"Electronic watches, electronic watches, electronic watches made in Hong Kong, cheap and good, one mark and one ......"

"Color TV, radio, tape recorder, package delivery, one-stop service! NB Bank underwrites the full compensation for the loss and ticket in case of damage in transit. ”

"French fashion offers and promotions, all kinds of styles are available. Major, if you look at this material and this workmanship, it will definitely be marketable to bring back to your hometown. ”

At 8 a.m., the east gate of Leipzig Airport was bustling with people. I just arrived yesterday afternoon, and I was going to Moscow in three hours, and I decided to use the last bit of time to accompany Xia Yao.

Soviet servicemen who arrived from far and wide were busy haggling in front of the stalls of the families of NB Aviation staff members, purchasing as much goods as possible with the least amount of money possible, so that they could live a better life after they were officially withdrawn.

The ground forces of the "Western Cluster" to which they belong are divided into two Guards Tank Army, one Guards "Assault" Army, two Guards Infantry Army, and tactical rocket brigades and artillery divisions directly under them, for a total of 9 tank divisions plus 9 motorized infantry divisions.

The 16th "Red Banner" Front-line Aviation Army, which has the most famous air force unit in Soviet history, is equipped with the latest types of combat aircraft, and the training standards of air and ground personnel are also among the best in the Soviet army.

All along, this unit has always maintained a high level of security. Once the Cold War heats up, it will become a swarm of manic red bees, rising up, surrounded by flames and stingers, and burning the skies of Europe......

And now, the most powerful foreign military force in the history of the Soviet Union, after more than 40 years in Germany, is returning home. It is like a wild goose that once flew south. In the season of spring ice and rain. Back to the cold, but familiar north. to experience another cycle in life.

Mrs. Kippenhahn, who accompanied them, explained in English: "The Cold War is over, and they no longer play any role except waiting to return home." Overnight, he went from being a ruler of East Germany to a guest idler. All operational arrangements were subject to the IDF presence in Tsosen, and the Federal Government began to restrict low-altitude flights and live ammunition, and drastically reduced the number of training sites available to the local community, taking into account the impact of tank and flight training noise on local communities......

Personally, there is no more profound feeling than when I used to receive my salary in the GDRM. They were the well-deserved 'golden collars' of the GDR! But after the transition to the West German mark, they collectively became the 'low-income class'.

First, when the two Germans were reunified, the federal government fused the two German marks with three exchange rates to provide social welfare guarantees, so that we, the East Germans, became rich all of a sudden, and we had no worries about food and clothing. Second, the deterioration of the economy in the Soviet Union affected them, and the logistics chain began to break, and even life became a problem. ”

If there is demand, there will be a market, and it is precisely because of this business opportunity that NB Aviation left two Tu-154s. Specially provide them with the convenience of "buying and selling".

To the irony of the charter, despite the clear knowledge that most of them would return. But the German federal government, which was eager for them to get out of the way immediately, actually formulated a set of subsidy policies that were almost tailored to NB aviation, and for every Soviet garrison sent away, they could receive 30 marks from the federal government.

Based on the statistics of the airport customs office with only two staff members and the airport police station with only three police officers, separate accounts are maintained and settled on a monthly basis. Grasshoppers are also meat, although 30 marks are a little less, but the ticket money is still earned, don't be in vain.

With so many people coming over in all kinds of military vehicles, some of which were even equipped with machine guns, Xia Yao asked worriedly: "Mrs. Kippenhahn, will they make trouble?" ”

"Not with us."

Mrs. Kileenhahn accompanied the two of them on their way, and said with emotion: "However, with the withdrawal of troops and the confusion of the domestic situation in the Soviet Union, some disgraceful things have arisen in other places. Such as peddling personal weapons in exchange for marks, such as alcoholism, drug use, desertion...... Some high-ranking military officers have even used military transport planes to resell in-demand supplies and participate in black market transactions.

