Chapter 153 Price Trap
Gallieni glanced at the quotation sheet. The price of one grenade was 2 francs, and 10,000 grenade were only 20,000 francs. He signed his name without thinking.
He didn't realize that he had fallen into the price trap set by Charles:
Wooden-handled grenades are very cheap to make, and Saint-Antoine has ready-made gunpowder, woodworking, and casting production lines. By putting them together, a grenade factory was quickly established.
Therefore, the final cost of a grenade was only 35 centimes. According to the usual practice, it was sold at double the price, so 75 centimes was enough, and there was still a 100% profit.
But Charles knew that Gallieni had no idea about grenades, otherwise he would not have blurted out "ten thousand" before.
This is not a matter of "10,000 pieces", but millions or even tens of millions of pieces will be consumed in a month.
If Gallieni had known this, he would have sat down and carefully evaluated every sou or even every centime and pressed it down bit by bit.
Because the number is so huge, every centime will eventually become a staggering number.
Just because Gallieni didn't understand, he thought that 10,000 pieces were enough for the troops to use for a while, and the price was 2 francs each, so the total price was only 20,000 francs! He was a conscientious capitalist, so there was no need to negotiate the price, and he signed with his eyes closed.
Charles was very happy. The profit of 165 centimes would be 82.5 centimes if divided equally with the Saint-Etienne Arsenal. At the very least, one million pieces were consumed on the front line every month... That would be 825,000 francs in profit, every month!
This is almost equivalent to selling 100 Mark I vehicles per month.
What's more, the data consumed in actual combat is likely to be ten times, dozens of times, or even dozens of times!
Charles was almost scared by the number. Isn't this a bit unfair?
But on second thought, if the military doesn't make money, let the capitalists make it. He is already doing business with conscience, selling things that are useful on the battlefield! Unlike those capitalists, who are not only seeking money but also killing people!
Thinking of this, Charles felt at ease and had a clear conscience.
Gallieni never took the grenade to heart. He handed the signed contract back to Charles and asked, "So, you and Saint-Etienne are in some kind of alliance?"
"You can say that!" Charles raised the contract in his hand. "He has a lot of experience in producing light weapons. He already has factories, workers, and machines, but I have nothing! Cooperation is beneficial to both parties, including the military!"
Gallieni nodded, which meant that the military could get what they wanted quickly, and there would be no shortage of supplies once the fighting became intense.
Then Gallieni secretly praised Steed in his heart. This old guy still has good vision. As long as he grasps Charles as a life-saving straw, his Saint-Etienne Arsenal will not only not weaken, but will create glory again and even be much stronger than before!
"Now!" Gallieni raised his hand towards the map beside him and said, "Lafox is in your hands. Whatever your plan is, put it into action!"
"Yes, General!" Charles responded. He saluted Gallieni and turned to his desk. Before he even reached his desk, he had already given an order to Lieutenant Colonel Fernand: "Send out the reconnaissance planes and fighter squadrons, Lieutenant Colonel!"
"Yes, sir!" Lieutenant Colonel Fernando responded and immediately gave the order over the phone.
…
Carter Flying Club.
There was still a drizzle in the sky, and the area around the club was deserted with no shelter and no food. However, it still couldn't stop the enthusiasm of the reporters. They braved the cold wind and rain and endured hunger as they waited outside the club, looking up at the sky with binoculars from time to time.
When I am bored, I will talk to my colleagues around me:
"Do you think Charles will send out rocket planes?"
"Maybe, but I don't think it would work very well!"
"Why?"
Reporters who have some knowledge of the military or have more information will analyze it at this time:
"Because it's the rainy season, the rocket hanging on the wing will easily get wet, even if it is waterproof!"
"What's even more deadly is the low visibility. When a rocket plane bombs a target, it needs to dive towards the target, but as long as the rain is a little heavier, the pilot can't see the target or even the ground clearly."
"The result of a dive is likely to be that you and the plane will crash into the ground!"
…
The reporters exclaimed "So that's it!"
The military reporters looked very satisfied. They knew that these rookies reporting on this kind of news were not as professional as themselves anyway, so it didn't matter if they just knew a little bit.
At this time, a rumbling sound of a motor was faintly heard in the airport. The reporters suddenly became nervous and raised their binoculars and cameras to get ready.
Soon, planes took off one after another and flew into the air in formation like a swarm of bees.
The reporters cheered, then shouted in panic:
"What model is it? Avro? How many are there?"
"Is there a rocket? Has anyone seen a rocket?"
"No, they are fighter planes, I see machine guns on the nose of the planes!"
"And reconnaissance planes, the Gaudron reconnaissance plane, and the Dove."
…
The first batch launched were six Avro aircraft from a fighter squadron and two reconnaissance aircraft squadrons, namely "Gaudron" and "Dove".
Normally, Charles would not send a fighter squadron and a reconnaissance squadron together, especially a "Pigeon" reconnaissance aircraft.
The reason is that the Germans were also equipped with a large number of "Pigeon" reconnaissance aircraft, and in rainy days it was difficult for fighter jets to distinguish whether the "Pigeon" they encountered was their own or the enemy.
This is a means of distinguishing friend from foe and can also increase the combat efficiency of fighter jets.
However, there seems to be no great need for the war to continue until now.
Carter reported the current situation to Charles: "Lieutenant, as long as there is an 'Avro' in the sky, all the German planes will stay at the airport and dare not take off! We have been out of work for a long time!"
Therefore, the fighter jets taking off were just a formality, and the sky belonged to France during this period, until one day the Germans discovered the secret of the "machine gun fire coordinator."
…
The German defenders at La Foulkes immediately became nervous.
"Enemy planes!" The lookout standing high above shouted, holding a telescope in one hand and pointing to the sky with the other: "Enemy planes are coming!"
Khalil came out of the command center and saw several Avro fighter jets vaguely appearing in the sky.
"Order the artillery to camouflage!" Khalil lowered his head and shouted to the command center: "No firing without orders!"
"Yes, sir!" The signalman immediately passed the order down.
Khalil turned his gaze to the sky again, with confidence on his face: Is Charles still planning to bomb the artillery with planes? Then this time, he will definitely be disappointed!
(End of this chapter)
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