I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 855: Official Motto
"There’s nothing wrong with that," Gallieni said. "Shire is speaking the truth."
"My God," Clemenceau was anxious:
"Can’t you see, Minister?"
"What Shire is saying will make the strong combat forces from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada seek complete independence."
"Because they understand the combat capabilities of the British Army and know they have the ability to contend with them. They’ve even learned how to deal with tanks from battle."
Gallieni retorted:
"That’s none of our business, Prime Minister. This is a headache for the British."
"As for what Shire said, do you think the Australians don’t know? They just haven’t said it out loud."
"Ultimately, it comes down to the poor performance of the British Army on the battlefield. So much so that both the Australian and Canadian Corps are stronger than them. Now the British find they can’t control these countries anymore."
Clemenceau felt that Gallieni wasn’t wrong.
Whether it’s colonization or control, it first requires England to have strength.
If the British Army cannot or finds it very difficult to defeat these nations, or if it requires a heavy toll to do so, it’s only a matter of time before they move towards complete independence.
"And what about this?" Clemenceau pulled out another document and placed it in front of Gallieni.
...
The second document was Shire’s inspection of the Kenya Corps.
The Kenyan unit only had more than ten thousand people, a true colonial army: all the middle and senior officers were British, and even a majority of the junior officers were British. Only a few considered "excellent performers" among the Kenyans were promoted to Lieutenant or Lieutenant.
Shire chose this unit because, although Kenyan forces weren’t numerous, Britain forcibly conscripted 200,000 laborers, and compensations and wages were severely embezzled by corrupt British officers, causing great resentment among both soldiers and laborers against the British.
Shire didn’t have much interaction with Major General Laird, the corps commander. There was little to say to the British officers, so he directly entered the trench to converse with the Kenyan soldiers, accompanied by a translator.
"Hey, how are you?"
"Unbelievable, is this the bread you get?"
"You fight for them, and they don’t even let you eat your fill?"
"Why are your uniforms so tattered? And you’re not even fully equipped with helmets?"
...
The Kenyan soldiers looked at Shire with fear in their eyes. They didn’t know how to respond, as they were constantly under the "watchful eye" of British officers.
Only the staff officer, Major Locke, sent along by Major General Laird, offered an explanation:
"That’s because our supplies weren’t delivered, Vice Admiral. It’s not usually like this."
"You know, not long ago we lost a battle, and many of them left their supplies and equipment behind."
Shire loudly rebuked Major Locke:
"Spare me your lies, Major!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"I’ve seen the condition of British and even Australian soldiers, and it’s not like this. Don’t take me for a fool!"
"Whatever you do in the colonies may be your business. But this is France; this is French land."
"Do you know what the goals of France are?"
"Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood. We believe everyone should be treated fairly and justly!"
"Moreover, they’re fighting for us, every single one of them is a warrior with a gun, deserving respect as soldiers!"
Shire left in anger, leaving Major Locke at a loss, not understanding why Shire was so furious.
Major Locke indeed didn’t understand.
Shire appeared to be scolding him, but in reality, he was passing on the words "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood" to the Kenyan Corps.
Sure enough, once the translator conveyed Shire’s statement, it quickly spread through the Kenyan Corps and then rapidly reached other colonial troops, as if it grew legs of its own.
"Shire said France’s goals are Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood."
"What does that mean?"
"Liberty means everyone has their rights, Equality means everyone is the same, and Brotherhood is advocating for universal love for humanity!"
"Did he really say that? This, this is amazing. He spoke what we felt, voiced our hopes!"
...
But it didn’t end there. The next day, Shire returned to the Kenyan Corps’ position with a large amount of supplies and provisions, filling dozens of vehicles.
"Gentlemen!" Shire waved to the Kenyan soldiers:
"I don’t care where you’re from because you are all brave soldiers, each and every one deserves the same treatment."
"So, these are rightfully yours. From now on, the supplies and wages you receive will be the same as any other soldier."
"Of course, it’s not just you; anyone fighting for us on French soil should be respected!"
The Kenyan soldiers cheered loudly, and the soldiers of other colonial troops were equally exhilarated, repeatedly shouting Shire’s name.
Major General Laird ran forward with a pale face: "Vice Admiral, you can’t do this."
Shire returned with an "Oh" and asked coldly, "Why not?"
"Supplies should be distributed uniformly," Major General Laird replied. "Besides, this is our internal affair..."
Shire interrupted Major General Laird: "You seem to forget I am the Vice Commander of the Expeditionary Force, Major General. Besides, these supplies and equipment come from my personal property. I decide who gets them, and no one can interfere!"
Major General Laird fell silent instantly; if it were Shire’s personal property, it indeed had nothing to do with "supply distribution."
Looking around, the anger in the colonial soldiers’ eyes was like daggers, murderous in intent, with some gripping their rifles and fingers on the trigger.
Cutting the supplies and stipends typically was one thing; that was theirs to do.
But taking their share from what Shire distributed from his personal wealth? That crossed a line.
Major General Laird hurried to amend his words: "As you wish, Vice Admiral."
With that, he slunk away.
...
"This is also not a problem," Gallieni replied without a change in expression:
"For soldiers to fight, they need to be well-fed and receive their due stipends; otherwise, how can there be morale for battle?"
"If there is a problem, it’s that of the corruption among British officers."
"They not only don’t treat the colonial soldiers as humans but also embezzle their food and stipends. This clearly does not align with the interests of the Allies, and could even lead to another collapse!"
Clemenceau thought and it seemed Gallieni wasn’t wrong; didn’t the colonial troops collapse last time under an attack by the German Army?
What Shire was doing merely improved the morale and combat effectiveness of the forces.
Gallieni then added:
"Moreover, Shire used his personal property, which is unrelated to the state and army."
"He said Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood is the official motto of France. Don’t you agree?"
"Shire’s actions truly embody the spirit of France, precisely what a French General should do!"
Clemenceau found himself speechless, sensing something amiss but having no way to refute.
(Note: Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood was proposed during the French Revolution and has since been France’s official motto, being inscribed into the French constitution as the national motto in 1946.)
