I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 893: You Think That’s Our Army?

The reason Leo Tai is considered a "wise man who adapts to circumstances" is because of his reasoning.

A few days ago, the colonial consortium organized a meeting in Toulon to discuss how to respond to Shire’s new colonial policy of "fraternity" and "freedom."

Over a hundred people attended the meeting, including governors from various colonies and influential capitalists.

The capitalists reacted fiercely:

"If we give the colonies ’freedom,’ then what about the land and minerals we purchased? Should we give them back for free?"

"And the workers, if they have their own factories, who will still be willing to work in our factories and mines? We’ll only end up going bankrupt!"

"This is absurd. We have sacrificed so much for France, provided them with resources, food, and even an army, yet Shire just kicks us aside, using us as a stepping stone to boost his prestige!"

...

On the surface, their arguments seemed logical, but in fact, the so-called "purchased" land and minerals were seized or bought at a symbolic price.

Workers were unwilling to work in their factories and mines because they were treated like slaves, and countless horrific exploitation incidents were covered up.

The resources, food, and troops the colonies provided to France were actually unrelated to them; they were merely "middlemen" who profited from the price difference.

The governors in control of military power were equally worried.

They feared that once Shire’s new policy was implemented, their military power would be taken away, and their local interests would vanish, as Shire intended to return all political, diplomatic, and economic affairs to the colonies.

Thus, both the military and the capitalists united against Shire.

Only one person remained silent throughout, and that was the Governor of Morocco and Minister of War, Leo Tai.

"Aren’t you going to express any of your own views?" asked Lafayette, the Governor of Algeria, with curiosity in his eyes.

Leo Tai slowly stood up and called out, "Gentlemen!"

Though his voice was not loud, out of respect for Leo Tai’s prestige, the people engaged in discussions soon quieted down and turned their attention to him.

If anyone could lead them against Shire, it was Leo Tai, they thought.

They hoped Leo Tai would utter some radical, anti-Shire statements to boost their morale.

However.

"I have just one question," said Leo Tai. "Do you have the confidence to fight against Shire and win?"

The people in the conference room were dumbfounded.

Defeat Shire? It was impossible.

After a while, someone shouted, "We have no intention of fighting Shire, we just hope he will abandon this unreasonable policy."

"What if he doesn’t?" Leo Tai retorted, then swept the room sharply with his gaze:

"Have you considered the consequences?"

"Once we embark on this path, the situation is likely to spin out of control, ultimately leading to a confrontation with Shire or even a war against France!"

The capitalists fell silent, then turned their eyes toward the governors sitting in the front row, holding military power.

The governors laughed, a laugh filled with helplessness, and they rose one after another to explain:

"This is impossible, gentlemen. Think about it, Shire is the one who led the French Army to defeat the Germans, and he still has reserves of strength. Can’t you see that?"

The capitalists nodded one after another. Any sensible person could see that Shire was holding back against Germany; otherwise, Shire should be advancing with the British and American Allies to attack the Hindenburg Line by now.

"You should know what Shire possesses. Aircraft, artillery, tanks, and factories capable of producing countless rifles, submachine guns, and machine guns. And what do we have?"

Fear showed in the capitalists’ eyes.

For better control of the colonies, France strictly prohibited the production of firearms in the colonies; even the firearms provided to the Colonial Army had to be imported from France.

The governors and capitalists had supported this policy, fearing that firearm production technology would fall into the hands of the colonies.

Now they suddenly realized this left them without any capital to oppose Shire.

"And the navy, do we have a navy? Think of the French fleet, think of those naval guns."

The capitalists’ faces were filled with desolation, some even lowered their heads in resignation, sighing like withered lettuce.

The Colonial Army only had ground forces; the navy was always in the hands of France.

Shire’s Brest Fleet even won victories in the North Sea, and the "Echo Detector" and "torpedo aircraft" it developed made even the powerful Royal Navy wary.

The capitalists looked at each other, the disparity was too great, leaving no chance of victory.

Yet some still clung to their illusions, exclaiming, "But right now, France is at war with the Germans, perhaps we still have a chance..."

Leo Tai interrupted this speaker, his tone laced with sarcasm:

"Do you think we can match Shire with rifles, machine guns, or even aircraft, artillery, and warships?"

"No, gentlemen, you are mistaken."

"To destroy us, Shire doesn’t need any of those; he only needs a word, a glance, or a hint."

"Then everything we have will cease to exist, including our lives."

The capitalists laughed, their laughter bitter and unwilling.

"Are you joking, Minister? We have hundreds of thousands of troops."

"Yes, and their combat effectiveness is not inferior to the French Army; they’ve been tested by fire."

"I admit we are not Shire’s equals and can’t win against him in a confrontation, but at least we can make him cautious; that’s our bargaining chip in negotiations."

This remark immediately gained the support of most capitalists, with some even applauding.

But Leo Tai scoffed, "Do you think those are our troops?"

The capitalists were stunned, someone asked, "What do you mean, Minister? Of course those are our troops?"

Leo Tai let out a long sigh:

"Think, gentlemen, Shire is the man who wants to liberate the colonies, and we are the ones who want to enslave them."

"Do you think the colonial soldiers will still fight for us?"

"What’s the reason? To help us defeat Shire so that we can continue to enslave them?"

The capitalists were dumbfounded.

Therefore, there would be no "Colonial Army"; their "Colonial Army" would eventually become Shire’s army.

All it would take was one word, one glance, or one hint from Shire.

This struck at their roots, shattering their last bit of illusion and making it vanish into nothingness.

Finally, Leo Tai offered his conclusion:

"Accept reality, gentlemen, we have no capital to oppose Shire."

"All we can do is kneel before him and beg for his protection."

"And yet, here we are, thinking about how to oppose him, assuming that Shire is too occupied dealing with the Germans and dissidents back home to handle us, assuming Shire would compromise because of that."

"This... this is so ridiculous!"

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