I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 194

Chapter 194: The Iron Hook Tank

Charles hadn't visited the tractor factory for a while. He noticed that as his business grew, the trivial matters had also unknowingly increased.

For example, there were his "dates" with Steed, the tank base, and the tactical guidance for the flying club.

Colonel Browning and Carter would often call during Charles' vacation to ask questions. They even hoped that Charles could personally give them guidance. Of course, Charles couldn’t just say, "Wait until I get back to work tomorrow!"

After all, this was not just about training; it was also about Charles' business. If the tank and aircraft units couldn't win, the tanks and planes Charles produced might not receive military orders, and without those orders, there would be no money.

Therefore, this could only be seen as a form of "after-sales service" to secure more orders.

Charles thought it was time to have a word with Gallieni: if public business took up his personal holidays, then it was only fair that his personal matters could take up his service time.

But Charles didn't think this would work. Gallieni would likely reply, "You can refuse to handle public matters during your personal vacation!"

"That's what you said. Does that mean I can also refuse to fight during my vacation?"

"Do as you wish, as long as you can bear the pressure from the public!"

Charles sighed. Gallieni knew his weakness—he dared not easily destroy his public image.

If Charles left his post during a battle because he was on vacation, his image among both the military and civilians would collapse instantly.

By then, how could Charles fight the capitalists?

This might be what people referred to as "the coldness at the top." Once you've been elevated to a certain height, living like an ordinary person becomes almost impossible, unless you fall hard one day.

The last holiday had been the most exhausting. Charles had spent an entire day meeting with technicians from the Martin car factory.

There was talking, socializing, and arranging accommodations, among other things.

Charles valued this group of talents greatly, at the very least, he wanted them to feel that he valued them.

During the meeting, Charles subtly revealed some future developments for cars, such as electric starters, closed cabins, three-box designs, and electric wipers... As long as Charles mentioned a few characteristics of modern cars, that was enough.

(Note: The wiper was invented in 1903 by a woman named Mary Anderson. However, for a long time it was manual, requiring the driver to turn the wiper while driving. It wasn't until 1923 that it became electric and was installed in cars.)

The technicians were stunned. They had already heard that Charles was a hero skilled in developing military equipment, but they hadn't expected him to have knowledge of cars as well. Moreover, the few things he casually mentioned seemed to be excellent directions for car development!

"How about we also make cars?"

"Great idea!" Charles answered decisively. "As long as you can make them, planes, tanks, and cars—everything! We welcome it all! Whatever you need, just say the word: factories, equipment, materials… Eric, assign a procurement officer!"

Afterwards, Charles promised them that they could bring their families to live here whenever they wanted.

In truth, Charles wasn’t very interested in civilian cars.

Military equipment was highly profitable and quick to turn into cash. He already had a pile of things waiting to be invented. Joining the car industry would only make him offend more capitalists, like the Renault car company.

But since the technicians were so enthusiastic, he let them research it. Worst case, like before, he could just focus on racing cars and sell invention patents.

That night, Eric happily called Charles:

"Charles, do you know what the technicians think of you?"

"They unanimously believe you are a visionary, forward-thinking boss! They think being with you is not only promising but also profitable. Some even think they might leave a mark in the history of invention."

"Some of them are already planning to settle in Paris for the long term!"

"The only concern they have is the stalled battlefield. If one day you can quickly end the war, that would be perfect!"

Charles smiled helplessly. Ending the war quickly? That was not something he could accomplish.

...

Finally, another holiday came, with no other trivial matters. Charles could finally visit the tractor factory with peace of mind.

Upon arriving at the R&D department, the sight that greeted Charles shocked him. Next to the "Mark I" tank, there was a smaller tank. Its frame and outline were nearly complete, and it bore a striking resemblance to the "Renault" tank.

This wasn’t surprising, as it used the same suspension and rotating turret, with a layout quite similar to the others.

"It’s beautiful, isn't it?" Matthew approached Charles with a confident smile. "We took it for a spin, and it's much more stable than the 'Mark I'!"

"Already drivable?" Charles was amazed at the progress.

"Yes!" Matthew nodded. "But we're not sure how thick the armor should be."

At that moment, Colonel Estigny, who was discussing something with the workers over by the blueprints, saw Charles. He immediately stopped his actions, flipped through a stack of documents, and pulled out a blueprint, quickly walking over to Charles.

"Very glad to meet you, Major!" Estigny said as he walked up, presenting the blueprint to Charles.

"This is an envisioned design after it's completed," Estigny explained as he compared it with the prototype. "We plan to install 22mm thick armor on the front..."

"No, 25mm!" Charles interrupted Estigny.

Estigny was puzzled. "The Germans' K shells can only penetrate 13mm of steel, I think 22mm is sufficient."

"25mm!" Charles said firmly, without further explanation.

In fact, Charles didn’t really know how to explain it. The Germans' T-shaped anti-tank guns could penetrate 25mm of vertical steel plates at a distance of 200 meters. If the front armor was only 22mm thick, it would be very dangerous in combat.

With 25mm, there wouldn’t be such concerns, as the front armor was mostly inclined, and the effective thickness would be greater than 25mm.

"Alright!" Estigny sighed helplessly. "Then… the front might be too heavy!"

Charles pointed to the sketch without hesitation. "We can add a tail hook at the rear!"

"A tail hook?" Estigny looked confused. "But what use would it have?"

Charles answered calmly, "This lightweight tank will have a clear disadvantage compared to the 'Mark I.' You should have noticed this already!"

Estigny stared at Charles in shock.

Matthew also looked incredulously at Charles. "You can tell the tank's flaw just by looking at a sketch?"

He intentionally didn't provide an answer, thinking Charles might be bluffing.

But Estigny shook his head and said, "No, Matthew. The Major knows. The tail hook is to solve the problem of trench-crossing ability!"

Matthew suddenly understood. He stared with his mouth open for a moment, then shook his head and smiled, fully convinced.

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