Reborn in Hong Kong: The Tycoon Grows Up

I heard something about Heiyun Group and Bao Zixuan; as an important partner and old friend, Ustinov couldn't sit still and urgently needed to know the situation.

I knew before that Heiyun Group had business dealings with Americans, but now it actually has contact with the US military. Then you need to carefully consider whether getting too close to him will affect you and your family. No one can bear the charge of treason. Not only will they lose their lives, they will also be nailed to the pillar of shame. Ustinov was reputation-conscious and a staunch supporter of a strong Soviet Union.

Ustinov: "The Americans are making a fuss about replacing military vehicles. Can Comrade Chebrikov explain the situation in detail?"

Everyone knew that he and Bao Zixuan drank together, and his nephew had a close relationship with him. If you ask directly, it is definitely not good. No one would doubt the Soviet Minister of Defense's loyalty to the country, but when it was time to avoid suspicion, he had to avoid it.

As the chairman of the KGB, Chebrikov certainly knew the twists and turns here. Seeing that no one else responded, Andropov said nothing and began to introduce the situation.

What happened to Admiral Turner just now has put him into a passive position. The Soviet KGB claimed that there was nothing it did not know about such an important appointment as the Commander-in-Chief of NATO's European Allied Forces. He had not noticed any rumors before, so it would be strange that the top Soviet officials did not question his ability to work.

Fortunately, he already has a basic understanding of the replacement of military vehicles in the United States. For such important American companies as General Motors and Ford, it is normal for the KGB to know about their movements.

Chebrikov: "The replacement of military vehicles in the United States is directly related to the Heiyun Group. Since Bao Zixuan took over the two brands of Jeep and Dodge, and added its own Heiyun Motors, it can be said that it is killing everyone in the international market. The United States Locally, GM and Ford were unable to fight back."

"Cars cannot be sold, but workers, factories, and equipment need to be maintained with orders. So General Motors and Ford, together with other American car companies, began to lobby the U.S. Department of Defense to replace military vehicles."

"Previous intelligence showed that the Americans did intend to replace some old military vehicles; this opportunity would be a one-time solution."

But replacing all of so many military vehicles requires a lot of money. Even if the Americans are wealthy, they are not so wasteful. They can only sell retired weapons and equipment.

"In the past, most of the U.S. military vehicles were provided by Jeep, so finding the original factory is the best choice. Moreover, Heiyun Group has purchased many old weapons from the Soviet Union before, and it has rich experience in dealing with old equipment."

"In addition, General Motors and Ford also want Heiyun Group to handle it, and 300,000 military vehicles will inevitably occupy their production lines. Production capacity will inevitably be affected, and this is also a good time for them to seize the market again."

"Heiyun Group is somewhat forced to acquire the military vehicles replaced by the United States this time. However, with Bao Zixuan's connections in the Middle East, China, Africa and South America, there is no big problem in selling these military vehicles. Not only will the comprehensive analysis not be affected, it will even be able to Make a fortune.”

I heard that it was a conspiracy by the American automakers and the Department of Defense, not the Black Cloud Group that took the initiative. The top leaders of the Soviet Union are very reassured. Currently, the Heiyun Group plays an important role in the Soviet Union's foreign trade. There must be no problems, as it will not end well when the time comes. That would have a serious impact on the Soviet economy, and no one would dare to take the risk.

A company has been able to influence the great Soviet Union, which puzzled the Soviet leaders very much. But this is the fact, a fact that is difficult to change at present.

Andropov: "The KGB can appropriately provide intelligence to Heiyun Group and Bao Zixuan, and it must not be allowed to lean toward the United States."

"It doesn't matter whether it was intentional by the American car companies or a cover-up. I just want to know if the Soviet Union has any countermeasures. Soviet soldiers must not be allowed to fight in cars that are inferior to their opponents."

At this time, everyone looked at Ustinov. After all, these were the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense.

In fact, Ustinov also had difficulties to say that the size of the Soviet Union's economy was far behind that of the United States. Without financial support, it is difficult to ensure the upgrading of military weapons, especially after entering the mechanization era.

The war in Afghanistan was like a quagmire, constantly devouring the Soviet Union's limited military expenditures. At this time, it has to provide weapons and medicine to the Afghan troops, and it also has to meet domestic competition with the United States. At least it cannot fall behind in armaments.

At this time, the Americans were involved in the military vehicle incident again, which made the Soviet military very passive.

