tc.thebearandthedragon-第6部分

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y　lucrative　because　it　was　still　the　case　that　virtually　no　one　understood　capitalism；　and　the　ability　to　get　things　done　was　more　valuable　than　ever　…　and　now　it　paid　a　lot　better。　Talent；　as　it　always　did；　went　where　the　money　was；　and　in　a　country　still　learning　what　the　rule　of　law　meant；　it　was　natural　for　men　with　this　skill　to　break　what　laws　there　were；　first　in　the　service　of　whoever　needed　them；　and　then；　almost　instantly　afterward；　in　the　service　of　themselves。　The　former　tolkachi　were　the　most　wealthy　men　in　their　country。　With　that　wealth　had　e　power。　With　power　had　e　corruption；　and　with　corruption　had　e　crime；　to　the　point　that　the　FBI　was　nearly　as　active　in　Moscow　as　CIA　had　ever　been。　And　with　reason。
　The　union　between　the　former　KGB　and　the　former　tolkachi　was　creating　the　most　powerful　and　sophisticated　criminal　empire　in　human　history。
　And　so；　Reilly　had　to　agree；　this　Rasputin　…　the　name　meant　literally　〃the　debauched　one〃　…　might　well　have　been　part　of　that　empire；　and　his　death　might　well　have　been　something　related　to　that。　Or　something　else　entirely。　This　would　be　a　very　interesting　investigation。
　〃Well；　Oleg　Gregoriyevich；　if　you　need　any　help；　I　will　do　my　best　to　provide　it　for　you；〃　the　FBI　agent　promised。
　〃Thank　you；　Misha。〃
　And　they　parted　ways；　each　with　his　own　separate　thoughts。
　
　
　
　
　　CHAPTER　1
　　Echoes　of　the　Boom
　　
　So；　who　were　his　enemies？〃　Lieutenant　Colonel　Shablikov　asked。　〃Gregoriy　Filipovich　had　many。　He　was　overly　free　with　his　words。　He　insulted　too　many　people　and　…〃
　〃What　else？〃　Shablikov　demanded。　〃He　was　not　blown　up　in　the　middle　of　the　street　for　abusing　some　criminal's　feelings！〃
　〃He　was　beginning　to　think　about　importing　narcotics；〃　the　informant　said　next。
　〃Oh？　Tell　us　more。〃
　〃Grisha　had　contacts　with　Colombians。　He　met　them　in　Switzerland　three　months　ago；　and　he　was　working　to　get　them　to　ship　him　cocaine　through　the　port　of　Odessa。　I　heard　whispers　that　he　was　setting　up　a　pipeline　to　transport　the　drugs　from　there　to　Moscow。〃
　〃And　how　was　he　going　to　pay　them　for　it？〃　The　militia　colonel　asked。　Russian　currency　was；　after　all；　essentially　valueless。
　〃Hard　currency。　Grisha　made　a　lot　of　that　from　Western　clients；　and　certain　of　his　Russian　clients。　He　knew　how　to　make　such　people　happy；　for　a　price。〃
　Rasputin；　the　colonel　thought。　And　surely　he'd　been　the　debauched　one。　Selling　the　bodies　of　Russian　girls　…　and　some　boys；　Shablikov　knew　…　for　enough　hard　currency　to　purchase　a　large　German　car　（for　cash；　his　people　had　checked　on　the　transaction　already）　and　then　planning　to　import　drugs。　That　had　to　be　for　cash　〃up　front；〃　too；　as　the　Americans　put　it；　which　meant　that　he　planned　to　sell　the　drugs　for　hard　currency；　too；　since　the　Colombians　probably　had　little　interest　in　rubles。　Avseyenko　was　no　loss　to　his　country。　Whoever　had　killed　him　ought　to　get　some　reward。。。　except　someone　new　would　certainly　move　into　the　vacuum　and　take　control　of　the　pimp's　organization。。。　and　the　new　one　might　be　smarter。　That　was　the　problem　with　criminals。　There　was　a　Darwinian　process　at　work。　The　police　caught　some　…　even　many　…　but　they　only　caught　the　dumb　ones；　while　the　smart　ones　just　kept　getting　smarter；　and　it　seemed　that　the　police　were　always　trying　to　catch　up；　because　those　who　broke　the　law　always　had　the　initiative。
