Chapter 1513: Zeiss

Waking up in the morning, I'm really damn tired—

Can I not be tired? Sucking... I talked for half the night, Yulia almost finished all the words of her life.

She didn't know when that Mr. Li left, and she didn't know when she fell asleep.

That's right, she slept in Mr. Li's room, but didn't see the other party's figure when she woke up.

What a normal thing, the other party is not here for tourism, let alone here to play love at first sight.

She crawled out of the quilt, tightened her pajamas, stepped out of bed, and the slippers were more than one size bigger than her feet.

Really a strong man.

Releasing the pressure of the whole night, she came to the mirror, looked at her youthful and beautiful face, and smiled beautifully.

No way, this line of work eats youth food the most, and this bowl of rice she can eat for at most three to five years.

As long as she can guarantee that she will encounter tasks of this level every year in the next three to five years, her life after retirement will be too comfortable.

"I don't care if you are here to buy dairy cows or to find nuclear facilities, you are my captive—"

She put on a confident and vicious expression, pointed her finger at the woman in the mirror and smiled indifferently.

Although she didn't completely take down the other party last night, let alone have a chance to give her partner a chance to steal a shot.

But! She is sure that the other party can't resist her temptation and will show her cards sooner or later.

Even if the other party sees through her identity, she has no scruples, because this is East Germany.

East Germany is the back garden of the Soviet Union.

If she really got the other party's lace news, she would be afraid that the other party wouldn't know, or wouldn't trust her true identity; that would be the real danger for her.

That's right, she has a partner hidden in the dark, and even she herself cannot find the other party's existence during the action.

From confirming the instructions and signals before getting on the train, she hasn't found where her partner is.

Really a master worthy of admiration; I don't know where the superiors found such a master who is willing to cooperate with her action.

Looking in the mirror and stripping off all her clothes, she cherished and examined every inch of her skin, ensuring that this appearance could guarantee her to successfully survive until the retirement season.

And the "crime tools" that need special attention are taken care of meticulously; this is the channel for money.

That's right, the "channel" for money.

Bathing, washing, changing clothes, she has to toss and turn in this room to leave her mark.

Just like tigers and lions dividing their territory, when the other party comes back and finds these traces, they can naturally give her more trust.

If it weren't for the cold, she would want to use the crime tools to smear her hormones in every corner of this room.

That's really a crazy idea—

Yulia has this habit of twitching temporarily; she couldn't help but laugh after thinking about it.

Knock knock—

There was a knock on the door, and a waiter asked if she had gotten up.

Hmm? That's not right—

Yulia confirmed that this room was Mr. Li's, so why did the waiter ask about "her"?

"Guten Tag, Frau Yulia."

When the door opened, the waiter's precise greeting made Yulia instantly increase her vigilance; this situation shouldn't have appeared.

The waiter looked at her serious and defensive expression and was stunned for a moment, then politely reminded, "Your partner has arrived at the lobby on the first floor and hopes to meet you."

"My partner?"

Yulia was also stunned, then reacted, raised her eyebrows and asked, "Did he say why he came to find me?"

"This..." The waiter hesitated for a moment, and when he saw the lady who was beautiful handing over a small tip with paper and pen, he had no more stuttering, and explained politely and even flatteringly, "The other party should be a livestock merchant."

"Livestock merchant?"

This was not quite the same as the content Yulia just guessed. She was just thinking about whether it was her partner who came, using a hidden identity to call her down to connect.

Actually, they should have met long ago, but they never had a chance.

If it's a livestock merchant, then her partner should know her situation like the back of his hand; don't look at him not appearing.

Really has his—

This must be a reminder to herself that her partner has the ability and channels to obtain the situation here, don't look at him not appearing.

Really a good partner—

"I know." Yulia nodded reservedly, turned her body slightly, and didn't want to give the waiter a chance to look at her body again, even if she was wearing pajamas.

"Please tell him for me, I'll be down in a while."

