I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France
Chapter 198: After Modification - 198 This is Part of the Plan

Chapter 198: After Modification: Chapter 198 This is Part of the Plan

Shire didn’t let Gallieni off the hook; he continued, "I need them to convene the parliament and make a resolution today, otherwise I refuse to reinforce Cape Town!"

Gallieni was taken aback by Shire’s words. He had intended to use the parliament to forcefully argue and convince the members to make the decision.

He believed that under the circumstance where their sons and nephews were saved by Shire, the parliament members should agree to let Shire command the troops he had trained rather than being sidelined as he was now.

However...

"Isn’t this a matter for the future?" Gallieni looked at Shire with a blank expression, "The parliament might debate this for several days, but your rescue of Cape Town is urgent..."

Gallieni understood before he could finish his sentence. He nodded slightly with a sudden realization, "Is this part of your battle plan?"

"Yes!" Shire replied calmly, "I am sulking over the reassignment of the First Flying Squadron and using this opportunity to demand assurance from the parliament."

Gallieni praised him, "Good idea! Only this way will the Germans think they’re dealing with Xia Fei instead of Shire."

Gallieni added, "Then you better hurry, Major! The Germans’ reinforcements might already be on their way, the longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes."

...

Wells, dressed in a suit, was pacing anxiously in his villa like a cat on hot bricks. He walked back and forth in the living room with his hands behind his back, cursing angrily:

"He should have died on the battlefield!"

"That bastard, I clearly left a place for him in the Navy, with a bright future ahead, but he insisted on becoming an infantryman."

Madam Brest sat on the sofa, her face pale with fright, silently weeping softly, not daring to say anything.

She regretted in her heart, knowing that if she had not supported Tijani entering Saint-Cyr Military School back then, today’s situation wouldn’t have happened.

Wells suddenly stopped and asked, "Tijani has always been in charge of logistics in Paris, how did he become the commander of the Second Specialized Artillery Division?"

Madam Brest didn’t dare to answer. The butler, gathering his courage, answered softly, "Sir, Young Master Tijani was fascinated by tanks. When he heard that Xia Fei was forming the Second Specialized Artillery Division, he signed up without telling you..."

Wells, taken aback by anger, realized that everyone knew the truth except him.

Wells gritted his teeth and snorted coldly, a hint of unwillingness in his tone, "Our family built half a fleet for France, yet he was captivated by a mere tank!"

"Sir," the butler replied, "Young Master Tijani believes that weapons only have charm on the battlefield, otherwise they are just..."

Wells glared at the butler, who quickly swallowed the remaining words.

Those were words often said by Tijani, "Weapons that don’t need to go to the battlefield, no matter how good the data is or how beautiful they look, are just vases in the living room. Real weapons must be used on the battlefield. Only in the blood and death of the battlefield can they fully shine!"

Evidently, the French Navy was the "vase in the living room," with almost no combat demand, as the powerful Royal Navy would handle all enemies.

This was why Tijani, despite Wells’ opposition, even at the cost of breaking off the father-son relationship, had to join the army.

Wells was helpless with his only son. He had thought that the harsh and rigorous training of the army would make Tijani return, but to his surprise, Tijani persisted in the military school for seven years.

It was then that Wells understood that Tijani’s fantasy of becoming the next Napoleon was not just talk; it might be his life’s dream.

"Ring ring ring!"

The telephone’s ringing startled Madam Brest. She looked up in the direction of the sound as if awakened from a nightmare, her eyes filled with fear, worrying it might be another bad news.

The butler was about to answer it but was stopped by Wells.

Wells quickly stepped forward to pick up the phone, knowing it might be Gallieni calling.

Sure enough, Gallieni’s slightly hoarse voice came through the receiver, unhurriedly, "I am very sorry, Mr. Wells. I believe only Shire can rescue the trapped troops."

Wells responded quickly, "Yes, I share your opinion, General! We should let Shire command!"

"But there are two issues, sir."

"What issues?"

"First, the command isn’t in Shire’s hands now; it’s still Xia Fei who is commanding the Cape Town troops."

"That’s not an issue. The parliament originally established the status of the Paris City Defense Command. Severing ties with the City Defense Commander was Xia Fei’s personal decision. Now he has failed and is helpless with the situation he created. The command should naturally shift to you."

Gallieni didn’t reply. He continued, "Another issue: you know the First Flying Squadron, it’s the air force unit that Shire trained, including the rocket aircraft and machine-gun aircraft he invented, but they were reassigned before the war by Xia Fei..."

"I know about this." Wells eagerly responded, "The command of the Flying Squadron should rightfully be returned to Shire. Don’t worry, I’ll resolve this."

"No, sir," Gallieni emphasized, "I am not talking about that. I mean, Shire wants more than just this."

"What does he want?" Wells asked, puzzled.

He hoped to end this conversation quickly and send the reinforcements immediately, but Gallieni dragged things out deliberately.

"He hopes that no similar incident happens again in the future," Gallieni replied, "You know, he also has a tank unit, which he trained as well. In the future, there might be other troops. He doesn’t want his painstakingly trained units to be reassigned just like that, he believes..."

"I’ll handle this!" Wells interrupted Gallieni, "I will handle all these matters. The demand is reasonable, no reason for others to take his achievements, it will kill Shire’s and others’ motivation..."

"He has already lost motivation."

"What?"

Gallieni sighed lightly, "He refuses to take command unless the parliament gives him an explanation."

"But now isn’t the time to discuss this..."

"I know the reinforcement is urgent," Gallieni replied, "but Shire is technically still a minor; he will continue to throw tantrums, and there’s nothing we can do about it!"

Wells was dumbfounded. Indeed, there was nothing he could do about Shire, as sending him to a military tribunal for refusing command was out of the question.

As a minor, he had a hundred valid reasons to refuse command, all of them reasonable!

Wells replied helplessly, "I will convene the parliament immediately to give Shire a satisfactory answer!"

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