I became a witch, but I started the industrial revolution

Although it is a bit clumsy, the simpler it is, the more suitable it is for farmers to use. In addition, the easy-to-manufacture feature of the single-cylinder diesel engine also allows the technology to be transferred to township factories, further reducing costs.

The walk-behind type can be used for transportation, and when changed to a front-mounted type it can help with mechanized transplanting of rice seedlings, laying of seedlings and plowing of the land. When paired with a small Cat-type all-terrain vehicle, the vast plains and muddy land of the Seris Federation can fully realize large-scale mechanized planting.

The proportion of plains in the territory of the Seris Federation is not low. It is because of its connection to the ocean that the rainfall is generally high. The soil moisture content in most areas is too high, and drought is an extremely low-probability event.

So after Medea came to power, except for the central area where wheat was grown, other areas switched to rice cultivation.

The first batch of seeds were imported from the countries on the main continent. They were high-quality varieties that had been ripened and iterated by the elves. For the current federation, food is basically no longer a problem.

On the contrary, the problem is how to plant all the suitable land in the territory. Therefore, in addition to rice, Seris is also vigorously promoting the planting of fruits and vegetables to further enrich people's tables.

If you want to carry out large-scale planting, the production and use of machinery must keep up with the speed, otherwise the planting will not be enough and the meaning of reclaiming land will be lost.

As for the interests in land, Media strictly prohibits other groups from interfering, and provides farmers with a way to form a farmers' association, pool funds and contract for planting.

The current policy is that as long as it is related to planting and reclamation, people with rural household registration can sign a targeted agricultural loan with the Federal Bank and pool the money into the farmers' association in their own village.

The farmers' association uses its capital to purchase agricultural machinery and seeds, and carries out large-scale reclamation and cultivation of wasteland around the village. The profits are distributed among each household according to their investment.

In order to support rural farmers' income sources, the Federal Bank of Mitia has standardized the loan amount for farmers. Any farmer with a registered household registration is eligible to apply.

At that time, an inspection team will go to the countryside on time to observe whether the special funds are used for their intended purposes.

To be honest, Media is prepared to lose a lot of money in the implementation of this subsidy policy, and the saying that "a father feels no pain when his son sells him out" is not just a casual remark.

But there is no way. You cannot completely deny the benefits of a policy to the entire group because of some possible low-probability events. As long as half of the villages in a town can get rid of poverty and become rich by this, then the money will not be lost in vain.

"Fire!"

【boom! 】

Looking at the new tank undergoing various tests below, Mitia stroked his chin and looked at it. He always felt that he seemed to have seen this shape somewhere.

Hmm... a bit like Xie Mantou? But a little smaller...

There is really no way to make two small circles. Under the current conditions, it is impossible for a single engine to reach 500 horsepower, even if the radial engines can be stacked.

Stacking two four-cylinder engines to make an eight-cylinder is already outrageous. If you stack it higher, wouldn’t it be a nightmare for the repairman?

And to be honest, she doesn't like the design concept of the radial engine, and there is no other way but to use it now.

In her eyes, the role of tanks in this world is to fight in groups, so it is best if the parts are simple to manufacture, have a high commonality rate and are easy to maintain. At least this is how she positions light and medium tanks.

If she needed something more powerful, she wouldn't have wasted her time on this tiny 75mm main gun.

But it is better to have it than not. The 16-ton weight is equivalent to a light tank in the previous life. After the engine efficiency is improved in the future, it will be a medium tank if it is enlarged twice, which is quite convenient.

For now, let's just treat it as an experiment to see if light tanks are useful in this world.

The little guy running wildly on the simulated road now has changed a lot from the experimental car, and is gradually moving closer to the mass-produced model.

The confirmed team consists of five members: radio operator, driver, gunner, loader and commander.

The frontal armor was changed to inclined armor, the turret was round like a bun, and the configuration of two machine guns was changed to three. In addition to the front radio operator, there was also a coaxial machine gun next to the gun barrel.

The third machine gun is located at the rear of the turret. This machine gun is used by the following infantry as a supplementary firepower point.

