Chapter 43: Just A Transaction

  France is a beautiful and free country. The Arc de Triomphe stands forever in the center of the Place de l'Etoile, symbolizing the eternal glory and merit of France. Of course, when it comes to France, no one can forget the towering Eiffel Tower, the magnificent Louvre Palace, the sacred Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Bastille Prison, which symbolizes the feudal evil. And let's not forget the Pantheon, where the spirit of France resides, and their most beautiful Place de la Concorde.

  Perhaps the most coveted is the street that connects the Place de la Concorde and the étoile, a street called the Champs-élysées. The French gave it a special name, Champs-élysées, which means Elysian Fields. In feudal times, nobles enjoyed rural pleasures here, planting trees and creating an exclusive aristocratic playground. Time flew by like flowing water, and this street gradually transformed into another scene with the collapse of the feudal dynasty. The shaded avenue remained, the flat English lawn was still soft and green, and there were still birds singing and flowers blooming, but the quiet and secluded places were gradually decreasing. The western section became a new commercial district, where another prosperity arose, belonging to the heyday of capitalist economy.

  The cannon's roar shattered the luxurious dream of France, pulling the rich people back to reality from their drunkenness. When the free nation faced the invasion of iron hooves, no matter how beautiful life was, once it was gone, even the gentle-looking gentlemen would reveal their ferocious and bloodthirsty faces, showing their true ugly faces, because they were as cruel as the enemy.

  The western section of the Champs-élysées has a high-end commercial district stretching over 1,000 meters, where many global giant companies have set up offices. Of course, there are also high-end restaurants and luxury stores, and the French branch of the Asia-America Group is also located here. However, since the war began, the number of businessmen entering and leaving the office has decreased significantly, but the number of people in military uniforms coming and going has increased significantly.

  "General Alt, as soon as I heard that crisp and powerful boot sound, I knew it was you who had arrived!"

  From a distance, he saw three men wearing French-style army uniforms, and they were neatly dressed in lieutenant general's attire. Deng Hualin knew that the wealthy family had arrived, so he quickly put down his teacup and hurried out to greet them.

  "Mr. Deng, to put it in your Chinese way, the threshold of your company is almost being trampled down. There are quite a few people going in and out, business is booming!"

  After sending the two attendants away, Ai Er Te Shao sat down on the long sofa in the hall very much at ease. Having come and gone many times, he was already accustomed to Chinese customs: whenever guests arrived, a cup of hot Longjing or Pu'er tea would inevitably appear on the tea table, the fragrance of which made people feel calm and serene, and naturally improved their mood for conversation and business.

  "General, you're not quite right. Our group is now in a strategic partnership with France, and our group has been contributing its strength to France's freedom, the threshold has been broken, but I still hope that General, you can get us something more substantial."

  Deng Hualin, although speaking in a slightly humble and timid tone, always stood up straight. The two were not only stable business partners but also friends. Knowing that Lieutenant Alt had come to discuss matters today, he estimated that it was another business opportunity. As soon as they sat down, a document appeared in front of him, which he believed must be something valuable from Alt's limited edition briefcase. Deng Hualin took a deep breath and picked up the "very deadly" document.

  Just like before, Lieutenant Alt would always enjoy strolling slowly in the hall, looking at the paintings on the wall, the exquisite furniture, especially those peculiar potted plants. He was interested in everything, and when Deng Hualin was reading documents, he had some time to take a look at these things full of oriental charm.

  "When are you going to put Victor Hugo's portrait and works on display here?" Just as he was about to go up to the second floor, at a turn of the spiral staircase, Elter saw Victor Hugo's portrait hanging on the snow-white wall, which was unusual in the Chinese office that always had a strong Chinese flavor and rarely displayed anything from other countries, let alone portraits of foreign celebrities.

  Deng Hualin devoted himself to reading the file, and after a moment of contemplation, Aiert said: "Is your boss also fond of literature? Victor Hugo is indeed one of the greatest writers in our country's literary history. His novel 'Les Misérables' helped me get through the most difficult time at military school. During those arduous years of study, it was Mr. Hugo's works that accompanied me..."

  "Oh, General, you're asking why his portrait is here?" Deng Hualin finally had a chance to answer the general's question after finishing reading the document. He also walked up to the stairs and looked at Hugo's portrait, saying: "Our group's European president, Wen Zhenhua, came over for an inspection a few days ago. He said that many French people are friends of the Chinese, and Hugo is an even better friend of the Chinese. When Hugo learned that the Anglo-French invaders had burned down the Yuanmingyuan, he was filled with righteous indignation. He hoped that France could rid itself of its guilt, wash away its sins, and return its wealth to China... In any case, having this kind of heart is enough for us Chinese people to remember him! Of course, his literary works are indeed not bad!"

