I want to be emperor

Chapter 1061 The Biggest Winner

When inspecting military transport vehicles, Luo Zhixue also saw several relatively useful military transport vehicles. Among them, the military trucks developed by Hebei Weapons Company are relatively typical.

This truck uses a rear four-wheel design. There is nothing too special about the chassis, and it is not fast. After all, it is only equipped with a 30-horsepower engine, which is the same power system used by armored vehicles...

In fact, almost all larger armored vehicles and transport vehicles use this engine.

Because Tangshan Machinery Company only has such a high-horsepower engine that is more suitable for vehicles. In the past, this kind of engine was used in some small and medium-sized agricultural machinery and engineering equipment!

There are actually larger gasoline engines, but the size and weight are too large. They are currently only used in some large engineering equipment and industrial purposes, and are not suitable for use in cars for the time being.

The power is limited, and considering that non-combat vehicles do not need to be too fast, the highway speed is only 25 kilometers per hour.

But in comparison, the speed has decreased and the relative torque has increased, so the load capacity and towing capacity are pretty good... This thing, strictly speaking, is actually a low-speed tractor or truck.

In this case, the load capacity can reach 1.5 tons, and it can tow a large number of 75mm field guns in service in the army.

This is a truck that can transport supplies and also tow artillery. Hebei Weapons Company considered multi-purpose performance when designing this vehicle, making it capable of transporting supplies and pulling artillery. This is obviously to increase the chance of winning the bid. .

In addition to these conventional military trucks, Luo Zhixue also saw some special military vehicles.

Therefore, a major factor in why artillery is expensive is not that artillery is expensive, but that shells are expensive!

Secondly, the mules and horses that maintain the artillery's mobility are expensive... No, that's not to say that mules and horses are expensive. In fact, mules and horses themselves are quite cheap. Dozens of Chu Yuan can buy a very good draft horse each, but raising horses It's expensive... In an artillery company, with men and horses, the food and drink expenses are as much as an infantry battalion!

Using tractors to tow artillery is also a tradition of the Chu army. Many of the 120mm cannons, 150mm howitzers, cannons and other heavy artillery in the Chu army were transported by purchased steam engine tractors, and used It is the steam engine tractor of Tangshan Machinery Company.

It's just... people who know these inside stories have a tacit understanding not to mention it...

Not only were a small number of heavy artillery units waiting for these specialized gasoline tractor tractors, but actually a large number of ordinary field artillery units were also waiting for military trucks to tow artillery.

This thing is an all-rounder. If you add the corresponding equipment to it, it can perform many tasks.

But what about the new type of artillery shells that come with it, each shot has eight Chu Yuan!

The price of a 75mm artillery piece is the same as the price of more than 300 rounds of matching artillery shells!

When these artillery shells are used, dozens or even hundreds of rounds can be fired in a war... and a cannon can be knocked out casually.

This thing is actually the first gasoline engine application platform officially introduced in Chu Junli!

At the same time, the structure is relatively simple. As long as the core components are not broken, the maintenance difficulty is relatively low, and ordinary trained technicians can perform it, and the reliability of the core components is also greatly increased.

The reason why we don’t change it is because this tractor is so good... This is the first car in the Chu Empire to use a steering wheel, the first car to be equipped with a three-speed gearbox, and the first to be sold on a large scale and won the Car with good feedback from the market!

At the same time, in peacetime, artillery can be used for a long time, and the number of shells used at the same time is actually not many, and the overall cost can be reduced a lot... However, you can't save the food and drink of the mules and horses.

After all, the draft horses in the artillery unit are not ordinary draft horses. They require special training. We cannot wait until the war to temporarily recruit civilian horses... The logistics department can still do this kind of thing, but the artillery unit is not a combat force. Fagan.

This kind of good thing is a must!

This time they pulled out a gasoline tractor and sold it to the military, which was a natural thing... In fact, before participating in the exhibition, the army had purchased more than 50 customized and modified versions and granted them official military equipment numbers. : Type 47 artillery tractor.

Now that there are gasoline tractors, who needs those stupid big steam engine tractors? I wish I could throw them away long ago.

Although there have been small-scale custom modifications in terms of appearance and traction, the overall difference is actually not big. It still has two iconic large wheels and a small front guide wheel, and the internal details include core results such as power, transmission, and control. , that has not changed at all.

