I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 976

General Winter immediately realized that there was no point in discussing the matter further; Shire was not going to relent, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Alright," General Winter said, "let’s then talk about the armistice."

"The armistice?" Shire feigned ignorance, "What’s there to talk about?"

General Winter was confused by Shire, "What do you mean?"

"Do you mean..." Shire asked, "that we’ll negotiate with Germany together? As the Allies?"

"Isn’t that so?" General Winter’s expression changed.

"General," Shire replied,

"Since you’ve already bypassed France and negotiated with the Germans, thereby violating the Treaty of London."

"So, is there any need for us to negotiate with the Germans as Allies?"

Shire would not fall for this; why should the victory France achieved be shared equally with others?

General Winter hurriedly explained, "This is a misunderstanding, General. We’ve already investigated; it was General Haig’s personal action, independent of the British Government..."

Shire smiled without commenting.

Suddenly, General Winter realized the purpose of Shire keeping William II.

The evidence was in Shire’s hands. If one day William II suddenly appeared before the world and revealed the secret deal that took place at Wilhelm Port, no amount of argument from England and America would matter.

After contemplating for a while, General Winter nodded, "Alright, I understand your point. You mean we shall negotiate with Germany separately, independently of each other, correct?"

Shire nodded affirmatively, "Yes."

General Winter left Shire’s command post in disgrace, having gained nothing.

At this moment, Shire received a telegram.

The telegram was from Lucia: "Target successfully acquired; you’ll never guess why he agreed."

Shire was puzzled, wondering what could motivate a scientist. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

It was either funding or an environment, similar to what Fusenden sought, and Shire could provide everything they needed.

Later, Shire learned that the reason the target agreed was because Shire advocated for the "French Spirit" and was committed to creating world peace.

Upon learning this, Shire sighed inwardly, perhaps this was the beginning of "soft power" making an impact.

It might not work on politicians, but it was incredibly potent against scientists with ideals.

...

At the London War Office, the Minister of Military Supplies listened to General Winter recount Shire’s words with a frown.

He said nothing, puffing on a cigar as if trying to immerse himself in smoke.

After a long while, the Minister of Military Supplies asked, "What’s the progress of our attack in Frankfurt?"

(Note: Frankfurt is a district in Germany)

General Winter replied, "The Germans’ defense is very strong. They only surrender to the French Army but are willing to fight the British Army until the last moment."

The Minister of Military Supplies felt uneasy.

Shire’s army did not press the attack further, and the German army would surrender only to the French Army.

Doesn’t that imply that England would be excluded from the armistice negotiations?

The Minister of Military Supplies had previously hoped to bind with France using the Treaty of London, making the German surrender to France tantamount to surrendering to England, thus allowing England to wield France’s influence to compel the Germans to comply.

But Shire would not fall for it.

Based on the principle that "what is not gained on the battlefield cannot be gained at the negotiating table," even if the Germans were willing to negotiate with England, England would not gain significant benefits.

The Minister of Military Supplies could imagine the negotiation scene:

"We believe Germany should pay $330 billion in compensation for this war!"

"$330 billion? On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that we are the victors, and we paid a heavy price for this war."

"No, the victors are France, not you!"

"We are allies with France; you must accept this fact!"

"Sorry, we don’t accept that. If you’re not satisfied, then keep fighting!"

...

The Germans wouldn’t dare to say such things in front of the French negotiating representatives because the French Army could easily cripple them, even marching all the way to Berlin.

But the Germans could say such things to the representatives of England and the United States.

Because for the British Army and the US Army, defeating the current German forces was still difficult, even risking heavy casualties.

Therefore, France was the one with the most significant gains, and it held the power to speak.

General Winter also considered this issue and suggested, "Perhaps we should wait?"

"Wait?" The Minister of Military Supplies did not lift his head and asked coldly, "Wait for what?"

General Winter explained,

"Shire’s army has occupied the Ruhr Industrial District, which is the most crucial industrial base for the Germans."

"Just wait for a while, and with our material blockade at sea."

"The Germans’ supplies will soon be in trouble."

There was no need to elaborate further; once the German Army was short on supplies, defeating them would be much easier for the British Army.

The Minister of Military Supplies pondered for a while and nodded slowly.

As long as the Germans could be defeated to gain leverage at the negotiating table, the method used or whether it was "an unfair victory" was not a concern for a politician.

...

At Pondisai Castle, the 6th Army Command Post.

Albert I personally brought food to Shire.

"This is a specialty food from Liege, Vice Admiral." Albert I took out waffles, meatballs, honey, and fruit syrup from a thermal food box.

(Above shows the Liege specialty food, Liege waffles)

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty." Shire, who was signing documents, nodded to Albert I in gratitude.

At this time, an aide came holding a telegram to report to Shire, "General, the production in the Ruhr Industrial District has been restored."

Shire took the telegram and casually tossed it aside.

Albert I felt strange as he listened, "Vice Admiral, your rifles and artillery are completely different from the Germans’; why do you need to restore production in the Ruhr Industrial District so quickly?"

What significance does this have for the French Army? Instead, it might increase the risk of ammunition being captured by the German Army!

Shire only made a soft "hmm," then put down the document and took a piece of waffle. The exterior was crispy and the inside was soft, tasting better than expected.

"Delicious," Shire complimented.

Albert I replied,

"It’s not just for you, General; every French Army soldier in Liege has it."

"I would prefer to send them to the front lines so that those warriors can taste them, but the current transportation conditions don’t allow it."

"However, rest assured, every contribution they make will be remembered by Belgium."

Shire appreciated Albert I’s approach, making one feel that contributing to Belgium was worthwhile.

Noticing him still looking at the telegram about the Ruhr Industrial District, Shire explained, "The British Army is also attacking the Germans, Your Majesty. I assume you wouldn’t want them to achieve a great victory on the battlefield, right?"

Albert I suddenly realized and heavily nodded, "Of course, Vice Admiral, of course not!"