Munitions Empire

Chapter 1019: 941 Everything for Sale Expo

Technology, often, is reminiscent of concepts interrelated; despite the lack of production of similar weapons due to various reasons for the time being, many people have already guessed the principles behind them.

The indigenous people of this world are not fools; they have already demonstrated their own research and development capabilities by inventing flintlock guns. It was merely the appearance of Tang Mo that accelerated technological advancement, leaving the indigenous peoples’ theoretical knowledge lagging behind the pace of progress, resulting in a technological monopoly.

If given time, these indigenous peoples, once they grasp these technologies and integrate them, would also continue to develop along the technological trajectory, eventually coming up with similar products.

For instance, in a place unknown to Tang Mo, the technical department of the Dorne Empire already dabbled with something like rocket-propelled grenades on their own.

However, Dorne’s technicians did not pursue research in the direction of “Katyusha”; instead, they took a different route, known as “RPG.”

Yes, that’s right, to combat the invincible armored corps of the Great Tang Empire on future battlefields, the Dorne Empire focused all its attention on the technological branch of “man-portable anti-tank.”

At first, the weapons they developed were on the lines of anti-tank rifles, using large-caliber anti-tank ammunition fired from oversized rifles to destroy the enemy’s tanks.

This approach was quite effective against the shoddy tanks produced by the Shireck Consortium in the Gobur Kingdom, but as the armor of tanks from various countries began to progressively thicken, anti-tank rifles started to lose their effectiveness.

Due to the large caliber, the recoil was almost uncontrollable, making these large-caliber anti-tank rifles a huge joke. There was even a rhyme about anti-tank guns among Dorne’s soldiers: fire once on the left shoulder, fire once on the right, suffer internal injuries from the recoil, then go back to receive a medal…

Later on, by chance, Dorne’s engineers discovered a “recoilless” firing method: using the principle of rockets in combination with a launch tube, kind of like a skyrocket, capable of sending a shell far enough in distance.

Thus, the engineers of the Dorne Empire developed a man-portable anti-tank weapon similar to the “Bazooka” rocket launcher.

This weapon, after repeated modifications, can now penetrate armor up to 60 millimeters thick — to be fair, its performance is already quite remarkable.

As a trump card against enemy armored corps, the Dorne Empire did not publicize this weapon to the world, so similar weapons have not yet appeared.

The Great Tang Empire, to ensure its advantage in tanks, naturally would not randomly sell such weapons; therefore, man-portable anti-tank weapons are still largely unknown in this world.

At this expo, the Great Tang Empire also unveiled a mysterious weapon that dazzled the eyes of designers from various countries.

This weapon is the torpedo, which emerged in the previous war and has long been dreaded by the navies of various countries, yet they have been unable to replicate it for so long.

The Tang Country, of course, would not sell its newly iterated advanced torpedoes directly; what they brought out were the ancestral models of torpedoes, with average performance, limited power, and virtually no room for modification.

Nonetheless, these torpedoes still made the navies of many countries envious, with many nations buying production lines to equip their navies with these advanced torpedoes.

Keep in mind that with these real torpedoes, the navies of various countries can finally claim to have basic torpedo combat capabilities. Their small warships can now truly do battle with large warships.

Why unveil so many advanced equipment all at once? On the one hand, the Great Tang Group is about to take a leap forward in technology, so selling off these outdated technologies, earning a good sum of money, is considered recycling waste.

On the other hand, it is because the Great Tang Empire has involved so many countries in the war, helping Tang Country to fight, and it’s necessary to offer something to whet the appetite of the various countries.

Anyway, such weapon technologies are nearly obsolete; it’s not painful to let them go. Even if other countries acquire similar technologies, it’s not necessarily going to pose problems for Tang Country, so just sell them openly.

Therefore, this expo was truly a grand occasion. Countries sent envoys to participate, with many envoys starting big purchases right at the expo.

After all, their countries are now considered wealthy, and not buying some advanced technology to take back? What if they get surpassed by other countries?

With this mindset, the Elves of the Poplar Empire crowded around the displayed Panther Tank, bombarding the salesperson with various questions.

“Specific parameters require a deposit in advance before we can discuss in detail. You wouldn’t want the performance of the weapons and equipment you buy to be known by others, would you?” The salesperson in front of the tank politely smiled and answered their questions.

“Is the caliber of the gun 75 mm?” An undeterred officer from the Poplar Empire, holding a product brochure, continued to inquire.