  "You Chinese have an old saying, 'A drop of water in need is worth a fountain in deed.' It seems that's absolutely true." Elte looked at the portrait of Victor Hugo again, nodded his head with a smile and slowly returned to the sofa in the hall, carrying his briefcase as he followed Deng Hualin to his office to discuss official business.

  The document report given by Ehrlich to Deng Hualin is very simple, it's actually just a contract memo. Currently, France is deeply stuck in the battles of Verdun and Somme, with both sides making slow progress, even stalemate, neither side can break through, but tens of millions of troops on the front line consume a lot of supplies every day, which is not negligible. Although France has strong industrial production capabilities and can fully meet all military supply needs, it's somewhat difficult for other necessities, so they have to rely on external forces, especially large multinational corporations, such as Standard Oil of America, Carnegie Steel, United Fruit Company, DuPont Chemicals, etc.

  Of course, the friendship between officers and businessmen is only temporary, interests are eternal. The two men did not discuss friendship after entering Deng Hualin's office, but got down to business. "Regarding the transfer of some military technical patents, I, a small manager in the sales department, am not capable of making decisions. If your side has sufficient sincerity and willingness to obtain patent technology, our side can organize personnel to negotiate with you at the fastest time!" Deng Hualin said this after letting Aiert sit down, it is clear that this business is no longer about physical goods, even if the sales department had greater power, it would not be possible to decide such a big thing.

  War tests the comprehensive strength of both sides, and the root of a military's combat effectiveness is its soldiers. However, the key to bringing out their abilities lies in military equipment. Looking at the entire European continent before World War I, France had extremely strong capabilities in terms of military equipment research and development, especially in artillery, which was the mainstay of war.

  "At the beginning of World War I, the field guns used by the belligerents were mostly small-caliber, around 75mm light artillery, designed to hit visible targets several kilometers away. They were highly mobile and direct-fire cannons, especially the M1897 type 75mm cannon, which was a pride of our country's military technology..."

  Aelter knew that today he could only send out this semi-notice, semi-negotiation memorandum, but the French characteristic arrogance also gave him the determination to continue wasting his breath, even though they had already reached the point of seeking help from outsiders while still loudly proclaiming their own strength.

  Indeed, when the war first broke out, light artillery was able to meet certain tactical requirements. However, now that the war has entered a stalemate phase, heavier and more powerful cannons have begun to replace lighter and more mobile ones. The standard 75mm cannon is no longer suitable for the development of warfare, except for attacking visible targets such as enemy tanks, machine gun positions, and aircraft, it has little effect on infantry hiding in defensive fortifications or scattered behind cover. On the contrary, it puts an unusually heavy burden on logistics. Your army has been equipped with a large number of rapid-firing small-caliber artillery from the beginning, but now it is indeed necessary to have more effective artillery...

  The focus of the debate between the two is the M1897 75mm gun, which was developed in the late 19th century and incorporated several advanced technologies, particularly the application of Konrad Haussner's German patent for a hydraulic cylinder, making rapid fire possible. This cylinder absorbed the recoil during firing and then smoothly returned the gun to its original position on the carriage, whereas previously guns would move off target after each shot, requiring time-consuming re-aiming.

  The hydraulic recoil system helps control the rearward motion of the gun, much like a cannon's recoil spades and wheel brakes. The gun requires only two people to aim it: one to load the ammunition and one or two at the rear of the gun on an ammunition cart using mechanical devices to quickly and automatically set the mechanical time fuses. The gunner remains in position behind the sighting equipment during firing, with a second person aiming rather than just one; the first adjusts the elevation angle and the second the azimuth angle.

  The other innovation of the gun was the rotating Nordenfelt eccentric screw breech, which by a simple movement rotated the breech 120 degrees to eject the empty cartridge case from the chamber and load a new round into the chamber, closing the breech again completed the loading cycle. A well-trained crew could load rounds in about one second per round, each gun had a limber carrying seventy-two high-explosive shells or shrapnel shells for resupply, one to two men in the crew used fuze setters to prepare the fuzes on the shells, two at a time, and one or more men carried ammunition from the limbers to the breech of the gun. The gun could fire 30 rounds per minute in action, after firing the gun was covered with a wet canvas sheet to cool it down.

  As a result, the gun incorporated several features, including hydraulic recoil brakes, spade and wheel brakes, sighting mechanisms, and fuse setters, allowing gunners to fire at a rate of 25 rounds per minute. This was an extremely advanced weapon for its time, and such an important invention should have been used on a large scale. However, the French clearly miscalculated the development of warfare, as the quick-firing guns were limited in power and range, and could no longer meet the demands of war.

