Wang Zhong could imagine that the battle would certainly become very difficult.
They had to crush the enemy’s intention to occupy Kuba at all costs.
However, this was not what Wang Zhong needed to worry about at the moment.
The earliest the Prussians could launch an attack would be in April, when the mud had completely improved.
That left three months for Wang Zhong to prepare.
On February 10th, the review committee convened for the second review of new equipment, and this time, the Vortex-style 100mm Cannon Carrier, after over a month of testing, was also added to the approval list, placed second to last on stage.
Second to last, it was being treated as the finale.
Before the 100mm cannon carrier took the stage as the finale, there were 17 improved weapons waiting for approval.
Most of the improvements were based on feedback from the battlefield.
Only three weapons involved innovations in production processes, so the design drawings were modified to adapt to the new processes.
Of the 17 improved weapons, only five were deemed qualified by the committee and handed over to the Ordnance Department to organize production.
Then it was time for Wang Zhong’s masterpiece, the “Whirlwind” Tank Destroyer.
Ke Jing, the chief engineer, walked into the review hall with confidence and had his assistant hang the blueprints of the Whirlwind Tank Destroyer on the blackboard.
Wang Zhong could tell that the blueprints had been refined a lot more than before.
When the blueprints were revealed, the army representatives in the review committee widened their eyes in surprise.
“What is this?” he asked, first looking at Ke Jing but then quickly turning to Wang Zhong.
Wang Zhong said, “A tank destroyer. Because it has to be fitted with a larger cannon, we had to adopt a design without a turret. Once the machine tools we imported from the Federation are in place, we will be able to manufacture tanks equipped with such powerful main weapons! The kind with turrets!”
The committee members all revealed an “I see” expression, nodding their heads in agreement, appearing to vote to pass the design.
There weren’t even any questions.
Wang Zhong had originally thought he would have to engage in a battle of wits to get the Whirlwind plan approved, but the approval process was unexpectedly smooth and calm, as if it was a matter of course.
After seeing off Chief Engineer Ke Jing, the last review item appeared.
Tokarev, holding his masterpiece, entered the review room.
Facing the judges seated behind the long table, he stared straight at only Wang Zhong and said, “General Rokossovsky, I did as you said and made a new prototype. You told me this was to be a submachine gun that could still hit a target at 200 meters, and I think I’ve managed to create a weapon that meets your requirements.”
As he spoke, Tokarev started walking toward Wang Zhong with the prototype gun, but several judges immediately burst through the side door of the room and pinned him to the ground.
Wang Zhong said, “Let him come here. How else would he hand me the gun?”
One of the judges snatched the prototype gun from Tokarev’s hands and respectfully held it out to Wang Zhong with both hands.
While Wang Zhong fiddled with the gun, Tokarev was released from the judges’ restraint.
He quickly explained, “I shortened the length of the bullet further and reduced the amount of charge. This significantly lowered the weight of the rifle when fully loaded.
“Reducing the size of the bullet resulted in a decline in range and power, but we tested it many times and finally adjusted the amount of propellant in each bullet to the appropriate level.
“Any less propellant, and the trajectory would noticeably curve, failing to meet your required shooting accuracy at 200 meters.
“Any more propellant, and the accuracy and such would improve, but according to what you said, this increase in precision didn’t have much significance.”
“Very good,” Wang Zhong praised, “Tokarev Davarish, you have grasped my intent.”
As he spoke, he lowered his head to take a closer look at the prototype in his hands.
It looked… somewhat like the VSS “Thread Cutter” integrally suppressed sniper rifle.
The most distinctive feature of the Screw Thread Tailor Machine Rifle was its incredibly thick suppressor barrel. Wang Zhong didn’t know why this rifle also had such a thick barrel.
So he asked Tokarev, “Why is the barrel so thick?”
Tokarev replied, “To ensure better stability, we installed a gas diversion system in the barrel that diverts part of the gas generated during shooting outside the firearm, reducing recoil. Surprisingly, this design also minimized the muzzle flash and smoke during firing, especially the noise, which was significantly reduced.”
