Chapter 23 Bilateral and Multilateral
"It is undeniable, and cannot be denied. I am a bad person, although it's not like I've committed ten evils or crimes that shake the heavens, but I confirm that I am indeed a bad person, a thorough and true executioner. Although I didn't kill anyone myself, the tragic scenes of human suffering that are presented to people with ease are all my doing. If the law states that killing is not a deep sin, but instigating and providing tools for it is punishable, then I would be sentenced to absolute death penalty without dispute. Because of my existence, more people have lost their lives, and the more advanced weapons equipment has brought about more casualties. Those who shouldn't have died or were perhaps only seriously injured will become stiff corpses because of what I've brought about."
Deng Hualin used to be a smooth talker, wandering around the compradors and foreigners in Shanghai with his silver tongue. He thought he would spend his life in poverty, but an accidental encounter with some people led to a series of unexpected events that changed his fate, just like what he wrote in his diary at the beginning. Deng Hualin, who had no skills or achievements, became an arms dealer.
"My nature is to have a silver tongue, being able to swindle people is just my personal ability, I absolutely do not engage in petty theft or thievery. Being lazy and hating hard work is definitely one of my strong suits." Deng Hualin had always thought that these were the only advantages he possessed, but unexpectedly, after an accidental encounter with a business representative from Zhongzhong Group, things started to change because he was relatively more adept at dealing with foreigners.
From the bustling and colorful streets of Shanghai to the machine-filled landscape of Guangxi, Deng Huaping has experienced too many things that left him in awe. The luxury cars that were once symbols of status and identity turned out to be domestically manufactured after a closer look, leaving him with nothing but self-mockery at first, followed by a determination to learn how to utilize his advantages for more practical benefits.
He began to learn how to negotiate business with Germans, French and British in a more sophisticated language, organizing any meeting scenario; started to recognize and learn various light and heavy weapons, not just understanding their performance, but sometimes even firing a few shots himself; started learning how to calculate quickly, the piled-up ammunition needs to be estimated quickly, including the type of ammunition, price, transportation cost, etc., most importantly, it is necessary to report a reasonable price for both parties within a very short period of time; started to learn about current events and military dynamics, must recognize who is the best buyer, who needs ammunition the most, more importantly, learn how to balance between the sustainability of business and the necessity of making money, arms dealers are not loving gods, the longer and more brutal the war is, the better.
Of course, these were absolutely impossible for Deng Hua Lin before. But he was confident for the first time because after a certain period of study, he felt that he was a genius, an absolute genius in arms sales, so he was quickly dispatched to Europe as one of the first batch of trained personnel, starting his own arms trade. While bringing huge benefits to the motherland, his own gains were also quite frighteningly generous.
"Many times I found myself almost forgetting where my first deal was, who I traded with, and what I sold. But in this rare leisure time, after some thought, I remembered who my first deal was with! Writing to this point, Deng Hualin tapped the cigar in his hand, he had fallen in love with the fragrant thing, of course, in this rare break, he lit one slowly and wrote his diary, which was very good. Taking a slight sip, Deng Hualin savored the tiny bit of nicotine in the air, then began to write intently:"
I remember it was a very clear morning, the air was always filled with the smell of gunpowder drifting from the front line, mixed with faint cries and fear of death, in short, it was a beautiful morning, I loved such a battlefield, even though my place was not far from the Marne River front line, there would be a feeling of being hit by shells at any time, which always excited me.
It was shortly after 7 o'clock in the morning, but I can no longer remember the exact time. Anyway, I was enjoying canned food transported from China to the European battlefield, which didn't taste very good, but the strong nostalgia still moved me deeply. My good days were quite good, but some people couldn't bear it anymore.
