Chapter 733 - 733: America’s Solution

The next morning, Charles decided to accompany Dejouka to the factory.

"Accompany" might have been an overstatement—it was more like an inspection, a progress check on various fronts.

The Charles B1 tank had officially entered mass production. Over 20 units had already been built and passed initial testing.

Charles viewed this tank as a secret weapon. He intended to wait until a sufficient number had been produced, then deploy them suddenly on the battlefield—so the Germans would feel the full impact of their shock power.

For now, Charles was quietly rotating front-line tank crews back to the factory for covert training.

The Charles B1 was different from the earlier Charles A1, which was a two-man light tank.

The A1 was so compact that its gunner doubled as the commander, and coordination was simple—he could just kick the driver to signal a turn.

It barely required team training. Once an operator understood the controls, he could be sent straight to the front.

But the B1 was another matter entirely. It had a crew of four: commander, gunner, loader, and driver.

This meant the crew needed to train together intensively to perform as a unit. In battle, poor coordination would make the B1 no better than the A1—or worse.

Charles believed it was essential to be cautious, especially since the A1 was still doing well on the field. There was no need to rush the B1 into action.

Meanwhile, progress on the Stokes tank gun project was going smoothly.

The engineers had begun merging the French 75mm gun with Britain's 6-inch howitzer. They had poached veteran artillery craftsmen from the main production lines, and the prototype tank gun was already in early testing.

Charles was quietly thrilled.

He was eager to see a tank with only one 75mm gun, mounted in a turret.

The current B1 carried both a 37mm gun in a rotating turret and a 75mm gun fixed in the hull—a compromise driven by battlefield needs, but one with serious flaws.

For example, when enemy infantry approached the front of the tank:

The 37mm turret gun couldn't depress low enough to hit them.The 75mm gun, though powerful, was overkill for infantry. Worse, its blast and shrapnel risked injuring nearby friendlies—or the crew itself.

The ideal solution, Charles thought, was to do what modern tanks do: combine both weapons into a single, shortened 75mm tank gun in the turret.

The hull could then be fitted with a forward-facing machine gun.

And if possible, the turret should also include a coaxial machine gun.

Machine guns were far more effective against close-in infantry than slow-firing cannons.

Charles believed it was feasible. Once the hull-mounted 75mm was removed, it would free up plenty of interior space.

After walking the plant floor and checking progress, it was already late afternoon by the time Charles returned to Dejouka's office.

"How did it go?" Dejouka asked, signing papers with a content smile.

"Smoothly," Charles replied.

"So you've managed to encircle over 300,000 Germans again?" Dejouka raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Compared to factory matters, he was far more interested in Charles's battlefield exploits.

Dejouka sometimes couldn't help wondering—if Charles had such extraordinary military talent, did that mean he himself had a bit of it too?

He occasionally fantasized:

"If I went to the front, could I win like Charles?"

Of course, it was only a fleeting thought.

Now well into middle age, Dejouka knew better than most that the battlefield is a nightmare unimaginable to those living in peace.

That's why he often told Camille:

"We should be grateful to Charles. He's the one who keeps us safe from fire and suffering."

"Yes," Charles replied simply.

He didn't want to dwell on the topic. The newspapers already had the story right—more or less—excluding classified details.

Sensing his son's discomfort, Dejouka smoothly changed the subject. He pulled out a report and handed it over.

"Our business in Britain, France, and Belgium is thriving. Monthly profits now exceed 15 million dollars."

Arms, insurance, shipping, mining—every one a goldmine. And Charles had his hand in all of them.

Charles flipped through the report casually, then asked, "So… business in America isn't going well?"

Dejouka poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him. "Let's put it this way—your battlefield success has brought us riches across Europe. But in America, it's done the opposite."

"What do you mean?" Charles looked up, puzzled.

"It's simple," Dejouka replied, sipping his own coffee as he returned to his seat.

"The more successful you are, the more the U.S. believes there's no risk in staying out of the war."

"And if there's no risk, there's no reason to ramp up production."

"So yes—American military procurement has been cut back. They're now fully focused on domestic affairs."

Now Charles understood.

Before, when the war's outcome was uncertain and the Entente was struggling, the U.S. believed it might eventually be dragged into the conflict—so they placed large orders to prepare.

But now?

Charles's victories were piling up. Russia had begun turning the tide. Italy and Romania had entered the war. The Central Powers looked cornered.

Why would the U.S. keep stockpiling arms?

"There's more," Dejouka added. "They seem to have come up with a new solution. I think the military is tired of being led around by us—and now they want to deal with the root of the problem."

"Meaning… they're cracking down on the mobs?" Charles asked.

Dejouka nodded. "They've launched several large-scale raids on organized crime. From the looks of it, they've had some success."

Charles chuckled. "Raids won't fix anything. That's just cosmetic. The real problem is their legal system. It hasn't caught up—and that's the gap the mob exploits."

Dejouka changed the subject. "Should we scale back U.S. production? Warehouses are already full—especially with helmets. Joseph thinks we shouldn't produce more, or at least ship them to France."

"No," Charles said firmly. "There will be a turning point, Father."

He was thinking of Russia.

The Brusilov Offensive should've shattered the German Eastern Front. Austria-Hungary was already collapsing, and the German flanks were under pressure.

But sadly, someone always stepped up to ruin everything.

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