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

Chapter 199 | I'm really happy to be cheeky like this.

What baffled Shank was that the design team was reportedly even considering using a hydraulic torque converter and dual-flow transmission.
Due to the extreme difficulty, Kua'e Railway Machinery Company withdrew from the bidding process midway, leaving only Liuhe Machinery Power Company as the sole candidate still striving.

Shang Ke felt this was akin to "launching a satellite" (a Chinese idiom meaning to release unrealistic or exaggerated claims).

This indicator is extremely absurd, or even 10 or 90 percent absurd.

How could something weighing less than 20 tons achieve such a target? Keep in mind this is only 40 years ago!

At first glance, Project 180, a light tank, seems to be much more difficult than Project 175, a medium tank. It's fair to say that the Federal Army placed even higher hopes on the light tank than on the medium tank, which is both laughable and lamentable.

To be honest, this reminded Shang Ke of the failed "Project 122" prototype, which was abandoned in history because the specifications were set too high and exceeded industrial capacity.

At first, he wanted to intervene, but he quickly gave up.

Hydraulic torque converters and dual-flow transmissions are unavoidable hurdles in the development of tanks. There's no need to avoid them; the sooner we overcome them, the sooner we can enjoy the benefits.

This research and development effort was well worth the cost; it can be considered as a technological reserve for future main battle tank projects, a way to explore and learn from mistakes in advance. Let the military industry department worry about it.

Comparing the number of research slots? I have six!
At the end of the meeting, Shank discussed the necessity of heavy tanks.

Given the country's lack of experience in developing heavy tanks and the current time constraints, Shank suggested that they proceed cautiously, building upon the work of the Varlanders instead of starting from scratch.

The Tiger's chassis is quite good and reliable. We can change the road wheel design first, and even try to modify the sloped armor.

"...Heavy tanks are a type of weapon with both obvious advantages and disadvantages. They are expensive and heavy, difficult to maintain, and require careful and coordinated operation. Otherwise, one careless move could lead to them getting stuck in a pit or being killed by the enemy."

"Of course, its advantages are also obvious. When attacking heavily fortified or fortified areas, heavily armored vehicles are necessary to act as the spearhead for breaking through. Therefore, heavy vehicles can be produced in smaller quantities, but they cannot be produced at all."

"The heavy tank design data that I'm 'holding in trust' for Henschel Company is very detailed. I'm sure Colonel Liu knows about this. The Vallanders have been working on their heavy tanks for six or seven years, and they're quite mature. We can make minor modifications based on the blueprints, without spending too much effort. In my personal opinion, we can build some to use first," Shang Ke said.

To keep in trust?

Did you even get their permission, kid? You clearly stole it by taking advantage of the chaos!
Everyone present, including the Chief of the General Staff, couldn't help but smile.

Mr. Shang spoke boastfully, with a unique dry humor that made people chuckle.

Colonel Liu's real name is Liu Xunqian. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (or Doctor of Engineering) degree from Yenching University and is a Senior Colonel in the Army. He is currently the head of the Armored Vehicle Development Group of the Equipment Bureau, specializing in armored vehicle design.

“I shouldn’t make any definitive statements,” Liu Xunqian said thoughtfully. “The documents are still being translated. There’s so much of it that it’s not easy to analyze. But the sheer volume of documents does prove that the Vallanders have accumulated a great deal of knowledge in this area.”

"Hurry up, time waits for no one," Chief of the General Staff Cheng Yun said succinctly.

The meeting concluded.

Before leaving, Shang Ke mentioned the idea of ​​a 'hypothetical enemy force' to the dean, but unexpectedly, Cheng Yun overheard it.

Cheng Yun said with great interest, "This is worth doing. Even martial arts practitioners need to find sparring partners to practice with. Using simulated enemy units to train troops in turn is a good idea."

Then he called out to the dean, "Mingzhao, you all go back... Never mind, I'll handle it myself."

Since the beginning of this year, Cheng Yun has been deeply worried, feeling extremely concerned about the combat capabilities of the Federal National Defense Forces. The force has expanded several times over, from over 400,000 to nearly 2 million, and while its weaponry and equipment are plentiful, it is essentially fully equipped and manned.

However, after inflating like a balloon, how much skill does the army still possess? Can it still win battles?

All units are conducting training in full swing, making a great show of it. At first glance, their military bearing appears impeccable, but whether this is merely a facade remains to be seen.

The fate of the army is closely linked to the fate of the country. As the Chief of the General Staff, Cheng Yun, who shoulders heavy responsibilities, is so preoccupied that he can hardly eat or sleep.

He believes that the planned large-scale multi-service exercises are not enough, because although the exercises of the Federal Defense Forces have a higher degree of freedom and better training results than those of other powers, they are still lacking something.

We need to build a professional, dedicated, and elite adversary force to repeatedly 'toughen' field troops across the country, making them cry!
This thought arose spontaneously in Cheng Yun's heart.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he smiled and said to Shang Kezan, "You've got some new tricks up your sleeve. Keep up the good work, and when those twenty divisions are put to training and assessment, where will your 8th Mechanized Infantry Division rank?"

The latter stood at attention ramrod straight, but said humorously, "The top ten are a piece of cake, the top five are a piece of cake, and the top three can be reached with a little jumping."

Why didn't you just say you were guaranteed a top 20 finish? Are you happy with this joke?
The courtyard was somewhat speechless.

Cheng Yun laughed, but deliberately put on a stern face and said, "If you can't make it into the top five, you can quit and go to my General Staff (General Staff Department) to reflect on your actions for a year or two!"

After saying that, Cheng Yun turned and left.

After he left, the dean glanced at Shank and said in a rare, teasing tone, "Looks like you weren't brutal enough in Budapest."

Shang Ke coughed and said, "Dean, I'm just optimistic and have a good attitude."

I'm innocent! What I'm doing should be called revolutionary optimism!
After leaving the conference room, the dean called Shang back.

"I heard you're making wedding preparations? When are you getting married?"

"Yes, it's set for the Lantern Festival." Shang Ke said helplessly, "To be honest, it's been much longer than I expected to return to China, so I had to make arrangements in a hurry. Now that the meeting is over, I plan to rush back tomorrow."

The dean grunted and casually said, "You're not getting any younger, it's time to get things done. You wait here at the General Staff Headquarters, I'll have someone fetch some things."

After he finished speaking, the dean left first.

Waiting? Go get something?

Completely baffled, Shang Ke lingered at the General Staff Headquarters until after lunchtime, when he finally encountered the Dean's guards.

The tall guard saluted Shang Ke and then handed him two gift boxes.

"The dean said he didn't have anything to give, so he just had someone pick out two things at random. One is for you, Commander Shang, and the other is for your wife. May your marriage last forever."

Shang Ke paused for a moment, then took the gift with both hands, nodding in surprise and delight, "You actually gave me a gift, I really didn't expect that. Please thank the senior for me, and by the way, I wish him to have a grandson soon."

"Okay." The guard, his face strained, turned and left.

(End of this chapter)