“We speculate that this is because part of the energy of the propellant gas is dispersed by the gas diversion system, so when the bullet leaves the barrel, its velocity is only 320 meters per second, below the speed of sound, thus there is no loud noise associated with breaking the sound barrier.”
“Likewise, since the gas structure disperses the propellant gas, the sound waves formed by the propellant gas when the bullet exits the barrel are also smaller.”
Well, in an attempt to improve shooting stability, they inadvertently created a subsonic rifle.
At this moment, the military representative asked, “Wait a minute, is the bullet fired by this gun that slow? Won’t the trajectory be very curved?”
Tokarev answered, “It is a bit more curved than regular bullets, but since it only travels 200 meters and arrives in about half a second, the total drop isn’t too bad.”
“If one is firing quickly, this kind of drop is really insignificant. If raising to aim precisely, we can incorporate this drop into the sight scale, so when aiming, the shooter will actually be raising the barrel at an angle that’s almost imperceptible.”
Wang Zhong worriedly asked, “But if the velocity is slow, won’t the bullet’s lethality be insufficient?”
Tokarev answered, “We tested it with ballistic gel, and when hit directly, this thing, due to its lower kinetic energy, tumbled inside the gel simulating human tissue, transferring all its energy into damage, while a regular bullet would carry most of its energy out the other side.”
“Of course, in terms of penetrating power, it certainly doesn’t compare to high-velocity rounds. You can also remove the gas diversion system and use a normal barrel for shooting.”
Tokarev made a gesture, and then the assistant brought out another gun, which looked like a shortened version of the Dragunov sniper rifle.
Of course, it was a version without a scope and with an extended magazine.
Tokarev warned, “Be careful, it has quite a kick when you shoot.”
Wang Zhong exclaimed, “To decide which version to approve, I need to try them out myself.”
The committee’s clerk immediately responded, “There’s an indoor shooting range of the Guardian Army right next door, converted from a people’s gymnasium, where you can test fire.”
“Good, let’s go there.”
Thirty minutes later, Wang Zhong had fired three or four dozen rounds with both guns. The one without the suppressor and with a higher bullet speed was really difficult to use in full auto, making him doubt whether he was really using reduced-load ammunition—so to maintain a decent hit rate with that one, he needed to fire in short bursts, three or four rounds at a time.
On the other hand, firing the “Screw Thread Tailor Machine” version was very comfortable; hip firing while holding down the trigger to empty a 20-round magazine, he could still hit the target once or twice—and this was at 200 meters!
After the trial, Wang Zhong came to a conclusion. He asked Tokarev, “Which one has lower production man-hours?”
Tokarev replied instantly, “Of course, the one with the standard barrel.”
Wang Zhong made a decision, “Then mass produce the version with the standard barrel.”
Tokarev was surprised, “I thought you preferred the subsonic round version!”
Wang Zhong, “I do prefer it, but in the future, we might need to mass produce six or seven thousand, or even ten thousand of these every day to meet the demand. We don’t have time for meticulous slow work.”
Tokarev then said, “But, the processing of that barrel only takes an extra half an hour, as I’ve made production changes to the gas diversion system to make it easier to manufacture.”
Wang Zhong, “Half an hour is a lot! A waste of half an hour on each gun, and if we produce ten thousand a day, that’s five thousand man-hours wasted!”
Tokarev shook his head, “General, you can’t calculate it that way. Both weapons can reach a production speed of ten thousand units a day; it’s just that the factory producing the subsonic round version will need more workers, because there’s an extra step in making the barrels.”
Wang Zhong fiddled with the “Screw Thread Tailor Machine” in his hands.
Tokarev, “Moreover, the two barrels are interchangeable. You can separate the barrel-making factories so that both guns can begin production, and the quantity produced will be determined by the output of the barrel factories. You only need to hire a few hundred more workers. Besides, the bigger the scale of the assembly line, the lower the cost.”
After thinking it over, Wang Zhong finally nodded, “Produce both types; whichever version the troops receive, they will use.”
