I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France
Chapter 266: Internal Problems

Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Internal Problems

Layom carefully considered Grevy’s words.

He believed Grevy was right. Before this, Layom had not realized that Shire was his potential rival; now he woke up as if from a dream.

If this continues, it will be Shire who owns Saint Etienne in the future, not him.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Layom understood what Grevy meant by "cooperation"—it was to deal with Shire.

However...

"You are powerless against Shire." Layom looked at Grevy with suspicion, scrutinizing him: "You cannot compete with Shire on an industrial level, and Shire is under strict protection from the military. You can do nothing!"

Layom wanted to know if Grevy was worth cooperating with.

If he only talks big, there is no point in cooperating, and he might end up being a pawn, fighting Shire at the front line. It could also involve his father and brother!

A flash of embarrassment appeared in Grevy’s eyes; Layom was largely right. Grevy indeed could do nothing. All he could do was to unite forces that had potential conflicts with Shire.

Interest?

This seems to bring no benefit to the right wing; the right wing is even spending money on these matters.

Purpose?

Grevy initially thought of defeating capitalists with capitalists, causing internal strife, and ideally forcing Shire to join his system.

However, Grevy found himself too naive.

Shire’s inventions came one after another, surging like waves. In just a few months, his assets multiplied several times and even expanded abroad, showing great momentum. Even Schneider struggled to cope.

Forcing Shire to turn back?

Shire did not feel any pressure from the right wing; instead, the right wing felt the pressure from Shire. Many in the right wing believed that the agrarian society had gone forever, and Shire would lead French industry to new heights!

But Grevy remained unwilling.

This was not the country and society he wanted; this was not France’s future. Especially sitting here, seeing the bleakness of Saint Etienne, he became more determined.

"I indeed cannot offer you much, Mr. Layom." Grevy leaned forward across the table, lowering his voice: "But Schneider can."

Layom instantly understood; Grevy was here to set him up with Schneider.

...

Paris Ritz Hotel conference room, a machine gun with a circular drum magazine was placed on the table.

Steed opened a bottle of champagne and personally poured some for Shire.

Dominic also accepted a glass.

He never drank because it would make him lose his aim and unable to shoot. He hated the feeling of holding a gun but missing the target. Whenever this happened, he felt his hands, eyes, and even his brain were not his own.

But today, at this moment, Dominic thought he could have a drink, to celebrate the birth of this machine gun.

"It is heavier than the Shao Sha Machine Gun." Dominic held the wine glass, his gaze fixed on the machine gun, smiling: "The Shao Sha Machine Gun weighs 9 kilograms, this one weighs 9.1, but it’s still excellent because it can hold 47 bullets, while the Shao Sha only holds 20!"

Dominic turned his gaze to Shire, eyes shining with admiration and surprise: "We just enlarged the drum by a few centimeters, and it can hold 7 more bullets. Incredible."

This was understandable; what was enlarged was the diameter, and what increased was the circumference.

The circumference is related to the diameter by the formula πd, and the number of bullets it could fit was determined by the circumference.

Steed stepped forward and patted the machine gun, nodding contentedly:

"We conducted rigorous shooting tests on it and naturally compared it with the Shao Sha Machine Gun."

"Its malfunction rate is significantly lower than the Shao Sha Machine Gun, and it excels in continuous firepower."

"If we use two spare barrels instead of one, its firing rate could even rival heavy machine guns!"

...

This was somewhat exaggerated; in actual combat, light machine guns could not sustain fire like the Maxim with one drum of 250 rounds, as changing the drum and barrel would keep the assistant gunner busy for some time.

This was enough to prove the superiority of the drum machine gun.

Then Steed changed the topic: "The Pitt Armory is already producing Shao Sha Machine Guns; should we..."

"We can wait a bit longer." Shire interrupted Steed: "Let’s first put this machine gun into production."

Steed was stunned: "Shouldn’t we give it to the military for testing first?"

Weapon production typically involved making samples for military testing, and after receiving orders, production would proceed in batches.

This method reduced the risks for the enterprise considerably; otherwise, they might produce a large number of machine guns without any buyers.

"Father." Dominic’s face carried a confident smile: "The Colonel is right. You don’t need to worry about this machine gun not selling; once it hits the market, it will be snapped up immediately!"

Dominic added: "Including the international market."

Shire nodded secretly; Dominic might not be good at business, but he understood guns.

Steed’s initial concerns vanished after Dominic’s reminder.

He also had great confidence in the machine gun, but the current French society wasn’t merely about being excellent to win; it needed parliament approval.

Just as Shire’s more excellent tanks consistently lost in parliament, Steed worried that producing a large number of machine guns might end up piled in warehouses with no buyers due to parliamentary obstacles.

But Dominic’s mention of "including the international market" enlightened Steed.

If France doesn’t want it, we can sell it to Britain, Russia, and the United States. Unlike France, they wouldn’t use inferior things when better options were available—that was the ugliness of capitalists.

Steed seemed to forget that, during the long seven years before the war, Saint Etienne’s machine guns were suppressed by Hatchkiss due to "capitalist ugliness."

Then Steed understood Shire’s intention. He raised his champagne and looked at Shire with admiration: "If we start mass production now, when the quantity becomes significant someday and suddenly enters the market, we might completely replace the Shao Sha Machine Gun, dealing a severe blow to the Pitt Armory."

This was exactly what Shire intended, but he still added: "Ultimately, what will strike the Pitt Armory should be rifles."

"Yes." Steed agreed: "We are already developing bullets."

Saying this, he turned his gaze to Dominic.

Dominic nodded in response: "Maybe by next week we’ll have results; we are simultaneously contemplating matching rifles."

Shire responded with a light "hmm," adding nonchalantly: "Perhaps you should focus more on internal issues."

"Internal issues?" Steed looked at Shire in confusion.

Dominic was also puzzled, wondering what internal issues had arisen?

What did Shire know?

How did he know?