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

Chapter 220 | Let's get down to business

You think it won't work? Who do you think you are?

Upon hearing this, the representative from Hualian Industry's expression changed, turning from smugness to displeasure.

He interjected, "Isn't this officer exaggerating? As a state-owned enterprise, the Liaoyang Arsenal must have developed the tank cannons according to the original requirements."

Shang Ke also hoped that today would be a relaxed and enjoyable day to observe the prototype vehicle, and that everyone would be happy.

However, he couldn't ignore this problem, so he retorted bluntly: "According to the requirements? The third adjustment of the indicators required that it be able to penetrate the Special Grade 3 or 4 at 1,000 meters!"

"This cannon is strong enough to penetrate 45 millimeters of sloped armor from that distance, and it's very reliable."

"Stable? If it can reliably penetrate the Special Type 3 or 4, I'll take this gun!"

"Sir, you flatter me."

The representative vehemently denied the fact that the tank cannon was inadequate, which greatly angered Mr. Shang, who then publicly and mercilessly refuted him.

"The penetration velocity (collision velocity) of this 7-kilogram capped armor-piercing projectile against the Special Type 34 is 650 meters per second, while the muzzle velocity of this gun is only 720 meters per second."

"You mean you only lose a tiny bit of speed after flying a kilometer? Are armor-piercing rounds made of gold or silver? If you're lying through your teeth, I'll shoot you!"

The representative immediately deflated.

Shang Ke's words were reasonable and compelling, and the army generals beside him, though not knowledgeable about armor-piercing anti-tank technology, all tacitly believed Shang Ke, since they were on the same side.

Qian Changxuan looked around, puzzled, and asked, "Zhicheng, is this cannon useless? Can you tell me what's wrong?"

So Shang Ke explained in detail.

In short, the Type 40 75mm tank gun is only so-so in terms of power, and it cannot reliably penetrate the upper glacis of a T-34 at a distance of 1000 meters.

可在这个距离上稳定击穿T-34的坦克炮有个经典例子，那就是历史上德军IV号坦克的75毫米48倍径（实际上相当于41～42倍径）KwK40坦克炮。

The penetration velocity of a 6.5-7 kg capped armor-piercing projectile against the upper glacis armor of a T-34 is 650 m/s.

KwK40 - muzzle velocity 770 m/s - 2500 g propellant
Type 40 - muzzle velocity 720 m/s - 2330 g propellant
In short, this cannon is usable, but it's barely passable. Shang Ke hates the feeling of having to make do with it.

Furthermore, he felt that there was false advertising involved, which was simply fraud!

A colonel from the Equipment Bureau muttered somewhat awkwardly, "This cannon isn't bad, is it? Even if it can't reliably penetrate 1,000 meters... it can still guarantee 800 meters."

Shang Ke sneered, "That doesn't make sense. I think you've been sitting in the office too long and don't know the practical value of a difference of several hundred meters in combat."

Enraged, Shang Ke launched an indiscriminate attack, criticizing both the Hualian Group and the Equipment Bureau, and finally denouncing the Liaoyang Federal Arsenal for being irresponsible.

As the chief designer, Xu Zhiyuan was caught between the general and the company representative, putting him in a difficult position and causing the middle-aged engineer to break out in a cold sweat.

Achieving perfection in systems engineering is no easy feat!

However, Mr. Shang's opinion carried considerable weight, especially since he immediately went to the Military and Political Affairs Bureau to seriously report the matter after the exhibition and even called the Dean to complain. He ignored the Hualian Group's attempts to appease him privately.

Because of his interference, the progress of Project 175 was halted for two days.

Li Miaocheng, the director of the Military and Political Affairs Department, ordered the Liaoyang Federal Arsenal to provide a response. The arsenal was thrown into chaos and hastily drafted a report overnight to explain.

The cause and effect of this matter is not complicated. The arsenal was suddenly given instructions to develop tank guns without any preparation.

With limited time and a heavy workload, it was impossible to develop a completely new tank gun from scratch. Therefore, the development team selected a suitable one from the existing field guns and improved upon it.

The team made only minor adjustments to the field gun itself, mainly redesigning the breech to accommodate longer shells, since armor-piercing shells require large cartridge cases to hold as much propellant as possible.

Shang Ke considered himself a very reasonable person.

After fully understanding the cause and effect, he immediately calmed down.

In Conference Room No. 3 of the General Headquarters, when Li Miaocheng, the Director of the Military and Political Affairs Department, asked him if he had any further comments, he sharply scanned the crowd, lightly tapped the table with his left fist, and said in a deep voice:
“I, Shang, am a reasonable person. One thing at a time. It’s understandable that we can’t make a good cannon due to the short research and development time. But we can’t let it go unpunished.”

"We haven't fought a major war in so many years. The habits and mindset of businessmen have already infiltrated the army. Is this a place where we can cheat and deceive?"

"The quality of weapons and equipment is related to the lives of soldiers and whether or not a battle can be won. It is never too much to attach importance to it."

"Whether it's good or bad, the quality will be revealed once it hits the battlefield. Let me say this bluntly: in the future, there will definitely be several cases of military supply contractors using inferior materials. It will probably take the execution of a dozen or twenty people to deter this evil practice."

The meeting room fell silent after these words were spoken.

Li Miaocheng smiled bitterly to himself, but on the surface he calmly changed the subject, saying, "Indeed, we lacked too many lessons. We must be cautious in everything we do. This time, it was thanks to your timely correction that we were able to salvage the situation before it became too stale."

Sigh, some things may be the absolute truth, but they're hard to hear, so it's best not to say them carelessly.

Shang Ke knew that if he continued talking, everyone would lose face, so he stopped there.

So he nodded slightly and said deliberately, "Director Li, you flatter me. I was just doing my duty and made a small contribution."

The person in charge of the tank artillery project at the Liaoyang Federal Armory has been keeping his head down and not saying a word since the beginning, just like a child who has done something wrong.

He didn't speak until it was his turn to give a self-criticism, and then he explained the remedial measures to everyone.

"There's still a little bit of propellant left in the cartridge; we can add another 80 or 90 grams. Actual measurements show the initial velocity has increased to 740 meters per second..."

The 75mm armor-piercing projectiles that come with the tank gun are 75×510mm in size. The cartridge case was originally filled with 2330 grams of propellant, but now it has been increased to 2420 grams, making it completely full.

In addition, armor-piercing projectiles were originally designed with an explosive chamber that could be filled with tens of grams of explosive. Now that this has been removed, the armor-piercing projectile has become a real 'solid iron block', which also improves the overall structural strength and facilitates penetration.

There are still significant differences between games and reality. Uncharged solid armor-piercing rounds would be a target of ridicule in games because the aftereffects are so terrible that even if they penetrate the armor, they can only kill one crew member – this is true for British tanks.

Of course, this problem is not so obvious in real war. Reality is not as compact, intense and fast-paced as a game. Moreover, once the tank is penetrated (or even if it is not penetrated at all), most tank crews will choose to abandon the vehicle and run away.

(End of this chapter)