As one of the most powerful Western countries in the present era, Germany's industrial level, especially its military industry, is quite developed, and its industrial production ranks second in the world after the United States in the capitalist world.

Even after a few months, Germany's defeat in World War I and its economy were devastated, the military industry was able to make a lot of war money in World War I, and even increased its level compared to before the outbreak of World War I.

And one of the targets of Cheng Nuo's trip, the German military industrial giant Krupp Company, seized this opportunity to make a lot of profits, making a profit of 75 million marks in 1913~1914, and increasing to 175 million marks in 1916-1917.

In a sense, Germany was defeated and its army was reduced to 100,000 men.

But the criteria for enlistment have also been raised to a fairly high level: soldiers must have more than 12 years of military experience, and officers must have more than 25 years of military experience, indicating that the army can be rapidly expanded once war breaks out.

The reason why the Germans are so confident is that their Krupp company, military technology, production equipment is still superior.

Krupp produced steel and weapons as early as the 19th century, and during World War I, Krupp increased its production to produce more war materials than all other factories in Europe.

In addition to military products, it also produces a variety of civilian products, ranging from locomotives to cash registers, printers, watering cans, and more.

The reason why Cheng Nuo has such great expectations for Krupp is that in addition to steelmaking technology, there are also various machines, equipment, molds, lathes, etc.

If Cheng Nuo did not acquire some of these things in time, it would be difficult for them to escape the liquidation of the Entente after the war, and they would eventually be destroyed.

Of course, there will be a deeper reason during this period, and this reason is related to whether the Chengnuo Industrial Park can be successfully completed and not excessively disturbed by warlords in the process of operation.

One day after the deal with Haber, Cheng Nuo was sorting out the information he had collected in the house, when suddenly there was a rush of footsteps from outside the door, followed by a violent knock on the door.

Out of prudence, Cheng Nuo quickly hid the information, quietly pulled out a pistol from under the table, crept to the door, and carefully observed the outside against the wall.

It's not that Cheng Nuo is too careful, but now that the Second Battle of the Marne is about to break out, and now Germany has pressed all the weights, either life or death, there is almost no second choice.

At present, the whole of Berlin is in a frenzied and at the same time very oppressive atmosphere, and it is not impossible for outsiders to suffer if they are not careful, or even lose their lives.

In order to protect personal safety, a pistol was specially purchased from the black market to protect himself.

Of course, if Cheng Nuo's shooting skills are really discussed, for him who has never touched a gun, the symbolic meaning may be greater than the actual meaning.

"Who?" Cheng Nuo asked softly.

"It's me, I'm Captain Haber, my dear friend from the Far East, and I've brought you good news today." Haber's gruff voice came from outside the door.

"Okay, wait a minute." Through the crack in the door, Cheng Nuo made sure that there was no one else behind the door, so he pinned the gun to the waistband of his trousers and hid it, dipped some water to deliberately mess up his hair, and opened the door with the appearance of having just woken up: "Call me so early in the morning, what's the good news?" ”

The door was suddenly opened, which made Haber, who was still doing the door-slapping motion, slightly embarrassed, and simply took off his hat and smiled: "Of course it's very good news, and there is more than one, it's definitely worth it to get you up early." ”

"Really? Then I'll have to listen to it. Cheng Nuo raised his eyebrows, turned half of his body to let Haber in, and after looking out to make sure that no one was following, he closed the door: "Let me guess, it was Captain Haber who said that Krupp Company was willing to transfer steelmaking technology?" ”

Haber's face was a little cramped: "No, you also know that although I am the director of the institute, I am also a Jew, and I am soft-spoken, and Krupp has not yet approved this plan, but said that it is still under consideration." ”

Cheng Nuo shrugged: "That's a pity, apart from this, other news is hardly good news for me." ”

Haber quickly explained: "No, no, no, of course not, although I did not persuade Krupp to directly carry out technology transfer, but to your compliment, their boss Gustav Krupp admired you very much, saying that they wanted to talk to you in person, and if the detailed conversation was pleasant, they would share more advanced technology." ”

Cheng Nuo was secretly happy in his heart, but on the surface, he only showed a slight hint of surprise: "Oh, this is barely a little good news." ”

Gustav Krupp, formerly known as Gustav von Bohlon Onde Harbach, was originally only a diplomat in Prussia, and was later appointed by the German Emperor Wilhelm II as the husband of Krupp II's only daughter, Beta Krupp, and was incorporated into the Krupp family.

