Chapter 372: Head-on Confrontation
The predicament in which Joffre found himself was exactly what Charles wished to see.
Struggles for power are often about more than just money.
The full deployment of the 37mm gun did bring economic benefits to Charles. Each gun was sold for 1,500 francs, and after sharing the profits with the "Saint-Etienne", Charles could earn more than 300 francs.
Even if 10,000 units were sold, it would only be over 3 million, which was just a drop in the bucket for Charles at that time.
On the other hand, it is mainly used to attack tanks and consumes much less ammunition than ordinary artillery. In the long run, its profit is not as good as mortars, machine guns, grenades, or even military uniforms.
But if it could go further in the field of anti-tank guns, create some conflicts with Joffre and Schneider or divide their relationship, or make secret plans, then it would be different.
…
Police Training Base, 105th Infantry Regiment Headquarters.
After receiving a telegram, Tijani cheered: "Great, they have given the task of anti-gas training to the 89th Infantry Regiment."
Ciel stared at the map in a daze without responding. Tijani patted him on the shoulder as he passed by and continued to complain:
“You have no idea how tedious it is, repeating those simple steps over and over again.”
"I would rather take the soldiers for a few laps around the drill ground."
Ciel casually responded: "Why? Gas masks don't suit your aesthetic?"
"That's not what I meant." Tijani walked to the desk and sat down. He picked up a pencil from the table and shook it in the direction of Charles. "It's like, a sword should emit a cold light that makes the enemy tremble on the battlefield, rather than being placed in a museum."
"Then you should run with your soldiers on the battlefield," said Charles.
Tijani smiled and shook his head: "I was referring to the repeated wearing of gas masks, which is not helpful in the war."
Charles did not continue. He did not intend to discuss Tijani's ideas on the art of war in depth, which was a bit abstract to Charles.
Dominic knocked on the door and came in. He excitedly said to Charles, "General, Joffre has placed an order with Saint-Etienne for 37-guns, with an initial batch of 10,000."
Charles hummed, this was what he expected.
"What was Schneider's reaction?" Charles asked.
Dominic curled his lips and said, "I don't have any more information, but I heard that Schneider has slowed down the production of the 105mm howitzer."
Good idea, Charles praised inwardly.
The 105mm howitzer was also urgently needed by Joffre, and slowing down the progress was putting pressure on him.
Silence is better than words at this time, which shows that Joffre and Schneider are already competing secretly.
Tijani interjected: "This doesn't seem good for the war. The military really needs 105mm howitzers, not just the Joffre."
This was Tijani's unique perspective. He always considered the war from an overall perspective. He didn't care whether he could make money or hit Joffre or Schneider.
"That depends on whether the 37mm gun is more important or the 105mm howitzer is more important," Charles replied.
Tijani looked at Charles in astonishment: "You think the 37mm gun is more important than the 105mm howitzer?"
Most people would not come to this conclusion. The 105mm howitzer was capable of fighting against the German artillery, but the 37mm gun obviously could not.
"You should think about it this way," said Charles. "To date, the monthly production of 105mm howitzers is only about five. How much effect can these guns have on the battlefield? What can they change? However, there are a large number of 37mm guns in stock and the production cycle is much shorter. They can be put into the battlefield in a short time and play a role."
The 37-gun stock was prepared by the "Saint-Étienne" Arsenal, and Steed was so sure that this unique item would sell well that he started production from the beginning.
Tijani was stunned for a moment, then he understood: "Production, production is also a determining factor."
A new variable, a hint of excitement flashed in Tijani's eyes.
He had rarely cared about output before, thinking it was just a matter of investing people and money, and then it was a matter of time. Now it seems that this is not the case, especially during wartime.
Dominic, who was standing by, thought of the "Saint-Etienne 2" machine gun, which had been put into mass production before it was launched, with 3,000 guns produced per month.
This output is not as good as the 10,000 units per month of the "Chauchat", but considering its quality and service life, the "Saint-Etienne 2" will undoubtedly crush the "Chauchat".
Charles's eyes were still fixed on the map: Joffre's order for 37 guns meant that he had no idea that he had been led into a trap by Charles, what a fool!
At this time, a staff officer hurried out of the telecommunications room, speaking nervously: "General, the Germans have launched an attack. In Cambrai, they have concentrated more than 200 tanks under the cover of fighter planes and artillery to try to tear open our defense line!"
Everyone was shocked. More than 200 tanks and fighter planes. It was obvious that the Germans had planned this for a long time, but France had not received any news of it at all.
Only Charles looked calm, which was exactly what he wanted to see.
Charles knew from the beginning that in the race for Italy, the Allies needed a "spectacular" victory, and so did Germany.
Therefore, it is not difficult to guess that France is preparing to attack and Germany is also preparing to attack.
If the French army gets ahead, the German army, which has more flexible tactics, will most likely not use its main force to pursue and intercept them. Instead, they will choose to use the "infantry + anti-tank rifles + K bullets" mode to stop the main force of the French army, while the main force will attack the French defense line as originally planned.
This will evolve into "you fight yours and I fight mine", and in the end it will be a competition to see who has achieved greater results.
It would have been different if the Germans had attacked first.
Due to Joffre's obstruction, the 37mm gun was not popularized in the French army. French soldiers did not have anti-tank rifles and K bullets. The infantry had nothing to fight against tanks, and they were just targets in front of enemy tanks.
Therefore, there was only one way to stop the main German force: the 1st Special Artillery Division.
This will cause the enemy and our tanks to collide violently with each other, a head-on collision. What an exciting scene!
Charles was not gloating, he just wanted to know more detailed data about the German army's new tanks through such battles, such as armor thickness, tank speed, artillery armor-piercing capability, and advantages.
But of course, he was also happy to see the troops equipped with the two types of "Saint-Chamond" tanks, led by Joffre, being defeated by the German army.
This is a double blow to Joffre and Schneider, so why not?
Tijani was busy reading telegrams and analyzing the battle situation with his staff, and did not notice Charles' expression.
Dominic noticed it, and thought:
This wouldn't be what Charles expected, right?
No, this is not expected.
This was his plan. He threw out the 37 guns not to make money or to compete for the artillery field, but to delay Joffre's attack time!
Joffre should have launched the attack long ago, but hesitated on the issue of the 37 guns.
By the time he finally decided to place an order, he had already missed the opportunity!
(End of this chapter)
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