Chapter 487: Big and Beautiful(2)
Chapter 487: Big and Beautiful(2)
Volume 9 of Blood and Iron was set to cover the outbreak of the Great Purge in the Soviet Union, Stalin’s rise to absolute power, and the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The incident where a soldier went off to relieve himself and was reported missing? I could package that as "typical military absurdity" and move right past it.
Following my father's advice, I didn't intend to turn the military into a complete laughingstock, but the Imperial Japanese Army was just so incredibly idiotic.
Yet, they were merely idiotic, not fools. Look at Joseon and China. Weren't they devoured by Japan despite all their vaunted "culture"?
In any case, that was how I planned to depict the Second Sino-Japanese War, but it certainly wasn't the end. Since I had plenty of time, I would pivot back to the German perspective.
The illustration I recently received from Calz was intended for the very end: Hitler and Guderian looking on with satisfaction at the tanks being produced in a factory.
Normally, the meeting between these two should have been depicted much earlier, but there had been little opportunity to include it, so it had only been mentioned in passing.
However, as the time to prepare for war approached, they needed to make an appearance. Only then would the readers instinctively feel that Hitler was truly gearing up for conflict.
‘Still, it’ll feel weird if I just have them mindlessly churning out tanks.’
Tanks first appeared during the latter half of World War I. According to the records of that time, they were the embodiment of pure terror.
A massive hunk of iron rolling toward you, completely immune to machine guns—it was bound to be terrifying.
While the primary reason for Germany's defeat in World War I was the entry of the United States, tanks also played a significant role.
However, being the very first of their kind, they broke down constantly and could be blown up by mere grenades. Since they weren't designed to withstand anything beyond machine-gun fire, they were frequently destroyed.
‘In other words, it just shows how monstrous the trenches and machine guns really were.’
Thus, I planned to depict World War I through Hitler’s nightmares.
The horrific life inside the trenches and the artillery fire that rained down on their heads at a moment's notice. The machine guns spitting fire from the enemy lines and comrades falling one by one.
Depicting World War I through nightmares didn't lack probability. To be honest, the real-life Hitler likely suffered from them as well.
As a soldier himself, Hitler knew exactly how horrific trench warfare was, and he was one of the people who felt the necessity of tanks more keenly than anyone else.
‘Because he knew the horrors of trench warfare better than anyone, he was able to bring about innovation.’
The interesting part was that Manstein had been demoted due to an incident arising from Hitler’s seizure of the military.
Later, a chance encounter with Hitler led to the adoption of "Operation Sichelschnitt," which resulted in France being "six-weeked."
Up until that point, Hitler must have seemed like a figure sent from the heavens to save Germany.
In fact, the German people responded to Hitler with a fervor bordering on fanaticism after the occupation of France.
‘I wonder how they’ll react when they see Kristallnacht before that.’
Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, was an incident that occurred in late 1938 and served as a watershed moment for the Holocaust. It also showcased Goebbels’ terrifying talent for propaganda.
It was made worse by the fact that it erupted in an atmosphere where the perception that "Jews are dangerous" was already widespread.
‘Thinking back, all sorts of things happened in 1938.’
Not just Kristallnacht, but the Munich Agreement, the annexation of Austria, and so on. A barrage of major events occurred in succession.
Just one year later, the invasion of Poland signaled the prelude to World War II. We weren't far from war in its truest sense.
I wondered what people would think when they saw the various steel weapons that would be showcased in the war. Even with just the tanks, they’d probably be left wondering what on earth they were looking at.
"You're saying this replaced the role of cavalry?"
"Yes. In terms of top speed, it's similar to a horse. With its excellent defense and offensive capabilities, it's literally a moving steel fortress. You can think of it as a cannon that moves on its own."
"Ho..."
My father showed great curiosity as he looked at the tank Calz had drawn. I had explained it to him before, but this was his first time seeing it as a picture.
Furthermore, what the drawing showed was a Panzer I. It was quite different from the tanks people generally imagine.
For starters, the main gun was shorter than expected, and while it was fast, its defense was lacking. It could be pierced by any weapon with more punch than a machine gun.
"It may be a moving fortress, but it looks quite heavy. It seems like it would be very vulnerable to anything faster or to long-range attacks."
