“Clang! Clang!! Boom, whirrrrrr—!
Rumble!!!
”
The space was filled with all sorts of mechanical and metallic sounds. A newcomer would often be overwhelmed by the atmosphere alone, but this time, I couldn’t even tell how many times I’ve been here.
“Welcome, Colonel Revendale.”
“Again, Mr. Shakhov.”
A middle-aged man with striking Kaiser mustache greeted me with a smile.
“It feels like only yesterday when you were still a captain. To think you’re already a colonel now. I can’t imagine how surprised the merchants were each time they heard about it.”
“Not much has changed, huh?”
“That’s how surprising it is, hahaha!”
“After all, going from being the head of a small merchant guild in a northern town to managing an entire military industrial complex is quite a leap, just like Mr. Shakhov’s journey.”
This connection began since the investigation of the traitorous behavior of the Chief of the Chernov City Security Force.
Trapped in prison due to a conspiracy involving a low-ranking security force commander, he is now the head of the largest industrial complex in the north.
“Even though it’s only been a few years, it doesn’t feel that long ago. But every time we meet, it feels like reliving old memories.”
From my perspective, it wasn’t bad either. Having served as the guild leader in Chernov City, I had considerable influence in the north.
Most importantly, he was a smart person who owed me a favor, which made things easier.
In such crucial times, if there were any corruption in the arms industry, all plans would fall apart.
“So, how is the matter concerning the Second Factory progressing?”
“Colonel Rain has sent a positive response. Regardless, that factory will be jointly managed by the Okhraine and Valter Alliance forces.”
While the military industrial complex in the Biyaltock territory, built on land granted by Baron Petrov, was one of the largest in Okhraine.
However, considering the demand for weapons in the future, one factory is clearly insufficient.
Moreover, at present, everything from tanks and trains to infantry weapons and other equipment is being produced simultaneously in a single factory.
Despite the fact that Okhraine’s industrial capacity is abysmal, and there’s no choice but to accept it, with the factory management becoming more streamlined, it is necessary to diversify the production lines.
Of course, it’s unfortunate that Okhraine cannot produce its own combat aircraft, but…
If we were to be too greedy, the chances of failure would be too high.
After all, the Reinhardt Empire has promised to handle the combat aircraft, and the insufficient air power must rely on them.
Originally, this Biyaltock factory itself was created with support from the Reinhardt Empire.
“How is the prototype aircraft coming along?”
“It’s progressing smoothly. Unfortunately, as I am not an engineer, I can’t give a precise evaluation.”
“Hmm?”
“A picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s go see it first.”
Shakhov slowly guided me inside the factory. What was currently being developed in the Biyaltock factory was a weapon one rank higher than the ‘Dnuer’ infantry tank (DL-17) that Major Erwin brought during the coup attempt.
The Dnuer tank was originally designed similarly to the Renault FT in the real world, but I needed a ‘medium’ tank for the upcoming battlefield, so I instructed the tank development department to develop a completely separate piece of equipment instead of focusing on mass-producing the successful Dnuer.
As soon as I entered the tank production line following Shakhov,
I was left speechless.
“Welcome, Colonel Revendale!! As requested, the prototype for the next-generation tank is complete. Now, if we add the critical internal components, it will become a perfect prototype…”
“Who designed this?”
“Our chief R&D team leader…”
“Fire him immediately. No, don’t fire him, just change his position.”
The prototype medium tank ‘DL-18’ looked like it came straight out of hell.
It seemed that they were planning to operate this extremely unpleasant tank as well.
“Why does this tank have multiple turrets!?”
“Because… the more cannons, the better…”
“I see.”
Although Hats of General is set in a world with magic, most equipment is based on actual models used by real-world countries.
Take Diabolus for example; its airships are almost identical to those of the Reinhardt Empire.
Similarly, the Moldoke armored train closely resembles the ones operated by the German Empire in the real world.
And the West was no different. The Summerfield rifle, produced in the Britannian United Kingdom and now adopted as the standard firearm in Okhraine, bears a striking resemblance to the Springfield rifle from America.
Thus, many of the equipment symbols of each country before the war were also similar in form.
Among the worst pieces of equipment, one could point to the ‘Kahalkov heavy tank,’ inspired by the Soviet Union’s T-35.
It had three turrets on its chassis and five in total including machine g*n turrets. This resulted in a crew of over twelve people and a size comparable to a freight car, with thin armor and slow speed.
A crazy tank that, when deployed as entertainment, invariably results in a 97.6% loss rate.
Seeing this abominable tank being assembled right in front of me, I felt my mind clouding over.
Before I could even order the design team to be disbanded, the troubled lead designer rushed over, pale-faced.
“Why, why are you doing this!?”
“Didn’t I say the conditions were to safely protect mages, easily traverse harsh terrain, and provide 100% defense against machine guns?”
“Yes.”
“But didn’t you use the concept of the Moldoke armored train as a model… is this unacceptable?”
Why are you asking me this?
“Listen carefully. It’s good that it has powerful firepower from multiple angles. However, we have artillery.”
Through the development of the Grizzly 57mm howitzer, the artillery capabilities of Okhraine have been greatly enhanced.
Major Yan Blokh was also a hardcore fan of firepower.
If we want comprehensive firepower support, it’s far more cost-effective to use existing artillery rather than tanks.
If we create a new combat method while leaving perfectly functional units idle, it will cause problems.
However, the developer still had something to say, contradicting my statement directly.
“What about the infantry at the frontline? Wouldn’t it be better for them to receive fire support from these massive tanks rather than waiting for artillery to engage?”
“Then why not cover the entire vehicle with machine guns instead of turrets? What are you trying to do? How many mages do you plan to fit in this tank!?”
“Firstly, the driver needs one… to enhance penetration and destruction, each turret needs one…”
The developer counted on his fingers and ended up with eight.
“Eight mages can operate eight Dnuer tanks. Eight Dnuer tanks are much more reliable than just one of these.”
Only then did he seem to realize something was wrong.
“The maximum number of mages per vehicle is two. Approach this with the concept of one mage per tank.”
“Oh… I understand…”
“Redesign the prototype from scratch. It’s fortunate you came early. If the actual prototype was already completed, I might have gone mad.”
“Then will my position be kept?”
“If you mess up again like this, there won’t be any leniency.”
The developer bowed deeply. It seemed like a sign of submission.
In any case, the result of the next-generation medium tank visit was disappointing.
Considering how Ukraine looked when I first possessed it,
Discussing the assembly of multi-turret tanks in a neatly organized factory can be seen as significant progress.
Despite the chaos, Shakhov remained composed, continuing with the next schedule.
“Welcome, Colonel Revendale. We are from the Transport Equipment Design Bureau.”
“The Transport Equipment Design Bureau. A department responsible for designing transport supply equipment.”
“Yes, a new mobile vehicle to replace horse-drawn carriages. Since it completely excludes the involvement of mages, it seems essential to secure Reinhardt-made engines.”
“Hold on. Why does it have tracks? It’s supposed to be rapidly deployed in the rear to deliver supplies quickly.”
“Tracks are for traversing difficult terrain…”
It’s been a while since I last experienced a headache.
Ukraine’s weapon development still seemed far from reaching a normal track.
[Image of Kahalkov heavy tank]
[Image of Ukraine’s tracked transport vehicle]
