World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Liu Yongfu looked at Chen Feng. The Grand Commander nodded slightly.

"Demonstration begins!" the Minister of Industry ordered over the radio.

The roar of engines suddenly filled the air, and the pungent smell of diesel fuel permeated the air. Vehicle number one started up first, its tracks kicking up mud as it slowly moved towards the starting line. Behind the vehicle, three technicians dressed in Lanfang military uniforms held up red flags to mark the safety zone.

Wilhelm II, Falkenhayn, Enver Pasha, Halim Pasha, and others were led to a fortified observation platform. The platform was about five meters high, offering a wide field of vision, and was protected by bulletproof glass. Chen Feng stood beside Wilhelm II, calmly observing the scene.

"The first item is off-road mobility," Liu Yongfu's voice came through the loudspeaker.

Vehicle number one began to accelerate. It drove across the flat grassland, gradually increasing its speed to 20 kilometers per hour. Although it wasn't fast, the oppressive feeling of that massive steel object moving was chilling. Then it drove into the "crater zone"—an area filled with craters, simulating the aftermath of artillery fire.

The tank began to lurch, but the track system showed good adaptability. It climbed a half-meter-high embankment with ease; drove over a waterlogged crater, splashing mud, but the vehicle remained stable; and finally arrived at the two-meter-wide trench.

"Pay close attention to the leaping motion," Liu Yongfu said.

Vehicle number one slowed down in front of the trench, its front end gradually sinking until the front tracks touched the bottom. Then, the entire vehicle tilted forward, shifting its center of gravity forward, and the rear tracks lifted off the ground... A few seconds later, the front tracks climbed onto the other side, followed by the rear tracks, which also crossed smoothly. The whole process, though slow, was stable and powerful.

"My God..." Falkenhayn murmured, "It really is possible... without engineers building a bridge..."

Wilhelm II's fingers gripped the railing of the observation deck tightly; this was the weapon of his dreams!

"The second item is overcoming obstacles."

Vehicle number one drove towards the barbed wire area. There were three layers of barbed wire there, each about 1.5 meters high, using standard military-grade barbed wire.

The tank didn't slow down. It ran straight over it.

"Crunch—Bang!"

A piercing sound of metal snapping rang out. The barbed wire, as if made of paper, was caught in the tracks, torn apart, and flattened. All three obstacles were breached in less than a minute. If it were infantry, engineers would have needed to cut the passage, and they would have had to brave machine gun fire, resulting in heavy casualties.

"Third item, firepower demonstration."

The tank drove toward the simulated machine gun bunker. It was a semi-underground fortification built with sandbags and concrete blocks. There were no machine guns behind the firing ports, but red flags were planted to indicate the direction of fire.

At a distance of 200 meters, the turret began to rotate. The machine gunner aimed through the periscope.

"Da da da da da—"

Both machine guns opened fire simultaneously, tracer rounds tracing red paths, most hitting the front of the fortifications, sending concrete debris flying. Although training rounds were used, the density of fire and sustained suppression made every soldier present understand what this meant—if such a massive machine were leading the way and suppressing enemy fire, the success rate of an infantry charge would be greatly increased.

"Finally, comprehensive demonstration. Vehicle number two."

The second improved version was launched. It was faster and more stable than the first vehicle. It barely slowed down when crossing trenches; it was even more brutal when breaking through barbed wire; and when it reached 150 meters from the machine gun bunker, the turret rotated and the 37mm gun opened fire.

"boom!"

Although it wasn't live ammunition, the muzzle flash and the explosion were still deafening. The turret recoiled, and the vehicle shuddered slightly. The target in front of the simulated fortification was shattered.

The entire demonstration lasted twenty-five minutes. When the two tanks returned to the starting point and the engines were shut off, the test site fell into a deathly silence.

Only the mournful sound of the wind blowing through the broken barbed wire.

Wilhelm II was the first to break the silence. He turned and grabbed Chen Feng's arm with surprising strength: "How much?"

The emperor's voice trembled, not with fear, but with excitement: "How much per vehicle? I want a hundred! No, two hundred! When can the first batch be delivered?"

Falkenhayn squeezed in, the Chief of the General Staff's face flushed red: "Your Excellency, this tank... this tank can change the rules of the Western Front! It doesn't need to be fast; as long as it can advance under machine gun fire, as long as it can cross trenches and barbed wire, it can deliver our infantry to the French positions! This... this is a breakthrough! A real breakthrough!"

Chen Feng gently pulled his hand away from Wilhelm II's, his expression remaining calm: "Your Majesty, General, please calm down. This is just a prototype; there are still many problems to solve. The engine is prone to overheating, the tracks may come off in complex terrain, the steering is not flexible enough, and... production is limited."

"The problem can be solved!" Wilhelm II practically roared. "Germany has the best engineers! Krupp, Rheinmetall, MAN... they can improve! But we need the basic design, we need the technical data, we need... time! We must begin now!"

Enver Pasha and Halim Pasha also approached. The Ottoman Minister of War's eyes burned with the same longing—on the Palestinian front, British weapons were inflicting heavy losses on Turkish soldiers; on the Caucasus front, Russian machine gun emplacements were proving difficult to breach. If only such weapons existed…

"Your Excellency," Enver said in a respectful but urgent tone, "the Ottoman Empire also needs this equipment. We are willing to pay a reasonable price."

Halim Pasha didn't speak, but his tightly pursed lips and flickering eyes betrayed his inner struggle—the Empire was out of money, what could they buy?

Chen Feng looked around at everyone and slowly began to speak: "Gentlemen, the value of a tank lies not only in the tank itself, but also in the tactical revolution it brings, in its impact on battlefield psychology, and in the hope it gives to soldiers—they no longer need to line up and charge into machine gun fire, no longer need to fill barbed wire and trenches with their own flesh and blood."

He paused, then emphasized, "But I must remind you that a single weapon cannot win a war. Tanks require accompanying tactics: How should infantry follow the tanks? How should artillery provide support for the tanks? How should engineers clear a path for the tanks? How should logistics ensure fuel and ammunition supply? These all require systematic thinking and training."

"Then let's train together!" Wilhelm II said without hesitation. "Send your instructors to Germany! Or, we can send people to Lanfang to learn! Germany will cover the expenses! As long as these steel monsters appear on the Western Front as soon as possible!"

Falkenhayn had calmed down somewhat, but the fervor in his eyes hadn't faded: "Your Excellency, name your price. Basic design, technical data, production license, training system... a package deal."

Chen Feng looked at Liu Yongfu. The Minister of Industry immediately handed him a document.