Vientiane Throne of Civilization

Chapter 1724 Dwarven Steam Tank (Part Two)

Zhou Xu basically reviewed all the test items surrounding the dwarf steam tank.

However, the testing of the dwarven steam tanks continued in the arena. After all, in addition to testing basic performance, stability and durability testing needed to be confirmed through long-term and high-intensity use.

Zhou Xu beckoned to Qin Fen, who immediately understood and handed over the document in his hand, which already contained the calculated production costs.

At the same time, Qin Fen recalled something else and said...

"By the way, Your Majesty, there is one more thing I need to report to you. For safety reasons, the average service life of the steam tank's engine is two hundred hours."

"In other words, once this time limit is reached, it is recommended that the engine be replaced."

Zhou Xu frowned upon hearing this.

This situation will undoubtedly greatly increase the investment costs.

Considering that this steam tank was manufactured entirely according to dwarf dimensions, and that there would be no one to take it over after it became obsolete, Zhou Xu was already struggling with the issue of production scale. This added problem made him even more conflicted.

"So the replaced engine is just scrapped?"

"That's not the case."

Realizing he hadn't gone into enough detail, Qin Fen quickly added a sentence.

"In fact, the remaining service life should still be quite long, but it is no longer suitable for use as a tank engine. The replaced engine can be used in steam excavators or other suitable steam equipment."

Upon receiving this answer, Zhou Xu's brows relaxed somewhat. At least it could be recycled and reused, which made him feel much better.

"Can this steam tank be upgraded and replaced in a short period of time?"

"After actual combat, we may make some minor adjustments based on the feedback, but a large-scale upgrade will probably have to wait until the internal combustion engine is developed."

At this point, Qin Fen immediately added another sentence.

"That will probably take a long time."

Many things are actually much more difficult to do than expected.

Having taught so many students over the years, some of the simple steam engine-related projects within the Great Zhou Dynasty are indeed being shared by his students.

But if he wants to develop an internal combustion engine, won't he still have to rely on himself?
There were many things to be done in the transition from the steam engine to the internal combustion engine.

"Besides these, is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Zhou Xu asked a question.

"Gone."

Zhou Xu nodded, but did not rush to make a decision.

The dwarven steam tank is quite different from the previous rifles and cannons. The former two were basic equipment with a certain degree of necessity, while this behemoth is a completely new product with high production costs.

Under this premise, once deployed for military use, new tank units will need to be established.

From soldier selection to training, all of these involve costs.

The subsequent updates, upgrades, and improvements must also be taken into account.

Therefore, before making a specific decision, it is necessary to first confirm their domestic fiscal budget with the Minister of Finance.

Of course, a tank production line must be established.

After all, Zhou Xu was very clear that tank units would be an important part of the army in the future.

The current focus is on how many units to produce first.

Upon returning to the palace, Finance Minister Song Jinyu was quickly summoned to the palace.

Without wasting any time, Zhou Xu immediately inquired about the remaining amount of this year's fiscal funds.

Having prepared in advance, Song Jinyu presented Zhou Xu with the ledger of fiscal expenditures.

As the ledgers were turned, Zhou Xu's brows furrowed more and more.

"No...has the budget been so tight these past two years?" As things stand, while there's no overspending, there's also practically no surplus.

Faced with His Majesty's doubts, Song Jinyu looked completely innocent.

"Your Majesty, our Great Zhou has entered a rare period of peaceful development without any external wars. In recent years, all regions have been focusing on development."

As Song Jinyu spoke, he gestured for His Majesty to turn two more pages into the account book.

He kept a record of the development expenditures in each region in his ledger.

"Cough cough!"

After glancing at it, Zhou Xu coughed twice.

"The Ordnance R&D Department has developed new equipment and is about to put it into production. They also need to form a new unit. Go and coordinate with the relevant departments to free up some funds."

As they spoke, Zhou Xu gestured to his personal guard to hand over the sheet recording the production costs of the steam tanks to Song Jinyu.

Song Jinyu took the order and flipped through it in front of Zhou Xu, then frowned.

This thing doesn't have low production costs.

The costs listed here are only the material costs for tank production.

In other words, the costs of setting up the production line, paying workers' wages, and other related expenses are not yet included.

At the same time, their emperor also said that with the production of this new equipment, they would need to establish a new minister, which would be another expense. On top of that, there would be the daily training costs...

When you add it all up, the actual expenses will probably far exceed the figure on the bill.

This made Song Jinyu subconsciously reach into her bosom.

Then he made a 'tsk' sound.

When he entered the palace, all his equipment was confiscated by the Imperial Guards, and they didn't even leave him a pen.

During this time, Zhou Xu, who was watching this scene, also felt his eyelids twitch, and then he said righteously...

"There is no room for discussion on this matter. The manufacture of tanks will affect the future direction of our Great Zhou's military development."

At this point, Zhou Xu slightly changed the subject.

"However, we can build a smaller batch of tanks first. Let's start with ten to test the waters."

This wasn't because Zhou Xu compromised; in fact, this was the plan from the beginning.

Even if a new piece of equipment has undergone multiple tests before it is officially put into mass production, it has not yet experienced real combat. If it is built up and destroyed right away, there will be no one to blame but oneself.

Ten units is a reasonable number.

At least initially, it should be sufficient for the tank crews to conduct their daily training.

Having said all that, Song Jinyu abandoned his intention to show off his special skills.

In fact, Song Jinyu remained relatively calm about this incident.

After serving as finance minister for so many years, he has become much more mature and composed.

With virtually no surplus in internal finances, the only way to squeeze out more funds is to cut funding for other projects.

A project that was originally scheduled to be completed in five months has now taken six months after budget cuts.

It's not really a big deal.

If we continue at this pace and cut funding for a few more projects, we can basically squeeze out the initial funding for manufacturing steam tanks.

As for subsequent investments...

We'll talk about that later! Otherwise, how will we ever finish calculating all this funding?

(End of this chapter)