The first two are new Hotchkiss machine guns. Although their rate of fire is low, they have good sustainability and are not prone to jamming, making them suitable for tanks to clear obstacles.

The one at the rear is a dismantled, semi-retired Maxim water-cooled heavy machine gun with 12.7 black powder bullets.

This is because the military felt that it would be a waste to give all of them to the second-line troops, so it was just right to use them as infantry support firepower and consume the ammunition inventory~

The requirement of simplifying accessories as instructed by Mitia was also implemented relatively well. The manufacturing difficulty of most accessories of this tank was greatly reduced, and high-precision machine tools were no longer required.

As long as we give the local factories the drawings, most of them can produce one or two of the parts, and then transport the parts to one place for assembly.

Especially its six pairs of road wheel chassis. The scientific craftsmen were almost pulled out of their hair by Medea, who asked them to simplify the configuration again and again and constantly optimize the design drawings of the chassis.

In fact, it is the technical route of the previous armored tracked vehicle, a basic universal chassis that minimizes the manufacturing difficulty.

Then, when war comes, modular modifications will be carried out according to the enemy's characteristics and environment to achieve the effect of one vehicle with multiple uses.

The previous armored tracked vehicle chassis was used from Astar to the founding of the Seris Federation, and is still in service in the army, occupying a vital tactical position.

Medea has seen some local troops stuffing howitzers into the carriages of tracked vehicles... This is the benefit of an excellent universal chassis.

Its upgrades and improvements have always been in the replacement of the engine, and the body structure still does not seem outdated. It is truly good value for money.

The military and Media, having tasted success with the new tanks, naturally wanted to follow this idea.

The interior of the cockpit is also basically modified according to the car style, so as to minimize the cost of getting started with the tank.

As for the delivery of shells... at present, it still depends on the physical fitness of the gunner. Fully automatic or semi-automatic loading machines are really not suitable for this little guy weighing more than ten tons~

Chapter 119 You will survive with the children.

Kingdom of Palia

Harpalos

In a nameless village, the busy farming season had just passed, and all the able-bodied men in the village went to work in the manors governed by nearby noble lords to earn some meager food.

Only a large number of the elderly, the weak, women and children were left in the village, working with the blacksmiths, carpenters and other craftsmen left in the village to do what they could. Only in this way could their village complete the tasks assigned by the noble lords.

Each of the Palia nobles is a cavalry commander and has a great demand for armor.

The younger children went out to find firewood and branches to bring home, while the older children stayed at home to cook, wash clothes and take care of their younger siblings.

"Alas... I think we're going to have a war here." said one of the old men who was transporting coal debris.

"Don't talk nonsense. What war? We haven't fought a war in many years." Another old man shoveled the combustibles into the boiler with great effort, took a breath and retorted.

"Who knows. The war between us and the neighboring kingdoms has not yet ended. Haven't you noticed that we haven't seen any passing caravans from the territory for a long time?"

"Never mind. I don't have much money now. I won't buy it whether they come or not. At worst, we can go buy some for emergency use from the master."

"I think you are just too timid."

"Nonsense! When I was young, I went out with the master to fight and rob things. Have you been there?"

"Tsk, then why are you working with us now? It's been so long. Besides, you're not the only one from our village who's serving in the army. Isn't Old York's son in the master's cavalry?"

"The last time he came back to visit his family, he rode on such a strong horse, and brought a lot of money and valuables. Look how happy Old York was. When his son becomes an officer, he can marry a lady from another master's family. Then we will call Old York Master York!"

"Being a mercenary is not bad either. You can earn more money. Wasn't old Rice a mercenary when he was young? Look, he hasn't spent all the money he earned yet."

Several young men who were working with bare arms were listening with fascination. In their eyes, the outside world seemed to be full of wealth and opportunities to succeed, which was at least much better than doing hard work here all day long.

If I have the chance to be selected by the master to become a member of the cavalry, my family can immediately get rid of the current miserable life, and my younger brothers and sisters will no longer drown because of lack of food.

