Chapter 1864 The Gap
Haihan's foreign arms trade has been carried out for nearly ten years. From the earliest days of selling cold weapons and armor to Annan, to later exporting muskets and artillery in batches to foreign countries, and now to assisting the construction of arsenals in some countries and transferring some old equipment Production technology, it seems that arms export controls are becoming more and more open, but in fact, one principle has always been implemented, that is, weapons and technologies that may pose a real threat to Haihan will not be sold. There is a clear gap between the weapons and equipment that can be sold to foreign countries and the models used by the Haihan Army to ensure that Haihan's military advantage will not be shaken.
The North Koreans actually knew this very well, so Wang Tom did not deliberately conceal it when facing the two princes and three judgments. Of course, for him to tell the other party the inside story of the arms trade so frankly was somewhat of a show off.
"Old Qian, please show our distinguished guests the power of this rifle!"
Qian Tiandun nodded and took the rifle from Wang Tom, aiming the gun at the target in the distance. The original main purpose of today's shooting competition was to create a lively scene, so the target was placed only ten feet away, and it was a half-length target that was not too small, to ensure that North Korean soldiers could have a better hit rate with their matchlock guns. These targets are made of iron plates and will make noise when bullets are hit, which is suitable for demonstrating the performance of weapons.
Qian Tiandun's target shooting at this distance is naturally not a problem. Although he has never used this gun, all rifles have been calibrated after being issued to soldiers, and their accuracy is generally not bad. Qian Tiandun took aim and pulled the trigger. Sure enough, the gun rang out, and he fired again and again. Seven shots in a row hit the target.
What surprised the onlookers the North Korean executives most was not Qian Tiandun's accurate marksmanship. After all, this kind of advanced weapon was made by the Haihan people, and it was not surprising that it was used skillfully. However, the frequency of firing really overturned their understanding of muskets. The inherent impression of the weapon. I only saw Qian Tiandun's action of pulling the bolt and loading the gun after finishing the first shot, and he could immediately fire the second bullet. This so-called Haihan continuous gun is really powerful. Previously, Wang Tom said that this gun fires as fast as a matchlock gun. More than ten times, it is indeed not bragging.
After Qian Tiandun finished the fight, Wang Tom took the lead in applauding: "The sword never grows old! The marksmanship is still so powerful!"
Qian Tiandun said with a smile: "Fortunately, I have been free to practice shooting recently, otherwise I would have been embarrassed in front of the distinguished guests today!"
The few North Korean dignitaries who were watching naturally praised Qian Tiandun's marksmanship with great interest. The two princes were eager to try it, but this time General Haihan did not immediately invite them to test-fire this new rifle. The conversation returned to the arms trade.
Qian Tiandun said: "For our country, selling weapons and equipment is not only for the purpose of making money, but also to maintain the stability of the military alliance. You may have noticed before that this time I came to your country to participate in the anti-Qing war. Most of the weapons and equipment of the several Allied troops fighting are produced in our country, and the troop organization and most of the tactics used by these troops equipped with standard weapons produced in our country are also from our country, so as to ensure that they can survive. Maintain coordinated actions with our military during the operation.”
Qian Tiandun paused, looked at the military judge Shen Jingzhen and said: "Master Shen may know better why we have not mobilized North Korean troops to the position to participate in joint operations during the battle to block the Qing army at the Datong River base."< br>
In fact, this matter is not a secret in the North Korean military, but the two brothers Li Hao and Li Hao did not mention this section in the post-mortem report they saw. At that moment, they both cast curious glances at Shen Jingzhen.
This incident was naturally not a glorious deed for North Korea. Shen Jingzhen coughed dryly and explained to the two princes: "Our army is not equipped with many Haihan weapons, so it cannot be tactically consistent with the coalition forces. In order not to affect the coalition operations, so Our army is mainly responsible for logistical tasks.”
Qian Tiandun said: "Logistics and baggage are of course very important, but I think your soldiers still hope to prove themselves by killing the enemy on the battlefield. After all, there are many soldiers from your country who asked us to fight before and after the war. Just We have received no less than ten blood letters, which shows the strong willingness to fight. If they can be equipped with better standard weapons and learn more efficient tactics, then I think your army should fight the Qing army next time. Have enough ability to fight alongside us.”
