtfully: "If that general really has a channel, then we can make the exchange business bigger." ”

"There is no doubt about the strength of the general, and more than 40 million were just sent by military plane yesterday."

"The business has just begun, where did he get so much cash all at once?" The ruble is no longer worth money, it is also money, and the charter was stunned by this figure.

"He's a general, and he has military spending, and according to his brother, if he can give him three days, he can raise at least 100 million. Moreover, we exchanged it at 1:18, and in St. Petersburg, the black market price has reached 1:32. ”

The higher the exchange rate, the less principal is required. But compared to the $1.5 billion pie, spending a few million more is really nothing.

The charter was happy and said meaningfully: "My dear friend, since His Excellency the General is interested in this, let him all the exchange business of St. Petersburg." After all, we care about time and efficiency. Instead of spending a few hundred more bits or a few million less. ”

"It's good. I'll get back to him. ”

François paused, then continued: "As for the city government, the situation is more complicated, especially in terms of power structure, which is extremely confusing. Despite the fact that the mayor is an important and prominent position, Mr. Sobchak does not have full control over the city. ”

When it comes to whether BNB News reporters will be able to cover in St. Petersburg in the future, the charter subconsciously asked: "Be specific." ”

"In addition to the city administration and the Presidium of the Leningrad City Soviet, there was a Leningrad City Executive Committee. The head was an engineer and military translator, he was elected by the people's deputies of the USSR, and his supporters were Leningrad parliamentarians. In addition, the organs of the GCD, the command of the Baltic Fleet, the Leningrad Military District, as well as the agencies of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs also retain considerable powers, and they only follow instructions from Moscow.

In addition, Moscow sent commissioners to head defense enterprises that had considerable advantages in St. Petersburg. Like Moscow, the city is a very complex behemoth to manage, democrats, liberals, conservatives, the military, the KGB, ...... The relationship is intricate.

Therefore, Popov, the former chairman of the Leningrad City Soviet, quickly stepped down automatically before he could figure out a clue. Through these two days of contact, we believe that Mr. Sobchak also does not know how to deal with the Leningrad City Soviet, the Leningrad City Executive Committee, the GCD Leningrad City Committee. and the cooperation of the leaders of the Leningrad democrats, who did not even manage to straighten out relations with the city government personnel.

No political basis, no programme and no organization. It's hard to work effectively. Even his loyal followers consisted only of the St. Petersburg intelligentsia and the majority of the citizens, who had no power. ”

François pointed to the television behind him and added in a matter-of-fact manner: "So many people predict that Mr. Sobchak, who is also a university professor, will most likely repeat the mistakes of Professor Popov." ”

Sobchak will not deal with these intricacies of relationships, but he has "little pu". Although in the eyes of everyone, Xiao Pu is really an insignificant little person.

Thinking of the future president, the charter couldn't help but smile and ask, "Did you get the materials I wanted?" ”

"KGB spies in Dresden?"

"Hmm."

"Got it."

François said disapprovingly: "That Vladimir is just a small fish, according to a former Stasi officer, he was awarded only a bronze medal 'For Service to the Army of the GDR', and that medal was awarded even to a cleaner." During his time in the GDR, he spent most of his time sorting out meaningless reports.

By the way, he also developed two West German spies, but one of them was later arrested by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, resulting in the unearthing of at least 15 KGB spies, which shows how much he failed in that shady business. ”

As a spy, he was quite a failure. The charter smiled and asked again, "Have you seen him in the past two days?" ”

"Yes, he was Sobchak's political adviser, and because he was fluent in German, he was asked to be in charge of communicating with German companies. For example, bringing in money, soliciting aid and developing the economy, etc., looks like a hillbilly. Like Mr. Mayor, his life doesn't seem to be going well.

Because of his KGB status, many deputies openly demanded that he be expelled from the city Soviet. Although Mr. Mayor publicly refuted these claims, claiming: first of all, he was not a 'KGB man', but his student. Secondly, he was engaged in foreign intelligence work, defending national interests, and there is nothing to be ashamed of in that job.

But this effort continued, because last autumn he issued several permits for the export of raw materials and non-ferrous metals from St. Petersburg, and asked several businessmen to exchange the surplus non-ferrous metals in the city for urgently needed foodstuffs. ”

There is a learning process, how can you see a rainbow without going through ups and downs?

The charter did not ask any further questions, but said lightly: "No matter how chaotic the political situation in St. Petersburg is, we will do ours, not be influenced by them, and do not get too close to them." ”

"There's no doubt about that, and I don't want to bet on their rabble. Moreover, we did not have a substantial investment, so we signed a letter of intent to develop tourism. As long as they can hold out for two months, as long as your intelligence sources are okay, then the two of them have nothing to do with us after that. ”

"No," said the charter, shaking his head, with a serious face, "Mr. Mayor has a great influence in the educational circles of St. Petersburg, and if we can get his help, it will be very beneficial for our next plan." ”

The exchange of rubles is a short-term act that ends after ten days. 、

BNB News was also a hiccup, and the coverage was based in Moscow. The reason why the boss came here and the bigwigs of the NB laboratory in Berlin came out of the nest was completely for the Soviet technology.

As a veteran of NB Electric, the 14th largest shareholder of NB Electrician, and the president of the European company, François was not ignorant of the entire action plan, pondered for a moment, looked up and asked: "Zhang, do you mean to provide them with a little substantive assistance?" ”

"Yes, but get the timing right and provide the help they need most, when they need it most. As for St. Petersburg University...... I'll figure it out. (To be continued......)