I want to be emperor

Chapter 1177 The Chu people are too domineering

The first air-to-ground strafing operation conducted by Second Lieutenant Qian Linwei and his co-pilot was certainly of great historical significance.

This is true for human history and for the Chu Empire, and it is even more important for the Air Force.

Because actual combat has proven that aircraft equipped with machine guns for ground attacks are extremely effective in destroying the enemy alone or providing fire support for ground forces.

In terms of efficiency, it is higher than an armored vehicle and more controllable than an airship.

In fact, the Chu army had previously tried to carry heavy machine guns on airships for ground-to-air combat, but was unsuccessful. It's not that airships can't carry heavy machine guns and ammunition, in fact they can, and the airship's carrying capacity is much greater than that of current aircraft.

Among the airships currently in service in the Chu Army, the largest one can carry more than one ton, and this is even though the Chu Army did not deliberately pursue the effect of building larger airships.

Compared with larger airships, the Chu army hopes to obtain safer airships, and also pays attention to maneuverability.

Therefore, the improvement and research and development of airships in recent years have basically focused on safety and maneuverability.

Unfortunately, neither of these two studies yielded much results. In terms of maneuverability, the airship was too large and light, and was easily affected by air currents in the air. The power provided by the engines on board was also insufficient, which meant that the airship not only flew slowly, but its direction was also difficult to control, let alone accurately.

As for safety, no matter how the hydrogen airship is modified, it seems to have nothing to do with safety. Last year, an airship of the Air Force had an accident. It suddenly caught fire before landing, resulting in the death of several crew members.

After this accident, and because of the rapid development of aircraft technology, the Air Force eventually decided to suspend the deployment of airships and instead send aircraft units to Europe, India and other regions to perform reconnaissance missions instead of airships.

Of course, the current Air Force has not completely given up on the research and development of airships, but continues to maintain the research and development of the next generation of airships. However, until the next generation of safer airships are developed, the Air Force does not intend to use this thing.

Its combat efficiency, safety and even deployment cost are far inferior to those of aircraft.

The previous plan to install machine guns on the airship failed after several attempts, as it was found that the airship had difficulty in accurately controlling its course and positioning, and making it hover accurately over the enemy's head. Ultimately, the plan was temporarily stopped along with the airship.

Today, airplanes have completely replaced the role of airships in the Air Force, including ground support operations.

In the Duchy of Prussia, after the Third Squadron of the Second Flying Regiment began to carry out reconnaissance and strike missions, it not only obtained a large amount of intelligence on indigenous rebels, but the reconnaissance aircraft also used the rear-seat machine guns to frequently attack the discovered indigenous rebels.

According to incomplete statistics, in just half a month, the Third Flying Squadron alone launched at least fifty air strikes, conservatively estimated to have killed and wounded more than a thousand enemy natives.

This was the result achieved by the Black Swallow aircraft equipped by the 3rd Flying Squadron. They all have short legs, stay in the air for a relatively short time after flying, have a limited combat window, and have limited machine gun bullets on board.

When the relevant information was sent back to China, a number of Air Force generals became even more eager for the aerial gunship project.

Looking at the current situation in the Duchy of Prussia, if there were a few aerial gunboats there, they would fly over and hover for a long time to search for the places where the enemy might appear, and then launch an attack after discovering the enemy. It is estimated that the army would not even need to take action, and the air force could annihilate the rebels on its own.

  Of course, this is just an ideal situation!

In fact, after being hit so many times by the Chu army's planes, the indigenous rebels reacted quickly. For example, they became more secretive in their whereabouts, marched in the woods, tried to avoid activities in areas without the cover of trees, and used branches and plants to camouflage some camps to a certain extent to reduce the probability of being discovered from the air.

Therefore, the Third Battalion fought more smoothly in the beginning... As long as they flew to the area where the enemy was probably present, they could easily find the enemy, and then when they fired at them, the natives would just stand there stupidly.

But now, these natives actually ran away... When they heard the sound of an airplane, they scattered and hid in the nearby woods.

Under such circumstances, the Third Battalion's achievements were greatly reduced.

After all, the Black Swallow aircraft they used was not a professional ground attack aircraft. It was just a trainer aircraft and a part-time reconnaissance aircraft. As for ground attack, that was an attribute added later.