It was not until the evening that everyone received the order to leave work and rushed home exhausted to eat.

Little John scratched his messy blond hair, and walked home listlessly with his rags hanging over his shoulders.

His family's situation is now very grim. After paying taxes, the annual grain harvest is not enough to support his family.

They were forced to borrow money from the landlord, but the debt has accumulated over the years and if this year is not a bumper harvest, the whole family will have no means of survival.

If that really came to the point, they would have to become serfs... He didn't want that.

When he returned home, his mother had already prepared dinner, which included wild vegetable soup and a few pieces of brown bread. His sisters were sitting obediently at the table waiting for him and his father.

After waiting for a while, Old John came back, exhausted, his face full of fatigue. His work was more difficult, as he was responsible for carrying heavy objects such as formed iron ingots.

The family sat together and ate in silence. Little John resisted the urge to eat the bread in his hand, handed the remaining half to his sister, and mustered up the courage to say:

"Dad, Mom, I want to go out and be a mercenary!"

Old John refuted: "What nonsense! How old are you? Can you hold a weapon? Do you know how heavy a sword is? Do you know how to get out of the village? You haven't even killed a chicken, and you want to kill someone?"

John's mother, who had been hesitant to speak, also said at this time: "You are not grown up yet, don't listen to the nonsense of those old men. So many people went out that year, but only one Rice came back, understand?"

John was stunned by his parents' series of questions. He really didn't know what to do, but he knew that it would make a lot of money...

"But what about our family's money next year?"

When his parents heard John's words, their faces changed and they became worried when they thought about the current situation at home.

John's father stood up, and John subconsciously raised his hand to cover himself, but the familiar pain of fatherly love like a landslide or tsunami did not come.

Papa John walked out of the house and dug for a long time near the dry toilet at the back of the yard. He fumbled out a somewhat rotten wooden box and brought it back into the house.

The wooden box was opened, revealing an axe head made of pure iron, covered in rust.

"I found this when my blacksmith shop was confiscated and ransacked by the master when I was young. I never dared to sell it and kept it until now. You can use it after polishing it."

"This is the only sharp object in our house..."

'you...'

John's mother wanted to say something, but was interrupted by John's father: "There's no other way, let him go out and try, maybe he can succeed..."

"And the axe head is pressed on a long stick. If you really encounter an enemy, you can just stab it directly. It's relatively safe..."

It seemed like he was comforting his son, but also like he was comforting himself.

Late at night, the village was quiet. The door of John's house was opened, and John secretly ran out of the village.

Because the master of the village was in charge of material production and had no need to recruit soldiers, but he didn't want the villagers to leave so he simply restricted their entry and exit. This was also the reason why John wanted to leave the village.

As long as they leave the village and go somewhere else, there will naturally be lords who need to hire people like them.

They didn't stop until they were far away from the village. Father John touched his head and said, "No matter what happens at the end of the year, you must come back alive."

John nodded heavily: "I will definitely make our family rich!"

John walked in the dark on the open land with a small package on his back. From time to time, the chirping of insects, birds and animals could be heard from the treetops and under his feet.

He walked with the axe in his arms, thinking about finding a blacksmith to sharpen it and buy a gun barrel when he got there, so that he could participate in the war as a mercenary and work hard to make money to send back home. His two sisters had never bought the jewelry that girls have...

He was completely unaware that the chirping of insects and birds around him had quietly disappeared, and that pairs of red animal eyes were staring at him intently.

At midnight, old John tossed and turned on his wooden bed, while his mother sobbed quietly with her back to him.

He felt somewhat guilty and helpless for sending his son to the battlefield.

It is foreseeable how much income their family can earn throughout the year. If there is no additional supplement, the only outcome is to sell themselves as serfs. Instead of doing that, it is better to find a way to fight for it.

"Ugh..."

Just as he sighed, there was a sudden noise in the village. Just when he thought he was hallucinating, a loud sound pierced the night sky.

'boom! '

He suddenly jumped out of bed and ran to the door, looking out through the crack. The faint light of fire was spreading rapidly towards him from the edge of the village.