Compared to the outrageously slow efficiency of the London government lords in peacetime, the efficiency in wartime is simply surprisingly fast.

Only three days after the report of the 2nd Marine Division was submitted, Secretary of the Admiralty Churchill, Chief of Army Staff Lord Richards, led a group of military high-ranking officials, as well as William Triton, president of Foster & Company, and Walter Gordon, tank designer, arrived at the port of Marseille by boat.

General Xia Fei, chief of the French General Staff, Admiral Harman, deputy commander of the British Expeditionary Force, and Major General Li Jianyang of the 2nd Marine Division, were already waiting on the pier and held a brief but solemn ceremony to welcome the British visitors.

"Man, you're really me off by calling my hard work a pile of garbage." Churchill had a precious Cuban cigar cigarette in his mouth, walked over and patted Li Jianyang's arm vigorously, with a hint of complaint and anger in his tone.

Li Jianyang would not be rude in this kind of public occasion, raised his hand and replied with a standard military salute; "I'd rather bear your wrath, Your Excellency Lord Admiralty, it's much easier to accept than defeat on the battlefield, and seeing this in advance will help us prepare for a worse situation rather than clean up the mess later."

"Pay attention to your assertions, Mr. Major General, don't give the preconceived impression to the commander of the War Department, we need facts."

"It's ready, Your Excellency the Chancellor." Major General Li Jianyang replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Churchill glanced at tank designer Walter Gordon with some exasperation, then led the way to a long Crown car parked by the dock, muttering; "Everyone wants to see our jokes, so what are you waiting for?"

Lord Richards, Chief of Staff of the Army, was not in the mood to laugh, and led a group of senior officers to board the car and drive all the way to the exercise ground.

Half a day later

When these high-ranking officials who came all the way from Britain experienced the huge difference between the Cheetah medium tank and the Mark tank, their faces were like black charcoal, and they were gloomy and about to drip water.

The British, who have always been arrogant, did not expect that the gap between British tanks and the tanks of the Ocean Empire could be so large?

What a piece of!

Of all the people, designer Walter Gordon was extremely depressed, coming out of the tank with black smoke and oil stains on his face, but sitting there without saying a word as if his soul had fallen off.

muttered in his mouth; "How is that possible...... How can it be? ”

As an accomplished car and tank designer, he was able to see more from the design of the two tanks, so the impact on him was particularly huge, and it was simply a game-changer.

For example, the track pin used in the Cheetah tank is only two fingers thick, but it can support the tank to travel to a maximum speed of 38 kilometers and has a life of 160 hours, which can support the tank to travel at least 500 kilometers, reflecting extremely high reliability.

Compare it to

The track pins of the Mark tank were much thicker and could only last for more than a dozen hours of all-service life, so they had to be replaced.

Such high-strength, high-rigidity, and ultra-wear-resistant special steel, as far as he knows, cannot be produced in the UK.

The chief of staff of the French army, Admiral Xia Fei, was an old slippery head, and he unknowingly fell behind, and then whispered orders to Major General François, who was accompanying him; "You hurry up to the Army Logistics Department now, and say that it is my order, to place an order for 1,200 Cheetah medium tanks to the Ocean Empire as quickly as possible, and 1,000 Wolf tanks, which should be delivered as quickly as possible, and the old tanks that are in use can also be delivered. Remember, get ahead of the British and buy me all the tanks you can get. ”

"Understood, sir, I'll do it now." Major General François, who was also a clever man, quietly slowed down and fell to the back after answering, and when he saw that people were not paying attention, he immediately turned around and slipped away.

The ever-shrewd Englishman was put on the side of the French, and Churchill was angrily questioning designer Walter Gordon; "Walter, I need you to give me a reasonable explanation, the Land Cruiser project has plenty of research funding and enough manpower, and you made me a pot of shit, don't you want to say something? ”

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's the difference between a mediocre designer and a genius, and I have nothing to say about it."

"No, you must have something to say, I need you to improve the design now, god, damn it." Churchill looked a little frantic at the moment.

He feels like having a crappy chef in his hands, and after seeing the delicious food made by others, he can only force him to learn to make it better.

Looking around the whole of Britain, Walter Gordon is one of the best tank designers ever.

Designer Walter Gordon was clearly hit hard, and when the Cheetah medium tank was on the North American battlefield, he had already received more detailed information than the average person, but the arrogant British designer did not pay much attention and insisted that he was the best designer.

