It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 187 | The Tiger in the Cradle
Compared to the defeated and disheartened soldiers, these dozens of men in front of them looked completely different, with their military bearing perfectly aligned.

The security captain was stunned for a moment, then stammered, "Wait... I... I want to know what you're here for?"

“We’re here to oversee your execution of government orders; you don’t need to know anything more,” Klein said firmly.

Then, the alarm blared.

Amidst the urgent ringing of the bell, more security personnel arrived from various locations and gathered in a group on the open space behind the gate.

There appeared to be about a hundred people, equipped with pistols and small-caliber civilian sporting rifles, and a few carrying Mauser automatic pistols, which were the same pistols that Mr. Shang was very familiar with.

Shank whispered a few words to Klein, who then solemnly instructed, "The order to destroy the core technical data of Henschel Company has been issued. We must not let these things fall into the hands of the Ivanros. From now on, we must maintain the highest level of vigilance and beware of people and spies who have been bribed in the factory. The Ivanros have even sent paratroopers to launch surprise attacks."

paratrooper?!
After intimidating the security personnel, Morel and Klein, at Shank's request, broke them up, dividing the hundred or so people into three groups and mixing them with the soldiers.

Then, Shang Ke and the others went to the office area next to the factory.

With war looming, most middle and senior managers have already fled, and there are very few company executives still willing to come to work at this critical juncture.

Upon seeing the army arrive, the workers became uneasy and quickly made way for them.

Shang Ke and his team rushed into the office building, searching for any remaining middle and senior managers, and questioning everyone they encountered.

"Let me think... Manager Vogt is here today; he's the military's tank project manager."

“Dr. Schmidt is here too. I saw him earlier, just half an hour ago.”

Amidst the chaos, Shank and his men barged into project manager Vogt's office.

This is a tall, thin old man wearing round glasses, rummaging through things; the drawers of the desks and cabinets in the office have all been opened.

“Mr. Vogt, the Ivanros are closing in. We must move important technical data now, or destroy it if we can’t move it!” Klein said bluntly.

"Is it Henschel's turn now?" Vogt asked calmly, "Which projects?"

How to answer this question?

Klein was speechless for a moment, and just as he was about to turn around and look at Mr. Shang, he heard him whispering.

"Heavy...breakthrough...tank..."

Without hesitation, Klein shouted, "The most crucial project is the heavy breakthrough tank project."

Vogt was ultimately a shrewd corporate executive, and it was difficult to fool him.

However, from another perspective, he is also easier to fool because he can convince himself.

According to inside information he knew, some companies involved in military projects did receive instructions to 'secretly transfer or destroy technical data,' and the timing was very close, just the day before yesterday.

Two days ago, Fabben received instructions to transfer its research findings on 'agricultural pesticides' as quickly as possible.

The so-called insecticides are actually nerve agents such as tabun and sarin.

Therefore, in Vogt's view, it is perfectly reasonable to transfer and destroy Henschel's findings on the 'heavy breakthrough vehicle' now.

The only thing that annoyed him was Morel, this Marianna. "Heh, only the government is willing to share technology with you Mariannas; the military would definitely object..."

At this moment, Moro saw Shank winking at her, so she winked back to indicate that she knew what to do.

"You Vallanders are so caught up in your past victories, what powerful weapons can you possibly come up with?" Morel pretended to be serious, frowning as she said, "We already have powerful heavy tanks. I have no interest in this temporary assignment; it's a waste of time."

“You don’t understand tank design, soldier.” Vogt didn’t bother arguing with this junior, who he considered just a little girl.

"I'm not a soldier, I..."

Seeing that Moro was too engrossed in her role, Shank interrupted her and said with a calm smile, "I am acting on the instructions of the Chinese Embassy to remind your company to share its technical and tactical experience with its allies in a timely manner. Only by setting aside our prejudices and working together to fight the enemy can we ensure the peace of Europe."

Vogt had spent most of his life in business and was long tired of this standard, official Chinese rhetoric.

As he walked out, he complained, "You Easterners are too nosy. You even want to meddle in European affairs. We Europeans will handle our own problems."

"No, this is a global problem."

"Well, you're right."

Soon after, Dr. Schmidt, an engineering PhD, also arrived.

Vogt and Schmidt exchanged a few words, and then Vogt briefed everyone on the tank project.

"Five years ago, we Henschel contracted the pre-production order for the Panzer III battle tank. At almost the same time, the Imperial Weapons Bureau assigned us the task of developing the experimental breakthrough vehicle (Durchbruch-Wagen), codenamed Project DW."

"This project was established as the VK3001 program in the winter of the year before last. We, Henschel, further improved upon the DW project and developed the heavy tank that the military expected, in accordance with the requirements of the Weapons Bureau. The prototype performed quite well, so we continued our efforts and launched the VK4001 program."

"But unfortunately, war broke out. The Ivan Ross's new T-34 battle tank easily defeated any of our tanks—even the VK4001, which was not yet in mass production. Therefore, the Weapons Bureau urgently issued an order to develop a more powerful heavy tank, which is the VK5001 project."

“It’s only been three months since autumn, such a short time, what could you possibly have developed?” Moro’s tone was full of doubt.

Afterwards, the group went to the large drawing room on the second floor of the building.

What comes into view is a spacious room with rows of tables covered with rolls of blueprints and various rulers and compasses.

【Picture】

Here, Shank saw the paper outlines of timeless classics.

Its square and rugged outline, its tall and imposing shape, and its controversial staggered road wheels...

It has only been fifty or sixty days since the project was initiated, so it is impossible to complete everything. Henschel has only completed the feasibility study and most of the design drawings. There are still many details that have not been modified.

However, since the Varland heavy tank project started quite early, five or six years ago, Henschel has ample technical reserves, so the current progress in the design phase can be said to be about 70-80% complete.

The original plane of history was roughly the same. Under the strict orders of the shampoo master, Henschel worked day and night to develop a powerful heavy tank. Because there was no time to start from scratch, he simply enlarged and increased the weight of the relatively mature VK3601, which led to the VK4501 project, also known as the Tiger tank.

Shang Ke couldn't help but marvel, muttering to himself, "A tiger in the mud? This is a tiger in its cradle."

(End of this chapter)