A weapon ultimately can be used or not, whether it is good or not, and exactly how to use it, all need to be tested by war. The final outcome may not satisfy everyone or even most people.
In the history of humankind, many weapons have been created out of wishful thinking. Designers hoped these weapons would perform miracles on the battlefield, but in reality, they proved to be mistakes, things that should not have existed.
There were also weapons that existed in large numbers and were used extensively, but they were not necessarily outstanding. They had various problems that in some cases were never corrected.
Take, for example, the Bismarck battleship, whose anti-aircraft capability was terribly poor. If one speaks of its appearance, it surely ranks in the top three among battleships. But when it comes to technological level… Perhaps it was the strongest battleship of World War I during World War II?
Then there are the tank destroyers, approved by United States generals, which lacked overhead protection. These machines were essentially similar to tanks, yet they were categorically singled out. In actual combat, they didn’t perform exceptionally and were still used as tanks.
As for the decision to equip paratroopers with bolt-action rifles that could be disassembled into two pieces, but not even considering trying submachine guns, it pales in comparison to the fame of the Mouse tank and the Ferdinand heavy tank destroyer.
So, even if a weapon has undergone countless tests and has been widely deployed, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be problem-free.
That’s why, in most cases, the military itself, including weapon manufacturers, would send personnel for battlefield research to prove the effectiveness of the weapons they purchased or produced.
At the same time, they would make targeted improvements to the weapons based on problems encountered during use, making them more suitable for the battlefield.
Remember, the main purpose of these improvements is to win wars, not to reduce casualties. They seek the most economical and appropriate entry point and do not favor any specific characteristics.
Of course, in this process, shifting blame is also an important task. The military would complain about the poor performance of weapons causing them losses; manufacturers, on the other hand, would prove there was nothing wrong with their weapons.
"There is no indication that our battleships have any quality issues. The situation is not clear at the moment, General," Shireck’s advisor said, shaking his head at the goblin general across from him.
"Although Shen Hai Yi deserves death for his sins, the telegram he sent before his death does indicate that the main guns of the warships produced by your consortium exploded at a critical moment!" The general from Shen Hai said with a grim face, lowering his voice emphasizingly.
"It’s possible he was deflecting blame, General," the advisor retorted, pushing all of the guilt onto the deserving Shen Hai Yi.
"You are prevaricating! This is not the attitude of cooperation! Sir!" The general from Shen Hai raised his voice slightly, yet still suppressed his own voice.
Shireck’s advisor also knew he couldn’t completely deny such things, and his tone softened considerably as he explained softly, "General, even if one cannon exploded, it was a fluke. This does not prove that our weapons have a serious quality issue."
Anyway, it was no longer possible to continue the investigation. On the cruisers and destroyers of Shen Hai returning from various locations, there probably weren’t many witnesses present at that time.
In fact, after the Tang Army sank four of Shen Hai’s battleships, they dispatched cruisers to carry out a sweep until nightfall, and those cruisers responsible for covering the retreat finally left the area.
The defeated fleet of Shen Hai had no intention of caring for their compatriots who had fallen overboard; they fled for their lives, heading straight back to the ports of Shen Hai without looking back.
Because they couldn’t match the Tang Army’s warships in speed, if they had delayed any longer, they probably would have been sunk as well. So they fled thoroughly, abandoning their comrades completely.
Reports from the prisoners confirmed this: In this battle, the Tang Army captured a total of 172 personnel from Shen Hai’s military, while Shen Hai accounted for over 6,700 casualties.
Indeed, the Tang Army had sunk four of Shen Hai’s battleships, three cruisers, and five destroyers. The vast majority of soldiers on these ships sank with them, and most of those who abandoned ship to escape froze to death in the cold northern waters.
Shen Hai’s Navy truly suffered a grievous blow this time, losing almost all of their elite maritime forces in this battle.
"When I came here, I had already discussed with headquarters that we could offer a cruiser to your country free of charge as compensation. This is our biggest concession," Shireck’s representative said generously, offering a compensation plan fearful that Shen Hai would not agree.
He was indeed right; it was only a cannon of Shireck’s that had exploded. Compensating with a cruiser worth more was already quite sincere.