Qian Tiandun's words could be regarded as helping Shen Jingzhen to smooth things over, so that he would not be too embarrassed in front of the two princes. Of course, it is unclear how the two princes would understand that their army had to act as a substitute during the battle because they could not keep up with the pace.
Shen Jingzhen glanced at Qian Tiandun gratefully and responded quickly: "General Qian is right. Although our soldiers are willing to fight to the death to kill the enemy, they must take the overall situation into consideration, so we have this arrangement."
Li Pu sighed: "I see, I just heard from my father that our country's military expenditure is limited and it is difficult to support the large number of troops in the army to equip the new Haihan weapons. I don't know when we will be equipped with Haihan weapons like other friendly forces!"
Wang Tom took advantage of the opportunity and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The industrial cooperation plan previously proposed by our country is to revitalize your country's economy after the war. It will first obtain profits from these important industries to enrich your country's treasury, and then gradually strengthen its armed forces. As long as you follow this Step by step, step by step, within three to five years, your new army will have made great progress, and by then it will be able to fight together with our army like other friendly armies!”
Li Bo was fascinated by what he heard and couldn't help but said: "If one day our Korean army can go overseas to fight like this, it will be a big revelation!"
Li Hao also said: "General Wang said that results will be achieved in three to five years. Then maybe one day in the future, we can defeat the Qing army on the battlefield and avenge our shame!"
Wang Tom finally saw that these two North Korean princes were both typically young and energetic. They were deeply resentful of the many times their country had been bullied by their evil neighbors in the north, and they wanted to retaliate with force. However, this wish is of course difficult to realize by North Korea's own force alone. Even if the North Korean army is equipped with a large number of weapons provided by Haihan in the next few years, it will only be able to protect itself. The Qing army is not so easy to defeat. Otherwise, Ming Dynasty, which has a large number of firearms in the army, would have done it long ago. General Haihan and the King of North Korea both knew about this, and the senior North Korean officials present generally knew that only the two princes still had beautiful illusions.
But facing these two excited young men, Wang Tom will naturally not reveal the truth. On the contrary, he will seize the opportunity to further encourage the other party and make them more interested in Haihan's advanced military technology.
"Two princes, the military cooperation agreement signed between our country and your country also includes the transfer of this musket manufacturing technology. In a year or two, an arsenal belonging to your country will be built nearby. By then, your country will The country can manufacture this kind of musket on its own." Wang Tom deliberately picked up the matchlock gun that was previously tested by the North Koreans and gestured twice: "By then, your army will be able to equip this weapon in batches, and its strength will naturally be maximized. Big improvement! ”
If they hadn't seen Qian Tiandun shooting with that more advanced rifle just now, the two princes might really be happy about what Wang Tom said, but now they know that this kind of weapon caused by their country has already spread in Haihan. It's an old model that's about to be withdrawn from service, and it's really hard for them to get excited about it. Moreover, the young man was obviously not as sophisticated as the other three senior officials, so his emotions showed on his face immediately.
"It would be great if we could create such a more advanced weapon!" Li Bo's eyes were staring at the rifle Qian Tiandun had just used, with obvious unwillingness.
What Wang Tom wanted was this unwilling effect, and he continued to explain to North Korea: "Although the rifle used by General Qian just now is good, it is not made everywhere and requires some special processing methods. To be honest, even if someone mastered the blueprint of that rifle, they would never be able to completely copy it outside Sanya.”
Wang Tom's words are not all bragging. The processing technology of this seven-shot volley gun is much more complicated than that of a matchlock gun, and its processing equipment is only available in the arsenal of Tiandu in Sanya. Even if someone gets the drawings, processes such as forging and heat treatment cannot be copied just by looking at the drawings. Without key processes, even if all the parts can be reproduced one-to-one with exquisite handwork, the performance of the assembled finished product will be far different from that of the genuine product.
