"Chairman, you see, the 15 prototypes that participated in the test run will soon drive into the quagmire area."

After introducing the three German "Stalkers", Jiang Baili did not continue to introduce the No. 4 car of the French and the No. 5 car of the Italian company Fiat. Referring to the quagmire in the middle of the proving ground, he said: "At the last test drive, almost half of the prototypes broke down there, and all three of the Italians were stuck in them.

Chang Ruiqing raised his binoculars and looked at the three prototype cars with green, white and red Italian flags on the far left. In his memories of his previous life, Italy's watch in World War II always gave people a very unreliable feeling, but at this moment, what he saw through the telescope were three very powerful chariots, and the size of the Italians' car No. 5 seemed to be a little bigger!

"How much does car number five weigh? 20 tons or 25 tons? Chang Ruiqing asked curiously.

"Only 16 tons." Jiang Baili said: "The armor of the No. 5 car is the thinnest, and the large size is due to the use of the Christie suspension system, the spring chamber occupies too much volume in the car, and in order to improve the smoothness of driving, the Italians have specially designed a hydraulic shock absorber, so it takes up more of the car's internal volume, so it becomes a thin skin stuffing thing." In addition, the Italian's car No. 5 had narrow tracks, which made it less suitable for use in muddy road conditions. ”

"It seems that this tank was not prepared for the war against the Soviet Union." Chang Ruiqing muttered, and no longer cared about the Italian's No. 5 car, but carefully observed the Frenchman's No. 4 car. Outwardly, car No. 4 was closer to the Germans' cars No. 1 and No. 2. It is also an all-welded construction, and not a single rivet or screw is visible from the outside of the body. However, it is shorter and wider than the first and second sizes, and the tracks are slightly narrower. Apparently, it was not intended to be used on the battlefields of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, where the road conditions were relatively harsh.

Seeing that Chang Ruiqing was paying attention to the French tanks, Jiang Baili said in a low voice: "Chairman of the Committee, there are rumors that the French are lobbying Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to participate in a 'second line of defense plan', wanting to build another line of defense in the territory of these three countries and eastern France to defend against a possible Soviet invasion to the west. ”

"It seems that the French are already worried about the Germans." Chang Ruiqing sighed in a low voice. At this time, fifteen prototype cars had already driven into the muddy quagmire, and one after another vehicles began to lie on their stomachs. It was the Italians who fell first, although the Christie suspension had a certain advantage in this muddy terrain. However, the small-diameter wheels and narrow tracks used in Italy simply cannot be driven in mud. Soon, the body of the car sank deep into the mud. Although they barely drove some distance, the load wheel finally got stuck in the mud and stones. The last three prototypes all broke down. Seeing this scene, the engineers and technicians of Fiat, who had already been prepared, rushed over to repair it.

Immediately after that, the French tanks also began to have problems, and their tracks were also narrow. And the bottom of the car is too close to the ground. The exhaust pipe is also under the ground, and driving on such muddy terrain can easily be clogged by muddy water. So two of the three French tanks also quickly got bogged down, and only one made it through. None of the nine prototypes provided by the German company broke down in the mud, and it is clear that these tanks were specially designed for the complex road conditions in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

After crawling out of the muddy mire, the remaining 10 prototype cars all roared onto the concrete road, and a burst of black smoke erupted, Chang Ruiqing felt that these vehicles were trying to accelerate, but not fast. Chang Ruiqing looked at it. The French No. 4 car at the front was at most around 30 kilometers per hour, and the other nine German "Stalkers" were all running at less than 25 kilometers per hour. That's not too slow. But after all, it is on a cement pavement in good condition, and if it is replaced by the most common rammed earth pavement in China and the Soviet Union, I am afraid that even the speed of 15 kilometers per hour cannot be guaranteed, and this speed will have to be discounted on the battlefield in the field.

"Wen Zhao, what do you think?" Chang Ruiqing put down the binoculars and asked Pan Wenzhao beside him in a low voice.

"Slowing down." Pan Wenzhao frowned and said: "The tanks that participated in today's test drive must be in the best condition, and they will definitely not be able to run at this speed in actual combat." Such a slow tank can be assigned to an infantry division, but it is not very suitable if it is assigned to a cavalry division or a separate armored division...... At this speed and mileage, I am afraid that there is no mobility, and it is no wonder that the chief of staff of the German armored corps does not look down on the pursuers. ”

Chang Ruiqing nodded, "The Stalker tank is a weapon to defend against tank attacks, not a weapon used to tear apart the enemy's defense line, and it is perfect to use it against the Soviet Union's tank sea." He paused, and then asked, "Wen Zhao, what kind of tank do you, the chief of staff of the Chinese armored corps, want?" ”

Pan Wenzhao pondered for a moment and said slowly: "It doesn't matter what kind of tank it is, even if it uses the stalker to form an armored division, it's a big deal to have a little more accompanying infantry." However, the localization rate must be high enough, preferably 100 percent, and the maintenance of the tank must be convenient. In addition, the most important thing is that there are enough of them, if we really want to fight with the Soviet Union, it will inevitably be a protracted war with huge consumption, and the competition is endurance. ”

These words made Chang Ruiqing's expression change slightly, in his original calculation, the thing he wanted to avoid the most was to fight a protracted war with the behemoth of the Soviet Union.

