Munitions Empire-Chapter 1200: Otherwise, you guys go talk about it yourselves.
Expecting to piece together a Tyrannosaurus Rex from a few descriptive phrases is absolutely impossible. Hoping to uncover the secrets of building an aircraft carrier from vague information is even more of a pipe dream.
Forget about relying on some descriptions. Even if you were to take a walk aboard an aircraft carrier and observe everything carefully, you still wouldn’t be able to build one.
When the Laines Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Somi, nervously entered the conference room, he saw several engineers, the Minister of Industry, and a very troubled-looking Leines I.
He glanced at the Prime Minister seated at the second chair. The Prime Minister gently shook his head, silently signaling that things were not progressing smoothly. Over the past ten-plus days, they had completely wasted their time.
"We failed." The Minister of Industry glanced guiltily at Foreign Minister Somi, who had just stepped through the door, before regretfully speaking.
His demeanor now was entirely different from the confident one he displayed a little over ten days ago. Back then, he had claimed that while designing submarines might be challenging, building an aircraft carrier was no big deal.
In fact, building aircraft carriers truly isn’t that difficult: Back in the WWII era, even countries with modest industrial capabilities seemed able to produce them. Germany and Italy were close to achieving this, and Japan, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom all had their own carriers.
However, the problem is that, in this world, apart from the Great Tang Empire, many other nations had their technological levels forcibly elevated without solid foundational work. They hadn’t fully digested the technologies they acquired, nor had they developed the associated scientific knowledge independently.
This situation is somewhat reminiscent of today’s "Third Brother." The technical prowess of "The Third Brother" was artificially inflated, rather than arising from their own accumulated research and development. As a result, while they might seem technologically competent on the surface, in reality, their capabilities are severely lacking.
"Didn’t you all say that the aircraft carrier wasn’t technically difficult, merely a matter of creativity?" Foreign Minister Somi knew that if he didn’t assert his authority now, his position as minister wouldn’t remain tenable for long.
Whatever power games other departments had played against him earlier, he was determined to return the favor now! Did they think the Laines Empire’s foreign ministry was an easy target, a scapegoat to toss around at will?
"The technical details involved are too numerous. We genuinely have no way to move the project forward," the Minister of Industry continued shaking his head. He understood that this moment was payback time, a direct result of his cocky attitude earlier versus his current humiliation.
Who could have guessed that even though the aircraft design work was nearly complete, constructing a vessel to serve as a floating airport at sea could pose such formidable challenges?
In truth, the technological complexities in these details are staggering. For example, take the arrestor wires used for landing aircraft—they actually have a limited service life and must be replaced regularly!
What’s even scarier is that those steel cables aren’t simply fixed to the deck. Internally, they have structures that involve damping mechanisms and require mechanical strength.
An entire system like this relies on countless experiments and practical applications, failing thousands of times before arriving at a comprehensive and effective technical framework.
If you want to replicate this? Just figuring out the materials and internal structural compatibility would likely require Laines’ industrial sector to spend three—even five—years experimenting. That’s no exaggeration—think "three years of college entrance exams, five years of simulated exams."
"Our side hopes to have two aircraft carriers as soon as possible or at least one. Training will require time, and we estimate it will take at least a year to master the essential techniques for deploying a carrier," a military general at the table remarked, once again leaving the Minister of Industry speechless.
The Tang Country had estimated that they could deliver an aircraft carrier in about a year, while their own side likely wouldn’t even finalize the design blueprints within that time frame.
The Navy was growing increasingly anxious. Without an aircraft carrier for protection, their battleships were nothing but massive "near-coast artillery ships." They neither dared venture into the high seas nor risk being detected by enemy submarines. After pouring millions into building these large warships, their current utility was inferior to that of basic patrol boats!
In such circumstances, it seemed entirely reasonable to invest funds to fully revive all the battleships. A two-billion investment appeared cost-effective, given that strategically, this expenditure could potentially unlock the combined operational value of five or even eight billion worth of naval assets.
The Great Tang Empire’s delivery of submarines, by contrast, was far more prompt and straightforward. This was primarily because Tang Country already had its share of technologically outdated, small, experimental submarines.
Dragon Island retained facilities for constructing smaller submarines, and the technology for diesel-electric engines was no longer a tightly guarded secret. So, with full production ramped up and old assets sold off, creating over twenty submarines in one go posed no major difficulty for the Great Tang Empire.
And globally, nations didn’t need large quantities of these submarines. Each country required, on average, only about three. Thus, delivering the orders within six months was entirely feasible.
War is the best advertisement for weapons. When the Great Tang Empire declared war on Mirage Country, the international arms market surged with unprecedented fervor. The previously stagnant demand for advanced weapons from the Great Tang Group was rekindled into a massive wave of orders spanning the globe.
