Chapter 422.1: Military Exercise

"Target 5 kilometers ahead, prepare..."

"Guns loaded!"

"Fire!"

On the empty plains, as Yang Shu's red flag swung forward, 20 long barrels released their rounds.

In the distance, shrapnel and white smoke scattered across the field, and wooden targets stuck in the trenches were blown to pieces.

Then came two more rounds of barrage.

The final round of white smoke filled the air, forming a milky smoke wall in the middle of the battlefield.

"Artillery suppression complete!"

"Tank units advance, cover the infantry to occupy the position!"

With exhaust pipes belching black smoke, 30 tanks started up simultaneously, forming a spearhead as they pushed towards the burst of white smoke in the distance.

Meanwhile, behind those tanks, 20 armored trucks also started their engines, following the track marks as they sped forward...

Standing on a distant concrete observation tower, Chu Guang held a pair of binoculars as he watched the tank cluster charging through the smoke towards the trenches. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

The New Alliance had always operated like they were a massive special forces unit due to their lack of heavy equipment.

They would maximize the soldiers' individual strengths, using their fearless will to compensate for the lack of heavy firepower.

Finally, their problem was being addressed to some extent.

With the production capacity of Bluestone County’s mines gradually increasing, the controlled nuclear fusion reactor ignited, the production potential of the new industrial zone of the New Alliance was finally put into good use!

Steel Plant 81 produced engines, Goblin Technology produced cannons and guns, and anything related to explosions, the Scientific Expedition Team's affiliated experimental facilities manufactured imaging equipment, and several state-owned steel factories of the New Alliance produced tank bodies and chassis. Eventually, everything would be assembled in the tank workshop.

The related industrial chain involved up to a hundred factories, including some worth millions of silver coins and others just small workshops with only a dozen employees.

Currently, the production of Tank 1 had reached two units per day.

The newly produced tanks, along with those that had participated in the battle of Lucky Valley Municipality, were almost enough to form a tank battalion.

Of course, building an armored force wasn't just about equipment, but also about personnel training.

Operating specialized equipment required long, tedious training, while personal combat skills were not as crucial.

To fully leverage the strengths of players and NPCs, exoskeletons and other special combat gear were generally first allocated to player corps primarily made up of awakeners, while heavy equipment requiring multi-person operations like tanks and artillery were prioritized for NPC corps.

However, player corps like those in the Skeleton Brigade, which could be considered an armor corps, also received priority attention.

After all, such corps valued real-world driving experience more than individual levels when recruiting new members.

Whether it was experience driving trucks...

Or tanks... They were basically the same thing, right?

Watching the nearby tank units, Wrench felt a surge of excitement.

From initially facing a Conqueror No.10 tank as a formidable enemy to having their own tank formations... It felt like a dream!

"We won, Wrench."

Hearing the administrator's voice, Wrench clenched his fist excitedly and replied, "Absolutely! With these equipment, our army will be invincible across the desert! Whether it's the Army or the Falcon Kingdom, we'll crush them under our tracks!"

Watching his confident subordinate, Chu Guang nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, you’re very spirited."

But soon, he changed his tone and said seriously, "We're progressing fast, but don't be too proud. We must admit that our Tank 1 still has a significant gap compared to the Army's Conqueror series."

"They've been stationed in the desert for many years, and many of our people haven't even seen what a desert looks like, so we must be very cautious and handle every decision carefully!"

Wrench stood at attention, pounded his chest with his right fist, and said without hesitation, "You're absolutely right, sir!"

Chu Guang nodded again.

As a veteran survivor force, the Army's strength should not be underestimated.

The Conqueror No.10 tank didn’t use much electronics because for the vast majority of survivor forces, high-tech equipment wasn't necessary. The armor capable of defending against armor-piercing shells was enough to make them dominant on the battlefield.

In a situation where logistics were difficult to maintain, the technological content of equipment became less important than lower labor and cost, which were their top priorities.

After suffering two devastating defeats in the River Valley Province, it wouldn't be surprising if the Army adjusted its tactics.

For instance, producing tanks with better protection, jets that could fly faster, among other things.