"Okay, madam, thank you for your generosity—"

The waiter smiled and bowed slightly, and when she closed the door, he mentioned "and the generosity of your team."

"What—" Yulia seemed to have missed something, and when she opened the door again to ask, the waiter had already left.

"My team's generosity?"

Yulia shook her head amusedly, rolled her eyes after returning to the room. The old lady is really too excellent.

Can she not be excellent? Even the hotel waiter identified her as a team with Mr. Li.

If Mr. Li wants to clarify the relationship between the two, the waiters are the best witnesses.

As for the physical evidence—

Yulia threw the tissue used to wipe the crime tools on the corner of the table and under the chair.

Even if she didn't cause a established fact last night, she could forge the scene; she still had this technique.

Since she is going to see her partner, she can't dress too conspicuously; it's easy to be targeted.

So after returning to her room and simply putting on makeup, she changed into light clothes and went downstairs.

"Madam, please this way—"

It was still the waiter who knocked on the door, as if waiting for her, raising his hand to signal the rest area.

Yulia nodded with a smile, followed his signal and turned to look at the rest area.

A typical Germanic bearded man was looking at this side suspiciously, and after seeing the waiter's signal, he stood up and waved.

This made Yulia confused. This is not her partner; could it be a temporarily deployed colleague?

Under the guidance of the waiter, she came to the sofa, and the bearded man greeted her first.

"Hello, madam, I am the farm manager of Qijun Farm in Bad Doberan County who contacted you earlier. My name is Hans."

Because the big man was wide and fat, even speaking was a bit laborious, and he was still panting.

Yulia also looked at him suspiciously, but still shook hands with him politely.

The waiter might be because of the tip, took the initiative to prepare coffee for them, which can be considered advanced service.

After the waiter left politely, Yulia tilted her head slightly and asked, "Why didn't Karl come?"

"Karl? Which Karl?"

Farm manager Hans was stunned, looked at her suspiciously and blinked, saying, "I don't know the Karl you mentioned. Who is he?"

"Then who are you?" Yulia confirmed that there was no one monitoring around; if it were a colleague, they should be giving a secret code now.

But this guy in front of her didn't have a bit of cleverness, as if he was addicted to acting.

"Just now..." Hans wanted to say didn't I introduce myself just now, why are you still asking.

However, there is a Western saying, the customer is God.

A big customer who bought 2,000 dairy cows at once, he still couldn't afford to offend. Repeating the self-introduction is nothing; he would even be willing to dance for him.

"Madam, we contacted yesterday, I am Hans, the farm manager of Qijun Farm in Bad Doberan County."

"Mr. Hans—" Yulia was completely confused.

She naturally knew Bad Doberan County; it was to the west of Rostock County, and the two counties were adjacent.

But why did the other party come to find her?

Could it be that he really came to find Mr. Li?

Not right—

Could it be that he really came to purchase dairy cows?

Really saw a ghost—

A series of doubts and self-doubts completely plunged Yulia into a whirlpool of thinking.

The waiter thoughtfully sent dessert and smiled flatteringly, hoping to get an extra tip.

But at this time, Yulia was confused, so where could she notice his near-flattering smile.

Farm manager Hans noticed it, but was even more sure that this lady in front of him must be the person he was looking for.

A guest who can get such treatment in the hotel must not be simple; he hadn't seen the waiter smile at him since he came in.

"That's right, I am Hans."

Farm manager nodded and said, "Last night your team ordered 2,000 dairy cows at our ranch..."

"Wait—what did you say?"

Yulia was surprised and almost jumped up, looked at the other party and asked, "How many dairy cows did he order?"

"2,000, what's wrong?"

The ranch manager gestured with two fingers, looked at her suspiciously and asked, "Is there any problem?"

"No—no problem."

Yulia shook her head slightly and said, "You must have found the wrong person. Please talk about this after Mr. Li comes back."

