Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

A few days later, a special train departed from Beijing and headed for Shenyang.

Several special passengers were sitting in the carriage: 02, 03, Commander Peng, Marshal Fu, and several comrades who came from the General Staff and the Armored Corps Headquarters.

Zhao Ping'an sat by the window, watching the fields flash by outside.

Commander Peng sat opposite him, holding a document in his hand, looking at it over and over again.

"Comrade Ping An, is that new tank you mentioned really that powerful?"

Zhao Ping'an smiled and said, "Commander Peng, you'll see for yourself."

Fu Shuai chimed in from the side, "I heard from Lao Peng that your project has been going on for almost three years? Where did you get the prototype from?"

Zhao Ping'an said, "We got three prototypes from the distribution channels. The rest were all figured out by the people at the Shenyang factory themselves. The engine, gearbox, cannon, and armor steel were all made by ourselves."

03 nodded: "Okay. It's more reassuring to use something you make yourself."

02 remained silent, only occasionally glancing out the window and then at Zhao Ping'an.

There was something complex in his eyes—expectation, curiosity, and a touch of relief.

"Comrade Ping An," he finally spoke, "this trip isn't just about seeing tanks."

Zhao Ping'an looked at him.

"Your plans—the grain production in Northeast China, the industrial development in North China, and the agricultural reclamation corps in Xinjiang Province—all require substantial investment. You also need plans for military development and local industrial development. You need to carefully consider the balance among these."

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"02, I understand. But tanks aren't just for the military."

It can be converted into a tractor or a piece of construction machinery. The technology is universal.

Moreover, I believe that once this batch of tanks is produced, it will be at least twenty years ahead of our enemies. If this batch is produced and equipped to the troops, we will not need to upgrade similar equipment to the troops for at least ten years.

This could save a lot of money.

02 smiled.

"Just keep it in mind."

When the train came to a stop at Shenyang Station, it was already 3 p.m.

On the platform, several leaders of the Shenyang Military Region and the head of the arsenal had been waiting for a long time.

As soon as Zhao Ping'an got out of the car, the factory director came to greet him, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

"Minister Zhao, everything is ready."

Zhao Ping'an nodded, then turned to the leaders and said, "Comrades, shall we go directly to the test site?"

Commander Peng waved his hand: "Let's go! What are we waiting for?"

The convoy left Shenyang Station, passed through the city, and headed towards the tank testing ground on the outskirts of the city.

On the way, Commander Peng kept staring out the window.

Shenyang has changed so much. When he came here a few years ago, it was still a place of dilapidated factories and muddy streets.

Now, factories stand side by side along the wide asphalt roads, chimneys belch smoke, and trucks come and go.

"Comrade Ping An," he said, "you've really put in the hard work these past few years."

Zhao Ping'an smiled but didn't say anything.

The test site was located in a vast wilderness.

From a distance, you can see several tanks parked at the starting point, next to a row of temporary viewing platforms.

The motorcade came to a stop, and several leaders got out of their cars and walked toward the viewing platform.

Three tanks were parked on the field. The one on the left was a Type 59, a familiar face to the soldiers. The one on the right was an American-made M46 Patton, captured and painted in the original American olive green.

The middle vehicle was covered by a huge canvas, obscuring its appearance.

Commander Peng pointed to the tank covered with a tarpaulin: "Is that it?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded: "The T72, we built it ourselves. We gave it a research and development code name—'Pioneer'."

He gestured, and several soldiers ran over and lifted the canvas.

Sunlight shone on the tank, and the silver-gray armor reflected a cold light.

Its design is completely different from the Type 59—it is lower and wider, with a hemispherical turret, a long and thick gun barrel, and wide tracks, giving it a stable and powerful feel.

The leaders were all stunned.

03 was the first to speak: "This...this was designed by us?"

Zhao Pingan shook his head: "The prototype came from special channels; there were three prototype vehicles."

But the Shenyang factory spent two years and nine months completely disassembling the entire factory, inside and out, and thoroughly understanding every single part.