August 9, the German army successfully occupied all of Belgium and drove out the French troops within Belgian territory back to France. On August 21, the German army divided into five routes to attack northern France, and the French army lost its defense and was forced to retreat. Of course, these are all meaningless to me, because the war has not yet reached its most critical moment, and we who do business in military supplies have no need to rush. On September 3, the German army had already approached Paris, and the French government was forced to retreat to Bordeaux. Although the government retreated, the troops could not retreat but instead had to push forward. It was at this moment that I felt the business opportunity had revealed a sly smile.
As expected, the heavens didn't let my bold actions in rushing to the front lines lose their meaning. From September 5th to September 12th, the German army and the Anglo-French coalition forces engaged in fierce battles along the Marne River to Verdun line near Paris. The stubborn Frenchmen and the proud British boots heavily struck the enemy, of course, they themselves also had many brothers become part of the mud, corpses.
The Battle of the Marne resulted in a stalemate, with the German army retreating to strategic defensive positions along the Aisne River. The fighting evolved into trench warfare. Although both sides subsequently launched mobile operations towards the coast, the result was a decisive defeat for the Anglo-French forces. The German army successfully captured vast territories in northeastern France but failed to cut off the transportation lines between England and France. Subsequently, both sides clashed again in the Battle of Flanders, with neither side achieving significant results, resulting in a stalemate.
This situation, for me, is what I call an opportunity. I know that on the German side, there are also our salespeople who must have realized that the opportunity has arrived. Although we haven't communicated with each other, in such a tense situation, any arms dealer would realize that the opportunity has come knocking.
Soon, I sorted out my own materials and various data in my mind, and then waited for the change. I believe that the partner who is going to persuade the Germans on the opposite side is doing the same thing. The stalemate is not the best time for sales. Maybe those junior brothers who sell food and clothing will have some gains, but for us who sell arms, it's only when the stalemate is slightly broken that the real opportunity arrives. The God of Westerners is indeed a god, he is all-powerful and incredibly effective, I say this with reason.
In the spring of 1915, which was wrapped in a large amount of death, but the British and French armies, who had been enraged by being shaved, would not believe that this spring would still have death. The trenches had already frozen many soldiers to death, and the stalemate must be broken, so the British and French army took advantage of the German army's main force concentrated on the Eastern Front and launched two offensives in Champagne and Artois. The proud people still adopted old tactics to launch an offensive, lacking strong vitality as cover, but wanting to launch a dog-fart attack.
The Germans used a Mark IV heavy machine gun, spewing out long flames, to create one place after another of corpses and wailing cries, clearly telling the British and French armies that without heavy firepower cover, they would get such an ending if they launched an attack.
I couldn't say bribery, but with a pistol and twenty bullets, I had a French lieutenant take me to see the battlefield for a few minutes. Although I didn't get close to their deep trenches and dense barbed wire, in those short few minutes, I smelled more blood than someone who works in a slaughterhouse at home for a lifetime. My nose was filled with the smell of blood mixed with the stench of rotting flesh, which was even more pungent than the smell of a slaughterhouse.
Of course, at that moment I really felt that God was truly a true god, because for the first time I made a wish to him, wishing for the war to be even more brutal, and he very readily agreed, and let me see with my own eyes the real tragedy of humanity. The corpses pierced by heavy machine guns would fall to the ground like airbags that had all their air sucked out, soft and limp, posing in various strange postures, while the melting snow of early spring brought many small puddles, which anyone who wasn't colorblind could clearly see were either white or bright red, the earth had long since turned into black soil, quietly accompanying the brave warriors who fell on the charging road, silently speechless.
Soon, through connections, I found a small official in charge of logistics. After several rounds of coordination, the first batch of universal machine guns I brought finally went onto the battlefield. Although these guns were all given to them for free trial use, forty universal machine guns are not many, but when they were taken onto the battlefield by the "braves" the next day, many people discovered that this gun was truly a masterpiece. To know that in this war, which has been going on for so long, it has always been heavy machine guns and artillery covering, infantry launching desperate charges, no one had the ability to carry nearly hundred-pound heavy machine guns to follow the main force in charging.
