I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Rocket Propellant Formulation

In the end, under General Winter's fawning "pleading" and "bargaining," Charles reluctantly agreed to authorize production at a unit price of 50,000 francs.

To General Winter, this price seemed reasonable, especially since it was 20,000 francs cheaper than what the Russians had to pay. Moreover, Charles had originally not planned to sell, but not only had he agreed, he even offered a discount. This meant that Winter had made a contribution and could report back to the British government that he had done his part.

However, Charles added a condition. During the negotiation, he casually mentioned:
"Since we used the 'Congreve' rockets to destroy enemy reconnaissance balloons, our demand for rockets has increased significantly."

"But production of the rockets has been problematic, and we've even had an accident in the process."

This was true. Due to issues with the production process, an explosion occurred at a rocket factory, causing over a hundred casualties.

Charles looked calmly at General Winter: "I’ve heard that the British have a safer formula for rocket propellant. Would it be possible to include the formula and production method?"

Charles appeared at ease, as if it didn't matter whether they provided it or not, suggesting that it wasn't a particularly difficult or critical technology.

Without hesitation, General Winter agreed: "No problem. In fact, I have noticed this as well, and I believe the British government would be happy to share this technology with your country."

To General Winter, this was a failed technology, one that the military was planning to abandon.

Since the inception of the "Congreve" rocket, European countries had been trying to find ways to improve its accuracy, but all attempts had been disappointing, as the precision of the rockets remained unchanged.

If there had been any progress, it was in the discovery of new propellant-making methods by the British and the Germans.

(Note: There are two methods for making rocket propellant. The traditional method involves repeatedly pressing the semi-solid, semi-liquid propellant under high temperatures to mix it evenly, which is highly prone to fires and explosions, making the production process extremely dangerous and unsuitable for mass production.)

But what they wanted was precision—precision, precision, precision!

A rocket that couldn’t hit its target was useless, no matter how safely it could be mass-produced.

For the Europeans, this understanding led them to disregard it despite having the most advanced rocket technology. Ultimately, the Russians were the ones who took it further.

Upon hearing General Winter’s response, Charles silently congratulated himself.

With the formula and production method for the rocket propellant in hand, the development of the "Katyusha" and "rocket launchers" seemed to be just around the corner!

Charles didn’t intend to compete directly with Schneider over traditional artillery. This would not only bring him into direct confrontation with Schneider but would also involve gaps in technology, talent, and equipment, making it extremely difficult to surpass them.

But the rocket artillery market was his. Furthermore, developments in anti-aircraft guns and tank guns were focused on the shells, and Charles, with his foresight, could seize the initiative before Schneider could. Of course, he wouldn’t let Schneider take that from him.

Charles felt as though he was conducting a siege on Schneider, using his knowledge to block every potential avenue that Schneider might take, eventually trapping him in his own little corner where he wouldn’t be able to move.

For a company, the most terrifying fate might not be bankruptcy, but rather discovering that, despite accumulating substantial capital and connections, there were no avenues for growth, no innovation, and no future.

In the end, because of the limitations and replaceability of its equipment, it would be kicked out of the military industry, unable to do anything despite having money and power.

...

Once the negotiations were over, Charles finally received a long-awaited one-and-a-half-day break.

Gallieni said to Charles: "I hope you understand that taking a break won't be the norm; it’s just because the battlefront is stable, and there’s nothing pressing for you to deal with."

He was worried that Charles would ask again about the vacation issue.

"Yes, General!" Charles replied.

What else could he say?
If he demanded regular vacations, Gallieni might decide not to grant him any time off at all.

His reasoning would be quite sound:

"Do the soldiers at the front get so much time off?"

"You have made significant contributions, but the soldiers at the front are risking their lives—that is their everything."

"If you work a few more hours, you might save the lives of hundreds, even thousands, of people."

"This is the duty and responsibility of every adult!"

With such weighty arguments, Charles began to feel that taking time off was tantamount to "making money by sacrificing lives."

...

That afternoon, the snow stopped, but the sky remained overcast.

Winter weather like this was actually quite pleasant, as it wasn’t filled with glaring sunlight that made everything seem like mirrors.

On the way back, Charles was surprised to find that the road to Davaus town had been repaired with gravel, and the snow had been cleared to the roadside.

Colonel Laurent, seemingly noticing Charles's confusion, explained while driving: "This is because you haven’t taken time off recently, Colonel."

"What?" Charles was confused. What did his lack of a break have to do with this?

Colonel Laurent continued: "It’s your admirers. They knew you haven’t had time off recently and guessed that it might be due to the road conditions. So they organized themselves to clear the snow and repair the road, doing so once every morning."

Charles was momentarily speechless. These people sure had a knack for making wild guesses.

But this seemed like a good thing. It was certainly more meaningful than receiving a bunch of flowers.

...

Since Charles hadn’t notified his family in advance, Camille nearly shrieked in surprise when she saw the car pull up at the door. She rushed out and gave Charles an enthusiastic hug, laughing joyfully.

But soon after, she complained: "We’ve tried to visit you several times, but we didn’t get permission. Can you talk to the General? There must be some time when you’re resting. We can come then!"

"Mother!" Charles shook his head and replied: "It’s not about the time; it’s about confidentiality!"

Since Charles had handed over the list Lucia provided, the level of secrecy at the command center had been raised.

Gallieni had removed all officers who were suspected of being spies from the command post and had even strictly vetted the cooks in the officers' mess.

Although Camille and Djoka were Charles's parents, they were still civilians, and getting access was nearly impossible.

As he was about to enter, Charles was surprised to find both Djoka and Colonel Estigny present.

It was afternoon, so Djoka should have been busy at the factory, and Colonel Estigny should have been at the tank base, training soldiers and expanding the tank force.

The military had ordered 500 "Char A1" tanks, and the 15 million francs included the cost of training qualified tank crews. Estigny had been occupied with this task recently.

"Very nice to see you, Colonel!" Colonel Estigny greeted Charles, his previously furrowed brow smoothing out. "We have some matters that require your decision."

Charles looked at Estigny, then shifted his gaze to Djoka.

Djoka nodded: "We might be in trouble. We were just discussing this issue!"

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