Munitions Empire

The concept of tracks isn’t technically complex, and practically any industrialized country could manufacture something similar once they understood the principle.

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The technology involved isn’t advanced because everyone had produced chain transmissions or similar devices before; just enlarge and reinforce them, and you pretty much have the prototype of a track.

After Gobur had shown off his tanks, Tang Mo no longer felt it necessary to keep his tank troops a secret.

Previously, tank production on Dragon Island was extremely time-consuming and strenuous. Transporting the tanks by ship had been as troublesome as if the Great Tang Kingdom’s military were always conducting amphibious landings.

Now, things were better. Tang Mo could proudly produce his own tanks near Tongcheng, substantially reducing the transportation costs.

Unlike 21st-century tanks, the tanks Tang Mo was manufacturing didn’t have as many sophisticated electronic devices. The truly delicate components were limited to a few details.

First, to get a tank up and running, a dynamic power system composed of an engine and a gearbox was necessary. This system, now one of the most expensive parts of a tank, proved challenging to industrial capabilities.

Secondly, Tang Mo’s tanks had a complete and future-improving optical aiming system. This device was the epitome of precision machining, something other countries couldn’t match.

Finally, there was the vehicle-mounted radio communication system that other nations wouldn’t even dare to contemplate. It ensured smooth communication within the Armored Corps, allowing for sophisticated coordination—a costly and delicate piece of equipment.

As for the cannon, before the switch to longer-barreled tank guns, the short-barreled, low-pressure 75mm cannons weren’t technically complex, so they aren’t considered precision systems for the time being.

Tang Mo, or rather, the Great Tang Group, had an absolute lead in automobile manufacturing. The technology of engines and gearboxes, built up over a long period, was profoundly robust.

Advanced engines provided very reliable power, and gearboxes were copied from relatively mature designs. Therefore, in terms of the power system, Tang Mo’s No. 4 tank was absolutely trustworthy.

Even in the real World War II, Germany’s No. 4 tank was known for its low malfunction rate and manageable maintenance, a balanced design well-liked by the military.

Unlike the delicate and costly Zoo series tanks, the No. 4 tank was affectionately known as the "Military Horse" and was seen by soldiers as a reliable combat partner, attesting to the success of its design approach.

In the field of optical equipment technology, the Great Tang Group also led the world. It remains the largest supplier of cameras, measuring devices for lenses, and optical aiming equipment globally.

About two-thirds of the world’s optical lenses were produced by the Great Tang Group, and nearly all warships equipped with long-distance optical aiming were manufactured by them.

Therefore, supplying the most reliable aiming scopes for Tang Mo’s tanks was a piece of cake for the Great Tang Group. Tang Mo didn’t guarantee his optical aiming scopes to be flawless, but he assured that his troops used the very best ones in the world!

To accommodate the delicate and sophisticated radio equipment, the No. 4 tank had a designated radio operator.

This operator was also the machine gunner, his primary task being to ensure communication among the tank crew and coordination between tanks under complex battlefield conditions.

In daily life, the radio operator also assisted in simple tank repairs, cleaning, maintenance, and restocking ammunition…

Overall, in an era where equipment reliability wasn’t very high, it was quite necessary to have such an additional crew member.

The tank’s communication system was relatively complex, requiring all crew members to wear headsets and throat microphones to ensure they could clearly hear the commander’s orders amid the noisy interior.

In comparison, this system was advanced; contemporaneous World War II tanks, like those in Japan, basically depended on crew members kicking or gesturing to communicate...

Who would have imagined that a tank commander would signal his driver to accelerate by kicking him in the buttocks? Although the principle was akin to a cavalryman spurring his horse, where the driver could tell his tale of woe was anybody’s guess.

But when the Great Tang Kingdom’s No. 4 tank emerged, it came with a complete internal communication system, which evidently enhanced combat effectiveness.

At the same time, the Great Tang Kingdom’s tanks were able to coordinate through communication between tanks, achieved with the complex onboard radio communication devices.

This system maximized the coordination capability of the Armored Corps, far better than tanks whose crews each fended for themselves in stifling metal cans.

Tang Mo knew that reducing the number of crew members in a tank was tempting—it reduced loss per unit and allowed fewer people to operate more tanks.