　〃Ah；　yes；　and　so；　who　else　imports　drugs？〃
　〃I　do　not　know　who　it　is。　There　are　rumors；　of　course；　and　I　know　some　of　the　street　vendors；　but　who　actually　organizes　it；　that　I　do　not　know。〃
　〃Find　out；〃　Shablikov　ordered　coldly。　〃It　ought　not　to　tax　your　abilities。〃
　〃I　will　do　what　I　can；〃　the　informant　promised。
　〃And　you　will　do　it　quickly；　Pavel　Petrovich。　You　will　also　find　out　for　me　who　takes　over　Rasputin's　empire。〃
　〃Yes；　rade　Polkovnik　Leytnant。〃　The　usual　nod　of　submission。
　There　was　power　in　being　a　senior　policeman；　Shablikov　thought。　Real　human　power；　which　you　could　impose　on　other　men；　and　that　made　it　pleasurable。　In　this　case；　he'd　told　a　mid…level　criminal　what　he　had　to　do；　and　it　would　be　done；　lest　his　informant　be　arrested　and　find　his　source　of　ine　interrupted。　The　other　side　of　the　coin　was　protection　of　a　sort。　So　long　as　this　criminal　didn't　stray　too　far　from　what　the　senior　cop　found　to　be　acceptable　violations；　he　was　safe　from　the　law。　It　was　the　same　over　most　of　the　world；　Lieutenant　Colonel　Yefim　Konstantinovich　Shablikov　of　the　Moscow　Militia　was　sure。　How　else　could　the　police　collect　the　information　they　needed　on　people　who　did　stray　too　far？　No　police　agency　in　the　world　had　the　time　to　investigate　everything；　and　thus　using　criminals　against　criminals　was　the　easiest　and　least　expensive　method　of　intelligence…gathering。
　The　one　thing　to　remember　was　that　the　informants　were　criminals；　and　hence　unreliable　in　many　things；　too　given　to　lying；　exaggeration；　to　making　up　what　they　thought　their　master　wanted　to　hear。　And　so　Shablikov　had　to　be　careful　believing　anything　this　criminal　said。
　
　
　For　his　part；　Pavel　Petrovich　Klusov　had　his　own　doubts；　dealing　as　he　did　with　this　corrupted　police　colonel。　Shablikov　was　not　a　former　KGB　officer；　but　rather　a　career　policeman；　and　therefore　not　as　smart　as　he　believed　himself　to　be；　but　more　accustomed　to　bribes　and　informal　arrangements　with　those　he　pursued。　That　was　probably　how　he　had　achieved　his　fairly　high　rank。　He　knew　how　to　get　information　by　making　deals　with　people　like　himself；　Klusov　thought。　The　informant　wondered　if　the　colonel　had　a　hard…currency　account　somewhere。　It　would　be　interesting　to　find　out　where　he　lived；　what　sort　of　private　car　he　or　his　wife　drove。　But　he'd　do　what　he　was　told；　because　his　own　〃mercial〃　activities　thrived　under　Shablikov's　protection；　and　later　that　night　he'd　go　out　drinking　with　Irina　Aganovna；　maybe　take　her　to　bed　later；　and　along　the　way　find　out　how　deeply　mourned　Avseyenko　was　by　his。。。　former。。。　employees。
　〃Yes；　rade　Polkovnik　Leytnant；〃　Klusov　agreed。　〃It　will　be　as　you　say。　I　will　try　to　be　back　with　you　tomorrow：〃
　〃You　will　not　try。　You　will　do　it；　Pasha；〃　Shablikov　told　him；　like　a　schoolmaster　demanding　homework　from　an　underachieving　child。
　
　
　It　is　already　under　way；〃　Zhang　told　his　Premier。
　〃I　trust　this　one　will　go　more　smoothly　than　its　two　predecessors；〃　the　Premier　replied　dryly。　The　risks　attached　to　this　operation　were　inparably　greater。　Both　previous　times；　with　Japan's　attempt　to　drastically　alter　the　Pacific　Rim　equation；　and　Iran's　effort　to　create　a　new　nation　from　the　ashes　of　the　Soviet　Union；　the　People's　Republic　had　not　done　anything；　just。。。　encouraged；　behind　the　scenes。　This　venture；　though；　was　different。　Well；　one　could　not　really　expect　great　things　to　happen　on　the　cheap；　could　one？
　〃I　…　we　have　been　unlucky。〃
