Chapter 465: The Journey of a New Era (First Update, Please Subscribe)
There are always things that need to be done.
Zhu Xianhai had his considerations and ideas about why he had to lead the army in person.
Of course, it's definitely not for Napoleon's queen. Even though that queen was a famous beauty in Europe, am I such a vulgar person?
Of course not.
He knew very well the direction of the war and what Nanhua needed to get from the war. Instead, he sent other people to Europe.
To be honest, he was not very reassured. It was not that he was not confident in their command, but that he was worried that they would not be able to control the rhythm of the war.
This rhythm is really important. After all, France may be a friend of South China now, but it may not be the same in the future. South China needs a France that can contain Britain in Europe, but definitely not a France that dominates Europe.
That’s why we need to master the rhythm, not only to win but also to play well.
If it were someone else, Zhu Xianhai would really be worried!
How can we use limited military forces to win and fight this war well?
Zhu Xianhai has been thinking about this issue for some time.
Today he seemed to see the answer. On the grassland half a person's height, a green car was driving fast. That car was different from the ordinary Jiefang truck or Qianlima car. Its compartment seemed to be integrated, with no windows and no open compartments.
The car was driving very fast, and when it was driving on the grassland, it was like a green elf.
That’s right!
Seeing the car through the telescope, Zhu Xianhai showed a smile on his face.
When he inspected Nanyuan a month ago, he not only visited the military factory, but also the Nanhe Locomotive Manufacturing Company, where he saw a new generation of "gun-mounting trucks". Just as he had installed Gatling machine guns on steam tractors, they installed machine guns on Liberation cars.
Looking at the truck that looked a bit like the armed pickup trucks of later generations, Zhu Xianhai, who was thinking about how to defeat the million-strong Prussian army, suddenly had an idea. He drew a simple sketch that day.
Put a layer of steel armor on the Jiefang car - the car became an armored vehicle. Although it was a bit primitive, it was still an armored vehicle. Zhu Xianhai even designed a turret for the installation of a Gatling machine gun. Now what appeared before him was this simplified version of the armored vehicle. Although it was simple and primitive, it was definitely an epoch-making weapon in this era.
“It’s not slow!”
"Your Majesty, in order to improve its maneuverability, we replaced it with a new engine with 75 horsepower. Its highway speed can reach 60 kilometers per hour. There is absolutely no problem with its maneuverability."
Wang Jiamin said with a smile.
"The range is 500 kilometers, so one tank of fuel can almost last until the end of the war."
Zhu Xianhai certainly did not believe such exaggerated statements. 500 kilometers is not a straight-line distance, and the battle could only last for a few days at most.
"How thick is the armor?"
"The front armor is 6mm thick and the side armor is 3mm. We have tested it and found that neither the French Chasper rifle nor the Dreyse rifle can penetrate its armor within 50 meters. However, if we use our own Type 70 rifle, we can easily penetrate it even at 100 meters."
Zhu Xianhai was not surprised by this result. Both the Chasper rifle and the Dresser rifle used round-nosed lead bullets with low initial velocity and poor armor-piercing performance. The Type 70 rifle, on the other hand, used 7.7mm pointed bullets. The smokeless gunpowder gave it an extremely high initial velocity, and coupled with the copper-jacketed bullet, it was easy for it to penetrate a 6mm steel plate.
"As long as the enemy can't penetrate it."
As Zhu Xianhai finished speaking, the moving armored vehicle suddenly stopped, and the next moment a burst of rapid gunfire rang out.
“Sizzle…”
Accompanied by continuous gunfire and the rotation of the turret, the wooden target board in the distance suddenly turned into sawdust. Zhu Xianhai, who was originally sitting on the chair, stood up in surprise.
"This is... the God of Fire!"
His Majesty's surprise made Wang Jiamin laugh.
"Thank you for the name, Your Majesty. This armored vehicle is equipped with a newly designed Gatling machine gun from the Buenos Aires Arsenal. It uses an electric motor to feed ammunition and has a firing rate of up to 2,700 rounds. Unlike the old model machine gun, which is manually fed, this one uses..."
"An electric motor?"
The continuous gunshots were like a chainsaw. Zhu Xianhai said, staring at the target that was shot away.
"It must be an electric motor."
Electric motor!
Isn’t this the biggest feature of the Gatling gun?
The Gatling gun powered by external energy is not outdated even in the 21st century and is still widely equipped by the army, navy and air force of various countries.
"Is its feeding system still the original drum magazine?"
"Your Majesty, we are now using ammunition belts. Although metal ammunition belts are much more expensive, they have the advantage of better firepower sustainability."
Wang Shiwei said on the side that the cooperation between his arsenal and the automobile company was completely accidental.
"The combination of electric guns and armored vehicles is a perfect weapon. The vehicle not only provides a stable and fast shooting platform for the machine gun, but also provides electricity for the electric motor. According to our tests, the firepower of a tank regiment composed of 100 armored vehicles can not only suppress two infantry divisions, but the steel armor can also provide it with all-round protection. Even if it is threatened by artillery, it is well known that the slow firing rate and clumsy aiming method of artillery will not pose much threat to it at all..."
There was no need for them to explain at all. Zhu Xianhai also knew this, and that was exactly why he designed the armored car.
Before, the biggest problem was the firepower of the armored vehicles, but now?
With Vulcan, there is nothing to worry about.
“How many armored vehicles do we have now?”
Zhu Xianhai said directly.
"There are also these Vulcan machine guns. Can they meet the needs of armored vehicles? If not, can we modify the old machine guns?"
"How is the training of the drivers and crew members?"
"Otherwise, take the cars I have and use them for troop training. I think we can coordinate with the Gun-Taking Troops. Although they are cavalry troops, they have similar tactics. Well, let's convert them into the First Cavalry Machine Gun Regiment first!"
"Convert a regiment. Are there enough vehicles and machine guns?"
From the beginning to the end, although Zhu Xianhai kept asking questions, he did not give them any chance to answer, because he made a direct decision - armored vehicles must be equipped.
Maybe armored vehicles are not as good as tanks, but in this era, they are definitely a cow with wings...so awesome!
A tank regiment!
What kind of changes would even a tank brigade bring to the war if it were deployed on the battlefield?
After the armored vehicle show, Zhu Xianhai even got on the vehicle with great interest, and then drove it around himself. Although the car was shaking violently, he still spoke with great joy.
"If my tractor had been this fast, I wouldn't have been able to catch up for so long."
Of course, what is even more surprising is the powerful firepower of the Gatling gun. When Zhu Xianhai pressed the button of the Gatling gun himself, hearing the rapid gunfire, he suddenly felt a little excited, looking forward to going to Europe as soon as possible.
With such a great new toy, how could one not want to show it off on the battlefield...
(End of this chapter)
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