A few months ago, three German officers were shot at by the Soviets while taking pictures of the facilities of the 36th Missile Brigade at Fort Altra, which caused a lot of trouble, but then it was dissolved. Some time ago, there was an even more troublesome incident, a 28-year-old special forces lieutenant who was in charge of guarding the warhead tried to sell a 680-kilogram nuclear warhead to an international non-governmental organization for 500,000 marks. ”

The more Xia Yao thought about it, the more frightened he became, and asked again, "Why won't we be here?" ”

"Hear me or not, almost everyone here speaks Russian, just as we know them, they know us very well. In any case, the vast majority of the airport staff, including my husband and me, were once their comrades-in-arms. More importantly, we are the only ones who can serve them without discrimination. ”

The USSR collapsed, and it is not known how many nuclear warheads were missing, and the charter was not surprised.

As for the relationship between the former East German People's Army and the Soviet Army, it cannot be completely equated with the "Imperial Army" and the "puppet army", because they have strong autonomy and the corresponding treatment is even higher than that of the Soviet Army stationed in Germany.

Thinking of the purpose of leaving for the Soviet Union in the afternoon, the charter asked casually: "Did any of them defect?" ”

"Yes, and a lot."

Mrs. Kileenhahn thought for a moment, then continued: "It is said that more than 100 people deserted, and more than 40 of them defected to the West, including a MiG-29 pilot, and he was enthusiastically received by the CIA. To this end, the de facto commander of the group, Colonel-General Sznekov, was dismissed and replaced by Colonel-General Burlakov, who oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary last year. ”

Only more than 10,000 people have been withdrawn so far, and the charter nodded: "The withdrawal speed is too slow, and there will definitely be problems if it goes on like this." ”

"Yes, but what can be done?"

Mrs. Kippenhahn, who worked as an interpreter in the former KPA Air Force, shook her head and said with a wry smile: "Czechoslovakia is willing to help the Soviet Union by providing four trains a day, and Bonn has also contributed C160 transport aircraft. But this progress is far behind all expectations.

The reason was that Poland had not signed an agreement with the Soviet Union on the evacuation of 50,000 Soviet troops in Poland. Refused to provide the USSR with a transport shortcut. The USSR was even asked to pay $3 billion for transportation. The 'Western Cluster' has been forced to repatriate personnel by very inefficient airlift.

The Soviets also complained about the lack of funding, saying they could not provide adequate housing for returnees, and demanded federal funding for the construction of an additional 36,000 homes, claiming that even so, 190,000 military dependents were homeless upon return. ”

Xia Yao felt very unbelievable that the most combat-effective unit of the Soviet Red Army would be homeless, and couldn't help asking: "Really?" ”

Mrs. Kileenhahn pointed to a Soviet major who was paying for it, and confirmed: "I deal with them every day. I am not ignorant of the situation in the Soviet Union, and I do not think it is entirely a deliberate delay or bargaining, since many of the officers and men of the 16th Army, which were the first to return home, are still living in makeshift tents. The major was one of them, so he came back on our plane, trying to make money in this way so that he and his family could have a better life. ”

The charter deeply agreed: "There are more than 300,000 garrisons and more than 100,000 family members, without any preparation and insufficient financial resources. It is indeed not an easy task to resettle hundreds of thousands of people at once. ”

Further on is the Leipzig International Airport, which is jointly invested by the Leipzig County Government and NB Electric (Germany). Bonded Economic Cooperation Zone".

In accordance with the strategic planning of both parties. The project includes 100 hectares of land under development and 300 hectares of reserved land, with four functional areas: bonded logistics park, bonded industrial park, bonded business park and economic cooperation park.

Mrs. Kippenhahn had always been very incomprehensible about developing in this remote place, and seeing that the young boss was in a good mood, she finally asked: "Mr. Zhang, NB Electric already has a factory in Berlin, why do you want to open it here?" ”

The charter looked around and said lightly: "Many Asian airlines are developing business in Europe, and they are greatly constrained by factors such as traffic rights. Compared to the airports in Western Europe, Leipzig Airport has a lot of potential for growth.

However, for the sake of profit, it is difficult for them to abandon international hub ports such as Frankfurt and Amsterdam in favor of third- and fourth-tier cities with low market maturity, poor infrastructure and weak distribution capacity. So if you want to develop Leipzig County, you have to think of other ways. ”

An Asian from Hong Kong is actually more concerned about the development of Leipzig County than a West German.

