Chapter 64: Want Any Cannons? Large-Caliber Ones (Second Update, Seeking Favorites)

[The military has procured 5,000 tons of "Agent Orange" from KTJ Chemical Industry, with a total contract value of $10 million. A reward of 100,000 experience points has been issued!]

When this generous gift package destined for the island nation was officially signed, Li Yi'an was far away in London, yet the system promptly granted him his due reward.

Although the reward was a hefty 100,000 experience points, Li Yi'an remained unruffled. After all, he was still nearly ten million points away from his next level-up!

To level up, he needed to keep up the good work.

In fact, at the very moment the system issued the reward, he was in the middle of negotiating new business with the National Defense Supply Company.

"This machine gun is our company's latest product—the RM2 machine gun. Compared with the Czech ZB26 and ZB30 machine guns, as well as the British Bren gun, it is not only reliable in performance and simpler in structure, making it much easier to manufacture, but it is also remarkably lightweight. Weighing a mere 6.4 kilograms, it is far more convenient for soldiers to carry on the offensive..."

Standing before General Jiang and other officials from the National Defense Supply Company, Li Yi'an pointed to the machine gun resting on the table and extolled its virtues. Karl Metal Company had acquired the exclusive manufacturing rights, complete blueprints, and technical data for this weapon from Mexico's Mendoza company for a mere $15,000—a simplicity and cheapness that bordered on the absurd. Despite its low cost, its performance was exceptionally stellar. Unfortunately, as it was a standard-issue weapon of the Mexican military, it rarely attracted outside attention. Compounded by the post-war influx of cheap surplus light machine guns, even the Mexican military itself had only purchased a few dozen units. Yet, none of this overshadowed its outstanding performance.

"It looks a lot like the Czech light machine gun," General Jiang said with a smile as he picked up the weapon.

"Just as you said, it is light—truly very light. But won't such a lightweight machine gun bounce around when firing, making it hard to control?"

The timely delivery of the "Type 77 submachine gun" had earned him commendations back home, which was precisely why he was here now—the domestic front was in urgent need of various weapons, including machine guns.

"Not at all, General Jiang. Look here, its muzzle is equipped with a muzzle brake, which reduces recoil and makes it much easier to control. Its barrel can be changed rapidly, just like the Czech gun, and a fixed bipod is mounted on the gas tube... Furthermore, both ends of the firing pin are pointed; should one end break or become damaged, the firing pin can simply be reversed and used again. The buttstock and trigger mechanism are hinged into a single integrated unit. It also comes with a dedicated tripod, which can be utilized for ground combat or anti-aircraft operations, granting troops a certain degree of field air defense capability."

While introducing the various advantages of the machine gun to his domestic guests, Li Yi'an specifically added:

"If the procurement volume exceeds 20,000 units, each machine gun will come with a spare barrel and eight 30-round magazines. Every six machine guns will be equipped with a multi-purpose tripod and six 100-round drum magazines. As for the unit price... $120!"

$120!

In an instant, General Jiang was stunned by Li Yi'an's quote. While this price appeared to be a full third cheaper than the Bren gun, it came bundled with a spare barrel, a tripod, and 100-round drum magazines. The actual effective price might even be under $100!

"General, once you attach the tripod and the drum magazine, isn't it practically a heavy machine gun?" Wang Fuji chimed in at the appropriate moment.

Li Yi'an nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. That is precisely why I am recommending it to you. Even with the tripod attached, its weight is only 16 kilograms, allowing it to be easily repositioned across the battlefield. This effectively mitigates the vulnerability of heavy machine gun positions being easily destroyed."

In truth, the choice of the Mendoza machine gun stemmed not only from its outstanding performance and simple structure, but also because it functioned as a quasi-general-purpose machine gun when equipped with a tripod and a 100-round drum.

"That reasoning makes sense, but the key is still performance, after all..." General Jiang gazed at the machine gun mounted on the tripod before him and said, "Actions speak louder than words. Let's conduct a shooting demonstration first!"

Over the following three days, the two unassuming light machine guns fired a total of 120,000 rounds without a single component failure. True to Li Yi'an's promise, their structure was simple, reliable, and durable.

Faced with such an exceptionally performing machine gun, even though no military had yet officially adopted it, General Jiang and his delegation were thoroughly won over. In fact, they were conquered not merely by the weapon's performance, but more importantly by the supplier's delivery commitment: 40,000 to 50,000 units within a year.

"Are you certain you can deliver 40,000 units?"

In asking this counter-question, General Jiang cast another lingering look around the factory. The scale of this facility vastly surpassed any arsenal back home, but delivering 40,000 light machine guns in a single year still seemed somewhat unrealistic. After all, domestic production could only manage a paltry 10,000 units a year.

"General, you have seen for yourself that its structure is extremely simple, requiring only 75 man-hours to build—less than half the labor required for a Bren gun. 40,000 units is a conservative estimate; 50,000 units is definitely achievable!"

Should worst come to worst, certain components could always be subcontracted to other manufacturers. Small-scale arms companies were dime a dozen in the United States, and they had long supplied parts to major arms conglomerates. This was precisely the greatest characteristic of a mature industrial nation: major arms manufacturers often acted merely as final assembly plants.

"Furthermore, should your purchasing volume exceed 20,000 units, we will gratuitously transfer all blueprints and technical data to your side. If necessary, we can also dispatch technical personnel to assist you in producing the RM2 machine gun."

This was the ultimate trump card. Although the domestic front had successfully reverse-engineered and finalized a clone of the Czech gun, its prototype remained the ZB26. Compared to the ZB26, the RM2 machine gun offered superior performance and a lower cost.

Inexpensive yet exceptional!

This was the ideal machine gun for the domestic theater, holding even the potential to replace the Type 24 heavy machine gun. Though merely potential, who could turn down a weapon that cost a tenth of the price?

Just as Li Yi'an had anticipated, the National Defense Supply Company had no earthly reason to refuse. After all, Karl Metal Company was the sole supplier capable of immediate delivery. For a National Defense Supply Company holding US dollars but lacking fixed manufacturing partners, Karl Metal Company was essentially their only option.

Upon signing the contract for 50,000 RM2 light-heavy dual-purpose machine guns, General Jiang tentatively asked:

"Can your company manufacture artillery? You know, the domestic front requires more than just machine guns. If you happen to have artillery... Well, our current contract has only utilized 60% of the procurement quota approved by the US for light machine guns. The remaining 40% is at the company's discretion, and I can award that contract to you..."

Meeting General Jiang's expectant gaze, Li Yi'an replied directly:

"Would mortars suffice? I mean heavy-caliber ones!"