Regarding the request for Germany to send a professional officer corps to the Ming Dynasty, the three old advisers were very worried. When Xiang Xiaoqiang discussed with them, they always believed that Germany was currently expanding its military on a large scale, and there were simply not enough military talents. When it came to military affairs
There is no problem with technology. If it is given to the Ming Dynasty, Germany will still use it. But if one of the military talents and batches of officers is given to the Ming Dynasty, Germany will lose one. Germany may not be willing to do so.
But Xiang Xiaoqiang knew very well that Germany could do such a thing: in order to make the international situation more favorable to itself, it could send a large number of officer corps and even a large number of weapons and equipment overseas. In the winter of 1936, in the real world
A few months later, a German army regiment of about 50,000 men was sent to Spain. Because 4,500 of them were airmen, it was officially named the "Condor Legion".
For any country, the air force is the most valuable branch and the treasure of the entire army. But with a stroke of his pen, Hitler dispatched 4,500 people. Only six anti-aircraft artillery companies and one communications company were sent out.
As for the ground troops, if these seven companies are full, they will have 1,000 troops, and the remaining 3,500 troops will all be flying troops.
According to the air force establishment of Nazi Germany, the average pilot was about one-sixth of the ground crew. So of the 3,500 people, nearly 600 should be pilots. These are the best of the best. How many combat aircraft did Germany have in 1936?
Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know, but on the eve of the Battle of Britain in 1940, Germany only had more than 3,000 combat aircraft. So, in 1936, it dispatched nearly 600 pilots without batting an eyelid. This was what Hitler really did.
thing.
Therefore, Xiang Xiaoqiang is confident that he can get a large number of officer corps from Hitler, at least no less than the Condor Legion. It is true that Spain is in Europe and is close to Germany. If Franco wins, there will be more officers on the European continent.
A fascist country greatly improved the situation of Nazi Germany, and Hitler had greater enthusiasm to spend money on Spain. But then again, when Franco accepted these aids, he did not give Germany a penny, a grain of grain, or a piece of ore.
.And Ming Dynasty took tens of millions of tons of supplies that were in short supply from Germany in exchange.
In the early days of World War II, when Germany and the Soviet Union entered into economic and technological cooperation, it was because the Soviet Union provided these things to Germany that Germany paid the Soviet Union more than ten times its investment in Spain? In many cases, Hitler would not hesitate to pay back the Soviet Union's price.
The Western Front army transferred weapons and supplies to the Soviet Union, and would rather not use them than the Soviet Union... In comparison, it is just a mere military expansion, and there is no war yet!
Xiang Xiaoqiang thought about all this and became more convinced. He knew that Hitler was not a petty person. As long as you could help him achieve his goal, he would definitely pay a big price.
…
During the negotiations with Hitler a few days ago, Xiang Xiaoqiang made a request for Germany to send an officer corps to the Ming Dynasty. Hitler only agreed at that time, but the specific number and type of personnel were never discussed in detail. During the "Roast Suckling Pig Dinner"
At the meeting, Xiang Xiaoqiang vaguely expressed this request by selling warships. But this was a dinner party after all, and the two parties had been talking for a day and did not go further.
The next day, the scale of the negotiations expanded, and both sides sent additional manpower. One part continued to discuss economic and technical cooperation issues. This part of the issue was less controversial, but the content was particularly rich and involved the most people. The other part was officially started today, and Germany went to Daming.
The issue of sending the former officer corps. The German delegation came with many officials from the army, navy and air force. Not only Fritsch and Raeder came, but also the No. 2 man in the empire, Göring.
On the Ming Dynasty side, the official residence of the Chief Minister was even more crowded. The two ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Navy, the main officials below, as well as senior officials from the Army Aviation and Hainan Airlines, all came. Just like the previous day, several people came
The conference room was full, and everyone was noisy and arguing. In the confidential room, a room full of little girls wearing headphones were sweating profusely, sending messages, encrypting, decoding, copying... one after another.
Telegrams were sent out and received like flowing water.
At noon, Zhu Yourong sent Princess Zhu Youmei and Miss Marquis Zheng Yucong to visit everyone at the chief minister's residence on their behalf, and thanked everyone for their hard work. They also brought a group of royal chefs to make lunch for everyone, as a gift from the emperor to show their concern.
