Since the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan and Russia have divided their respective spheres of influence in the three eastern provinces, with Japan taking the "special rights" of South Manchuria and Russia continuing to retain the "special rights" of North Manchuria, although there are indeed Chinese defense forces and local troops stationed in North Manchuria. However, the sovereignty here is not complete, not only is the main line of the China Eastern Railway controlled by the Hui State, but even some cities are regarded as colonies by Russia, and they have a tendency to occupy it for a long time.

After the United Front came to power, its policy toward North Manchuria was to "basically maintain the status quo" and was not in a hurry to immediately regain full sovereignty, which was mainly determined by the current international situation and Sino-Japanese relations, and because it had to go all out to deal with Japan, the most dangerous enemy, the central government had to take expedient measures in the North Manchurian region in order to stabilize Tsarist Russia.

As a traveler through history, Zhao Bei certainly knows what kind of drastic changes will occur in the political situation of Tsarist Russia in the First World War, and it is precisely for this reason that he will adopt a "pro-Russian" policy in North Manchuria, Outer Mongolia, and he must use the strategy of delaying the army to envelop the clay-footed giant of Tsarist Russia, he must patiently wait for this clay-footed giant to fall by himself, and then make a decisive attack, take back national sovereignty, and wait for an opportunity to extract some benefits from the chaotic situation.

It is now the old year, with the explosion of the Sarajevo assassination, the pace of the First World War is getting closer and closer, and the European powers are sharpening their knives, seeing that the European war is about to explode, at this time, Zhao Bei decided to lay out in advance. It will pave the way for the future settlement of the problems in North Manchuria and Outer Mongolia. The key to this foreshadowing lies in this Russian Chechakov, although this person is not a wise and brave person, but he still has some cleverness, and he is the same as Zhang Zongchang. This Russian thug also has ambitions. And he travels widely, and in the Russian blind stream in the North Manchurian region, Chechakov is a more typical scheming guy.

But no matter how scheming you are, in front of such a big man as Zhao Bei, you must also behave respectfully, although you don't trust this Chechakov, but Zhao Bei still decided to put some money on this Russian gambler.

"Mr. Chechakov, I heard that you served in the army of His Majesty the Tsar of Russia, is this true? So why did you leave the troops? ”

Zhao Bei ordered Chechakov and Zhang Zongchang to sit down, and ordered the guards to serve tea and snacks for the two, and then went straight to the topic.

Chechakov was a little embarrassed, and glanced at Zhang Zongchang, who was sitting next to him, there are not many people who know his details, since the Chinese president already knows that he was an officer of the Tsarist Russian Army in the past, then it is very likely that Zhang Zongchang revealed this matter.

Zhang Zongchang was not as thoughtful as Chechakov, and saw that the president asked about Chechakov's origin. And Chechakov himself seems to be a little stumbling. So he simply nodded for Chechakov.

"President Junjian, Chechakov did serve as a lieutenant in the Russian army in the past, but after the Russo-Japanese War began, he left the army and stopped being a soldier."

Chechakov was afraid that Zhang Zongchang would expose his shortcomings without intention, so he hurriedly took over the conversation and dressed himself up in exchange for the president's favor.

"Mr. President, although I was indeed an officer of the Russian Empire in the past, I am also a pacifist, and if it was to defend the motherland and the people, I would not hesitate to fight the Japanese Empire to the end, but the Russo-Japanese War was a senseless war. It did not explode on Russian soil, nor did it directly threaten the security of the Russian people. On the contrary, the war brought great suffering to the peaceful inhabitants of China, and the people were not only killed or wounded by the artillery fire of the warring sides, but also fled in all directions because of the war, these scenes are still in my memory, and even now, I cannot forget the disaster that war brought to the Chinese civilians. Moreover, at that time, it was because my conscience was condemned that I had to leave the army, and I preferred to be an ordinary businessman. Nor is it willing to kill for a senseless war. ”

Chechakov completely dressed himself up as a pacifist and internationalist, and his acting skills were really good.

But in Zhao Bei's view, this is just Chechakov whitewashing himself, but since the other party is so "thirsty" for peace. Against war. Well, Zhao Bei doesn't mind helping Chechakov with a few more strokes on his face and dressing more like a "pacifist"

"I see. Mr. Chechakov. A pacifist like you is indeed rare in this era, and your enthusiasm for the Chinese people also makes me admire. Now the situation in Europe is tense, and China and Japan are also at war. The whole world is in turmoil, and if there were more pacifists like you, then the world would be much more peaceful.