Under such circumstances, the artillery force must maintain a large number of horses all year round... It may not feel heartbreaking for a while, but raising them year after year is a very huge expense.

After thinking about it, they quickly improved the design and introduced a lot of new things. Finally, after Chengshun was launched on the market in early 1937, it became an instant hit.

When the gasoline engine was first developed, Tangshan Machinery Company also produced a gasoline engine tractor immediately, but it was too hasty, the design was immature in all aspects, and the control was particularly difficult. At the same time, the gearbox was not good, so the market Not much acceptance.

This is because this thing uses a lot of new technologies, a two-speed gearbox with reverse gear, and a new steering wheel, which ends the messy operating methods of people driving steam locomotives and cars using various pull rods. history.

In the past... there were no cars, and steam tractors were not suitable. Whether the artillery troops wanted to or not, they could only use mules and horses. Sometimes I felt quite proud of this.

In the past, when there were no cars, everyone didn't think it was anything. They felt that they were quite proud of having so many mules and horses to pull artillery... An artillery battery could move more than a hundred horses, which was a symbol of national strength. !

Look at those small indigenous countries. Even if they can afford the smoothbore cannons exported by Chu, they can't afford so many draft horses!

Why is modern artillery expensive? This does not mean that the artillery itself is expensive. In fact, the artillery itself is relatively cheap. A new 75mm field gun of the Chu Army only costs about 3,000 Chu Yuan... This is the latest model. It is smokeless and has a spring return. To a certain extent, it can be called a beggar's version of a 75mm field gun.

That's it, it's actually only three thousand Chu Yuan!

If you really want to drive a car to the battlefield, the car soldier must carry two spark plugs with you...

But when cars appeared, especially after we learned that cars can fire cannons and don’t need to eat or drink when not working, at the same time, with the tacit cooperation of oil companies, the current price of gasoline is almost free and free;

The sooner we replace them with military trucks, the sooner we can abandon a large number of draft horses... The draft horses eat so much, and they eat it every damn day... They eat even if they don't work... The food they eat makes many artillery troops The logistics chiefs’ hearts ached!

The people from the oil company never mentioned that the gasoline they sell now is sold at a pure loss. Their purpose is to promote cars. After cultivating the market to a certain level, they will directly harvest it... Anyway, they are selling very little now, and they have not lost any money yet. It costs a lot of money to advertise and promote cars.

In just the first year of its thirty-seventh year, Chengshun sold more than a thousand units, and various models based on this tractor, such as combine harvesters, also achieved great success.

In fact, from the perspective of military expenditure... it is more expensive to use a car to pull a cannon than to use a horse to pull a cannon... especially today's cars.

They couldn't help it anymore...

Unlike other automotive platforms that require various tests, this thing goes directly into active service after purchase... A lot of heavy artillery troops are waiting for this thing.

Draft horses without special training pull artillery onto the battlefield. They are startled by the sound of gunfire. They look at you randomly every minute, and then your field artillery, which weighs a ton at every turn, falls to the ground...

In addition, there are its two iconic large hollow iron wheels. These two huge driving wheels can allow it to adapt to most terrains, including mud and snow... After all, this thing is going to farmland. It doesn't matter in some dry fields, but in some paddy fields, it doesn't have strong off-road capabilities. The tractor has to lie down on its own first, so why do it do any work!

As for this kind of tractor, if you add a cannon to the back of it, it can be used as a heavy artillery tractor, and it is quite easy to use.

For example, there is a gasoline tractor heavy artillery tractor launched by Tangshan Machinery Company... This thing is actually the military version of their agricultural tractor: Tangshan Second Generation Gasoline Tractor Type A.

Therefore, artillery is expensive, and the artillery itself is not the key. The key is the shells and mules.

At the same time, today's cars are so squeamish. If they can run for hundreds of kilometers continuously, they are considered reliable and stable... At the same time, the service life of many parts is actually not very good. For example, they are said to represent the top electrical and material materials of the contemporary Da Chu Empire. , the electronic ignition system of processing technology...this thing will need to be replaced soon.

For example, after loading a plow machine, it can transform into a plow machine... If you add a carriage to it, it can become a cargo truck. Use it as a basic chassis, and after modification, it can be converted into a combined truck. Harvesters and other agricultural or construction machinery.

