Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

On January 1, 1943, a once-in-fifteen-year blizzard was still raging in Chahar, but the heavy snow could not suppress the red flames bursting forth from thousands of torches.

The moment the red flag symbolizing the Suiyuan Military Region of the Eighth Route Army was planted all over the province, the entire northern plateau echoed with the same voice: Where the red flag flies, the mountains and rivers will be restored to glory!

Looking out the car window at the people celebrating all night and welcoming him with food and drink, Huang He, who had just gotten off the plane and looked exhausted, felt a surge of heat rising violently in his chest, as if something was choking him.

Seemingly noticing Huang's sentimental side, Captain Wang Hai, who was traveling with him, patted his comrade's shoulder forcefully, his rough palm making a rustling sound as it rubbed against the cotton overcoat.

"Have ambition; there's still a long road ahead where you need to work hard."

Upon hearing this, Huang He quickly composed himself, and his signature hearty smile soon returned to his face.

While the convoy was still traveling through Wanquan County, he subconsciously looked northwest. His gaze seemed to pierce through the Yinshan Mountains, cross the frozen Volga River, and reach the city standing amidst the gunfire.

"Yes, the road ahead is long. But right now, we need to take back the lost land inch by inch."

······
The journey from the field airfield to the headquarters of the advance troops of the Suiyuan Military Region was not long. While Huang and Wang were still imagining the aftermath of victory, the convoy had already crossed the last rut and stopped steadily under a fluttering red flag.

Huang He had just opened the car door, his boots not even touching the ground, when a tall, handsome middle-aged man strode up to greet him.

That's right, the newcomer was Huang's elder brother, an ideological crusader who had been active in the mountain city.

"Hey, big brother, long time no see. How's the publicity going lately?"

"It seems that the Russians have really been driven to desperation by the Germans and are preparing to try to salvage the situation after all. Otherwise, you wouldn't have needed to personally participate in these negotiations."

"By the way, have the border region and headquarters assigned me any extra tasks? To make Big Beard realize the irreplaceable importance of our Weapons Experimentation and Research Bureau, I've prepared quite a few of my most treasured blueprints this time."

When acquaintances meet, they should exchange pleasantries and reminisce.

But the eldest brother looked serious and didn't even bother with his usual banter about the people of Fenghua. He grabbed Huang and Wang's wrists and headed towards the headquarters.

"You've finally arrived!"

"Quickly, come inside with me. Our chances of success in this negotiation are very high."

Upon hearing this, Huang He immediately realized the urgency of the situation and, without saying a word, followed the ideological crusaders into a small conference room.

All these years of planning have led to this day.

Upon entering the room, the eldest brother immediately took a telegram from his briefcase and got straight to the point:

"Just a few hours ago, the border region and its allies in Free France exchanged intelligence. The situation in Stalingrad is far worse than we had anticipated."

"According to the joint simulation by the headquarters staff, if everything continues to develop as it is now, the German Army Group South will achieve victory in the campaign within ninety days."

"The probability of the Barbarossa Project succeeding has probably increased by another 30%."

The moment these words were spoken, the meeting room fell into an eerie silence. Huang He could hear his own heart pounding so hard it hurt his eardrums, and he saw Captain Wang Hai's Adam's apple bobbing violently.

No, it really can be penetrated.

It can only be said that Jude is truly remarkable, with such amazing execution and combat effectiveness that they really don't care about logic at all.

Although the Yellow River has always adhered to the principle that a half-dead northern neighbor is a good neighbor, if it continues to stand idly by, the Russian bear will truly become a dead bear.

Considering that the Russian bear couldn't collapse yet, he carefully chose his words and tentatively asked:
"What does the border region mean? Are they going to provide full support to their allies?"

"If I'm going to go all out, I can't hold back during the weapons presentation later."

"After all, the projects I have on hand, including all the equipment such as medium tanks, heavy tanks and jet fighters, are exactly what the Russians urgently need."

Regarding the question of how much advanced technology the Weapons Experimentation and Research Bureau actually possesses, apart from the Army Reorganization Experts, only Huang He himself knows the answer in the entire CCP.

