On December 22, 1908, at a shooting range on the outskirts of Berlin, the venue had been entirely secured. Both the army and security personnel had implemented stringent surveillance.
On one hand, the attendees of the Deutsche Waffen company's new weapon demonstration included the empire's elite, with important army generals and even the emperor himself in attendance, leaving no room for oversight in terms of safety. On the other hand, the weapons developed by the Deutsche Waffen company were classified as state secrets. Should these fall into the hands of rival nations, it would pose a significant threat to the German Empire. Qin Tian aspired for the German army to utilize these weapons to overwhelm foreign forces, achieving a resounding victory in the impending global conflict.
"Quickly, ensure everything is in place; the time is near. His Majesty and the Crown Prince will be arriving shortly," Gustav Krupp had arrived early at the shooting range to oversee the preparations.
"Yes, Chairman," the personnel dispatched from Krupp's company and those from the Deutsche Waffen company busily worked to guarantee a flawless demonstration.
"Gentlemen, can we confirm that these weapons are ready for display?" Gustav Krupp inquired.
"Chairman, everything is in order. These weapons have undergone thorough inspection and will function flawlessly," an engineer assured him.
With a nod of approval, Gustav Krupp felt reassured.
At nine o'clock, a long procession of automobiles arrived at the shooting range. All the vehicles were the Daimler A-Class, produced by the Daimler company, in which Qin Tian held shares. Upon its release, this automobile became the epitome of luxury in the market. Despite each vehicle's hefty price tag of fifty thousand marks, the fervor among merchants, capitalists, and nobility for purchasing it remained undeterred. Though the A-Class did not match the sales figures of the B-Class and C-Class, it had nonetheless become the symbol of opulence throughout Germany and even Europe.
William II and Qin Tian arrived in the same A-Class vehicle, with other high-ranking officials from the army and navy following behind. Although the army was the principal purchaser of these weapons, the navy also had its interests. Furthermore, Qin Tian planned to establish a marine corps within the navy, which would provide them with a modicum of ground combat capability while remaining under his control.
During Moltke's tenure as Chief of the General Staff, Qin Tian's influence within the army had failed to expand significantly. Aside from Army Minister von Falkenhayn, who sided with him, many powerful generals remained aligned with Moltke. This left Qin Tian compelled to seek alternative means to bolster his power. If the navy could establish a marine corps, potentially expanding its forces to ten divisions, it would provide substantial assistance to Qin Tian.
Naturally, the formation of a marine corps would provoke vehement backlash from the army, necessitating a gradual approach.
"Your Majesty, good morning!" Gustav Krupp had been waiting and approached William II as he alighted from the vehicle.
"Krupp, good morning!" William II nodded. A businessman of Krupp's stature wielded considerable influence in Germany, and even the emperor would not presume to be aloof.
"Your Highness!" Gustav Krupp then greeted Qin Tian.
"Krupp, is everything prepared?" Qin Tian inquired.
"Rest assured, Your Highness; everything is ready!" Gustav Krupp replied.
Qin Tian nodded, confident that under Gustav Krupp's leadership, the demonstration would be a resounding success.
At 9:30 a.m., after a brief opening speech, the demonstration officially commenced.
First to be showcased was the universal machine gun developed by the Deutsche Waffen company, designated the MG09.
At the range, five MG09 machine guns were primed for action. Upon receiving the command to fire, the gunners squeezed the triggers.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!" The thunderous sound of gunfire erupted, with scorching bullets cascading towards distant targets like a torrential storm, wood splintering everywhere. In mere moments, the wooden targets were riddled with holes, some even obliterated.
Within half a minute, the ammunition belt, containing two hundred fifty rounds, had been expended, and the barrel of the gun glowed red from the heat.
The army and navy generals stood in stunned silence, their eyes fixated on the MG09s. Clearly, the firing rate of these machine guns surpassed that of the army's current MG08 heavy machine guns.
"Crown Prince, is this the heavy machine gun you've developed? Its firing rate seems extraordinarily rapid," Army Minister von Falkenhayn asked, initially skeptical of the newly established Deutsche Waffen company's potential to deliver high-quality products in such a short time. However, reality had proven him wrong.
Other generals shared similar sentiments, their disbelief evident.
"Indeed, this is our creation. We do not classify it as a heavy machine gun; we refer to it as a universal machine gun!" Qin Tian replied.
"Universal machine gun?" The attendees pondered the implications of this term.
"Krupp, please enlighten His Majesty and the generals about the specifications of our universal machine gun," Qin Tian requested.
"Of course, Your Highness," Gustav Krupp replied with a broad smile, recognizing that the generals were clearly astonished. This indicated that the MG09's performance had far exceeded their expectations.
"Your Majesty, esteemed generals, our universal machine gun weighs 12.5 kilograms. Even with the tripod, the total weight is only 20 kilograms, which is less than one-third of the current MG08 heavy machine gun in army service. Its muzzle velocity is 750 meters per second, with a maximum range of 2000 meters. Utilizing a belt-fed system, its maximum firing rate is 800 rounds per minute," Gustav Krupp elaborated on the key specifications.
The army generals appeared genuinely awestruck by the MG09's capabilities, rendering their current MG08 heavy machine guns utterly inferior by comparison.