Chapter 28: A bottle of vodka

On 25 April 1999, a CCTV news vehicle arrived at a villa outside Krisco. The famous host took the microphone and said into the camera: 'Today marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Northern Russia. Ten years ago today, the first leader of the Republic of Northern Russia, Mr Nikolavich, delivered a speech from the 110th tank in front of the White House that shocked the world. Today, we are fortunate to have found one of the eyewitnesses from that time, Mr. Kinowski, who was Mr. Nikolavich's secretary at the time.'

Then the camera panned, and a white-haired old man appeared in the frame. The host came up to him and asked, 'Mr. Kinowski, I heard that when you were interviewed by a foreign media outlet, you said that the speech was not what the world knew it to be. Is that right? Mr. Nikolavich didn't seem as brave as everyone thought, did he? We'd love to know what really happened back then.'

Facing the host's question, the old man fell into deep reminiscence and replied, 'Of course it wasn't like that. The situation was very critical. Thousands of troops surrounded us, and no one knew where they would be tomorrow. Mr. Nikolic tried his best to remain calm in front of the media and officials, but I could see that he was very scared, because his whole body was shaking.'

Having said that, Genosky asked the host in return, 'Can you imagine someone called the Ural Eagle shaking with fear? I saw it with my own eyes, if not for what happened later.'

The host keenly grasped the point and hurriedly asked, "What happened later?'

Genosky did not answer, but first asked the host in return, "Have you heard the story of the heroes in the plum wine?'

'Of course, it's a very famous chapter from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the most famous Chinese novels. Virtually everyone in China knows it, but what does that have to do with anything?' the host asked.

Zinowski gave a small smile, reached over to the bottle on the table next to him and said, 'Of course it does, and it's a very big deal, because it was this bottle of vodka that changed everything. I remember what the gentleman said at the time: this is the vodka caviar theory of current affairs! I still remember that day, Mr. Nikolic was not satisfied with one bottle, but still drank another bottle from the White House's collection!'

'Wait a minute, Mr. Kinowski, are you saying that Mr. Nikolic was drunk when he climbed onto the tank to give that speech?' The host felt a little incredulous.

'Everyone says that alcoholics are bad, but sometimes an alcoholic can change the world!' Kinsky laughed heartily, and raised the bottle to his mouth, taking a gulp, in a manner that suggested he was being wilful and determined to prove something.

The host was stunned, as were all those who heard these words on TV around the world, because no one could imagine that it was just a bottle of vodka that made Mr. Nikolic come out of the White House and stand on a tank to give a speech, persuading the army to change sides.

No one could have imagined that there was another sentence behind Genosky's words: 'Drunks can indeed change the world. But if that person hadn't brought the bottle of vodka in, if that person hadn't walked into the White House and shouted to fight like a man, and then invited Mr. Nikolic to drink wine and eat caviar together, none of this would have happened. He was the biggest boss behind this, and even the entire Northern Russian Republic.

Genosky thought to himself, and his thoughts involuntarily drifted back ten years ago, to that day in the White House...

The time returned to April 25, 1989, 12:30 pm. There was sporadic gunfire at the entrance of the White House. Several hundred opposition civilians tried to break through the line of troops. The soldiers tried to dissuade them, but the conflict broke out between the two sides. The army had no choice but to fire rubber bullets in return.

Although such disturbances have occurred countless times since the army surrounded the White House, they still cause a commotion every time. After all, under this high-pressure situation, everyone's emotions are easily out of control.

In the dining room of the White House, Nikolaevich, who had just finished eating and chatting with Zhou Ming, was about to leave, but heard the commotion outside and stopped again.

Zhou Ming followed behind him. Seeing him like this, Zhou Ming said to him, 'Mr. Nikolaevich, you are hesitating again?'

'There's a commotion outside. Maybe the army has already attacked the White House. Maybe things are out of control. Maybe this is not a good time.'

Nikolaevich said, although he was trying his best to control himself, but if you listened carefully, you could hear that his voice had changed a little.

Seeing Nikolic like this made Zhou Ming can't help but feel a little amused. Before seeing him with his own eyes, Zhou Ming really had a hard time imagining that the first president to lead the independence of Northern Russia would actually be like this. But who would have thought that such a coward could actually change the world's situation, making people unable to help but feel that history is just a little bitch that likes to play tricks on people.

Zhou Ming shook his head slightly and said, 'I still have the same question: Do you want to be a coward forever or be a hero for even just a minute?'