Seeing his brother looking like a mysterious riddle teller, he simply took out his notebook and lightly tapped the paper with his pen:
"Alright, let's get straight to the point. Just tell me the truth. Since you have a deep understanding of Dezhou's military industry capabilities, your bureau must have corresponding engineering projects."

"You need to tell me first, so that I can maximize my interests in the following negotiations."

Compared to the original timeline, the current situation on the eastern front of Europe, while not yet completely collapsed, is already in a state of disarray.

Faced with a fully strengthened Germany, even the major belligerent nations, if they wanted to offer assistance, were powerless to do so. You can't expect Sherman and Churchill to team up and fight tigers and leopards without air superiority.

However, if this matter were handled by the Weapons Experimentation and Research Bureau, it would be a different story. After all, the PLA's armor technology is already showing signs of catching up and surpassing others.

It's just a head-on confrontation with the zoo; the Eighth Route Army's tanks were designed for armored vehicle combat.

Meeting his elder brother's expectant gaze, Huang He quickly made a list in his mind, and then confidently reported:

"The biggest problem for the Russian bear right now is its air force. I already provided a solution to this problem last time, and this round of negotiations simply needs to continue with the previous approach."

"Besides the Air Force, there's the Army. Regarding armor, I have several options for them to choose from."

At this point, Huang He pulled out a stack of blueprints from his briefcase.

Among them are active tanks already in service with the Eighth Route Army, engineering projects that the Weapons Experimentation and Research Bureau is currently advancing, and even a 46.5-ton steel behemoth that is still in the blueprint stage.

After his elder brother finished copying, Mr. Huang presented his price with sound reasoning:

"First, if the other party is stingy, then give them a fully upgraded version of the T-34: the T-3485."

"Although these two share the same chassis, the latter has achieved a triple leap in firepower, protection, and human-machine interface, making it a more advanced piece of equipment. If the Russians were to research it on their own, they would have no chance of producing any results in less than a year."

"Second, if our allies are willing to bleed a lot, then allow them to introduce production lines for brand-new medium and heavy tanks, namely the WZ-596 and WZ-693."

"Third, give back all the land you've taken in. I'll give them a future, like the Doomsday Heavy Tank."

Upon hearing this, Captain Wang Hai immediately gave him a meaningful look. The meaning of 59.6 and 69.3 might be unclear to others, but surely he knew. It just goes to show, cultured people are both vengeful and love to stir up trouble.

Unlike Captain Wang, the eldest brother's face was full of satisfaction. These three plans had truly given the Russian bear a firm grip on the situation.

Negotiations where you have the upper hand are incredibly satisfying.

Seeing his elder brother put away his paper and pen, preparing to lead them to the reception room for negotiations, Huang He quickly stopped him and instructed him:
"Brother, you mustn't be soft-hearted later. This is indeed our chance, but it may very well be our last chance."

"Remember this: the solutions I just presented are one or two years, or even several years, ahead of their technology. Our price must be high!"

"The Russians can buy or not, it's up to them. If they don't buy, they can expect to be pushed down to the AA line!"

······
After the briefing, Zhou, Wang, and Huang went hand in hand to the reception room of the Suiyuan Military Region's advance force headquarters.

The moment Huang He pushed open the door, his gaze met that of his old friend Makarov, who was sitting on the left side of the conference table.

Today, Lao Ma looked exceptionally smart in his military uniform, and even the silver wine flask that he usually wore at his waist was nowhere to be seen, clearly indicating that he was afraid of getting into trouble by drinking.

"Huang, it's been a while since we last met. Happy New Year, my friend."

"Haha, yeah, it's been a while since we last saw each other. I'll treat you to hot pot when I'm done with this!"

Old friends reunited should have been enjoying drinks and conversation.

However, considering that they had important business to attend to, the two exchanged only a few pleasantries before taking their seats.

After sitting down in the chair marked with his name, Huang He suddenly noticed several unfamiliar faces opposite him. Compared to soldiers, they seemed more like researchers.

Seemingly noticing the gaze directed at him, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the team leader suddenly stood up and gave a crisp, standard Soviet military salute.

