Chapter 32

"Such a large project? It requires a lot of funds! We don't have that much money!" Marcus Wolf said with a bitter smile.

"I've brought some comrades from the advisory department. This isn't just the GDR's issue; other fraternal countries should help, so you don't need to worry about that!" Shelepov took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry about the costs. You need to think about how much our opponents would have to spend to maintain stability in West Berlin if the three countries don't abandon it. The cost would be dozens of times higher than our current project! From this perspective, we are already making a profit!"

If Shelepov completely turned West Berlin into a wasteland, relying on West Berlin's self-sufficiency, it could only depend on West Germany. Letting West Germany support over a million people who were just eating and waiting to die, Shelepov could fully accept that!

West Berlin's jurisdiction was so small that it couldn't be self-sufficient in food. All essential living supplies had to be transported from the outside. After Shelepov diverted the river, it would be impossible for West Berlin to build a power station. If West Germany was willing to supply electricity from the mainland, Shelepov would be happy to watch.

The 1.2 million people in West Berlin were like a huge burden on West Germany. No one knew how much extra spending was required to take care of this enclave. In Shelepov's view, the historical GDR was too kind. Perhaps it was because they were of the same ethnicity, but he was different. If West Germany didn't spend a lot of effort supporting West Berlin, Shelepov would make West Berlin even worse than Gaza, with no meaning in life beyond eating and sleeping.

"This is a big plan involving urban transformation!" Shelepov said seriously, "This is a matter for the entire alliance, and the GDR shouldn't bear such a heavy workload alone. Now, let's discuss the specifics. If the blockade plan starts, how many laborers can you mobilize to complete this project..."

"The internal security forces and the militia can mobilize about 11,000 people!" Marcus Wolf said without hesitation. This plan had been brewing in the GDR for some time, and as an important participant, Marcus Wolf was well aware of the preparations.

"I can mobilize the 214th Engineering Brigade of the Western Group!" Shelepov thought about the resources at his disposal and added, "I can request assistance from the fraternal countries through the First Chief Directorate's Eleventh Department, and have the surrounding fraternal countries send construction teams to participate. The wall must be completed within a month, followed by the river diversion plan, the underground waterway reconstruction plan, and the power grid reorganization plan, all implemented in sequence. If West Germany doesn't care about West Berlin's fate, West Berlin will surely become a dead city!"

After leaving the Stasi headquarters, Shelepov found the commander of the 214th Engineering Brigade. Such engineering brigades were not common in the current Soviet Red Army, but each of the four groups had one. As the first batch of troops to be deployed to the front lines, they were essential for the rapid advance of the Western Group, capable of building roads, bridges, and clearing mines.

The next day, Shelepov received a list from the Stasi, detailing the quantities of bricks, barbed wire, and steel bars needed for the wall construction. According to Marcus Wolf's list, the materials prepared by the GDR were insufficient, only enough to complete half of the project. "Barbed wire and steel bars are easy to solve, but transporting bricks by train is too costly. We can produce the bricks on-site in time!"

Shelepov was deeply impressed by the efficiency of the GDR. These people still retained the German tradition of precise calculation, even more so than his Western comrades.

In the West Berlin City Hall, the bi-weekly negotiations were held today. Unlike usual, the convoy from East Berlin was much larger this time, with over a dozen cars flying Soviet flags, followed by several military vehicles loaded with soldiers. The convoy stopped at the entrance of the City Hall, and Shelepov, who was in the fourth car, got out, straightened his collar, and yawned, "Secure the nearby high points, and disperse the other soldiers to the various checkpoints!"

Following Shelepov's order, the soldiers quickly dispersed, their speed leaving the West Berlin police guarding the area speechless. The British representative who came to greet the Soviet delegation asked, "Mr. Petrovich, are you here to negotiate or to demonstrate?"

"Sorry, this is Comrade Shelepov's arrangement, and I can't do anything about it!" Petrovich shrugged helplessly, pointing to Shelepov, who was a few meters away, muttering about always having troublemakers.

After yawning several times in the sun, Shelepov finally became slightly more alert. He ignored the American, British, and French representatives, walked past the British receptionist and Soviet representative Petrovich, and patted Petrovich on the shoulder, "What are you standing there for? Take me up..."

Izemotni and Lukani followed closely behind, with about twenty KGB agents in military uniforms trailing them. They entered the City Hall and reached the meeting room where the negotiations were to be held. Shelepov scanned the representatives of the three countries with a look of disdain, suddenly stopping and focusing on an old man sitting in the back row. His lips curled into an exaggerated smile, "Old man, it's been three years since we last met, and I didn't expect to see you again in Berlin! You haven't retired yet, but you look much older than three years ago! You're no longer a prominent ambassador, Comrade Smith..."

Shelepov recognized this person, the former U.S. ambassador to Italy, Comrade Smith! Smith also recognized Shelepov. Time had passed, and after the Italian campaign where Shelepov supported the Communist Party to power, he returned to the Soviet Union and advanced rapidly, now stationed in Berlin as a KGB lieutenant general. Smith was still working in the government, but he was not a representative in the negotiations, only an advisor.

"General Shelepov, it's been a long time! It seems you're doing well in the Soviet Union!" The mention of "Comrade Smith" made the nearly seventy-year-old man flinch; he hated that title, especially when it came from Shelepov.

"Of course, I'm doing well. So, I came to Berlin to see how the imperialist lackeys plan to perform!" Shelepov looked at the opposite side with a disdainful gaze. Izemotni entered with a backpack, started a machine, and put on a headset to listen. After a moment, she said to Shelepov, "Director, there are no surveillance devices nearby!"

"It might not be activated. Keep the machine running! Never underestimate the shamelessness of your opponents!" Shelepov indirectly criticized them and then refocused on the opposite side. The opposite side had four flags: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany. However, West Germany had no real negotiating power, only advisory rights, so Shelepov didn't take them seriously.