"No—" Seeing her stand up, Hans stood up excitedly, spread his hands and said, "Isn't it agreed to hand over in the morning? He asked me to find you to fulfill the contract."

"Find me? Fulfill the contract?" Yulia was shocked, turned back to look at him and asked, "Who told you?"

"Your colleague, that designer gentleman."

Hans had an expression of "the situation is like this," looked at her and said, "The dairy cows are at the port. You'd better handle the handover with me according to the contract procedure."

He also saw that the situation was wrong, and although his tone was not strong enough, it also carried a faint threat.

Bad Doberan County Farm is not a private enterprise; he represents the East German state-owned farm to fulfill the cooperation agreement with the other party.

"I'm sorry, you really misunderstood."

Feeling the tone of this Mr. Hans, Yulia shook her head helplessly and said, "I am not a member of their team at all; I am just a university student."

"How is this possible—"

Hans raised his hand and signaled the waiter standing on the side and asked, "Isn't she from the Netherlands Trading Company?"

"Netherlands Trading Company?" Yulia was confused.

"Netherlands Trading Company!" Seeing she was confused, the waiter was also confused.

However, the waiter's reaction was faster than hers. He turned and ran to the front desk to report this matter to the duty manager.

The duty manager also encountered this for the first time, and hurriedly came over to ask, "What happened?"

"I don't know him at all."

Yulia waved her hand and explained, "And I didn't order any dairy cows from him."

"But it is your name that they registered." Hans narrowed his eyes slightly and emphasized, "You are the person in charge of their team. I have your personal information as proof."

"Miss Yulia, please explain the matter of the Netherlands Trading Company." The duty manager looked at Yulia seriously and sternly and asked, "Are you sure you are not the person in charge of this company?"

"I haven't even heard of your so-called Netherlands Trading Company!" Yulia waved her hand and explained, "I am a student at Dresden University of Technology and I am here for tourism."

The duty manager raised his head slightly, looked at her and said, "But your friends used your name to handle the check-in and consumption procedures here yesterday."

"What! —"

Yulia was shocked; this news completely stunned her.

"When did I..."

"When you came to the hotel." The duty manager helped her recall what happened yesterday very seriously.

"You and your friends were talking at that position in the lobby, and accompanying personnel took your documents to handle the check-in procedures, including theirs."

The manager knew there was a problem, but still maintained a stable mentality, because there were still people left here.

"They... where are they..."

Yulia knew where the problem was, fell into the sofa, and asked speechlessly.

The manager spread his hands helplessly, and the waiter answered her question, "Your friends set off early in the morning, saying they had work to do."

"I don't care, anyway, I have delivered the dairy cows." Hans also knew there was a problem, put on a serious face and emphasized, "You must find a way to receive them."

"How do I receive them?" Yulia looked at him speechlessly and explained, "I don't know the other party at all!"

"Cough cough—" The waiter coughed appropriately, and under the manager's signal, blinked and introduced, "When I delivered the midnight snack last night, you were in that gentleman's room discussing the topic of dairy cow procurement..."

"..." Yulia glanced at the talkative waiter, turned to look at the duty manager and said, "Can I borrow the phone here?"

"Of course, you are still our customer." The manager smiled very politely and raised his hand to signal the direction of the general desk.

Yulia let out a long sigh; she hadn't thought about how to report this situation to her superiors at all.

But this phone call had to be made; she was just an executive, and her official identity in East Germany was a university student from Dresden University of Technology from Ukraine.

If there is no coordination from the superiors to the Stasi, then she will really have to bear a huge debt here.

Of course, her organization also has to be coordinated and handled by her superiors when engaging in such tasks without the authorization of the Stasi in East Germany.

Task failure is failure; how to liquidate it is decided by the superiors.

Including the debt crisis she is facing now.

"I am Natasha, the task failed."

Yulia reported her code name and stated the current situation straightforwardly.

No fluke, no excuses to shirk responsibility, let alone crying and complaining, just calmly stating the facts.

