Chapter 329 The Feeling of the Battlefield

After returning to his seat, Charles immediately started drawing a sketch of the French Adrian helmet.

There is another allusion to the French steel helmet: During a fierce German shelling, a cook tipped an iron pot upside down on his head and was only slightly injured, while many people around him were under the dense shrapnel and stones. Seriously injured or even killed.

General Adrian of the French army was deeply inspired after hearing about this incident, and asked the military industry to develop metal helmets for the troops, so people called the French army's standard helmet "Adrian helmet".

(The picture above shows the French Adrian helmet, which is considered the ancestor of modern military helmets)

…

Of course, this order must be handed over to Steed. After all, Charles doesn't have to do anything or take care of anything, but he can receive half of the profits. This is almost like Steed working for Charles. All Charles has to do is provide Creativity.

The meeting was at dinner time, still at the Ritz Hotel, but not in a conference room but in a restaurant, and Dominic was also present.

Steed sat at the main seat, while Charles and Dominic sat at the second seat facing each other. The spotless white tablecloth and the complicated crystal lamp hanging above the head illuminated the huge restaurant as if it were daytime.

"This is for your triumph, Colonel!" Steed looked at Charles with admiration in his eyes.

He admired Charles's courage from the bottom of his heart. As a capitalist, he knew the biggest difference between rich people and poor people:

People without money live in poverty. It is normal for them to go to the battlefield because they feel that they are destined to die or they want to make a difference.

Rich people have a good life waiting to be enjoyed. If their life is gone, everything they earn through hard work will lose its meaning.

As a member of the rich, Ciel took the initiative to go to the battlefield and be on the front line. This was something that many people did not expect.

Seeing that Charles had some doubts about the waiters standing on both sides, Steed explained: "Don't worry, Colonel. Everyone who can walk into the restaurant is my person."

Charles was satisfied with Steed's arrangement, but when he saw what was on the table, there were steaks, red wine, caviar, and some fruits.

Charles was a little disappointed. Rich people in France also eat the same things, but the so-called quality is higher. For example, the steak must be Australian rib-eye steak, the red wine must be of the exact year, and the caviar must be Cavia. Sturgeon's and more.

Ciel doesn't care much about this. He has a strong sense of food. There is indeed a difference in taste between the two, but it's not so big that it's necessary to pay attention to it.

Dominic turned the corner of the table and stepped forward to pour a glass of red wine for Charles. He asked dubiously: "Is what they said true? You held a rifle to fight the enemy on the battlefield?"

"Yes." Charles nodded: "I had to do this. At that time, there was a serious shortage of troops, and the defense line would probably collapse without my rifle."

Steed, who was sitting on the main seat, raised his wine glass towards Charles and praised: "Heroic act, Colonel!"

Ciel didn't think so in his heart. This had become a norm during the First World War, even though it was less than a year before the war started.

Dominic looked at Charles with a complicated expression and asked cautiously: "How do you feel, Colonel?"

Charles was stunned. He didn't understand what Dominic was asking.

But it soon became clear.

Dominic likes guns and shooting, but he may never be exposed to the battlefield, and of course he cannot point a gun at a live person and pull the trigger.

The purpose of the gun's invention is for war, to kill the enemy, but Dominic can only shoot at the target at the shooting range.

"You won't like it." Charles replied expressionlessly: "If you are close, you can even see the pain in their eyes when the soul leaves the body. You will feel the same and unconsciously think about what will happen if you are shot. What state is it, even..."

"You will feel cruel." Dominic continued.

"Yes." Charles replied.

After returning from the battlefield, he felt that his mentality had changed.

That has nothing to do with enduring hardship, but has to do with killing enemies. Even though it was an enemy that was killed, having it and not having it are still two different things.

Ciel truly felt the fragility of life. After that, what he thought was cruel before now seemed like nothing more than a trivial matter.

Steed glanced at the thoughtful Dominic and said with a smile: "People didn't expect the colonel to do this. Now they can shut up. Even the congressmen can't find anything wrong with the colonel's heroic behavior! "

What Steed saw was a business opportunity, a huge one.

The Charles had been on the battlefield, but the MPs had not, and neither had the capitalists.

If there is any dispute about equipment in the future, such as whether to use Charles' equipment or Schneider's equipment, Charles's behavior can be used as a publicity stunt: Charles has been on the battlefield, he knows the war better than you, he knows the battlefield. What is needed!

This may be the purpose of Ciel's risk on the battlefield, Steed thought.

After drinking and eating, Charles took out the sketch of the helmet from his bag and handed it to Steed: "We can trial-produce a batch, about 10,000 helmets!"

There is a reason why Ciel kept the number at the top of "10,000".

The army establishment during this period was relatively large, with one division, two brigades and four regiments. The strength of a division was generally more than 10,000 or even 20,000.

If 20,000 caps are produced and one per person is produced, there will be no comparison and no difference between "haves" and "have nots".

But if there are only 10,000 pieces, you will definitely be able to equip only part of them.

The same unit fought in the same environment and was bombarded by the Germans with similar intensity. If the casualty rate was lower when wearing a helmet, it would immediately explain the problem.

When Steed saw the sketch, he didn't take it seriously at first. It was just a helmet, unremarkable.

But when he thought about it, his eyes suddenly widened. He raised his head and asked Charles: "You mean, if it works, it will become the standard helmet of the army in the future?"

Ciel said calmly "Yeah".

Steed immediately beamed with joy. This was a big deal. France had millions of troops. If every soldier needed one, it would cost more than a million.

What's more, the helmet is still a consumable item. It may be lost, damaged, or rusted on the battlefield. In addition, each batch of new recruits needs it, so the cost is far more than one million.

"We must be cautious." Ciel reminded: "If the first batch is not popular or does not work, you know what will happen!"

"Of course, Colonel!" Steed nodded hurriedly: "Don't worry, I will do it well."

After thinking for a few seconds, Steed gave the direction: "We should reduce the weight as much as possible while ensuring strength, so we should use high-strength steel!"