At the same time, Tangshan Machinery Company and other defense companies engaged in research and development of automobiles also have a tacit agreement not to mention it or skip the topic. They do not say much about automobiles, although they do not work or burn oil, but they should have Maintenance is essential, and it’s not cheap either…

Moreover, this tractor was given a cab similar to that of a car to protect it from the wind and rain... Many steam engine tractors in the past did not have a cab, and at most they had a small seat for the driver to sit on.

How expensive are cars now? They can easily cost thousands of yuan.

When working and fighting, the food and drink expenses for the mules and horses are nothing... But when there is no war in peacetime, the military people are very dissatisfied with these mules and horses who only eat but do not work... But you Can't help but raise it.

The three, no, four major internal combustion engine companies, represented by Tangshan Machinery Company, all advocate that the future is the era of internal combustion engines. They never mention that the current gasoline engine is not mature enough. If you buy a car, you have to ask for it even if you don’t say it. A dedicated technician takes care of it, otherwise you can't expect it to work stably.

Those weapons companies affiliated with the five major weapons companies that develop military armored vehicles and automobiles will not expose their shortcomings. Instead, they will desperately boast about the combat effectiveness of armored vehicles and the fact that military trucks do not work or burn fuel.

Some officers and even senior generals in the military who know the inside story are mostly related to the automobile project, and are even the person in charge... To put it bluntly, the interests are related, and they rely on the automobile project to get to the top. How can they dismantle their own? tower.

And a few senior generals who have no stake in it also want to try some new roads... After all, the benefits of using cars are visible to the naked eye, and they also want to improve their combat effectiveness as much as possible.

As for the issue of increasing military spending... in the future, the cabinet cannot just watch the military purchase a lot of cars, and then let a lot of cars purchased with expensive military funds be thrown away and wasted because they can't burn oil and can't be maintained... With so much money invested, it’s not too much to add some maintenance fees and gas money, right?

So... they all had a tacit understanding not to tell, especially not to the civil servants in the cabinet.

Put up the shelf first, and then slowly think of ways to get more military spending later!

This is the main meaning of the existence of these senior generals: to find ways to get more military spending!

Otherwise... you, a great general, still expect to go into battle? Those are all junior and middle-level officers, at most to the lieutenant general level... They don't even have to worry about formulating development strategies. Naturally, there are major generals and generals at the lieutenant general level who are responsible for these things.

The only responsibility of those group of generals is to be at the forefront and argue over military expenditures in the staff meeting in the imperial study room. If you can get more military spending, you will be a big boss in the military. A bunch of young and strong officers will praise you, and they can even tout you as a famous general or a military god...

If you can't get military spending, you are an old loser who has no skills at all and still occupies the position of Minister of Counselor and Co-organizer... Retire and get out of the army quickly, otherwise we will let you know what it means to be inferior to superior... …

It is actually very difficult for senior generals in the Dachu Empire, especially those at the level of admiral!

The most enjoyable thing is that the major general in charge of the core position, lieutenant general level...the weight is not stressful...after all, they only spend money and don't have to think about where the money comes from.

But when you reach the position of admiral, you are no longer the one who spends money, but the one who makes money to support your family...

First, I was scolded by the civil servants in the Senate for wasting money. The military expenditure is hundreds of millions a year. It is better to raise a pig than to raise you... Later, I was scolded by a lot of generals in the military for being a coward. All day long, I only know how to eat, drink and have fun, but not make money. To support the family... We send a dog to wander around the Senate, and the military expenses will be more than what you are asking for!

It's very uncomfortable to be caught in the middle...

This is a military vehicle... regardless of whether it is an armored vehicle, an artillery tractor, or a military truck... it is actually a new way for the military, especially the Army, to spend money.

They just saw that Emperor Luo Zhixue was very interested in cars, and then they took advantage of the trend to vigorously promote the development of military cars... With His Majesty's clear support, although the cabinet was still withholding money and giving money at a discount, it would still be possible. Giving money... is better than taking other projects and then being ridiculed and despised by the civil servants in the Senate and then ignored directly without taking any money!

This time the military is engaged in automobile development, and the Senate has rarely allocated an additional special fund to the military.

Although the civilian officials in the Senate provide these special funds, the main purpose is to support the accelerated development of the domestic automobile industry. Although this money is nominally given to the military, the military has to use it to purchase various military automobile equipment. , so in the end it will return to the automobile industry and promote the development of the automobile industry.

