The Difference Is Like Between a Dog and a Cow

96 – Reinhalt’s technology is the best in the world (2)

“Guests, please feel free to roam and watch the fairgrounds. If you have any questions, just ask one of the nearby red belts and they will kindly answer you.”

Starting with the welcoming speech of Count Petrinant, the military fair held in his mansion was officially held.

Befitting a military fair held directly by the owner of the county, who is in charge of one axis of the empire, the number of guests was expected to be in the hundreds. Of course, there were ordinary people in formal suits and formal clothes, but most of them, including us, were in military uniforms.

‘Is it because it’s a military fair?’

Of course, since it was an event held in their own country, the largest number of people belonged to the Reinhardt Imperial Army, but it was not difficult to find military uniforms from other countries.

Of course, there were also our enemy countries among them.

“…… Captain, isn’t that the consumption empire?”

“I see. For now, it seems that Count Petrinant invited us as the same empire.”

“It’s a bit awkward.”

“We have to go in a direction where we don’t run into each other as much as possible.”

I whispered to Rumia, who seemed a little displeased.

Perhaps the silver-haired lieutenant colonel I had fought with at the Limansk arsenal must have gotten out of the facility safely. There is no way that the facility where the inhumane experiments were conducted did not have a secret passage to evacuate the main personnel first.

‘I don’t know what that bastard might have reported to the superiors, but… ….’

For now, it was only natural that Soviet would be in trouble in many ways if he ran into the Imperial side. Just avoid it And you want that too.

This is what the international stage is all about. Even if it’s a tough opponent, it’s an environment where you have to face it.

Still, there was no reason to be intimidated. It was the other side that made the mistake first, and it must have hurt the pride of the empire as it was not enough to get a counter punch from the army that looked down on it. Rather, isn’t it a position where you have to walk around with your shoulders open.

“Let’s go over there. I saw earlier that there was a locomotive.”

I took Lumia’s hand and moved to a place where guests from the Soviet Empire would not be seen.

Since Sonny Zeppelin disappeared to meet another great mage belonging to the Reinhardt Empire, at least today, Lumia and I had to wander alone.

“There is no need to get entangled in complicated foreign affairs already.”

“That, that, that, that!”

“……? Why is that?”

“Oh, nothing!”

That’s how we arrived at the exhibition hall on the left.

There was an armored train painted in black paint on display.

“What is this? A locomotive?”

“It’s called the Moldoke armored train.”

It was a very early type with no cannons loaded yet, but in the next few years, it will evolve into a mobile fortress with machine guns applied to all cannons.

“The train was turned into a weapon…… ? I haven’t even taken a real train yet.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Wagons were originally made from weapons, so how is it different from a train?”

“…… Anything means that you are serious about war.”

Rumia replied with a bitter look. He knows better because he is a soldier. How many lives this train would take if it were actually sent to war. And that was clearly true.

Because I knew all too well how well this weapon would perform from the beginning of the war to the mid-to-late half.

But that’s just a romantic idea.

It would be bittersweet if we personally drove an armored train and blew off the heads of the bandits, but on the contrary, if the enemy drives an armored train and massacres our allies, we can never say such a sham story.

With blood in their eyes, they’ll insist that we buy and grind weapons like that right now.

I added while looking at Rumia, who had a complex face in many ways.

“It is a matter of course. In the future, all countries will have no choice but to be serious about war.”

“Sure. I agree too.”

“?”

When I turned my head to the unfamiliar voice that naturally agreed, there was a young man wearing the uniform of the Reinhardt Empire.

Hair red like the sun, and amber eyes that gleam sharply in harmony with it.

I instinctively checked his epaulettes. Three iron crosses with no patterns. Reinhardt Imperial Army Captain rank.

“Nice to meet you, Captain Enoch Levandell. I’ve heard a lot about you from Count Petrinand.”

A captain giving a warm handshake. I took her hand and waved it lightly. From the red band across his shoulder, it seemed that he was the one responsible for explaining this armored train.

“Nice to meet you.”

“I am Rittmeister, Johannes Weissenberg Cavalry Captain of the Reinhardt Empire.”

“Johannes Weissenberg…… ?”

“Hey, do you know me?”

“Oh, no. I must have misunderstood.”

I was momentarily taken aback by the familiar name. ‘Johannes von Weissenberg’. Because he was the name of a general specializing in artillery that could be used in the Reinhardt Empire.

‘Is it the same name? No…… It’s usually a general that can be used in the second year after the start of a war, so if you’re a captain now, it might be roughly the same time as that time.’