“Yes, Sir! The caliber of the cannon is 75mm with a barrel length ratio of 70! Its armor-piercing capability is beyond doubt, ensuring penetration of all active tanks at normal combat distances,” the salesperson seriously bluffed.

In fact, it was precisely because they could not penetrate the front armor of the Type 59 main battle tank at normal combat distances that the military of the Great Tang Empire had decided to phase out all existing Panther Tanks.

As they spoke, others around were also listening attentively, as not only the Poplar Empire was interested in “the most advanced tank of the Great Tang Empire.”

The military forces of the Ice Cold Empire, Laines Empire, Suthers Empire, and Dorne Empire were all interested in this formidable tank.

It is important to note that the Panther Tank is still a world record holder: to date, not a single one has been destroyed by enemy weapons on the battlefield!

This is simply a golden signage, indicating that this tank is sufficiently perfect in terms of mobility, firepower, and protection level!

Of course, having such a record is also due to the fact that the performance of Dahua Empire’s Type 1 and Type 2 tanks were excessively unsatisfactory. If the same Panther Tanks were to be surrounded by the current Type 3 and Type 5 tanks, they may also suffer losses.

Also on sale at this expo was the Great Tang Empire’s widely renowned No. 4 tank. The performance of this type of tank is actually no longer outstanding, but it is still slightly more advanced than the tanks of other countries.

Although there is no generational gap, and it has no advantages in armor thickness or cannon, the price of this tank is relatively more affordable.

Therefore, representatives from Qin Country and Shu Country, who attended the expo, showed great interest in these “outdated” tanks which were lighter and more suitable for them.

In fact, not only Shu Country and Qin Country, but the Laines Empire was also very interested in the No. 4 tank. They were in urgent need of a large number of tanks to face the southern and northern pincer threat from the Suthers Empire and Dorne Empire simultaneously.

Interestingly, it seems that the countries were not too interested in the No. 4 chassis modified self-propelled artillery, the No. 4 tank chassis modified anti-aircraft gun, the well-known No. 4 assault gun, and vehicles like the armored repair vehicle, which the Great Tang Empire also introduced at the same time.

These armored vehicles are actually very useful and are an important part of the Tang Armored Corps. However, it is evident that the countries are not very enthusiastic about these icing-on-the-cake weapons and equipment, which they seem to consider an “extra” incapable of significantly influencing the outcome of a war.

In the eyes of the military commanders of these countries, the most important weapons are tanks that can produce impressive battle achievements, while other equipment is not so urgently needed.

Because they lack Tang Mo’s “foresight,” they will never understand the importance of other armored corps support vehicles until they have gone through a series of wartime trials.

Despite suffering numerous setbacks with infantry following up tanks being suppressed and then tanks and infantry being picked off separately, other countries are still unable to make a resolute decision to spend their precious funds on weapons and equipment like assault guns.

In comparison to the past, these people have not made any progress: back when they were crazily purchasing bolt-action rifles from the Great Tang Empire, they turned a blind eye to equipment like steel helmets.

However, all that followed proved that steel helmets and armed belts were indispensable items for soldiers. After paying a heavy price, the countries finally got back on the right track.

Actually, it is an unavoidable situation, as the countries do not even have sufficient numbers of tanks, let alone spend a lot of money on self-propelled artillery and assault guns and other weapons and equipment.

The Shireck Consortium also joined the expo this time, showcasing their Shireck No. 4 tank under their own brand.

This newly designed tank makes extensive use of proven technology from the Great Tang Empire; in fact, it is this world’s equivalent of the M4 medium tank.

Its specifications are similar to those of the M4 Sherman tank, except that it lacks an advanced stabilization system. From every perspective, it is a very decent tank, which is why many countries are also considering whether to purchase some similar tanks.

Before coming to the expo, this so-called Shireck No. 4 medium tank had already received an order from the Gobur Kingdom, actually selling 400 units already.

At the same time, Shireck also showcased their new model of fighter jet at this expo, and this brand-new fighter has very decent performance, even competing with the Butcher Fighter to some extent.

Indeed, after Great Tang started mass-producing the Type 6, they handed over the ME-109 fighter jet they had to Shireck, which was then listed as a key export product under Shireck’s name.

Many countries showed a desire to purchase after seeing this new advanced-performance fighter jet: especially Shu Country, which lacks advanced fighters, and the warring Dahua Empire.

They are not too keen on purchasing the expensive fighters from the Great Tang Empire, but have a definite need for advanced fighters, so they have turned their attention to Shireck.