In Berlin, the hotel where Xiang Xiaoqiang stayed had been surrounded by the SS Führer Guards for the past two days, and the Gestapo was moving around to investigate spies and assassins. Originally, both countries were still secretive, taking care of the unofficial nature of this visit.
But now that the negotiations are in full swing and going smoothly, the public signing of the agreement is only a matter of the past few days, so I can't care anymore. I have torn off the "unofficial" cloak and started to treat it as a formal diplomatic event.
.
At the negotiation table, Xiang Xiaoqiang proposed a plan. Germany would send an officer corps with 800 pilots and 200 armored officers as the core, plus other officers from the German Wehrmacht, totaling 10,000 people, to serve as consultants and instructors in the Ming army. Once
When war breaks out again in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, these German officers will participate in the battle as a "volunteer regiment." Today, Xiang Xiaoqiang officially called the roll call for the first time. The 200 armored officer regiment must be headed by Guderian.
In return, Ming Dynasty will give those three warships to Germany for free.
…
When Goering heard this request, especially that he wanted to take away his 800 pilots, he smiled coldly and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. Army Commander-in-Chief Fritsch heard that he was going to take away his 200 armored officers.
, also shook his head, saying it was impossible. The German army now only has one armored brigade, and taking away 200 officers at once would be enough to severely weaken the armored brigade.
The only one who was happy was Navy Commander-in-Chief Raeder.
When Xiang Xiaoqiang saw the situation, he felt bad. He could see that they were not "unhappy" as usual in negotiations, they were really unhappy. Who would be willing to snatch people from them?
Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly understood that when discussing this issue today, we should not talk to the specific commanders of the navy and army, but to people at a higher level and with a more transcendent status, such as Hitler. Although these commanders-in-chief are more professional, they
Their respective interests are too deeply involved. The Air Force only focuses on its own Air Force, and the Army only focuses on its own Army. They cannot, like Hitler, examine the pros and cons from the perspective of Germany as a whole.
But Xiang Xiaoqiang still planned to give it a try. He shook his head and said:
"I say gentlemen, if you do this... I will be in a very difficult position. Now I have to negotiate with people who can represent the interests of the entire Germany, not people who only represent my own interests."
Goering said gloomily:
"I am representing the interests of Germany as a whole."
"No, you didn't," Xiang Xiaoqiang stared into his eyes and said tit for tat, "You only represent the interests of the German Air Force now."
Göring shouted:
"Why do you say that?"
"Why? That's how I saw it."
"What did you see?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang sneered and said:
"I'm talking about taking three warships as the price. Of course you are not willing to do so. Because these three warships belong to Germany, they will not be under your control. But if I say that the price is to take 5,000 fighter jets, you have agreed now.
.”
Golin's face suddenly froze, and the fat on his face slowly turned red. He said this directly to Xiaoqiang, which made him unable to get off the stage.
Moreover, as soon as the number "5,000 fighter jets" entered Göring's ears, he was really shocked. 5,000 aircraft was a number that he could not even imagine now.
Xiang Xiaoqiang turned to Fritsch and smiled:
"General Fritsch, if I said 10,000 Lightning tanks would be the price, you would probably be happy, right?"
Fritsch's reaction was similar to Goering's, but he seemed more restrained. 10,000 tanks was an astronomical figure for any country in this period. Not to mention Germany, a country with few tanks.
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Please think about it. Although our three warships are only worth 60 million marks now, if you build them yourself now, even if they have exactly the same configuration, you will never be able to build them without 150 million marks.
Do you admit it?...Well, you say that you are building a new ship after all, and we are an old ship. So let's give you a discount of 100 million marks. How about it, is it fair?...In other words, take ours
With three warships, you will save at least 100 million marks. And these 100 million marks can be used in other places, such as building aircraft and tanks.
"Mr. Göring, how much does the fighter jet you are using cost? Twenty thousand marks apiece, not much more, right? Then with 100 million marks, 5,000 of them can be built. Mr. Fritsch, your PZ-2 tank
How much does it cost? 10,000 marks per unit, is that about right? With 100 million marks, 10,000 tanks can be built. If it were your pz-1 tank, more than 20,000 tanks could be built... This account,
Have you done the math?"