Moreover, a French division-level unit was only equipped with 18 heavy machine guns, and even the richer British had only 24. I donated 40 universal machine guns at once, which is equivalent to having nearly 20 heavy machine guns in terms of deterrence, even if they thought its effectiveness was halved. However, the French soon sent back more important information from the battlefield, that is, these 40 universal Type A machine guns brought a firepower effect that could not be matched by dozens of heavy machine guns when following infantry charges.
Good things may happen for a while, but not forever. My universal machine gun was carefully transported from the rear to the front line reserve after much deliberation, and it took a lot of effort to let the troops try it out, even if they were not the main characters on the battlefield. The Germans had almost one heavy machine gun per 100 meters of frontline, and their firepower advantage combined with artillery was absolutely not something that could be changed by just 40 universal machine guns. So I quickly prepared to withdraw my weapons and leave the damned battlefield with a pair of hopeful eyes.
The lives of soldiers are worthless on the vast battlefield, but as a commander of a basic tactical unit, I have to be responsible for my brothers who live with me day and night. The division commander sincerely hoped that I could sell him some heavy machine guns and ammunition, and even took the initiative to report to his superiors about the advantages of this military equipment. Of course, under various persuasive reasons, I couldn't be unkind or unjust, because before that, when I was waiting for the trial report of the machine gun, I had already been in the trenches with many soldiers. I could clearly judge that the German enemy opposite us had begun to use domestically-made mortars, and the sound was all too familiar. So naturally, I cooperated with the headquarters' plan and "sold" the machine guns.
As a result, my first transaction was concluded. One hundred and twenty universal machine guns were sold at approximately $480 each, with 1,000 free bullets included per gun. Additionally, 7.62mm machine gun ammunition was sold for $60 per thousand rounds, totaling 120,000 rounds. In total, my first arms sale earned me $64,800, but I only received $648, a return of just 1%. This left me both amazed and dissatisfied - amazed at how easily I had made such a large profit, despite the risks involved in transporting so many goods to the front lines under heavy fire. What dissatisfied me was that when I handed over the last box of ammunition, I received a genuine war weapon inspection certificate, proof of the effectiveness of the machine guns, which had been proven by thousands of casualties. However, I ended up giving that damned division commander $1,000. As a result, my income decreased by another $10, a significant loss for a newcomer like me.
As he wrote to this point, Deng Hualin stopped his pen. Writing a diary must be accompanied by waves of memories, so as soon as he put down his pen, he couldn't help but prop up his chin with both hands and stare blankly at the bonsai on the table, thinking about his own frugality in the past. A wave of daze later, Deng Hualin slowly regained his thoughts. Apart from his first transaction, he thought of the largest transaction he had made recently in this line of work. Of course, the object of the largest transaction was no longer a superior who could only be obtained by bribery to obtain weapon testing, but a lieutenant general of the British and French coalition logistics command department. Afraid that he would forget this memory after he grew old, Deng Hualin resolutely picked up his pen and started writing again. He needed to record the thrill of the time in black and white.
That day, the weather was not very good, just like the situation on the front line, gloomy and uncertain. The German counterattack was fierce and effective, making life difficult for the British and French armies. However, arms dealers hoped for such an opportunity, but it was also the most difficult to grasp, as the tension of war made many officers extremely nervous, and a careless word could lead to being kicked out quickly.
"Hello, I am Deng Hualin. General Luo mentioned you to me, he said that you are an outstanding logistics officer, and you have a natural talent for identifying these weapons. With your help, these weapons will definitely get a fair evaluation!" After finishing speaking, Deng Hualin made a respectful gesture, inviting the neatly dressed Major General to take a look at the various goods that had just been unloaded from the heavy truck behind him.
