I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 868: You Are Dismissed

Mirku Frontline, the headquarters of the Eastern Army Group is set in a fortress of reinforced concrete behind the mountains.

The officers know how to enjoy themselves.

In Ganmelin's words, officers should be in a comfortable environment to concentrate on thinking about strategies against the enemy.

And the right and appropriate strategy can save many soldiers, so all of this is worthwhile.

Thus, outside the fortress, the wind and rain howled and artillery roared, French soldiers fought against the German Army in the mud, while inside the fortress, a warm stove burned, officers leisurely held coffee while eating fruits and pastries, discussing the situation over maps as if attending a ball.

Ganmelin's height of 1.75 in the crowd was somewhat "like a crane among chickens."

(Note: During World War I, the average height of French soldiers was 1.66.)

He pointed a command baton at the map on the wall, speaking with pride:

"We are achieving victory, gentlemen."

"The Eastern Army Group has broken through the Nancy defense line, killing and wounding over two thousand enemies."

"This is a great victory, our army group of over 200,000 men defeated nearly 700,000 from three German Army groups!"

Applause immediately erupted inside the fortress as officers vied to flatter:

"Unforgettable command, Major General, it should be written into textbooks for everyone to study."

"This is face-to-face combat, we defeated the enemy directly, much stronger than Shire's maneuver warfare!"

"Yes, this is a remarkable victory."

...

Everyone ignored the premise of this victory:

The German Army indeed had three army groups with over 700,000 men, but the main force of the 2nd Army Group was held up by Fuxu and Petain's forces at the Meuse River, unable to move.

The 17th and 18th Army Groups were pursued by Shire's forces and the US Army, and under Shire's command, were harassed by the British Expeditionary Force and fled to the Nancy defense line in disarray.

Finally, the victory of the Eastern Army Group was actually under the command of Tassin's staff group, and had little to do with Ganmelin's team.

But of course, Ganmelin would not say any of this, he enjoyed it thoroughly and pretended to rack his brains over the war, pointing at the map to say:

"However, the enemy obviously won't admit defeat so easily."

"We have discovered that the Germans have used a new tactic, constructing multiple defense lines while retreating for tiered defense."

"This has created resistance and caused considerable casualties, any thoughts?"

The officers didn't think much, responding one after another:

"Then let us break them layer by layer."

"Yes, launch relentless attacks on the enemy, skewer them on bayonets."

"Only rifles and artillery are the best ways to communicate with the Germans!"

...

Most of the Eastern Army Group consisted of young wastrels, what they learned was only Fuxu's offensive tactics, and Ganmelin was no exception.

However, Ganmelin's mind was pondering other questions.

Because of the war, Gallieni has sent 200,000 reinforcements to the Eastern Army Group, in addition to the Algerian Army, there is also a 100,000-strong 9th Army Group.

This instantly doubled the troop strength of the Eastern Army Group, Ganmelin thought, why not let this battle drag on a bit to gain more reinforcements?

Ganmelin's mouth curled into a smile, the Germans' defensive method could be said to be perfect cooperation.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

Several soldiers in raincoats, covered in mud, stormed into the fortress, with rainwater dripping onto and soaking the carpet with their steps.

Ganmelin frowned, why did the guards let them in!

Ganmelin thought these were frontline commanders coming to report the situation.

However, when the leading soldier lifted the raincoat to reveal the general's hat, the fortress was in an uproar, it was Shire.

Following behind were Tassin and several guards.

"Everything okay, Major General?" Shire stepped closer, locking eyes on Ganmelin with a smile.

Ganmelin was startled, trying to remain calm: "I'm fine, Vice Admiral. As you can see, we are discussing the next operations."

"Is that so?" Shire handed his raincoat to a guard: "But I think before that, we need to resolve something first."

"What?" Ganmelin's eyes were filled with anger: "Do I need to remind you, Vice Admiral? Nothing is more important than battle!"

Shire ignored him, took a file from Tassin, glanced coldly around at the officers in the fortress.

"Colonel Depaul." Shire called the name.

"It's me, General." A neatly uniformed colonel with a bushy mustache stood in front of Shire, attitude arrogant and contemptuous.

He seemed to be telling Shire, if you want to order me, you must be mistaken, I have a hundred ways to deal with you.

Shire smiled softly, reading from the file, voice calm:

"Colonel Depaul, during your tenure as quartermaster of the Eastern Army Group in 1915, you accepted a bribe of 60,000 US Dollars from the Voort Shoe Company."

"Voort Shoe Company provided 700,000 pairs of substandard boots to the troops."

"Some boots cracked after only a few days of wear, and winter boots lacked filling, causing frostbite among soldiers."

After reading, Shire gently presented the file to Colonel Depaul: "You are relieved of duty, Colonel, and will now face trial."

Colonel Depaul's previous arrogance vanished, replaced by a face full of panic, he looked at Ganmelin for help, but Ganmelin pretended not to see.

After Colonel Depaul was taken away, Shire's chilling voice rang out again in the fortress: "Lieutenant Colonel Maier."

A middle-aged officer nervously stepped up to Shire, saluting with sweaty forehead: "Yes, Vice Admiral."

He looked at Shire with pleading eyes, as if hoping Shire wouldn't say the next words.

But Shire was unmoved:

"Lieutenant Colonel Maier, during your tenure in the logistics department of the army group in 1916, you colluded with food suppliers."

"You falsified procurement quantities and bought inferior food at high prices."

"Many military cans lacked filling and even contained rotten meat, causing food poisoning among soldiers."

Lieutenant Colonel Maier swallowed hard, took the file with trembling hands, and cooperatively handed his handgun to a guard.

Shire continued reading:

"Colonel Arthur, Lieutenant Colonel Isaac, during your tenure as acceptance officers, you accepted bribes from the Loire Arsenal, allowing inferior shells to pass."

"Colonel Dubois, you accepted bribes and placed 12 wealthy individuals' children in 'safe positions' at the rear."

"Lieutenant Colonel Clesson, you should be responsible for the accidents of shell fuse failures or blowouts."

...

Ultimately, more than half of the officers in the fortress were taken away, while Shire still held a stack of files.

Shire sighed lightly, handed the remaining files back to Tassin.

Those were minor corruptions that could be tolerated, kept for now as it's wartime and they needed personnel, observing their future performance.

Moreover, now they should know who to listen to!

(Note: The above corruption events were real incidents in the French Army during World War I, but none were investigated or seriously punished, because investigating would implicate the French Government itself, being one of the reasons for the 1917 mutinies in the French Army.)