In addition to the craftsmanship of making guns, what cannot be ignored is Haihan's unique ammunition formula, which cannot be copied by other countries. Even if Haihan transferred the weapon manufacturing process, he still firmly held the ammunition manufacturing formula in his own hands. Even several allies who have been heavily equipped with Haihan-made ammunition still need to buy ammunition from Haihan. Of course, they have also tried using their own gunpowder, but after finding that the effect was too different, they no longer wanted to use this money. Money is saved.
Even the project of ammunition is divided into multiple manufacturing links. Military technicians often only learn the production technology of a certain link, and all the technologies in the entire manufacturing process are only mastered by the people responsible for this project. As for the weapon craftsmen who accompanied the army, their skills were only repairing, and they were completely ignorant of the manufacturing process.
Under various guarantees, even if a foreign country can occasionally obtain one or two rifles equipped by the Haihan Army, or obtain a little information through some espionage methods, it is impossible to completely copy them elsewhere.
In fact, many foreign forces have made such attempts, including allies who have purchased large quantities of Haihan weapons, but so far no one has succeeded. That's why Tom Wang can tell the North Koreans with certainty that such advanced weapons cannot be manufactured in foreign countries, even if the arsenal was built with the help of Haihan.
However, after Wang Tom finished hammering, he immediately changed the subject: "If the two princes are really interested in this, they can go to Sanya to study abroad and learn relevant professional knowledge. Perhaps they can also bring what they have learned back to North Korea to benefit their country."
Li Hao's eyes widened and he said, "Can I also learn how to make weapons?"
"Yes!" Wang Tom responded without blinking: "Of course I can learn it, but there are many subjects involved in weapons manufacturing, which cannot be learned in a short time. You have to have enough patience."
At this time, Shen Jingzhen interjected: "Perhaps our country can send some craftsmen with technical foundation to your country to learn the art of making weapons. In this way, even advanced technologies can be learned in a relatively short time."
Wang Tom shook his head and said: "It's not as simple as Mr. Shen thinks. Some related subjects are content that you have never been exposed to. If you are an older craftsman, I am afraid that your memory and learning ability will not be qualified. It is best to let the younger ones It’s more appropriate for people to learn it. Moreover, the knowledge related to weapons manufacturing is extremely confidential. In principle, we will not open learning opportunities to civilians. I believe this is not difficult to understand, right?”
The people present were all considered to be members of the ruling class, so it was natural for them to tell the truth. If this kind of dragon-slaying technique is learned by a civilian craftsman, the craftsman will immediately become a factor of instability, and the possibility of being bribed by foreign forces or having second thoughts must be considered.
But if the person who masters this advanced technology is himself an official or noble, or even a member of the royal family, then he is obviously much more reliable than the civilian craftsmen. Although the conditions set by Haihan are a bit harsh, they are not unreasonable, and it sounds like they are specially designed for the prince of North Korea.
Sure enough, Li Hao sighed: "General Wang's words are reasonable. If a commoner learns such advanced skills, then our royal family will have to immediately grant high-ranking officials generous salaries, or even marry them to ensure their loyalty, but even this may not be possible." If you really want to be safe, you have to choose someone from the royal family to study abroad.”
After Li Hao finished speaking, he looked at his brother. Li Hao had been crowned the crown prince many years ago, so for Li Hao there was no sense of competition for the succession to the throne. The two brothers had always had a good relationship. Li Hao believed that whether it was his brother or himself, it would be safer to go to Haihan to study abroad and learn relevant knowledge than to send craftsmen there.
Of course, Li Hao would never doubt whether he and his brother had qualified IQs. He believed that as long as the Haihan people were willing to impart this knowledge, there would be no other problems.
Wang Tom was waiting for Li Hao's statement, and immediately responded: "The Maharaja is right, and I share the same view. If you want to learn weapons manufacturing technology, there should be no more suitable candidates than the Crown Prince and the Maharaja."
If Wang Tom did not have a clear direction when he took the initiative to invite the king of North Korea to study abroad in Haihan, then this problem has finally been solved. Learning weapons manufacturing technology is almost a step for the ruling class of North Korea. An irresistible temptation.
(End of chapter)