Perhaps because God did not favor Ah San very much, just when the lease of the Minsk was at an impasse, a bad news came from India, and the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya had an accident.

The boiler explosion, which was supposed to have been in the hands of the Russian Navy in history, was caused by a mistake on the part of the Indian side. Of course, the Soviet refractory bricks cut corners caused the boiler explosion and injured four crew members of the aircraft carrier, and the scheduled cruise mission of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya was canceled.

This is undoubtedly great bad news for General Ramdas, who is still engaged in arduous negotiations, after the accident of India's Vikramaditya, the Indian Navy is even more inseparable from the dependence of the Minsk, and at this time the Soviet Union has gradually seized the initiative. When Ramdas wanted to restart the negotiations, he was politely rejected by the Soviet Ministry of Defense, and the other party replied that there was no need to rush for a while, and wait until the prices on both sides were negotiated before negotiating, after all, our negotiations will last a long time.

Standing in the window of the 23-storey hotel, looking out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the depressed Ukraine, his mood as gloomy as the gray weather, he paced back and forth in the room, thinking about what to do. On the one hand, the Soviet Union's attitude of indifference, and on the other hand, the Indian Ministry of Defense, especially Minister Kapoor, pressed step by step, and Ramdas, who happened to be squeezed in the middle, felt the pressure to negotiate with other countries for the first time.

"Damn, did the USSR know about the accident of our aircraft carrier Vikramaditya? No wonder these people have become so emboldened, and the longer this negotiation drags on, the more detrimental it will be to India. Ramdas held his chin in his hand and stared out the window at the Ukrainian winter. It's not like India, which has a mild climate. Even the weather was as insidious as the Yugoslavs. No wonder Minister Kapoor told himself before he left. Be careful with the USSR Ministry of Defense.

"Call immediately and set a specific date for negotiations with the Soviet Ministry of Defense, we can't wait any longer. Tell the other side that if the Soviet Union delays holding negotiations again, then we will abandon the lease of the Kyiv-class aircraft carrier. Ramdas gritted his teeth and threatened the other side by abandoning the negotiations, which may be much more effective than dragging it out like this. After all, everyone knows that whoever lasts to the end is the winner.

"Yes." The officer who was in his entourage replied in a whisper.

When the Lambdas delegation called, Comrade Yazov finally smiled. Especially when he heard that the other side threatened himself with abandoning the purchase of aircraft carriers, he knew that the Indians had been fooled.

"Prepare, Colonel Egorov, the Indian delegation has run out of patience, they have finally fallen into our trap." Minister Yazov picked up the thick trench coat on the hanger and prepared to get up and go out, having just promised the Indian delegation that another negotiating session would be held.

"The Indians are losing patience? IMHO, how did Minister Yazov see it? Colonel Egorov's tone was a little grumbling, "You forcibly interrupted the negotiations before, and then refused to continue the negotiations initiated by the Indian delegation in the middle of the process. But why did he rush to reopen negotiations when he heard that Lambdas was about to leave? ”

Yazov turned. To Colonel Egorov, he said, "The simple truth is that an anxious prey is often full of flaws, and Ramdas is that prey." Do you think about what hole cards he has to compete with us now? The boiler explosion of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya the day before yesterday means that India is now in dire need of an aircraft carrier to replace the previous mission of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, and is there any other country for India to choose from besides the Minsk, which is now being negotiated? ”

Colonel Egorov, who suddenly came to his senses, patted the back of his head and said with deep feeling, "It turned out that the secret was here, and now India has to face any demands made by the Soviet Union." And we can also lease the aircraft carrier at a more satisfactory price. ”

"Like I said before, it's all a routine. If you drink too much water from the Ganges, the Indians can't stand our tricks of coaxing and cheating. Yazov winked slyly, then turned and went out. Colonel Egorov followed, and he had a hunch in his heart that all negotiations would end today.

When Yazov met General Ramdas again, the other side no longer had the same haughty look as when he first came to India, but like a dejected loser, putting himself in the position of the loser before the negotiations even began. On the other hand, Defense Minister Yazov has an indifferent look, as if he will always take the initiative in his own hands.

"Is there anything else the Soviet side would like to add to India's offer of a lease price of 9.5 million?" Ramdas was the first to ask questions and began to test the other party's bottom line.

"Refuse." Yazov replied crisply, "We, the Soviet Ministry of Defense, insist that 9.5 million is a beggar's handoff, and not a real negotiation between the two countries." I would like to ask, does the Indian side know what huge expenses were required for the maintenance of weapons such as the SS-N-2 anti-ship missiles and the SA-N-3 ship-to-air missiles of the USSR? Do you know what kind of maintenance is required in peacetime for the formation of the Minsk combat capability? Do you know what saturation offensive operations are? Soviet ships were built for war, not for acrobatics! ”

Yazov's awe-inspiring performance made Ramdas also familiar with it, and directly reprimanded Ah San's army for the acrobatic performance team, which made the Indian admiral, who had never used aircraft carriers to fight, a little unable to answer.

"It's not a matter if it goes on like this, it's better for the Soviet Union to put forward your own bottom line of the offer, so that the two sides can negotiate better."

Seeing that Ramdas finally raised the question that Yazov had always wanted to hear, he hurriedly put on a serious face and replied to the other party in a deep voice, "23.4 million, this is the offer made by the Soviet Union, if the other party makes sense, you can just put it forward." ”

After hearing the price quoted by the Soviet Union, Ramdas's expression was distorted, and he slapped the table and said, "What? 23.4 million? Why don't you grab it? The Minsk is just a second-hand decommissioned aircraft carrier, and you actually want me to spend 23.4 million to lease it? No, I refuse. ”

Yazov motioned to the other party to calm down first, and he said half-sincerely, half-threateningly, "Don't let this incident affect the friendship between the Soviet Union and India, General Ramdas, after all, the Soviet Union is not only one country, maybe there is another country you don't want to see, and wants to lease our aircraft carrier Kyiv?" ”

Ramdas swallowed, as if he knew whose name Yazov was going to say next. (To be continued.) )