Military procurement is sometimes a very good measure to promote industry development and even economic development.

On the private side, apart from agricultural and engineering equipment, ordinary private cars, regardless of whether they are cars or trucks, cannot be sold. Well, then the empire will directly engage in military purchases... directly support the development of the automobile industry through the transfer of military expenditures!

Well...actually this is what Luo Zhixue meant!

If you want an emerging industry to develop rapidly, relying solely on the role of the market itself is still limited!

If the market is allowed to develop on its own, it may take ten or even twenty years for the automobile industry to mature.

However, with the strong support of the empire, especially a large-scale military purchase order in addition to various policies, it is enough to greatly accelerate the evolution of the automobile industry and mature as soon as possible.

Eventually, the automobile became an ordinary industrial consumer product, the main means of transportation and agricultural production in the imperial economic system, replacing tens of millions of mules and horses used in agriculture and transportation.

This kind of industry has the tacit approval of the top military officials and even Luo Zhixue, the supreme ruler, so the military ignores the shortcomings of many cars.

Then he only talks about the advantages and never mentions the disadvantages... He only focuses on developing military vehicles.

And this has also brought about very positive results... Before this national defense exhibition was over, the military had signed orders with multiple manufacturers.

The first to bear the brunt is the Tangshan Machinery Company's fifth-generation tractors. The Army and the Guards together have placed an order for 300 units in total, preparing to completely replace the original steam engine tractors one by one.

At the same time, the Army, the Guards, and the Marine Corps placed orders with manufacturers responsible for the R&D and production of military vehicles under the five major arms companies: Hebei Arms Company, Jiangnan Arms Company, Shaanxi-Gansu Arms Company, Guangdong and Guangzhou Arms Company, and Huguang Arms Company. The total number There are more than a thousand vehicles, involving more than 20 different models.

There are two competing armored vehicles, developed by Hebei Arms Company and Jiangnan Arms Company respectively.

There is also a three-wheeled fire support vehicle/transport vehicle, which is a product developed by Shaanxi-Gan Weapon Company. At the same time, the winning bidder is a two-wheeled bicycle developed by Shaanxi-Gan Weapon Company... which is the motorcycle in the original time and space.

These two two-wheeled and three-wheeled small vehicles are specially used for mobile combat in complex terrain.

Then there are two types of off-road vehicles, provided by Tangshan Machinery Company and Guangdong and Guangxi Weapons Company respectively... These are vehicles intended for use by officers or messengers.

But there are more trucks of all kinds... There are six models of trucks alone. Except for a truck owned by Hebei Weapon Company, which is relatively reliable and has received mass production orders of more than 300 units, the others These are actually small batch test orders, some of which are R&D contracts...that's why there are so many types.

After all, the military has not figured out what kind of military vehicles it needs, especially the core military trucks, which ones are easy to use and how to use them. In fact, they are also groping... So in addition to having determined In addition to large-scale purchases of fifth-generation tractors from Tangshan Machinery Company and 1.5-ton trucks from Hebei Arms Company.

For other car models, we simply cast a wide net to fish for fish, and placed a batch of orders for all models that seemed to be acceptable, and then tested them separately for comparison... Even if the actual vehicle has not yet been provided, it will be done. Give a research and development contract to support manufacturers to come up with prototype cars to try.

Therefore, the first batch of military vehicles purchased by the Dachu Empire were actually a mess, with all kinds of vehicles... There were more than 20 models alone.

At the same time, military automobile manufacturers affiliated to the five major weapons companies have basically received orders... to support subsequent research and development.

However, although the five major arms companies all have orders, Hebei Arms Company has even received mass production orders for more than 300 1.5-ton trucks for its Hebei 1.5-ton truck.

However, the biggest winners are not these weapons companies, but Tangshan Machinery Company and many of its related manufacturers.

Because those weapons companies do not have any automotive technology. Even though Hebei Weapons Company seems to have good technology, it is actually an assembly plant...

For all military vehicles designed and developed by weapons companies, the core component of the engine must be supplied by Tangshan Machinery Company. At the same time, some car accessories also need to be supplied by Tangshan Machinery Company or some of the company's closely related cooperative enterprises, such as transmissions. box, steering wheel, brake system and even tires.

