Negotiation

Not too long after, Göring brought Tukhachevsky and Natasha. Tukhachevsky's face was still slightly red, but his eyes were clear and bright, not at all like a drunk person. Wilhelm was really curious about how strong his liver must be to endure such indulgence. "General Tukhachevsky, I won't waste time with flattering words about your astonishing drinking capacity. Shall we get straight to the point?"

Tukhachevsky nodded. "Your Highness, you're straightforward. Please go ahead."

Everyone settled in the small conference room of the suite, and Wilhelm continued. "We have come with sincere intentions of mutual benefit. Frankly speaking, your ideology, as a newly established country, has made you enemies of the world. British Prime Minister Lloyd has even called you 'the scum of Europe.' I doubt any other country would engage in such extensive cooperation with you, apart from us."

In the original timeline, there was still China, but unfortunately, due to the Mongol issue, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union has always been strained, so they wouldn't treat the Soviet Union favorably. These Slavic people have a strong backbone and refuse to lower themselves and ask for help, even when they can't afford bread.

"On the other hand, while you are enemies of the world, we Germans aren't doing so well either. We are also suppressed by Britain, France, and the United States, struggling to catch our breath. There's a saying that goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Since we are friends, why not engage in multifaceted cooperation?"

"Allow me to be frank, friends are also built on interests. Cooperation depends on whether the efforts put in and the benefits gained are proportional," Tukhachevsky wisely replied. Smart people don't usually propose conditions first; instead, they let the other party do so, enabling them to respond accordingly.

Wilhelm, of course, knew what the Soviet Union was most lacking at the moment. Not only in this timeline but also in the original timeline, the Soviet Union drifted further away from the path of advanced development, lagging far behind the Western countries led by the United States. They had even resorted to buying expensive, top-of-the-line five-axis CNC milling machines from Japan.

"I know that your country is currently lacking in precision manufacturing. On the other hand, I can assure you that Germany has the most advanced technology in the world." As Wilhelm said this, he noticed a visible twitch in Tukhachevsky's facial muscles. The "Red Napoleon" clearly understood the immense help that Germany could provide to the Soviet Union.

Tukhachevsky cleared his throat unnaturally and asked, "Can Your Highness Wilhelm guarantee that you will provide only the latest and most advanced equipment?" When he heard the news of the German Crown Prince's visit a few days ago, Tukhachevsky's first thought was to seize the opportunity to have Germany export some precision machine tools to the Soviet Union. The Soviet industry was in dire need of such equipment. If they had these precision machine tools, the Soviet Union's industrial technology would at least soar to new heights.

That's why he took over the task of receiving German guests, which was not originally under his jurisdiction. Unexpectedly, Wilhelm now took the initiative, and he could hardly contain his inner excitement.

Wilhelm nodded heavily. "Of course, we can provide the most advanced machine tools and equipment in the world to enhance your heavy industry, military industry, and steel industry. Additionally, we can send technical personnel to provide support and guidance throughout the process." By this time, he could already see the undisguised joy in Tukhachevsky's eyes, so Wilhelm could not help but inwardly mock him. He couldn't even hide his emotions; he truly wasn't cut out for politics. "However, there's an old saying that goes, 'good goods are not cheap, and cheap goods are not good.'"

"Since Your Highness Wilhelm is so generous, we also shouldn't be too stingy. Please state your price," Tukhachevsky replied.

"First, we want to examine your military industry, including artillery, tanks, firearms, and so on. We need to understand our potential partner in order to cooperate better. Additionally, if we find something of interest, we hope you can authorize us to produce it."

Authorization, in reality, meant obtaining blueprints. In the original timeline, Wilhelm wasn't particularly fond of the Soviet Union. Although he often heard about the power of certain Soviet weapons and how they could crush their opponents, he never paid much attention to their design details. He could only draw two or three Soviet weapon design blueprints himself. As for the rest, like the Stalin tanks and the T-34, he only knew the basic data, so it is naturally impossible for him to draw the tank designs.

"..." Tukhachevsky believed that the weapons currently used by the Soviet Union and those under development were not suitable for future warfare. Upgrading and modernization were inevitable. It seemed like exchanging these future "obsolete" things wouldn't be a loss. "If you can guarantee that these weapon blueprints will never fall into the hands of third countries, then we can consider it." Even though they would become outdated, no one could guarantee that there wouldn't be localized wars in the coming years.

"Of course, no problem," Wilhelm readily agreed. Tukhachevsky was also willing to trust Wilhelm's guarantee. After all, Europeans generally considered integrity to be a fundamental virtue. In European cultural traditions, being called a "liar" was a heavy insult. The protagonist of the famous novel "Jane Eyre" was deeply saddened when his teacher scolded him for "lying" in school.

Wilhelm presented his second request. "Second, the Soviet Union has vast geographical territories, and we hope you can provide a hidden location for us. We need to secretly train our soldiers, and your country must ensure that these training grounds will not be discovered by countries such as the United States, Britain, and France."

Tukhachevsky asked, "May I ask what kind of training it will involve?"

"Armor and aviation troops," in the original timeline, the Soviet Union secretly trained and equipped armored troops for Germany. The Treaty of Versailles strictly prohibited Germany from establishing offensive military forces, especially tank units. Germany had to secretly produce tanks and find a secret location to train armored troops. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union, with its struggling industrial technology and lack of skilled technicians, joined hands with Germany for their respective interests.

Now, they were only adding aviation troops to the mix. There was no reason for the Soviet Union to refuse.

Sure enough, Tukhachevsky didn't hesitate and quickly replied, "That's not a difficult task. However, we will also send our students there to learn and exchange knowledge together."

Internally, Wilhelm cursed his shamelessness but maintained a sincerely smiling face. "That is truly what we desire. However, your side must provide all the weapons and equipment, including tanks and aircraft for training purposes." Even if Soviet soldiers had equally outstanding skills compared to German soldiers, it wouldn't compensate for the gap in weapons and equipment. Having equally skilled soldiers commanding Panther tanks and T-28 tanks would result in the T-28 being completely overwhelmed unless German tank commanders lost their minds.