I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 32: Do You Want a Rifle or a Tank?

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Do You Want a Rifle or a Tank?

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The grandiose hall of the Palais Bourbon House of Representatives was bustling with noise, with semicircle seats arranged around the speaker’s platform. A five-foot-wide aisle ran from the speaker’s podium, dividing the seats distinctly into left and right sections.

The left side was occupied by the left-wing, and the right side by the right-wing.

Leading the right-wing parties, Grevy and Arman sat in the front row on the right side, listening to the uproar from both wings as they exchanged whispers.

After a while, Grevy glanced at the aggressive left side, then turned his gaze to Arman:

"It’s time to give them a heavy blow!"

Arman nodded, straightened his bow tie, and confidently walked up to the podium, leaning on his cane and striding with a proud posture.

(The Palais Bourbon House of Representatives has two tiers in its front dais. The lower front tier is for members to make speeches and propose topics, while the higher back tier seats the speaker and other government officials.)

Arman surveyed the surroundings for a moment, then elegantly placed his right hand gently on his abdomen and shouted with full voice, "Gentlemen!"

His voice was high-pitched and penetrating, clear enough for even those in the back row to hear every word distinctly. The originally noisy hall gradually quieted down as both sides took their seats and focused their attention on Arman.

This was one of the reasons Grevy continually partnered with Arman to deal with the left-wing.

Arman had almost no merits, but as a former lawyer, his eloquence was intense, sharp, and highly provocative, precisely the skill Grevy lacked.

"First!" Arman casually waved his hand toward the audience, "Please allow me to extend my deepest apologies to the Germans; this time, they will not be crowned in Paris!"

The hall burst into knowing laughter.

A great opening, Grevy praised internally, for neither the left-wing nor the right-wing would reject a victory for France.

Arman added, "Unless they are willing to send over the German Emperor!"

The laughter grew louder, with a few scattered claps.

"I will personally prepare a special coronation ceremony for the German Emperor!" Arman continued, "This ceremony involves a wooden frame and a rope. I will personally place the ’crown’ around his neck!"

He even mimicked the action of a noose hanging around the neck and exaggeratedly made a face with his tongue sticking out.

The hall erupted into laughter, followed by intense applause.

Grevy couldn’t help but be impressed by Arman’s talent for oration. His every gesture easily focused all attention on himself.

Only in this way could the next words truly resonate.

Arman steered the conversation to the main topic:

"For decades, France has been in a state of defeat against Germany, both psychologically and in reality!"

"So much so that young women named Alsace in brothels became particularly popular!"

"They hoped to reclaim Alsace from the Germans through this means to bring under their control!"

(Note: During the Franco-Prussian War, France ceded Alsace and Lorraine. It happened that many women in France were named Alsace, and some women in brothels would intentionally rename themselves Alsace.)

The attendees had varied reactions to these words; some laughed while others looked awkward, as some among them had indeed done such things.

"This is no disgrace!" Arman continued, "This should be a point of pride because it precisely demonstrates your love for this nation, something I am proud of!"

Those who felt embarrassed now felt somewhat comforted.

Arman quickened his pace:

"What I really mean to say is that from now on, your wish is likely to come true, not in the brothels, but on the battlefield. We are leading the French Army to truly conquer Alsace!"

"Yes!" Many responded loudly.

"And Lorraine, as well as reparations!" Arman emphasized.

"Indeed!" The hall was abuzz with excitement.

"And making the Germans lower their noble heads!" Arman raised his fist and shouted.

"That’s how it should be!" the members chimed in, the fervor reaching a peak.

At this point, Arman changed his tone, his voice becoming relaxed:

"However, we should consider a question, what helped us defeat the Germans?"

The members were puzzled by this question. Wasn’t it the French Army?

After piquing their curiosity, Arman revealed the answer:

"Gentlemen, a young man named Shire provided the answer, and that is the tank!"

The members nodded; they of course knew about this, a young man named Shire invented the tank, and with the help of the tank, the French Army defeated the Germans.

At the opportune moment, Grevy stood up and shouted, "That’s correct, the tank played a crucial role in the two battles at Davaz! Without the tank, we could not have achieved victory!"

Following Grevy’s lead, the right-wing members voiced their agreement, leaving the left-wing members nodding in concession, as it was a fact. The left-wing failed to realize they were falling into the trap set by Grevy and Arman.

Arman continued:

"The tank appeared suddenly when the French Army was in retreat, it reversed the tide of the battle leading the retreating French to victory!"

"Then, it successfully crushed the German Army in the battle at the Marne River!"

"This battle was commanded by General Gallieni, who led the Sixth Army Group in a fierce attack on the German Army, yet suffered heavy casualties and made no progress, with even the risk of collapse!"

Arman was speaking the facts, as that was the German Army’s plan. They were waiting for the Sixth Army Group’s next attack. Once the Sixth Army Group failed in its attack, they would immediately switch to a counteroffensive. The Sixth Army Group, having lost its manpower and morale, would have difficulty resisting the German counteroffensive.

(Note: Historically, the Sixth Army Group was indeed defeated by the Germans, and it was only when Xia Fei personally persuaded the British Expeditionary Force to join the battlefield that the Germans were defeated. Though the overall strength of the British Army was in disarray, the initial contingent of over a hundred thousand British Expeditionary Forces sent to France were battle-hardened elites.)

Arman highlighted the key point:

"So, gentlemen!"

"Tell me, in the upcoming battles, would you prefer to deploy more rifles, machine guns, artillery, or tanks?"

"Would you prefer the French Army to suffer heavy casualties like the Sixth Army Group and achieve nothing, or like the Fifth Army Group, with just a few hundred men crushing the German forces, making them flee in disarray?"

The answer to this choice was obvious, almost everyone shouted:

"Tanks!"

"We need tanks!"

"To hell with rifles!"

...

Regardless of the topic, the left and right wings would always argue over their differing stances. At this moment, on this issue, there was unanimous agreement, with almost everyone supporting tanks.

Only one person silently watched all this, remaining silent, Steed, the owner of the Saint-Étienne arms factory.

Almost all of the French Army’s light weapons, including standard rifles and machine guns, were produced by the Saint-Étienne arms factory.

Steed had just received news that the two right-wing parties had joined forces to purchase the tank’s patent.

So, he knew exactly what game Arman was playing with this passionate speech!

At this moment, Arman’s gaze happened to meet Steed’s. Looking at the unperturbed Steed, a challenging smile played on Arman’s lips, as if to say, "What can you do about it? Bring it on!"