I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 900: Make France Great Again

Admiral Shire did not give the opposition legislators more time to consider; he spoke eloquently:

"As for understanding the situation of the Toulon Fleet in the Mediterranean, I don’t think we need a general sitting in an office, thinking about how to gain personal benefit."

"I don’t believe he truly understands the Toulon Fleet or the Mediterranean."

"More than that, he understands Hari better."

The conference room erupted in laughter, while the opposition legislators wore embarrassed expressions; it was no secret in political circles that Hari was the mistress of the Minister of the Navy.

Shire continued:

"Gentlemen, we are in a time of war."

"We need generals who truly understand the war and the situation."

"Only such generals have the ability to contribute to France, to lead our troops to victory on the battlefield, instead of leading everyone to destruction for personal gain."

The legislators loudly expressed their support, while the opposition was too weak even to utter a word.

Admiral Shire was speaking with facts; the high command position should be held by those who understand warfare, not by someone like the Minister of the Navy who has never even been to the battlefield.

This should be the norm in times of war. It’s common sense.

Even in peacetime, this should be the case, though peacetime offers more loopholes.

So, what could the opposition bring forth as a counter?

Nevertheless, some remained unconvinced and loudly questioned, "You wouldn’t be suggesting yourself as the Minister of the Navy, would you, Admiral Shire? This is the navy, don’t forget your combat experience is in the army."

"No, certainly not." Shire replied humbly, "Of course, I know I’m from the army, and I’m not afraid to tell you—I got seasick the last time I went to the Dardanelles Strait."

The legislators laughed.

"I vomited like I was dying; I thought I’d die there!"

Gallieni looked pleased; he appreciated Shire’s self-deprecating approach, showing that Shire wasn’t flawless and had some shortcomings.

"Have me be the Minister of the Navy?" Shire looked alarmed, "No, I swear I will never board a warship again."

The laughter grew even louder, filled with disdain for the opposition.

Arman stood up and shouted at the opposition, "You should feel ashamed! Everyone knows what kind of victory Shire achieved at the Dardanelles Strait, but he never boasts about it."

Reminded by Arman, Shire’s supporters immediately voiced their agreement:

"Yes, Shire sunk the Germans’ submarine at the Dardanelles Strait."

"Shire also captured ’Beach A,’ when he personally led troops into battle, facing the enemy directly."

"He changed the entire course of the Dardanelles campaign; what did you accomplish? What did your Minister of the Navy do?"

The opposition legislators were dumbfounded; their Minister of the Navy was plundering the colony’s wealth, exploiting his power.

Someone seemed to want to interrupt these recollections and loudly asked, "So, Admiral, who do you think is suitable to be the Minister of the Navy?"

Shire pointed in the direction the voice came from and said, "That’s the point; I was about to say, the answer is Admiral Gephardt!"

The entire room instantly fell silent.

Shire’s party legislators didn’t expect Shire to be so direct; Admiral Gephardt was the representative of the Brest Faction and was also a staunch supporter of Shire.

If he were to become the Minister of the Navy, the entire French Navy would be under Shire’s control, including the African Colony.

The opposition legislators all turned pale; they did not expect Shire to propose Gephardt, who indeed was a heavyweight in the navy.

Shire remained unmoved:

"Tell me, who is more suitable?"

"Admiral Gephardt commanded the French Fleet to a world-renowned victory in the Dardanelles Strait campaign."

This was gilding Admiral Gephardt’s reputation, as much of the credit had been due to Shire and Tijani; Admiral Gephardt was merely collaborating.

"Admiral Gephardt also escorted the Atlantic Fleet, sinking dozens of German submarines under his command, protecting the safety of the supply line. Everyone knows how important this supply line is to France and the Allies!"

Again, credit was claimed for Admiral Gephardt that should have been attributed to Shire’s invention of the "Echo Detector."

However, it was correct in saying Admiral Gephardt had indeed accomplished those tasks.

"Admiral Gephardt also defeated the German Fleet in the North Sea, remember? Our fleet sunk seven German warships there, including a battlecruiser!" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Shire’s party legislators unanimously spoke in support.

Although they knew, this was due to Shire’s invention of the "torpedo plane."

The opposition legislators couldn’t refute; that battle was indeed commanded by Admiral Gephardt.

Shire stood tall and confident:

"Show me, is there any other general in France who has fought in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and North Sea simultaneously?"

"And all victorious."

"If there is, please bring them forth, and I promise to support them becoming the Minister of the Navy."

The conference room was filled with silence.

Of course, they couldn’t find such a competitor; Gephardt had participated in almost all foreign engagements, except for the times forcing Greece to land.

Such actions against neutral countries, deemed "quasi-war," couldn’t be claimed as glory; they were stains and shame, certainly not something anyone dared to mention.

Clemenceau, seeing the timing was right, stood by the platform and concurred:

"Gentlemen, I’d like to add something."

"I believe the French Navy should be the French Navy; it shouldn’t be divided into two factions."

"Yet, for a long time, we’ve been developing in two directions."

"Brest Faction and Toulon Faction, continuously competing with each other and fighting over resources. This is without doubt a huge waste; don’t you agree?"

"So, we need to elect a Minister of the Navy who can end this dispute and unite the French Navy."

"This could even make the French Navy great again, letting it once again stand at the top of the world as the strongest navy."

...

The legislators understood, "the strongest navy" referred to challenging the Royal Navy.

In the past, they might have thought this was a pipe dream.

But now, France has Shire, who is leading France quickly towards becoming a military powerhouse, including its navy.

Thus, it’s not out of reach, not unattainable; hints have already begun to emerge.

So, like a spark igniting tinder, the legislators instantly became fervent, standing up with clenched fists and shouting:

"Yes, make France great again!"

"We need to build the strongest navy."

"For the spirit of France, for human freedom, overthrow all colonial hegemonies!"

...

Wonderful, Shire was immensely pleased, these people had learned to compete in response.

At the same time, he was somewhat puzzled why they seemed more enthusiastic upon hearing "strongest navy" than just beating the Germans?