Imperial Elite

Chapter 26 Here's what happened...

As it turned out, for Joe, writing a report in an hour was far more difficult than taking the Lucky Bella to storm the Teutonic lines or strolling behind them.

What was even more painful than finishing the report within an hour was communicating with the Land Warships Committee and the Fox Company's garrison representatives about the problems encountered in using the tank.

Perhaps it was the minor unpleasantness that Joe had with these people when he was giving feedback on issues that made them hold a grudge.

After lunch, Joe had just returned from visiting Cecil, who was still unconscious at the hospital. Before he could even go back to his own tent, Joe and the other tank commanders were called to the temporary garage that the logistics staff were maintaining. They were told that the designers were here to collect user feedback and to share their thoughts.

Perhaps because the Lucky Bella was the most severely damaged vehicle in this battle, the commander led everyone to the Lucky Bella, which was so badly damaged that it had not yet begun repairs.

Although Qiao had mentioned it once before, that was a private comment. Now that the team leader has spoken up, Qiao will not hold back.

I tried to save face for you in the past, but you didn't accept it. Now don't blame me.

After all, this thing was just a project product for these committee members and engineers, but for Joe, it was the key to whether he could survive on the battlefield in the future.

So Joe was the first to jump up and say, "Your tank is: underpowered, like a snail; huge, clumsy as a pig; high center of gravity, prone to tipping over; poor welding, the turret will fall off; narrow tracks, it will get stuck; no cooling, it's as hot as a kiln; no exhaust, it suffocates the crew; poor visibility, blind as a bat; no ergonomics, unusable; armor... oh, the armor is fine. In short, your tank is pure industrial garbage except for its decent firepower and passable protection."

Faced with Joe's rapid-fire speech, the members of the Land Warships Committee and the Fox Company's garrison representatives were stunned for a moment, then their faces turned as red as boiled shrimp.

Joe's output continued.

"I reported all these problems before it went into battle, but you told me that this tank is perfect, the culmination of Imperial engineering technology, and doesn't need any modifications."

"And now you're asking us how we feel about it?"

"Then I can only tell you again, it's terrible, gentlemen, this vehicle is awful! That's how I feel! This tank doesn't need a little repair, it needs a major overhaul, starting with that stupid commander's cupola!"

As soon as Joe finished speaking, a factory engineer jumped out, his face flushed red as he glared at Joe with an angry expression that made it seem as if he was about to pull out his glove and throw it at Joe's face to declare a duel.

"You! How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"

Just as the engineer was getting so angry that his veins were bulging, a member of the Land Warships Committee reached out and pressed down on the engineer's shoulder, nodding to him to calm down.

This chubby man, who looked like a barrel, wore a monocle and had a head of gray hair, and resembled a committee member who could never finish writing reports, stepped forward from the crowd. After looking Qiao up and down, he spoke in a slow and hesitant tone, like a pitiful infantryman whose feet were stuck in mud in a no-man's-land.

"Ah... Lieutenant, what... invigorating energy! Your detailed assessment of the Empire's new equipment, with an enthusiasm comparable to when you received that..."

The committee member glanced at the medals hanging on Qiao's chest.

"The feat itself is worthy of the Medal of Valor."

"Insufficient power? Like a snail? My dear young man, you must have been speeding through the no-man's-land in the past, so much so that you can look down on the speed of this mechanical creation."

The committee member raised his head and looked at Qiao, continuing to speak slowly in that unpleasant tone.

"Of course, we all know about your feat yesterday, a Teutonic general. Congratulations, Lieutenant, but I think you should remember that this weapon was made to break through the Teutonic trenches, not for you to speed around like a sports car on the streets of Manchester."

As the committee member spoke, he walked over to the Lucky Bella and reached out to tap the tank's armor.

“We admit it’s big, but I’m sure you’re smart enough not to forget that this vehicle carried thirteen men, two six-pound cannons, one 4.5-inch cannon, and six machine guns, plus a whole bunch of ammunition. Can you tell me…”

The committee member turned to look at Joe.

"How do you plan to make this tank smaller while still being able to carry so many weapons? We implore your valuable advice. I think not only we, but also the Royal Navy, desperately need this solution."

