Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 128 Schmeisser Weapons Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Upon hearing such offensive remarks, General Horndorf did not fly into a rage as Morin had imagined.

He simply turned around, his deep eyes quietly looking at Morin, as if trying to see through the young man completely.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a complex mix of emotions.

"Captain Morin, some of your ideas are indeed very forward-thinking."

The old general's expression finally changed; he put away his smile and became increasingly serious.

"In fact, I have already foreseen that if the Empire were to engage in a full-scale war with an enemy of equal or greater strength in the future, it would likely be mired in an unprecedented and brutal war of attrition."

"However, Captain Morin, you must understand one thing."

"The more successful a system has been in some way, the more difficult it is to revolutionize itself."

"Personally, I greatly admire your talent and vision."

"But as one of the maintainers of this system, my primary responsibility is to ensure the stability of the entire system, rather than to push for a drastic change that could lead to the collapse of the system."

General Hohendorf's sober yet helpless conservatism left Morin with a heavy feeling of powerlessness.

Before he could speak, the old general turned his gaze back to the window, looking at the enormous Imperial War Academy, and sighed softly.

"Captain Morin, Truth is a demanding lover. You have seen her, but that doesn't mean you can have her right now."

However, at the end of the conversation, the old general still gave Morin a glimmer of hope.

“Since His Highness the Crown Prince personally instructed you to form that ‘Training Assault Battalion,’ it means that he and the highest levels of the empire he represents have actually realized the necessity of change.”

"It's just that the time isn't right yet."

Morin nodded silently.

He agreed with the old general's statement, but a thought couldn't help but flash through his mind.

The time is not yet right.
But is there really enough time?
Although the conversation with General Hohendorf made Morin realize the enormous resistance to reform, it also made him clearer about his future path and methods.

Since top-down reforms are difficult to implement, then, as the old general said, we should start with the small training and assault battalion under our command and forge a completely new path from the bottom up.

In the days that followed, Morin's life continued to revolve at high speed between the War Academy and the training camp.

In the morning, he eagerly absorbed various modern military theories and knowledge at the academy, constantly improving his command system.

In the afternoon, without fail, he would appear on the training ground of the camp, take off his officer's uniform, leaving only a white shirt like the soldiers, and undergo rigorous physical training with the entire camp.

Under his leadership, the training enthusiasm of the entire training assault battalion soared to unprecedented heights.

The average time of the entire battalion in the 400-meter obstacle course is steadily improving at a rate that is visible to the naked eye.

Seeing that the new recruits of the training assault battalion had gradually adapted to the intensity of the training, in addition to the 400-meter obstacle course, Morin also asked the battalion adjutant, Kleist, to organize fully armed mountain cross-country training by company.

When Kleist heard about this new training program from Morin, his expression was even more interesting than when he first heard about the '400-meter steeplechase'.

"Sir, isn't this... a bit too intense?"

He asked the same question Klaus had asked before, albeit with some hesitation.

It's important to understand that soldiers already expend a tremendous amount of energy every day just completing obstacle courses and routine drills and shooting exercises.

Now, if we add a 10-kilometer armed cross-country run, he's really worried that the soldiers' bodies won't be able to handle it.

"Not big."

Morin shook his head, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"In future wars, the physical demands on soldiers will only increase. In mobile warfare, long-distance raids and infiltrations will become commonplace."

"The more you sweat now, the less blood you'll bleed on the battlefield."

He patted Kleist on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I will have a military medic and his team accompany you the whole time, and logistical support will also be provided."

"Moreover, this project can be competed on a company-by-company basis, and the winning company can receive some rewards."

"A reward?" Kleist's eyes lit up.

“That’s right.” Morin smiled. “For example, have an extra meal for dinner, like a barbecue or something.”

Just as Morin had predicted, this new training program once again ignited the competitive spirit among the various companies.

Especially that company composed of former Imperial Guard soldiers.

Having lost face in the previous obstacle course test, they were determined to redeem themselves in this event, which tested teamwork and willpower even more. Meanwhile, Morin's old unit, the 1st Company, and the soldiers transferred from the Juggernaut Corps were equally determined.

One of them is a veteran who has participated in numerous long-distance armed raids in actual combat.

The other is a natural mountain expert, with an innate confidence in off-road driving.