Of course, you can't say that Tianjin Motor Vehicle Company, a subsidiary of Hebei Arms Company, has no technology. At least the chassis was designed by them...

In addition to supplying a large number of parts and components, Tangshan Machinery Company has also become a supplier of heavy artillery tractors... Their fifth-generation tractors have become the main supplier of the heavy artillery units of the Army and the Guards, with mass production orders of more than 300 vehicles. Already taken.

In addition, a military off-road car developed by Tangshan Machinery Company based on civilian cars has also received small batch orders and is preparing to compete with cars from other companies.

All of these will bring huge benefits to Tangshan Machinery Company and other automobile industry chain-related companies...

For example, the tire company Guangnan Rubber Company is the only contemporary manufacturer that can provide high-performance pneumatic tires that meet military needs. They hope to win all orders for pneumatic tires for military vehicles.

Of course, Tangshan Machinery Company is the one who eats the most...one engine can fill their mouths full of oil, not to mention that they have also received a large number of tractor orders, as well as a test order for military off-road vehicles.

Seeing Tangshan Machinery Company eating meat in large quantities, the other three internal combustion engine manufacturers were also very anxious and worked overtime to overcome technical difficulties, especially those of the electronic ignition system.

Nowadays, the military is only purchasing in small batches. According to the information revealed by senior officials, the total number of vehicles purchased by the military in the next few years may be tens of thousands... After all, each artillery arrangement alone There are tens of thousands of vehicles used by the artillery unit alone, such as tractor trucks and matching artillery transport vehicles!

And the price of military vehicles is much more expensive than civilian vehicles!

This is extremely delicious super fatty meat, and they want to take a bite!

Against the background of this era, in Shenyang, Liaodong Province, in the R&D building of Liaodong Machinery Company, dozens of engineers looked expectantly at a gasoline engine on the test bed ahead.

This is a prototype of a gasoline engine that they have built based on the latest technical solution and is ready for start-up testing... That's not correct. To be precise, the electronic ignition system is ready for testing...

Because they have already solved the other parts of the engine... and even developed other related supporting systems of the car and even the gearbox.

The only thing missing is an electronic ignition system: an electronic ignition system with independent patents and no infringement!

Before this, they had failed as many as twenty-seven times... This means that twenty-seven technical solutions had failed before. The most successful technical solution, its electronic ignition system only lasted forty years. Just minutes of continuous operation.

In order to develop cars, they have successively burned millions of R&D funds over the years. They have also burned through the policy support funds and strategic financing funds that their Liaodong Machinery Company has obtained in recent years... If it doesn't succeed...well, it won't lead to bankruptcy, but I'm afraid we will have to bring in strategic investors or sell the patent!

By the way, their internal combustion engines and some matching automobile patents are very valuable... A lot of domestic super companies are waving checks to buy their patent licenses!

Now they can afford to lose millions of yuan in research and development expenses...but they can't keep losing money like this!

Whether it is the company's senior management or these engineers, they have been under great pressure in recent years.

And now, it’s time to test the research results!

Following the order of the chief engineer in charge, the engine on the test bed in front began to ignite, and then a group of people held their breath involuntarily.

The sound of the engine continued to rattle, and as time passed by, the engineers present went from being nervous and uneasy at the beginning, to looking slightly relieved, and then looking happy...

Finally, the engine was still running stably after three hours, and all parameters performed extremely stably.

They then shut down the machine, disassembled it, and inspected the electronic ignition system. After finding that there were still no obvious problems with any part of the system, especially the spark plug, the person in charge declared that the test was a complete success.

At this time, the entire R&D team burst into cheers...and soon cheers came from the entire R&D building!

The next day, September 3rd, the 48th day of Chengshun, the Liaodong Chaobao couldn't wait to publish the relevant news: After many difficulties, the technical team of Liaodong Machinery Company successfully overcame many technical problems of the gasoline engine and produced a powerful gasoline engine. Electronic ignition gasoline engine with its own technology property!

After the relevant news was transmitted to various places via telegrams, people from Hekou Machinery Company not far away cursed... People from Tangshan Machinery Company looked cautious.

As for Li's Power Company in Guangzhou, after its management held a full-day meeting, it once again increased the overtime pay for R&D engineers, and began to contact almost all large headhunting companies in the country, preparing to wave checks again on a large scale. Dig people!

(End of this chapter)