It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 67｜Big Purchase!

The small amount of funds was quickly allocated.

3.5 pagos were first used for the Royal Guard Fund, and Sigrid promised to continue to add money based on the royal financial situation; the remaining 3.5 pagos were used to pay the deposit for ordering weapons and equipment.

In Shang Ke's opinion, although the young Sigrid's political skills seemed immature, her basic operations were correct.

The heads of the Royal Garrison and the Guard, who are directly responsible for the security of the Buda Palace, are all Wedinians, and were all personally selected by Gustav VI.

The second is the Royal Guard. Once this foundation, which aims to relieve the soldiers of their worries, comes out, at least people will not have any prejudice or dissatisfaction.

No matter what, your own safety is the top priority, otherwise everything will be in vain.

Many famous people from ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad, must be regretting and expressing their deep sympathy in the underworld.

Shang Ke decided to be personally responsible for the procurement of weapons and equipment, and to leave routine training to the acting commander Captain Toth-Eugene.

So the question is... Which company has the best weapons and equipment? Shandong, look for Laiyang!

Ordering arms from the Grand Unified Federation was the most cost-effective option, offering high-quality goods at a low price. However, delivery was far too slow. From the moment the order was received and the manufacturing process began to ship them across half the world, the lead time was at least four months, and Shang Ke felt it was too late.

As for Valland and Marianna, the arms they export have little cost-effectiveness.

Therefore, the best solution at the moment is the Bohemian Republic, Hungary’s northern neighbor.

The Bohemian region is not large, but it has the reputation of being the heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. More than half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's heavy industries are concentrated in this Feng Shui treasure land rich in coal and iron resources.

The renowned Skoda Group is one of the leading military industrial enterprises in Europe, with its representative products including the LT-38 light tank and the vz.36 47mm anti-tank gun.

The famous state-owned Brno Arsenal also has a rich product range, with representative works including the ZB-26 light machine gun, ZH-29 semi-automatic rifle, and vz.24 bolt-action rifle.

With two major military-industrial enterprises, this small Bohemian country, formed by the union of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, was able to arm a well-equipped army of one million.

Of course, in their original plane, they failed to prove their combat effectiveness and succumbed to fate—they were ordered to disband.

Historically, the Germans made a lot of money and seized a large number of weapons and equipment.
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2175 various barreled artillery pieces
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469 tanks
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4.3 machine guns -
109 million rifles
About 10 billion rounds of various machine gun ammunition
Near noon, General Staff Headquarters.

The weather in Budapest is getting a little hot, but it's not hot enough to turn on the fan yet.

"Anna, have you finished proofreading the map?"

"Mr. Counselor, there's only a little left. I can finish it in an hour."

Shank asked her, "Very good. I have to meet the Skoda and Brno dealers this afternoon. Can you take me there?"

Anna asked doubtfully, "As you wish, Mr. Consultant, but there are only two companies' offices in Budapest. What do you mean by distributors?"

"Office? Same."

"I see."

Mr. Shang has never liked to trouble others for no reason.

Therefore, before leaving, he went to the small shop next door and bought a large chimney-roll chocolate ice cream for the civilian captain who had some baby fat.

"I remember you like desserts very much?" Shang Ke handed her the ice cream and said seriously, "Captain Anna, thank you for troubling you today."

"Ah? Thank you!" Anna was quite surprised.

So, under her guidance, Shang easily found his destination in Budapest.

It's very funny that the two offices are right next to each other, just like the blue and green factory mobile phone stores in later generations.

For a long time, both Skoda and Brno have been actively exporting arms, which is in fact an important economic pillar of the Bohemian Republic.

To be honest, upon seeing Shang's Asian face, the Skoda manager's enthusiasm instantly faded. In the twenty years since the end of the European War, the Grand Unified Federation had been a formidable competitor in the international arms market, capturing countless businesses.

Cutting off someone's financial resources is like...

Shang Ke glanced at him, then swaggered along while smiling and saying, "Why are you so cold and indifferent? Just do business and treat your customers with a smile."

The manager said calmly with a straight face, "Sir, are you here to inspect on behalf of the military?"

"Wrong answer. I'm here to purchase equipment for the -1 Royal Guard."

Shang Ke was too lazy to argue with him, so he just brushed past him and went forward to look at the sales items.

After a quick browse, he found that Skoda mainly sold heavy weapons with a wide variety of models, but not many of them could be delivered quickly.

Given that the Royal Guard's light howitzer squadron was organized in four-gun formations, the manager recommended several types of artillery in stock.

"We still have a small amount of unused stock in our headquarters warehouse. If you choose this, we can give you a satisfactory discount."

The manager recommended the M28 (vz.28) 75/90 mm mountain gun.
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Barrel 15.5 times the diameter -
Initial velocity 350 m/s
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Combat weight 710 kg -
Maximum range 7.8 km -
7 degrees left and right shooting range

This type of artillery is a competitor of the famous Bofors mountain gun. It also has a single-leg box-type gun mount, but its sales are not as good as Bofors. Its characteristic is that it has two calibers to choose from.

These stockpiled guns were ordered by Colombia five years ago, but a small number were canceled.

Shang Ke was not very satisfied with it, mainly because the single-leg gun mount was outdated and the left and right firing range was very narrow and inflexible. It was normal to use this during the European War, but now it was more than 20 years later.

I wouldn't buy this outdated stuff that has been in stock for years even if there's a discount, but I would consider it if it's half price.

He was proud of the school he attended in his previous life - no one can fool me, Shang, when it comes to artillery!

Then the manager recommended some more.

Shang Ke picked and chose and finally set his sights on the M35 (vz.35) 75mm light cavalry field gun.
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Barrel 21 times the diameter -
Initial velocity 480 m/s
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Combat weight 1040 kg -
Maximum range 10.2 km -
50 degrees left and right shooting range

【Picture】

This thing is both delicious and beautiful, a true panacea. The splayed mount and wedge-shaped breech block allow for a fast rate of fire, and it's factory-equipped with armor-piercing rounds and telescopic sights, clearly designed with anti-tank capabilities in mind.

"Does your gun allow mechanized towing?"

"There's coil spring suspension, solid rubber tires, which allow the truck to tow."

"Is a one-and-a-half-ton truck okay?"

“Of course, six draft horses or a light truck could easily tow it.”

"What is the trajectory of a grenade fired with the smallest charge?"

The manager hesitated and said, "Uh... please look up the manual for this question."

Shang Ke nodded with satisfaction and said in English: "This is exactly what I want. How long will it take for delivery?"

"The records show that the warehouse has five prototype guns that were used for testing and demonstration two years ago. They can be delivered after overhaul in about a month. If a brand new one is needed, the wait is at least eight months."

"We don't have time to wait that long. I'm ordering four doors on behalf of the Royal Guard."

"I see, sir. You should be an excellent artillery officer." The manager was deeply impressed by Shang's carefulness in the previous question and answer session.

"No, my military branch is military police and armored troops." Shang Ke suddenly smiled wickedly without warning and said, "Mr. Manager, this cavalry cannon doesn't seem to have been adopted by the Bohemian military. No one wants the five prototypes anyway. How about buying four and getting one free?"

(End of this chapter)