Haber felt that there was a joke, so he took the initiative to persuade him: "Mr. Krupp is rarely interested in young people, and it is even rarer for people in foreign countries, I believe that with your talent, you will be able to negotiate smoothly and achieve better results than expected." ”

Cheng Nuo was noncommittal: "It's hard to say whether it's good or bad for the time being, but you can get things to the point where you are now, and it must have taken a lot of effort during the period, and it's really hard Captain Haber." ”

Haber waved his hand again and again: "I'm also thinking about everyone, it's just a gesture." ”

The main reason why there is such a big difference in attitudes before and after is that the chemical weapons provided by Cheng Nuo have achieved good results after the experiment, and even far exceeded Haber's expectations.

Thinking of the results of using them on the battlefield, Haber couldn't help but be moved in his heart, and he had unprecedented expectations for the massive chemical weapons that Cheng Nuo said, so he rushed to Cheng Nuo as soon as possible to discuss the next step of cooperation.

Thinking of this, Haber put the bag he was carrying on the table, took out a document from it and handed it to Cheng Nuo: "This is the experimental results of your chemical weapons and various experimental data, and I hope you can continue to improve it." ”

Cheng Nuo nodded, took the document and looked at it a few times, then put it aside: "Captain Haber, don't worry, in the coming time, we will continue to improve and strive to develop more powerful chemical weapons." ”

Haber shook his head: "I'll talk about it later, what you have provided is enough for now, I believe it can surprise the pickles of those Entente countries, and the second news I brought this time is a private invitation about it." ”

"A private invitation?" Cheng Nuo was a little puzzled.

Haber showed a hint of madness in his eyes: "Yes, I have carefully calculated that the chemical weapons you provide are enough for several small-scale battles, and the German Imperial Army will soon throw them on the battlefield, but in order to better understand the effect of use, I formally invite you to take the plane with me,

Come to the sky above the battlefield, look down on it all in person, and feel the charm of our 'inventions'. Imagine that there are thousands of enemy positions shrouded in a thick of colorful and bitter poisonous gas, and many soldiers are desperately struggling in the middle, and at this moment you and I are the gods who judge everyone! ”

Looking at the almost crazy Haber, Cheng Nuo couldn't help but shake his head, and said in his heart that the current air power comparison, and dare to take off on a German plane, it is definitely the old birthday star hanging himself - I think I have lived for a long time.

"I'm sorry, Captain Haber, but I can't say yes to this invitation." Cheng Nuo refused.

"Why? Don't you want to feel the magic of this weapon for yourself, the power of science is enough to keep you hooked. Haber wondered.

Cheng Nuo naturally couldn't tell the truth: "No, no, no, this reserve can't meet the needs of large-scale battles at all, and at this moment I need to devote more time to transporting chemical weapons to support your country's war." ”

Hearing this, Haber was very moved, and stepped forward to hold Cheng Nuo's hand tightly: "My dear friend, don't worry, not only will we pay enough for this chemical weapon, but even we will book it next time, and the empire needs a friend like you." ”

Cheng Nuo quietly withdrew his hand, and also said "excitedly": "With Captain Haber's words, our weapons will only become more and more, and they will become stronger and stronger!" ”

In the following period, Cheng Nuo not only sold the chemical weapons that had been shipped to Europe at a high price, but also booked a larger batch of chemical weapons, charging a large reservation fee.

As for whether it can be delivered normally, it is naturally impossible, and what Cheng Nuo earns is a deposit.

Anyway, I also trade as a Japanese, so I have the ability to settle accounts with the Japanese.

Seeing Haber's great interest, he even regretted that the deposit paid for the second time was not enough, and said that the batch could be further expanded, and the transportation period could be carried by German submarines.

Cheng Nuo was worried that the amount would be too large, and that it would attract too much attention and cause twists and turns in the transaction, and not only would there be no place to get the deposit, but even personal safety might have an accident, so he had to flatly refuse.

Overall, though, both sides are very happy with the deal.

The next day, Cheng Nuo came to Krupp early in the morning according to Haber's guidance.