"You're right. It looks like an invincible fortress, but it has many flaws. However, there's a reason tanks had to be invented. Even you wouldn't charge head-on into arrows with your bare body, right, Father?"
"I would, though."
"..."
Well, that shut me up. I shouldn't have used him as a benchmark.
My father chuckled when he saw my bewildered expression.
"It would be difficult for anyone else. As you said, if such a weapon existed, it would make advancing very easy. It seems like it would be especially effective in siege warfare."
"...Yes. Well, I suppose so."
Though there wouldn't be any traditional sieges. In World War II, instead of sieges, entire cities became fortresses for defensive battles.
"But even if it's made of steel, wouldn't it just be a hunk of junk if it loses its mobility?"
While I was giving my lukewarm response, Adelia pointed at the drawing and fired off a question.
Her finger was pointing at the wheels—specifically, the caterpillar tracks. The symbol of a tank, invented to allow it to traverse rugged terrain.
She then followed up with a horrifyingly simple strategy, her face perfectly innocent.
"Wouldn't it be easy to just target this part? Then it would lose all its mobility."
"In what way?"
"You just run up to the side and slash it with a sword. Wouldn't that work?"
"......Sister. I'll say it again: there's no mana or magic where I came from."
That was the kind of strategy a badass middle-aged Fuhrer from an alchemist manga would use. A monster who deflected every bullet with a sword and sliced tank shells in half.
In that story, he even slashed a tank's tracks with a sword to disable it, just as Adelia suggested. Tossing a grenade inside to finish it off was just the cherry on top.
Of course, that was only possible because that character was ridiculously overpowered; only a handful of knights could actually pull that off.
An ordinary knight, far from deflecting every bullet, would likely be turned into Swiss cheese before they could even get close.
My father was an exception. If it were him, he’d probably just tank everything and bring his axe down on it. If he could survive a dragon's attack, a machine gun would be nothing.
"Still, you're right that it loses mobility if the tracks are broken. It can be repaired, but it can't move until then."
"It has many advantages, but many disadvantages as well. I certainly shouldn't think of this using conventional common sense."
As Adelia nodded, my father offered his assessment from the side.
"Nevertheless, the merits are enormous. Especially the fact that a 'soldier' can operate it rather than a 'knight.' The idea of mere soldiers operating a moving fortress is, in itself, absurd."
"That's the advantage of science."
Production was incredibly difficult, but operation was possible with just a bit of training. It meant that population could directly translate into military power.
Furthermore, from the moment the 'gun' was invented, the argument for the obsolescence of knights would gradually rise. After all, the gun was the king of weapons that anyone could use.
Of course, the possibility of knights becoming truly useless was extremely low. Mana's potential was simply too vast.
"Still, I am curious. Who would win in a fight between a tank and a knight? Oh, I'm not saying I want a war or anything."
"At least while you're alive, no war will break out."
"Right?"
War wouldn't break out.
[[IMG_1]]
[Protests by the 'factories' of Machina. We are not slaves!]
[The leaders of the protest are Dwarves specializing in papermaking. They have been overworked by the grueling labor that has continued since the Xenon Biography...]
Except, a protest was erupting in a completely unexpected place.
*
In this world, where the Industrial Revolution had not yet occurred, most work was done by hand—from weapons to basic everyday items.
However, there was rarely a shortage of these goods. As mentioned before, the race of craftsmen, the Dwarves, were "mass-producing" them.
Machina had earned immense wealth by utilizing the Dwarves' formidable manufacturing capabilities, and their peak prosperity was during the Race War.
However, this also led to greed, and negative perceptions spread—such as the idea that one should never do money business with a Dwarf.
Above all, the suffering of the public craftsmen—the "factories"—went without saying.
They were insulted on one hand and overworked on the other. The times they had been paid properly could be counted on one hand.
Yet, they had endured without much trouble until now. Dwarves naturally had better stamina than humans and could recover from fatigue quickly.
Even when driven harshly as "factories," they stood firm, even if they harbored grievances.
"We are not slaves! Give us time!"
"Sweet rest like a cold beer! Warm housing like a hot sausage!"