However, his slightly pale knuckles and overly serious posture revealed that he was not a martial artist.

"Hello comrade, I am a designer from the Yakovlev Design Bureau. The people to my left are from the Ilyushin, Lavochkin, Mikoyan, Tupolev and Polikarpov Design Bureaus respectively."

"This time, we are acting on Leng Fengcheng's orders to assist Comrade Makarov in completing the technical handover!"

"And these people on the right are comrades from the OBK-100, 183 and 185 design bureaus. They will handle the technical issues related to the armor."

After hearing the allies introduce themselves, Huang He briefly stated his own position while secretly marveling at the importance that the bearded man attached to this negotiation.

However, it is normal for the opposing team to have a strong lineup. Right now, the north is facing a critical moment of survival, and it is impossible to let Makarov, a roughneck who only graduated from a church primary school, preside over the technical handover.

Technical matters should be handled by professionals.

After all, every parameter in the Lend-Lease Act was related to the life and death of the soldiers on the front lines.

"Welcome, comrades, from afar. On behalf of the Eighth Route Army Weapons Experimentation and Research Bureau, I would like to convey the greetings of the Army Reorganization Experts to you."

"By the way, comrades from the Polikarpov Design Bureau, you no longer use the I-16, do you?"

This moment, just like that moment, is so similar!

Upon hearing the question about the Yellow River, Captain Wang Hai immediately lowered his head, barely managing to suppress a laugh. How awful! Stealing lines decades later—is this how you try to build rapport?
However, the Russian designer didn't think much of it. He just assumed that his ally was concerned about his air force and was also taking the opportunity to play the victim.

"I-16? Yes, of course it's still in use. Although this fighter jet is obsolete, it's still used by second-line and night-fighting units."

"I estimate that I'll have to wait another year before I officially retire."

Seeing that the relationship between the two sides was rapidly growing closer through their back-and-forth conversation, and even showing signs of evolving into a technical exchange meeting, Makarov hurriedly pulled out a stack of documents from his briefcase and forcefully began today's topic.

“黄，这些都是我们的战士用生命换来的数据。在LW的内部，德国佬把新型号的战斗机称为Bf-109K4、FW-190A10和FW190多拉。”

"You should take a look and see if your Eighth Route Army Air Force's active-duty Resentment and Storm fighter jets can outrun them."

When Huang He took the documents from his old friend, his fingers paused slightly; their thickness and weight clearly exceeded his expectations. The smile on his lips vanished instantly, his eyes fixed on the paper like a precision instrument, and even his breathing became lighter.

About twenty minutes later, Huang He let out a deep sigh.

It must be admitted that the efficiency of Jude's technological advancement is truly outrageous.

无论是Bf-109K4、FW-190A10，还是FW190多拉，都稳稳达到了原本时间线45年的水平。哪怕是放到安东星，他们在二战房里也是超模的存在。

No wonder we couldn't win in the north and lost air superiority; it turns out there's a generational gap.

However, it's not a big problem. The doomsday electric fan from the early Cold War is no match for the propeller from the late World War II. How could a flying dragon lose when it's charging in!
"Very strong, the Germans' technology is really strong. After Mayer kicked his drug addiction, the German Air Force underwent a complete transformation."

"Fortunately, we are better. Resentment and Storm can definitely overwhelm LW's main fighter jets."

"Come on, everyone, take a look. These are the publicly available information on the two fighter jets. If needed, you can also send people to experience the two-seat trainer version."

Before Huang He could finish speaking, the materials he had produced were immediately devoured by the designers from his allies.

In fact, they had previously approached Dai Ying and Ah Chou, but both of these long-established aviation powers shook their heads after seeing the situation on the eastern route, their helplessness practically written all over their faces.

Now that someone dares to make such a guarantee, they are naturally eager to verify it.

For the next period of time, Huang He answered questions and promoted his own products at the same time, just like a top salesman.

Seeing his allies' designers swooning over the doomsday electric fan and the futuristic CXP-1001, he took a break from his busy schedule and made a pre-arranged gesture to his older brother.

The fish has taken the bait, time to slaughter it! (End of Chapter)