"Wen Zhao, do you think it is possible for Germany to defeat the Soviet Union quickly?"

A wry smile appeared at the corner of Pan Wenzhao's mouth, and he said helplessly: "If Britain, France and Germany can really work together to attack the Soviet Union, of course they can win quickly." However, the subordinates knew that such a possibility did not exist, and the French never wanted to see a strong Germany, and if the Germans really showed signs of a quick victory in the war with the Soviet Union, they were afraid that France would stab them in the back! As for the British, who have always been masters of playing with balance, they are now joining the Anti-Third International Pact only to curb the Soviet impulse to export the revolution if the Soviet Union is willing to stop supporting the revolution in India and withdraw from Persia. Britain will soon throw the Anti-Third International Pact in the garbage. And France and Britain still have a trump card in their hands to contain Hitler, and that is the Russian Provisional Government! ”

Chang Ruiqing glanced at Pan Wenzhao, nodded with satisfaction and said, "Wenzhao." It seems that your years in France have been very rewarding and well analyzed. He paused, lowered his voice and said: "The enemy needs to be lenient, we must be prepared for a protracted war, and even be prepared to fight alone after the Su German peace!" ”

"Chairman!" Hearing Chang Ruiqing's words, Jiang Baili was startled and hurriedly looked around. He found that Hitler, Hoffmann and others were watching the "racing car" intently not far away, and the noise at the scene was very loud, so he sighed softly.

Chang Ruiqing realized that there was a bit of a gaffe. He no longer spoke, but held a telescope to watch the test drive. By this time the "racing" held on the hard pavement was over. During this period, two more Germans broke down, one was the No. 2 model and the other was the No. 3 model. Only Daimler. The three Stalker 1s taken out by Mercedes-Benz and Rheinmetall are still intact. It seems that Mercedes-Benz things are still of excellent quality in the end.

The next thing to test is the ability to cross the trench, and in this regard, the design capabilities of the four vehicles that are still insisting on the "race" are also similar, ranging from 2.6 meters to 2.65 meters. Facing a two-meter-deep trench is theoretically no problem, as long as the driver's skills are excellent, he should be able to pass the barrier. Sure enough, the remaining eight tanks all crossed the deep trench relatively smoothly, and then safely reached the point of the test site.

"Mr. Chairman, what do you think of these tanks?" Max. Hoffman's voice came from behind Chang Ruiqing.

"Hmm. All very good, especially the three Stalkers developed by the German company. Chang Ruiqing turned around and smiled at Hoffmann and Hitler beside him. Give a vague answer in English.

Hoffmann whispered a few words to Hitler, and then asked with a smile: "Your Excellency, which kind of stalker do you plan to equip your army with?" For the sake of Sino-German friendship, we will definitely strive for the best price for you. ”

"I'm afraid it's not about the price." Chang Ruiqing's brows furrowed, revealing a stern expression, and nodded at Hitler: "Mr. Chancellor, this is not a place to talk about business, why don't we find a quiet place to talk slowly?" ”

……

A quieter place is a small three-story building in the Aiplat test base, which looks very old. Although a large business was involved, there were not many people present at the negotiations. There are four representatives of the Chinese side, Chang Ruiqing, Jiang Baili, Pan Wenzhao and Zeng Qi. There were more Germans, there were Chancellor Hitler, the director of the armored forces Hoffmann, the chief of staff of the armored forces Guderian, and representatives of several large German companies. Everyone sat around a round table, and two blonde girls in German uniforms were in charge of recording at the scene, and Chang Ruiqing's chief of staff, Zeng Qi, was also holding a pen and notepad.

Chang Ruiqing nodded kindly to the representatives of several large German companies, and then said to Hitler and Hoffmann in English: "Mr. Chancellor, Mr. Admiral, thank you very much for turning some of my ideas about tanks more than a year ago into reality, and I am very satisfied with the three prototypes that the German side has come up with...... And I also plan to arm the Chinese National Defense Forces with one of these three Stalkers, and I believe that the final purchase figure will reach tens of thousands! ”

As soon as the word came out, it stirred up a lot of waves. Hitler and Hoffmann had not yet spoken, but representatives of several large German companies were already talking.

"Mr. Chairman, you're not kidding, are you? Tens of thousands of tanks! This number is incredible, even if the factories that can make tanks in Europe are running at full capacity, it will take ten years to complete, right? ”

"Yes, I'm afraid ten years is not enough, because the Stalker tank is only a part of the entire mechanized combat system, and it must be equipped with more auxiliary vehicles, armored vehicles, trucks and light tanks, and all military combat vehicles together may be hundreds of thousands!"

