After inspecting the navy, Emperor Wu Haoxuan did not return directly to Yanjing from Bincheng, but took a special train to the training ground in the northern grasslands. There, a series of the main equipment of the Imperial Army was undergoing intensive testing, and it had reached the point of being ready for installation.

Among the three armies of the Empire, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force are still the undisputed bosses. Twenty armies, together with a series of independent artillery brigades, armored units, mountain troops, and personnel of civilians, researchers, and arsenals, brought the total strength of the Imperial Army to four million. This is almost unthinkable for other countries. The only one that is close to the strength of the Imperial Army is probably Soviet Russia. The size of the 3 million people of the Soviet Russian Red Army can be regarded as very large.

In addition, the Imperial Army will have a very heavy task in future wars. Not only to protect the security of the empire itself, but also to take on the heavy responsibility of expanding the territory. To the west, the Imperial Army was to resist the Russian attack, or to attack to the west to destroy the Russians. To the southwest, the Imperial Army was to attack Burma, India, and Afghanistan. In the Middle East direction, the Imperial Army was also to advance in the direction of the Mediterranean. The empire had promised to support the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. This required the Imperial Army to advance into this area and complete the occupation of this area. In the direction of Oceania, the Imperial Army was also the main force to capture here. In the Pacific direction, the Imperial Army not only had to assist the Marines in attacking the Hawaiian Islands, but also had to deploy heavy troops in Hawaii to defend against a possible counterattack by the Americans. In addition, it is also necessary to assist the Marines on those small islands in the Pacific Ocean and fight for them island by island with the Americans. If the Empire were to launch an attack on the U.S. mainland in the future, the Army would be the main force.

As a result, the Imperial Army appears to be very large. However, after being scattered over the vast territory of the empire, it is nothing. There is even the possibility of being stretched. For this reason, after the outbreak of war, the Imperial Army must have needed a large-scale expansion. In that case, it will be able to meet the needs of the Empire in future wars. In addition, the armies of those vassal states of the empire will also be a good addition to the empire.

Officially, for these reasons, Emperor Wu Haoxuan also attached great importance to the weapons and equipment of the army. Before the outbreak of future wars, the Imperial Army must complete the full refitting and enter the war in the best condition. In this way, the empire will have a better chance of winning. The army's standard equipment, mainly infantry, began to be equipped with assault rifles. Compared to previous rifles, assault rifles have a faster rate of fire and more powerful firepower. The power and rate of fire of the squad machine guns should also be further improved. In each infantry squad, a certain number of submachine guns should be equipped to facilitate more powerful firepower in street fighting. The range of the submachine gun was not far though. However, in urban street fighting, the distance between the two sides is not too far. Submachine guns can exert stronger firepower in urban street battles.

This time, Emperor Wu Haoxuan went to the training ground in the northern steppe to inspect the new weapons, mainly the heavy equipment of the army. Such as tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled guns, and so on. The Imperial Army has transitioned from mules and horses to motorized and is in the process of moving towards mechanization, which makes it better for the Imperial Army to use its own weapons. From tanks and armored vehicles to self-propelled guns, this is the only way to have a powerful assault capability. In future wars, it will also have more powerful combat effectiveness.

On March 14, 4634 A.D., Emperor Wu Haoxuan's special train arrived at a secret training ground deep in the northern grasslands. The reason why I took a special train, rather than a faster plane, was mainly for safety reasons. Today's aircraft, although the reliability has been greatly improved. However, in the event of a plane crash, death is often assured. Therefore, the military and political ministers of the empire strongly opposed the emperor taking a plane. This makes Wu Haoxuan take a special train no matter where he goes.

When Wu Haoxuan arrived at the training ground, Marshal Shi Qingshan, Minister of War, and the commanders of the various group armies had already arrived one step ahead. The weapons to be tested this time are the main equipment of the Imperial Army on the battlefield in the future. This has made the commanders of the various group armies attach great importance to these weapons and equipment. This will be related to the future fight of their troops on the battlefield.

"See Your Majesty." When Wu Haoxuan arrived, these military generals were all waiting at the station.

"Everyone, you are all exempt, it can be seen that you also attach great importance to these weapons and equipment!" Wu Haoxuan said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, the current international situation is so tense that war is on the verge of breaking out. Prepare in advance, so that the future empire can defeat those powerful enemies in the war and strive for more benefits for the empire! Marshal Shi Qingshan, Minister of War, said with a smile.

"General Zhao, is everything ready?" Marshal Jiang Baili, Chief of the General Staff, asked.

"Chief of Staff, everything is ready." General Zhao Lei, Minister of General Armament, nodded.