　〃Perhaps　so。〃　A　casual　nod　as　he　switched　papers　on　his　desk。
　Zhang　Han　San's　blood　went　a　little　cold　at　that。　The　Premier　of　the　People's　Republic　was　a　man　known　for　his　detachment；　but　he'd　always　regarded　his　Minister　Without　Portfolio　with　a　certain　degree　of　warmth。　Zhang　was　one　of　the　few　whose　advice　the　Premier　usually　heeded。　As　indeed　today　the　advice　would　be　heeded；　but　without　any　feeling　on　the　part　of　the　senior　official。
　〃We　have　exposed　nothing　and　we　have　lost　nothing；〃　Zhang　went　on。
　The　head　didn't　e　up。　〃Except　that　there　is　now　an　American　ambassador　in　Taipei。〃　And　now　there　was　talk　of　a　mutual…defense　treaty　whose　only　purpose　was　to　place　the　American　navy　between　the　two　countries；　regular　port　visits；　perhaps　even　a　permanent　base　（to　be　built　entirely；　most　certainly；　from　Taiwanese　money）　whose　only　purpose；　the　Americans　would　innocently　say；　was　merely　to　be　a　replacement　for　Subic　Bay　in　the　Philippines。　The　economy　on　Taiwan　had　exploded　after　the　renewal　of　full　U。S。　diplomatic　recognition；　with　an　influx　of　massive　new　capital　investments　from　all　over　the　world。　Much　of　that　money　would　…　and　should　…　have　e　to　the　PRC；　except　for　the　change　in　Americas　outlook。
　But　the　American　President　Ryan　had　taken　his　action　entirely　on　his　own；　so　the　intelligence　services　claimed；　contrary　to　political　and　diplomatic　advice　in　Washington　…　though　the　American　Secretary　of　State；　that　Adler　man；　had　reportedly　supported　Ryan's　foolish　decision。
　Zhang's　blood　temperature　dropped　another　degree　or　so。　Both　of　his　plans　had　gone　almost　as　he'd　calculated　they　should；　hadn't　they？　In　neither　case　had　his　country　risked　anything　of　consequence　…　oh；　yes；　they'd　lost　a　few　fighter　aircraft　the　last　time　around；　but　those　things　and　their　pilots　regularly　crashed　to　no　purpose　anyway。　Especially　in　the　case　of　Taiwan；　the　People's　Republic　had　acted　responsibly；　allowing　Secretary　Adler　to　shuttle　directly　back　and　forth　between　Beijing　and　its　wayward　province　across　the　Formosa　Strait；　as　though　giving　them　legitimacy　…　something　obviously　not　intended　by　the　PRC；　but　rather　as　a　convenience　to　aid　the　American　in　his　peacemaking　task；　so　as　to　appear　more　reasonable　to　the　Americans。。。　and　so；　why　had　Ryan　done　it？　Had　he　guessed　Zhang's　play？　That　was　possible；　but　it　was　more　likely　that　there　was　a　leak；　an　informer；　a　spy　this　close　to　the　summit　of　political　power　in　the　People's　Republic。　The　counterintelligence　agencies　were　examining　the　possibility。　There　were　few　who　knew　what　emerged　from　his　mind　and　his　office；　and　all　of　them　would　be　questioned；　while　technical　people　checked　his　telephone　lines　and　the　very　walls　of　his　office。　Had　he；　Zhang；　been　in　error？　Certainly　not！　Even　if　his　Premier　felt　that　way。。。　Zhang　next　considered　his　standing　with　the　Politburo。　That　could　have　been　better。　Too　many　of　them　regarded　him　as　an　adventurer　with　too　great　an　access　to　the　wrong　ear。　It　was　an　easy　thing　to　whisper；　since　they'd　be　delighted　to　reap　the　profits　from　his　policy　successes；　and　only　slightly　less　delighted　to　pull　away　from　him　if　things　went　awry。　Well；　such　were　the　hazards　of　having　reached　the　summit　of　policy…making　in　a　country　such　as　his。
　〃Even　if　we　wished　to　crush　Taiwan；　unless　we　opted　for　nuclear　weapons；　it　would　require　years　and　vast　amounts　of　treasure　to　construct　the　means　to　make　it　possible；　and　then　it　would　b