"I heard that not all of these weapons are made in the United States, some of them were produced by Asian countries." The lieutenant general didn't touch those heavy machine guns or general-purpose machine guns at first, but was interested in the dark and thick towed howitzer, constantly stroking it, especially the black muzzle which made him feel excited. "The caliber is 155mm, right?" The lieutenant general didn't wait for Deng Hualin to answer the first question, and he himself jumped over the first question.
"Yes, you're absolutely right!" Deng Hualin had always thought that foreigners were easier to deal with because, unlike Chinese people, sometimes when you praise them, they think it's flattery, and many people in lower positions don't like insincere flattery. But foreigners are different, any words of praise are a genuine appreciation of their abilities, not just flattery. In fact, the general was very fond of this kind of conversation and weapon.
"The howitzer is a type of gun with a shorter barrel, a more curved trajectory, and a large angle of descent, almost vertical, so that the shrapnel can be evenly distributed in all directions. This makes it an excellent field artillery piece for attacking hidden and area targets, especially those German devils hiding in trenches." As he said this, the general slapped the muzzle of the gun hard, his anger matching the force with which he hit the cannon.
Such an action, of course, would not escape the eyes of Deng Hualin, a hunter. "Damn it, the Germans are relying on their firepower advantage to prevent the great Anglo-French coalition from achieving results, so we need to equip ourselves with better weapons to strike back at the enemy and protect ourselves. And what I want to recommend to you today is this howitzer." As he spoke, Deng Hualin took a few steps back and opened several ammunition boxes one after another, all of which were filled with glittering shells.
In the early 20th century, the range of a general 75mm field gun was about 6,500 meters, a 105mm howitzer was about 6,000 meters, a 150mm howitzer was about 7,000 meters, and a 150mm cannon was about 10,000 meters. However, with the passage of time and advances in technology, the range of modern artillery has increased significantly. Deng Hualin naturally wanted to showcase some excellent domestic artillery, an 18,000-meter-range howitzer equipped with advanced devices such as panoramic sighting telescopes, angle measuring instruments, and fuze setting machines would definitely win orders with its absolute strength.
"Our mortar is very practical, it can fire mortars, special incendiary bombs, illuminating shells and so on, and can launch different types of ammunition according to the needs of the task. And with a maximum range of 18 kilometers, an initial velocity of 800 meters per second, etc., it is sufficient to complete tactical target shooting, and cluster shooting can also achieve very good results. For horizontal target shooting, fort destruction, killing of living forces, etc., it is extremely practical. If conditions permit, we can try it out at any time!"
"The front line is in dire need of a cannon that can effectively kill the enemy, sufficient firing speed and power are essential, currently the range is not required to be too high. Colonel said frankly "the truth", the German counterattack is getting stronger and stronger, if it weren't for the advantage of machine gun firepower, I estimate that the Anglo-French coalition would have been forced out of the trenches and retreated several kilometers ago, and those machine guns were sold to the coalition by the person in front of us, the Germans are almost running up to us, whether the cannon can shoot far or not is secondary, what's important is firepower and firing speed."
"If the grenade launcher doesn't make you feel at ease, I can recommend another powerful tool that will surely satisfy you!" said with a smile, Deng Hualin climbed onto the vehicle and lifted the rain cover, revealing a fierce-looking heavy machine gun. "We all know that as the war has evolved to this point, it has become a contest of firepower, and your army's main military weapons have been proven to be somewhat lacking. The Lee-Enfield rifle is accurate but its rate of fire is not quite satisfactory, while the Vickers medium machine gun will surely take on the task of killing the enemy."
These words are quite in line with the facts, and the lieutenant colonel nodded slightly. "The predecessor of the Vickers machine gun was the Maxim machine gun that appeared in 1882, including the one used by those Germans, which was also a Maxim machine gun. However, after Albert Vickers modified the locking mechanism, it became lighter and easier to mass-produce. Apart from being lighter, it didn't seem to have made much progress, and it wasn't much better than the 82-year-old Maxim machine gun." Deng Hualin knew that to persuade someone, you had to stare into their eyes, read their expression, and the lieutenant colonel's eyes showed a clear sign of approval.