Even though Ustinov is a logistics leader and is a typical technical cadre, he still has the feeling that it is difficult for a skilled woman to cook without rice. But the Americans have to take action and deal with it even in difficulties. At least the preliminary work must be prepared, and we cannot hold back on armaments.

Ustinov: "Intelligence shows that the Americans are making a big move this time and have high requirements for new military vehicles. Although they don't want to admit it, it is very difficult for the Soviet Union to follow up. Not only technically, but also economically. I can’t support it either.”

"After all, the Americans are prepared to spend more than 30 billion U.S. dollars, and the Soviet Union is not yet so bold as to do so."

"The upgrading of technology is normal, and the Soviet Union can adopt a step-by-step approach. I have ordered the Moscow people and the Gorky Automobile Factory to join forces with several major design bureaus to start the research and development of new military vehicles. At least in terms of performance, they will not lag behind American military vehicles, but in terms of quantity need some time."

Speaking of the two major automobile manufacturers in the Soviet Union, they are also famous.

The Muscovite Automobile Plant was established in 1930 and occupied the leading position in the Soviet automobile industry in the 1970s and 1980s. It was once considered a banner of the Soviet automobile manufacturing industry.

In 1947, the first batch of Muscovite cars rolled off the production line, and the production model was the first-generation Opel Cadet K38 from 1936. After Germany's defeat in World War II, the Soviet government occupied the industrial base in eastern Germany. After inspection, the K38 production line was brought back to China and handed over to the predecessor of the Muscovite Automobile Factory - the Lenin Komsomol Automobile Factory built by Moscow University students. The first-generation Muscovite after its launch was named the Muscovite M400 sedan, which cost only 9,000 rubles. It was the lowest-priced car on the market at that time, and it immediately became a hot seller. The increasing market share gradually pushed Muscovites to become the largest manufacturer in the Soviet automobile industry.

The Gorky Automobile Group was established in 1930 as a product of Stalin's first Five-Year Plan period to develop Soviet industry. At that time, the United States was experiencing an extremely serious economic crisis, and the Soviet Union took advantage of this moment to propose using gold to purchase an entire set of automobile factories in the United States. This automobile factory was located on the Luge River in Lake Erie. It was called Luge Automobile Plant and belonged to Ford at the time. It was the first automobile factory in the world to comprehensively adopt assembly line production, and it was also one of the most advanced automobile factories in the world at that time. After the Soviet Union purchased a complete set of drawings and production equipment of the Luji Factory, it built the Gorky Automobile Factory on the banks of the Volga River, which stretched for dozens of kilometers. As a result, the Soviet Union jumped into the most advanced field of automobile production at that time, and the Gorky Automobile Plant became the backbone of the Soviet automobile industry.

The top Soviet officials still have great confidence in the two car factories. After all, one is from the United States and the other is of German descent; coupled with the improvements and innovations of the Soviets. In the eyes of the Soviets, the two automobile factories were no weaker than any automobile manufacturer in the world in terms of technology and production capacity. It was not promoted because of political reasons, which are directly related to the blockade in the United States and Western Europe.

Brezhnev also knew the current situation in the Soviet Union, especially the economic situation. The high military expenditures every year are constantly eating away at the Soviet economy, but without the support of the military, the Americans will be even more unscrupulous. This is very contradictory, so I can only grit my teeth and persist.

Knowing your physical condition, you may not be able to hold on for long. We can only give appropriate reminders. Even if you are the top leader, you will not dare to change the established plans and policies easily.

Brezhnev: "Marshal Ustinov is a technical cadre, so I feel relieved to leave this matter to you."

"The Ministry of Finance should allocate an appropriate amount of funds for the research, development and production of new military vehicles. If there are any remaining deficiencies, we can follow the example of the United States and sell existing military vehicles; although Eastern European countries and other alliance countries are not economically wealthy, they can purchase some military vehicles or Not a problem.”

Bao Shaofu once again changed the Soviet Union's decision-making, but this time it was financial investment. I can’t say it was bad for the Soviet Union, but I can’t say it was a good thing either.

As a result of the final high-level meeting of the Soviet Union, the KGB stepped up its investigation into Turner's appointment as Commander-in-Chief of NATO's European Allied Forces; Ustinov organized domestic design bureaus and automobile factories to develop and produce new military vehicles; the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Trade was responsible for selling retired military vehicles .

On the surface, it seems that there is no problem and it is quite reasonable; only the person involved knows the pain involved.