A violent "desert storm" had just blown, and a sharp "desert saber" stabbed out.

News kept coming from the front that the armies had arrived at the place of attack at the scheduled time; Bomb-laden planes are bombing designated targets in batches; An amphibious landing flotilla carrying 18,000 marines has approached the shores of Kuwait; The airborne division has boarded the plane and is ready to fly......

At 4 o'clock in the morning, the vanguard of the coalition forces crossed the border between Kosha and Saudi Arabia and Iran, and a ground offensive that had a bearing on the overall situation was finally launched.

Dozens of minutes later, the Pentagon in Washington announced to the whole world that the "final decisive battle" of the Gulf War had begun.

The advance of the ground forces went unexpectedly smoothly, and only four hours after the start of the battle, the 2nd tank column of the 6th Marine Division of the US Marine Corps broke through the second line of defense of the Iraqi army.

In the western Ravha area, far from Kuwait's main battlefield, more than 300 helicopters of the US 101st Air Assault Division buzzed like a swarm of wasps, quickly flying into the depths of the desert.

The dust kicked up by Apache, Cobra, Black Hawk, Huey and Chinook helicopters turned the world crimson. The helicopters lined up in 6 columns, forming 6 black corridors in the sky. By the evening of the 14th, the helicopters had transported 2,000 soldiers, 50 transport vehicles, a large number of howitzers, ammunition and a large amount of gasoline to an area 80 kilometres deep in Iraq.

At the same time, one of the most competitive international business wars has also kicked off.

In the division of the "post-war dividend", the White House constantly exerted political pressure on Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to give priority to American companies. A French newspaper commented on this: The US president ordered 88,500 tons of bombs to be dropped in the bay. to re-establish the status of the police in the American world; While personally sounding the gong for domestic enterprises. Maximizing commercial interests for the United States.

The ground war is not over yet. British Foreign Secretary Hurd personally led 10 industrial and commercial giants to lobby the Gulf.

Several major German conglomerates and some small companies related to the oil industry, which have never been based on "making quick money" and do not pursue rapid and extensive development, could no longer sit still under the agitation of NB Electric in the past two months, and put pressure on the federal government through various channels, strongly demanding that the Kohl government respond quickly.

At 9 o'clock in the evening, the prime minister's palace was brightly lit.

"Gentlemen, the coalition forces have launched a ground attack, and the government-in-exile will soon be able to return to Kuwait. At least $250 billion in rebuilding orders are on the horizon, and the business community, especially the Petroleum Industry Association, is going crazy, which has never been done before, and it is a challenge, and I think we have to come up with an attitude as soon as possible. ”

After receiving phone calls from at least 30 business magnates and the presidents of associations from morning to dinner, Prime Minister Cole was so encouraged that he would not break up the meeting without working out a plan, and asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Economy and Technology, and the Secretary of the Council of Ministers to speak.

Charter's good neighbor Angela is also there, but she's not what she used to be. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Kohl, he has risen through the ranks of a rocket and has become the vice-chairman of the ruling coalition and the head of the Federal Government's Minister for Women and Youth.

"Mr. Prime Minister. Definitely going to go, but is it appropriate to go now? ”

Germans like to follow a step-by-step approach, and this is evident in Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Hans. He has more seniority than the prime minister, having served as interior minister for more than a decade, foreign minister for more than a decade, and is now the deputy prime minister of the federal government.

His attitude was very clear: Germany could not put pressure on Kuwait like the United States, let alone do what the British did. It's too embarrassing, at least he won't do it.

The young Minister of Economy and Technology, contrary to his attitude, bluntly reminded: "Mr. Hans, but we are a democratically elected government, elected by the German people with one vote after another, and we cannot remain indifferent to their demands. ”

As soon as BASF and Dongmenzi and other major companies intervened, making things a little complicated, Vice Chancellor Hans sighed secretly and asked expressionlessly: "In what name?" What can I achieve after I go? If the Kuwaiti government-in-exile fails to make any commitments, it will undoubtedly affect the reputation of the federal government. ”

The United States sent 300,000 troops, Britain sent tens of thousands, and Germany only sent 18 planes, and they were all responsible for logistical support tasks. Kuwait will certainly be close to the United States, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and other countries that have contributed the most troops.

His fears are not unfounded, because if the competitors are too strong, if they do not get enough orders, the federal government will not only lose face internationally, but will also be accused of incompetence by the people at home.

The Minister of Economy and Technology could not hear the meaning of his words, and said-for-tat: "Mr. Hans, the Federal Government has done its utmost on the issue of sending troops. After all, we are a defeated country, and sending troops is very controversial in itself, in addition to the fact that we have borne more than $30 billion in military spending. ”

"The question is, will the Kuwaiti government-in-exile see it that way? As for military spending, the United States and Japan bear more, and they will definitely have a comprehensive consideration. ”

In a sense, the undertaking of such a large amount of military spending has a lot to do with the reunification of the two Germanys.