As for the deployment of the Army in Oasis No.9, so far, intelligence has been scarce.

Gathering military intelligence took time, and Chu Guang was still waiting for news from Battlefield Cheerleader. He couldn’t rush such matters.

Standing aside as an observer, Prince Kariman subtly shot a glance at Wrench.

You look excited, but isn’t the big scary man in the exoframe the most excited out of all of us?

He declared the outcome of the battler earlier, right?

But with his emotional intelligence, he wouldn't say such inappropriate things in front of Chu Guang.

Glancing at the 20 cannons nearby, Prince Kariman said enviously, "Are those 100mm cannons?"

"They are 155mm cannons. In short ,we call them Cannon 155." Narrowing his eyes, Chu Guang paused for a moment before he continued, "While the firepower of 100mm cannons is sufficient, it's still a bit lacking. Since we have more powerful charges, wouldn't it be a waste not to increase the caliber of the shells?"

To be more specific, it was a wasteland-modified version of the PCL-181 type howitzer, which used a 52 caliber long barrel and a relatively lightweight design. The total weight was reduced from 25 tons to 21 tons, making it very convenient to be transported by vehicle or towed for deployment.

With the help of drones, the cannon's maximum range could reach 40 kilometers, and using rocket-assisted projectiles could double that range, but the spread of the projectiles at maximum range would be quite impressive.

Since it used azide compounds as their charges, the explosive power far exceeded that of modern 155mm howitzers, and the actual damage radius could match that of 203mm howitzers, with a significantly enhanced damage effect within the blast radius.

In the absence of sufficient precision, they had to make do with sheer power.

In mountainous terrains like the River Valley Province, lighter and faster 100mm cannons were most effective, but in desert terrains, the vast tactical breadth required even more powerful firepower.

Saying this, Chu Guang casually handed the binoculars to the prince, allowing his new friend to see more clearly.

Although he didn't quite understand why, with more powerful explosives available, they didn't reduce the caliber to increase firing speed and range, instead increasing the power of the explosion instead, Kariman still took the binoculars.

Those thick cannon barrels reflected a chilling gleam under the sunlight, and the more Kariman looked, the more envious he became.

If only the Lion Kingdom had such cannons.

Due to lower levels of industrialization, although they had millions of acres of good farmland, the factories that could manufacture shells were few and far between. Moreover, they were all located in the capital. The shells they produced were just imitations of 100mm shells, so one could imagine how powerful, or rather, now weak they were.

In contrast, the Falcon Kingdom, with the support of the Army, had the weakest economic strength among the five great kingdoms, but their military technology was far ahead of the others.

It was clear... The importance of having a strong backer was laid bare before them.

Seeing the expression on Kariman's face, Chu Guang smiled faintly, roughly guessing what he was thinking and understanding why he would think that way.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

After all, he had brought him here to observe the military exercise with the intention of exerting influence.

"What do you think of our Cannon 155s?"

Putting down the binoculars, Kariman's face showed reluctance to part with them as he exclaimed, "Very powerful! Just 20 cannons covered a nine kilometer battlefront... No wonder you guys managed to take down that airship!"

"Haha, when we fought that airship, we didn't have these." Watching Kariman's expression gradually turn to astonishment, Chu Guang smiled and continued, "By mid-August, our troops should have completed our resupply, and we should be able to muster two full tank battalions and two artillery battalions. We could sell some of the excess military equipment to you, what do you think?"

Kariman felt excitement boiling in his heart. Although he managed to restrain his expression, his voice trembled slightly when he spoke again. "You're willing to sell these equipment to us?"

Chu Guang nodded happily and began.

"Of course... Like that Cannon 155, priced at 1 million silver coins, we can give you a 10% discount as allies. And Tank 1, priced at 1.5 million silver coins, will also be discounted by 10%."

"Silver coins? But we don't have silver coins..." Kariman hesitated, looking slightly embarrassed. "Can we use Lion Coins? Or if not... What about Dinars?"

Their kingdom did have reserves of Dinars and CR, the hard currency of the wastelands.

But silver coins...