Chapter 135 Long-Lost Brothers

The negotiation went smoothly. Steed only glanced at the sketch and the caption, and immediately gave two options with a happy face:

"One million francs to buy the industrial property rights, or choose to cooperate, I will give you 50% of the profit!"

Djoka was frightened by such generous conditions. He didn't expect that this inconspicuous thing was worth 1 million francs. You know, the industrial property rights of the tank were only sold for 990,000. It was actually more valuable than the tank!

Seeing Djoka stunned, Steed added: "This is the initial offer, Mr. Djoka, if you are not satisfied, we can discuss it again!"

Djoka was a little dizzy. Is this just the initial offer?

Bonnet standing next to him was also puzzled. It seems that business should not be discussed in this way. Steed is a veteran in this area. Why did he expose his trump card today? It was for this inconspicuous little thing...

How could Bonnet know that Steed did this not only because he saw the value of the "grenade", but also hoped to get in touch with Charles because of this line.

He kept repeating in his mind: "Choose cooperation, please, it can create much more wealth than selling property rights!"

If it was according to Dejoka's own wishes, he would choose to sell the industrial property rights without hesitation.

But he knew that Charles's goal was to form an alliance with Steed, so he nodded and replied: "No, Mr. Steed, we don't need to discuss the price, because I choose cooperative production!"

"Great!" Steed laughed, and he even hugged Dejoka excitedly: "Wise choice, Mr. Dejoka! If there is a chance, I would be happy to invite you and Charles to visit my arsenal. You can even participate in the management of the arsenal. We are partners, right? We are partners!"

Steed also patted Dejoka's shoulder affectionately, as if Dejoka was his lost brother who finally found him after many years!

...

This result is exactly what Charles hoped for.

Charles had considered forming an alliance a long time ago. His power alone was too fragile, and he could not cultivate his own power in the army due to the restrictions of rules and regulations. Forming an alliance was the only way out.

He sorted out the capitalists he knew in his mind:

The right wing is definitely not okay. They oppose industrialization, which is contrary to the inventions and creations in his mind, and will eventually lead to conflicts due to inconsistent development directions.

Monopoly of steel and the Windel family? This does not seem to be on the same level!

Brest Shipyard? With Britain as an ally on the ocean, there is not much demand for French warships and there is almost no crisis!

The only ones left are Schneider, who makes artillery, and Saint-Étienne, who makes light weapons.

Schneider is stronger and originally has great potential. Charles can make a fuss about tank guns, and it is not impossible to help Schneider develop detachable weapons in the future.

However, before Charles made a move, Schneider suddenly became his competitor!

That only left Steed of Saint-Étienne.

Then Charles suddenly realized that this was simply opening a treasure trove for himself, and many light weapons in front were waiting for him to invent.

The technical threshold of these light weapons is not high, and Charles can also produce them himself.

But since it involves gunpowder, it would be very troublesome to make them all from scratch. It is obviously a good choice to give it to the Saint-Etienne Arsenal for production.

It just so happens that Steed's Saint-Etienne Arsenal is in trouble again, so it's it!

Just use a small invention to stimulate it, and it will immediately come around like a fly... uh, it should be like a bee, definitely a bee, like a bee!

Therefore, when Deyoka sent someone to bring a message saying that he had chosen to cooperate with Saint-Etienne, Charles was not surprised at all, and everything went as he hoped.

…

The sky gradually darkened and the lights came on.

Usually at this time, the people in the command center should be busy sorting out various documents and intelligence under the lights, and even work all night, after all, the battlefield does not wait for anyone.

But now the war on the front line is in a stalemate and nothing major has happened, so only a few staff officers on duty are left, and the others are dismissed for rest.

Charles was about to go back to the dormitory but was stopped by Lieutenant Colonel Fernan.

"Hey, Lieutenant, don't you want to take a rest?" Lieutenant Colonel Fernan asked.

Charles looked at the open door of the dormitory, puzzled. Wasn't he going to rest?

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand invited him with a smile: "Let's go, it's time to relax!"

When Charles arrived at the destination, he realized that the "relaxation" mentioned by Lieutenant Colonel Fernand was the officers' club. He was quite disappointed. Could this be called "relaxation"?

The lights in the club were dim and smoky. The piano on the stage played jazz music that had just emerged. Lieutenant Colonel Fernand ordered a small glass of green absinthe for each of them. He spread his hands generously and said: "Order as much as you want. I'll treat you tonight!"

Charles knew that this required courage. Absinthe was expensive and not easy to drink. Many countries had banned its sale because of its hallucinations.

Although France has not banned its sale, it has become less and less available on the market due to many restrictions on manufacturers, and the price is high. It is said that only rich people can store a whole bottle.

(Note: France banned the sale of absinthe in 1915)

Charles thought that Lieutenant Colonel Fernand must have known that he couldn't drink much, so he was so generous.

This was Charles' first time trying to drink. He looked at the green liquid in the glass and naturally imagined it to be a slightly sweet drink. He took a sip without any psychological preparation, and suddenly choked and couldn't help coughing.

Several officers laughed nearby, as if they were wondering where the rookie came from.

There was a sweet-looking female bartender behind the bar. She waved the cocktail shaker skillfully, looked at Charles with interest, and then turned her eyes to Lieutenant Colonel Fernan: "Lieutenant Colonel, your new orderly?"

"Who? Him?" Lieutenant Colonel Fernan realized that the orderly in the maid's mouth referred to Charles, and hurriedly shook his head to explain: "No, no, you misunderstood, Lucia, I am his orderly!"

The female bartender called Lucia laughed very cooperatively. She thought Lieutenant Colonel Fernan was joking.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand leaned close to Charles' ear and said, "You will get used to it in the future, Lieutenant. It is a good choice to relax here after a tiring day. This will allow you to sleep well!"

As he said this, he raised his glass to Charles and said, "You're welcome. This is what I should do!"

Charles panted and finally calmed down. He thought that Lieutenant Colonel Fernand might have forgotten two points:

First, Charles is not yet an adult and is not suitable for drinking.

Second, Charles has one day off every two days. Lieutenant Colonel Fernand's "relax here after a tiring day" does not exist.

If necessary, Charles can sleep all day at home!