While big-ticket items like submarines and aircraft carriers sold briskly, even less conspicuous but critically important items shone in these transactions.
Don’t think selling aircraft carriers is where the real money is. The true profit often lies in firearms, ammunition, or even steel helmets and military canteens!
Many countries became greatly intrigued by the Great Tang Empire’s amphibious tanks and main battle tanks deployed in battle. Certain land-army-focused empires, eager to assemble powerful armored forces, expressed a strong desire to acquire the "invincible" Type 59 main battle tank.
Other nations with dense waterway networks showed more interest in lightweight amphibious tanks and vehicles. For instance, Dorne and Gobur both sought access to the Type 63 amphibious tank and the Type 77 amphibious armored vehicle’s designs.
Similarly, virtually every nation expressed significant interest in the Great Tang Empire’s RPG technology. They all sought to enable their infantry to possess viable anti-tank capabilities, and clearly, rocket-propelled grenades were highly effective single-unit anti-armor weapons!
Beyond such weaponry, nations like the Ice Cold Empire or the Poplar Empire, already embroiled in conflict, along with the Dahua Empire facing civil war, and the Great Qin Empire currently invading Shu Country—all had firsthand experiences on the inadequacy of their individual soldiers’ weapon systems during real combat.
They broadly desired to acquire technologies for the assault rifles, gun grenades, and sniper rifles already widely used by Tang Army troops to bolster their infantry firepower.
With the ongoing wars, nations began reassessing their military needs: stronger personal weaponry, improved protective equipment, and field gear better suited to specific environments.
Water bottles, leather boots, camouflage uniforms, steel helmets, bayonets, mess tins, raincoats—once more soldiers stepped onto the battlefield, commanders worldwide realized these seemingly insignificant items could no longer be overlooked.
Such equipment indeed had a tangible impact on military effectiveness. Thus, countries began focusing heavily on these overlooked aspects, feeling a certain desperation akin to cramming for a last-minute exam.
Upon adopting these items, nations finally understood the scientific and technical depth behind this seemingly mundane gear. Ultimately, they had no choice but to flock back to the Great Tang Group, either to purchase outright or imitate a range of civilian technologies from scratch.
When it came to acquiring more advanced fighter jets, the situation grew even more intriguing. Only after these sample aircraft were delivered to respective nations did they comprehend what they had truly purchased.
A nation that previously had only P-36s suddenly acquiring Mustang Fighters, or one with merely Hurricane Fighters being handed a Spitfire? The morale of these countries’ pilots immediately soared.
Previously, they had never experienced weapons this advanced. Early-generation planes could only climb to about 6,000 meters or, at best, slightly under 8,000 meters. Now, their aircraft could fly at altitudes of 10,000 meters—was that not a fundamental leap forward?
What’s more, these new planes brought about a wealth of new technologies: engine advancements, material upgrades, assembly expertise, and even new strategies for high-altitude combat. Everything had transformed compared to the past.
Pilots now understood the mindset of the Great Tang Empire’s aviators when they operated Butcher Fighter jets. With planes this advanced, the tactic was straightforward: dive, attack, and disengage! Dogfighting? Who needed dogfighting anymore?
Previously, pilots from other countries were accustomed to low-altitude maneuvers, attempting to outwit opponents through close combat. Now they realized that, in the face of superior speed, such strategies were a desperate last resort at best.
Given the opportunity to prioritize speed, what fool wouldn’t choose speed? With sufficient speed, dominance in air combat becomes almost absolute!
This philosophy had always held true, even though the advent of radar and missiles had slightly shifted the emphasis in second-generation jet designs.
Later, more powerful missiles and superior technologies proved that ultra-high-speed fighters weren’t a flawed concept. In fact, third-generation fighters represented a temporary detour due to technical limitations. After all, hypersonic missiles deliver better range when launched from ultra-high-speed fighters.
With access to advanced fighter jets, pilots from around the world found themselves reinvigorated, brimming with newfound confidence.
In the conference room, everyone turned to look at Foreign Minister Somi. Even Leines I cleared his throat and, drawing out his words, asked, "Somi! It’s time to rectify our mistakes. Get in touch with the special envoy and have him negotiate with the Great Tang Group. See if there are any more cost-effective options available."
His statement added fuel to the Minister of Industry’s thoughts. Tentatively, he proposed, "I think we could have serious negotiations with Tang Country. Perhaps they’d be willing to sell us the technology, and we could handle constructing most of the hull ourselves..."
Foreign Minister Somi sneered and immediately retorted, "Do you think they’d agree to such an absurd proposal? Or, better yet, even if they agreed, how much would we actually save? Why don’t you go negotiate yourself? Our foreign ministry can happily stay out of it."
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To be continued tomorrow.
