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墨書 Inktalez
"Welcome to Germany. On behalf of the German government, I welcome you all."
At Berlin Airport, Strasser met his old friend Kirov once again.
This was their first meeting in two years, and it seemed that time had not changed anything.
At least from the outside, Strasser and Kirov haven't changed much. Of course, this time Kirov didn't come alone; he brought the entire Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union with him, including the historically renowned Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs, Molotov. "It seems you have managed Berlin quite well; the last time I was here, the airport wasn't this new."
Kirov glanced around at the surrounding buildings and couldn't help but marvel at the power of the developed industrial country.
"This is thanks to Comrade Speer, the chief designer of the Labour Party; he has a real talent for architectural design."
Speaking of Speer, Strasser also praised him endlessly; this guy truly is a genius.
After Seeckt handed over the equipment maintenance department to him, Speer managed it very well. With Strasser's influence, his orders were carried out smoothly in the equipment department, unlike in later years when vested interest groups obstructed them, affecting production efficiency. Occasionally, there were some oblivious individuals who tried to show off in front of him, but the next day, someone from the Stasi would come knocking on their door to give them a thorough introduction to what "labor reform" meant.
Therefore, the Equipment Department has performed exceptionally well over the past year, significantly improving the production efficiency of weapon manufacturing, including logistics. They have completed the re-equipment of the teams affiliated with the ethnic group Labour Party.
It can be said that the seven divisions under Strasser are now equipped at a level that is no less than that of the German Army at the start of 1939, and in some aspects, they have even surpassed it.
After all, Germany did not have anything like the STG-44 when it was fighting Poland.
This inexperienced National Defense Forces still need the test of real combat to see how much they have grasped the essence of Blitzkrieg. This is also one of the reasons why Strasser allowed Myers to go abroad; a unit that has not experienced war, no matter how strong it appears on paper, is ultimately just a facade. Only occupying Paris is the true measure (not really). "We in the Soviet Union will also build such a magnificent airport in the future."
Molotov couldn't help but say that he envied the level of development in Germany, which the impoverished Soviet Union couldn't compare to. Just one airport was like this, and Molotov couldn't imagine what more developed countries like England and France were like. Of course, compared to that, Kirov seemed much more normal, because it wasn't his first time there.
"This is natural. I believe that with the wisdom of the Soviet Union's people, they will certainly be able to build such a tall building." Strasser smiled. "Constructing a concrete structure building is not difficult, but building a small tractor is much more challenging."
"Kirov has a point. So, Comrade Kirov has come to address this issue, hasn't he? We can go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss this matter thoroughly." Strasser understood Kirov's implication and responded accordingly.
After reaching an agreement with the Juncker nobility, Strasser released the Royalists led by Hindenburg. In return, the Juncker nobility would not obstruct the actions of the ethnic group Labour Party in Congress, including taking action against the Social Democratic Party, as long as their own interests were not affected. Strasser and Stresemann found government operations to be much smoother as well.
According to the current development trends, it will not be difficult for the Labour Party to become the majority party and take over the cabinet in the 1929 Congress elections. Therefore, no one would foolishly establish a powerful enemy for themselves in the future. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Strasser, possesses considerable freedom of action, including engaging in diplomatic activities with various countries.
"Our cooperation history with Germany dates back a long time, and both sides have a great deal of trust in each other, so I'll get straight to the point," said the impatient Kirov. He was speaking the truth, although the relationship between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the past was complicated, as they fought side by side and found it hard to part ways during the European War.
However, the new Soviet Union and the Weimar Republic have had a good relationship over the past eight years. After all, both are the abandoned children of the Versailles system, and these two isolated guys can only help each other hand in hand. From the "Rapallo treaty" to the later "Berlin Agreement," all show the friendly relationship between Germany and the Soviet Union.
These two countries have achieved extensive cooperation in the military and economic fields. With previous experience, continuing cooperation naturally should not be difficult.
"We need Germany to provide various machinery and technology for the Soviet Union, as well as a large number of skilled workers and advanced technical personnel to work in the Soviet Union."
Historically, the Soviet Union's Five-Year Plan was a great achievement, but the process was not easy.
Soviet Union The advanced technical talents needed for industrialization were not available in the Soviet Union when the Bolsheviks took over the mess left by the Tsarist Russia, which had nothing except for resources and people. The compulsory education rate at that time was not as high as it is now. Even in 1927, there were still 50% illiterates in the Soviet Union, so it was impossible to rely on these people to achieve industrialization. "Of course, we can provide these technologies. Soviet Union is a socialism country, and Germany will also become a socialism country in the future. It is only natural for socialism brothers to help each other."
Strasser readily agreed, but pretended to hesitate as he said, "However, the situation in Germany is quite difficult right now. With the economic recovery, various enterprises are starting to face a labor shortage. It is not an easy task to send so many skilled workers to the Soviet Union. Moreover, while these technologies may not be top-notch, they are still the result of German ingenuity, so..."
"I know, I know," Kirov interrupted Strasser's words, boldly putting forth his own chips. "The Soviet Union will definitely show enough sincerity; even brothers need to settle accounts clearly."
We will provide a large amount of grain and mineral resources for exchange, as well as oil. As for the wages of those technical talents, we will settle them in foreign exchange, just double the market price in your Germany."
"Soviet Union has so much foreign exchange?"
Strasser looked shocked. He remembered that the Soviet Union was still in a state of foreign exchange shortage at this time.
"Not yet, but it will be soon," Kirov chuckled. He wouldn't tell Strasser that the future of the Soviet Union relied on exporting grain to exchange for foreign currency, with this grain coming from the Ukrainian region and the portions submitted by collective farms to the country.
As for the consequences of doing this, Kirov did not want to think about it, nor did he dare to. He still held onto a glimmer of hope, after all, things that had not yet happened always carried uncertainties, didn't they?
"Since that's the case, then it's easy to handle."
Strasser did not think much about it.
"Now there is only one question left."
"What question?"
Kirov was puzzled.
"I believe that, given the relationship between the Soviet Union and Germany, cooperation solely in the economic field is insufficient; we also need to achieve deeper collaboration."
Strasser made his suggestion.
"In what areas?"
Molotov couldn't help but ask, "What about it?"
"Military," Strasser's words briefly silenced the room.
"This is impossible. We are only authorized to cooperate in the economic field; military cooperation is not permitted," Molotov exclaimed. "I’m sorry, Comrade Strasser, but we truly do not have that authority, or rather, none of us on this mission have that authority."
Kirov shrugged, although worried about affecting the cooperation, he still spoke the truth.
"This level of cooperation must be approved by Comrade Stalin, and we need to send someone to talk to him in person."
"That's perfect, we can send someone to Moscow for a trip, and after the specific treaty is signed, we can go with you."
Strasser was not surprised by this; he understood quite a bit about the power dynamics of the Soviet Union and knew that Kirov and the others were speaking the truth.
"That's not a problem; I can still consult with Moscow on this," Kirov nodded.
"Thank you very much, Comrade Kirov. I believe that a close cooperation between the Soviet and German sides can definitely be achieved."
Strasser appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was extremely excited. Before his time travel, he had never had the opportunity to visit the Kremlin in person, and now he finally had the chance to fulfill his long-held wish.
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