In the end, the price of each shell was set at 15 francs, exactly ten times that of a grenade.
But of course, Shire still made a huge profit.
The production cost of a mortar shell was only 5 francs, giving him a profit of 10 francs per shell. Once thousands were hurled at the enemy on the battlefield, his pockets would jingle with every launch. No wonder there's a saying, "When the cannons fire, gold piles up."
...
On that morning, just over two hours before Shire's training class was about to begin, Schneider Headquarters received detailed information about the mortar.
Paulina placed a statistical report on James's desk, her tone helpless: "The military has already placed an order: the first batch of 200 mortars and 50,000 shells, enough to equip an infantry division and a tank unit. If the trial goes well, these mortars will be equipped to all 44 frontline divisions and even reserve forces!"