But both Goering and Fritsch knew that the remaining 100 million marks could not all be used to build aircraft or tanks. Xiang Xiaoqiang calculated this, it was a lot, but it was all theoretical, and it was not practical at all.
Impossible. Just like Xiang Xiaoqiang knows that all the 180 million yuan in the Netherlands cannot be used to build aircraft carriers.
In addition, what makes them a little depressed is how Xiang Xiaoqiang "estimated" the cost of their aircraft and tanks so accurately. Needless to say, there are indispensable people in the German military industry who are responsible for Mingyang.
…
Xiang Xiaoqiang had been arguing with Goering for a long time, and finally he couldn't stand this selfish, greedy, hypocritical, short-sighted, and overachieving fat man. This guy had a complete grasp of the German negotiations, and he only considered the one under his command.
Xiaobian. Even if the other representatives and the general had partially agreed, they were still intimidated by Goering's power and did not dare to express their opinions.
Finally, Xiang Xiaoqiang tilted his head and whispered a few words to Song Ruhai. Then Song Ruhai nodded and got up to make a phone call.
The two agreed to call the Chancellery and find Hitler directly.
Among the major party members under Hitler, Goering had the worst character. He was corrupt, enriched himself, extorted money, and used power for personal gain. This was Xiang Xiaoqiang's impression of Goering.
There was a temporary deadlock at the negotiation table. No one on either side spoke. They were all flipping through documents and smoking cigarettes. Xiang Xiaoqiang also took out a cigarette from the cigarette case on the table and held it in his mouth. The guard serving as translator next to him immediately stretched out his hand.
A lighter came and Xiang Xiaoqiang smoked it. He puffed out green smoke and leaned back in his chair, staring at the cigarette on the table, waiting for news.
He found it very interesting that cigarettes at this time had three kinds of packaging, one was the paper cigarette box that was common in later generations, and the other was the exquisite metal flat cigarette box. This kind was very high-end, including pure silver, gold-plated, and copper.
There are also cloisonné cigarette cases with exquisite carvings on them. However, paper cigarette cases and metal cigarette cases have appeared in later generations, and they are both for people to carry around. The most peculiar thing is the current cigarette can. It is a small iron can
, like a tea tube, one can contains dozens of cigarettes, one can is opened at a time, and placed on the coffee table in the living room for guests to take.
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that this seemed much more generous than that of later generations. In later generations, when friends were together, each person would give out at most one cigarette. How could it compare to this kind of cigarette, which was placed directly here, like a drinking fountain in the corner.
In fact, this is also related to the national mentality in different periods. In real history, this kind of open and generous canned cigarettes was very popular in China before the Anti-Japanese War. At that time, the country ended the warlord separatism and completed the reunification. The small-scale civil war in the west can also be referred to.
The sun has subsided and all aspects are on track. Politics, agriculture, economy, education... all aspects are developing in a good direction. The whole of China is full of hope. People feel that the worst time has passed. Maybe ten or twenty years.
In a generation, China will develop into a new country that is richer, more democratic, and more civilized than it was in the previous five thousand years.
Any country or nation must go through a process from a long feudal dynasty to a bourgeois democratic society. This is a process of learning to walk. This process will not be smooth sailing, but as long as you persist in learning to walk, you will be able to walk smoothly.
Everyone else is just as good. What China needs is such a process, learning to walk in a peaceful period of time.
But the Japanese came and interrupted all this. China entered a long period of resistance, and all good opportunities were shattered. China began to retreat and entered a long period of darkness.
…All of this is thanks to the Japanese.
Of course, during the Anti-Japanese War, there was a serious shortage of supplies. Not to mention the disappearance of canned cigarettes, even the one or two cigarettes in each person's arms were hidden and tucked away, and they were reluctant to take them out for others to smoke. After the Anti-Japanese War, they never appeared again.
This kind of canned cigarettes and the open and generous national mentality are gone forever.
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at the can of cigarettes on the table and was filled with emotions for a moment... He couldn't let the can of cigarettes disappear again. He said to himself.
