Shire signed the contract with Fusenden in the name of "Bernard Company," and the laboratory was also set up in Lavaz Town.
This was to avoid potential troubles in the future. If the contract was signed in the name of the military, Fusenden and the subsequently trained personnel would belong to the military. If one day Xia Fei needed them, he could directly reassign them as the General.
Signing in the name of the company wouldn’t have such issues; they would be the company’s assets and unrelated to the military.
It must be said that Shire’s dual identity as a military officer and capitalist was very useful. Not only could he use his military influence to strike at his opponents, but he could also rightfully and legally poach military talent.
As for Fusenden, as long as he could earn money, live his life, and continue his research, he didn’t care who Party A was.
On this day, Shire was discussing the development of the training regiment for the 105th Infantry Regiment with Tijani.
During this period, the "M1" armored vehicle produced by Shire had already been launched. It was equipped with a 180-horsepower engine that could transport 8 fully-armed soldiers at a speed of 81 kilometers per hour on roads.
Since this armored vehicle was simple to produce—essentially a vehicle with armor added onto it to block ordinary bullets—its monthly production exceeded one hundred units.
If Shire wanted, this production could be increased.
After Shire equipped the 1st Tank Brigade with it, he began to equip the 105th Infantry Regiment.
Tijani didn’t understand Shire’s approach. He waved the armored vehicle’s data sheet towards Shire: "What’s the use of equipping this vehicle? Its load capacity isn’t as good as a normal vehicle, and its armor and firepower are inferior to tanks. It can’t even stop the German K-bullet."
The 13mm thick armor couldn’t indeed stop the K-bullet, and at this time, the German Army was commonly equipped with the K-bullet, with each soldier carrying five rounds.
"Do you think the Germans have time to switch the K-bullet?" Shire asked, his tone calm.
"What?" Tijani didn’t understand Shire’s point: "It doesn’t take much time, and besides, we can’t hope that the enemy won’t switch to the K-bullet—it is a battlefield after all."
"You are right, General," Shire replied, "But if this armored vehicle advances behind the tanks, do you think the Germans would choose to load ordinary bullets or K-bullets in their guns?"
Tijani was rendered speechless.
Of course, they would choose ordinary bullets, as the K-bullet wouldn’t be able to penetrate the tank’s armor either.
Then Tijani understood: "And then, the armored vehicles can supplement the tanks, using machine guns to suppress the enemy."
Shire nodded: "It is a complement to the tanks. Tanks are slow and have limited external perception, whereas the armored vehicle is the opposite—it is fast and has strong external perception, making it especially suitable for night raids."
Shire emphasized the words "night raids."
In an instant, Tijani understood.
The night battle of Combray had already been documented as a classic case study in military academies, and Tijani had studied every detail of the battle.
At that time, the French Army had easily defeated the powerful German "Upper Silesian" tanks using the "Saint-Chamond M21" light tanks.
Now, Shire had simply replaced the "Saint-Chamond M21" with the "M1" armored vehicle.
And the "M1" armored vehicle could potentially perform even better in night battles because of its stronger external perception, faster speed, and greater mobility, without losing firepower or defense compared to the "Saint-Chamond M21."
"You are always right," Tijani replied helplessly.
Shire smiled and said nothing. He actually had another plan: to create a "Storm Assault Team" for the French Army using the "M1" armored vehicle.
As soon as the submachine guns were deployed, the "M1" armored vehicle could lead a special forces unit at speeds of tens of kilometers per hour to break through enemy trenches or raid important targets in the enemy’s rear.
While thinking about this, Dominic appeared at the office door, excitedly reporting to Shire with a telegram in hand: "General, the response to the ’Saint-Étienne 2’ machine gun has arrived!"
The telegram was sent by maintenance personnel from the "Saint-Étienne" Armory stationed at Gelibolu. During this period, Dominic had been tracking the usage of the "Saint-Étienne 2" machine gun through them.
Shire took the telegram and read: "French soldiers are abandoning the ’Chauchat’ machine guns in large numbers, competing with other units for the ’Saint-Étienne 2’ machine guns, and even clashing with the British Army and ANZAC forces!"
"Clashing?" Shire looked at Dominic in confusion. Infighting on the battlefield was no small matter and could potentially result in severe consequences like executions.
Dominic raised an eyebrow: "It started as a minor scuffle. The French soldiers were unwilling to accept that French machine guns shouldn’t be prioritized for the French Army. Then it escalated, and both sides fought fiercely in the trenches."
Shire was momentarily speechless. If the Ottoman Empire’s army took advantage of this moment to launch a counterattack, would the Allied forces collapse?
However, this seemed normal.
Different countries, cultures, languages, and even skin colors brought soldiers together. Over time, internal conflicts were inevitable. The "Saint-Étienne 2" machine gun was just the trigger.
At this moment, the phone on the desk rang; it was Gallieni calling, asking Shire to come to the City Defense Headquarters.
Shire waved the telegram in his hand and concluded: "It’s about this!"
Shire was not wrong. When he walked up the stairs to the second floor and appeared at the combat department’s entrance, Gallieni waved him over.
"You knew this would happen, didn’t you?" Gallieni asked.
"I don’t know what you’re referring to, General," Shire feigned ignorance.
Gallieni, with a blank expression, exposed Shire’s lie: "The performance gap between the ’Chauchat’ machine gun and the ’Saint-Étienne 2’ is so large that even an idiot can see which is better. Yet you didn’t block the military’s purchase and equipping of the ’Chauchat’!"
Shire replied: "I just didn’t want the ’Saint-Étienne 2’ machine gun to be stolen, General."
"What?" Gallieni was stunned.
Shire explained: "The ’Chauchat’ machine gun was also designed by the ’Saint-Étienne’ Armory, but it ended up with the Pito Armory."
Gallieni seemed to understand—it was a clash between capitalists.
Shire was telling the truth but intentionally misleading Gallieni.
Shire believed Gallieni didn’t need to know too much, nor did he want to drag Gallieni into the struggles between capitalists.
Gallieni seemed to understand Shire’s intention. He nodded slightly to indicate his understanding and stopped questioning.
"So, there’s no problem with ordering the ’Saint-Étienne 2’, is there?" Gallieni asked. "How many can you produce each month?"
"No problem," Shire replied confidently. "3,000 units per month, General. How many do you need?"
Gallieni smiled slightly. 3,000 units per month—this was clearly a plan to completely outdo their competitors!