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

Chapter 75: Close to a Diplomatic Incident

After returning to Budapest, good news came one after another.

Shang Ke learned that the "Concise Guide to Infantry Anti-Tank" he compiled was already being printed in batches. At first, he only ordered one thousand copies, which was just a small amount for the printing factory.

Attack from close range, attack from behind, combine obstacles with hunting teams, attack the head first and then cut off the tail, cut off the accompanying infantry and then attack... There are many different strategies.

【Picture】

The Hungarian and Swedish army was very interested in this. After reading it, some generals praised it highly and quickly requested to print an additional 100,000 copies.

Who doesn’t love anti-tank gymnastics!
Budapest in early June is getting hotter during the day, but the nights are very pleasant with a moderate temperature.

To celebrate the progress made in the two-year construction of national defense, the top leaders of the Hungarian government held a dinner party, attended by military and political leaders and the queen.

Some core members of the Grand Federation Military and Technical Advisory Group also received invitations, which shows that the Hungarians are not shy.

The crescent moon slowly rises, and the ancient city's prosperous night scene remains the same as it has been for thousands of years.

The Susanna Hotel was very lively, with Skoda, Mercedes, Horch, Rolls-Royce and other cars gathered here, and hundreds of military and political leaders arrived on time.

There were only more than ten core members of the advisory group attending the banquet. As guests from a great country, they were warmly received. Shang Ke was the youngest among them, and even Su Ji was not present.

"Captain, why did you call me specifically?"

Major General Zhang didn't keep the question secret and replied with a smile, "They think your work is outstanding and want to give you a medal."

A spacious hall, a bright red carpet, and crystal chandeliers.

Well-dressed waiters were walking around carrying plates of food. Attending such a dinner was a new thing for Shang.

A lieutenant general took the stage and gave a speech, describing to the military and political leaders attending the dinner the great achievements made in rearmament over the past two years.

From the initial 4 troops limited by the Treaty of Trianon to the current 40, Hungary and Sweden have expanded their army tenfold, including:
｜25 infantry divisions
｜3 motorized infantry division

｜2 cavalry divisions
｜1 armored division
｜2 independent armored regiments
At the same time, armored vehicles that symbolize strength have also been initially domestically produced. The Torti light tank and the Hunter self-propelled anti-aircraft gun have begun mass production, and the Turan medium tank is not far from being officially finalized.

For a small country with a population of only over nine million, this achievement is commendable and can be said to be quite inspiring. Perhaps the ancient martial tradition of the Huns played a big role?

The light tank 38M Torti was copied from the Swedish L-60. It uses a torsion bar suspension, has strong power and excellent maneuverability.

As for the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun 39M Hunter, it is even better. It is based on the Tordi chassis and is equipped with a Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun.

【Picture】

When Sweden demonstrated the idea of ​​combining anti-aircraft guns with light tank chassis, the Chief of Staff of the Royal Hungarian Army believed that this was of great practical value. The self-propelled anti-aircraft gun could be used as a support vehicle with the same mobility and off-road capabilities as tanks, and was capable of providing accompanying cover for rapidly advancing armored forces.

The Huns had good vision, as they had such foresight and successfully put it into action.

Shang Ke spoke highly of the Hunter. You should know that in history, the similar Tornado and Dongfeng self-propelled anti-aircraft guns of the Varlanders were not born until the end of the war a few years later.

After the Lieutenant General reviewed the brilliant achievements in national defense construction, Sigrid, who was dressed in formal attire, went on stage to deliver a speech amid warm applause.

This series of pleasantries was meaningless, and Shang Ke's attention was focused on the so-called awarding of medals.

Sigrid announced that after discussions at headquarters, it had been decided to award the Cross of Merit to a number of nominated individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to national defense. There were about ten individuals in total, all officers and arsenal engineers. There were only three foreigners—the Chief of Advisors, Shang, and Major General Reinhard from Varland.

The Minister of Defense awarded medals to everyone one by one, and more than a dozen Medals of Merit Cross were ready.

For officers, they salute each other after being awarded medals; for engineers, they shake hands with each other after being awarded medals.

The awarding of the medal to Major General Zhang, the head of the advisory group, was mainly out of respect, and more of a diplomatic etiquette, expressing praise for the pleasant cooperation between the two countries.

As for Mr. Shang...the Lieutenant General gave him special praise.

"Major Shangke of the Advisory Group has demonstrated exceptional competence since arriving in Hungary. He has provided guidance to the staff, compiled manuals of experience, and made outstanding contributions to the regularization of the Royal Guard's training."

When narrating the story, the lieutenant general deliberately omitted the Jer incident. This unpleasant experience was well known to everyone and there was no need to talk about it.

Shang Ke, dressed in a formal suit, walked steadily up to the stage, turned around, and looked around. The huge hall was filled with pairs of eyes staring at him.

Sigrid was wearing a red and white court dress tonight. She took out the medal from the small box, held the ribbon in both hands, and walked to Shangke.

The medal has a red laurel wreath and crown in the center of the cross, and the ribbon is emerald green.

There was no objection to awarding the medal to Shang, especially after the Györ incident, the Hungarian upper class also felt quite frightened.

This time Sigrid personally awarded the medal, holding one side of the ribbon in each hand, and stretched it to the back of Shangke's neck to tie it crosswise.

In terms of height, Sigrid is 170cm tall and wears high heels, which makes people feel a little oppressive when standing face to face.

The intricate lace of the skirt caused a little trouble, as it accidentally caught the guard of Shang Ke's dress sword.

Sigrid, who was completely unaware of the situation, pulled out her sword as she retreated, and the six-sided Han sword fell to the ground with a crisp "clang" sound.

The swords worn by officers of the Federal Armed Forces are a slightly modified version of the Han sword - lieutenants have four sides, colonels have six sides, and generals have eight sides.

Fortunately, this court dress with a bustle was quite sturdy, otherwise if Sigrid's skirt was torn off in such an occasion, it would probably be considered a diplomatic accident.

what?
What's the situation?
In the blink of an eye, Shang Ke was stunned for half a second before he cleverly said humorously, "Your Majesty, do you want to confer a title on me? If not, I will continue to work hard."

The knighting ceremony in Europe can be simple or elaborate. Generally, the knight hands over his sword to his superior, who then taps the knight on the shoulder with his sword.

Sigrid, blushing, tried her best to calm down and replied graciously, "If you have done enough for Hunricane, I will."

Shang Ke half-knelt down, reached out to pick up his sword, and then put it back into the scabbard.

The small accident was resolved smoothly.

Afterwards, the dinner began.

Faced with exquisite beef stew, foie gras, almond cake, cherry muffins and other delicacies and Laurent champagne, Shang Ke enjoyed them with peace of mind.

I, Shang, have devoted my life to the cause and even taught the Eastern martial arts' unique anti-tank gymnastics. It's reasonable for me to eat and drink a little, right?

(End of this chapter)