But the conditions are not yet ripe, there is no reliable autoloader to save the loader, nor is there reliable advanced communication equipment to omit the radio operator, so the best crew configuration for tanks is still five people!

At this very moment, a crew from the 1st company, 1st platoon, 1st squad of the 1st Armored Regiment of the Great Tang Kingdom’s 2nd Armored Division, stationed at a camp on the west side of Tongcheng, was squatting next to a brand-new tank, earnestly reading the user manual.

This was a very arduous task that had to be completed. They had to understand exactly what their tank was and master its basic performance.

Although inside the crew, apart from the freshly graduated radio operator and the loader, the other three had all undergone tank training at Dragon Island, this was actually the first time everyone had seen the brand-new No. 4 tank.

It was like you had used a Samsung note2 before but now switched to a Huawei P40. Though the operating systems were largely similar, and the phone was still a smartphone, you still had to adapt to an extent.

The precautions were as numerous as cow hairs, making the crew commander dizzy and overwhelmed: the newly added communication antenna was extremely fragile, requiring utmost avoidance of scratches from branches; the armor thickness varied around the vehicle, necessitating consideration of the most rational angle to face the enemy...

All the electrically driven parts inside the entire tank had to be used with caution, including the turret rotation drive motor, which might cause trouble! Where the fire extinguisher was placed, where the submachine gun was fixed...

Instructions like these were densely packed into a thick manual, and what was more depressing was that this material, being absolutely confidential, had to be handed over after reading and couldn’t be kept personally.

The radio operator was actually under no stress because this was what he had learned at school. After all, the devices were nearly the same, and he could master the operating essentials with just a casual glance.

What really troubled him was not the radio equipment to his left, but the aircraft machine gun installed right in front of him.

Because the training was rushed, he only had very rudimentary shooting training at school, making it somewhat of a stretch for him to kill with this device.

So at this moment, he was staring at the machine gun that used a drum magazine rather than a belt feed, earnestly learning, and repeatedly simulating every step in his mind.

In the confined space, it wasn’t an easy task to change the ammunition for the machine gun, especially since he also had to prioritize solving radio issues in the meantime.

The loader was utterly confused—he was just strong and physically robust, having been assigned to the armored corps solely because it came with a position allowance, offering substantially better conditions than the infantry...

Now, his job turned out to be pulling shells from various nooks around him in a confined space to stuff them into the cannon and then closing the breech to complete loading.

The places where the shells were stored were meticulously arranged, some behind the large buttocks of the commander, some to his left, and of course, if the battle was too intense, there were also some rounds stored beside the gunner.

Some shells were placed behind the driver’s seat, wrapping the loader around like a coffin...

There was no choice; this was ammunition, and it had to be placed as close as possible to where the loader could quickly reach it!

Just imagine: to his left were shells, to his right were shells, in front of him were shells, behind him, too, were shells, and under his feet lay a large barrel of gasoline...

"At least we don’t have to march ourselves, right?" quipped the driver. He, on the other hand, was eager to get a feel of the transmission with its six forward gears and one reverse gear.

Imagine the bliss of the tank drivers in Germany during World War II—every No. 4 tank’s engine was made by Maybach. How much would such a thing cost in the twenty-first century?

Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Maybach, Porsche—luxuries nowadays that many can’t afford were practically being wasted by WWII German drivers... You know why German officers’ uniforms looked so sleek? Because many of the military outfits were tailor-made by BOSS!

It might be hard to believe, but starting in 1942, the drivers of Germany’s mass-produced Tiger tanks were using steering wheels! Similar technology wouldn’t even be seen on Russia’s T-series tanks until 2022... Yes, they were that ostentatious.

The gunner, meanwhile, didn’t have much to feel. His job was to aim and fire at targets. The new tank had a clearer and more precise sight, with which he was already familiarizing himself with how to use.

All he had to do was wait for the loader to finish loading the shells and for the commander to give him the firing order. He’d then step on the pedal and obliterate the target.

He was actually quite at ease because he had just seen the thickness of the front armor steel plate of this tank.

Anyone knowing they’ll be going to battle would be nervous, as it’s a natural human response. However, if a 60mm thick armor steel plate was stacked in front of him, that nervousness would surely be greatly reduced—and that’s the very purpose of a tank!

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