The duty manager and Hans wisely didn't get close; they could also see the meaning behind this calmness.

"Just received the news, Red Star Steel Group, a member of the visiting delegation, signed a cooperation agreement with Warnemünde Neptune Shipyard and Warnow Shipyard this morning."

The superior's tone was also indifferent, telling her what those people really did last night.

Right under her nose, when she had successfully broken into the other party's interior, and when the superiors had no expectation, they reached a cooperation agreement with the two shipyards in East Germany.

It's not that this kind of cooperation will bring any crisis to the motherland, but this situation of being unable to control the situation reflects the organization's incompetence in this action.

The superior's indifferent attitude made Yulia's heart skip a beat; she knew how serious the failure of this task was and how bad the impact was.

If the news that she was played by the other party reached the ears of the East German side, then the organization would become a laughingstock.

The control over East Germany would loosen, and it would also be looked down upon by the East German side.

This kind of influence is invisible, but it does exist. Just look at the achievement of this cooperation.

How could Neptune Shipyard and Warnow Shipyard sign such an important cooperation agreement with members of the visiting delegation without reporting to their superiors?

If you think so, does it mean that the East German side has seen through the fact of their incompetence and bravely took a tentative step, the performance of which is agreeing to the cooperation between the two shipyards and members of the visiting delegation.

This kind of influence is the manifestation of the domino effect.

So, Yulia poked a big hole in this basket. The loss she caused to the organization is not in hotel expenses, nor in the breach of contract expenses of the farm, but in the overall layout.

"What if the matter is made public?"

She still wanted to fight for some opportunities for herself, and said tremblingly, "It was them who went to the farm to order dairy cows..."

"Natasha, don't talk about dairy cows anymore."

The superior reminded her impatiently, "If you don't want the organization to become a laughingstock for East German counterparts, if you don't want this matter to cause more serious consequences."

The superior didn't wait for Yulia to quibble again, and emphasized, "I can be sure that those people who went to the farm to purchase dairy cows are definitely not the people you encountered."

"How is this possible—"

Yulia couldn't believe it, just like she couldn't believe that she had lost so thoroughly and fallen so hard this time.

"Actually, it's not all your fault." The superior said helplessly, "Your partner disappeared; he disappeared since you got on the train, and the family couldn't contact him."

"Ah!" Yulia was shocked again and asked, "Isn't he protecting me in the dark?"

"I'm sorry, Natasha, he disappeared." The superior's answer was full of frustration, and explained, "We also thought he was performing a lurking task, and keeping silent is normal, until the news of the signing came out, but we have been unable to contact him."

"Don't worry about the hotel and farm matters; I have arranged for someone to pick you up."

The superior told her thoughtfully how to get out, and also urged carefully, "After this matter is over, there is a task waiting for you in Africa. That's it."

The phone hung up, and Yulia almost fell to the ground.

It's not that the superiors didn't give her a chance, go to Africa.

This is more like a punishment, and more like a forgiveness, given by the disappearance of her partner.

This failure of the action cannot be blamed entirely on her, so the organization is magnanimous and did not punish her.

But someone must stand up and take responsibility for the failure of the task. The superiors cannot take it, only she can.

Then going to Africa and facing death is her only hope for survival.

Earn more, and the risk is also high.

Think about it, one or two tasks a year, one at least, three to five years to complete the retirement accumulation, how rich the salary and treatment must be.

Similarly, the risk is also huge.

They not only have to face the danger of the task itself, but also face the punishment of the organization after the task fails.

Yulia really doesn't care what she paid and lost last night; she only cares about how the other party saw through her.

If she can't get this answer, she will lack confidence when performing the next task.

So she is eager to find that Mr. Li, even if it's a showdown, she has to know the answer.

"Madam, you can't leave yet."

Seeing her stand up and want to leave, the duty manager frowned and reminded, "You are safer staying in the hotel."

"Thank you, I will handle the bill."