"Your Majesty, then let's go straight to the training ground." Marshal Jiang Baili said.

"Hmm." Wu Haoxuan nodded. Those new equipment were the main targets of his inspection this time.

The group arrived in a jeep at the training ground, where a form of tank was already parked. A total of five tanks, painted in the dark green field camouflage of the Imperial Army, were quietly parked there. But even so, you can feel this cold killing machine coming to your face. Because, those five tanks are completely monsters made of steel.

"Your Majesty, this is the new generation of medium tanks developed by the Imperial Armament Department. Internally codenamed Tank 5, the common name is the 'Leopard 2' tank. Admiral Zhao Lei introduced. Because the previous No. 3 tank was also called the 'Leopard' tank.

"Hmm." Wu Haoxuan nodded, and then walked over to observe these tanks up close.

The 'Leopard 2' tank in front of you is actually a combination of the German Leopard tank and Lao Maozi's T34 tank in another time and space. The armor was tilted, and the turret was the turret of a Leopard tank. In addition, the engine is a diesel engine. Diesel engines have great advantages over gasoline engines, with more torque, allowing the tank to have more power. In addition, a diesel tank, even after being hit, is not as easy to catch fire and burn as a gasoline engine, which can make the tank safer. This allows the tank to write more external fuel tanks, further increasing the maximum travel of the tank. At the back of the 'Leopard 2' tank, there was a barrel-shaped fuel tank. On the wings above the tracks on both sides, there were also tanks in the cuboid style, which allowed the tank to carry more fuel. In another time and space, the maximum range of Lao Maozi's T34 tank reached 450 kilometers, while the maximum range of the German Leopard tank was only 200 kilometers. You can see how short the 'Leopard' tank is.

"General Zhao, let's introduce the performance of this tank." Wu Haoxuan said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Admiral Zhao Lei nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this 'Leopard 2' tank weighs 37 tons, has a body length of 8.66 meters, a width of 3.2 meters, and a height of 2.4 meters. The engine is 700 hp, the maximum road speed is 60 km / h, and the maximum off-road speed is 48 km / h. The maximum range is 500 km (road) and 400 km (off-road). The torsion bar suspension system is adopted, which effectively improves the stability of the tank. The main gun is a 75 mm long-barreled tank gun with 80 rounds of ammunition. Two 7.62 mm machine guns, one coaxial and one heading, with 4,500 rounds in reserve. The turret had 100 mm of armor in front and 45 mm in the sides. The rear armor was 40 mm, and the top armor was 16 mm. The armor of the upper compartment was 80 mm thick and inclined at 32 degrees. Not only does it make the armor more resistant, but it also has a high chance of ricocheting. It is possible to cross a 1.9-meter trench through a vertical barrier of up to 0.9 meters and wade to a depth of 1.7 meters. Admiral Zhao Lei came out of his mouth with a long list of parameters.

The generals of the Imperial Army, one by one, have opened their mouths wide. The performance of the 'Leopard 2' tank is definitely much stronger than the previous 'Leopard 1' tank. If this tank is replaced, the combat effectiveness of the armored forces of the Imperial Army will be greatly improved. In future wars, it will also be able to occupy a greater advantage.

"Let's put it to the test." Wu Haoxuan said. The data on paper is beautiful, and it's not enough. It is necessary to be able to show stronger combat effectiveness in tests and actual combat. In this way, it will be able to prove that this is an excellent tank.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Admiral Zhao Lei nodded.

The tankmen, who had already been prepared, climbed into the tanks. After launching the tank, it began to test it one by one according to the predetermined subjects. The results of the test are very satisfying. The performance of this 'Leopard 2' tank is indeed very good.

"Ladies and gentlemen, are you still satisfied with this tank?" Wu Haoxuan asked.

"Your Majesty, I am very satisfied, the army is willing to purchase this tank in large quantities as a way to replace our existing tanks." Marshal Shi Qingshan said.

"Well, from now on, the arsenal will start producing at full capacity. Tanks of various armored brigades. All were replaced with 'Leopard 2' tanks. As for the previous tanks, they were returned to the infantry, and each infantry division was equipped with a tank company, which was used against fixed fire points such as enemy pillboxes. Light tanks were equipped for reconnaissance units. Wu Haoxuan said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Marshal Shi Qingshan said excitedly. Originally, he thought that it would be great if each armored brigade was equipped with a regiment. I didn't expect the emperor to change all the tanks! That's a real big deal. Of course, it will also be of great help to the improvement of the combat effectiveness of the army. (To be continued.) )