Chapter 421: Invitation to Meet William

London, late night of July 28, Army Department.

Lord Kichina stared at the first day's battle report, his face ashen. 60,000 casualties yielded less than one kilometre of advance. At this rate, reaching Berlin would require… he dared not calculate.

"The colonial troops' performance is disappointing," a general said, "especially the Indian units, they have no fighting spirit at all."

"The Australians are brave, but too reckless," another general added, "they charge like playing rugby, caring nothing for casualties."

"The problem is not the troops," Kichina finally spoke, his voice weary, "the problem is tactics. We thought big guns could solve everything, but in reality, no matter how fierce the artillery, it cannot eliminate all the enemy. As long as a single machine gun or a sniper survives, they can inflict massive casualties."

He walked to the map, his finger pointing at the Somme River: "We need new tactics. We need… a new weapon that can break through trenches, barbed wire, and machine‑gun fire."

"A tank? That thing is still in the trial phase…"

"Then accelerate the trials!" Kichina slammed a fist on the table, "Tell Colonel Swinton that his 'Land Battleship' project should be given top priority! I want to see a prototype ready for combat within three months!"

"But, my lord, that thing…"

"We have no choice!" Kichina roared, his eyes blood‑shot, "If we keep fighting like this, the empire's youth will all be buried here! We need something to break the stalemate, no matter how absurd it looks!"

Meanwhile in Berlin, Fa Jinhan was also looking at the same battle report and reaching the same conclusion.

On the first day at the Somme, Degjun held the line, but at a terrible cost. Especially the Sakura Nation troops; eight divisions lost nearly 30,000 men in a single day—combined with the Verdun casualties, total losses exceeded 120,000. The remaining units' morale was on the brink of collapse, ready to erupt at any moment.

"We need something new," Fa Jinhan told his staff, "not more troops, but something that can change the rules of the game. Tell the Ordnance Bureau to bring out every wild idea! Anything that can break through trenches, anything that can reduce infantry casualties—I want to see it all!"

What he didn't know was that far away in Dubai, someone had already prepared what he wanted.

Dubai Industrial Zone, Secret Test Site No. 7, 10 a. m. on July 29.

This site, far from the port and city, is surrounded by dunes, guarded only by a regiment of garrison troops, with an alert level of Lanfang's highest domestic grade, the "Red Dragon" level. Inside, the test field simulates various terrains: sand, marsh, trenches, barbed wire, and even a concrete‑mocked "enemy position."

Chen Feng stood on the observation tower, a telescope in his hand. He was dressed in simple work clothes and a safety helmet, looking more like an engineer than a president. Beside him, Industry Minister Liu Yongfu was nervously rubbing his hands.

"President, everything is ready," Liu Yongfu said, "though I still recommend… a few more tests. The transmission of Vehicle 2 had another issue yesterday; we repaired it through the night, but…"

"Today is only a demonstration, not a perfect showcase," Chen Feng said calmly, "We want the Deguo to see the concept, the possibility. As for technical issues, they can be solved in subsequent cooperation."

He set down the telescope and looked toward the center of the test field. There stood two steel monsters.

Vehicle 1 was the "Agricultural Heavy Tractor Prototype No. 1," essentially the original tank version. It looked crude and clumsy: a rhomboid hull, tracks wrapping over the top of the body, a small rotating turret mounting two machine‑gun models. Its paint was a tan desert camouflage.

Vehicle 2 was the improved model, with smoother lines, a larger hull, and a heftier turret. Its main armament was a 37 mm gun model, with two machine guns as secondary weapons. Most crucially, its frontal armor was sloped at 30 degrees—a "ballistic design" specifically requested by Chen Feng.

"Begin," Chen Feng said.

Liu Yongfu grabbed the intercom, "Test start! Phase 1, off‑road performance demonstration!"

The engines roared. Both vehicles started simultaneously, heading for the first obstacle: a trench 2.5 m wide and 1.5 m deep.

Vehicle 1 moved more slowly but steadily. It reached the trench edge, its front tracks dropping into the bottom first, then the whole hull lowered and pitched forward, finally the rear tracks entered the trench. Throughout, the hull maintained astonishing stability. A few seconds later it crawled out on the opposite side.

Vehicle 2 was faster. It barely slowed before barreling into the trench, paused briefly at the bottom, surged power, and easily climbed out the other side.

Applause rang from the observation tower. Engineers and technicians were thrilled—it was the result of months of labor.

"Phase 2, obstacle‑breaching demonstration!"

Four obstacles were set up ahead of the test field: the first, a wooden cheval de frise; the second, spiked barbed wire; the third, a concrete low wall; the fourth, a simulated machine‑gun position—actually a water‑pipe spray device mimicking machine‑gun fire.

The two vehicles advanced side by side. They rolled over the cheval de frise, the wood snapping with a crackle. The barbed wire was drawn into the tracks and shredded. The concrete wall was smashed straight through—Vehicle 2 barely slowed at all.

Upon reaching the machine‑gun position, the water pipe sprayed, the simulated bullets striking the armor. Water splashed everywhere, yet the vehicles kept moving, turrets rotating, the main gun and machine‑gun models pointing toward the "enemy" direction.

"Phase 3, firepower demonstration!"

The range raised a dozen or so targets. The two vehicles fired while moving—of course using blanks and training rounds, but the fire‑control system operated for real. The turret‑stabilization kept the main gun on target despite the bounce, achieving a Hit Rate above 60%.

The entire demonstration lasted forty minutes. When the two vehicles returned to the start point and the engines shut down, the observation tower erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Liu Yongfu, eyes wet with emotion, whispered, "Success… truly success…"

Chen Feng was also satisfied, yet his expression remained calm. He turned to Wang Wenwu, "Any new news from Berlin?"

"We just received a secret telegram half an hour ago," Wang Wenwu handed over a folder, "Somme first‑day report: British Army casualties 60,000, advance less than one kilometre. Degjun casualties about 15,000, but the Sakura Nation troops were nearly wiped out. Fa Jinhan's telegram was urgent: 'We urgently need new means to break the stalemate.'"

"The timing is perfect," Chen Feng closed the folder, "Send a telegram to William, inviting him to meet in Istanbul."

"You go yourself?" Wang Wenwu asked, surprised.

"For a deal of this level, I must handle it personally," Chen Feng descended from the observation tower, walking toward the two steel behemoths, "And I will make William II understand: Lanfang can offer him not just battleships, not just tanks, but an entire technological system that changes the nature of war."

He patted the armor plate of Vehicle 2, producing a dull thud.

"Tell William I have brought something that can break the Somme stalemate. The price… will be steep, but he has no other choice now."