afaict, the time travel part only exists to set the story up, and does not come up again at all. it exists only to set the story up. the entire rest of the story is stuff like this:
“Let me say it again: I don’t like the M43 round.” Xi Yazhou was satisfied with the reaction he’d provoked. “And for similar reasons, I can’t recommend small-caliber rifles like the M16. It’s not just about stopping power—it’s about power at maximum range. Small-caliber rounds also have higher manufacturing requirements. My recommendation is semi-automatic rifles chambered in 7.62mm NATO: civilian versions of the M-14, the FN-FAL, and similar weapons. Once converted to automatic fire, they would significantly reduce our urgent need for machine guns.”
“The M-14? I hear the accuracy is excellent, but it’s overpowered and heavy.”
“Isn’t it complicated? American guns all seem to have complex structures and difficult maintenance.”
The firearms debate continued for another half hour, leaving Shi Niaoren increasingly frustrated. When no resolution appeared forthcoming, he proposed they speak directly with Xiao Rui online. Xiao Rui knew the American gun market far better and had seen more oddities in civilian firearms than the mainland crowd, who only knew that the AR-15 was the semi-automatic civilian version of the M16.
Xiao Rui proposed a different weapon entirely—the Saiga-308 rifle, which no one had heard of. It was a Russian civilian semi-automatic chambered in 7.62mm NATO.
On the one hand, yeah. On the other hand, the rest of the story (AFAICT based on your description) isn’t really that sci-fi, let alone “hard”, except insofar as it’s set up by the time travel. You could just as well write a story about the Spaniards ultra-strategizing about efficiently conquering the Mexica or the Inca.
Pedantry, but: the term “hard sci-fi” is used to refer to “science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy”, and time travel is not. This seems to be more adequately described as an isekai ratfic.
Yes, I would have to agree here. The parts that are sci-fi (almost none) are not hard, and the parts that are hard are not sci-fi.
afaict, the time travel part only exists to set the story up, and does not come up again at all. it exists only to set the story up. the entire rest of the story is stuff like this:
On the one hand, yeah. On the other hand, the rest of the story (AFAICT based on your description) isn’t really that sci-fi, let alone “hard”, except insofar as it’s set up by the time travel. You could just as well write a story about the Spaniards ultra-strategizing about efficiently conquering the Mexica or the Inca.