Hundreds of thousands of Soviet Red Army troops were still stationed in Germany, and every Soviet holiday, they would go out of the barracks and make some noise. If they don't leave for a day, Germany can't do without the support of the United States for a day, otherwise everything could happen.

paid for it, but people may not appreciate it.

Prime Minister Kohl, of course, knew this, so he turned back and asked: "Angra, don't you have a plan?" ”

"Yes," said Angra, sitting up straight and full of anticipation, "Mr. Hans, it is not appropriate for Mr. Chancellor to go, and it is not appropriate for you to go, so I propose that Mr. Dietrich go abroad." By all indications, Saddam Hussein is likely to order the incineration of the oil fields, and that the resulting air pollution will have catastrophic consequences, and Germany will inevitably be affected, and it is normal for some appropriate response to be taken without affecting the reputation of the federal government. ”

A visit to the Gulf by the Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety would be the best of both worlds.

Hans thought about it and added: "With only four delegates, without a large business delegation, visit a few more countries along the way, delay as much time as possible, and preferably wait until the government-in-exile returns to Kuwait for business negotiations." ”

Thinking of the representatives of the major Kang Bain who were sitting in his office waiting for news, the Minister of Economy and Technology asked coldly: "What about the country, what about the country?" ”

"Make it clear to them, I'm sure they'll be reasonable, and besides, we're not doing nothing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will consult with the Kuwaiti ambassador, and the Ministry of Economy and Technology will have access to the Kuwaiti shareholders of Deutsche Bank, who are members of the royal family, and the investment in Deutsche Bank is also the property of the Crown, and I think it can play a role. ”

All aspects can be explained in the past, Prime Minister Kohl nodded with satisfaction, got up and said with a smile: "Gentlemen, it is so decided, Mr. Dietrich will visit tomorrow, and the entourage will be coordinated by themselves." ”

As soon as the news came from the Prime Minister's Office, a small meeting was held in the conference room of the Ministry of Economy and Technology.

The federal government can only act as a matchmaker, and cannot exert direct pressure as the United States and the United Kingdom, which means that the specific negotiations will have to be conducted by their representatives.

Who will go and who will not, how to talk after going, and how to divide the cake after the negotiation must be determined in advance.

Once upon a time, it was possible to sit on an equal footing with several representatives of Combene, Daniel was excited, took out a stack of plans, and said: "Gentlemen, NB Electric is only interested in firefighting, and the doctor's position is clear to everyone, he just wants to find a job for his friends." Therefore, it is no question whether the future reconstruction business will be contracted by NB Industrial Manufacturing or by you. ”

"We focus on equipment manufacturing, and only after-sales service personnel, if they can win the reconstruction or rehabilitation business of the desalination plant, they can be manufactured and constructed by NB Industries."

Although there is competition in the business of industrial appliances, high and low voltage switchgear and power transformers, it is now unanimous with the outside world, not to mention that the market share of NB electrical products is negligible, which poses no threat to Oriental, so the representative of Orientals did not hesitate to say: "We are the same, we can provide more employment opportunities for our friends." ”

After reading the negotiation plan, the BASF representative asked worriedly: "Mr. Daniel, as far as I know, the U.S. and Canadian fire companies have reached an agreement with the Kuwaiti government-in-exile, and your company has no previous experience in fire protection and blowout control, will the Kuwaiti government agree to your company's participation?" ”

The representative of the oil industry trade union was convinced, and said with a serious face: "This point is particularly important, because we must know that whoever stands on the edge of the oil well first will have the advantage." ”

"In fact, we only need one chance, and we don't expect the Kuwaiti government-in-exile to treat us the same way we treat American and Canadian companies," Daniel said with confidence. ”

"Can you be specific?"

"I'm sorry, this is a trade secret, but I can tell you responsibly that we have been preparing for nearly three months, and the corresponding firefighting equipment and equipment have all arrived in the bay, at least in terms of preparation, which is unmatched by any firefighting company."

Saddam Hussein threatened to set fire to all the oil wells in Kuwait, but so far he has been a threat and has not given the frustrating order. The American and Canadian fire companies had already set their sights on the oil wells that had already been ignited, and the BASF representative decided to make a concession and put down the negotiation plan and said, "Okay, since your company is so confident, then we will give up the fire protection business." ”

Time was of the essence, and there was too much preparation to be done, and the representative of the employers' association reminded: "Gentlemen, it is better to decide first which four will accompany the Minister to negotiate on our behalf with the Kuwaiti government-in-exile. ”

Daniel was resolute and said in an almost unquestionable tone: "As the initiator of the reconstruction operation, NB Electric and NB Industrial Manufacturing must occupy a place. ”

Preparations have been underway since last year, and at the last hearing, several major associations also confirmed NB Industries' efforts to find a way for German companies, and his request was approved as a surprise.

After intense discussions, it was decided that BASF, Orientals and the Petroleum Industry Association would each send a representative to travel with Daniel with the ministers of the environment, nature conservation and reactor safety. (To be continued......)