Ultimately, under General Winter’s cautious "persuasion," Shire grudgingly agreed to authorize production at a unit price of 50,000 francs.
This price seemed very reasonable to General Winter, given that it was 20,000 francs cheaper than Russia, especially since Shire originally didn’t intend to sell. Now, not only did he agree, but he also offered a discount, indicating that he had successfully negotiated and could report positively to the British Government.
However, Shire attached a condition, casually mentioning during the negotiations:
"Since we used the ’Congreve’ rockets to destroy enemy reconnaissance balloons, our demand for rockets has significantly increased."
"But the production of rockets has always faced issues, leading to some accidents during the process."
This was true. Due to process issues, an explosion at a rocket munitions factory had resulted in over a hundred casualties.
Shire looked at General Winter calmly: "It’s said that Britain has a safer formula for rocket propellants. Could you include the formula and the production method?"
Shire’s expression was very relaxed, as if he didn’t care whether he received it or not, suggesting it wasn’t a critical technology.
Without hesitating, General Winter agreed: "No problem. In fact, I have also noticed this issue. I’m confident the British Government would be willing to technology with your country."
To General Winter, this was a failed technology that was almost abandoned by the military.
Since the birth of the "Congreve" rocket, European countries had been striving to improve its accuracy, but the results were disappointing as the precision of the rockets remained unimproved.
If there was any progress, it was that Britain and Germany had found new methods for making rocket propellants.
(Note: There are two methods for making rocket propellants. The traditional method involves repeatedly grinding the semi-solid, semi-liquid propellants at high temperatures until they are evenly mixed. This method easily catches fire and explodes, making mass production very dangerous.)
But what they wanted was precision, precision, precision!
Rockets without improved accuracy, even if produced safely and in large quantities, were useless.
Rockets that couldn’t hit their targets were wasteful; no matter how many you had, they were still wasteful!
European countries generally understood this, which was why even though Europe had the most advanced rocket technology, it was never prioritized, with the technology ultimately reaching prominence through Russia.
Upon hearing General Winter’s response, Shire was secretly delighted.
With the formula and the production method for rocket propellants, the "Katyusha" and "rocket launcher" could now be on the agenda!
Shire didn’t plan to compete with Schneider in traditional artillery. Such confrontation would not only be direct but would also present difficulties in terms of technology, talent, and equipment, making surpassing them very tough.
However, the rocket artillery sector seemed to belong to Shire. Additionally, the development directions for anti-aircraft guns and tank cannons revolved around innovations in ammunition, an area where Shire could leverage his foresight to gain the upper hand, ensuring Schneider wouldn’t take this advantage.
Shire felt like he was conducting a siege on Schneider, using his knowledge to block every possible future path for Schneider, ultimately trapping Schneider in his narrow field without room to maneuver.
For a company, the most terrifying aspect might not be bankruptcy, but the realization that despite accumulating vast capital and connections, they had no future, no innovation, and no path for development.
Eventually, due to the limitations and replaceability of their equipment, they would be kicked out of the military manufacturing sector, left helpless despite their wealth and power.
After negotiations concluded, Shire finally earned a long-awaited one and a half-day holiday.
Gallieni told Shire: "I hope you understand that holidays won’t become the norm; it’s only because the war is stable now and there’s nothing requiring your attention."
His worry was that Shire might ask about holidays again.
"Yes, General!" Shire replied.
What more could he say?
If he requested regular holidays, Gallieni might grant none at all.
His reasoning would be ample:
"Do front-line soldiers get such holidays?"
"You have indeed contributed greatly, but front-line soldiers are giving their lives; that is their everything."
"Working a few more hours might save hundreds or thousands of lives, even more."
"This is every adult’s responsibility and duty!"
Each statement would make Shire feel that "vacation" equated to "trampling on lives."
The snow had stopped that afternoon, but the sky remained overcast.
Such winter weather could actually be comfortable, lacking the glaring sunshine that made the ground resemble mirrors.
On his way back, Shire was astonished to find that the road to Davaz Town had been repaired with gravel and the snowfall had been cleared to the sides.
Colonel Laurent seemed to notice Shire’s confusion, explaining while driving: "It’s because you haven’t had any holidays recently, Colonel."
"What?" Shire was puzzled. What did his lack of holidays have to do with this?
Colonel Laurent answered: "Your admirers guessed that your lack of holidays might be due to the road conditions. So, they organized themselves to clear the snow and repair the road, doing so every morning."
Shire was speechless for a moment, impressed by their speculation skills.
However, it seemed like a good thing, definitely more meaningful than receiving a bunch of flowers.
Since he hadn’t notified his family in advance, when the car stopped at the house, Camille almost screamed as she burst out of the door, enthusiastically hugging Shire and laughing happily.
But shortly after, she complained: "We tried several times to visit you, but permission was never granted. Talk to the General—there must be times for sleep and rest. We could arrange to visit during those times!"
"Mom!" Shire shook his head and replied: "It’s not about the time; it’s about confidentiality!"
Ever since Shire submitted Lucia’s list, the command center’s confidentiality level had been raised.
Gallieni transferred all "suspected" spies away from the command post, replacing them with thoroughly vetted individuals, including the officers’ mess cooks.
Although Camille and Dejoka were Shire’s parents, they were civilians, making entry nearly impossible.
As soon as he was about to enter the house, Shire was surprised to see that both Dejoka and Colonel Estiny were present.
Since it was afternoon, Dejoka should have been busy at the factory, and Colonel Estiny should have been training tank crews and expanding the tank unit at the tank base.
The military had ordered 500 "Shire A1" tanks, and the fee of 15 million francs included training qualified tank operators, a task that Colonel Estiny had been working on.
"Good to see you, Colonel!" Colonel Estiny said, his tightly furrowed brows relaxing upon seeing Shire: "We have some matters that require your decisions."
Shire looked at Colonel Estiny and then turned his gaze to Dejoka.
Dejoka nodded: "We might have some trouble. We were just discussing this issue earlier!"