Chapter 362: Room for Maneuver

Billy Shen spent most of this time practicing shooting at the shooting range.

This is not because Versailles wants to show off his marksmanship in front of others, but he does have this need.

Shen Bi has always used the British Lee-Enfield rifle, and he has become accustomed to its feel, its rate of fire and its recoil.

But soon Billy Shen realized that he could no longer use this rifle.

This is the French army, and everyone around them uses Lebel rifles. Although the British army is an ally and can easily obtain Lee Enfield's 7.7MM caliber bullets, but what if it is on the battlefield?

What if you were in the trenches and far away from the British lines?

Or is it fighting deep behind enemy lines and the logistics only send bullets for Lebel rifles?

After careful consideration, Shen Billy finally decided to change the rifle to Lebel.

This almost caused Billy Shen to collapse, because he felt that what he wanted to learn was not one kind of gun. Although there was only one gun in his hand, there were actually eight different guns.

Every time Lebel fires a bullet, the change in his center of gravity will change his feel.

It would be fine if this change was rhythmic and regular, but it happened that the first shot changed the most, then gradually decreased, and finally there was almost no change.

(Note: This is determined by the distance of the bullet. The farthest bullet in the tubular magazine has the greatest impact on the center of gravity, whereas the nearest bullets have the least impact.)

Although this change is generally very slight and does not have much impact on ordinary shooters, it is fatal to snipers like Shen Billy who are extremely demanding.

"No wonder the overall level of the sniper company is not good." During the interval of practice, when Shen Billy put away his gun and sat on a simple chair to rest, he couldn't help but frowned at the results that he was not satisfied with: "This kind of gun is artificially giving us Increase the difficulty."

Just when Shen Billy was thinking about how to solve this problem, Dominic mysteriously walked up to him carrying a gun case and said hello: "Hey, Shen."

"Instructor?" Billy Shen looked at Dominic in confusion. When he saw the gun box in Dominic's hand, he laughed: "Are you planning to take revenge?"

He thought Dominic was thinking about losing the pigeon bet last time.

Dominic shook his head, placed the gun box in front of Shen Billy, and said, "Are you ready? Once you open this gun box, the sniper company will be trained in isolation!"

Billy Shen curled his lips: "I don't care."

It really doesn't matter to Billy Shen. He is alone in France, with no home, no relatives or even friends. He has been in isolation.

"Very good!" Dominic opened the gun case, turned it in one direction and pushed it in front of Billy Shen.

It was a gun, like a Lebel but with a short barrel, and something like a telescope, a monocular.

Shen Billy had no interest, and even Lebel could not arouse his interest.

However, Billy Shen immediately noticed something different. He picked up the rifle and looked at Dominic in confusion: "Vertical magazine?"

"Yes." Dominic replied: "This is the Bétier rifle, the lance version of Lebel. The general thinks it is more suitable for a sniper company. What do you think?"

Billy Shen held the rifle and felt it, and nodded firmly: "Of course, we need this rifle."

Ciel knows us well, Shenbi thought.

Compared with a long barrel, a short barrel will lose some accuracy, but it is much better than a different center of gravity after each firing. The latter not only causes a loss of accuracy, but also leaves the gunner at a loss.

The magazine can only hold three rounds of bullets, which may be a little less for ordinary infantry, but snipers require one shot to change places. They can load bullets while changing positions, and there is no high requirement for the ammunition capacity.

What's more, short-barreled rifles have many advantages in trench warfare.

Dominic added: "This is specially made for the sniper company by the 'Saint Etienne' Arsenal. We have carefully selected 200 of more than 3,000, and the bullets are also carefully selected. There will be more in the future, you can rest assured use."

"Thank you, Dominic." Billy Shen beamed.

Dominic spread his hands: "No need to thank me, this is the general's intention."

Billy Shen smiled "haha" and sighed in his heart, it is a good thing to have a general who knows how to snipe.

But he still had a trace of doubt in his heart, because this would require the sniper company to be trained in "isolation"? Is it too much?

Then Billy Shen noticed the slide rail on the rifle, and then looked at the "monocular telescope" still lying in the gun case. He suddenly reacted, took it and installed it on the rifle.

Then Billy Shen said "Wow" and couldn't wait to raise the gun and try it. Through the "telescope", he could clearly see the chest target two hundred meters away.

Billy Shen's eyes were full of shock, and he turned to look at Dominic: "This..."

"Of course." Dominic nodded: "It's still the general's intention."

Billy Shen was convinced. This was what the sniper company really needed. It could instantly raise the combat effectiveness of the sniper company to a new level.

But this is just the beginning.

Dominic said: "Remember the observer gun you mentioned before? We are producing it and I believe it will be out soon."

The modification plan given by Charles is almost perfect, and can almost skip the long trial and testing process. Dominic estimates that the sniper company will be installed in two weeks.

Billy Shen nodded excitedly.

The sniper company is so valued that almost all external needs are solved by Charles. This allows the sniper company to train with confidence and concentrate on using them on the battlefield.

What else can he ask for?

A man dies for his friend. If he doesn't take care of the sniper company, he will be sorry for Charles's recognition of him and the sniper company!

...

Rome under the sunset looks solemn and glorious. The air is filled with the faint aroma of coffee and fresh bread. Every building on the street seems to be telling a thousand-year story.

A gorgeously decorated carriage passed through the downtown area with the sound of crisp hooves and stopped in front of the Rodeway Hotel in the city center.

A middle-aged man in a suit and a top hat got off the car. He glanced at both sides quickly and walked into the hotel quickly with several assistants, as if he was worried about being discovered.

This middle-aged man is General Winter. He should have been commanding the battle in Gallipoli, but now he appeared here in plain clothes.

Italian Foreign Minister Sanlino was anxiously waiting in the conference room. He was relieved until General Winter entered the door safely.

"Welcome, General!" Sanlino shook hands with General Winter enthusiastically.

"Thank you very much, sir." General Winter said, "I believe this negotiation will satisfy both sides."

"I hope so!" Sanlino nodded and stepped aside to invite General Winter to sit across the table.

The reason why the talks were held in secret and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rather than the military was that Italy did not want the Allies to know.

Only in this way could Italy have room for maneuver.