I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France
Chapter 132: Why not break through with tanks?

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Why not break through with tanks?

Shire felt tipsy after just drinking two small glasses.

Later, he learned that the strength of absinthe did not match its pure and lovely color at all. The alcohol content ranged from 45 degrees to as high as 89.9 degrees.

Major Fernan gave Shire a 50-degree drink, no wonder he was so generous in his treat!

Just when Shire felt head-heavy and feet-light, there was a sudden uproar in the club.

Following the sound, he saw a slightly chubby officer being teased by other officers.

Whether it was due to the effect of alcohol or the dim lighting, Shire couldn’t see his rank clearly. Others were passing a letter back and forth, while the chubby officer anxiously chased it, shouting angrily.

Major Fernan merely smiled and continued drinking his wine.

Such occurrences were common in the military. Soldiers often snatched each other’s letters and read them aloud to relieve boredom, and it became routine over time.

At this moment, a quick-handed officer grabbed the letter, agilely jumped onto the sofa, and began to read: "Dear Lucia..."

The club erupted in laughter again. It turned out to be a love letter to the barmaid, and some officers shouted to the barmaid, "Hey, Lucia, how many of these have you got?"

Lucia only smiled slightly, pouring the prepared drink from the jug into the cup, showing no emotional fluctuations. She seemed accustomed to such scenarios.

The chubby officer looked embarrassed, completely at a loss amid the teasing of other officers.

Just when they were about to continue reading the letter, Shire couldn’t help but say, "Enough, give him back the letter!"

The officers were stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, shouting in chorus:

"Mind your own business, Lieutenant!"

"It’s not your place to speak here!"

Someone even shouted to Major Fernan: "Major, shouldn’t you control your own men?"

Major Fernan’s face darkened, responding, "Did you all hear that? Give the letter back to him!"

The officers were taken aback, all looking at each other in confusion. Some recognized Major Fernan and even had mutual acquaintances, since they often came here to drink.

Major Fernan showed no mercy, coldly asking, "If Shire does not have the right to speak here, who does? Step out and let me see!"

The club suddenly fell silent, and everyone turned their gaze towards Shire. Even Lucia looked at Shire in shock, realizing that what Major Fernan had said before might be true.

The officers murmured a few words, then returned the letter to the chubby officer. Some even saluted Shire mockingly:

"Our apologies, Lieutenant!"

"We didn’t know it was you, I apologize for the earlier impoliteness!"

...

The chubby officer hurriedly retrieved his letter, glanced quickly at Lucia, nodded at Shire in thanks, and fled the club.

Shire felt somewhat bored, or rather, he might have spoiled the other officers’ fun, so he signaled Major Fernan to pay and leave.

Afterwards, Shire almost forgot about the incident and seldom visited the officers’ club. Shire couldn’t find the "relaxation" in that environment like Major Fernan did.

However, he did say one thing correctly: after drinking, one could sleep well, muddling through the night until dawn, albeit with a bit of headache.

...

Mid-October in Paris, the weather showed signs of the upcoming rainy season.

The wind was howling outside, the sky was dark, and soon it started raining with thunder and lightning.

The work in the operations office continued. Shire tracked every point on the defense line according to the telegraphs from the front.

When Shire roughly outlined today’s positions, Gallieni sighed, shaking his head slightly: "It seems the same as yesterday, almost no movement, not even an inch!"

"Maybe we can’t hope for a breakthrough," Shire said.

"What do you mean?" Gallieni asked, puzzled.

Shire pointed to the map, saying, "Stalemate might be the norm. We need to be prepared for this to last long-term!"

Historically, this defense line did not change much in the following four years, shifting back and forth between the enemy and us like a tug of war.

If there were any changes, it was the constantly rising casualty numbers.

Gallieni did not realize this, he always believed the stalemate was temporary.

After pondering for a while, he asked thoughtfully, "Why don’t we consider using tanks to break through!"

As he spoke, he bent over the map and searched for a while, then pointed to a spot, saying, "I think this place is suitable, what do you think?"

Shire, being the inventor of the tank and the first commander to win a battle using tanks, Gallieni thought it necessary to seek his opinion.

Shire looked at the point Gallieni indicated and agreed, "Lafox region, flat terrain, convenient supplies, connected by roads, suitable for tank maneuvering, it’s a good choice!"

Gallieni traced a small circle along the defense line with his finger: "Even if we can’t break through the enemy’s line, leveling this protrusion is imperative. The terrain here is not suitable for our defense, the Germans occupying several high grounds make our position very passive!"

Then Gallieni seemed to remember something, he looked up at Shire and said, "By the way, immediately provide me with the information on the tanks under development. I need to include them in the wartime procurement regulations, the bidding is in a few days!"

Shire hesitated, then replied, "Sorry, General! I won’t participate in the bidding!"

Gallieni was stunned, "You won’t participate in the bidding? What’s going on?"

Then Gallieni understood, "They pressured you, didn’t they? Those bastards!"

"No, General!" Shire quickly clarified, "No one pressured me, it’s a voluntary withdrawal!"

Gallieni squinted at Shire, seemingly waiting for him to tell the truth.

Shire had no choice but to fabricate a lie, "I discovered we were too far behind. Participating in the bidding would only bring humiliation, so... I decided to focus all my energy on the next generation of tanks!"

"The truth?" Gallieni asked, his eyes still fixed on Shire.

Shire could only shake his head, he could deceive others but not Gallieni.

Moreover, "Mark I" would soon enter mass production, which contradicted "giving up", Gallieni would one day know the truth.

But these things couldn’t be discussed in the office, Shire glanced towards the lounge, Gallieni understood, picked up a cup of coffee, and walked into the lounge.

"I can’t defeat the competitors!" Shire revealed the truth, "My tanks lag significantly behind the opponents in terms of data, but I judge they might face disastrous defeats on the battlefield, so..."

Gallieni interrupted Shire, his tone filled with anger, "So, you are waiting for them to fail on the battlefield before launching your tanks? Ignoring those soldiers who will lose their lives on the battlefield?"