CHAPTER 398: CHAPTER 398 CHEAP VERSION

Shire looked at Matthew in surprise, "How did you know I was going to make modifications?"

"Come on, Shire," Matthew laughed, "What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?"

Shire asked in confusion, "Weren’t you working on improving the engine?"

That was the task Shire had given Matthew. He was in charge of tank engine development.

Matthew nodded, "Indeed, but I’ve also been studying the tank, Shire. Tanks are used on the battlefield, and to develop an excellent tank, I must also understand the battlefield. I learned a lot from Colonel Estiny."

Shire understood now. Matthew had "infiltrated" military theory.

"Do you know what I discovered?" Matthew asked.

"What?" Shire asked.

Matthew gave Shire a thumbs up, "You’re incredible."

Shire laughed, thinking Matthew was joking. That was his nature, always appearing nonchalant and irreverent.

But Matthew didn’t laugh. He added seriously, "I’m serious, Shire. The more I learn, the more I realize how incredible you are. They say your tactics are ’untraceable’ and ’ever-changing.’ I completely agree. Sometimes, I even feel like you know what’s going to happen in the future; it’s unbelievable."

Shire was startled. Had he been found out?

"Let’s not talk about that." Shire quickly changed the subject, "You still haven’t answered me, how did you know I was going to make modifications?"

Matthew propped himself up from his chair and limped over to the "Saint Chamond," inspecting its protruding gun barrel, "You sent the ’Saint Chamond’ to the police base and then a few more to the tractor factory. That’s when I knew you were planning modifications."

Shire suddenly understood.

He sent the "Saint Chamond" to the police base for training and to the tractor factory for improvements, so that they could train and improve simultaneously.

Matthew made his judgment based on this.

Just as Shire was about to say something, Matthew spoke first, "I guess you’ll remove all the machine guns and add a rotating turret, right?"

Matthew assumed that Shire’s modifications were targeting the German Army’s new tank, the "Upper Silesia." The 75mm cannon could penetrate the "Upper Silesia" from a greater distance.

He bet with Colonel Estiny over the phone, "The direction of the ’Shire A1’ modifications is to thicken the armor. Therefore, we need a tank with a larger caliber gun to suppress the Germans’ ’Upper Silesia’ at any range. I think it will be the ’Saint Chamond’.

Colonel Estiny thought Matthew’s analysis made sense but still found it unlikely, "If that’s the case, we can simply design a new tank. There’s no need to purchase the ’Saint Chamond’ since it has no patent issues."

Matthew replied, "We’ll see, Colonel. I’ll bet two packs of ’Gypsies’.

...

Back in the present, Matthew looked at Shire confidently, "I guessed it right, didn’t I?"

Shire shook his head with a smile, "Half-correct. The machine guns will indeed be removed, but a rotating turret isn’t necessary."

Matthew’s smile froze, "How is that possible? Then how will it cope with the ’Upper Silesia’..."

"It’s just a gun, Matthew," Shire answered, "Equipment doesn’t need to be overly complex. Sometimes simplicity, reliability, cost, and quantity are more important."

Matthew frowned, "But the ’Saint Chamond’ isn’t cheap..."

Shire didn’t answer. He stepped forward and pointed at the front and rear ends of the "Saint Chamond," "Removing the four machine guns will free up a lot of space, allowing us to shorten the front and rear to improve its off-road capability."

Matthew acknowledged, "Hmm," the biggest issue with the "Saint Chamond" was its protruding front and rear, making it easy to get stuck on the battlefield.

"Move the cannon’s center of gravity to the middle," Shire continued, "This will prevent it from being front-heavy."

Matthew nodded in agreement. The "Saint Chamond" couldn’t have its front armor thickened due to the front-heavy issue.

"Lastly," Shire patted the front, "Isolate the driver’s cabin from the rear compartment."

Matthew stared at Shire with wide eyes, "No, we can’t do that."

Matthew knew why Shire wanted to do this.

The 75mm cannon would generate a lot of smoke when fired. Isolating the front and rear would prevent the smoke from affecting the driver and gunner in the front.

However...

"This makes no sense, Shire," Matthew said, "Have you considered that with the engine and cannon noise inside the tank, communication between the crew is already difficult? If we isolate the front and rear, they won’t even hear each other."

"The ’Saint Chamond’ would be split into two parts, each fighting on its own."

"They can communicate," Shire answered calmly, "We just need to install telephones in both the front and rear compartments."

Matthew was stunned but then suddenly burst out laughing, "You crafty devil! How did you think of that? Telephones inside a tank!"

With that, the last major headache with the ’Saint Chamond’ was solved:

The front cabin driver and gunner wouldn’t be affected by smoke from the rear. The rear cabin could use gas masks to deal with the smoke, and the front and rear would communicate via telephone.

Shire had even figured out a specialized gas mask that could be used for extended periods.

(The image above shows a box-type gas mask invented in 1916, characterized by long usage time and easy filter replacement.)

Upon hearing Shire’s description, a picture formed in Matthew’s mind. He nodded confidently, "These modifications may seem significant on the surface, but they’re actually just adjustments to shape and position. The complex components like the chassis, engine, and transmission remain unchanged, so it won’t be too difficult. We can finish it in no time."

"One month," Shire set the deadline, "All ’Saint Chamonds’ must be modified within a month. Can you do it?"

Matthew hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded firmly, "We can do it."

"But this is just one modification," Matthew knocked on the "Saint Chamond’s" steel plate, "I still don’t see how it’s cheap. If, as you say, we produce it in large quantities, just over a hundred engines would take months.

"There’s another cheaper version," Shire said.

"What?" Matthew couldn’t believe it. There wasn’t much left to cut; it was already just a chassis with a cannon. Could the chassis be removed too?

Shire took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Matthew. He had drawn it last night.

Matthew took it, unfolded it, and was stunned for a while before finally exclaiming, "It really is a cheap version!"

It was an artillery truck, simply mounting a cannon on the back of a truck. It was almost a seamless combination of a truck and a 75mm cannon.

(The image above shows the Soviet SU-12-1 76mm self-propelled howitzer, which played a significant role in the Nomonhan battle.)