Vientiane Throne of Civilization

Chapter 1904 Discussion Meeting
"Based on battlefield performance, our steam tank units did not fall behind in direct confrontations with the goblin destroyer mech units."

After some hesitation, Thorin spoke up; he still wanted to try.

"These two units alone were evenly matched on the battlefield."

"indeed."

Qin Fen nodded, acknowledging this.

"But we cannot change the overlap in the roles of these two units. While acquiring this new technology, we will definitely conduct research and development, and even manufacture it."

"Both are artillery units with mobility. If you take the steam tanks and the Destroyer mechs out individually and compare them in detail, they do have their own advantages and disadvantages."

"The reports sent back by the frontline analysts have also made it very clear that the steam tanks are superior to the Destroyer mechs in terms of mobility and maintain an advantage in the pursuit battle."

"However, the Destroyer mech also has the advantage of agility. Although it is large and heavy, its special structure gives it more flexible movement."

"In addition, the Destroyer mech turret is more flexible than the steam tank. The turret can be adjusted at more angles and in greater ranges, thus providing more options for artillery fire."

Everyone present was an expert or professional in the field of ordnance.

The specifics of the Destroyer mech will have to wait until they have studied it further.

But following Qin Fen's analysis, most people, including Zhou Xu, had actually already sided with the Destroyer Mech.

As we've always said, there are many things for which there is no perfect solution.

All they did was constantly weigh the pros and cons and then make a choice.

As a 'mobile artillery platform', Zhou Xu felt that mobility was very important. Being able to pursue the enemy while firing the cannon was a major advantage of a 'mobile artillery platform'.

However, this advantage doesn't necessarily have to be demonstrated by speed; it can also be demonstrated by artillery range!

As long as your artillery range is long enough, even if you are slow, the enemy will not be able to easily escape your firing range.

Conversely, if someone tries to get close to you, you can take advantage of your range and defeat them before they can get near you.

Under this premise, the excellent flexibility of the machine itself and the turret can also provide them with more possibilities.

It's important to understand that the operational limit of a machine depends on its flexibility, not just its speed.

The dwarven steam tank is faster than the Destroyer mech, but its speed is basically limited to a straight line. You can't expect the steam tank to perform any agile changes of direction or serpentine maneuvers; it's simply not possible.

Furthermore, during this type of operation, the original speed advantage of the dwarf steam tank cannot be utilized, and even if an ace driver is sitting inside, there is no room for him to show off his skills.

This largely limits the potential of this equipment.

Of course, based on their original impression, tanks seemed to be in this condition, so Zhou Xu and Qin Fen didn't have much to say.

Who would have thought they would encounter mechs one day?
"Cough cough!"

Sorin was rendered speechless by Qin Fen. Later, the person in charge of the arsenal, who was standing nearby, probably couldn't stand it anymore, so he helped Sorin save face a little.

"Actually, from the perspective of our ordnance factory, compared with the Destroyer mech, the steam tank is likely to have the advantages of lower manufacturing cost and higher manufacturing efficiency."

At this point, the head of the ordnance factory added, "Those mechs look expensive and time-consuming."

"This is indeed a point that needs to be considered."

Qin Fen did not deny this.

"However, the war is basically over now, so we are not in a hurry to build a large number of Destroyer mechs and use them to form an army. We can take our time and put the timeframe on the next three to five years to solve this problem."

Qin Fen's statement at this point was not wrong.

From the perspective of the Great Zhou army, they only need one of the Destroyer mech and the steam tank. The two pieces of equipment have overlapping roles and there is no need for them to exist at the same time.

Under this premise, the Destroyer Mech's flexibility advantage is clearly more suitable for the current Great Zhou army. Its manufacturing cost may be higher and the manufacturing cycle may be longer, but it is estimated that it will not be too much for them to bear.

Is there any need to dwell on this issue?

Seeing that the situation was about right, Zhou Xu slowly spoke up...

"In short, the subsequent improvement and upgrade projects of the steam tanks will be suspended. As for the production line, the batch that has already started production will continue to be produced, but subsequent production will be stopped. Everything will be discussed after the research on the Destroyer mech is completed."

Although His Majesty didn't explicitly state the outcome, his words effectively sealed the deal.

At that moment, Thorin was like a deflated balloon, his mood clearly sinking into depression.

For Thorin, the equipment he painstakingly developed was like his own child.

His own child and the other person had a one-on-one fight, and it was clearly a close contest where neither could knock the other out. But now they say the other person has a higher score and has been declared the winner. He can't help but feel a bit frustrated and upset.

In contrast, Qin Fen doesn't seem to have much emotional attachment to the things he develops.

The main reason is that, as a modern person, his thoughts are completely different from Thorin's. Qin Fen knew from the beginning that this thing would be obsolete sooner or later. At the same time, before transmigrating, he had seen more advanced things in modern society.

As times progress, outdated and unsuitable things are inevitably eliminated.

During this time, Zhou Xu naturally observed Thorin's reactions.

As the ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Xu also knew that sometimes it was necessary to take care of the feelings of his subjects.

For example, the previous report mentioned that Zhou Chongshan buried the goblin general opposite. If that goblin general were transformed into an undead, he would most likely be a talented person.

But he couldn't just focus on those small gains and losses. Once the burial was over, so be it; it wasn't a big deal.

But the steam tank issue is different; it involves a significant amount of financial resources, and he can't just throw money away blindly.

Not to mention that steam tanks will be phased out sooner or later, something Thorin himself is well aware of.

He just didn't expect this day to come so quickly, making it a little hard for him to accept.

In any case, after this matter was settled, there were no particularly noteworthy issues in the subsequent discussions, and the various improvements and upgrades were also discussed very smoothly.

During this process, the goblin prisoners of war captured on the desert border were also escorted to the Saint Laurent border by the front-line troops, and then sent in batches by steam train to various prison factories.

(End of this chapter)