Definitely red hair and eyes. It was quite similar to what I saw in the portrait. I was sure he would be a pretty capable artillery general in the future.

It must have been a cavalry division, not an artillery division, during his days as a lieutenant.

“Because I am also a fairly common name. You hear that often.”

Johannes passed it over casually and continued with the next story.

“By the way, do you know how much you know about armored trains?”

“Ah…… I heard about it from the count. And personally, I am paying attention to the possibility of trains.”

“As expected, you have the discernment of a promising officer who will lead the next generation.”

Captain Johannes Weissenberg responded very favorably, probably thinking that I had a similar opinion to him.

“Railways will be very important in the battlefields of the future. It is a fast means of transportation that can deploy troops quickly and is almost unaffected by terrain and weather.”

Johannes excitedly talks about the tactical significance of the train and the direction of future development. The face of Count Petrinand, who was smiling while showing the airship a moment ago, overlaps. They said they were playing with each other, and that was the right word.

“Isn’t that amazing!? You are talking about a more powerful armored train, everyone—!!”

“Ah, ahahahaha…… Okay.”

In the end, it was only Rumia’s role to mark Johannes who was possessed by the Speedwagon. I know everything anyway, but what.

But the important thing was that this was an exhibition, not a military parade. In any case, the fact that they sent an officer equivalent to a cavalry captain to a count’s arms fair meant that the Reinhardt Empire also had other ulterior motives besides simply demonstrating new weapons.

Originally, there were only two reasons for holding a military fair to unveil new weapons in this way.

First, it is to show off one’s military power by saying, ‘Look at these brilliant weapons, isn’t there anything like this in that country?’

Secondly, ‘Don’t you want to have this? If you sign a contract or invest in development, we will give it to you at a low price.”

Because new weapons are not things that come out of digging, and realizing a concept that did not exist in the world requires an enormous investment of capital.

So, by holding a fair like this, soldiers are dazzled by new weapons.

Attracting investment from allies by using envy as an amplifying agent, and attracting investment from potential enemies by using fear as an amplifying agent.

After all, the products that are sold overseas will be backwards compatible with two or three levels of downgrade compared to products that will actually be used in their home country.

Indispensable virtues that all munitions and arms companies must have from modern times to modern warfare.

In the meantime, if the armored train, which is still only a prototype, is exhibited, it shows that Reinhardt also wants direct or indirect investment in this armored train.

‘There should be a few armored trains. It would be easy to deploy along the northeast axis, where it is impossible to attract long-term troops.’

It is an armored train that was used quite well in the original history. Even in Haoje, the armored train must be pulled out once in a while. In particular, armored trains can often be used as a kind of game changer in countries with relatively low supply capacity or troop deployment capacity.

What if the air force is still in a primitive form, and the infantry’s firepower support is only limited to infantry mages and short-range field artillery, and there are about two armored trains stuck in the eastern axis?

There is no stronger power than that.

The Ukrnians, who are bound to be weak no matter what they say, will have enough firepower to crush the first offensive of the Imperial Army and solidify the front line.

‘But the problem is that I don’t have any money.’

Funny enough, the Ukrnian army probably doesn’t have enough money to buy armored trains yet. And now it’s too prototype

It is uncertain whether it will be possible to provide an adequate investment to the extent necessary for development.

Right now, most of the equipment and airship maintenance of our 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion were being done at Sony Zeppelin’s own expense.

It’s an airship because Sony Zeppelin has a certain share in joint development with Count Petrinant. Even so, isn’t the armored train a separate issue?

I’m starting to get a little greedy.

“Captain Johannes Cavalry.”

“Yes, Captain Enoch.”

“Are you the captain of this armored train project?”

There is no need to say it back and forth. Aren’t all soldiers the same anyway? Talking round and round is the way politicians talk, and soldiers have their own way of speaking.

“For what reason are you asking…… ?”

“This is just my personal opinion, but in my opinion the Moldoke armored train has some fatal flaws.”

“You mean a defect?”

Johannes’ eyes changed.

“You wouldn’t be thinking of arming an armored train with just a rifle… …. After all, shouldn’t the canvas be hung?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I still pulled out clear information. It was information derived from memories of playing Haoze as an artilleryman in the Reinhardt Empire.

“However, the guns currently possessed by the Reinhardt Empire will not be able to meet the firepower requirements of armored trains.”

If Sony Zeppelin was involved in the development of the Graf Petrinante, there is no reason why I should not be involved in the modification of the Moldoke armored train. Just in time, I think the project I’ve been working on since the last time I gave a word to the central technology research department can act as a kind of rice cake.

“Then would you like to hear my idea?”

I grinned at Johannes.