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

Chapter 200 | The Grand Wedding (Combined into One)

Shang Ke was genuinely surprised that the dean would give him a gift; he had thought he would only receive a few words of blessing at most.

He couldn't wait any longer and jogged to the reception room to open the gift box and find out what was inside.

The gift I gave myself was a gleaming silver watch, made of alloy steel, and quite heavy.

The gift for his fiancée was a pair of earrings, exquisitely arranged with large sapphires and many small diamonds.

"Wow, that's amazing! This is really beautiful." A feeling of gratitude welled up in Shang Ke's heart. He clicked his tongue and said, "The dean actually paid for this gift out of his own pocket..."

What Mr. Shang didn't know was that these two valuable gifts were not purchased by the dean, but rather stemmed from some 'unspeakable' matters.

As a dean, one inevitably receives flattery and sycophancy, and there are quite a few people who try to build relationships by giving gifts. During holidays, all kinds of gifts keep pouring in.

Most of the gifts were returned, but the remaining few were not suitable to be returned directly, so we had to accept them for the time being.

The watch that Mr. Shang received was no ordinary watch. Three or four years ago, the military purchased a batch of special high-standard watches, requiring them to be able to work normally in a wide range of temperatures from minus thirty degrees to plus forty degrees Celsius. In addition, they needed to be aesthetically pleasing and not made into a bulky cylindrical shape for the sake of sturdiness and reliability.

In addition to the two major domestic mechanical watch manufacturers, Seagull and Tianwang, well-known manufacturers such as IWC, Breguet, Omega, and Vacheron Constantin were also invited to participate. Each brand made two or three test watches and sent them for testing. However, all of them were ultimately rejected, and the military temporarily shelved the special high-standard watch program.

I don't know who was so capable as to get a few of the watches submitted for testing. One of them, an IWC-made experimental watch, was given to the dean as a 'souvenir' and has now ended up in Mr. Shang's hands.

Although unaware of the many twists and turns involved, Shank was overjoyed to receive the wedding gift, as this IWC experimental watch was far superior to the official officer's watch issued by the government.

In the afternoon, Shang Ke went to the General Headquarters Equipment Bureau again.

The Equipment Bureau temporarily hired more than ten German translators, along with engineers specializing in vehicle engineering, to work together to translate the piles of technical documents.

The development plan for a heavy tank is already in the works, tentatively named 'Project 201', and is just waiting for funding approval.

"There is too much data on various components and subsystems, and we are far from having enough manpower. We plan to find more people and try to get it done by the end of this month."

Looking at the mountain of paper documents and blueprints, Liu Xunqian's face was solemn.

Shang Ke looked around and asked, "Have the main structure and overall design drawings been translated by now?"

"It just happened yesterday."

"Colonel Liu, what do you think?"

"I can't pinpoint any highlights, but it's very well-developed. Apart from the engine, everything else is straightforward, except for the rather peculiar running gear."

Liu Xunqian was very interested in the staggered road wheels of the VK4001 and VK5001.

“Road wheels?” Shank pointed to the blueprints on the table and said, “Those interlocking road wheels are too inconvenient to maintain. The ordinary style is better. When the army is fighting, simplicity and reliability are the priority.”

"It's actually quite interesting. This design helps to distribute the load and improves smoothness and reliability. Unfortunately, it will definitely be much more complicated to build and use."

"No need."

"Fifty tons is already very heavy. If we don't do it this way, we'll have to find another way to strengthen the suspension system."

Whether it's the Tiger or the Leopard, the distinctive staggered road wheels have always been a much-criticized design.

This design effectively doubles the number of road wheels, and the load on each road wheel and each torsion bar is correspondingly reduced, which objectively has some advantages.

For example, when a tank is driving on an uneven field—whether it is concave or convex—the front pair of road wheels will bear the force first and be the first to experience the violent impact.

If it is a staggered road wheel system, then the first and second pairs of road wheels can share the load because they are close together.

The reasons why Germans widely adopted this design throughout history are complex, but generally speaking, it's because Germans wanted both.

Torsion bar suspension performs well, but it was a novelty that only emerged in the 1930s. The Germans could not guarantee the supply of rare metals, resulting in mediocre quality of torsion bars. They also could not tolerate a high failure rate, so they conservatively used staggered road wheels.

In short, this was a fleeting phenomenon born out of a special period, a special country, and special circumstances.

This problem doesn't exist in a unified federation, so Shank doesn't care.

In any case, the Tiger's chassis itself is designed with reserved positions for torsion bar placement, so minor modifications are very convenient. Replacing the torsion bars with high-performance alloy steel ones and adding six load-bearing wheels on each side is no problem at all.