It's just that he didn't expect the other party to show up yet, so he gave a dismount - it was half an hour past the agreed time, and Cheng Nuo was the only one left in the living room.

In the middle, except for someone bringing water, no one else came.

In the next room, Gustav Krupp was playing chess with his son Alfred Krupp.

At a young age, Alfred played chess without thinking at all, picked up the chess piece and sent it forward directly, but unfortunately he just fell into his father's trap and lost a chess piece in vain, grabbing his hair with both hands and feeling a little annoyed: "Huh? I should have seen this step a long time ago, or I wouldn't have been buried in vain. ”

Holding a pipe, Gustav shook his beard and said with a little pride: "So before the war, I said that you can beat you with a few pieces, and you still don't believe me, you should believe it now, right?" ”

Alfred said dejectedly: "Now I believe it, Dad is much better than me." ”

Gustav spat out a smoke ring and said with a smile: "Well, this move allows you to regret the move and make another decision." ”

Alfred immediately turned sad to joy: "Thank you, Dad, but Dad, you are responsible for your decision, I just thought of a wonderful trick, not only can save the day, but also turn the tables, Dad don't regret it for a while." ”

Every father is reluctant to admit that he is worse than his son, let alone such a young son, and Gustav is one of them, taking his pipe and saying with interest: "What you said is true? ”

Alfred nodded violently: "Of course, Dad, you can watch it." ”

It's a pity that Jiang is still old and spicy, and in the end, the son was killed by his father and lost his armor and begged for mercy again and again.

And Gustav, in order to enjoy himself, would deliberately let his son go before the lore, until the mountains and rivers were exhausted, and he saw that his son was about to suffer, so he gave up.

Feeling the unprecedented exhilaration, Gustav smiled and said, "How is it, are you convinced?" ”

Alfred twisted his head to the side and deliberately didn't answer his father's words: "Dad, why don't you go to greet the guests from the reception room next to you, it's too rude." ”

Gustav put away his smile and put his pipe back on his mouth: "Because it's not time yet?" ”

"Why isn't it that it's not time yet, Dad doesn't often tell me that strict punctuality is a virtue of our Germanic people, but today Dad didn't do it." Alfred said seriously.

Gustav rubbed his son's head dotingly: "That's a convention between us Germans and friends, and naturally there is another standard for treating others. ”

Alfred was curious: "So the guy next door is not our friend, but our enemy?" ”

Speaking of this, Alfred couldn't help waving his little hand: "To treat the enemy, we must beat them all away, and Dad must punish him well." ”

Gustav laughed, and then said seriously: "An enemy is not necessarily an enemy, but it can also be a friend. ”

Looking at his watch, Gustav felt that the time was almost up, so he instructed the secretary to take the child away, and he went to the mirror to tidy up his clothes, and asked as he tidied up: "How did the young man behave, what did he do in between, and did he show anything special?" ”

The waiter behind him lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "This person did not show any anxiety when he entered the conference room, even if he exceeded the appointed time, he just showed some surprise, but then he calmed down, but looked at the display in the reception room with relish, and nodded from time to time." ”

Gustav couldn't help but turn his head and asked curiously: "There is no trace of impatience to be revealed?" ”

The waiter shook his head: "No." ”

Gustav asked, "Did you drink the coffee?" ”

The waiter said, "Not only did you drink it, but you also had more than one cup, and you made a few suggestions for our coffee technique?" ”

Gustav's eyes opened slightly: "Yes, it's really interesting." ”

With that, Gustav straightened his bow tie, tilted his head to make sure he was perfectly dressed in the mirror, and walked straight in the direction of the reception room.

"Let's go, let's meet our 'enemy' friend from the Far East and see what kind of surprise he will bring us."

In the reception room, although Cheng Nuo had been prepared for the unfriendliness of the Germans, he did not expect it to be so late.

But that's fine, Cheng Nuo can observe the other party from the details to see what kind of person he is.

After a long day of inspection, I finally set my eyes on a column of bookcases used as a display: on it was a photo of Li Hongzhang and Krupp in previous lives, smiling.

Take a closer look, there is actually Li Hongzhang's handwriting on it, which is really amazing.

"I didn't expect Li Da to have works here, it's really surprising.

But if you do the math, is this a good start? ”

(End of chapter)