"It is indeed the case that, first of all, it uses rimmed 0.303-inch ammunition, fed through a fabric belt, which brings about a series of complex problems, such as the intricacy of manufacturing processes, and the high precision requirements for many parts, even though it rarely jams, but still can't compare to the common machine gun's chain or magazine feeding system in terms of reliability. Moreover, the most critical issue is that it requires a lot of water cooling, yet on the battlefield, our soldiers often don't even have access to drinking water, and can only use urine for cooling. In contrast, the common machine gun can maintain stable performance after being used intensively for half a day, and its effectiveness is greater, with many units requesting not to be equipped with Vickers guns anymore, but instead to purchase more common machine guns, which would be better and more beneficial for the war."
Deng Hualin could only smile wryly at the lieutenant general's words, then still had to change the subject. "Actually, your army's Vickers machine guns are also a very good weapon. I heard that in one battle on the front line, one machine gun can fire nearly 100,000 rounds of ammunition within twelve hours without jamming, even after using a lot of cooling water. The continuity of firepower is indeed very good."
Deng Hualin just needed to show respect first, win the other's respect, and then promote his products in a better communication atmosphere. "At present, your army has recognized our 7.62mm caliber universal machine gun, which is quite satisfactory in terms of lethality and portability, but its range and rate of fire are not as effective as large-caliber firearms. In response to this situation, I recommend this sharp tool." After finishing speaking, Deng Hualin pointed to the ZJQ-1 heavy machine gun supported by a tripod.
"Heavy machine guns are used to shoot cluster targets, firepower points, and the accuracy requirements must be better. The effective range should be over 800 meters, and the rate of fire should be at least 300 rounds per minute. In fact, on the battlefield, we need a heavy machine gun that can sweep hundreds of bullets towards the enemy like flowing water within half a minute, a super weapon that can start killing enemies effectively from a distance of one kilometer. And what our group came up with is this ZJQ-1 heavy machine gun."
Deng Hualin pulled a lieutenant general to let him get on the car and feel the charm of the heavy machine gun. "The 12.7mm heavy machine gun, with a total length of 1920mm, an effective range of 1500m, and a theoretical firing rate of 600 rounds per minute. The whole gun weighs only 26.5kg, including the gun body and tripod, with a directional shooting range of 45 degrees to the left and right, and a barrel life of more than 3000 rounds. Such excellent characteristics are sufficient to complete the current task. Compared to the 7.62mm and 11.43mm Markov machine guns, the 12.7mm caliber has enough ability to defeat all heavy machine guns and become the world's first, with fast firing speed, non-liquid cooling, light weight, etc., which are all very good advantages. For the transfer of positions, continuous firepower, absolute lethality of living targets, etc., it is the only choice."
"The price of these things shouldn't be cheap, right!"
The brigadier general naturally understood the value of things, and the performance of a universal machine gun was stable, relying on its high price as the best guarantee. However, for this powerful weapon in front of him, apart from practical combat verification, he was more concerned about its price. After all, with a firing rate of several hundred rounds per minute, after a series of large battles, the frontline would need tens of millions of bullets and nearly ten thousand gun barrels every day. The price of large-scale procurement could not be reduced, so it was impossible to equip troops on a large scale. But the tense situation at the front line urgently needed a better weapon to perform. Domestic military production had reached saturation, where could they have spare capacity to help develop new weapons? It was rare to meet a good businessman, and the brigadier general did not want to miss this excellent opportunity.
"You're also aware of the situation, and the urgency of the war effort is just as pressing for us. There are many places in need, but due to our long-standing friendly cooperation, I wouldn't dream of withholding anything from you. When making a large purchase, a 72mm field rapid-fire cannon costs $8,000 per unit, with each shell costing between $18 and $22. However, we certainly don't need something with such low firepower. The 155mm field howitzer is your best choice, available for just $30,000 per unit, with shells that pack a huge punch at a mere $41 apiece."