"The Demons were saved through the Xenon Biography. So why must we suffer more!"
But not anymore. Even the jovial Dwarves had a breaking point.
There had been many times when they "almost" reached that point, but never in history had they actually crossed it like this.
"Look at these hands! My skin is peeling off from making paper all day! How am I supposed to drink beer with these!"
"I've been cut by paper so much that it's finally infected! Look at my finger! Does this look normal to you?!"
The protesting Dwarves gathered in the plaza, shouting their fierce complaints. Most had deep fatigue etched into their faces, and their hands were a mess.
They were the Dwarf "factories" involved in the work of making paper—the art of papermaking.
If you were to ask what material was being produced the most at this point in time, many would answer "paper."
Isaac's works, starting from the Xenon Biography and continuing through Blood and Iron, had influenced the entire world, naturally causing paper production to skyrocket.
In truth, they had managed to endure through the Xenon Biography. If they were short on labor, they could simply bring in people from elsewhere.
To ensure efficiency, various engineers, including Eins, had not neglected to develop new technologies.
Thanks to those technologies, the instances where books were sold out and unavailable decreased, and global distribution became possible.
"Let us sleep eight hours a day! We just want to sleep!"
"Does it make sense for a child to collapse from overwork?! Do you intend to raise even our growing saplings as slaves!"
But beneath it all lay the sacrifice of the Dwarf factories.
While the Xenon Biography and Blood and Iron brought immense wealth to Isaac and Musk, the nation that benefited most was Machina.
The reason it was Machina and not the Minerva Empire was, as mentioned, because of the paper. Machina was the only place capable of mass-producing the raw material.
In fact, Albenheim could also mass-produce paper through magic. However, their characteristic elitism kicked in, and they didn't bother, asking, "Why should we?"
Helium was a different story; they lacked the delicate magic required for mass paper production. Having been isolated for so long, their foundational academic knowledge was lacking.
Therefore, Machina was the only nation capable of mass-producing paper, and Machina was well aware of that fact.
As a result, they had literally ground down the Dwarf factories until, unable to take it any longer, the Dwarves had rushed out into the plaza.
"Go ahead and blame that damn Xenon if you want! He saved the Demons, so why not us? Is this racial discrimination?!"
"The Earth Mother will not stand for this! We just want a comfortable life!"
Machina wasn't stupid; they had foreseen such a situation. But each time, they had calmed the workers down by invoking Xenon—Isaac.
If you stop moving, the production of the 'Prophecies' will cease. Do you want that? If that happens, the entire Dwarven race might be held in contempt.
In a world where divine right was strong, the fear of the gods was equally great. The Dwarf factories had swallowed their grievances and silently produced paper.
But there is a limit to endurance. The tipping point was when a young Dwarf collapsed from overwork and passed away without receiving proper treatment.
To make matters worse, the factory owner didn't compensate the young Dwarf's family and instead hurled insults at them. It would have been strange if a protest hadn't happened.
Machina's response to this protest was very simple.
"Catch them! Round them all up and throw them in jail!"
"Y-you bastards! G-ack!"
"Aaaargh!"
Merciless suppression and violence. And then, imprisonment.
The scale of the protest was significant, but they were helpless before trained soldiers. Furthermore, Machina was a nation that maintained a powerful centralized system despite its capitalism.
Naturally, in the presence of the 'King,' all the nobles united to follow orders. The dispersal of the protesters followed that exact procedure.
"P-please, have mercy! I was just..."
"Shut up! How dare a mere factory worker protest?! You deserve execution! Do you understand?!"
The protesters scattered in chaos, and those captured were immediately dragged off to prison.
It was obvious what kind of humiliation they would face there. The Dwarves watching the protest from afar were devastated by the reality.
"...It's not like we chose to be born as factories."
"Indeed."
The Xenon Biography had saved the Demons. But...
"Is Xenon truly a savior? Why is life getting harder for us?"
"Hey! Watch your mouth. Do you want to be dragged away too?"
It had produced entirely unexpected victims.
And...
"Eins! Did you hear about the protest in the plaza today?"
"Of course I did. I'm going to visit those people in a bit. Oh, but the wheels keep falling into the holes; what should we do?"
The sparks of revolution began to flicker.