This unwarranted self-confidence and arrogance were shattered in the face of reality, and even if he was unwilling in his heart, Walter Gordon had to admit that Australia's design was better, more reasonable, more humane, and more capable of exerting the combat effectiveness of armored vehicles.

And the Mark tank ......... But they haven't started yet, first torture their tank crews to death.

Although the British cruiser tank was larger, with nine tank crew members, two 76mm guns, two heavy machine guns, and two imported Australian 6-cylinder diesel engines driving two over-the-top tracks in such a narrow space, what would the cabin look like?

Now the problem is;

A heavy cruiser tank designed on the basis of the concept of accompanying the infantry offensive required large space, large firepower, heavy armor, and a speed infantry trot that could keep up, which was wrong from the beginning and could not be improved at all.

"I'm sorry, there's really nothing I can do." Walter Gordon replied in a somewhat decadent mood, and then raised his face to look at Churchill, and said with a hint of hope in his eyes; "Perhaps...... You can let me study in Australia for a while, follow the world's most advanced design team, and learn new design concepts......"

"Shut up stupid!" Churchill laughed angrily at him, and pointed to the French plain behind him; "In the brutal wars of Europe now, tens of thousands of soldiers are shedding their blood every day, defending our traditional life with their lives against the vicious German and Austro-Hungarian enemies.

We don't have time to think about what the hell to learn, the army wants the best tanks right now, don't I say it clearly enough?

Now, ok? ”

Walter Gordon hung his head in misery and muttered; "Then you'd better kill me. Even if I redesign a tank, it will take at least a year, and I will need the help of the best designers of the Ocean Empire. ”

A year?

Churchill had already turned his head speechlessly, looking at Lord Richards, the Chief of Staff of the Army, with wide eyes, he couldn't really kill the designer, right?

"What is your opinion on this, Your Excellency Lord Richards?"

"I don't think it's a crucial issue, there are no tanks and armored vehicles, and our French allies and expeditionary forces are also fighting well, and instead of wasting on these unreliable weapons, it is better to form an additional 20 infantry divisions." Lord Richards was clearly a very old-fashioned British soldier, extremely stubborn in his adherence to tradition to the point of inflexibility.

In the Battle of the Marne, the British infantry suffered heavy losses from the covering blows of German fire, but the British Army still refused to change.

Churchill laughed angrily at his irresponsible words, but out of sincere and deep love for the British Empire, he could not in any way watch the British soldiers fall at gunpoint in the thousands.

It is true that Churchill had many shortcomings, such as a lustful and cigar penchant for luxury, but it is not contradictory that he was also a strong patriot and was willing to give his life for him at any time.

During his tenure as Lord of the Navy, the Land Cruiser project group was set up to fund the development of tank and armoured vehicles that had nothing to do with the Royal Navy.

"I am really touched by your indifference, at least we should do something about it, and not let our soldiers use such an intolerably inferior weapon, Lord Richards, if our good boys can sacrifice 5,000 or 10,000 fewer because of this, then it will be worth all the effort."

"I would like to remind you, Mr. Churchill, Secretary of State of the Admiralty, that please do not slander the great sacrifices made by the Army for the sake of victory, for the British Army has made an indelible and outstanding contribution to the global interests of the British Empire over the past 300 years, and we rely on the glory and sacrifice of the Army, not the dictates of others."

In the face of the accusations, Lord Richards blew his beard and glared angrily, and replied with a tough attitude.

He was the kind of very old-fashioned British aristocrat, who hated change and new things, who lived all day in the glorious glory of the British Empire and the old dreams of the past, and whose head had become hopelessly ossified.

Churchill's status in front of him was completely regarded as air.

Churchill never lost to anyone in his mouth, and he sneered; "Thank you for reminding me of the great contributions made by the British Army in history, including Charles I, and for reminding you that in just two months since the outbreak of the war, the British Expeditionary Force has lost 117,000 young lives."

"Shut up, the British Expeditionary Force and the French allies wiped out more of the Germans and won a crucial victory at the Battle of the Marne, and I want to thank you for reminding me of what happened in history, but don't forget, don't you? For a long time from the 16th century to the 18th century, the glory of the British Empire was supported by the independence of the army, and you were just a bunch of ridiculous pirates. ”

"Hahaha...... Do you mean the anti-French coalition that has been defeated and defeated again and again? ”

The two important ministers put down the face of the English gentleman and began to argue, startling the others present.

LI Jianyang; “……”

a group of high-ranking officials; “……”

Walter Gordon; “……”

******

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