Of course, I invite you here today not to discuss with you the issue of world peace, but to give you a job, although this job is not as lucrative as the general manager of the Eastern Railway. If you do a good job, it will also be very good for your future

Hear the president say that. Chechakov's eyes lit up and he hurriedly stood up.

"No matter what kind of work Mr. President gives me, I will do it seriously. I will not disappoint Mr. President, I will not harm China's interests, and if necessary, I can even become a Chinese citizen and serve the President as a Chinese national. ”

Zhao Bei smiled and nodded, then walked up to Chechakov, patted him on the shoulder, and motioned for him to sit back.

"Very well, Mr. Chechakov, I am very pleased with your statement, but you do not have to change your nationality, and it is better for you to work by retaining your status as a Russian businessman. Actually, there is nothing special about this job, but I want to entrust you with the establishment of a security company that specializes in hiring Russians as bodyguards for Chinese businessmen working abroad. In order to ensure the efficient operation of the security company. You need to train those bodyguards with the training methods of the army, and now the Sino-Russian trade show is fast. More and more Chinese businessmen are going abroad to handle trade, and they are accompanied by Russian bodyguards, which makes it much more convenient to do so. ”

Hearing Zhao Bei say this, Chechakov was a little strange and asked: "Mr. President, I don't understand, now that Russia is in good order, is it necessary to set up such a security company?" ”

Zhao Bei said: "It is very necessary. The security of the Russian Empire is indeed good now, but in view of the tense situation in Europe, there seem to be signs of war in Europe, and once the war breaks out, it is difficult to say whether the security of the Russian Empire will deteriorate. Therefore, out of prudence, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce hopes that someone will come forward to preside over it, but considering the particularity of cross-border trade, it is inconvenient for the central government of China to directly come forward to organize a security company, so I would like to ask you to come forward to organize such a security company, since the main employees of the security company are Russians, and it will not arouse the disgust of the tsarist government, so it is more appropriate to arrange this arrangement. ”

Chechakov thought for a moment, and then said: "I'm afraid that the Russian consul will oppose it, and the weapons are not easy to get, since the Gollum Revolution." The tsarist government tightened arms controls, even in special interest zones like North Manchuria. ”

Zhao Bei said: "Don't worry about this, the Russian consul has its own Chinese Chamber of Commerce to deal with it." As for weapons, as long as the Russian consul does not object, the weapons can be solved by the Chamber of Commerce for you. Moreover, I have instructed the Minister in Russia to assist in handling the matter, and the Minister has now made contact with a certain high-ranking figure in the Russian court. I believe this is not difficult to do. "So, how many Russian employees does this security company need?"

"This ding, I need you to consult with the Chamber of Commerce to see how many bodyguards they need, I think the Chamber of Commerce means that they need at least hundreds of armed bodyguards."

"Hundreds of armed bodyguards? All Russians? How will they be treated? ”

"Yes. Of course, you can also recruit Chinese bodyguards, but you are afraid that the Russian government will oppose it. That's why I've asked you to come forward and organize this work. As for the treatment of these bodyguards, it is also up to you to contact the Chamber of Commerce, although the salary is not high, but it is much better than them living on the streets. I must emphasize, though. You need to be careful when choosing your employees. It is better to specifically pick those veterans. Moreover, they are after entering the security company. It can be strengthened by the middle ** officer to master some special skills. ”

Chechakov pondered it carefully, and he felt that this job was very good, and if it was done well, it would help him reintegrate into Russian society. Even the upper class, to tell the truth, since the United Front seized the power of the central government of China, the North Manchurian region is no longer the "happy zone" of the Russian blind stream, and even the Russian consul does not dare to blatantly condone the Russian scoundrels. Chechakov had long missed his homeland, but his desertion status prevented him from returning.

"Mr. President, it is a great honor for you to trust me, and I am willing to do this work, but I would like to make a small request of mine, and I hope to serve as an adviser in your government. Whether it is a military adviser or a political adviser. This will help me to obtain a new identity that is more suitable. ”

Chechakov immediately accepted the job, but he had to offer one of his more than an inch. Condition.

"Mr. Chechakov, you can be an adviser to the Heilongjiang provincial government, and as for what specific advisers to do, you can consult with the government officials in Heilongjiang, and I will give them orders."

Zhao Bei quietly kicked the ball to the Fang government, Chechakov must not serve as any adviser to the central government, that would be eye-catching, and there is no problem in serving as an adviser in Heilongjiang. The government of Tsarist Russia was never suspicious, the Russians had long regarded North Manchuria as a colony of Tsarist Russia, and it was no longer normal for a Russian to act as a government adviser in the "colonial". The Russian government will even be proud that even if Chechakov is a deserter, it will not be counted.