Reincarnated: Vive La France-Chapter 178: "This would give every infantry platoon the teeth of a tank hunter

Chapter 178: "This would give every infantry platoon the teeth of a tank hunter

The frost hadn’t yet melted from the courtyard stones outside the Ministry of War when Moreau arrived.

He was early.

Purposefully.

He didn’t wear his cap.

He hadn’t needed it.

Inside the war ministry, few noticed the difference between haste and confidence.

He found the conference room on the second floor a narrow, windowless space that had once served as a map archive.

Now, the walls were stripped clean and a long table stood at the center, its surface freshly polished and empty, save for three folders laid neatly in front of the central chair.

Beauchamp entered ten minutes later, flanked by two civilians in wool coats and leather gloves.

One was tall and severe, with a shock of white hair and wire-rimmed spectacles the other shorter, balding.

"This is Monsieur Delorme," Beauchamp said, gesturing to the taller man. "Chief mechanical designer at Hotchkiss. And this is Monsieur Chevalier, senior ballistics engineer."

Moreau saluted instinctively.

The civilians nodded in return and took their seats.

Beauchamp sat last. "You brought the materials?"

Moreau opened his satchel and carefully removed the stack of notes and diagrams he had prepared the night before.

He laid three sets before them one for each man.

The title page bore only four words.

Infantry Recoilless Rifle Proposal.

Delorme adjusted his glasses and began scanning immediately.

Chevalier unfolded the blueprint diagram and flattened it with his palm.

"You have our attention, Major," Beauchamp said. "Go ahead."

Moreau took a breath.

"This proposal outlines a portable, shoulder-fired, recoilless rifle designed for one to two operators. It uses vented propellant gases to neutralize recoil, making it lightweight and easy to deploy against armored vehicles."

Delorme’s eyes flicked up. "What caliber?"

"Twenty millimeters. Cartridge length, 180 millimeters. Effective range around four hundred meters."

Chevalier’s brows rose faintly. "And penetration?"

"Thirty millimeters of homogeneous armor, depending on the round."

"Your figures say seven hundred meters per second velocity."

"Yes."

Chevalier leaned back in his chair.

"That’s ambitious for a recoilless system."

"It’s feasible," Moreau replied evenly. "The rearward gas vent balances the forward thrust. Newton’s law. It requires careful shaping of the venturi, but it works. I’ve accounted for angle, exhaust pressure, and thermal load. You’ll see it detailed in section four."

Delorme was already there, tracing the cross-section of the venturi nozzle.

"You’re venting rearward through a de Laval configuration?"

"Yes. Narrow throat, wide bell. It minimizes drag and disperses heat safely."

Chevalier tapped the blueprint. "You’ve listed expected rear exhaust temperatures at eighteen hundred Celsius. What alloy handles that?"

Moreau turned a page. "High-chromium steel, with layered ceramic inserts at the core. It will increase weight marginally, but it survives thermal cycling."

"Machining tolerances?"

"Within 0.02 millimeters. No moving parts in the vent assembly. The breech block carries most of the stress."

"Which is sealed how?"

"Sliding breech, single-direction lock, with recessed channels for overpressure venting. The chamber wall’s rated to three hundred MPa. Double what the cartridge produces."

Delorme looked at Beauchamp. "And this man developed the PAP?"

"He did," the General replied.

That drew a silence from both engineers.

Chevalier flipped to the ammunition design. "You’ve built a HEAT warhead here?"

"Yes. Copper-lined shaped charge. Base-detonated, stabilized by four tail fins. Penetration calculated with Munroe effect principles. Focused plasma punch."

"Your fuse?"

"Delayed micro-igniter, safe after three meters. Inertial trigger with safety wire."

Delorme looked up. "How long did this take you?"

Moreau didn’t blink. "I’ve been working on it in stages for several months. But the core concept... crystallized recently."

Chevalier gave a dry smile. "Some of these calculations are more than theoretical."

"I made sure they weren’t."

The room became silent.

Beauchamp watched without speaking.

Delorme spoke next. "Let’s assume your materials are accessible. Have you considered barrel life? A ceramic-coated steel core degrades over time."

"Test simulations show sustained integrity to one hundred rounds with basic maintenance. Full field strip possible in under five minutes. Cleaning every ten rounds recommended."

Chevalier leaned forward. "Let’s talk practicality. You say it can be carried by a single man. How stable is it under fire?"

"Very. Rearward gas eliminates recoil. There’s no kick. It feels like launching a flare."

"What’s the danger to friendly troops?"

"Backblast area must remain clear. Minimum five meters, preferably seven. It’s in the protocol notes."

"And production?" Delorme asked. "This isn’t a kitchen-table project. You’ll need new tooling."

Moreau shook his head. "Not entirely. Hotchkiss already fabricates vented artillery housings. The tube can be modified from existing molds. Cartridges can be stamped using current brass templates with minor adjustments."

Chevalier flipped another page. "Reload time?"

"Ten seconds, practiced. Single latch. Breech opens and closes like a flare gun."

"Can it be fired from prone?"

"Yes. Bipod optional."

"Tripod?"

"Field testable. But shoulder mount offers the best mobility."

Chevalier sat back again. "Impressive."

Delorme was more cautious. "You still need proof. Drawings don’t fire bullets."

"I can have full schematics within ten days. Prototype parts in thirty. Range test within two months."

Chevalier scratched his chin. "Ammunition might be the bottleneck. You’d need to develop a new explosive compound. The base bleed has to be exact. And the fins too thin and they’ll shear. Too thick and they won’t stabilize."

"I have adjustment metrics in the appendix," Moreau said. "Fin length, center mass rotation, impact velocity curves. All calculated."

Delorme tapped his finger on the last page.

"You believe this can stop a Panzer?"

"Yes. Side armor. Rear. Any angle except head-on against newer chassis."

Chevalier looked at Beauchamp. "General, if he’s right, this would give every infantry platoon the teeth of a tank hunter. No waiting on artillery. No begging for air support."

Beauchamp smiled faintly. "And if he’s wrong?"

"Then we’ve only wasted time and coffee."

Delorme closed the folder. "We’d need full drawings. No assumptions. We build a test chamber first, then one tube, then one projectile. Then we see."

Chevalier nodded. "It’s ambitious. But it’s not madness."

Beauchamp looked at Moreau. "Can you deliver within two weeks?"

"Yes."

Chevalier added, "We’ll keep this internal. No reports to procurement. No briefings. Just a bench and tools."

Delorme stood. "We’ll arrange quiet access to our Saint-Denis prototyping lab. No promises. But we’ll listen."

Beauchamp stood with them. "That’s all I ask."

The men exchanged farewells.

The engineers left with their copies under arm.

Only Moreau and Beauchamp remained.

The General looked at him, long and hard.

"You’ve bought their interest, Moreau."

Moreau nodded. "Now I earn their trust."

Beauchamp clasped his shoulder. "And if this works..."

"It will work."