Chapter 618: Ownership of the "Echo Detector"
Hasselt, Belgium.
After several days of "clean-up," most of the surrounded German troops had surrendered, and the siege of Antwerp was automatically lifted.
King Albert I and Major General Eden were incredibly busy, tirelessly moving from city to town, collecting prisoners of war and inventorying captured equipment.
Despite their heavy workload, they maintained strict etiquette. Every time a location was liberated, they meticulously reported to Charles, sending a complete inventory of spoils to his headquarters. Only after Charles signed off on each list would they dare distribute or use the supplies.
From Charles' viewpoint, this was unnecessary. Technically, neither King Albert I, Major General Eden, nor any Belgian forces were under his direct command, and thus not required to seek his approval. Yet, Albert I insisted on doing so.
At noon, Charles was at headquarters, hastily chewing on stale bread while signing a pile of documents. Frustrated, he muttered aloud, "My God, does he realize how much he's adding to my workload? Just signing orders is nearly crippling me!"
As commander of the Sixth Army Group, Charles already had numerous responsibilities. Including the Belgians, his regular troops approached half a million, and counting militia forces, the total exceeded eight hundred thousand.
Tijani, eating canned vegetables nearby, chuckled and remarked, "I think he's quite clever."
"What?" Charles didn't understand Tijani's point.
He had presumed King Albert I was concerned primarily with Belgium's independence and would naturally want to hold as much military power as possible—a reason Charles himself had previously sought to control the FN armament factory.
Tijani, however, had a different view. "He's already made up his mind about you, General. He sees you as the only person capable of ensuring Belgium's safety, both now and in the future."
"The future?" Charles glanced at Tijani, puzzled.
"Yes," Tijani nodded slowly.
He grimaced while stirring the indistinguishable contents of his canned vegetables—an unappetizing mixture whose smell and texture were nearly unbearable. He forced himself to swallow a spoonful as if taking bitter medicine, nearly vomiting it back up. His face pale, Tijani finally explained, "Think about it, General. Belgium sits between England, Germany, and France. It needs a solid backing. You are precisely that support."
Charles began to understand.
Germany would inevitably lose the war. England, though powerful at sea, lacked sufficient land strength. Thus, Belgium's safest bet was to align with France. And among French powers, Charles himself was clearly the best choice.
Realizing this, Charles felt his earlier attempts to control Belgium through FN seemed somewhat redundant now.
At that moment, an aide handed Charles a telegram from Foch, sent through Weygand: "We have mostly freed ourselves from British control. Continue to hold naval superiority. Do not let any other parties interfere with the 'Echo Detector,' under any circumstances."
Charles discreetly folded the telegram, placing it in his pocket. This was a private communication Tijani didn't need to know about.
"Business matter?" Tijani asked casually.
"Yes," Charles replied vaguely.
Just as Charles was finishing his meal, the aide handed him yet another telegram: "General, the Minister of the Navy is currently negotiating with Professor Fessenden regarding the purchase of industrial property rights for the 'Echo Detector.' Additionally, representatives from Britain have arrived—they also seem interested in acquiring it."
Charles was momentarily stunned. He had anticipated British attempts to acquire the rights but hadn't expected the French navy itself to make a similar move.
Tijani immediately pointed out, "It's not the French Navy, General—it's Parliament."
Charles realized instantly: if Parliament acquired the patent through the navy, the "Echo Detector" would effectively be under Parliament's control rather than his own.
Parliament had finally realized what truly mattered.
…
At the Brest Shipyard, Professor Fessenden maintained a private laboratory.
This laboratory was extensive, complete with an indoor pool converted into a simulation platform, enabling various experiments to be conducted indoors without interference from external weather conditions or darkness.
Professor Fessenden and his assistants were busy making intensive improvements to the "Echo Detector."
From battlefield reports, the device had already achieved remarkable results: sinking twelve submarines in its very first engagement, followed soon by five more. Its effectiveness surpassed all previous methods combined.
(Note: Germany lost 199 submarines during World War I, mostly after sonar became widespread.)
Yet Professor Fessenden knew this was far from sufficient.
"The main issue is detection range," he instructed his team, setting their next objective. "Limited detection range complicates tracking submarines, and the signal remains unstable, with significant errors. Our ships can easily lose track of targets."
One assistant argued, "But based on combat data, target loss probability seems quite low."
"Idiot!" Fessenden scolded bluntly. "That's only because the Germans haven't realized our capabilities yet. Their submarines still run straight underwater instead of evasively maneuvering. Once they understand what we're using, results will differ dramatically."
Fessenden had personally gone aboard ships, engaging extensively with sailors, captains, and operators about their experiences using the Echo Detector. He believed direct feedback was essential to fully understand operational needs and perfect the technology.
As Professor Fessenden and his assistants leaned over their desk, deeply immersed in improvement discussions, several navy officers entered the laboratory. Leading them was an admiral in an elaborately decorated uniform.
Noticing their arrival, Fessenden raised his head in surprise, quickly setting aside his work to approach them.
The admiral stepped forward swiftly, warmly shaking Fessenden's hand. "Greetings, Professor. Allow me to introduce myself—I am the Minister of the French Navy. Thank you immensely for inventing this device. It has played a pivotal role on the battlefield."
Fessenden sensed immediately the admiral's praise wasn't entirely sincere, nor was this the true purpose of his visit. After all, it had already been more than ten days since the Echo Detector's major success. If praise or recognition were intended, naval officials would have arrived much sooner.
Still, Fessenden replied courteously, "It's simply my duty, Admiral."
The Minister glanced around cautiously. "Could we speak privately?"
"Certainly," Fessenden agreed, guiding the admiral to the conference room.
Inside, the spacious room was occupied only by the professor, the minister, and the admiral's aide, who held a briefcase filled with documents.
Without hesitation, the admiral got straight to the point: "I've heard you personally hold the industrial property rights to the 'Echo Detector'?"
"That's correct," Fessenden nodded.
This ownership had been a fundamental condition of his agreement with Charles.
But after a short pause, Fessenden quickly corrected himself. "However, that's not entirely accurate, Admiral. My original intention was merely to detect icebergs. It was Charles who suggested its potential for submarine detection. Therefore, I believe Charles at least partially owns the patent rights."
(End of Chapter 618)
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