It seems to have a good effect, but in reality it still has great limitations.

The biggest limitation is that the range is too short, making it difficult to cover a wider area, and after arriving over the designated combat location, it is difficult to hover, search, and attack for a long time.

This short-legged aircraft is not naturally suitable for this job.

However, even if it is not suitable, as the first aircraft used in actual combat, the Black Swallow aircraft still brings great strategic advantages to the Chu army.

Through frequent aerial reconnaissance, the Chu army obtained a large amount of intelligence on the indigenous rebels. Then, the foreign legions, in coordination with a group of indigenous king's troops who served as guides and cannon fodder, began to attack the complex hilly jungle area where the indigenous rebels gathered.

They gradually surrounded the rebels from the outside and moved towards the inside, and finally took down the rebel strongholds one by one. Finally, in early October, they successfully reached the lair of the largest rebel group and wiped out thousands of rebels on the spot.

Subsequently, intelligence was searched among the prisoners of the rebels, and a group of dignitaries from the Duchy of Prussia and even from several neighboring countries who were directly involved in or secretly supporting the rebels were uncovered.

What follows is a large-scale cleanup operation.

The Chu army didn't care about any detailed evidence. They just sent soldiers to arrest people. If they dared to resist, they would exterminate their entire family. At one time, at least dozens of nobles or wealthy businessmen were killed in the Duchy of Prussia and several surrounding countries.

During this process, they also discovered information about the secret arsenal of the indigenous rebels. After obtaining accurate location information, the Chu army was too lazy to even use the foreign legions, and directly dispatched more than a thousand regular troops. Under the cover of dozens of armored vehicles, they directly charged into the secret arsenal area of ​​the indigenous rebels, killing hundreds of indigenous people and destroying the arsenal that had caused considerable trouble to the Chu people.

  For deterrence, to warn those who come later!

The Chu army hanged all the people in this secret indigenous arsenal on both sides of the road, and then continued to dig deeper, arresting and hanging all the indigenous dignitaries and businessmen who were the upstream suppliers of steel and equipment to the rebels' secret arsenal.

During this process, many daring smugglers from the State of Chu were discovered to be involved... Without the smugglers from the State of Chu, these natives would never have been able to obtain large quantities of machinery and equipment, nor would they have been able to obtain large quantities of steel and other consumables that could be used to manufacture weapons.

For those Chu smugglers who committed treason for their own selfish interests, the Chu State's Inspectorate will prosecute and sentence them one by one, and the most serious ones will even be convicted of treason.

After killing a large number of indigenous nobles and dozens of Chu people, the case of the secret arsenal was finally settled.

The Chu State did not hide the case, and even publicized it in Europe and indigenous areas such as India. The purpose was simple, to tell those illegal smugglers that smuggling these prohibited equipment and materials used in weapons production to the indigenous people was a very serious crime, so they should not break the law.

Also tell those natives... just farm and mine honestly, and don't think about setting up your own arsenal to manufacture weapons.

The strict control of the Chu people over industrial equipment and technology was fully demonstrated in this case.

This also made many people with lofty ideals in the indigenous countries feel helpless... The Chu people were too overbearing. Not only did they treat them as economic colonies, they refused to sell them industrial equipment to develop their industry and even did not allow them to develop on their own.

The Chu people forcefully declared to all indigenous peoples around the world: "Only we Chu people can run factories and engage in industry, but you can't!"

Although many indigenous countries were unwilling to accept this, especially some people within them who cared about their country and wanted to promote its development and growth, they did so in order to avoid triggering bad luck for the Chu people at this sensitive moment.

The plan to secretly develop industry and build an arsenal had to be stopped!

  Halbrand in the Kingdom of Sweden sighed to the sky...the road to development is so difficult!

Halbrand was previously the ambassador to the State of Chu. He resigned and returned home at the beginning of this year. As one of the few powerful people in the Kingdom of Sweden who was familiar with the State of Chu and had considerable abilities, he was valued by the King of Sweden and appointed to an important position after his return.

Originally, Halbrand planned to obtain some industrial equipment through smuggling and other channels, and then build Sweden's own arsenal.

