Ultimately, the unit price Joseph agreed upon with the U.S. military was 160 US Dollars.

Joseph gave the U.S. military a discount, as the original price per unit was supposed to be 170 US Dollars, twice the price.

But Johnson stated that the U.S. military's long-term, large-scale purchases would help spread the development costs of the Galland Rifle, and the armory should offer some concessions.

Joseph found this a bit reasonable, so he reluctantly signed the contract for the first batch of 100,000 rifles.

"This would yield a profit of at least tens of millions of US Dollars," Dejoka said excitedly. "We earn over a hundred US Dollars per rifle, not to mention the cost of ammunition and subsequent maintenance and replacement parts."

Tens of millions of US Dollars were no small sum at that time, enough to build ten new destroyers with a displacement of 2,000 tons each.

But Shire thought it was still not enough, far from enough.

He closed the file and turned to Dejoka: "Now, we can sell submachine guns at half price."

"What?" Dejoka looked at Shire in astonishment, "Submachine guns?"

After hesitating for a moment, Dejoka added, "This would plunge the U.S. into another storm, Shire. This is likely a weapon even more suited for gangs than the rifles."

Gangs usually operate in cities, and almost all combat that could occur would be in street fights.

In street fighting, submachine guns are unquestionably the king, while the Galland rifle in the hands of the U.S. military is more suited for long-distance combat in open terrain.

Shire replied calmly, "That's not our concern, father. We are businessmen."

Dejoka nodded, his eyes flickering with a trace of helplessness: "Alright, I will notify Joseph."

Shire watched Dejoka leave.

He could see the hesitation in Dejoka's heart.

Regarding the gangs, the soft-hearted Dejoka believed Shire should stop while he was ahead; selling rifles was enough to establish the armory's foothold in New York.

Now selling submachine guns at low prices to the public...

Although it was for business, as a "conscientious capitalist," one should consider how much harm gangs possessing submachine guns could cause to civilians and society, even if it was in the United States.

Shire did not consider these.

He wanted to control the U.S. arms market, taking advantage of the current underdevelopment of U.S. military-industrial power.

This was not just about money; it was about seizing power and control in discourse.

Faced with an industrial nation like the United States, Shire believed he had no room to be soft-hearted; he had to utilize gangs to quickly capture the military-industrial market.

Otherwise, U.S. capitalists might overtake them with their strong industrial capabilities.

...

The tank gun laboratory was a hive of activity.

Dejoka built it next to the artillery factory to facilitate communication between researchers and factory technicians.

The initially planned area alone covered more than 3,000 square meters, the size needed to build a tank gun production line.

It turned out to be necessary, as the researchers had almost set up an entire set of artillery production equipment there, barring the gun barrels.

However, Stockes recently discovered that they might have to produce the gun barrels themselves.

The reason being that reducing the length of the breech to lighten the weight also shifted the center of gravity forward, meaning that the original barrel length no longer met the requirements for tank guns.

Stockes and several researchers engaged in an intense debate on this issue.

They were mainly divided into two factions: one advocated using the original barrels, while the other supported self-producing shorter barrels.

"Using the original barrels would save time and cost; all we need to do is add counterweights to the breech."

"Are you crazy? Every inch of space and weight inside a tank is precious. They are trying to reduce weight, and you want to add dead weight—it's utterly pointless!"

"But producing barrels is difficult and time-consuming; we are in the midst of a war!"

...

Stockes remained silent.

Both sides seemed to have valid points: the former aligned better with immediate interests while the latter considered long-term perspectives.

If only Shire were here, he was the one who could make the decision.

Just then, Stockes was surprised to see Shire, dressed in a general's uniform, entering with Dejoka.

He quickly led the researchers to greet them.

"Mr. Dejoka, General," Stockes warmly shook hands with the two, "Welcome!"

The researchers also stepped forward to shake hands, their eyes filled with admiration when it was Shire's turn:

"It's a pleasure to meet you, General."

"We've heard of you, General; it's an honor to serve you!"

"Compared to your command, we hardly dare to discuss war!"

The researchers laughed, their expressions slightly embarrassed.

They were referring to the poor performance of the British Expeditionary Force. As British, they would always feel great sorrow comparing the British and French armies' performances.

Shire responded with a friendly smile:

"That's because they didn't use you effectively."

"I heard they even considered conscripting you into the army?"

"Unbelievable, you are top-tier talents, at least worth a few infantry divisions, and they just wanted to give you a rifle and send you to the battlefield!"

Shire subtly praised them, knowing that talent often values self-worth over salary.

As expected, the researchers' gazes instantly changed when looking at Shire:

God, so Shire sees us this way?

We made the right decision; he values us greatly, so we can work for him with trust.

This is recognition, affirmation, and trust—nothing is more important than these!

"Encountering any difficulties?" Shire asked, having seen them debating earlier.

"Yes," Stockes took Shire to the desk and said, pointing at the blueprints, "We are considering whether it is necessary to produce the barrels ourselves since the original barrels no longer meet the new tank gun requirements..."

"Of course it's necessary," Shire said firmly, "I'll provide all the funding, and you can obtain all the technology needed from the artillery factory."

The artillery factory had a production line for British 6-inch (152MM) caliber cannons, with technology interchangeable with the 75-millimeter artillery.

Stockes was somewhat surprised, not expecting Shire to make a decision so quickly without any hesitation.

"You may not realize, General, that this could double the research and development costs," Stockes said, "and time, since producing barrels, especially the 28 right-hand twist rifling is very difficult."

(Note: The French 75 is a rifled gun, with a 2.69-meter-long, 36-caliber barrel, containing 28 right-hand twist rifling)

"I know," Shire replied, "but we can simplify the production appropriately, such as turning it into a smoothbore gun by eliminating the rifling."

Stockes and several researchers exchanged glances and immediately opposed:

"I don't recommend doing this, General. Rifled guns are more accurate compared to smoothbore guns."

"Not only that, rifled guns have a longer range because they impart a spin to the shell, making it more stable."

"We would rather add counterweights than turn it into a smoothbore gun, which would significantly impact combat effectiveness."

...