Chapter 452: This is No Coincidence
FN Company indeed had plans to improve the "Chauchat" and compete with the "Saint-Étienne 2" machine gun.
After careful consideration, Boyata believed that the only area where FN might conflict with Charles in the future was light machine guns.
As for rifles, Belgium had long equipped the "Mauser" made in Germany, while Charles' factory produced the "Lebel." The two didn't overlap, especially since the "Mauser" was superior to the "Lebel," and the Belgian army was unlikely to change.
For handguns, they used Browning, which was also more advanced than the French-made revolvers.
Neither the rifles nor the handguns were at risk of being replaced by Charles' factory, at least for the time being. However, other weapons like machine guns, artillery, tanks, and armored vehicles could very well end up being fully controlled by Charles, with FN unable to even get a foot in the door.
No, this couldn't be allowed!
Thus, Boyata imported the "Chauchat" machine gun, which was considered a failure and on the brink of being phased out, hoping to improve it and then compete with Charles.
One of Boyata's key reasons for pursuing this was that FN had a gun designer genius, Browning. It was a race between two geniuses, and Boyata thought, how could one know the outcome without trying?
"Let's put it plainly," said Albert I, setting his coffee cup down and looking at Boyata with a blank expression. "Normally, I would support your competition, because competition leads to progress. But now, in wartime, Mr. Boyata, our troops are waiting for the weapons from the factories to go to the battlefield. I would rather you cooperate with Charles."
"Cooperate?" Boyata looked surprised. "Your Majesty, what kind of cooperation are you proposing?"
"Charles plans to produce machine guns in Belgium," Albert I said. "But unfortunately, even with our full support, from selecting the site to building the factory and assembling the production lines, it may take several months to produce the machine guns. We cannot wait that long. The enemy is right in front of us, and we need to drive them off our land!"
"You want..." Boyata's face turned pale. "You want our factory to produce machine guns for Charles?"
Albert I nodded. "I will secure the 'license to produce' from Charles, and your factory will handle the manufacturing. This will just require some minor adjustments to the rifle production lines, and we can begin mass production immediately. This would be beneficial for both of us. What do you think?"
Boyata's expression shifted between indecision, his face unsure of what to do.
Albert I signaled Colonel Eden.
Colonel Eden understood and interjected, "The troops are in dire need of these machine guns, Mr. Boyata. The main flaw of heavy machine guns is their weight; they are difficult to move quickly on the battlefield. And facing the Germans, we are always at a disadvantage when it comes to artillery fire. Heavy machine guns are practically a death sentence. On the other hand, light machine guns can solve this issue effectively."
This was the dilemma for the Belgian army. During the outbreak of World War I, when they fought against the Germans, they faced this very problem.
At the time, the Belgian army was only equipped with 102 Maxim heavy machine guns.
Initially, these heavy machine guns were treated as treasures, but they soon realized they were virtually useless on the battlefield. Once the heavy machine gun fired, it was immediately targeted by German 77mm artillery. Soon, a shell would come, and both the gun and its operator would be blown to pieces.
With the disparity in strength, the weaker side could not afford to use equipment that lacked mobility. They needed to fight a guerrilla war.
Thus, the demand for light machine guns became urgent.
"Your decision will save many lives," Albert I said, his tone pleading. "It could even save Belgium, and your factory, Mr. Boyata!"
Boyata hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I will give it serious thought, Your Majesty. Please allow me some time."
"Of course," Albert I nodded, smiling.
As Boyata left, Colonel Eden looked puzzled. "What is he hesitating about?" Colonel Eden asked. "It's Charles—everyone would want to cooperate with him."
"He thinks he has a chance of beating Charles," Albert I smiled. "If he can monopolize the Belgian arms market, why share the profits with Charles? Capitalists always seek to maximize their own profits. Whether the war situation is urgent, whether more people will die, or whether the country will fall into danger—that's not their concern."
The reality is, the more the country is in danger, the more they can profit, because the government would be forced to buy at high prices.
"Has he gone mad?" Colonel Eden still couldn't believe it. "Beat Charles? Beat the 'Saint-Étienne 2'? That's the most renowned machine gun in the world..."
"Because he has Browning, Colonel," Albert I replied.
Colonel Eden suddenly stopped speaking, his face showing a dawning realization.
...
In fact, Boyata's hesitation wasn't just because of Browning.
When he returned to his factory in Ghent, the first thing he did was seek out Browning.
At that time, Browning, who was already over 60 years old, was also a man with white hair, just like Boyata. However, Browning's head was a little more bald than Boyata's.
Browning was testing the improved "Chauchat" on the shooting range, while a few "Saint-Étienne 2" machine guns were placed nearby.
"How's it going?" Boyata asked. "Do you think we have a chance of beating the 'Saint-Étienne 2'?"
Browning shook his head helplessly. "Almost impossible. The design of the 'Saint-Étienne 2' is nearly perfect. The drum-style magazine effectively solves the issues of ammunition capacity and bullet trajectory. Unless we use the same design, it's very hard to compete..."
"Then let's minimize its malfunction rate as much as possible," Boyata said, his voice low.
Browning noticed Boyata's expression and asked curiously, "What's going on?"
"Well," Boyata's eyes turned toward the corner where several "Saint-Étienne 2" machine guns were placed, "they want us to produce this kind of machine gun."
Browning's face darkened.
This almost amounted to FN admitting failure—admitting Browning's failure—giving up on further development.
"What do you think?" Boyata asked, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Is there really no one who can beat Charles?"
After thinking for a while, Browning calmly answered, "We still have one advantage. FN is a local company. As long as the performance is not much worse, the Belgian army will still choose our machine guns."
Boyata nodded in agreement.
This was a matter of national security; domestic arms companies were easier to control, whereas Charles was French.
Therefore, as long as the "Chauchat" machine gun's malfunctions could be minimized, it still had a chance to compete with the "Saint-Étienne 2."
But just then, Boyata's secretary approached him. "Sir, we've just received a notice from the temporary government. Due to documents being destroyed in the war, we need to reapply for the license to produce firearms."
Boyata looked at his secretary in surprise, realizing this was no coincidence.
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