When the train stopped in front of them, Iron Axe could finally see it in its entirety.
It had a total of five segments, much shorter than the one that had been shown to the public. However, because it was wrapped in steel, it looked much thicker and larger. Coupled with its non-reflective pitch-black exterior, it looked like a crouching wild beast.
The shape of the front and the back of the vehicle was exactly the same, but they were arranged symmetrically. Apart from the two rotating machine gun turrets, there were also many small holes on the armor belt below. Without a doubt, those holes were for the soldiers to observe and shoot.
Iron Axe could already imagine the scene when the enemies rushed toward the new weapon.
Spears fell like rain and hit the steel plates, making clanking sounds. However, the train did not move at all and kept moving forward at a steady speed. At the same time, it spouted more than a dozen fireballs at the enemies from one side of its body, turning them into beehives.
Whether it was the demons or the demonic beasts, they could only be beaten passively and could not fight back at all. It was like a moving city wall, providing the most reliable protection for the First Army wherever it went.
Just thinking about it made Iron Axe excited!
The soldiers who were in charge of guarding around the train began to murmur.
However, this was not the most eye-catching part of the train.
In addition to stabilizing the frontline for the First Army, its ultimate goal was to destroy the Taquila ruins and those tower-like skeletal monsters. Therefore, large-caliber cannons were necessary.
At this moment, these two deadly weapons were placed in the second and fourth carriages.
Although they were still equipped with 152 mm Longsong Cannons, according to His Majesty, the barrels of these cannons were longer and had more charges. The difference could be seen with the naked eye. One cannon took up almost all the space in the carriage, and even a machine gun could not fit inside.
The tail of the cannon was also surrounded by a huge iron shell, which was even wider than the body of the carriage. In this way, even if the demons attacked from the air, the artillerymen could not interrupt the shooting.
The only thing that worried Iron Axe was that although this new encirclement design was extremely safe, it also added a lot of weight and volume, which made the train feel quite top-heavy. In particular, the cannons needed to be adjusted when shooting. If the whole carriage rotated, could the train withstand the fierce impact when firing?
"Your Majesty," a soldier trotted to the king and saluted. "All personnel are ready. Please give the order!"
"This is a weapon that has yet to be officially installed. Whether it is maintenance or improvement, it is the responsibility of the engineering department." Roland smiled and shook his head. "So, I'm not the one in charge of the test today. It's the Minister of Engineering. You should report to her."
Only then did Iron Axe notice that the Queen had also attended the test, but compared to the other witches, she was dressed in a work uniform, so he did not recognize her at first sight.
"Your, Your Highness the Queen …" The soldier stammered. He bowed to Anna again. "All personnel are ready …"
"I understand," Anna replied calmly. "Let them start the test."
"Yes!" the reporter shouted at the train. "Activate the cannon!"
This little episode made everyone smile in understanding, but it did not affect the test at all. Following the command, the alarm echoed over the forest for a while.
"Wu — — — Wu — — —"
Iron Axe immediately looked back at the train. When he heard the creaking sound of the capstan, he was surprised to find that the body of the train had changed.
Two thick "iron legs" unfolded under the second and fourth carriages. Before this, he had thought they were just insignificant baffles. It was not until they were completely unfolded that Iron Axe realized that it was a set of independent machinery. A flat iron plate was fixed at the end of the "iron legs". When it fell into the snow, it even slightly propped up the carriage, like the long leg of a giant spider.
"Isn't … isn't this what a deformed demon looks like?"
"Did His Majesty get this inspiration from the enemy and use it on a new weapon?"
But in any case, the pure metal combination did not look evil at all. Instead, it was full of majestic momentum. When these iron legs were completely fixed, the cannons finally pointed to the sky and made the first roar!
In the violent tremors and airflow, the black beast did not move at all, as if it had solidified into the earth.
…
"It seems that the effect is good." Roland took off his earplugs and nodded approvingly at Anna.
Long before loading the train, these subsystems had been tested many times. This time, it was just to verify the integrated system's performance, so it was not surprising that the first shot was successful.
In fact, compared to the armored train's firepower unit and power unit, he valued the four supporting legs under the gun seat more.
This could be regarded as the first practical test of a hydraulic device.
According to Pascal's Principle, the pressure on a closed liquid was equal in all directions. Therefore, in a U-shaped tube with unequal cross-section area, only a small force was needed to squeeze the small cross-section area to transmit a much larger force to the large cross-section area. Because of this magnifying effect, hydraulic devices have a wide range of applications, from manual pressure jacks to pumping control machine tools, it can be seen everywhere.
The only difficulty was the processing and sealing, but for the current Neverwinter, there were no technical difficulties.
The train was loaded with a set of hydraulic support equipment controlled by an electric motor.
Two steam-powered locomotives, one pushing and the other pulling, drove the armored train at a speed of more than 40 kilometers per hour. Next were two rows of artillery units, with 15 rounds of ammunition in the turret, which made the armored train look particularly large. In the middle was the ammunition loading vehicle, which was also the power source of the entire train. One Dawn I could meet the needs of two hydraulic pumps, lighting, and ventilation in the train.
These five carriages formed the most basic armored train unit.
If speed was not the goal, new carriages could be added to the front and back of the train, such as a troop carrier or a sentry vehicle with more powerful suppressive firepower. This was also the charm of the armored train. By changing the trailer, a variety of tactical weapons could be assembled.
Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, Edith walked towards him with a smile.
"In this way, the most important part of the plan to attack Taquila has been completed," she said with a hand on her chest. "Does this new weapon have a name?"
Roland thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it 'Blackriver'."
"Blackriver?" Edith rolled her eyes. "It corresponds to the demon's blood line?"
Roland could not help but smile. "... That's right."
In areas where the Red Mist could not cover, the demons had once transported hundreds of crisscrossing Red Mist Blood Lines to maintain the frontline outposts. These lines were not only their life lines, but also the bloody lines that the Union was extremely afraid of. Now, there would be another color of life lines on the Fertile Plains.
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