Chapter 395: The Reaction to the "Saint-Étienne II"
Charles had signed the contract with Fessenden under the name of "Bernard Company," establishing the lab in the small town of Lavaz. This arrangement would help him avoid potential issues in the future. If the contract were under the military, Fessenden and any future talent would be officially classified as military personnel. One day, if Joffre needed them, he could requisition them under his authority as Commander-in-Chief.
By contracting them under a private company, Charles kept them independent from the military. His dual role as both a military officer and a capitalist was incredibly advantageous, allowing him to legally and strategically weaken his opponents while smoothly and justifiably recruiting the best talents for his projects.
As for Fessenden, all he cared about was getting paid, having basic provisions, and the chance to continue his research. Who paid him was not a concern.
…
That day, Charles and Tijani were discussing new training procedures for the 105th Infantry Regiment. Recently, Charles had unveiled the new "M1" armored vehicle, equipped with a 180-horsepower engine, able to carry eight fully-armed soldiers and reach speeds of 81 km/h on roads.
The design of the M1 was simple, essentially a car reinforced with armor that could withstand small arms fire, making production relatively fast, at around 100 vehicles per month. Charles had begun equipping the First Tank Brigade and then proceeded to the 105th Infantry Regiment.
Tijani, however, was confused by the approach. Holding a data sheet on the armored vehicle, he asked, "Why equip ourselves with these? They have less carrying capacity than regular trucks, weaker armor, and less firepower than tanks. And they can't even withstand German K-bullets."
It was true—the M1's 13mm armor was no match for German K-bullets, which had now become standard, with each soldier carrying five rounds.
"You think the Germans have time to load K-bullets?" Charles asked, his tone calm.
"What?" Tijani looked perplexed. "It doesn't take that much time. Besides, we shouldn't rely on the enemy not having time to load K-bullets on a battlefield."
"You're absolutely right, General," Charles replied. "But if these armored cars follow behind our tanks, will the Germans load regular bullets or K-bullets into their rifles?"
Tijani paused, momentarily stumped.
Of course, in such a scenario, the Germans would likely load regular rounds, as K-bullets wouldn't pierce tank armor anyway.
Then it hit Tijani. "And then… the armored vehicles can suddenly fill the gaps between tanks, using machine guns to suppress the enemy."
Charles nodded. "The armored vehicles complement the tanks. Tanks are slow and have limited visibility, while armored vehicles are faster, have better situational awareness, and are especially suited for night operations."
He emphasized "night operations," and Tijani understood immediately.
The Cambrai night assault had already been written into military textbooks as a classic example of combat strategy, and Tijani had studied every detail of it. The French Army had used light Saint-Chamond M21 tanks to successfully overpower the heavily armed German Upper Silesia tanks. Now Charles was essentially replacing the M21s with the faster, more mobile M1 armored vehicles.
"Makes sense," Tijani admitted.
Charles grinned, concealing his broader plans: he intended to use the M1 vehicles to create a specialized French force similar to the German Stormtroopers. With the eventual introduction of submachine guns, the M1s could lead strike teams into enemy trenches at high speeds, opening breakthroughs or targeting key positions behind enemy lines.
As he considered this, Dominique arrived at the door, holding a telegram and brimming with excitement. "General, we've received feedback on the 'Saint-Étienne II' machine gun!"
The telegram had come from repair crews stationed at Gallipoli by the Saint-Étienne Factory, with whom Dominique had been coordinating to monitor the new machine gun's performance. Charles took the telegram, reading, "French soldiers are abandoning the Chauchat machine guns en masse, fighting amongst themselves and even clashing with British forces and the ANZAC Corps over the 'Saint-Étienne II' machine guns!"
"A clash?" Charles looked at Dominique, perplexed. Fights within the ranks were no trivial matter; severe cases could lead to court-martial or even execution.
Dominique raised an eyebrow. "It started as a minor scuffle. French soldiers felt it was only right that French machine guns should go to the French Army. But the argument escalated, and soon both sides were brawling in the trenches."
Charles was momentarily speechless. What if the Ottoman Army had launched a counterattack during this chaos? Would the Allied forces have completely fallen apart?
But such discord was inevitable. Different countries, cultures, languages, and even skin colors made conflicts within the coalition forces almost unavoidable. The "Saint-Étienne II" was merely a spark.
Just then, the phone on Charles's desk rang. It was Gallieni, summoning him to the Defense Headquarters.
Charles held up the telegram and remarked, "It's about this."
…
He was correct. As Charles reached the operations room on the second floor, Gallieni waved him over.
"You expected this, didn't you?" Gallieni asked.
"Expected what, sir?" Charles feigned innocence.
Gallieni didn't buy it. "The performance gap between the Chauchat and the Saint-Étienne II is so obvious that anyone can see which one is better. Yet you didn't stop the Army from purchasing the Chauchat."
Charles shrugged. "I just didn't want the Saint-Étienne II's designs to be stolen, General."
"What?" Gallieni was taken aback.
Charles elaborated, "The Chauchat is also a design from Saint-Étienne, but it ended up in Puteaux's hands."
Gallieni nodded slowly, recognizing this as another example of corporate infighting. Although Charles's statement was accurate, he was deliberately misleading Gallieni, preferring to keep him out of the mess of capitalist rivalries.
Gallieni seemed to catch on, nodding in understanding and dropping the topic.
"So, there won't be any issues with placing orders for the Saint-Étienne II?" Gallieni asked. "How many can you produce each month?"
"Not at all." Charles replied confidently. "Three thousand units a month, General. How many do you need?"
Gallieni allowed himself a small smile. Three thousand units a month—Charles had clearly been prepared to dominate the market from the start.
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