Just as Qiao was about to speak, the committee member raised his hand to indicate that he hadn't finished.

"Poor welding? The observation tower was lost? Ah, those patriotic women temporarily recruited in the production department, their welding skills may indeed have failed to meet your... high expectations."

The committee member looked up at the roof of the Lucky Bella.

"But rest assured, their enthusiasm far surpasses your... passion for this machine. However, of the forty-eight tanks deployed, only yours encountered this problem, and we regret to inform you of this."

The committee member gave Qiao Wei a perfunctory bow.

"As for the tracks being too narrow and causing the vehicle to get stuck? The lack of heat dissipation making it as hot as a kiln? The exhaust fumes not being expelled and suffocating the passengers? The poor visibility making it as blind as a bat? The terrible ergonomics making it unusable?"

The committee member walked towards Qiao as he spoke.

“Oh, dear Lieutenant, you’ve listed so many…details in one go! This fully demonstrates your…keen observation skills—albeit in an industrial field that you may not be very familiar with.”

Walking up to Joe, the committee member looked into Joe's eyes and said...

“Lieutenant, you see, we don’t live in a vacuum. Resources are… extremely limited, time is… extremely tight, and the Teutonics won’t wait for us to design the perfect machine that’s as comfortable and well-ventilated as the mines in your hometown.”

When Joe tried to argue that he wasn't a miner, the committee member smiled and continued speaking without giving Joe a chance to speak.

"We're building a metal box that can navigate the mud and hell of the Somme, not... a Rolls-Royce limousine. As for passenger comfort? Compared to being torn to shreds by machine guns and cannons in the open, I think sweating in a warm and... distinctively smelly metal box isn't so unacceptable."

The committee member patted Joe on the shoulder, stopping him from speaking again.

"Ah, you mentioned firepower and protection at the end? 'Adequate'? 'So-so'?... What a prudent assessment! We sincerely thank you for recognizing our work, Lieutenant."

"Your evaluation is precisely the only reason we designed it. It can carry machine guns and cannons, braving a hail of bullets, safely climb to the noses of the Teutonics, and then send them flying into the sky with cannonballs."

"As for the other...minor flaws you listed? They are nothing more than the dust of the industrial age and minor imperfections that inevitably accompany a great journey. After all, we are all in the midst of an unpleasant war, aren't we?"

The committee member leaned back, revealing a smile that was a mixture of pity and superiority.

"Your valiant medals are a testament to your courage, Lieutenant. But courage can sometimes cloud our perception of complex realities."

"Your vivid description of this 'industrial junk' is full of the straightforwardness characteristic of a basic education. The Empire needs talents like you on the front lines, to use your unfettered wisdom to directly experience and accept its 'junk' aspects."

"And the committee's task is to think from a more... macro perspective about how to use this 'garbage' to win this war—even if the process isn't so... elegant and comfortable, but that's war, isn't it, dear Lieutenant?"

The committee member's arrogant attitude made Joe unconsciously clench his fists, and the veins on his forehead bulged. The reason these people had previously rejected his suggestions was that this new equipment hadn't been tested in actual combat, so no one's opinion mattered; it needed to be tested in real combat before targeted improvements could be made.

But now, when he tries to use his practical experience to ask them for targeted improvements, these guys start questioning him based on their own education. They're implying that Joe, who only received a basic education, has no right to tell them what to do, these elites of the empire.

Even though he was furious at the committee member's words, Joe still patiently expressed his opinion.

“I understand this is a new thing, and there are many shortcomings, and wartime production may have many problems. But it is we who will be piloting these things to fight the Teutons, not you. Something with problems like this…”

"stand at attention!"

Just as Joe was pointing at the Lucky Bella and speaking, a shout suddenly rang out from behind him.

Joe, who was halfway through his sentence, immediately turned around and stood at attention in the direction of the shout. Then he saw Marshal Haig, the commander-in-chief of the Bonitania Expeditionary Force, whom he had only seen in newspapers before, standing right in front of him.

Several generals followed behind Marshal Haig.

Why is the marshal here?

Although filled with doubts, this did not stop Joe and the people around him from saluting Marshal Hag and the group of generals.

"Take a break."

