"Screech!" With a loud noise, Guillaume pulled open the warehouse doors and turned on the electric lights.
Even though the sun was already high at this time, the warehouse was not well-lit. Without the lights on, only shadowy outlines could be seen.
Under the light, rows of brand-new motorcycles were neatly arranged in the warehouse, like troops waiting for inspection.
"To be honest, Young Master Shire!" Guillaume hesitated, "Maybe you shouldn’t have bought the motorcycle factory. Its sales were already poor, and they dropped further when the war started. Part of the reason why the workers left is because of this; they couldn’t get paid if the motorcycles didn’t sell. They didn’t want to waste their time here!"
Dejoka strongly agreed and always believed that buying the motorcycle factory was not a wise choice. Even though it was bought at a 35% discount, it didn’t mean it could turn a profit.
"How much inventory do we have?" Shire asked.
"More than 1,500 units!" Guillaume replied, "We need to check the documents for the exact number!"
"How many units can be produced each month?" Shire asked again.
Guillaume and Dejoka stared at Shire as if they had seen a ghost. The unsold inventory should be the main concern, shouldn’t it?
But Shire was concerned about the production capacity!
"We can produce about 300 units a month!" Guillaume said, "But I think..."
"Can we expand the production?" Shire asked again, "For example, by working in three shifts, hiring three batches of workers to work at different times!"
Dejoka couldn’t hold back, "Shire, shouldn’t we consider the sales problem?"
Guillaume agreed, "Mr. Dejoka is right, Young Master Shire. You should listen to your father!"
After all, he’s still a child. He treats business like a child’s play, thought Guillaume.
Shire neither said yes nor no. He walked to the motorcycles, looked them over, grabbed and twisted the handlebars, then turned back and asked:
"Are these motorcycles all in working condition, Guillaume?"
"Of course!" Guillaume replied, "As soon as we fuel them up, they can be used immediately. Their performance is excellent; they are British ’Triumph’ models!"
(Note: "Triumph" motorcycles are known for their reliable performance and easy maintenance. During World War I, they were highly praised by the military as the "trustworthy Triumph!")
"Good!" Shire stepped aside, pointing to the stand beneath the motorcycles, "We can extend a pole from here, add a wheel to the side, making a more stable three-wheel structure. By adding a pillar in this position on the side wheel, it can support a machine gunner to mount a machine gun, and we can add some armor in the front. Can we do this?"
Guillaume’s eyes widened instantly,
Two wheels becoming three?
This could carry more things and more people!
A genius idea, why hadn’t anyone thought of this?
After being stunned for a moment, Guillaume swallowed and nodded quickly, "Of course... it can be done, Young Master Shire. It’s not difficult at all! In fact, it’s quite simple. I might only need a few hours to modify it!"
Shire nodded, "Then let’s get started!"
Dejoka realized what Shire intended to do, especially since Shire mentioned machine guns earlier, "Your idea is to convert them for military use?"
"Of course, Father!" Shire replied, "There’s nothing more profitable than military equipment right now. As long as the army needs it, they will purchase in large quantities, regardless of the cost!"
Pushing the motorcycle out, Guillaume stopped subconsciously and turned back, his tone excited, "That’s right, Young Master Shire! If it proves useful on the battlefield, we will quickly receive countless orders. These motorcycles will sell out very quickly; they might not even be enough..."
Guillaume suddenly understood why Shire mentioned expanding production with three shifts.
If this is the case, producing only 300 units a month is far too few; producing 3,000 units a month would be ideal!
"We could become very wealthy!" Guillaume said while running to implement Shire’s idea as quickly as possible, eager to see if it would be practical.
Dejoka and Shire followed alongside Guillaume. They wanted to observe the modification process and assess Guillaume’s craftsmanship.
Actually, the design of the sidecar had already appeared in this era. It was first introduced six years ago during a Canadian maneuver when an officer innovatively added a sidecar to a motorcycle and mounted a machine gun.
However, the sidecar was very bumpy during movement, and the machine gun had no accuracy while shooting in motion. The officers’ comments were, "It has a greater chance of killing our own people than the enemy!"
Therefore, no one paid attention to this design. After symbolically appearing in just a few maneuvers, it disappeared from public view, and no one applied for a patent.
This is why neither Guillaume nor Dejoka knew about this design.
Not just them, only a few people worldwide knew or remembered this design.
"So!" Dejoka asked, "Is this another kind of ’tank’?"
"No, it’s somewhat different from a tank!" Shire replied, "Tanks are designed to block bullets, but this thing is for... speed, Father. On the battlefield, sometimes speed means victory!"
Dejoka had a hard time understanding this. As a businessman, he knew nothing about the military. But he believed Shire was right, considering Shire had already helped the French Army win two crucial battles!
"Do you know what the neighbors are saying about you?" Dejoka suddenly laughed.
"What are they saying?"
"They say you are even more formidable than General Gallieni! They think you should be a general and command the French Army in battle!"
Shire was startled by this; he certainly didn’t want to join the military.
"They even made a comparison!" Dejoka didn’t notice Shire’s expression and continued proudly, "They say Gallieni commanded the Sixth Army to attack the Germans and lost! But you, with just a few hundred men, defeated the Germans twice! And it’s the same group of Germans! What does this tell us?"
Shire whispered a reminder, "Father, this might get me a draft notice!"
Dejoka was startled, and his smile vanished, replaced by fear, "You’re right, Shire. They shouldn’t say that! It’s... it’s utter nonsense, we never did such things! We are just inventors, that’s all!"
Shire was silent for a while. He felt that not talking about it or using another explanation wouldn’t matter. People would still spread the word, and the military and government would hear it.
After some thought, he said thoughtfully,
"No, Father! I indeed did those things!"
"Not only did I do those things, but I also trained the troops, drove the deserters back, and stopped them when the army was collapsing!"
"They returned to the battlefield because they heard about the tank equipment!"
Dejoka was bewildered; what was Shire thinking?
After being stunned for a moment, he suddenly understood.
If denying it didn’t work, then embellish it to make it sound more like a ’rumor,’ turning it into an illogical ’folktale’!