Facing Zhou Ming's words, Nikolajevich was silent. He turned back to Zhou Ming and asked, 'I want to be a hero, but what do you want? I won't believe that you are here to save the people of Northern Russia.'

Zhou Ming replied with a smile, 'In fact, I wouldn't say such nonsense to you either, because that would only insult the intelligence of both of us. But I haven't really thought about it yet, so let's talk about it when I have.'

'Then aren't you afraid that I will renege on my promise after I succeed? You know that politicians are the most unreliable,' said Nikolajevic.

'Thank you, Mr. Nikolic, but I don't think I need your reminder, because I have a way to make you turn this situation around. I have a way to turn this situation back around. You should know that the coup side has much more power than you do, and it will be much easier for me to help them than to help you.' Zhou Ming said.

'Mr. Zhou Ming, are you threatening me?' Nikolic angrily stared at Zhou Ming and questioned him.

Zhou Ming did not say anything, just staring at him indifferently, even though Nikolaevich, who had just finished drinking, had a strong smell of alcohol coming from him.

In the end, Nikolaevich lost and said to Zhou Ming sadly, 'I will keep my promise.'

Nikolaevich looked like a cockerel that had been defeated. Although as a Northern Russian, he was taller than Zhou Ming, he always felt like he was looking up at Zhou Ming when he looked at him.

They walked out of the room and went to the lobby on the first floor. As they had informed everyone downstairs when the decision was made in the dining room, there were already quite a few people waiting for a great moment, including officials from the North Russian Republic and the media from various countries.

Looking at the gathered crowd, Nikolic waved his hand, 'Let's go out and lead the people in a counterattack!'

At Nikolic's call, all the White House followers responded en masse, which caught Nikolic a little off guard. He subconsciously glanced back at Zhou Ming, who said to him, 'That's normal. As a leader, the most important thing is decisiveness. For the people below, having a decision is better than anything else, even if that decision seems like suicide.'

Nikolaevic nodded silently, then led the team out of the White House. When all the people at the gate saw Nikolaevic walk out, they instantly erupted into a tsunami-like cheer.

Hearing the cheer, Nikolaevic's secretary, Genosky, said excitedly, 'That's great, Mr. President! As expected, the people are still on our side.'

In Zhou Ming's eyes, Nikolaevich is a pushover, but in front of other people, he still acts like a qualified leader. He said, 'The people have always supported us, but now our top priority is to gain the support of the military, and we need the military to help us deal a strong blow to the rebels.'

'Mr. Nikolaevich is right, we must get as much support as possible now!' Someone immediately agreed with Nikolaevich, it was the Prime Minister of the Northern Russian Republic.

With the prime minister's support, everyone else also echoed Nikolajevich's words. But at this time, no one expected Nikolajevich to suddenly turn to Zhou Ming and ask, 'What do you think?'

If Nikolajevich's words just now were very inspiring, then this sentence was a big surprise, because no one understood why the president would ask an irrelevant person about something that would affect the future of the Northern Russian Republic.

Zhou Ming, as if he didn't feel the surprised stares around him, replied to Nikolajevich, 'I think so too. Perhaps Mr. Nikolajevich's speech will change everything. As for the venue, I think that tank over there would be very good.'

As Zhou Ming spoke, he casually pointed to the tank not far away.

Nikolaevich was shocked when he saw Zhou Ming make this gesture, because his decision was not only praiseworthy, it was simply praiseworthy!

First of all, there is no high platform on such flat ground for a speech, and just standing on top of a tank to give a speech is very inspiring, because it can give people a sense of longing that the violence of the coup has been overcome. The tank, which is being stepped on, is a symbol of the violence of the coup.

If before Zhou Ming's threat that he could turn the tables at any time made him a little skeptical, then at this time he completely believed it. How could someone who could make such a decision instantly be good-natured?

Looking at Nikolaevich's shocked and slightly admiring eyes, Zhou Ming was overjoyed.

What other thing in the world can be more enjoyable than knowing in advance what you are going to do, telling you, and then letting you thank and admire yourself? Especially when this person is still Nikolic, and this matter is still a major event that can change the fate of a superpower and bring countless riches to oneself.

However, although Zhou Ming was so happy that he felt like jumping up and down, on the surface he still looked very calm. After all, no matter what, as the boss behind the scenes, he always had to look a bit high-class.