Chapter 659 Stokes' Dilemma
The drawings and data that Charles provided to Tijani were for the "Astute-class" destroyer developed by France nine years later.
The other data are the same, except that the two single-barrel 37MM anti-aircraft guns have been replaced with 10 20MM machine guns.
Although its construction began in 1925, the two 37MM guns used were so-called "French hand-pulled machine guns" with a maximum firing rate of only 30 rounds per minute and an actual combat firing rate of less than 15 rounds per minute.
(Note: When the Astute-class was built, it was not long after the end of World War I. The French Navy had no awareness of air defense and therefore did not attach importance to air defense firepower. The two 37mm anti-aircraft guns were only used as a precautionary measure, which was better than nothing.)
The actual combat firing rate of the Oerlikon 20MM machine gun can reach 320 rounds per minute.
As we all know, air defense relies on the barrage of bullets to hit the target, and the rate of fire means a high hit rate.
Therefore, Charles did not hesitate at all and replaced them with Oerlikons to improve their air defense capabilities.
(The picture above shows the French "Astute-class" destroyer, which was built in 1925, with a standard displacement of 1,380 tons, a full displacement of 2,000 tons, and a speed of 33 knots)
…
In London, England, Stokes walks home as usual after get off work.
This was not Stokes saving, but he had been accustomed to thinking while walking for many years, and the prototype of the mortar was thought of by him while walking on the road.
Now, what he was thinking about was the task Charles had assigned to him: to shorten the artillery breech block and produce a dedicated tank gun.
This is not an easy task, because the breech block is equipped with a hydraulic recoil mechanism, and shortening the breech block almost means optimizing the entire mechanism, except for the barrel.
During this period, Stokes kept thinking about various improvement and optimization plans, sometimes even thinking about them in his dreams.
The trouble was that the laboratory was located in France, while Stokes and the Mechanical Company were in the UK, which required Stokes to communicate by telegraph every day.
This took more than an hour, during which many issues were misunderstood due to poor communication and unclear expressions.
Just as Stokes was walking with his head down, he suddenly felt something was wrong, as if someone was following him.
This thought made Stokes shudder. In this war-torn era, it was not uncommon for someone to pull out a pistol and point it at the back of his head.
To confirm this, Stokes sped up and turned into a fork in the road ahead, then pretended to take shelter from the wind and light a cigarette and waited for a while.
Sure enough, a man wearing a top hat and a black cloak quickly followed. He was surprised to find Stokes right in front of him, so he paused, then looked around as if he was relaxed, and then continued walking forward.
Stokes quickly changed direction and walked towards his villa, his steps getting faster and faster.
The man followed closely behind him and did not stop until Stokes walked into the villa gate, but he still lingered outside the door, unwilling to leave for a long time.
After entering the door, Stokes did not rush to take off his hat. Instead, he walked to the window and opened a corner. Seeing the man in black constantly peeking into the door, he became more and more certain that he was in danger.
His wife, who was placing knives and forks on the dining table, saw Stokes's action and asked in confusion, "What happened, Stoke?"
Stokes hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should tell his wife. He was worried it would scare her.
However, if the wife knows nothing, she may be unprepared for possible danger.
Thinking of this, Stokes carefully helped his wife sit on the chair and said in a low voice: "Don't worry, Laura, there is something I think you should know."
"What?" The wife looked at Stokes in confusion.
She had never seen her husband look like this before. Even when the German airships flew over London, they didn't look so cautious.
Stokes hesitated for a moment before making up his mind: "We are being followed."
The wife was stunned, then laughed: "Are you being too suspicious? It could just be a coincidence..."
"No, no." Stokes hurriedly explained: "This is true, believe me. And I may know why."
"Why?" the wife asked in confusion, "Who did you offend?"
Stokes is a very popular person, so normally this wouldn't happen.
"Maybe I..." Stokes sighed softly, "Maybe I have offended the British government."
The wife opened her mouth and couldn't close it. After a long while, she asked in surprise: "You, what did you say, the British government..."
"Listen, Laura," Stokes explained. "I didn't expect this. I'm working with the Shire, as I told you, and there are other people who know about it, and I think the British government knows about it, too."
"But this..." Then his wife understood: "You mean, you and Charles are working together on some kind of invention?"
Stokes nodded.
The wife asked again: "Some important, unknown invention?"
Stokes nodded again.
"About military equipment?"
Stokes admitted helplessly: "Yes, just as you think."
His wife turned pale and said, "You are crazy, Stock, you are English."
"I know," Stokes replied, nervous and at a loss:
"But the idea is Ciel's. In principle, it is his invention."
"I just helped him make it happen. I thought it was just a business."
"And Britain and France are allies, aren't they? I don't think it will be okay, it's legal..."
His wife interrupted Stokes, her eyes filled with horror: "They don't care whether it's legal or not. They certainly don't want France to surpass Britain, at any time."
"You're right, but what can I do now?" Stokes held his head in frustration: "Should I turn myself in?"
The next second Stokes rejected this idea: "No, they don't want to surrender, but what Ciel and I are developing. So, they want me to be a spy..."
Stokes shook his head in annoyance.
He is a businessman and he doesn't want to be involved in such a complicated relationship and live a fearful life.
The wife thought for a while and suggested:
"Why don't you ask Ciel?"
"If this is a collaboration between Ciel and you, then he should be held responsible for this matter."
"Or, you can choose to withdraw from the program."
Stokes' eyes lit up.
Yes, just quit this project and you won't have to worry about anything.
But Stokes hesitated as soon as he stood up.
The machinery company had a hard time during the war, and the rise in prices of raw materials such as steel had brought it to the brink of bankruptcy.
The project we are working on with Charles is to produce tank guns.
In the future, all tanks will need tank guns, which may allow me to gain wealth that I can't spend in several lifetimes...
If you quit, it means you will get nothing and can only wait here for the day of bankruptcy.
(End of this chapter)
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