  "This cannon fires a 5.44 kg high-explosive shell, with a range of 6,858 meters and an initial velocity of over 610 m/s. The performance of the artillery is indeed excellent, and your army probably has nearly 10,000 guns of this type on the battlefield now. But in fact? You should be very clear about its power!"

  Deng Hualin knew that the French army currently urgently needed transportation vehicles, petroleum, military ammunition and supplies, etc. Of course, more importantly, they could not withstand the German firepower on the front line, especially after the Battle of the Somme, seven days and nights of firepower coverage did not eliminate the German army's vitality comparable to a cockroach. From the fundamental point of view, it was because the British and French armies were still infatuated with their own military-industrial products.

  Taking France as an example, they were heavily equipped with 75mm quick-firing field artillery, also known as the M1897 gun, a military-industrial oddity. Its pros and cons have already been answered by war. Perhaps in China's warlord-era warfare, Chinese artillery could be called a deadly weapon, but on the World War I battlefield, the gunner operating this type of artillery could change their name to "cannon fodder".

  Everything originated from the French military's continued emphasis on using highly mobile light infantry, who in their view could be supported by 75mm quick-firing guns and machine guns to tip the scales of victory in their favor. However, after the war entered a stalemate phase, what was being tested were large-caliber high-power artillery, especially those that needed longer range and greater power.

  Before gaining significant firepower, the French army was equipped with 155mm caliber M1904-type cannons and 240mm caliber M1884-type cannons. The performance of the M1904 cannon was stable, with a maximum elevation angle of 41 degrees, capable of firing 43kg high-explosive shells, as well as solid shot and shrapnel shells. However, its maximum range was only 5.95 kilometers, which was insufficient for the demands of a battlefield that stretched tens of kilometers in length and depth. Even with the 240mm M1884-type cannon, which had a range of over 17 kilometers, it weighed over 30 tons, and a single 140kg shell was enough to slow its rate of fire to an astonishing degree. Moreover, its weight required a certain level of road infrastructure to be transported by the Armees des Mines rail network, making it impossible to maneuver on uneven terrain, ultimately rendering it useless.

  "The Schneider company has introduced a new long-barreled cannon for our army, with good range and firepower..."

  Ai'er Te Shaoye held a hot cup of tea, his throat was quite moist, but he still couldn't interrupt Deng Hualin. "I know all this: the barrel is 6.7 meters long, the angle of fire is 38 degrees, the total rotation angle is 10 degrees, the shell weighs 140 kilograms, and the range reaches 17,300 meters. Good performance is good, but it's still a drop in the bucket!"

  Here is the translation:

  At this point, Deng Hualin took over the cup of Major General and continued to say after refilling it with boiling water: "The British army, another main force of the Allied forces, their Royal Artillery Corps equipment is not very good either. The British 117mm howitzer, except for the rapid and direct aiming shooting provided by the 8.16kg gun, is actually similar to your 75mm quick-firing cannon, with fast firing speed but small power and short range. Not only your army, but also the British Royal Artillery needs more powerful firepower, lower trajectory and more suitable indirect aiming shooting artillery. Here is a confidential business document, as an ally I can let you take a look." After finishing speaking, Deng Hualin took out a document from his drawer and handed it to Major General Ertle.

  "The gun was designed by an international syndicate at the Coventry Ordnance Works, using a short-barreled 13-calibre cannon on a box trail carriage, with an elevation of -5 to +45 degrees, capable of sending a useful shell of 15.88 kg to 6675 m, fitted with large shields to protect the crew from small arms and splinters, recently all guns in my group were equipped with pneumatic tyres to improve mobility, but its performance is still not as good as their BL 152 mm howitzer."

  "When it comes to military equipment from various countries, Deng Hualin is an expert-level figure. He slowly and meticulously talks about the artillery equipment of both armies: "The 152mm cannon designed in 1896 is also a short and sturdy cannon with an early recoil system. It can complete general howitzer tasks at an angle of 35 degrees and hit targets outside trenches at high angles. By disassembling the carriage and barrel and installing wooden and steel platforms, it can fire at an angle of 70 degrees and rotate to shoot from one pivot point, although this operation is difficult to perform. It can fire a 53.75kg effective howitzer shell over a distance of 4755 meters. After being equipped with a better recoil system, the range of the 120mm howitzer cannon doubled, and it was mass-produced due to its good performance. However, now they have become piles of scrap metal!"

