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

Chapter 613 The Cost of War

Petain and Fuxu successively telegraphed to express their "trust" in Shire.

Petain congratulated Shire in a kind and friendly tone:

"Another world-renowned victory, Vice Admiral, I am proud of you; France is proud of you."

"Moreover, I heard they nominated you as the commander-in-chief?"

"This is one of the few decisions by the parliament that I agree with. I even think you are the most suitable candidate, there is no doubt about it, even more than the current commander-in-chief."

Petain still subtly stabbed Fuxu in the back.

...

Fuxu outwardly maintained his skeptical attitude towards Shire, publishing an article in the Merit Newspaper, subtly pointing out that Shire’s victory in this battle had a lot of randomness and was not typical of war.

On the other hand, he sent a secret telegram to Shire through Wei Gang: "A brilliant battle, Vice Admiral, congratulations. Additionally, I believe your victories at sea are more important at this stage."

Shire nodded in agreement quietly.

To Shire, any number of victories on land were tactical. The parliament could use various excuses to manipulate him.

Even completely defeating the Germans would be disadvantageous for Shire because "a bow is cast aside once the birds are gone." Then the parliament could act against Shire without any scruples.

Instead, controlling the sea routes determined Shire’s control over resources; it was strategic, clutching the lifeline of all capitalists, including the parliament.

...

On the southern shore of the River Somme, Fuxu sat at his desk staring blankly at the map, a deployment map of the British, French, and German armies along the River Somme.

In the distance, the sound of artillery fire grew more intense, and the gunfire continued unceasingly.

The British Army launched yet another attack on the German defense lines.

Since Shire achieved victory at Hasselt, the British seemed to have gone mad, launching attack after attack on the German Army, even deploying the "Camel" fighter planes imported from Shire to the battlefield.

Fuxu knew why this was happening.

The previously unrivaled prestige of Britain faced an unprecedented challenge; the Colonial Army had lost faith in the British, not just the African troops, but even the Indian and Australian troops, known for their "loyalty," now wanted to collaborate with the French Army rather than the British Army.

These troops even used British equipment.

But Fuxu was not thinking about this or the stalemated Somme battlefield; he was thinking about Shire.

Fuxu was pondering a question: If Shire was truly appointed as commander-in-chief, could he accept it?

From a personal standpoint, Fuxu did not want to accept it; it was even hard for him to accept.

Because this would mean a complete negation of Fuxu.

The current tactical theories used by France were Fuxu’s "Offense Theory."

Even though Petain’s "Defense Theory" and Shire’s "Random Response Theory" had emerged, "Offense Theory" remained mainstream. Fuxu was still the most important founder of tactical theory, an irreplaceable presence.

If Shire became the commander-in-chief and vigorously promoted his "Random Response Theory," Fuxu’s era would end. His fall from grace might be faster than expected.

However...

Is this really important?

Fuxu raised his head, listening to the direction of the artillery and gunfire.

The British were using classic offensive tactics that signified death, stalemate, and meaningless consumption.

Fuxu felt like a sinner, a murderer, an executioner, pushing countless lives to the battlefield to become corpses just to prove the correctness of his theories, including the enemies.

But Shire’s tactics, with minimal cost, could encircle and capture the enemy, deciding victory while allowing most soldiers from both sides to survive.

No, I can’t continue like this.

Shire is right; his theories and tactics are the trend of the times. Anyone who stands in opposition will ultimately end in failure.

Thus, I must support him, no matter from which perspective!

"General!" Colonel Bruce stood at attention and saluted before Fuxu. After waiting a moment without a response, he called again in confusion.

Fuxu suddenly awoke, saw Colonel Bruce standing in front of him. He was momentarily stunned, then asked with a blank expression, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "Any orders, Colonel?"

Colonel Bruce was Haig’s staff officer who was fluent in French and stationed on the south bank of the River Somme. Officially, he was there to promote Anglo-French coordination. In reality, he conveyed the demands of the British Expeditionary Force to Fuxu.

Fuxu could never forget the hypocritical face of Colonel Bruce, who outwardly exhibited gentlemanly manners while his eyes were full of disdain. His tone carried a threat: "We will provide your army with resources depending on the situation, General. You must understand that in wartime, resources are often unattainable even with money."

Now, Colonel Bruce again stood before Fuxu, courteous and humble.

"It’s like this." Colonel Bruce took a document from his briefcase and handed it over: "We hope your army can coordinate with ours. This is the battle plan for tomorrow."

Fuxu took the document and saw that it required the French Army to move its artillery to the front line to bombard German positions on the north bank of the River Somme from the flanks.

Fuxu first frowned, then couldn’t help but laugh: "Such a perfect battle plan!"

Colonel Bruce could certainly hear the sarcasm in Fuxu’s words, but he remained composed:

"You think so too? That’s wonderful!"

"We all know that the Southern Shore French Army’s defense line has advanced about three kilometers, while the British Army’s front line remains behind."

"Thus, the French Army only needs to move its artillery to the front line to bombard the enemy’s defense line and even the enemy’s artillery positions from the flanks."

"This will greatly assist the British Army’s offensive."

(Note: The French Army’s defense line along the River Somme advanced five kilometers in one go thanks to Shire, creating an imbalance between the north and south shores.)

Fuxu countered:

"This would indeed greatly assist the British Army’s offensive, Colonel, I admit that."

"But did you consider that once our artillery moves to the front line and opens fire, they will be subjected to double bombardment from the German Army."

"They could be blown sky-high in an instant, with not even a scrap left."

Colonel Bruce calmly raised an eyebrow: "That’s the price of war, wouldn’t you agree?"

This statement had a double meaning, referring not only to the price of war but also to the price for the French Army to obtain supplies.

Fuxu smiled: "Yes, that is indeed the price of war. But it seems you forgot that the French Navy sank 12 German submarines."

With that, Fuxu threw the prepared newspaper in front of Colonel Bruce.

Colonel Bruce’s expression stiffened: "I don’t understand what you mean, General."

Fuxu squinted his eyes:

"I’m curious, what price are you willing to pay for this war, Colonel?"

"With just one command, the British Army won’t get any supplies at all."