But unfortunately, judging from the current situation, even if the Chu people allowed the export of single-shot rifles, they would still not allow their vassal states to build their own modern arsenals.

You know, the so-called secret arsenal in the Duchy of Prussia, although nominally belonged to the rebels, in fact, it had the support of some powerful people in the Duchy of Prussia.

Without the support of these powerful people, these rebels would not have the ability and funds to obtain so much equipment and make guns and cannons.

Therefore, to a certain extent, this illegal arsenal was actually set up by a group of bureaucratic aristocrats in the Duchy of Prussia who were unwilling to accept reality and wanted to develop industry to promote the rise of the country.

And now... the rebels are finished, the aristocratic bureaucrats who secretly supported them are also finished, and the secret arsenal was directly blown into ruins.

In fact, Halbrand's idea was similar to that of the powerful people in the Duchy of Prussia at the beginning. If the Chu people don't allow me to do it openly, then I will do it secretly. No matter how I do it, I will do it.

  But it is obvious that the Chu people's reaction to this is still strong, and they don't even have the slightest intention of compromising!

After the Chu people learned the location of the secret arsenal, they did not even send out foreign legions, but directly mobilized the regular army, driving dozens of intimidating armored vehicles and charging forward under the cover of dozens of aircraft.

This shows how much importance the Chu people attached to this!

Given the attitude of the Chu people, it is impossible for Sweden to build an arsenal in a similar way. The only option now is to continue to lurk, put aside its ambitions, and seal up the equipment that was smuggled in at great difficulty and at great cost in a secret cave in a remote area.

Then continue to honestly train talents first...

Compared with directly setting up factories, the Chu people did not put too many obstacles in the education and training of talents of their own indigenous people. Although the Chu people did not accept so-called international students, they also prohibited the leakage of various technical information, technology transfer, etc.

However, as long as you natives study and figure it out on your own, the Chu people are actually too lazy to care...mainly because they can't do it.

The natives don't openly set up schools to teach sensitive courses involving areas such as weapons manufacturing. They also know to do it secretly.

It is also impossible for the Chu people to really carry out comprehensive supervision.

So the main thing is that you should be careful and don't go too far. Generally, the Chu people will ignore you.

In addition, most of the talents trained by these indigenous people will eventually work for the Chu people...just like John who now works for the European Straits Trading Company.

John was considered a top student trained in the Kingdom of England, but he ended up entering the concession and working for a Chu company.

The reason why the Chu people had relatively loose control over labor residence permits and permanent residence permits in their administrative territories was to absorb outstanding talents trained in indigenous countries into these systems of the empire and contribute to the interests of the Chu people.

If a native has learned a lot and is faced with a backward and barbaric homeland on one side and an advanced and civilized powerful empire on the other that allows him to become part of the civilized world, most people will choose the latter.

There are people who choose the former, but they are a minority...after all, there are still very few people who are aware of the situation.

More importantly, these natives at that time had no concept of modern country and nation. They did not think that working for the Chu people was treason or betrayal of their own nation.

If there is any betrayal, it is at most betrayal to these noble lords.

It is better to work for the Lord of Chu than for the noble Lord. After you get the permanent residence permit, the people of Chu will at least treat you as a human being...well, a human being in the legal sense.

But in those indigenous countries, unless you are a noble yourself, it is impossible for you to be treated as a human being by those nobles.

You know, before the arrival of the Chu people, a considerable part of Europe still practiced the serfdom system.

It was after the Chu people arrived in Europe that the serfdom system in Europe completely disappeared overnight!

Of course, the Chu people came to Europe for colonization and plundering economic benefits, not to rescue the serfs. Therefore, abolishing the serfdom system in European countries was not to rescue them, but simply because they felt that the production line of serfs was too inefficient and they had little consumption power.

  They are all controlled by a group of serfs. Who can we, the Chu people, sell the huge amount of cloth produced by us?

Therefore, what eliminated slavery or serfdom was not how great the people were, or how advanced the system was... It was purely because productivity improved. After productivity improved, the economic value generated by various types of workers evolved from free people greatly exceeded that of slaves and serfs!

This is why slavery and serfdom gradually disappeared, not because the rulers were noble, but because in the industrial age, free people were more valuable for exploitation than slaves!