How could they possibly want to lose to those 'show-off' soldiers who were used to marching in formation in Dresden?

Molin didn't interfere much with the somewhat tense competitive atmosphere within the training camp.

In his view, as long as it is kept within the scope of healthy competition, such an atmosphere is absolutely beneficial to improving the training level of the troops and the cohesion of each company.

However, he still specifically called Kleist aside and instructed him to be careful to exercise restraint.

After all, we will be comrades-in-arms fighting side by side in the same trench in the future, and we cannot let some minor frictions during training hurt our feelings for each other.

He also emphasized to Kleist, who was also from the Guards, that there should be absolutely no 'special treatment' of that Guards company; they must be treated equally.

Kleist immediately straightened his chest and loudly promised that he would be absolutely fair and impartial and would not favor either side.

While the training camp was in full swing, the acquisition of the Schmeisser family's gun workshop was also successfully completed thanks to Cecilia's powerful financial resources and unparalleled execution.

Following the acquisition, the original "Schmeisser Weapons Workshop" was officially reorganized into "Schmeisser Weapons Manufacturing Co., Ltd."

At first, Maureen enthusiastically suggested that they name the company after herself.

He imagined that one day in the future, the weapons designed and produced by this company would also be engraved with his 'F&M' inscription, just like Smith & Wesson and other gun manufacturers in another timeline.

However, this proposal, full of romantic fantasies, was quickly rejected by the pragmatic Cecilia.

"Fritz, you are now an active-duty officer in the Empire, and you're in the eye of the storm. Naming a weapons manufacturing company after yourself is far too ostentatious and will attract unnecessary trouble."

Cecilia patiently explained to him.

“Remotely controlling the company’s operations from behind the scenes as the major shareholder is the safest and most common way for these Junker nobles in the Empire to manage their own businesses.”

After thinking about it carefully, Morin also felt that Cecilia's words made sense.

While it was a tradition for military personnel to engage in business in the Saxon Empire, he had never actually seen anyone establish a company directly under their own name.

So in the end, Maureen accepted Cecilia's suggestion to control the company through behind-the-scenes shareholding.

Not long after, the brand-new Schmeisser Weapons Manufacturing GmbH was officially established in Dresden.

Meanwhile, in the temporary workshop that Cecilia set up for Helga, the gun designer's work also made groundbreaking progress.

After several rounds of disassembly, debugging, and live-fire testing, the prototype of the first light machine gun had no problems with its performance and reliability, and was ready to be produced according to the revised blueprints.

The overall length of the gun is 1120 mm, and the barrel length is 716 mm.

The total weight of the gun with the bipod is 12.9kg, and it can also be equipped with a lightweight tripod when needed.

It employs a short-recoil automatic mechanism and fires 7.92×57 Mauser rifle cartridges.

"Yes, yes, this is exactly what I wanted."

Upon seeing the prototype gun, Morin's eyes lit up.

At least in Cecilia's opinion, she had never seen Maureen look at anything or anyone with such fervent eyes.
Maureen also felt it was time to take this matter a step further.

He personally drafted a formal document with precise wording and submitted it directly to the Ministry of War in his capacity as the commander of the First Training Assault Battalion of the Imperial Guard.

In the document, he elaborated on the assault battalion's urgent need for squad-level support firepower in future operations.

They formally submitted an application to purchase a batch of the latest air-cooled light machine guns developed by Schmeisser for the training assault battalion.

To be honest, Maureen blushed a little when she wrote this sentence.

The troops under his own command purchase weapons designed and manufactured by companies he controls.
After submitting the documents, Morin thought it would take about ten days to half a month to get a response after the process was completed.

However, he once again underestimated the importance that His Highness the Crown Prince and the Army Ministry placed on his 'training force'.

Just two days later, the Army Ministry's reply arrived in his hands as an urgent document.

The reply was also very simple:
His Highness the Crown Prince will personally conduct a comprehensive inspection of the 1st Training Assault Battalion of the Royal Guard in the near future, together with some senior officers from the Army and the General Staff.

During the inspection, participants will witness a live-fire demonstration of the new light machine gun.

Finally, based on the results of the inspection and observation, a final decision will be made on whether to approve the purchase.

(End of this chapter)