Chapter 58: It's Hard Not to Worship Him

Gustav explained in detail why they had initially chosen to use a mechanical block-and-tackle pulley system to hoist the shells instead of an electric motor. This was not a matter of cutting corners; the elevating mechanism for the heavy barrels was simply too slow, rendering any acceleration of the parallel processes utterly useless. Even if the other tasks were completed first, the crew would still have to sit around idly, waiting for the massive barrel to be lowered back down before any subsequent steps could be performed.

However, now that Lelouch had introduced a new operational scenario and a new set of requirements, those previous assumptions were well worth revisiting.

After pondering for a moment, Lelouch commented, "The fact that you have already laid this groundwork is excellent, as it saves a significant amount of preliminary work. Yet, our current circumstances and requirements have shifted. What we need is no longer cross-strait bombardments targeting enemy cities on the opposite shore, but rather flexible deployment and coastal interdiction to halt hostile warships.

Consequently, the high-elevation capability can be omitted, and the elevation gear can be vastly simplified. We only need the standard maximum elevation of around 20 degrees, just like those on battleships. Furthermore, the range specifications can be greatly relaxed, scaled back from 46 kilometers to under 30 kilometers.

Under these conditions, can you construct a loading machine capable of ramming shells directly into the breech at a 10 or 20-degree elevation, without needing to return the barrel to a horizontal position first? If we can eliminate the most time-consuming steps of lowering and re-elevating the barrel, the firing rate will increase exponentially. Additionally, incorporating an electric winch into the ammunition hoist will make the process much faster than manual pulleys."

As Lelouch spoke, he sketched and calculated with a pencil on a drafting sheet, providing clear visual demonstrations.

Even with Gustav's profound expertise in his field, he could not help but feel captivated by the presentation. Regardless of the captain's proficiency in minute engineering details, his guidance on the technical trajectory was remarkably precise and visionary. He could effortlessly pinpoint the bottlenecks of a problem, then leverage available resources to compensate for the shortcomings. This level of technical project coordination was a rare talent indeed.

After a brief assessment and with a solemn expression, Gustav summoned the chief project manager and core engineers via telephone. Following a thorough discussion among them, a consensus was finally reached.

"Captain Lelouch, your proposal is entirely feasible and could indeed multiply our rate of fire several times over! However, doing so presents a few challenges that must be addressed, along with certain unavoidable costs."

Lelouch replied, "Let us discuss the costs first; I believe they are all acceptable."

The summoned technical director began to list them one by one. "The barrel life of a naval gun typically spans 200 to 300 rounds, after which bore erosion degrades accuracy. When converted into a railway gun, the original reduction in firing rate improved the cooling environment, allowing for up to 800 precision shots. If we increase the firing speed once more, the barrel lifespan will inevitably drop back down to 300 rounds..."

Lelouch waved his hand dismissively. "None of that matters. Those are merely matters of cost. Compared to tangible results and victory, money is no object!"

It was simply a matter of spending more to acquire consumable parts—a price the military was more than willing to pay.

The Krupp representatives raised a few additional technical adjustments, noting that "loading at a 20-degree elevation" would require a specialized angled guide rail, which also needed to be foldable so it could be cleared away before firing.

All of these issues could be resolved; it was simply a matter of financial investment.

By the end of the discussion, only a single hurdle remained—the final step of the loading process. With the shells already positioned on the guide rail, a squad of artillerymen would normally be required to use manual ramming poles to push the shell horizontally into the breech.

However, with the transition to angled loading, the 800-kilogram shell would now have to be pushed upward at a 20-degree incline. Doing this purely through human muscle power would be exceedingly difficult, and even with multiple men cooperating, accidents could easily occur. Moreover, because of the upward slope, they would not dare apply heavy lubricants to the sliding rails, as a certain degree of friction had to be maintained to keep the shell secure.

While this problem was not insurmountable, it was an entirely novel obstacle they had never encountered or resolved before.

Yet, upon merely glancing at the design, Lelouch recalled a video he had seen in his past life on Bilibili concerning the main gun loading mechanism of the USS Missouri. By the Second World War, even the final "ramming" step for these colossal artillery pieces was executed entirely by electric motors.

"Why not simply add another electric motor?" Lelouch suggested casually, as if describing a routine matter. "Dedicate a professional motor solely to the ramming step. When the ammunition hoist elevates the shell into position, it can be dropped directly onto the rammer's baffle plate, and the motor will push it straight home."

He merely translated the imagery from his past life into verbal instructions, making it sound effortless. Yet this single piece of advice completely unlocked the train of thought for the Krupp engineers.

Indeed, since they had already dedicated three entire railway cars to servicing a single cannon, adding a bit more electrical load to the accompanying generator car seemed trivial.

A hoist and a rammer—two electric motors would solve the problem completely.

"This suggestion is simply brilliant, and we will proceed precisely along this line of thinking! By doing so, we can guarantee at least a twofold increase in the firing frequency! A cannon with a 45-degree maximum elevation previously required five minutes per shot; lowering it to 20 degrees reduces that to two or three minutes. With fixed-elevation ramming added, we can achieve a shot every minute and a half!"

After a brief evaluation, the Krupp engineering team concluded that the new scheme could raise the rate of fire from ten percent of a battleship's main armament to forty percent. This came at the cost of a reduced range and the addition of an extra railcar.