The engines, transmissions, artillery, and armor steel we use today are all made by ourselves.

Then Zhao Pingan pointed to the tank and introduced it one by one:

"The engine has 1,200 horsepower, which is half again as powerful as the Type 59."

The cannon is a 125mm smoothbore gun, our own design, and the gun steel is specially made by Anshan Iron and Steel Group.

Reactive armor can withstand RPG attacks. Night vision goggles enable nighttime combat. Through reverse engineering of this technology, we have achieved technological breakthroughs in multiple fields, including batteries and infrared radiation.

Fu Shuai walked around the tank and reached out to touch its thick armor.

"How much does it weigh?"

"Forty-six tons. About the same as the M46, but with more than twice the protection and firepower."

Commander Peng couldn't wait any longer: "Can we open it?"

Zhao Pingan smiled: "Today is for the leaders to see."

He waved his hand, and three tank crewmen climbed into the driver's cab, where the engine roared to life.

The first demonstration: mobility.

The T72 charged out from the starting line, its tracks kicking up dust, and the engine roared with a deep, powerful sound.

It first accelerated on a flat, straight road, going from zero to forty kilometers per hour in less than twenty seconds.

Then came a sharp turn, the vehicle tilted, the tracks plowed deep furrows in the ground, and it made the turn smoothly, continuing to accelerate.

Next came the obstacle course. A two-meter-high dirt slope; the T72 barely slowed down, charging straight up it, the front of the car rising high before landing heavily on the ground, and continuing forward.

A three-meter-wide trench. It slowed down, its tracks rolled over the edge of the trench, the vehicle tilted, slowly crawled across, and then accelerated away.

Commander Peng stared wide-eyed.

"Wow! This thing is much more maneuverable than the Type 59!"

Second demonstration: Firepower.

A kilometer away, an abandoned M46 Patton was used as a target vehicle.

The T72 stopped at its firing position, the gun barrel slowly rotated, aimed, and then a loud bang was heard.

The shell flew out, and the turret of the M46 was blown off, and the vehicle burst into flames.

Commander Peng stood up, nearly dropping the binoculars in his hand.

"One shot? One shot and it's through?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded: "A 125mm armor-piercing round, within a kilometer, no tank in the world can stop it now."

03 also stood up.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row.

The third demonstration: Protection.

The T72 is parked in a fixed position.

A soldier carrying an RPG-7, aimed and fired from 100 meters away.

The rocket, trailing a plume of flame, struck the armor and exploded with a deafening roar.

When the smoke cleared, only a shallow dent remained on the armor.

Commander Peng rushed over and lay down on the ground to examine the armor.

"Not wearing anything? Really not wearing anything?"

Zhao Ping'an walked over: "Reactive armor. When the rocket hits, the outer explosive layer detonates, dispersing the jet. The main armor behind it is fine."

Commander Peng stood up, dusted himself off, and looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Peace of mind, this stuff is better than what the Americans have. We're at least ten years ahead of them."

After the demonstration, the leaders returned to the viewing platform.

02 had been watching without saying a word. Then he stood up and walked over to Zhao Ping'an.

"Ping An, I have a question for you."

Zhao Ping'an waited.

"Can this be mass-produced?"

"Yes. The Shenyang plant has already prepared the production line. Small-batch trial production can begin next year, followed by mass production the year after. The planned annual production capacity is 200 vehicles."

02 nodded.

"How much is it?"

Zhao Pingan thought for a moment: "It's a bit more expensive than the Type 59. Without reactive armor, it's equivalent to the price of two Type 59s. With reactive armor, it's the price of 2.5 Type 59s."

The main cost is materials; the technological investment has already been amortized. Moreover, the biggest advantage of this tank is its modular production, which facilitates future upgrades and modifications. I predict this tank will be with us for at least twenty years, and perhaps even 50 years from now.

02 remained silent for a few seconds.

"Okay. I've approved this project."

He turned around and said to the senior officers, "Our army will depend on this from now on."