Marshal Haig raised his hand to casually return the salute to the crowd, then walked over to the tank, looked it over from head to toe, and examined the Lucky Bella, which was riddled with bullet holes. He then reached out and touched the tank.

He then turned around and looked at the crowd gathered in front of the tank.

"Looks like I've come at the wrong time? What are you all doing gathered here? There seemed to be some argument just now?"

Upon hearing Marshal Haig's question, Colonel Els quickly walked up to Marshal Haig, saluted him, and said, "We were just giving feedback to the design committee and the factory about the use of these tanks. Lieutenant Joe's criticism of these industrial marvels of the Empire was a bit too sharp, which caused a small controversy."

Upon hearing Colonel Els's words, Marshal Haig turned his gaze to Joe, whose face, like the engineers before him, was flushed red.

"Joe? Joe Harrison?"

"Yes, sir."

Colonel Els nodded to Marshal Haig.

"it's him?"

Marshal Haig pointed at Joe.

"Yes."

Colonel Els and Marshal Haig looked Joe up and down and found that the guy in front of him was not quite the same as the impression he had left on him in the report. He had thought that this was a giant whose chest could break rocks and whose shoulders could run horses, but he did not expect that he was such a refined-looking guy, like a college student.

Although Joe was somewhat different from what he had imagined, it did not stop Marshal Haig from waving to him.

When Joe saw Marshal Haig beckoning to him, he was a little confused as to why the marshal wanted to call him over.
With a question in mind, Joe approached Marshal Haig, and then heard the colonel standing next to Marshal Haig shout, "Attention!"

The colonel then took a box out of his pocket and handed it to Marshal Haig, who then reached out and began to remove the Medal of Distinguished Conduct from Joe's chest.

As he picked the fruit, Marshal Hague looked at Joe and said.

"In recognition of your valiant act of reorganizing the troops in a time of crisis and holding your ground against the Teutonic attack, you are hereby awarded the Medal of Distinguished Conduct upon the recommendation of the 32nd Infantry Division, the report submitted by the Bunitania Expeditionary Force, and the approval of His Majesty the King. We look forward to your continued success."

As they were talking, Marshal Haig opened the box that the colonel had handed him, took out a medal with rank insignia for outstanding conduct, and pinned it to Joe's chest.

Although it looks very similar to the Medal of Distinguished Conduct, the insignia on this medal indicates that the recipient is a remarkable individual who has received the Medal of Distinguished Conduct twice.

As Marshal Haig awarded the medal to Joe, the people present all showed different expressions.

The officers all looked on with envy, wishing they could go up and award the medal to Qiao. The Medal for Distinguished Conduct was awarded infrequently, and those who received an additional rank were even rarer.

The expressions of the committee members and the factory engineers, however, became less cheerful.

Especially the committee member who had just criticized Qiao, the smile on his face, which was a mixture of pity and superiority, gradually evaporated, and finally turned into an awkward but polite smile.

After pinning the medal on Joe, Marshal Haig patted Joe on the shoulder.

"I know what you did yesterday. You did well. Keep up the good work, and one day you will become a general too."

Upon hearing this, Joe could only say, "I don't care about being a general or anything like that. I'd be happy if I could retire now, leave the army, and get away from the Somme."

Although that's what I thought in my mind, I certainly couldn't say it like that.

Encouraged by Marshal Haig, Joe saluted him with unwavering resolve. But before he could say anything, he suddenly had a mental block and couldn't think of anything to say. So Joe instinctively shouted, "Loyalty!"

Marshal Hag was taken aback by Joe's word "loyalty," unsure of what Joe meant by it.

However, seeing Joe's flushed face, Marshal Hag thought that perhaps the young man was just inexperienced and too excited, which was normal.

Moreover, the medals had already been issued, and Marshal Haig, having dealt with the main matters, turned to look at the Lucky Bella behind him. As a soldier, Marshal Haig would naturally like such a powerful-looking toy.

After looking the Lucky Bella up and down, Marshal Hague turned to Joe and asked.

"Colonel Ellis said you were just arguing. What were you arguing about?"

Upon hearing Marshal Haig's words, the last trace of a smile on the committee member's face vanished, while a smile began to appear on Joe's face.

"Marshal, it's like this..."

(End of this chapter)