"Thank you so much, Mr. Mavi! Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask, which country manufactures these two military vehicles? What model are they?" Colonel Xie Ni pondered for a long time but couldn't recall ever seeing these military vehicles before.
Mavi smiled and answered confidently, "To be honest with you, Colonel Xie Ni, these two military vehicles inside the transport plane are made in China. The model is the Dongfeng Mengshi. They are equipped with a 6.5T V8 turbocharged diesel engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. Compared to the American Humvee, they use more advanced technology and have slightly superior performance."
"The Dongfeng Mengshi from China?" Colonel Xie Ni was confused. In his impression, China's military strength was not particularly formidable. When did they manage to produce military vehicles even better than those of Ukraine? It was simply unimaginable!
"That's right, they're made in China. High quality, low price, and excellent cost performance." Mavi's words were completely factual. A single Dongfeng Mengshi cost less than $50,000 (based on the year 2000 price). Compared to the expensive military Humvees, it was such a bargain that people would rush to buy them!
After hearing Mavi's words, Colonel Xie Ni was utterly stunned. If it weren't for Mavi's identity and background, he would have doubted whether what he had just heard was true.
"Mr. Mavi, thank you very much for these two generous gifts! I'm sure that when we drive them back to the base, Major General Boryvoff and the others will absolutely love them!" Colonel Xie Ni regained his composure and spoke to Mavi with great confidence.
Although they were part of the Ukrainian Air Force, they obviously couldn't travel everywhere in fighter jets or bombers.
Driving those old Soviet military vehicles all the time was quite embarrassing, to be honest. After all, their base housed MiG-29 fighter jets and Su-27 combat aircraft. The contrast was simply too stark.
"I'm glad you like them!" Mavi smiled. This favor was a huge win. He had bought these Dongfeng Mengshi vehicles at a low price from China and gifted them to the Ukrainian Air Force, who needed military vehicles. Even though the total cost was just $100,000, it created an impression comparable to gifting military Humvees.
As Mavi rode in a Dongfeng Mengshi, following Colonel Xie Ni all the way to Ukraine's No. 32 Air Force Base, just as the colonel had predicted, nearly every Ukrainian soldier and officer who saw the Chinese military vehicles with Ukrainian flags printed on them was completely captivated!
Even the soldiers standing guard at the entrance couldn't help but glance sideways, constantly checking out their new "military vehicles."
Mavi took note of all these reactions. Ukraine was truly in poor economic shape. Despite having so much advanced military technology that was once leading the world, its inability to modernize had caused stagnation and even regression in national development.
The two Dongfeng Mengshi military vehicles roared into the air force base. Ten minutes later, Mavi was set to meet one of the key figures at the base—Major General Boryvoff, the primary negotiator for this deal.
Major General Boryvoff, dressed in a Ukrainian Air Force officer's uniform and military boots, stood at the entrance of the base's command center, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for Mavi's arrival. Behind him stood numerous officers from the air force base.
When the two imposing, mighty Dongfeng Mengshi vehicles appeared in front of Major General Boryvoff, his usually stoic face twitched slightly. He clearly hadn't expected that the guests would arrive in something other than Ukraine's UAZ-469 military vehicles.
"Major General Boryvoff! Reporting in—this is Mr. Mavi from Russia. Also, Major General, these two Dongfeng Mengshi off-road vehicles are a gift from Mr. Mavi to our air force!" Colonel Xie Ni excitedly and loudly reported as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle.
"Oh, they're gifts?" Boryvoff raised an eyebrow in surprise. Initially, when he first saw the military vehicles, he had assumed that the visitors were trying to show off and intimidate the Ukrainian Air Force by displaying their superiority.
Now, hearing his subordinate's explanation, Major General Boryvoff realized he had been overly sensitive and nearly misunderstood the Russian guest!
"Haha! Mr. Mavi, thank you very much for this generous gift to our military! You even had the Ukrainian flag printed on them—very thoughtful!" Major General Boryvoff laughed as he stepped forward, only then noticing the Ukrainian flags on the sides of the vehicles.
The air force officers standing behind him, upon hearing that these stylish military vehicles were gifts from the guest, all showed expressions of gratitude toward Mavi.
It was clear from their eyes that they were thinking, "With these two new military vehicles, we won't have to drive those outdated Soviet clunkers anymore! Only those who have driven them know how outdated and embarrassing they are!"
As the air force officers thought this, Major General Boryvoff extended his right hand to shake Mavi's.
Ever since Mavi had been negotiating deals everywhere, his right hand was almost deformed from all the handshakes. But this was still preferable—thinking back to the kissing greetings in Dubai, just shaking hands seemed quite acceptable.
"Hello, Major General Boryvoff. If your military likes them, the next batch of Dongfeng Mengshi vehicles can arrive as soon as next week." As a major arms dealer, Mavi understood the power of charm. Since the Ukrainian Air Force liked them, he had no reason not to send a few more to strengthen their relationship. After all, the vehicles were inexpensive...
Hearing Mavi's generosity in offering to send even more military vehicles, Major General Boryvoff and the air force officers behind him all lit up with joy. "That's incredibly generous of you, Mr. Mavi! On behalf of all the soldiers at Ukraine's No. 32 Air Force Base, I sincerely thank you!"
As he spoke, Major General Boryvoff saluted Mavi to express his recognition and respect. Naturally, Mavi returned the salute politely. "No need to be so formal, Major General Boryvoff. It was no trouble at all."
"Haha! Mr. Mavi, you're quite modest. How about this—let me take you on a tour of our air force base's command center and military warehouse?" After some brief pleasantries, Major General Boryvoff got straight to the point: the discussion about fighter jet and bomber transactions.
These aircraft had been sitting in their warehouses for years, and the cost of maintenance was astronomical—a constant headache for the air force base.
"Sounds great, Major General Boryvoff. I'll follow your lead." Mavi replied smoothly. Over the past two months, he had visited military bases more often than his own company. He was practically a familiar face in military circles by now.
"Alright then, Mr. Mavi, please follow me," Major General Boryvoff said as he led Mavi into their operations center.
(End of Chapter)