…
Song Ruhai came back and whispered into Xiang Xiaoqiang's ear:
"The call has been connected. The Prime Minister wants to speak to you personally."
He nodded to Xiaoqiang, stood up, apologized, said he was going to meet someone, and left the hotel conference room. The people on the German side looked up at him in astonishment.
Xiang Xiaoqiang came to the phone room, Song Ruhai picked up the phone and said in German:
"Mr. Prime Minister, General Xiang is with me now. You can talk to him personally now. From now on, I will be your translator."
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Song Ruhai smiled slightly and said:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Prime Minister."
…
On the phone, Xiang Xiaoqiang calculated the account he had settled with Goering again with Hitler. Hitler was silent for a long time.
Xiang Xiaoqiang secretly rejoiced: Using numbers to speak is always the most convincing. 5,000 fighter jets and 10,000 tanks will make anyone's blood boil when they hear it.
Hitler suddenly said:
"Just because one shell can destroy a tank doesn't mean that one shell is worth a tank. Similarly, just because your three old warships can save us 100 million marks, it doesn't mean that your three old warships are worth 100 million marks."
.Sir, I hope you still remember this simple truth."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was startled and was speechless. His face was hot. Fortunately, it was a phone call and Hitler could not see it.
...It seems that Hitler saw his trick of secretly changing concepts at a glance.
Hitler was silent for a while and said simply:
"I will send 300 pilots, 100 armored officers, and 5,000 army officers to the Ming Dynasty. Also, Guderian can't give it to you. Guderian is the soul of our German armored forces. Without him, our brand new armored forces will not be able to do anything."
It may develop further.”
"Mr. Prime Minister," Xiang Xiaoqiang said loudly after listening to the translation, ignoring Ambassador Song Ruhai's wink, "then you should pay the gold! We will use the gold to train our own army!"
Song Ruhai was furious, but Xiang Xiaoqiang ordered him to translate with stern eyes. Song Ruhai shook his head angrily and translated anyway.
Hitler was silent for another moment and suggested:
"Mr. General, we can make a compromise. I will give you 500 pilots, 200 armor officers, and 8,000 army officers. In order to make up for the loss of our armored troops, you will give us a complete set of blueprints for the Lightning series tanks."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was stunned. He didn't expect that Hitler would actually ask for Ming Dynasty's tank technology. In his consistent impression, German tanks were always ahead. But if he thinks about it now, Germany's tank design is still faltering. Ming Dynasty's lightning
1-3 is indeed much better than the German pz1-3. Whether it is in terms of firepower, armor, or mobility.
Xiang Xiaoqiang understood that the opportunity had come. His mind turned and he blurted out:
"No, Mr. Prime Minister, our Lightning Tank is much better than your PZ, and it is no worse than the medium tanks of Britain and France! Tanks are no better than warships. Once sold to you, it will definitely change the army situation of the European continent. Britain, France,
We would feel unsafe with several countries! Our Ming Dynasty has offended too many countries, we cannot do this."
"Sir, I remind you to think about it," Hitler roared, "when we transferred to you ten times more technology than this, we did not say to you what you are saying now!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang retorted:
"Mr. Prime Minister, did you offend any country by selling us technology? Did you make any country feel unsafe?... Don't talk about Beiqing. Not only did you offend Beiqing, you also completely severed diplomatic relations. But that's
It’s another thing.”
Yes, the Ming Dynasty did not threaten anyone except that the Peiqing would feel insecure. However, if Germany broke off diplomatic relations with the Peiqing, it was another political deal. The Ming Dynasty used its support for Germany to reclaim the Danzig Corridor and its support for the Anschluss of Germany and Austria.
Come.
Xiang Xiaoqiang continued:
"But if we give you advanced tanks, it will directly make France feel unsafe. France has been invaded by you twice in half a century. France was already very wary of you, and now it must hate us to death. And Britain, this
It is definitely something that the UK is not happy to see. There are also Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy... Mr. Prime Minister, the UK and France have such a large military presence in our East Asia, with colonies, military ports, and fleets, and we have just taken over Sumatra.
, are preparing to concentrate on business in Southeast Asia. If this is the case, how can we get along with these neighbors!"