I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 849: Now, It’s Time to Change the Approach
As the meeting concluded, it was just past three in the afternoon, Gallieni met with Shire.
The meeting took place in Gallieni’s ministerial office, where he had Major Fernan summon Shire.
This was Shire’s first time appearing in Gallieni’s office; he seldom set foot in the town hall.
According to the customs of the French Republic, military personnel should avoid getting entangled with the government to prevent accusations of "collusion between military and government."
But now, Shire no longer needed to worry about these details.
If any member of parliament dared to claim in the assembly that Shire was "colluding with the government," they would immediately be ridiculed by other members:
"Does Shire even need to collude?"
"Who has such influence that they require Shire to ’collude’ with them?"
"Oh, are you referring to the Minister of the Army? It seems the minister doesn’t have more power than Shire, does he?"
...
Shire studied the arrangements in Gallieni’s office with interest.
This place didn’t resemble the office of a Minister of the Army. A Minister of the Army should be focused on external military cooperation, internal logistics, troop management, and personnel promotions, among others.
Thus, there should be piles of military, officer, logistics, and diplomatic documents everywhere.
But Gallieni’s office was equipped with a telegraph room, sandbox, and operational maps, resembling a military command center.
"It seems you haven’t quite left your role as a battlefield commander, General," Shire remarked.
While signing documents, Gallieni replied absentmindedly:
"The role of a Minister of the Army doesn’t hold much significance."
"Diplomacy? The British simply ignore our coordination efforts."
"And other countries’ diplomatic attitudes towards France largely depend on the victories you achieve."
Saying this, Gallieni waved several documents he had just approved, which included military sales relations with several neutral countries, also Shire’s accomplishments.
Shire walked to the sandbox, casually placing several flags representing France in the correct positions.
Gallieni’s intelligence was somewhat outdated; these locations had already been occupied by the French Army.
"You’ll likely have more matters of this nature to handle in the future, General," Shire responded, "I hope you will find satisfaction in it."
"What do you mean?" Gallieni asked.
In truth, he knew what Shire meant. As Shire began engaging with the British Expeditionary Force’s Colonial Army, Franco-Gallic Army "diplomacy" with the British Colonial Army would become more extensive and complex.
Gallieni’s question was merely a bid for confirmation.
"You know full well," Shire circled the sandbox to stand in front of Gallieni, glancing at the chair beside him.
Gallieni nodded, permitting Shire to sit, and had someone pour Shire a cup of coffee while he requested a glass of milk for himself.
"Still not fully recovered, is it?" Shire asked.
"Almost," Gallieni replied, a touch of relief on his face, "I’ve just grown accustomed to drinking milk."
He meant it; after adjusting to milk, he found coffee made him prone to insomnia, perhaps a sign of aging.
Sipping his milk, Gallieni fixed his gaze on Shire, eyes filled with concern: "Are you aware of how dangerous what you’re currently doing is?"
Shire nodded.
The British Expeditionary Force’s Colonial Army is Britain’s forbidden territory, its reverse scale.
By touching it, Shire was challenging their control over the colonies, which Britain would absolutely not permit interference with, or else the Sun Never Sets Empire could disintegrate from within.
Thus, Shire’s actions were setting himself up in opposition to Britain and could potentially involve diplomatic relations between France and the UK.
"You are aware, yet you intend to proceed?" Gallieni was perplexed, "What can you gain? Seize those colonies from the British?"
Gallieni added, "You know that’s impossible."
"No, General," Shire replied casually, "I have no intention of seizing those colonies from the British, but do you not consider humanity’s progress?"
"What do you mean?" Gallieni was puzzled.
Shire explained earnestly:
"Our vision shouldn’t be limited to one nation, General; we should look to the whole world."
"This is the ideology of the great revolution, isn’t it?"
"Liberty, equality, fraternity — it’s about this, ensuring human rights and universal love for humanity..."
Gallieni furrowed his brows, speaking sternly: "Speak honestly!"
As Minister of the Army, Gallieni knew these were mere deceits for the citizens; everything boiled down to two words: interests.
Shire, of course, was no exception.
"Alright," Shire maintained his smile, "The British cannot handle these issues; they can’t even point out our faults."
"What are you referring to?" Gallieni was bewildered.
Shire answered in a soft but weighty tone: "Grant the colonies full freedom; they should be treated fairly, not oppressed by the suzerain countries."
Gallieni leaped to his feet with a "zoink": "You’re mad! Have you forgotten France has its own colonies?"
Shire calmly met Gallieni’s gaze.
Suddenly, Gallieni realized that France’s colonies were under capitalist control, irrelevant to Shire.
If the colonies broke away from France and capitalist control, it would be beneficial to Shire only.
Giving them freedom would not only weaken the capitalists but also enhance Shire’s reputation — why not?
"No, I won’t let you do this," Gallieni’s tone was resolute: "You know this doesn’t align with France’s interests..."
"No, General," Shire interrupted Gallieni, "This precisely aligns with France’s interests."
Gallieni "hmphed," seemingly genuinely angered:
"Don’t take me for a fool, Vice Admiral."
"Perhaps you don’t know, but over one-fifth of our food supply comes from the colonies. After the Germans occupied the northeast, more than half of our mineral resources are sourced from the colonies at very low prices."
"Without the colonies, we couldn’t have survived until now!"
Don’t talk to me about the suffering and pain of the colonies; all I recognize are France’s interests.
Shire anticipated Gallieni’s reaction.
Gallieni was once a renowned colonial officer; he had served as a colonial governor in Africa and Southeast Asia, known for "firm suppression" and "systematic colonial rule."
Sometimes, Shire found it challenging to reconcile the kind old general before him with his ruthless colonial policies.
But this was common for the times; colonies were not even considered normal humans in their eyes.
Shire remained steadfast in his view:
"Because that era has passed, General."
"Just like how the French Revolution led to the collapse of feudal society, so will colonial rule."
"Otherwise, the endless wars in the colonies might cost us more than what we gain — much more, actually."
"It’s time for a change!"