Yulia had already admitted her failure, looked at the experience very frankly and said, "My friend will be here soon."

"Of course, including yours."

She pointed to the other party and said, "I will bear this matter personally."

"If it can be handled properly, that would be the best."

The hotel duty manager smiled slightly and said, "You can rest in the rest area and wait for your friend, or go back to the room upstairs to rest. Our service remains the same."

"Thank you." Yulia nodded in thanks, then looked at the waiter and asked, "Can you help me pack my luggage?"

"Of course, it is my honor."

The waiter who received the tip was particularly active, bowed slightly, and then hurried to the elevator direction.

And farm manager Hans saw that she was so frank, so he didn't force or pester her anymore.

Yulia drank the coffee on the tea table in one gulp, and naturally took a cigarette from the shelf and let the waiter help light it.

She hugged her arms and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, really as if waiting for her friend, without a trace of embarrassment on her face.

The small thoughts of the duty manager and the farm manager made each other lack interest in conversation.

The duty manager nodded politely, lightly ordered the waiter who lit the cigarette to watch Yulia, and returned to the general desk.

And farm manager Hans also knew that there was no need to make a big noise, so he chose a comfortable sofa and waited slowly.

The hotel side will not let the other party escape the bill, he will wait for the hotel side to handle it and then find Yulia.

So Yulia stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window smoking, the waiter was staring at her not far away, and Hans was tasting coffee. Everything returned to normal.

Not long after, the roar of a car came from afar, which is not common in Rostock, because young people prefer to speed in big cities.

Just when everyone in the hotel lobby was surprised at who was so bold to dare to speed on the city streets, a W50 truck full of mud that seemed to be out of control rushed over rapidly.

Bang—

Coincidentally, the slag truck hit the floor-to-ceiling window where Yulia was, and rushed directly into the lobby.

And Yulia, who was just standing in front of the window, seemed like a broken rag doll, was topped away by the fast-moving truck, hit the steps and rolled a few times, and had no movement.

Everything happened so suddenly, the people in the hotel dodged the risk in a panic, smoke was rolling, who could care about how that female university student was.

And when the hotel duty manager took the bold employees and ran out, the driver had long disappeared from the truck, leaving only Yulia's twisted body and a pool of...

Wow woo—wow woo—

Fire trucks and ambulances drove past rapidly one after another. Li Xuewu glanced outside from the car window, turned his head and asked Sha Qizhi, "Did you find out? Is Beijing Chemical in Lubmin?"

Their motorcade set off from Neptune Shipyard, heading to the train station, preparing to transfer positions.

Things here are done, of course, they have to go to the next stop. Li Xuewu told Waderich that he was very busy, which was the truth.

"Should be in Lubmin."

Sha Qizhi reported, "But we didn't follow too closely, and we are not sure about the other party's destination."

"It doesn't matter, just know where they are."

Li Xuewu smiled indifferently, looked out the window and said, "I really hope they can succeed."

Is this the lion's tears?

Sha Qizhi didn't quite understand the leader's brain hole. Since he wanted Beijing Chemical to achieve its goal so much, why did he have to go south and north and come to Rostock to take the first prize.

"Where are we going next?"

You didn't hear wrong. After finishing the shipyard negotiations and signing, Sha Qizhi still didn't know where the next stop was.

Li Xuewu looked at the scenery of Rostock outside the car window, raised his eyebrows and said, "Go to Dresden."

"Go to Dresden?"

Sha Qizhi was really shocked by the leader's idea. This is running from the north of East Germany to the southernmost end?

Dresden is of course not the southernmost end of East Germany, the southernmost end is Karl Marx City, but Dresden, which also borders the Czech Republic, can also be called the south.

"That's right, go to Dresden."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Listening to Yulia's introduction, I am fascinated by this industrial city of Dresden and cannot live up to her efforts and hopes."

"..." Sha Qizhi was a bit speechless. He really couldn't think of how the leader made the decision.

