I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 236 Taking Advantage of the Germans

"Is it just an issue of subsidies?" Kobudo prompted the major to continue.

"No, no, of course not!" Major Langeff gestured towards the airplanes behind him, "Look at our planes; they’re all reconnaissance planes, not a single machine-gun plane, not one!"

Several pilots couldn’t help but crowd around, voicing their complaints all at once:

"Even the reconnaissance planes are over a year old; they’re constantly breaking down."

"I’m short on parts and can’t fix them."

"And the infantry only cares about one thing; they need to know something and send us up to check it out. They always think it’s so easy."

...

The more they talked, the more disgruntled they became, and soon, their complaints turned into outright grievances, wanting to drag those infantrymen here to experience it themselves.

Kobudo timely stoked the fire, "I heard that one of the planes shot down by the enemy recently came from your airfield?"

The pilots’ anger was immediately ignited: ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Yes, the pilot was Adrian, a great guy! He’s also our best mechanic!"

"We don’t know what to do in the future; the Germans already have machine-gun planes, while we only have pistols. The infantry always says we’re not in danger, but that’s not the truth!"

"I don’t understand, we were the ones who invented the machine-gun plane. So why are we the ones who get hit and are scared? Where are our machine-gun planes?"

...

Kobudo explained, "This may be because you’re under two different command systems. We do have machine-gun planes, but they don’t even know you’re in danger."

"Yes!" Major Langeff nodded in agreement, his tone helpless, "Although we fly in the sky, in terms of structure, subsidies, and command, we belong to the Army. And Shire’s flying squadron, that’s the real air force. We can’t get reinforcements with machine-gun planes unless we have our own."

Other pilots chimed in again:

"But that’s impossible; every corps has its own reconnaissance planes and its own airfield."

"And the infantry divisions, they also have planes."

"There are at least twenty such makeshift airfields at the front. If every airfield were equipped with enough machine-gun planes, we’d need at least hundreds!"

...

Kobudo concluded the interview. He didn’t talk much about Shire, at most mentioning the "flying club" in passing.

Kobudo understood that if he bluntly asked the pilots, "Would you be willing to merge with Shire’s flying squadron under Shire’s command?"

The pilots might be willing, but everyone would think:

"The Merit Newspaper belongs to Shire, and Kobudo is a reporter for the Merit Newspaper."

So Kobudo’s interview was actually to help Shire "acquire" these airfields, with malicious intent!

This not only wouldn’t work but would also be seized upon by the capitalists as leverage.

Therefore, Kobudo very cautiously managed the interview.

However, at the end of each interview, he would leave the pilots with a question, "How would you like to improve the current situation, and what is the future direction for Army aviation?"

There weren’t just one or two such interviews. Except for a few airfields deemed "top secret" by Xia Fei, reporters from the Merit Newspaper visited almost every makeshift Army airfield and reported their conditions in the newspaper.

So a question arose for everyone:

Are these numerous but decrepit, almost unmanaged airfields really necessary?

The public and military discussion became fierce:

"It’s practically suicide; they are like small workshops on the street."

"One can imagine these pilots facing German machine-gun planes; they’re simply targets, ineffective and perfect practice for the Germans!"

"They will be picked off by the Germans one by one, with no chance of survival!"

Driven by this hot topic, other newspapers followed suit, and the discussion gradually shifted to future development:

"We should consolidate and manage them uniformly."

"The best person to command them is obviously Shire; he has managed the First Flying Squadron excellently."

"Yes, the First Flying Squadron always achieves victories under his command, and he invented the machine-gun plane. He understands aerial combat!"

...

Gallieni nodded in satisfaction, his desk piled high with various newspapers, including the Little Daily, the Little Paris Daily, the Morning Paper, and even the aristocratic Le Figaro.

"Well done, Kobudo!" Gallieni sipped his coffee, leafing through the newspapers and praising Kobudo, "The public opinion is shifting in our favor."

"Yes, General." Kobudo glanced at Shire and replied, "We need not rush; Shire’s war achievements speak for themselves, visible to everyone. Having the citizens themselves ask for Shire’s command will be far more effective than Shire demanding it."

Gallieni nodded in agreement.

At this moment, the Merit Newspaper instead stepped back to cover other hot topics, a clever tactic; Kobudo knew how to guide public opinion skillfully.

"And then, do we just wait?" Major Fernan was somewhat anxious, "The Germans’ machine-gun planes may already be prepared somewhere, ready to launch a deadly strike on our planes at any moment!"

"They will counterattack." Kobudo replied cryptically.

"Them, the Germans?" Major Fernan asked in confusion.

"No, Major." Kobudo lowered his voice, "At present, our opponent is not the Germans."

Major Fernan was stunned, then suddenly understood; Kobudo was referring to Xia Fei.

Gallieni grunted in acknowledgment, "Of course he won’t sit idly by; he’ll try to redirect public opinion."

Shire had already figured out all of Kobudo’s plans; this guy’s strategy in the public opinion war was no less than Shire’s.

Sure enough, Kobudo responded, "Yes, I guess to maintain control over these airfields, Xia Fei will enhance them with machine-gun planes and allocate more personnel and resources."

"And then?" Major Fernan frowned; he didn’t see how this was good news.

Gallieni and Shire remained silent, exchanging meaningful glances.

Major Fernan suddenly realized: In the end, there will be a battle.

Such an arrangement by Xia Fei would put him directly in the line of fire from the German planes, resulting in one or even several defeats, proving to everyone that such decisions are foolish and wrong!

Kobudo was using the Germans to defeat Xia Fei, ultimately forcing Xia Fei to compromise!

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