I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 848: The Battlefield’s Choice

The opposition members finally confirmed Shire’s intentions, among them Schneider’s James.

But James remained silent.

He knew that voicing opposition now would be tantamount to defying the entire country, and he would be labeled a traitor or a spy, even though his opposition was against Shire, not France.

However, others were not as wise.

The banking consortium’s Morale rose to oppose, hinting from another angle, "The British won’t agree; they’ve always tried to command the French Army, so how could they possibly accept French command in return? Therefore, I think this plan is unrealistic!"

But his opposition was quickly drowned out by others:

"It doesn’t matter if they disagree; the French Army’s Commander is also the Commander of the Allies, and we theoretically have the authority to command the British Army."

"This is the demand of the British Colonial Army; they want to quell mutiny and restore the army’s combat power, and the best way to achieve this is to accept our command."

"Look at what the British Expeditionary Force has done: failure, retreat, collapse. They’ve exposed the weak points of our front lines to the enemy’s spearhead, and such a force still wants to command us?"

...

The room erupted in laughter, with someone disdainfully shouting, "Under their command, surrender to the Germans?"

The members burst into laughter again.

Maier of the Marseille Colonial Consortium stood up: "But if maintaining the current situation leads to victory, why unify command? I mean, unifying command takes time, potentially wasting precious time, and the Germans might consolidate their lines within days, causing us to miss this offensive opportunity..."

His statement was immediately drowned out by jeering:

"Unifying command won’t take much time; if necessary, we only need to unify the Eastern Army Group."

"Yes, we can totally kick those foolish British aside and send them back home."

"The Eastern Army Group is our own unit; it’s up to us to decide!"

...

It’s a fact that while the Eastern Army Group is commanded by Ganmelin, Ganmelin belongs to the opposition.

And the opposition has no choice but to agree unless they can provide a justified reason.

Otherwise, the label of traitor would be placed on them:

"You don’t want us to win, you don’t want us to reclaim Lorraine and Alsace!"

"You’re spies, you bastards; you must have taken bribes from the Germans and want to let them go."

"This is our opportunity to drive the enemy entirely out of the country; opposing it is opposing France, opposing all its citizens!"

...

The opposition looked at each other in dismay.

Even though they knew that Shire was tying his interests with the "reclamation of Lorraine and Alsace," they were still helpless.

James looked ashen.

Shire’s tactics were too brilliant.

James believed that Shire could completely rely on his own ability to reclaim Lorraine and Alsace, but he chose not to.

He had been waiting for this opportunity.

Now, the opposition could only watch helplessly as their last unit was taken by Shire.

But what else could be done?

After a moment, James stood up and, with emphasis, said loudly, "I agree to place these troops under unified command, as the battlefield demands. However, I think these troops should be commanded by Commander Fuxu."

The opposition initially found it strange when James agreed to "unified command," but when he mentioned Fuxu, they understood.

James was taking a step back to advance: since "unified command" could not be stopped, he proposed Fuxu to compete with Shire.

Upon realizing this, the opposition expressed their support.

Gallieni smiled slightly; did they think this would stump Shire?

Clemenceau shrugged, realizing this was all the opposition could manage; it was their last struggle.

Steed sighed softly; victory came too easily; the opposition stood no chance.

Wells shook his head; against Shire’s absolute power, all plots and intrigues were no more than clumsy antics.

...

"I have no objections," Shire said calmly, "In fact, I think so too. We should place the troops under Commander Fuxu’s command."

Then he spread his hands towards the members:

"So, let’s decide, gentlemen."

"The military situation is urgent; we cannot delay any longer. Every minute and second of delay adds unpredictable variables to the battlefield."

"We must quickly organize the Eastern Army Group and the British Expeditionary Force, or it will be too late."

Gallieni couldn’t stand it anymore; he stood up, leaning on the railing from the observation seat:

"Gentlemen, I have no intention of influencing your thoughts or choices. But as the Minister of the Army, I feel obliged to remind you."

"The desire to fight under Admiral Shire’s command comes not only from the British Colonial Army but also from the Eastern Army Group."

"You know Fuxu’s tactics, which involve ordering soldiers to attack the enemy lines recklessly, regardless of casualties or costs."

"Not only does this fail to unite the troops, but it also doesn’t restore their combat strength or allow them to attack."

"They might even revolt like the Colonial Army!"

"So, you are wasting time, causing us to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Having finished, Gallieni shot a glare at Shire.

This guy knew all this yet pretended to agree and support Fuxu.

He banked on Gallieni not letting the members act recklessly or allowing France to miss this chance, and was therefore confident.

Shire returned a smile as if to say, "Pleasure working with you, General."

Gallieni rolled his eyes in exasperation.

With Gallieni’s words, the members, including the opposition, understood that command had to fall to Shire.

This was the battlefield, reality, the soldiers’ choice, not something others could control.

"That’s right, I agree with the Minister," James stood again, "But I believe this is a temporary measure to reclaim territory. Once the battle is won, shouldn’t we restore the original state?"

The opposition members expressed their support.

Gallieni pondered briefly: "I have no problem."

His goal was for France to reclaim its land, to reclaim Lorraine and Alsace.

Gallieni then shifted his gaze to Shire.

Shire nodded graciously, "I have no problem either; post-war, the command should indeed be returned to General Ganmelin."

The opposition members breathed a sigh of relief.

They didn’t notice the faint, barely perceptible smile on Shire’s lips at the podium.

Of course, command would be returned, just that by then, Ganmelin’s power would already be undermined.

Are you ready, little Gan? Remember what you did with the 6th Army Group?

This time it’s going to be used on you!