Since the leader's explanation couldn't be understood, then think about what Dresden has.

As for what Yulia's efforts and hopes are, he didn't believe it at all. The conversation between the leader and Yulia last night was in a monitored and recorded environment.

Yulia would never have thought that the leader would be so cautious and conduct reverse monitoring and recording.

Under such circumstances, even if there is evidence to prove innocence when returning to the country for review.

The leader is really too innocent.

This action not only saved travel expenses, but also made a small profit with farm orders.

Don't ask how the leader made money with farm orders; if you say it and let others learn it, he will become a sinner.

He can only say that sometimes contracts are money; as long as someone recognizes them, waste paper can be used as money.

Back to the point, the leader decided to go to Dresden, so what does Dresden have?

From the information he mastered, in terms of chemical industry, Dresden District has an advantageous economic and geographical location, transporting raw materials and fuel to produce chemical fibers, medicines, camera paper, and rubber products.

Steel enterprises in Riesa, Gröditz, etc. in Dresden District produce 1/4 of the country's steel and 4/5 of steel pipes.

Dresden District also possesses brown coal, a natural resource of important significance to all of Europe.

Quartz sand, pottery clay raw materials, various building materials, non-ferrous metals, and timber account for an important proportion of the country's supply and sales.

The industrial development level of Dresden District ranks third in the country, with heavy industry as the leading department, and it is the main energy base, with coal mining and electric power industry ranking first in the country.

The mechanical industry mainly based on electrical machinery, electronics, and instrument manufacturing is developing rapidly.

Agricultural production scale ranks at the bottom of the country, but agricultural technology, tractor equipment, and fertilizer levels are relatively high.

Planting industry is mainly based on rye and potatoes.

The proportion of grassland and pasture is high, and dairy animal husbandry is developed.

Dresden, as the center, combined with nearby industrial towns to form the Dresden urban agglomeration, absorbing more population to transfer to this emerging industrial city.

If Sha Qizhi were to guess accurately, he would prefer that Dresden is the location of the factories of Jena and Zeiss.

What are Jena and Zeiss doing?

Zeiss's reputation is greater for our people. In those days, Zeiss binoculars were treasures on the battlefield.

But Zeiss's fate also started from that war and moved towards an uncertain future.

Just like there are East Germany and West Germany, there are also East Zeiss and West Zeiss at this time.

East Zeiss is the abbreviation of the Zeiss company that split to East Germany after World War II. Its predecessor was an optical enterprise founded in Jena in 1846 by Carl Zeiss, Ernst Abbe, and Otto Schott.

The company is famous for producing cameras and optical equipment, and Jena was once an important camera production base.

In 1945, the US

Sha Qizhi reported, "However, we didn't follow them too closely, so we aren't sure of the other party's destination."

"It doesn't matter; just knowing where they are is enough."

Li Xuewu smiled faintly, looking out the window as he said, "I truly hope they succeed."

Would this count as a lion's tears?

Sha Qizhi didn't quite understand his leader's train of thought; since he wanted the people from the Beijing Chemical Industry so badly to achieve their goal, why go to the trouble of heading in the opposite direction to Rostock to get things started?

"Where are we going next?"

You heard that right; even after finishing the negotiations and signing the contract at the shipyard, Sha Qizhi still didn't know where the next stop was.

Li Xuewu looked at the scenery of Rostock outside the car window, raised an eyebrow, and said, "We're going to Dresden."

"Going to Dresden?"

Sha Qizhi was truly shocked by his leader's idea. Was this running from the northernmost part of East Germany to the southernmost?

Dresden certainly wasn't the southernmost part of East Germany—that would be Karl-Marx-Stadt—but Dresden, which also borders the Czech Republic, could be called the south.

"That's right, we're going to Dresden."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "After hearing Yulia's introduction, I am yearning for this industrial city of Dresden. I cannot let her efforts and hopes go to waste."

"..." Sha Qizhi was speechless; he really couldn't figure out how his leader had made this decision.

