I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France

Although the steel factory has only been purchased and not truly acquired yet, the situation has gradually become clear.

Shire's brilliance lies in that he did not use his power and opportunity to buy all of Wentier's twenty or so steel factories in the northeast in one go. Doing so would only quickly intensify the conflict between Shire and Wentier.

He reached a certain understanding with Wentier: after this, Shire would no longer bomb Wentier's steel factories, in exchange for two steel factories and cooperation between Wentier and Shire in the steel industry.

Thus, the crisis facing Wells was resolved:

If Schneider did not sell the steel, Wentier would.

If Wentier did not sell or maliciously raised the price, Shire would destroy his steel factories in the northeast.

As for the bombing plans, Shire could adjust the targets at any time: German Army arsenals, munitions factories, train stations, material warehouses...

A bunch of important targets were waiting for the bombers to stretch their wings, not limited to steel factories.

In short, whether to bomb or not, or who to bomb, depended on where Shire's finger pointed on the map.

...

At this moment, Shire was trying on a military uniform.

The new uniforms had already been produced, made by "Saint Etienne," sky-blue uniforms with steel helmets.

The equipment rules were to first outfit the rear resting troops, rotating batch by batch to the front lines, and so on to eventually achieve equipping the entire army.

The 105th Infantry Regiment was the first to be re-equipped, perhaps as an honor for their victory in the gas war.

(Above image shows World War I French Army uniform)

Shire looked at himself in the mirror wearing the military uniform, plain and average, clearly not as aesthetically pleasing as the old uniform. The officers and soldiers wore exactly the same outfit, and one could not tell the rank unless viewed up close.

However, this was precisely what the battlefield required.

"Very good." Shire nodded in satisfaction.

Adrian, standing next to him, said, "General, Mr. Steed asked me to convey a message to you. This was made according to your requirements. So, it has half of your credit."

This remark had a double meaning, literally true, and also implied that Shire would get half the profits in the uniform matter.

Shire smiled lightly. Steed was a smart man, knowing to cling tightly to Shire's leg.

In fact, it wasn't just Steed; many capitalists in France had been intimidated by Shire because of the steel factory bombing incident.

The northeast was an industrial hub of France, not only distributing steel and coal mines but also forming a settlement due to industrial development, with areas such as forging factories, car factories, and heavy machinery factories.

Since Shire bombed the steel factory, they immediately considered a question: would Shire one day submit a report to bomb the forging or car factories? They also produced strategic materials for the German Army in the German-controlled area.

At the thought of this, they became honest.

Thus, it was a victory for Shire, a great victory.

It not only brought down Schneider's arrogance but also solved the steel problem, making many capitalists opposed to Shire fearful and trembling.

A few knocks on the door.

After receiving Shire's permission, Dominic appeared at the door, carrying a gun case in each hand.

Adrian tactfully left, knowing that the upcoming discussion was likely military secrets, and arranged guards at the door with instructions not to let anyone disturb them.

"Is it produced?" Shire was a little surprised.

It had only been a week since Shire had proposed the sniper rifle and submachine gun designs. Sniper rifles were relatively easier, only needing a rail for a compatible scope.

The submachine gun, however, was a completely new design from scratch.

"Yes, but not sure if you will be satisfied." Dominic excitedly placed the two gun cases on Shire's desk one by one.

He first opened the case containing the sniper rifle.

The sniper rifle was disassembled in the case, to be assembled upon use with the scope mounted.

This was very professional, as keeping it disassembled in the case better protected the scope. Any minor collision could cause the scope to crack or even break.

Holding the sniper rifle, Dominic's eyes gleamed, "I originally wanted to demonstrate it at the shooting range, but there are too many people there, risking leaks. It's amazing, General, I can hit targets at about 400 meters, with nearly double the range!"

"Congratulations, Dominic." Shire took the sniper rifle and examined it, "Your skills have improved again."

"No, this is not skill." Dominic explained, "I mean, this can't be considered my shooting skill, it's mechanical engineering. One day, the enemy could also equip themselves with scopes, which is not difficult."

If the enemy could easily accomplish it as well, the gap couldn't be widened, so calling it skill was premature.

Shire hummed and looked through the scope: "I don't know if you have considered this, but it's a whole new field. It's not just simple mechanical engineering. By the time the enemy equips this in bulk, you might already have your own true skills."

Dominic didn't understand: "What you mean is..."

"400 meters, Dominic." Shire reminded, "For targets of 100 or 200 meters, we might not need to consider factors like wind direction, wind speed, and gravity, because their effects on the bullet are negligible. We shoot more by feel."

Dominic suddenly understood, looking at Shire with surprise and delight:

"But for 400 meters or even further, we must consider environmental factors, and only by considering these factors can we shoot farther."

"This is a whole new field with many new technologies waiting to be explored."

"We can be the first to dig them out..."

Dominic exclaimed: "My God, I see. You are right, General, I can indeed improve my shooting skills without going to the battlefield."

Shire nodded, this suited Dominic's role.

Shire handed the sniper rifle back to Dominic. He wasn't greatly interested in sniper rifles, mainly because he didn't like the Lebel Rifle, preferring a Mauser with a scope, but that wasn't a big deal.

This surprised Dominic slightly. Who could refuse such a sniper rifle? It can shoot 400 meters!

"Is that the submachine gun?" Shire's gaze turned to the other gun case.

"Yes." Dominic skillfully removed the scope from the rifle he was holding, carefully placing it back in the case, and then opened the other gun case and pushed it to Shire.

Unexpectedly, what lay before Shire was an unfamiliar submachine gun.

Shire had expected it to be the German MP18 submachine gun, designed by the Germans starting in 1915 and put into service in 1918, hence named "MP18."

It was the world's first submachine gun, and with historical self-correction, Shire thought Dominic's design should have been MP18!

What Shire didn't know was that the world's first submachine gun wasn't actually the MP18. The MP18 was more excellent and famous, hence well-known.

The first submachine gun predated the MP18 by a few months; it was the Italian OVP1918.

(Above image shows the Italian OVP1918, the world's first submachine gun, also put into service in 1918, predating the MP18 by a few months, but not well-known due to its inferior performance and impact compared to the MP18)