Chapitre 548: Chapter 548: Tank Destroyers
Interestingly, the Dark Iron Dwarves, enslaved by Ragnaros, occupy the lower portion of Blackrock Mountain in the Blackrock Depths. Meanwhile, the orcs, after capturing Stormwind, began to utilize the lava caverns to construct and expand Blackrock Fortress.
Upon hearing that the Bronzebeard Dwarves of Ironforge had joined the Alliance, the Dark Iron Dwarves did not hesitate to ally with the Horde. They were eager to cause trouble for the Bronzebeard Dwarves, and even when Ragnaros was still asleep, they emerged to forge various weapons and defensive structures for the Horde.
Therefore, the defense of Blackrock Fortress is quite robust.
With more than two hundred thousand orcs crammed into one fortress... Orgrim was indeed talking about a decisive battle, but what if the orcs were to lose and hold the fortress?
Would the hundreds of thousands of Alliance forces be stuck in the Searing Gorge? On any other day, Lothar might have found such a thought to be mind-boggling.
"What's the difficulty? If they dare to withdraw, they'll see what us Dwarves are made of!" Magni Bronzebeard said with casual confidence.
Anduin was no stranger to the dwarves. In his youth, he often visited Ironforge, and Magni was an old friend. However, it was not just Anduin who needed convincing, but also the generals of other nations.
At this moment, Duke suddenly suggested, "Steam siege engines?"
Magni and the Gnome King, Gelbin Mekkatorque, brightened at the idea. Someone among the human leaders, Duke, recognized the worth?
"Heh heh, you know about it?" Magni laughed.
Duke frowned, "Not good."
"What's not good?" Gelbin was slightly displeased. After all, the steam siege engines were one of the greatest masterpieces jointly made by the dwarves and gnomes.
Duke confidently explained, "They must be close to the defenses to activate and are easily destroyed by the orcs' brutal city-defense weapons."
Magni pressed, "Like what?"
"Like a 100-foot-long, 20-foot-thick giant rolling log?" Duke's casual example made Magni and Gelbin's faces change.
Indeed, the orcs were all beast-like in their enormous strength. If that were the case, things would be quite dire.
Gelbin: "Any good ideas?"
"Why not modify the steam tank? Make it like this." Duke waved a hand, and suddenly a tank model appeared before Magni and Gelbin. It was similar to the dwarven steam tank but also greatly different.
If there were another traveler from another world present, they would have noticed that this tank resembled the SU-152 tank destroyer from Earth's World War II.
Of course, given the dwarves' industrial capabilities at this time, they had to abandon the long barrel. But without a rotating turret, they could recklessly increase the caliber of the main gun.
To resist attacks from the front, the front armor was thicker. And by giving up the rotating turret, they could add shooting holes on the sides, placing riflemen inside to handle side attacks.
Lothar and Magni were perplexed by Duke's conversation with the dwarves. Their understanding of dwarven weapons was primitive. They always thought that the dwarven tanks could withstand swords but were weak against heavy weapons like hammers, such as when orcs carrying tree trunks smashed the dwarven tanks on the battlefield.
At times like this, not trusting the dwarves would mean sending their soldiers to fight the orcs in street battles—a choice no commander who cared for his soldiers would make.
Originally, Anduin was somewhat resentful of Duke's late proposal to modify the siege weapons. The battle was imminent, and there were only four days left. Would it be enough time?
Magni waved it off: "Don't underestimate the dwarves and gnomes! Such a low-tech modification, we can do it overnight."
Magni and Gelbin were so confident that even Duke was somewhat doubtful.
Hey, hey!
Are the dwarves really this incredible?
Overnight?
It's a steam tank, right? No need to recalculate the load and solve the tank's power system? What about the drive wheels? Tracks? Suspension system?
Then, the next day, Duke was surprised and impressed.
Bleary-eyed, Duke came out and was stunned.
Damn! I asked you to make a tank destroyer, not a land cruiser. What is this monstrous iron lump, nearly two stories high and as wide as three carriages side by side?
Not only was Duke stunned, but the Windrunner sisters also had their mouths agape.
Alright!
At least the appearance was perfect.
Duke noticed that, aside from the front iron armor being truly steel, the sides were wooden structures covered with two or three layers of iron.
As Duke approached, he saw giant iron wheels as tall as a person, although the outer parts were mostly covered by external armor. Duke clearly saw...
No tracks!
No tracks!
No tracks!
The important thing must be said three times.
"How does that thing turn and traverse complex terrain? And with the weight of the car, what kind of steam transmission system can handle it?" Duke questioned, turning to the back of the vehicle and nearly biting off his tongue.
High technology, my foot!
No wonder they said it was 'such a low-tech modification.'
I believe in your wickedness now!
Looking into the open rear door of the battle car, Duke clearly saw at least a hundred dwarves chatting and boasting in front of a row of pushing rods.
Yes!
You read right!
Pushing rods like those used for pushing carts!
So this tank destroyer, weighing at least several dozen tons, was human-powered!
Just follow the command signal, and it's pushed by manpower.
"Pfft!" Duke couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Right then, Magni and Gelbin arrived, beaming with pride.
Gnome King Gelbin laughed, "How is it? Although a bit rushed, it will certainly meet the siege requirements."
Magni joined in, "Heh heh! For this big fellow, I specially donated the largest cannon in Dun Morogh. Normally, I only use my beloved 'Little Steel Cannon' for blasting mountains."
"Pfft!" Forgive Duke for bursting out again.
He had truly underestimated the dwarves' and gnomes' madness.
Little Steel Cannon, my ghost!
On Earth, anything over 20 millimeters is called a cannon. In World War II, the Germans' 800-millimeter Gustav railway gun was considered insane. The problem was that the dwarves were a hundred times more insane. This cannon's caliber was measured in meters.
Magni approached, tiptoed, and patted Duke's shoulder, "Also, thank you for coming up with such a great idea. Without protection, I wouldn't dare bring out my treasure."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone