I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Naval Technical Advisor

The establishment of the new party was something Charles did not involve himself with too much, nor was it appropriate for him to interfere too much. As long as the party called for support from him as its foundation in the future, that was sufficient.

After this matter was settled, Charles turned his attention back to the tank.

He instructed Colonel Estigny not to disclose the "direction of tank development" to anyone, including the military.

At first, Estigny did not understand this: "But Colonel, if we don't tell the military, isn't it possible they will head in the wrong direction?"

However, Estigny soon realized that Charles did not want his competitors, like Schneider, to learn the direction of tank development and get ahead of them.

After weighing the matter for a moment, Estigny nodded in agreement.

After all, the company producing tanks for France was Charles' tractor factory. As long as Charles and Estigny knew the direction, France would not go down the wrong path.

What Estigny did not know was that, in this case, his thinking was "assuming the worst of others" in a way that was not entirely accurate.

...

The next day, when Charles returned to the city defense headquarters, the first thing he did was make a request to Gallieni.

"General," Charles said seriously, "I would like to request a technical advisor from the naval shipyard to assist us."

"Shipyard?" Gallieni looked at Charles with an odd expression. "You don't mean to build warships, do you?"

"No, General," Charles replied. "In fact, I intend to build tanks. You should know that I have two types of tanks."

Gallieni nodded. One was the "Mark I," and the other was the "Char A1."

"But..." Gallieni was confused. "Isn't the 'Mark I' tank supposed to be phased out?"

"No, General," Charles replied confidently. "On the contrary, it has not been phased out. We are going to upgrade it."

"Upgrade?" Gallieni said, looking puzzled. "Are we going to use the 'Mark I' again?"

"Of course," Charles explained earnestly. "These two tanks each have their advantages: the 'Char A1' is fast and highly maneuverable, but its armor is thin and there is not enough space to install a large-caliber cannon. The 'Mark I,' though slow and logistically difficult, can be equipped with thicker armor and possibly a large-caliber cannon, which is useful for assaulting or destroying enemy fortifications."

Gallieni immediately believed him, as what Charles said seemed very reasonable.

However, after a moment's hesitation, Gallieni asked, "What does this have to do with a technical advisor from a shipyard?"

"We need to make the 'Mark I' bigger, General," Charles explained. "Its size and weight may be several times greater than the current 'Mark I,' making it more like a ship. There will be issues with ballast and the stresses on various parts of the vehicle, which are similar to shipbuilding."

Gallieni said "Oh" and then agreed readily. "I’ll contact the shipyard right away..."

"No, General," Charles interrupted Gallieni's words and reminded him, "For confidentiality reasons, it would be better if the technical advisor is someone from the military!"

Gallieni found this reasonable and nodded. "No problem, I will notify the Navy Department to send someone."

After that, Charles let the matter take its course.

He didn’t actually plan to upgrade the "Mark I."

France already had the "Char A1" tank with a turret; if there was any upgrade to be done, it should be to the "Char A1." Upgrading the "Mark I" was unnecessary.

But Colonel Estigny had reminded Charles.

To be specific, it was Schneider's "light tank" that made Charles consider: if Schneider was developing light tanks due to the "Char A1," might the Germans have a similar idea?

The Germans had ample reason to develop light tanks: the A7V, which they had spent a fortune developing, was a huge, cumbersome machine with large cannons and machine guns, requiring 18 men to operate, yet it was outclassed by small tanks operated by only two men.

More importantly, Germany was France's enemy, and they had no concerns about "industrial property rights."

So, why wait? Of course, they would copy the "Char A1!"

The Germans were clearly more dangerous than Schneider: they had a stronger industrial base, a more comprehensive talent pool, and more reliable research directions. Even the A7V had incorporated suspension.

And the German developments would inevitably be used on the battlefield, leading to a deadly confrontation with the "Char A1."

Therefore, for both personal and strategic reasons, Charles needed to set a "trap" for the Germans.

The most reliable "trap" was, without a doubt, the "super-heavy tank."

The Germans seemed to have a certain obsession with "super-heavy" machines, such as the "Big Bertha," the "Paris Gun," and later the "Gustav" giant cannon in World War II. Even in tanks, the Germans would eventually develop the "Mouse."

Considering this, Charles believed there would be no difficulty in leading the Germans to focus on "super-heavy tanks." The challenge was how to convey this information to the Germans without leaving a trace.

Charles thought of the spy, Harley.

He also thought of the Minister of the Navy.

If he could bring someone from the Navy Department, could the development information for the "super-heavy tank" be transmitted to the Germans through them?

This was the reason behind his request to Gallieni.

Charles was not sure if he would succeed. "Man proposes, but fate decides," he thought. He would just wait and see what kind of tank the Germans would send to the battlefield.

Actually, Gallieni had doubts about Charles' request.

He knew about Charles' relationship with Wells. Not long ago, Charles had saved Wells' son, Tigani, and Wells had privileges within the Navy. It would have been a simple matter to ask Wells to arrange someone. Now, Charles wanted to go through him and contact the Navy Department in such a roundabout way.

However, this thought only flashed briefly in Gallieni's mind.

He simply assumed that Charles was trying to keep his distance from Wells.

...

Not long after, Charles realized that things were not as simple as he had thought.

That afternoon, Charles was shocked to find Tigani running towards him.

Tigani was panting, as if he had run up the stairs, and cheerfully said, "Reporting in, Colonel!"

"What are you doing here?" Charles asked, confused.

He then glanced at the guards, who shouldn't have let Tigani in.

Since the headquarters had been "reorganized," no "outsiders" were allowed to freely enter, including officers.

Tigani smiled slightly, pulled out a document, and handed it to Charles. "This is the transfer order, Colonel! You needed a naval technical advisor, right? It’s an honor to serve you!"

"You—you're the naval technical advisor?" Charles looked at Tigani in disbelief.

This guy must have used his connections to "secure" this position, Charles thought. After all, how could they possibly send a junior army general as a naval technical advisor?

Tigani freely admitted it, shrugging. "Don’t underestimate me, Colonel. I might be a comprehensive technical advisor."

He added with a grin, "No matter what the issue is, I can find someone to help you solve it!"

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>