Despite knowing that he had spent time at the former East German Academy of Sciences and had feelings for the GDR, Mrs. Kilepenhahn was a little puzzled. Looking at her puzzled look, the charter continued: "This is my promise to a friend in East Germany, if it is done properly, it should be properly rewarded, and it will be very beneficial to the development of the company while fulfilling the promise." ”

"But I don't really have any future here, except for the training business of NB Airlines."

Xia Yao echoed: "Charter, I also feel that this is a bit biased. ”

"Xia Yao hasn't been to West Germany, Mrs. Kilepenhahn, and I don't think you have been either."

"But I've seen it on TV."

"There's a lot of things you can't feel through TV."

The charter smiled and said seductively: "Walking on the streets of West German cities, every place reminds you that you are in West Germany. From the cars running on the streets, to the small supermarkets that are dotted with roadsides and stations, to the banks that provide the blood of economic development, it is rare to see foreign brands.

Local manufacturing meets the material needs of the West Germans, as well as the expectations of the West Germans. The fact that many international giants have withdrawn from the West German market shows how difficult it is to compete with West German companies. And all over the world, if you point to a product and say, 'It's made in West Germany,' there is no doubt that the quality of that product must be questioned. ”

Although she is not very interested in the West Germans, Mrs. Kilepenhahn admits: "The West German goods are really good. ”

"But what if you go back 150 years? The situation is quite different. Germany was a latecomer relative to Britain and France, and at that time, Britain imported products from Germany with the English word 'Made in Germany', which meant that they were of low quality. Mrs. Kippenhahn, your compatriots have convinced the whole world with their prudence that the quality of the products made in Germany is so good.

NB Electric is a multinational company, and due to many factors such as production costs, it is impossible to manufacture all products in Germany, let alone build a factory in West Germany like 'sending stones to the mountains'. In some markets, especially in Europe, the label 'Made in Germany' is required, otherwise it will be difficult for us to do business. ”

"So you have the factory here?"

"An assembly plant, to be exact."

There is nothing to hide from East Germans like her, and the charter pointed to a construction site not far away, and said bluntly: "The NB electrical sets, NB electronics and NB computer products sold in Europe will be assembled here, and the bonded policy can save the company a lot of money and make our products more competitive."

In addition, there are advantages here, such as the railway being built all the way to the airport, such as the proximity to Poland and other Eastern European countries. Just as the Soviet Union used East Germany as a base for its offensive against Western Europe, we will use it as a base in the near future to sell our products to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and even Eastern European countries such as the Soviet Union. ”

Xia Yao didn't quite understand, and couldn't help asking: "Can bonded save money?" ”

"The tax rates for imported products are not the same as those for imported semi-finished products, and if the products are assembled in a bonded area, it is justifiable to ask the Leipzig Chamber of Commerce and Industry to issue a certificate of origin and label it 'Made in Germany'. At the same time, you can apply for a certificate of commodity circulation, so that when you sell your products to France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and other European Community member states, you can get preferential import tariffs for semi-finished products. ”

Workers were also needed for assembly, and Mrs. Kirpenhahn did not think that the big young boss in front of her would recruit foreign workers like the West German capitalists.

It's a good thing for her, a good thing to get everyone around her to work. As for the West Germans, it was too far away, and it seemed that they did not do anything for the East Germans except to occupy the main positions in the government departments of the counties and cities, and to give away the state assets to West German enterprises for nothing.

On the way back to the airport to meet Dr. Klinsmann and other members of the Leipzig Youth Tour, Charter muttered to himself: "Wife, I find myself a little messy now. ”

"I just know," Xia Yao gave him a roll of his eyes and muttered: "One shot in the east and one shot in the west, what do you think of and what to do, make such a big mess, can you take care of it?" ”

"Yes, it can't be like this anymore, there is a specialization in the art industry, and when the affairs of the Soviet Union are finished, we will devote ourselves to electricity." (To be continued......)