As for artillery, although the 88mm tank gun is the soul of the machine, it's a pity that the Great Unified Federation is too busy to start a new production line for this completely new caliber of artillery and shells. After browsing around, Shank found that the 95mm anti-aircraft gun being developed by the National Defense Force Air Force was more suitable and could be used directly.

The biggest change in appearance for this Tiger tank was the road wheels; other aspects should remain largely the same.

So, wouldn't you call this a cunning knockoff?

Shang Ke asked himself honestly and firmly believed that it absolutely did not count.

Because the Varlanders were conquered in four months, the Tiger tank existed only on paper. The kind-hearted Chinese helped preserve the blueprints and even built it, which was a great act of kindness in helping the Varlanders realize their dream. The Varlanders should be sincerely grateful.

Sigh! All I can say is that Chinese people are just too kind-hearted!
Shank calculated the timeline and concluded that if everything went smoothly, the Tiger tank could go into production by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

The most frightening thing is that, given the productivity of the Great Unified Federation, once mass production begins, it will no longer be the stingy and petty manufacturing speed of the past.

The Germans only managed to build a little over 1,300 vehicles in two years, while Shank estimated that domestic military contractors could produce that many in just a few months.

Furthermore, if a complete production line is set up, it would be inefficient for the military to only order one or two thousand vehicles, and they would likely face complaints.

"It's only 1940 now, and by 1941 the Tiger tanks will be appearing on the battlefield in large numbers... It's unbelievable, it's like a horror story," Shang Ke muttered to himself.

Is your Tiger beer a wholesale purchase?
I'm sorry, it's true, my Tiger dog was bought wholesale.

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Before leaving, Shang Ke did not forget the important task he had entrusted to Jian Keqiu.

In order to secure more resources for his fiancée, he went so far as to boast wildly and disregard the facts at the Equipment Bureau.

On the one hand, they exaggerate the negative impact of mechanical fuses on armor-piercing projectiles, claiming both a high misfire rate and a significant reduction in armor penetration depth.

On the one hand, piezoelectric ceramic fuses are touted as being highly sensitive and reliable, while also boasting a three-fold increase in penetration capability.

Although test results show that the penetration capability of armor-piercing projectiles is very sensitive to the detonation height (explosion height)... there shouldn't be such an exaggerated difference, right?
The staff at the Equipment Bureau were skeptical.

Trusting him, a colonel from the Equipment Bureau agreed to intervene and fund the research project.

The initial funding was 100 million yuan, with an additional 200 million yuan or more to be added depending on the results. Satisfied with the money he had secured for Jian Keqiu, Shang Ke then set off for Beijing.

The events of the European war greatly surprised the Federal Armed Forces, making them realize that they had previously underestimated the power of armored forces and never expected that infantry units would be so vulnerable in the face of armored forces.

It was somewhat similar to the shock brought about by the Gulf War in later generations.

Therefore, since the beginning of this year, the military has been somewhat desperate and hasty in its efforts, on the one hand demanding more military funding from the advisory council, and on the other hand recklessly and frantically developing various anti-tank weapons.

At the Equipment Bureau, Shank saw a whole bunch of strange anti-tank weapon projects; almost anything even remotely related to fighting tanks received funding and support.

There are four or five different designs for 'anti-tank grenades' alone, ranging from compressed air-propelled to rocket-propelled, and even manned throwers with attitude-stabilizing parachutes—a dazzling array.

This can't even be described as walking on two legs; it's practically saturation research and development, which shows how urgent the military's efforts are.

Against this turbulent backdrop, there is nothing to question about what an officer who has truly been tested by blood and fire would advocate.

Despite having started with a lot of complaints, Shang Ke has now completely put those grievances behind him.

This trip was very rewarding!
After returning to Suzhou, Shang Ke told Jian Keqiu the good news, saying that he had obtained a huge sum of money as a grant without lifting a finger.

"It was so easy. Officials are usually quite slow, especially when it comes to money. How could it be settled on the spot?" Jian Keqiu was clearly surprised.

"Oh, others are others, and I am me. After all this time, Xiao Qiu, don't you know my abilities?" Shang Ke said easily, "I convinced her with just a few words."

"Okay, you're amazing, truly extraordinary." Jian Keqiu thought to herself that this guy had probably made up a bunch of lies with great seriousness to fool the other party into believing it.

She asked, "Wait, what if the progress is too slow? Will the military blame us?"

Shang Ke said indifferently, "This isn't a project directly managed by the military industry department; it's just a subsidy. Just like commercial investment, you have to be prepared to lose money when you receive funding."