  "Of course, they also have larger cannons like the BL 203mm howitzer, but this gun has a peculiar shape. The British army puts 9 tons of steel on slender wheels, and it's not easy to tow such heavy objects in your country's muddy terrain, often getting stuck in the mud and unable to move quickly into battle? Moreover, although it can fire a 90.72 kg high-explosive shell with a maximum angle of 45 degrees and a maximum range of 11 km, every time it fires, those slender wheels fly far away, and re-aiming is not something that happens in no time."

  "Of course, the recent Battle of Ypres, their 305mm Mark II howitzer was put into use, which is a fire power that can be described as astonishing. With 16.33 kg of propellant, it can launch a 340.19 kg shell to a distance of 13 km, which is equivalent to one cannonball creating a huge crater. The German army simply cannot withstand the bombardment of such large-caliber artillery. However, the barrel and breech of this type of gun weigh as much as 9271 kg, and the barrel length is 17.3 times the caliber, which is 5.64 meters long. If it weren't for the British army's logistical support, I would really like to know how they managed to transport such a behemoth with 22 barrels onto the battlefield, considering that each shot can cause the gun body to recoil by 1.25 meters. In short, both your army and the British army are facing the same problem at this time, which is insufficient firepower!"

  Deng Hualin sat on the desk with a plop, looking at General Ert who was stunned, and suddenly remembered the scene when he first made a big deal. It was also a cooperation between him and this general. At that time, he vigorously promoted his own products, and the 155mm field howitzer carefully crafted by the autonomous region was first sold to the Allied Powers, especially this general in front of him. However, at that time, the price of $30,000 per door may have scared him away. As a result, the general still chose the light artillery and machine guns of the French army, and the quick-firing artillery had their own factory production, but the order quantity was pitifully small.

  However, the German side bought a large number of artillery from the autonomous region in the past. The 105mm caliber was excellent, with a weight of only 3200kg, a length of 4.75m, and a barrel length of 45 times the caliber, with an effective range of 14100m, making it extremely excellent. In addition to the 155mm howitzer sold by the autonomous region in the past, it formed an effective long-range firepower strike force, which was extremely advantageous when facing the British and French allied forces.

  The Verdun battle, with over 10 hours of intense bombardment, almost collapsed the French army's three lines of field fortifications, and the first line became a no man's land. This battle highlighted the German side's firepower advantage. In contrast, during the Battle of the Somme, the Anglo-French coalition used their limited-performance artillery to fight against the Germans for seven days and nights, although they eventually gained some advantage through sheer numbers, but failed to create a no man's land like the Germans did, instead turning their own soldiers into targets for machine guns, with tens of thousands killed on the first day.

  "Now we have promised not to sell any products to Germany, all products of Yamai Group can be sold to your side including the entire Allied countries. Although the current price has some fluctuations, relying on our long-term cooperative relationship, we will definitely give you the best price and the best after-sales guarantee..."

  "However, the transfer of technical patents is not something that one person can decide on their own. I can submit this memo as long as the top signs off on it, and we can immediately begin formal negotiations. Moreover, we are friends, so I can arrange for our group to send people to help your army modify the production lines at the Ordnance Factory in Ox State as soon as possible, producing cannons at the fastest speed while guaranteeing quality!"

  Deng Hualin is obviously using the dragging character technique. The European branch of the Asia-America Group in France has already divided each product into fine segments, just like Deng Hualin is specifically responsible for heavy firepower sales in military equipment. Now it's even more finely divided, and he only takes care of the artillery series in military products. As for such important military technology, according to the group's instructions, it can't be treated like Germany after all. The UK and France still have a lot of fat to burn, and there is plenty of time to waste.

  The Battle of the Somme, although they knew their firepower was at a disadvantage, the two wealthy and arrogant national armies still managed to use numbers to crush quality, earning strategic initiative with cheap shells and piles of dead bodies. Although the initiative is not yet fully in their hands, the Germans' limited war potential cannot withstand attrition, but Britain and France are so poor that they only have money left, and dragging out the war will benefit everyone.

  "By the way, the current retail price has changed. A 155mm howitzer can be delivered immediately if the order quantity reaches 100 units, and each unit is only $25,000, plus a free gift of ten shells worth $50 each, but whether this gift is given or not, only you and I know, right?" The face showed an evil greedy smile, but the words were still so sincere, that's just the nature of businessmen.

  "We both know!" Elte put away the dazzling memo file and took out another document, of course, also taking over the beautiful wine that Deng Hualin had poured for his old friend, named "Champagne".

  "Champs-élysées" is such a elegant translation given by Mr. Xu Beihong during his study in France. The various artillery of both sides of the war appearing ahead of time in the text is for plot needs. There are also some shortcomings, please forgive me! I'm very tired tonight, going to bed early, and posting it up ahead of schedule!