"Sir, we just want to buy your country's 240mm artillery, and most of your test content today has nothing to do with our business." Argentina's representative Navy Colonel Diano said tactfully.

"But isn't it good to know more about things? Today, it's not just you who came here." There was a sign of Krupp's senior engineer hanging on his chest. Our Baron Vittorio began to fool his potential customers. After all, with his current status, it's not too easy to name a Krupp company!

"Look there, it is the staff of the Admiralty. On the north is the representative of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on the side is the representative of the Russian Empire. Today, we will witness the miracle created by rapid-fire artillery and new charging. We will use high-explosive bombs to completely destroy this target ship!" The Baron first introduced the audience, and then pointed to the target ship more than 40 meters long on the river.

"But I think it's hard to destroy this target ship with just 4 light guns!" Colonel Diano glanced at the gun and then looked at the target in the distance and said bluntly.

"Light artillery? How is it possible? We are using it today..." When Mr. Baron glanced at the cannon on the gun position, his face immediately turned green.

"Didn't it be agreed to be 150mm naval gun? Why did you get me a 105mm naval gun?" The Baron asked the staff of the Krupp factory next to him with a slight face.

"It's too heavy, the cannon body is more than 4 tons alone! So let's use 105mm cannons on it." The other party wiped a cold sweat and said, "Any naval gun was put on land, it was a big guy. It's not that Krupp didn't do his best, but because the time was too hasty and the cannons were too heavy.

"Okay, I hope today's performance won't be too bad." Now that things have come to this point, complaining is useless. Originally, the Baron thought that the three cannons could use picroic acid high-explosive grenades to destroy the target in a very short time. But the current firepower seems to be a bit insufficient to him?

The purpose of his plan for this experiment was to make the Argentinians realize how terrible the suffocation attacks of high-explosive bombs and rapid-fire guns were, and then tell the opponent that the armored cruiser and dome cruiser that had insufficient defense area were outdated. When the opponent was in despair and panic, he would take out his own works - the 7,500-ton Munich-class armored cruiser! Brand new armor, full-speed fire cannon, and speeds of more than 20 knots. Whether it is MT, output, or running away, they are all expert-level!

But today... something seemed to have happened! Just as the Baron cursed the Krupp factory to cut corners and was calculating whether his order was lost, a series of loud noises from the gun station told everyone that the test had begun!

The four cannons spit out deadly flames towards the stationary target in the distance! The 18kg high-explosive bomb was firing at a speed of about 8 rounds per minute! In just one minute, the four 105mm cannons could theoretically tilt more than 30 rounds towards the target, which is about 600kg of ammunition!

Because of the use of new smokeless gunpowder, the cannons do not have to wait for the thick smoke to dissipate before firing. Orange fireballs jumped at the muzzle, and a series of shells fell on the targets that had been calibrated. The explosive power and burning effect of the picy acid high-explosive bombs are indeed excellent. Each shell hit will cause a local fire!

The yellow-green flames quickly spread on the hull, flowing along the deck like a dragon of flames, and the metal brackets flowed. Wherever they passed, they could only leave a charred wreckage, and even thinner steel plates could be ignited! In just 3 minutes from the start of the shooting, the surface of the target ship had turned into a sea of ​​fire! The blazing fire made the ship look more like a huge torch!

The sound of the flames and the distorted hull structure made a terrifying sound. Krupp, which originally planned to smash 200 shells, found that the target was so unstoppable! However, after using 40% of the ammunition, it was almost burned! The target ship that stayed by the river began to change and sink, and finally broke into two pieces and ran aground at the brief discussion.

However, this also made experts from all over the country proudly observe the burned warship with an unrecognizable face at close range, so as to deeply understand the threat of high-explosive bombs to warships with insufficient protection area! Accompanied by the muffled sound of the spotlight, personnel from all sides recorded the final appearance of this tragic target ship.

"We have just witnessed the end of an era and the beginning of a new era!" Vittorio said to the Argentinian who was stunned by the side. "The German Empire's rapid-fire cannons and high-explosion bombs are enough to sweep those old warships into the garbage dump of history! The new armor and brand new armor layout are also enough to resist the Chilean rapid-fire cannons and high-explosion bombs!"

When all the onlookers left the experimental field with shock, incredible and even fear, the matter did not end. Under the intentional or unintentional operation of some people, some details of the experiment were disclosed in newspapers. The burned unrecognizable photos in the Brassey Yearbook, the twisted steel beams and keels, and the almost burned hull made all naval personnel surprised and frightened.

In another subsequent experiment, a mere 10-inch Bavarian hardened armor easily blocked the 240kg shells fired by the 11-inch cannon fired from 1,000 meters away! This result scared the Russians and Germans present! According to previous standards, a battleship had the nerve to go out without a 14-inch armor belt? Moreover, these 14-inches are pure steel-surfaced iron armor. If the teak back panel is included, the thickness will be even greater!

In an instant, the Russians were shocked! The defense of the new armor exceeded their imagination. If the Russians initially doubted whether the new German hardened armor could achieve the performance mentioned in the report, they now believe it! The whistling shells just left a 3-inch pit on the steel plate. When this photo was sent to the Russian Navy, the next day, the Russians made a decision to accept the Bavarian offer!

And after learning through various channels that Bavaria's hardened armor supply was tight and that German shipyards might expand their production capacity, the Russian Navy immediately began to discuss whether to set up an official office in Bavaria to ensure the supply of Russian hardened armor! After all, the Russians have started to build large quantities! There is no problem with artillery, power and hull, but there is indeed only one armor!

"Almost overnight, the British Empire's cruisers were almost outdated, and all the new dome cruisers had reached the end of their lives. Even if they had not yet taken off the ship, the result on the battlefield was certain!" Colonel Diano reported everything he saw in Germany to his motherland, and in the end he suggested that the Argentine Navy should not buy dome warships anymore. Because these things were of no use to face the Chilean rapid-fire cannons!

The report was then sent to the Argentine delegation who went to the UK to buy protective cruisers. When the delegation leader asked Sir Watts if he could design a cruiser that could withstand rapid-fire guns, Watts was disheartened. After all, he had so far all his hands were dome-armored protective cruisers, and he had never done any armored ones!

"I will do my best and wait for me for 2 weeks!" The honest Sir Watts admitted that he could not come up with the relevant design now, but he did not want to give up the order. So he said so.
Chapter completed!