I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 869: This Is a Good Thing

The fort was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. All the officers, including Ganmelin, looked as though their souls had been scared out of them, staring at Shire with terrified eyes, with a hint of pleading, afraid that his next call would be directed at them.

If it were anyone else doing this, they wouldn't care at all. Nobody could take them away from here. In fact, those who tried couldn't even leave this fort.

But that person was Shire, the all-powerful Shire, who held military power, controlled the government, and influenced public opinion.

Even though the officers had support from lawmakers and capitalists, as soon as Shire published the names and evidence of those corrupt officers in the newspapers, or even just called them out,

these officers would immediately be sent to prison to face the harshest penalties.

Lawmakers and capitalists?

Forget it. They would quickly distance themselves from the officers, or else even they would be hanged by the outraged military and civilians.

A few officers instinctively reached for their guns at their waists, but were quickly stopped by the glances of other officers.

A glance outside the fort revealed that it was already surrounded by heavily armed guards, and Tassin's troops had already taken control of the area.

To be precise, Tassin's troops had taken control of the Eastern Army Group: he had won over all the grassroots soldiers by promoting junior officers through merits in battle, and now Tassin and his staff had immense influence in the army.

At this moment, the officers realized that their future and fate were in Shire's hands.

Their lives were determined by just one word from Shire.

"Major General Ganmelin." Shire took a document from his briefcase and turned towards Ganmelin.

Ganmelin's face instantly turned ashen.

Am I still included?

I actually hoped Shire would let things slide, but I didn't expect to still end up here...

"Major General." Shire handed the document to Ganmelin: "This is the new promotion list to fill the vacancies. Please take a look and see if there are any issues."

Ganmelin hesitated and took the document, suddenly feeling much lighter.

"Oh, no problem." Ganmelin pretended to flip through the list indifferently: "This is signed by Minister Gallieni, so of course, I have no issue."

He sighed with relief, realizing that this had all been premeditated.

The officers on the list were all chosen from the Reserve Army Group, the newly reinforced 9th Army.

So, while Ganmelin thought these reinforcements would bolster the Eastern Group Army, they were actually meant to take over the Eastern Group Army.

However, Ganmelin found it odd why Shire didn't just "deal" with him as well?

The next second, he understood. It was for the Algerian Corps. Currently, only he could command this army belonging to the colonial conglomerate.

With that thought, Ganmelin stood upright and saluted Shire smartly: "I will follow your command, Vice Admiral. I believe that under your leadership, we will achieve notable victories."

Seeing Ganmelin submit, the officers quickly chimed in:

"Yes, of course, we follow the Vice Admiral's command."

"Please give the order, Vice Admiral."

"We will steadfastly carry out your commands."

Someone suddenly shouted: "For France!"

The fort instantly resounded with a chorus of shouts:

"For France!"

"Long live France!"

...

The October skies in Paris were slightly cool, and the plane trees along the streets had shed all their leaves overnight. The bare trunks, with rugged patterns, pointed towards the gray sky like hands reaching out for help.

The people of Paris seemed accustomed to it all. They stepped out into the pale morning light, walking on the streets full of fallen leaves, thinking that perhaps today would be another busy day.

But it was all worth it. The hard work was to get bullets, shells, and supplies into the hands of the front-line soldiers, who needed them.

They comforted themselves with this: Soldiers were bleeding and sacrificing their lives for France, and the citizens should strive to provide them with combat conditions.

The number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased, and long lines formed at the tram stations, with anxiety and fatigue evident on everyone's faces.

(Above image shows trams; during World War I, most buses and drivers were converted into ambulances and troop carriers, causing most public transportation in Paris to halt, with only a few trams running, and horses even pulling trams due to energy shortages.)

Suddenly, the young and loud voice of a newsboy resounded:

"Extra! Extra!"

"Shire restructures the Eastern Group Army, captures 37 corrupt senior officers, mostly lieutenant colonels and colonels."

"The command of the Eastern Group Army is nearly paralyzed!"

...

People looked at each other, corrupt officers? What was going on?

Someone hesitantly took out their lunch money and exchanged it for a newspaper from the newsboy, and before they could unfold it, a large group crowded around them.

Then, a series of shocking headlines caught everyone's eyes:

"More than half of the senior officers at the Eastern Group Army headquarters arrested"

"Most officers from wealthy families colluding with suppliers, using inferior goods"

"Corruption involved almost all military supplies, except those operated by Shire's defense enterprises" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

...

Looking closely at the content:

"The shells were of such poor quality that it was outrageous, yet still passed inspection, causing many duds and burst barrels during use."

"We produced so many military boots, but why does the battlefield still face extreme shortages? We always thought it was the harsh battlefield environment, but in reality, it was unlawful suppliers using inferior goods; a pair of boots only lasted a few days."

"Do you know what the army eats? They filled the cans with rotten vegetables and meat. Are the soldiers fighting for France at the front lines only worthy of eating this?"

...

The citizens were shocked. They hadn't expected that their hard work, thinking they could deliver supplies and ammunition to the soldiers and ease their burden, resulted in thorough infiltration by unscrupulous capitalists using inferior goods.

However, more people were concerned about themselves:

"We work hard all day and only earn a pathetic 5 Francs, while these officers only have to nod and earn tens of thousands of US Dollars?"

"We can't even get enough to eat, yet they are exploiting the front-line soldiers for their own benefits."

"These scoundrels, completely disregarding the interests of the country and its citizens, are parasites on France. But fortunately, someone is finally dealing with them!"

...

This time, surprisingly, there was no outbreak of large demonstrations and strikes as usual, only a few small groups marching, demanding severe punishment for those corrupt officials.

Although the citizens were angry, they also saw hope: Shire was helping them clean up the nation, directing military operations, and winning battles to end this war.

Protesting or striking now would just create trouble for Shire, wouldn't it?

What would they protest?

Protest that Shire arrested corrupt officers?

No, they had been around for a long time, and many knew it but couldn't do anything about it.

So, this is a good thing!