The lieutenant general was fairly satisfied with the quote for this part, but Deng Hualin's mood was not as good. If the lieutenant general had agreed to a large package of orders, the return he would have received would have been extremely huge. However, the lieutenant general's next words left him even more surprised. "We need howitzers, but we also need 75mm and 105mm rapid-fire guns. As for calibers above 200mm, you don't have them so I won't mention it. But ZJQ-1, we need at least 100 of them and a large amount of ammunition, the sooner the better. As for what new things are in these small boxes, if they perform well, we can also place an order."
"General, I told you your vision is particularly good. These boxes also have the latest hand grenades, gas masks, pistols and so on. This pistol, called Jack, is my gift to you as a meeting gift!" After finishing speaking, Deng Hualin very quickly took out a gun and a box of bullets from a special box and handed them over to the Major General. "Our company calls it M9, with excellent firepower and firing speed." Looking at the Major General taking the gun and bullet box very neatly, Deng Hualin added.
"This truck seems to be one of your company's sales items too? Their representative is not as straightforward as you, a three-axle twelve-ton heavy truck is actually $10,000 and not a penny less. It's better if you handle it!" The lieutenant was very direct in filling out the purchase order form. Of course, these forms would still require a lot of auditing procedures, but the efficiency of handling affairs during wartime would make such forms pass quickly. The lieutenant was naturally very pleased to have completed a major task and couldn't help but mention a few more things. "By the way, when the goods are delivered, can those containers be sold to us as well?"
"What?" Deng Hua Lin was a bit puzzled, originally the smooth arms trade was based on the efficient logistics within the country. Even transporting a batch of weapons from China's western region to the European battlefield took less time than it would for the British to produce and transport their own weapons from Britain to the French front lines. The power of modern logistics is beginning to emerge, those who do logistics work naturally know this point, but some words once spoken are like borrowing money, they can hurt the friendship between friends.
"If the conditions are right, I'll leave a batch for you." After that, Deng Hualin followed the old rules and handed over the approval form with his right hand. However, on the back of his hand was a check, which overlapped with the document for a brief moment. In that instant, Deng Hualin took away the form from General Xiao's hand while General Xiao took away the check. At this moment, the convenience of settling in US dollars was perfectly demonstrated.
The lieutenant's commission was not very generous, but it was enough for Deng Hualin to get a very handsome commission. However, he understood that the representatives who sold arms to the Germans on behalf of the headquarters would have even higher profits. The headquarters still had many weapons and equipment that were not lifted from their own ban, while they were almost fully open and transported in large quantities to Germany. German soldiers had already begun using general-purpose machine guns, mortars, howitzers, fragmentation grenades, etc. As the war continued, the headquarters realized that the trade route with Germany would become increasingly difficult, so most of the transportation forces were taken away for rapid material transportation reserves, leaving very few for the Allied side.
"As this war goes on, the main trading partner will still be the Allies, because the Allies are bound to win!" Deng Hualin thought so when he took away the list, and even now when recalling these past events, he still thinks so, and that's what he wrote in his diary.
"Victory will undoubtedly belong to the side with greater strength; but what is called victory will also be a Pyrrhic one. The true winner will not be Europe!" Finishing writing the last line, Deng Hualin put down his pen and re-lit a cigar, then slowly gathered up his notebook and opened the file folder placed beside him. He needed to start a new day's work, providing more and better weapons and equipment for the Allied Powers, because he had heard that the Germans were already using poison gas shells, which was another business opportunity knocking on his door, and it would be a pity if he didn't seize it."
Cigarette smoke wafts through the room, filled with the derivatives of ambition and desire. And on distant battlefields, where cannons fire in unison and machine guns scream, it is also human desire, a desire for conquest that belongs to capitalist nations.
A bloody war between two sides has nothing to do with justice; a bilateral trade is only for interests.
