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墨書 Inktalez
"I want this, and that, and also this."
Strasser looked at Kirov, who was animatedly directing his staff to record various technologies and machinery products, and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. The Soviet Union truly had deep pockets; Kirov, a mere district secretary from Leningrad, had the audacity to purchase so many items. In contrast, his own National Socialist Party barely managed to maintain basic sustenance.
Kirov, however, was unaware of Strasser's thoughts. He was solely focused on packing up all the products showcased in this bidding event to take back to the Soviet Union. Regardless of their usefulness, he wanted anything that the Soviet Union did not already have.
Even though the Soviet Union did not have a large gold reserve, what it lacked the least was resources. Under Kirov's rule, Leningrad had a large amount of mineral resources, such as bauxite, clay, phosphorite, shale, granite, limestone, and sand, etc. They could completely use these resources to exchange for foreign exchange.
In less than an hour, Kirov had selected the enterprise he wanted to cooperate with, and the next step was negotiations about the specific cooperation process.
Just then, an urgent voice came through.
"Wait a moment, Mr. Kirov, please take a look at my product."
An middle-aged man rushed in, out of breath, almost tripping over in his haste.
"This is my proudest product, the Kremlin Cannon," he proudly introduced.
"Caliber 280 millimeters. The barrel is 11.2 meters long, weighs 44 tons, and can elevate to 30 degrees with an effective range of 19,760 meters. The shell can penetrate a 65.8mm steel plate within 3000 meters. It can fire 1-2 shells per minute, truly deserving the title of the king of cannons."
Kirov looked with interest at the cannon Model in Krupp's hand, observed for a while, then nodded in agreement, "Indeed, it's a very powerful cannon. If I were in charge of purchasing weapons and equipment, I would definitely buy it."
To be honest, the moment Kirov saw the cannon, he was intrigued. If purchasing weapons had been part of his itinerary, he would definitely have bought Krupp's cannon. However, he had reported to the Central Committee in Moscow that he was going to Germany to procure technological products rather than weapons. Kirov did not want to stir up trouble, especially since the political struggle in Moscow was very intense. After being targeted by Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev had united with Trotsky to fight against Stalin. Kirov did not want to ignite a spark that could blow up the powder keg that was Moscow.
"I'm sorry, I'm here only to buy technology and machinery for developing productivity, so I won't be purchasing this thing," Kirov said with a hint of regret.
"Wait a moment, Mr. Krupp, I am very interested in your company. How about we find a place to talk after the bidding ends today?"
Just as Krupp was feeling disheartened, Strasser walked over.
"Who are you?" Krupp asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Gregor Strasser, Member of Parliament and leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party in Berlin, Major of the National Defense Forces—these are all my identities. However, I believe you would prefer my other identity," Strasser said softly as he leaned closer to Krupp. "I am the acting division commander of the German Armed Forces' First Infantry Division, and I am currently working on upgrading the equipment for the First Division."
Hearing this, Krupp's eyes lit up; he knew his opportunity had come.
"Gustav Krupp, nice to meet you, Strasser Major. I really want to talk to you; I will come to find you tomorrow."
Time always flies by quickly; in just a few hours, Kirov had finalized contracts with various parties.
It must be said that the efficiency of the Soviet Union's system is indeed high, with local leaders having such a great degree of autonomy.
After bidding farewell to all the entrepreneurs, Kirov looked at Strasser, who was waiting for him by the door, feeling somewhat emotional.
"I never expected that even under such severe sanctions, you Germans would still have such advanced science and technology. It's truly hard to imagine how far France and Britain have developed. It seems we in the Soviet Union still have a long way to go."
"Don't worry, Comrade Kirov, your Soviet Union's planned economy model will allow your impoverished country to develop rapidly. It won't be long before you surpass Britain and the United States," Strasser said truthfully. Historically, the Soviet Union began implementing the First Five-Year Plan in 1928 and completed it ahead of schedule. This was a large-scale, planned effort to transform the backward agricultural nation through comprehensive socialism construction.
This marked the beginning of the first large-scale construction project in human history carried out according to a detailed pre-established plan, as well as the start of humanity's large-scale modernization efforts under socialism.
The completion of the First Five-Year Plan transformed the Soviet Union from an agricultural nation into an industrial one, establishing a relatively complete and independent national economic system that laid the material foundation for the industrialization of socialism.
When Wall Street in the United States faced Black Thursday in 1929 and the entire world capitalism fell into an economic crisis, the economy of the Soviet Union went against the tide, becoming a model for many countries to learn from. Even Roosevelt's New Deal in the United States bore traces of the First Five-Year Plan.
"Let's hope so. I also wish the Soviet Union was developing as quickly as you say."
"Haha, enough of that. Now that the official business is done, it's time for private matters. Come on, let's go have a drink. I'll show you the sights of Berlin."
Strasser noticed that Kirov was not very enthusiastic, so he decided to cheer him up by putting his arm around his shoulder and heading to a nearby bar.
In an outdoor booth at a bar in Berlin, Kirov couldn't help but swallow hard as he watched the slender dancers on stage showing off their bodies. He had never encountered anything like this in the Soviet Union. As if they were of one mind, the tall, fair-skinned woman who was energetically demonstrating her pole dancing skills turned to look at Kirov, and even threw him a flirtatious glance.
Kirov had never seen such a scene before. He quickly lowered his head and desperately poured himself a drink, hoping that the alcohol would help him calm down.
"Comrade Kirov, is this your first time at a bar? You seem quite shy," Strasser said, observing Kirov closely with a pair of binoculars.
"Well, 90, 60, 90, not a bad figure, but the facial features are a bit ordinary," Strasser commented seriously.
"Don't be shy, Comrade Kirov. In the future, when you go to Capitalism Country, the enemies might try to seduce you with beauty. How can you resist if you don't build up your defenses in advance?"
"Is this how you test officials in Capitalism Country?" Kirov asked, somewhat surprised—no, shocked.
"It depends on the person, after all, everyone's pursuits are different, so they will use different methods tailored to different preferences." Strasser tilted his head back and took a large gulp of brandy; the wine from France is simply delicious, with a rich flavor, fruity notes, and the aroma of oak. Its taste reminds one of honey and sweet oranges.
"It seems I need to train my resistance in this area," Kirov admitted. To prevent enemies from undermining the cause of socialism, he must make himself completely invulnerable.
The two began to lift their telescopes, critically examining the decaying products of the Capitalism world.
After a few rounds of drinks, Strasser and Kirov gradually became intoxicated; it was clear that neither of them had a strong tolerance for alcohol, and the conversation took a sharp turn.
Their discussion evolved from "Germany must become strong again" and "the Soviet Union needs to vigorously liberate and develop its productive forces" to "Hitler is just a bastard" and "Trotsky deserves to be nothing more than a loudmouth."
By the end of the night, a drunken Strasser was holding onto the equally tipsy Kirov and boldly expressed his thoughts, "Once I become the Führer of Germany, I'll march into France, invade Britain, and plant the German flag in their capitals. I want to establish a unified Europe, not just see a bunch of damn fragments on the map."
"In that case, you can take on Britain and France; I'm going to fight the United States. Isn't that much more fulfilling than conquering Britain and France?" Kirov also began to ramble.
"Let's see who can achieve their goals first," Strasser said with enthusiasm.
"Sure, but you should become the Mayor of Berlin first. I'm currently the leader of Leningrad," Kirov replied smugly.
"I hope we both live to see that day," Strasser said casually, though a glimmer of determination shone in his vague eyes.
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