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However, this compensation plan is clearly unacceptable to Shen Hai, as it is akin to Shireck selling them a Rolls-Royce with faulty brakes resulting in a total wreck and loss of lives. Then Shireck says, "How about I compensate you with two brake pads?" Discover stories with freewebnovel
"This is obviously unacceptable! Mr. Envoy! I want to stress that our Shen Hai has always been at the forefront of the battle against Tang Country! If we are completely defeated, the rise of Tang Country will be unstoppable! By then, the fate of Shireck will be much clearer to you than to me!" the Shen Hai general glowered, threatening Shireck’s advisor.
Shireck’s advisor made a gesture of innocence, "We will not accept any extortion, General Sir! If you do not accept it, there’s nothing I can do but express my regret. However, the failure of Shen Hai has truly nothing to do with our military equipment."
"Regardless! We need more warships! If the Tang Army blockades Shen Hai, we will suffer immense losses in the future!" The Shen Hai Navy general did not want to completely offend Shireck. His ultimate goal was actually to obtain more warships from Shireck to solve the problem of Shen Hai Navy’s crushing defeat and lack of warships.
"That’s not difficult, but in the short term, we indeed cannot provide more warship support for the war in Shen Hai, General Sir," Shireck’s representative said regretfully, spreading his hands in a gesture that seemed to suggest that he was also pained about not earning this money.
What he said was indeed true, as Shireck had previously dispatched warships, and together with Gobur’s fleet, launched a surprise attack on Dragon Island.
The result was that the entire attacking fleet was annihilated, even to the point where Gobur’s side is still not daring to publicize the matter.
As compensation, Shireck needed to quickly build some warships to replenish Gobur’s Navy, while also restoring its own naval power.
Before these losses were recovered, it was improbable for Shireck to be able to provide more large warships for Shen Hai.
Moreover, even with imitation, cost cutting, and different construction standards, a battleship is still a battleship after all. Shireck could hardly produce more battleships in a short period of time.
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Besides the four battleships sold to Shen Hai, Shireck had received four more orders, and now these four underperforming battleships were still lying in Shireck’s dockyards.
What worried Shireck’s upper echelons now was the potential spread of the news about the Northern Seas battle, leading the countries that had ordered these four battleships to cancel their orders...
There was no choice, as most had tentatively placed an order for one battleship each, exploring and experimenting with this novel military equipment in the spirit of inquiry. Only Shen Hai dared to buy four at once, and that was indeed rare.
Or to put it another way, all the countries were being cautious about vying for maritime supremacy with Tang Country. Shen Hai had no choice, as unlike Shen Hai, the other countries had vast land territories and did not have urgent needs for sea transportation.
"You must give us some help, right? Could it be that so many countries will just watch idly as Shen Hai is annihilated by Tang Country?" The Shen Hai Navy general asked somewhat agitatedly.
Shireck’s advisor shook his head, then after a moment of contemplation he said, "Navy construction cannot be completed in a short time. Since we have already paid a price to beat the clock, we can’t afford to waste more precious time."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "That’s why we plan to cause some trouble for Tang Country from another direction, to make them compromise..."
"What do you mean?" asked the Shen Hai general, not quite understanding.
"We will request Dahua Empire and Chu Country to put pressure on Tang Country. If they do not quickly make peace with Shen Hai, then the war will escalate," Shireck’s advisor said. "If Tang Country is worried about the war dragging on, they will make certain concessions, at least ostensibly restoring peace with Shen Hai."
"That’s indeed a plan. Your Majesty would also accept peace talks. As long as we can avoid the Tang Country’s fleet blockading our ports, we can accept some not too onerous conditions," the Shen Hai general said thoughtfully, then compromised.
"Look! Now we have come to an agreement. My visit this time was to persuade you to not tenaciously persist in war! Remember! The military posture of Dahua Empire and Chu Country is just a bluff; they are not genuinely prepared for war!" Shireck’s advisor cautioned, "So don’t expect them to actually start a war to draw Tang Country’s attention. Everything... is fake!"
"I understand," the Shen Hai general nodded, accepting this argument.
"This is just a bluff, and it’s the most generous help we can offer now!" Shireck’s advisor said, "Seize this opportunity to end the war! We have already lost Qi Country, we cannot afford to lose you, Shen Hai, as well."
"Hearing you say this, I don’t know whether to be relieved or not..." the Shen Hai general sighed, accepting the consolation from Shireck’s advisor.
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