I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 153

Chapter 153: The Price Trap

Gallieni glanced at the price list. A hand grenade was priced at 2 francs, and 10,000 grenades were only 20,000 francs. Without a second thought, he signed his name.

He didn’t realize he had already fallen into the price trap set by Charles:

The production cost of a wooden-handled grenade was very cheap. At the same time, Saint-Étienne had an established supply of gunpowder, woodworking, and molding lines. It wouldn’t take long to quickly assemble a grenade factory by piecing these resources together.

Therefore, the final cost of a single grenade was only 35 centimes, and according to usual practice, it was sold at double the price. 75 centimes would be sufficient, still yielding a 100% profit.

But Charles knew Gallieni had no understanding of grenades; otherwise, he wouldn’t have casually said, "10,000 grenades."

This was not about the "10,000 grenades." The issue was that, within a month, millions or even tens of millions of grenades would be consumed.

If Gallieni had known this, he would have sat down and carefully evaluated every sou, every centime, and pressed the price down bit by bit.

Because the quantity was so enormous, every centime would eventually turn into a staggering figure.

It was because Gallieni didn’t understand. He thought 10,000 grenades would be enough for the troops for a while. At 2 francs per grenade, the total was only 20,000 francs! A truly conscientious capitalist, no need to haggle—he signed without thinking.

Charles was delighted. The profit of 165 centimes, shared with the Saint-Étienne Arsenal, would mean 82.5 centimes for each side. To be modest, with a monthly consumption of one million grenades on the front lines... that meant a profit of 825,000 francs every month!

This was almost as much as selling 100 “Mark I” tanks a month.

Moreover, the actual consumption in combat was likely to be ten times, a dozen times, or even tens of times higher!

Charles almost got scared by the numbers. Wasn’t this a bit too much?

But then he thought, if the military doesn’t make money, let these capitalist vermin profit instead. He had already been a conscientious merchant, selling things that were needed on the battlefield! Unlike those capitalists, who not only sought profit but also caused death!

Thinking this, Charles felt at ease and guilt-free.

Gallieni had never taken grenades seriously. After signing the contract, he handed it back to Charles and asked, "So, are you and Saint-Étienne some kind of alliance?"

"That’s one way to put it!" Charles waved the contract in his hand. "They have a lot of experience in manufacturing small arms. The factory, workers, and machines are all ready. I, on the other hand, have nothing! Cooperation benefits both sides, and the military as well!"

Gallieni nodded. This meant that the military could quickly get the items they needed, and when the battles intensified, there would be no shortage of supplies.

Then Gallieni secretly praised Steed in his heart. This old man really had foresight. As long as he grasped this lifeline from Charles, his Saint-Étienne Arsenal would not only avoid decline but could even create greater glory, perhaps even surpassing its past achievements!

"Now!" Gallieni gestured toward the map beside him. "Lafox is your responsibility. Whatever plan you have, put it into action!"

"Yes, General!" Charles responded. He saluted Gallieni and turned to walk toward his desk. Before he had even reached it, he had already given an order to Colonel Fernand: "Send out the reconnaissance and fighter squadrons, Colonel!"

"Yes, sir!" Colonel Fernand responded immediately, passing the order over the phone.

...

Carter Flying Club.

The sky was still drizzling lightly. The area around the club was barren, with neither housing nor food, but that didn’t stop the reporters. They braved the cold wind and rain, enduring hunger as they waited outside the club, occasionally using binoculars to look up at the sky.

When they got bored, they would chat with their fellow journalists:

"Do you think Charles will deploy rocket planes?"

"Maybe, but I don’t think they’ll be effective."

"Why?"

Reporters who understood military matters or had more information began analyzing:

"Because it’s the rainy season, rockets hanging on the wings are easily affected by moisture. Even if they’ve been waterproofed, they still won’t perform well!"

"What’s even worse is the low visibility. When rocket planes dive-bomb their targets, they need to aim at them. But if the rain gets a little heavier, the pilot won’t be able to see the target or even the ground."

"The result of the dive could very well be that the plane crashes into the ground with the pilot!"

...

The reporters murmured in realization, "I see now."

The military reporters were quite satisfied. These rookies couldn’t report on military news as professionally as they could. Even if they knew a little bit of the basics, it didn’t matter.

At this moment, a faint "rumble" of engines came from the airport. The reporters suddenly became tense, raising their binoculars and cameras in preparation.

Soon, one plane after another took off, rising into the sky and forming a tight formation like a swarm of bees.

The reporters cheered, then began shouting in panic:

"What model of planes are those? Avro? How many are there?"

"Do they have rockets? Has anyone seen rockets?"

"No, they’re fighter planes! I can see the machine guns on the nose!"

"And reconnaissance planes! 'Goderon' reconnaissance planes, and 'Dove' planes!"

...

The first group to take off consisted of six Avro fighter planes, along with two reconnaissance squadrons: "Goderon" and "Dove."

Normally, Charles wouldn’t send a fighter squadron and a reconnaissance squadron together, especially not the "Dove" reconnaissance plane.

The reason was that the Germans also equipped large numbers of "Dove" reconnaissance planes. In rainy weather, it was difficult for fighter pilots to distinguish whether the "Dove" they encountered was friend or foe.

This was a method to distinguish between enemies and allies, and it also increased the operational efficiency of the fighters.

However, at this point in the war, it seemed unnecessary.

Carter had already reported the situation to Charles: "Lieutenant, as long as there’s an ‘Avro’ in the sky, all the German planes will stay grounded at their airport, too afraid to take off! We haven’t had any work to do for a long time!"

So, the fighter planes taking off were more of a formality. The sky belonged to France during this period, until one day the Germans discovered the secret of the "machine gun fire coordination system."

...

The German defenders at Lafox immediately became tense.

"Enemy planes!" A lookout on a high position raised his binoculars and pointed at the sky, shouting, "The enemy planes are coming!"

Khalil dashed out of the command post and looked up. Sure enough, he saw a few blurry shapes of "Avro" planes in the sky.

"Order the artillery to camouflage!" Khalil shouted as he looked down at the command post, "No firing without orders!"

"Yes, sir!" The signalman immediately relayed the order.

Khalil once again turned his gaze to the sky, a confident expression on his face: Was Charles still planning to use planes to bomb the artillery? This time, he would surely be disappointed!

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