"But how much does that cost? Does the Chinese government have the capacity to pay? ”

"It's not just a matter of money, how much fuel is burned for hundreds of thousands of vehicles? But does China have that much oil and refining capacity? ”

Hoffmann had also translated Chang Ruiqing's words into German to sue Hitler. I was also surprised to hear that China was preparing to purchase tens of thousands of Stalker tanks. Because according to the current standard of the Wehrmacht infantry division, a division is assigned to a battalion of hunters. It's just fifty or sixty units, and tens of thousands of units can not equip a thousand infantry divisions! Even if the Chinese are ready to integrate half of them into armored divisions, there will be as many as five hundred infantry divisions of the Chinese Defense Forces! Plus armored divisions, cavalry divisions. Counting all kinds of other independent auxiliary forces, military police, and security forces, the total number of the Chinese army is in the tens of millions. Is it just to attack the Soviet Union and use China to arm such a huge army? You know, the real main force attacking the Soviet Union was Germany, not China.

As if seeing the doubts in Hitler's heart, Chang Ruiqing explained with a solemn expression: "Of course, tens of thousands of Stalker tanks are not equipped with troops at the same time, but take into account the need for battle damage and replenishment, because the Soviet Union is a very powerful and vast country. Moreover, the Russian nation has always been brave and warlike, and the doctrine practiced by Trotsky turned the whole of the Soviet Union into a super barracks and arsenal! Then consider the complex international shape shì. The operation to destroy the Soviet Union will most likely be a long war of attrition, so we must be prepared to the fullest. ”

Hoffman translated Chang Ruiqing's words into German to tell Hitler, and then the two talked a few more words in German, and finally Hoffmann frowned and said to Chang Ruiqing in English: "Your Excellency, Chairman." Do you want to import tens of thousands of Stalker tanks from Germany before the war and stock them up? ”

"Of course not." Chang Ruiqing made a gesture to count the money. smiled: "I don't have so many Imperial Marks, and the advanced weapons and equipment such as tanks must be eliminated very quickly, if there are tens of thousands of Stalkers in reserve, I am afraid that before the war begins, they will all be outdated." Therefore, I plan to produce and improve the Stalker in China, which will be taken care of by a joint venture between large Chinese and German companies, the name of which I have already come up with. Let's call it Volkswagen Tractor Co., Ltd. ”

I heard that it was going to be produced in China, and that it was a Sino-German joint venture company that would do the deal. The heads of several large German companies in the conference room all showed reluctant expressions, although the joint venture company can also make these large German companies make a lot of profits, but once the core technology of manufacturing tanks is obtained by the Chinese side, in the near future, they will have one more competitor! So immediately there was a dissenting opinion.

"Mr. Chairman, as far as I know, the level of heavy industry in China is still very backward, and it is simply not able to produce raw materials for the main parts and components needed to make tanks, and even if we move the factory for the production of the Stalker to China, you will still have to import a large number of parts and raw materials from Germany. As a result, the cost of producing tanks in China is probably higher than in Germany. ”

The speaker was Porscher, the technical director of Mercedes-Benz AG, the founder of the future Porsche AG and the first general manager of Volkswagen AG in history.

However, Chang Ruiqing's position did not soften in the slightest: "Mr. Porcher, what we are talking about now is not industrial construction in peacetime, let alone a big deal that can make many people rich, but a war that has a bearing on the future and destiny of human civilization!" If we do not want to be defeated by the Bolsheviks and do not want the puppets of the USSR to dominate China and Germany, then we should be able to raise the level of China's machine industry in the next 10 years to the level where it is possible to produce Stalker tanks without relying on imported components and raw materials! ”

Another representative of a German company interjected: "Mr. Chairman, do you know how difficult it is to bring China's heavy industry to such a level? There are hundreds of industrial categories involved in the production and manufacture of a tank, hundreds or even thousands of factories need to be built, thousands of engineers need to be trained, and hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of workers need to be trained! ”

Chang Ruiqing shrugged his shoulders and said, "Then is it possible for us to do it?" ”

"Of course there is, the problem is that we have easier solutions." "It's much easier to produce in Europe and then ship to China, and we give it a pretty good price," Porscher said. ”

Chang Ruiqing sank his complexion, shook his head slightly, and said: "I don't think it's easy to transport tens of thousands of tanks from Europe to China during the war, especially the help of the Soviet Union and traditional naval powers like Japan." With the help of Japanese naval engineers, our enemy will have the largest underwater fleet in the world. At that time, the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea will all become battlefields! It would be quite difficult and costly to get tens of thousands of tanks to reach China through a battlefield of more than 10,000 kilometers. If Germany could not help us raise the level of heavy industry to a considerable level before the outbreak of war, we probably won't be of much help in the future wars......"

Chang Ruiqing spoke very slowly, and said a pause so that Hoffmann could translate it into German in time to tell Hitler. As a result, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Hitler: "I have understood that the Soviet Union is indeed a military power, and we cannot take it lightly, so I agree with the proposal of His Excellency the Chairman of the Committee." Now I would like to propose the formation of a committee of Chinese and German experts to study the establishment of Volkswagen Tractor Co., Ltd. in China for the production of tanks and other military vehicles, and the relevant supporting factories can also be exported to China! (To be continued.) )