In the test site, a tank had just crossed the quagmire of stagnant water, and then climbed a steep slope with great difficulty. Then he continued to climb over a trench and continued to run happily in the muddy and complex test ground.

At the edge of the test site, rows of officers held binoculars and carefully observed the tank's driving.

"Looks pretty good."

Hoffman, who put down the binoculars, gave a good evaluation of the tank prototype that was moving.

And Herke, who heard Huffman's evaluation, finally put his heart in his stomach.

Speaking of which, as the designer of the tank, can he not know that the prototype car is super high and heavy, and the tank is designed by him. But in order to highlight the performance of this tank, these are again inevitable results. It's like adding more water and adding more water, for higher performance, adding this system and that system, the weight and height are exceeded.

However, at present, it seems that the results of exceeding the standard are not bad. At least Lieutenant General Hoffman, who was the main person in charge of the acceptance work, was satisfied with the performance of the new tank.

After the tank's test run at the test site, Hoffman immediately stepped forward to ask the experimenter who had just gotten out of the vehicle. "How does it feel?"

"Very good, much better than our previous tanks, the bumps are the least of them, better than the previous R10 driving feel. On the steep slopes, I clearly felt that the tank was not running out of power, and it should be able to put out more power. The reverse speed is also good, the only thing that is a little unaccustomed is that the turret speed is not as fast as the light. ”

However, thinking that this was a medium tank, and the weight of the turret was not of the same level, the test driver who answered couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

And the test driver's answer made Hoffman a lot more determined. In every sense of the word, this is a high-performance tank. The three major tanks, firepower, protection, and mobility, are the tanks they and Romania need.

"How's it going, Hoffman."

Major General Antonescu of the 2nd Panzer Division also came over at this time and asked. Although the training of the Second Armored Division is currently in full swing, it is inevitable that he will come and see it in person when it comes to his new equipment. So when Hoffman asked about the test crews, the current number two in the Romanian armored forces was indispensable to come up and ask.

"The test run is in good shape."

Hoffman's words made Antonescu very happy in his heart, who doesn't want to be better and better equipped by himself, and many of the Jackal IV tanks currently equipped by the Second Panzer Division are second-hand equipment used from the First Division. Although the Jackal IV tank is still not outdated, it does not want to use a better one. And the timing of the equipment is uncertain, but at least it represents the hope of changing the outfit, isn't it?

"What do you think, Lieutenant General Huffman?"

When the two returned, Admiral Fereit asked what he thought of the tank. As the chief of the General Staff, he had a lot of opportunities, and of course his understanding of tanks was not as clear as Hoffmann's, so this can only be evaluated by the father of the Romanian armored forces.

And Fereitt's words made everyone present hold their breath. Because Hoffman's decision will represent the question of whether this tank can enter service, which is not only a major event for the Armored Research Institute, but also for the military.

Hoffman, who was under everyone's attention, replied slowly. "At present, it seems that this tank has no obvious shortcomings, so further evaluation of military use is needed, and I think it can be produced on a small scale so that it can be easily evaluated by officers and soldiers."

Hoffman's words completely relieved Herke, because it meant that Hoffman approved of the tank. Small-scale trials by the military are an inevitable process of every piece of equipment, and it is impossible to avoid any equipment.

After receiving Hoffmann's words of certainty, Admiral Fereit turned to Herke beside him and asked. "And how much do you expect this tank to cost?"

As the main designer, Herke of course knows a lot about the cost of production, so he speaks. "I expect the cost to be around 20-220,000 lei for a small scale, and the price will be reduced if it is produced on a large scale."

Herke's words made every officer present frown. In one word, expensive. Two words, it's really expensive. Three words, it's expensive.

At present, the military purchase price of the Romanian Jackal IV tank is only 61,000 lei, and the cost of this new tank is three or four times higher, which is too unreasonable.

Seeing that the military personnel were all frowning, Herke hurriedly explained. "The new tank uses a lot of new technology, and the cost is much higher than before. However, its performance advantage is absolutely incomparable with the Jackal tank, and it can be said that there is no opponent in the tanks currently being developed by various countries. ”

However, Herke's words did not reassure everyone, and Hoffman said with a frowning forehead. "Even if it is mass-produced, the cost will be reduced by 20-25% at most, which is still too expensive for the military."

Taking the jackal tank as a column, the total production of its improved version is less than 1,000 units, which is still the oldest equipped tank in Romania, from the First World War to the present.

At this time, the generals, including Hoffman, who advocated that tanks become the protagonists of the battlefield, did not think about the idea of producing tens of thousands of tanks, let alone 100,000 or hundreds of thousands. Therefore, there is an unusual resistance to the problem of too high a cost.

"Well, that's up to me."

Fereit looked at the situation and stood up to speak. "Since there is no way to reduce the cost, then we will order a little less. Then prepare 18 vehicles to be used in two companies, and then equip them on a large scale according to their reaction. ”

With Fereitt's decision, the scene was alive again. Among them, Hoffmann and Antonescu were the most eager. Because this new tank will inevitably involve how to equip it, whether it is a division to equip a company, or to allocate all of them to a division.

According to Antonescu's idea, at that time, it was better to equip a division with a company, at least to familiarize his troops with the new equipment first. As for Hoffman, of course, he wants to concentrate the equipment first, and by the way, find out the use of the new equipment and sort out a training syllabus or something.

However, Antones Scula's lower face made Hoffman, who was afraid of face, finally have to accept that each division should train one company first.

After the two of them finished dividing up the equipment that had not yet left the factory, Fereit called Hoffman to his side and whispered. "Let me tell you the news that the proposal for the formation of an armored corps has been adopted, and a new armored division is being prepared this year."

This succession of good news from Admiral Fereitt surprised Hoffman.

Previously, Hoffman felt the increase in Romanian tank forces and proposed to form an armored corps with two or three armored divisions or motorized divisions, which would serve as the iron fist of the future Romanian assault force and play a role in smashing the enemy's defenses. Such a corps level will have 500-700 tanks, and the opponent will definitely not be able to defend it.

Unexpectedly, this request was approved from above, and a new armored division would be formed, which was enough to make Hoffman happy.

The establishment of the Panzer Corps will also represent the military's confirmation that tanks have become the protagonists of the battlefield, so it is only natural to expand their establishment, so this proposal will inevitably be approved by His Majesty. Otherwise, where will the military have the money to add personnel to its procurement of equipment.

Of course, Eder, who is a later generation, will certainly not refuse this request, and he has been preparing for World War II and has always been very accommodating in adding protagonists to future battlefields. The report was quickly approved. Moreover, the formation of the 3rd Panzer Division, which was carried out by Admiral Fereitt with private work, was approved.

And Admiral Fereitt, who was the first person in the military, naturally informed Hoffman of the news.

The reason why I chose to say this news at the test site is also to hope that Hoffmann will be able to do his job even better. With the expansion of the armored establishment, it will inevitably involve various problems, which need to be solved by Hoffmann, the commander in charge of the armored forces. And Fereitt's notification this time can be regarded as a reward for him.

Of course, the next thing he and Hoffman both have to do is busy. The emergence of a new armored division means that an unusually fierce battle awaits them.