Although a noticeable gap in firing speed compared to actual naval guns remained, the achievement was already extraordinary. For a mobile, non-fixed super-heavy artillery piece on land, such performance was unprecedented.

With the final requirements and technical route thus settled between the military and Krupp, the subsequent phase required the Krupp personnel to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the manufacturing process. Furthermore, because Krupp had already begun tinkering with the requisition and modification of those 380mm naval guns back in October, the current task merely involved a temporary adjustment of purpose and design. With this groundwork already laid, the overall project cycle could be shortened even further.

Krupp promised to deliver four new 380mm railway guns within a month. If given slightly more time, they could also machine their existing inventory of older 280mm battleship barrels into railway guns, provided that the partner enterprises manufacturing the locomotives and electric motors could deliver with equal efficiency.

As the person granted full authority to coordinate the project, Lelouch naturally felt duty-bound to ensure this success.

That very day, he contacted Siemens by phone, and the following day he flew out to coordinate matters in person. Siemens proved exceptionally cooperative; upon hearing that the previously supplied "portable wireless radios" had played a crucial role at the front lines and earned the praise of Crown Prince Rupprecht, alongside the promise of massive follow-up orders, Siemens gained immense confidence in the partnership and proved generous in allocating resources.

Lelouch busied himself with coordination and mediation for three to five full days before finally stitching the entire operation together. Along the way, he established a wide network of contacts and familiarized himself with numerous key figures.

The usual exchange of courtesies was, of course, unavoidable during this process. Fortunately, Crown Prince Rupprecht had approved a budget of 500,00マーク prior to his return, and Lelouch spared no expense in paying proper respects to all the essential personnel.

While he did not need to flatter anyone needlessly, minor obstacles often proved more troublesome than major adversaries. In a project as complex as this, ensuring smooth progress required more than just maintaining a good relationship with top management; it was equally vital to ensure that the project managers and technical leads at the lower levels did not slack off in secret.

Consequently, Lelouch spent tens of thousands of marks out of his own pocket. Additionally, a portion of his gifts consisted of military provisions confiscated from the 3rd Army of the Republic during the Battle of Bailleul.

Due to the maritime blockade caused by the war, flannel and Boucle tweed products had become scarce luxury items within the borders of Germania, leaving many engineers' and merchants' families unable to purchase imported fabrics for clothing.

By distributing these seized goods as gifts, Lelouch managed to win considerable goodwill from the middle management and technical backbones at Krupp and Siemens within just a few days.

Moreover, Lelouch did not forget to offload the remainder of the captured Republican military supplies while taking advantage of this trip home. Aside from the items reserved for gifting, he still had six or seven railcars' worth of flannel and tweed. Once sold entirely, the total inventory value reached nearly two million marks.

Combined with the 80,000 marks from previously selling luxury habits such as cigars, coffee, and chocolate, the 500,000 marks allocated by the Prince as project funds, and the current earnings—minus his expenditures and condolence payments to his comrades—Lelouch calculated that he personally retained a net total of nearly three million marks.

***

With the railway gun affairs largely settled, it was time for Lelouch to take his leave of Krupp.

Over the course of their brief interaction, Gustav Krupp had formed an exceptionally favorable impression of him, believing that Lelouch's insight into the future trends of military industry far surpassed that of most officers within the Imperial General Staff.

On the day Lelouch and his entourage departed, Gustav even took the time to host a family dinner at his home for Lelouch and Bock, introducing Lelouch to his wife and children.

Gustav's wife, Bertha Krupp, was fifteen years his junior. At the outbreak of the war, the infamous 420mm "Big Bertha" howitzer used by the Empire to smash the fortress of Liège in Belgium had been named directly after her.

In truth, Bertha was the third-generation legitimate heir of the Krupp family bloodline, whereas Gustav was merely a corporate manager who had married into the family as a matrilocal husband, adopting his wife's surname after marriage.

As Bertha was only thirty years old at the time, their eldest son, Alfred Krupp, was still a ten-year-old child.

Following a brief interaction, Lelouch discovered that young Alfred possessed a deeply martial spirit. Consequently, Lelouch vividly recounted numerous front-line anecdotes and thrilling tactical engagements. Upon hearing these tales, young Alfred instantly became a fanatical and unshakeable admirer of "Uncle Lelouch."

Especially when hearing how Uncle Lelouch had made a decisive, brilliant judgment, using a mere company of troops to prevent friendly forces from being drowned by a flood, expanding them into a battalion, holding off several enemy divisions during a breakthrough, and ultimately annihilating them entirely.

How could a child fail to be captivated by such a thrilling tale of bloody battle—especially knowing it was entirely true? Lelouch even showed him the medal he had earned from that campaign and pointed to his left eye, which had turned red from an injury, explaining that it had been scorched by enemy tear gas during the very same engagement.

When Lelouch finally bid farewell, young Alfred seized a private moment to whisper to him, "Uncle Lelouch, if you ever have any more brilliant ideas about artillery that aren't convenient to bring up directly to my father, you can tell me first, and I will pass the message along for you."

Lelouch ruffled the boy's hair with a smile and replied, "Thank you. I certainly will, and there may well be times when I have to trouble you."

Early the following morning after the family dinner, Lelouch boarded a train and made a detour to the DWM company to resolve some minor issues that front-line comrades had recently encountered, before finally preparing to return to his unit.