Chapter 176 Purchase of a Car Company
(The picture above shows a sports car produced by Aston Martin Motor Company in 1914)
"Buy a team?" Eric looked at Charles in disbelief, his tone somewhat helpless: "Lieutenant, some things cannot be bought with money. If you want low-level talents or some workers, I believe you can get them soon, but what we need may be the top group of people in the world, and you don't even know where they are..."
Charles interrupted Eric and said, "Have you ever heard of Aston Martin?"
Eric shook his head blankly: "No, I haven't heard of him. Is he famous?"
"No!" Charles replied calmly, "It is a car company that was just established last year, a British car company."
"So..." Eric spread his hands, meaning, why is he talking about this?
"Although it was only established a year ago," Charles continued to walk deeper into the factory, watching the workers busy at work, "it has already been able to produce sports cars and participate in competitions and won good results."
"Then what?" Eric became more and more confused. What does this have to do with self-developed aircraft?
Charles stopped and looked at Eric, revealing the answer: "I heard that it plans to sell all the company's machines and contracted technicians."
Eric suddenly realized: "You mean, we want to buy this car company?"
"And his technicians." Charles added: "All the capable technicians who have worked in this company!"
"But..." Eric was so shocked that he was incoherent: "This is a car company that is going bankrupt, and it's only been a year..."
Charles looked at Eric quietly without saying anything.
Eric suddenly remembered that his aircraft manufacturing company was also a company that was about to go bankrupt, but Charles bought it and it was still thriving.
"Okay!" Eric was a little embarrassed: "It may have a future, but they produce cars and may know nothing about airplanes..."
"They don't need to know about airplanes, Uncle Eric!" Charles replied, "They just need to know how to produce engines. They can develop a powerful sports car engine within a year. This is the kind of team we want!"
Eric was silent. He thought for a while, nodded and said, "This may be feasible, but the funds required may be beyond our imagination..."
"This is my problem!" Charles interrupted Eric: "I need you to bring a few people to negotiate with them, then buy this company and bring them here!"
"Okay!" Eric replied helplessly, "If you must do this."
He always thought it was ridiculous. Spending a huge amount of money to buy a company that produced sports cars as an aircraft R&D team, and this company was bankrupt. No matter how he thought about it, he felt it was a business that was throwing money into the water.
But Charles knew that was not the case.
Aston Martin is not an ordinary car company. It was bought by the British Sopwith Aircraft Company.
Then, thanks to their efforts, the "Clagett" air-cooled radial piston engine came into being, and the "Camel" fighter based on this engine also successfully flew into the sky.
From then on, Britain started to defeat the German Air Force. Even the famous German ace pilot "Red Baron" was shot down by a "Camel" fighter.
Charles knew that airplanes had only been invented for a short period of more than a decade, and their engines were just getting started, and the vast majority of them were not special engines.
If a team can develop a powerful sports car engine in a short period of time, its technical level will be no worse than anyone else.
Charles would certainly not let this team slip through his fingers, nor would he let the German Fokker fighter crush all the Allied fighters as soon as it was born as it did in history.
…
Going on a business trip seemed easy for Eric. If others wanted to go to the UK, they would need a car, train, ship, and then another train and car. It might take a week or two to reach their destination.
All Eric had to do was take an assistant, prepare some food, and fly a plane.
Before leaving, he waved to Charles and said, "I may arrive at my destination tomorrow morning. Wait for my good news. I hope the price they offer won't scare you!"
Charles responded with a confident wave of his hand. During this period, through a series of operations such as selling tractors, airplanes, and motorcycles, he had more than 6 million francs in his account, which was more than enough to buy a car company on the verge of bankruptcy.
When the plane entered the runway, Eric turned back and shouted at Charles: "You can think about it again, Lieutenant, I don't think this is wise, maybe you should discuss it with Mr. Deyoka first!"
Ciel smiled in response.
He has already discussed it with Djoka. To be exact, it is not a discussion, but he has greeted Djoka.
Dejoka was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, The Meritorious Daily. He bought every issue of The Meritorious Daily and threw all the newspapers he had collected into the trash.
"If it's a lie, there's no point in keeping it," he said.
Camille agreed, but he didn't understand why newspapers about Charles had to be purchased at a high price on the black market.
When Djokovic heard Charles say he wanted to acquire Aston Martin, his expression was as shocked as Eric's. His eyes seemed to be saying, "Is Charles crazy? He actually wants to buy a sports car company and merge it with an aircraft manufacturer!"
But Djokovic didn't say anything against it, not even a word.
He was just stunned for a moment, then said "hmm" and replied calmly: "Do as you say!"
At this time, Charles was a little uncomfortable: "Don't you think this is a momentary impulse?"
Djokovic continued to stare at the newspaper and asked, "When have you ever been impulsive?"
Then Deyoka spread the newspaper in front of Charles. It was about the Battle of Antwerp, and it detailed the process of Charles luring the German "Big Bertha" into the firing range.
"Do you think someone who can think of this would buy a company on impulse? No, I don't think so!"
Then Djokovic added: "Besides, it's all your money, Charles, you have the right to dispose of it. Besides, you will be an adult in a month, and then you can open an account of your own!"
One month?
Charles can't feel any difference between adults and minors!
Then Charles thought of something: the parliament promised that he would not need to go directly to the battlefield because he was conscripted as a minor.
So, if I become an adult, does it mean that I might be sent to the battlefield?
When he thought of this, Charles felt that it was better to be a minor!
(The picture above shows the British "Camel" fighter)
(End of this chapter)
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