Since he couldn't understand the leader's explanation, he decided to think about it in terms of what Dresden had to offer.

As for the talk of Yulia's efforts and hopes, he didn't believe a word of it. Last night, the conversation between the leader and Yulia had taken place in an environment that was being monitored and recorded.

Yulia would never have imagined that the leader would be so cautious as to conduct counter-monitoring and recording.

Under these circumstances, even if there were an investigation upon returning home, there would be evidence to prove his innocence.

The leader was just too innocent.

This operation not only saved on travel expenses but also made a small profit from the farm orders.

Don't ask the leader how he made money from the farm orders; if he told people and they learned how to do it, he would become a sinner.

He could only say that sometimes contracts are money too; as long as someone recognizes them, even waste paper can be used as currency.

Then again, the leader decided to go to Dresden, so what does Dresden have?

Based on the information he had mastered, in terms of chemicals, the Dresden district had an advantageous economic and geographical location, importing raw materials and fuel to produce chemical fibers, pharmaceuticals, photographic paper, and rubber products.

Steel enterprises in Riesa and Gröditz in the Dresden district produced one-quarter of the nation's steel and four-fifths of its steel pipes.

The Dresden district also possessed lignite, a natural resource of great significance to all of Europe.

Quartz sand, clay raw materials, various building materials, non-ferrous metals, and timber accounted for a significant proportion of the national supply.

The industrial development level of the Dresden district ranked third in the country, with heavy industry as the leading sector; it was a major energy base, and its coal mining and power industries ranked first in the country.

The machinery industry, dominated by electrical machinery, electronics, and instrument manufacturing, was developing relatively quickly.

The scale of agricultural production ranked last in the country, but agricultural technology, tractor equipment, and the level of chemical fertilizer application were relatively high.

Planting was dominated by rye and potatoes.

The proportion of grassland and pasture was high, and dairy farming was well-developed.

Dresden, combined with nearby industrial towns, formed the Dresden urban agglomeration, which absorbed more population moving to this emerging industrial city.

If Sha Qizhi had to make an exact guess, he would lean toward Dresden being the location of the Jena and Zeiss company factories.

On this treasure-hunting trip to East Germany, Sha Qizhi didn't believe for a second that his leader would pass up East Germany's technological gems.

What did the Jena and Zeiss companies do?

Zeiss's fame was even greater for the people of our country; back in the day, Zeiss binoculars were treasures on the battlefield.

But Zeiss's fate also began to head toward an uncertain future starting from that war.

Just as there was an East Germany and a West Germany, at this time there were also East Zeiss and West Zeiss.

East Zeiss is the abbreviation for the Zeiss company that split into East Germany after World War II; its predecessor was the optical enterprise founded in Jena in 1846 by Carl Zeiss, Ernst Abbe, and Otto Schott.

The company was famous for producing cameras and optical equipment, and Jena was once an important camera production base.

In 1945, the US side transferred some of the technical personnel and equipment from the Jena factory to West Germany to establish Carl Zeiss AG, which is the current West Zeiss.

After the Soviet occupation, they dismantled the remaining equipment and transferred it to Kiev. East German technical personnel subsequently rebuilt the factory in Jena, naming it Carl Zeiss Jena, which is East Zeiss.

Interestingly, both sides even had a lawsuit, both wanting to fight for the position of orthodoxy, both saying they were the authentic Zeiss, just like JDB and Wang Lao Ji.

In 1950, the litigation ruled that both sides would retain trademark usage rights in Europe/America and Eastern Europe respectively.

Alright, in a bipolar world, problems and contradictions are so easy to solve: you sell yours, he sells his, no conflict.

In 1947, East Germany integrated East Zeiss, Meyer, and other optical factories to form the VEB PENTACON DRESDEN company.

VEB: People-Owned Enterprise.

PENTACON: Pentacon.

DRESDEN: Dresden.