"Oh, that's good. I don't like the pressure of being penalized for being late."

Having dispelled her concerns, Shang Ke muttered as he took off his clothes, "Why does it feel even colder today than before? I wish spring would come quickly, and this freezing winter would go away. It's uncomfortable."

"Are you cold? I'll go and turn the heater to the highest setting."

"Okay, but that would make the room too dry. Put a basin of water in the room."

"Increase the humidity? That won't help."

"Useless? I don't believe it." Shang Ke, who had taken off his clothes to take a shower, was stunned.

No way! This was one of the 'life skills' I used frequently in my past life!

However, Jian Keqiu nodded nonchalantly and said, "Yes, I tried it before the New Year. Why don't we boil some water?"

People in the south also had a need for heating, so resistance wire heaters came into being. However, humidifiers like those in later generations did not yet appear on the market.

Jian Keqiu had previously conducted an objective and rigorous experiment in her spare time—she placed a basin of water and hung a towel on it, and measured that only a little over 200 grams of water evaporated overnight, and the indoor humidity increased only slightly, which was better than nothing.

So she simply created her own humidification technique—place an alcohol lamp and an iron rack in the room, put a small iron bowl on it, fill it with boiled water, and let the alcohol lamp keep the water boiling and evaporating.

A bewildered Shang Ke gave Jian Keqiu a thumbs up, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally said leisurely, "You...are amazing."

In fact, Mr. Shang originally wanted to 'invite' his fiancée to enjoy a wonderful and refreshing bath together.

But seeing her enthusiastically boiling water and lighting the alcohol lamp, he swallowed his words.

However, when the night was deep and quiet, the two of them, adhering to the scientific, rigorous, and responsible spirit of materialism, delved into some basic biological knowledge.

Jian Keqiu lacked both knowledge and experience in this area, while Mr. Shang possessed a wealth of theoretical knowledge, and the two engaged in a pleasant exchange.

"How are you? I'm exhausted." Jian Keqiu's fair skin showed a charming light red, and there was a little bit of sweat.

Shang Ke lay on his back on the bed and uttered two words calmly: "So-so."

The prolonged pleasure left Jian Keqiu's thoughts somewhat fragmented, and it took her more than ten seconds to fully regain her senses.

Just then, she smelled a burnt odor and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh no! The water has boiled dry!"

The boiling water in the small iron bowl had evaporated completely under the heat of the alcohol lamp, so now it was as if the flame was dry-heating the small iron bowl.

The two quickly tidied up.

A few days later.

With such a vast territory, it is inevitable that many customs exist. In some places, the saying "do not marry in the first month of the lunar calendar" is upheld, and weddings are avoided in the first month of the lunar calendar.

Anyway, neither the Jian family nor the merchants have this requirement.

At the beginning of the new year, everything is renewed. The Lantern Festival is auspicious and suitable for marriage.

Mr. Shang's wedding was not particularly extravagant, but many of the invited guests were prominent figures.

Several old friends from the 1st Mobile Division came. Ding Shu, the former division commander, has now been promoted to lieutenant general. Shang sent the invitation out of courtesy, not expecting him to come, but Ding Shu actually did come.

Aside from him, even some of his classmates from the Tank Corps Academy traveled long distances to attend the banquet, claiming they wouldn't feel right if they didn't get a free meal.

The funniest thing is that Cai Qiqian, the son of the chairman of the Republic Steel Group, also came, and he was even wearing the winter uniform of a technical lieutenant.

"No? You actually joined the army?" Shang Ke looked him over in surprise.

Cai Qiqian said proudly, "Brother Shang, don't look down on me. I'm quite a figure in the 2nd Tank Division's repair shop."

Shang Ke gave him a look that said, "You little rascal, you have ulterior motives," and teased, "You're that devoted? Staring at that young lady and not letting go?"

He originally thought that Tsai Chi-chien's claim that he would join the National Defense Army to pursue Li Ching-sheng was just a passing fancy, but he didn't expect that the kid would actually be serious.

"I didn't realize you had such a strong will," he complimented, then asked, "How are things going between you and Li Qingsheng?"

Slightly embarrassed, Cai Qiqian replied with a smug look, "I'm going to be a father in six months. The date is set, and I'll marry her next month."

Huh? I take back my praise!

Shang Ke's fist hardened instantly, and he said leisurely, "I'll go to the wedding to check it out. Don't let any 'accidents' happen and it doesn't happen, or I'll draw your blood to lubricate the tracks of your tank."

(End of this chapter)