Chapter 499: One More Condition

As a capitalist, Charles certainly won't reveal his cards easily.

He continued with Browning's words, looking regretful: "Yes, it seems that I have no reason to cooperate."

This actually served as a reminder to Boyata.

Reason, yes, find a reason!

"General." Boyata hesitated for a moment, "If we cooperate, the French army's bullets and shells can be produced by FN, which can save a lot of transportation costs and time."

Charles hummed: "That's a good thing, but I think it's also a Belgian problem."

The French army is here to liberate Belgium. It is Belgium rather than France that should be more concerned about this issue. It is your duty to help the French army produce ammunition, but this cannot be used as a negotiation condition.

Boyata was a little embarrassed. He was only thinking about the reason and didn't think of this level.

Then he frowned and said, "We also have a branch in the United States. Cooperation will make it easier for you to expand into the U.S. military market."

Ciel raised an eyebrow, it was tempting indeed, very tempting in fact.

The United States will enter the war in about a year and a half, and its troops will then need a large amount of equipment, including light and heavy machine guns, submachine guns, mines...all of which are in short supply in the US military. In addition, there will also be tanks, armored vehicles and the like. This will definitely be a big business.

However, Charles still shook his head and said, "It's a pity that the United States is a neutral country, Mr. Boyata. They don't have much demand for equipment."

Boyata was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead.

No, we can’t let this cooperation fail. This is not just a matter of cooperation, but also concerns the future of FN.

Without Browning, FN might have to go back to its old business of producing motorcycles and bicycles.

At this time, Browning added: "Brigadier General, we can purchase a large amount of military and civilian supplies through FN's branch in the United States. I heard that France is in great need of these now."

Charles was moved, really moved.

The war has been going on for more than a year now, and France has experienced varying degrees of shortages of both military and civilian supplies. Some supplies are in extreme shortage, such as boots, kettles, home appliances, machinery, etc.

This is also the reason why the British can rely on the supplies in their hands to influence the selection of the French commander-in-chief.

Seeing that Charles was interested in this, Boyata immediately added: "That's right. And it's not just the United States, but also the Netherlands. They are also a neutral country. They border us on land, so it will be easier for us to get supplies."

Charles thought about it for a while, then nodded slowly: "Add one more condition."

Boyata and Browning looked at each other and saw excitement and excitement in each other's eyes.

"Yes, General," Boyata agreed, "as long as we can do it."

…

September in Paris is the flowering season for dahlias. The fresh fragrance and the colorful flowers swaying in the breeze add some joy to this beautiful city.

(The picture above shows dahlias, which come in various colors. It is said that they were the favorite of Napoleon’s lover Josephine, who often invited many dignitaries and ladies to appreciate the flowers together)

Dominic has his own laboratory at the police training base, which makes it convenient for him to design new guns while taking care of the work at the training base.

Sometimes, Steed would persuade Dominic: "You can quit your job at the training base and concentrate on designing new guns. I will send someone else to take charge of that work."

But Dominic refused: "That's not just a job, father, that's a place to understand the army and their needs. Only by fully interacting with them can I know what they really want."

Steed thought this made sense.

One of the reasons for the decline of the Saint-Etienne Arsenal was that its design was out of touch with reality, and the things it developed were not what was needed on the battlefield.

The reason why Charles was able to drive Saint-Etienne to flourish was because he personally led his troops into battle and knew the real needs.

Thinking of this, Steed no longer objected.

The laboratory is luxurious, as big as a basketball court and divided into five rooms: one for making gun barrels, one for producing parts, one for testing, and even a dedicated shooting range.

There are more than seventy assistants and staff members in total.

In order to reduce Dominic's burden and design a new gun as soon as possible, Steed spent more than one million francs to build a "small gun factory" here.

However, Dominic was in trouble.

He was drawing a blueprint under the desk lamp in the office. While drawing, he suddenly crumpled the blueprint into a ball and threw it into the corner. The wastebasket was actually full, with paper crumbs scattered everywhere, all of which were failed designs.

They cannot be considered failures, but Dominic was too familiar with firearms. No matter what he did, he could not get rid of the shadow of existing firearms. As he drew, they became Mausers or Lebels with a new look.

Dominic sighed heavily.

His mind was a mess, all guns seemed to be the same, and designed similarly!

Is it true that without Charles' guidance, I can't do anything?

He remembered what Charles had said: "You will become another Browning, the Browning of France."

"No!" Dominic sighed, "I'm nothing!"

Being able to use a gun and being obsessed with guns are different from designing a rifle of your own.

"Colonel." Then the secretary handed Dominic a telegram: "It's from the brigadier general. He asked if you are willing to be Browning's assistant?"

Dominic hummed, still thinking about his design.

After a while, he suddenly looked up at the secretary: "What? What did you say? Browning?"

The secretary repeated the contents of the telegram.

Dominic took the telegram and read it again and again in disbelief, then laughed bitterly: "The key is whether Browning is willing to have me as an assistant. I can't do anything and will only cause trouble for him!"

At this time, another telegram arrived: "He is right next to me, you just need to answer 'yes' or 'no'."

Dominic was stunned. He seemed to understand what Charles meant: Browning had already agreed, and now it depended on his opinion.

The next second Dominic suddenly woke up and shouted to his secretary: "Call me back right away, I'll do it!"

"Wait." Dominic stopped the secretary who was about to leave and added, "Add a few words: I'm honored!"

The secretary was a little surprised that Dominic, who had never paid attention to etiquette, had learned to be polite today.

How could the secretary know that Browning was like a "god" in the field of gun design, and that becoming his assistant was an unattainable dream for many people.

Dominic walked around the office excitedly:

"Can I really become Browning's assistant and design guns with him?"

"How did the Commodore convince him?!"

"God, this is not a dream!"

(End of this chapter)