Translated, it means: Dresden People's Enterprise Pentacon Company.

Once translated like this, everyone knows which enterprise it is; Pentacon lenses are too famous in the industry.

In 1962, East Zeiss published the "Jenaer Jahrbuch" series of scientific literature under the name VEB Carl Zeiss Jena; the material Sha Qizhi held in his hand was exactly this.

Speaking of this, there is an interesting thing to mention: after World War II, Zeiss was actually divided into three parts.

Although the US side had long ago negotiated the conditions for partitioning Germany with the Soviet side in the Yalta Agreement, Jena was located in East Germany and should have been occupied by the Soviet side.

However, that old guy Patton didn't play by the rules and still crossed the border to invade Jena and Dresden, the location of the Zeiss company's factories.

Under Patton's coercion, East Zeiss, in the name of "assistance," withdrew some technical personnel and equipment overnight at the fastest speed, transferring them to their own territory in West Germany.

Thus, 127 scientists and engineers originally belonging to Jena in East Germany were plundered to Oberkochen and other US-occupied areas in West Germany.

At the same time, they also moved the Carl Zeiss Foundation to Stuttgart in West Germany, which is how West Zeiss came to be.

When the Soviet side took over Jena, only empty factory buildings and some first-class optical glass and production machinery that the US side could not take away remained.

The Soviet side used war reparations as an excuse to plunder these remaining resources, along with some of the scientists who stayed behind, and transported them back to the Soviet Union, Ukraine, and Kiev by plane.

These resources also served the Russian optical industry for many years, for example:

The Kazan Optical-Mechanical Plant used these technologies to produce Zenit SLR cameras, the design of which originated from Zeiss's Contax and Praktica.

The camera Li Xuewu bought from Old Baduo in the frontier was a Zenit SLR camera.

In the suburbs of Moscow, the establishment of the KMZ factory marked the birth of another giant in the Soviet optical industry; the Zorki and Kiev cameras it produced were also deeply influenced by Zeiss designs.

The Kiev Arsenal began producing military optical equipment such as telescopes and rangefinders based on Zeiss designs.

The LOMO factory in Leningrad became a leader in Soviet microscope production.

During World War II, Zeiss was the main supplier of telescopes, rangefinders, and various artillery and fighter aircraft sights for the German side.

Its famous T-coating ensured that snipers' telescopes would not expose their positions due to sunlight reflection, greatly improving combat effectiveness.

The development of West Zeiss and East Zeiss took different paths.

Under the market economy, West Zeiss continued to maintain its world-leading position in many fields such as microscopes, medical equipment, and astronomical instruments.

East Zeiss, under the guidance of a planned economy, became an important export enterprise for East Germany, mainly serving fields such as telescopes, binoculars, cameras, as well as astronomical telescopes and microlithography equipment.

Was Li Xuewu coveting East Zeiss's technology really for the sake of cameras?

Of course not. Although cameras and telescopes are high-profit products, microlithography equipment is more significant.

Few people know that just in these few years, East Germany established a microelectronics research center in Dresden to secretly carry out research on lithography technology.

Li Xuewu was certain that the optical system developed by this research center, KARL-ZEISS-JENA, could achieve 3-micron precision.

Although this precision was behind the West, it represented a relatively high level within its own camp, and it was incomparable to what was available domestically.

How did Li Xuewu know this secret?

Shangguan Qi told him. Before returning home, Shangguan Qi had received a letter from a classmate and learned this news.

It was a secret to society, but in the field of scientific research in this era, the principles of secrecy were full of loopholes everywhere.

Shangguan Qi had explained microlithography technology to Li Xuewu, as well as the importance of this technology to industrial development.

If he didn't know or didn't have the chance, that would be one thing, but coming to East Germany once and not bringing back a seed of lithography technology for the country would be unjustifiable.

Even if it meant trickery or deception, he had to bring it back. Science has no borders, so this technology belongs to all of humanity. Thinking this way should be correct, right?