I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 231: After Modification - Death Draw Order

Gallieni called Xi Fei:

"Yes, General. They will resolutely carry out your orders!"

"But we all agree that it is more appropriate for you to make the speech; after all, you are the Commander-in-Chief of France."

"No, it’s not a problem; our reporters have your photos. As long as you allow it, we can publish your words and photos in the newspaper."

"Yes, you don’t need to come to Paris in person!"

"Shire could do it too, but our reporters think..."

Gallieni turned his head and glanced at Kobudo standing beside him, and then continued:

"Our reporters think it’s not suitable for both of you to be in the same publication."

"This will make others mistakenly believe that Colonel Shire is as important as the Commander-in-Chief!"

"Perhaps Shire’s appeal could be put on the second day."

...

Xia Fei hung up the phone in a huff.

He did indeed have plans to use this opportunity to weaken Shire’s military influence because Shire made Xia Fei feel a lot of pressure.

At this moment, the military had basically given up on the "Saint Chammon" and CA-1, opting to fully order Shire’s "Char A1" tanks.

In fact, they did not abandon "Saint Chammon" and CA-1 but continued to place orders for them, just converting them into auxiliary vehicles, like troop and supply transports.

Although everyone knew that using tractors to transport troops and supplies would be much more effective than these vehicles that often got stuck in craters, they still had to find some use for them so they could play a role.

However, the "Char A1" tank continued to achieve complete victories on the frontlines, and the army only trusted the "Char A1" and the "Mark 1," disregarding all others.

The "Char A1" was generally seen as effective in attacking enemy lines, while the "Mark 1," with its excellent trench-crossing abilities, remained active on the battlefield.

Many believed that when the "Char A1" could not cross enemy trenches, it would be the "Mark 1" that would play its role; they complemented each other.

In short, as long as it was Shire’s equipment, it would be effective and win battles. The frontline soldiers had great trust in them, and any unit equipped with Shire’s tanks would see a sharp boost in morale.

In contrast, if a unit was equipped with "Saint Chammon" or CA-1, they would feel like cannon fodder sent to their deaths.

This was not good news for Xia Fei. He was the representative (spokesperson) for the "Saint Chammon." Not long ago, he had been promoting the might of the "Saint Chammon," emphasizing that it was invincible...

The reality, however, was that even the craters and rocks on the battlefield made it difficult for the "Saint Chammon" to move, let alone compete with the formidable "Char A1."

Shire had challenged the authority and prestige of France’s Commander-in-Chief!

At this rate, the frontline soldiers would be more willing to obey Shire’s orders rather than those of the French Commander-in-Chief.

The frontline troops did not care about ranks, positions, or politics. They only cared about who could keep them alive and lead them to defeat the enemy and achieve victory; they would follow that person!

Just then, Xia Fei received news of a ceasefire on the front lines; the General Staff could no longer command the front lines.

Immediately, Xia Fei thought of Shire: could this be his doing? He had the "Merit Newspaper" in his hands and was using his influence and the support of the army to marginalize the Commander-in-Chief.

But upon careful inspection, there was no problem with the "Merit Newspaper."

An hour later, Kanes received feedback from the front: "General, it might be due to Christmas; it seems both sides are tired of the war, so..."

"We cannot allow this to continue." Xia Fei interrupted Kanes roughly, his voice stern: "The Germans are still on French land, and unauthorized ceasefires will cause our troops to lose their will to attack. Continuing like this, we will inevitably face defeat!"

"But..." Kanes said helplessly, "we cannot command anyone; to be precise, we can give orders to the officers, but their orders are not being followed."

Xia Fei hesitated and said, "Maybe we can let Shire play a role."

Thus, Gallieni urgently pulled Shire back from his Christmas dinner to the headquarters.

Xia Fei had beautiful thoughts: let Shire rally the soldiers.

If successful, the French army would get back on track.

If it failed, it would be a blow to Shire and the "Merit Newspaper."

Regardless of the outcome, it would be beneficial to Xia Fei.

Unexpectedly, Gallieni played Tai Chi and passed the ball to Xia Fei’s feet.

Xia Fei snorted coldly and sat back down in his chair.

If he issued the call to battle in his name, it would be meaningless; if successful, the "Merit Newspaper" would share in the credit, and if it failed, it would be an embarrassment to Commander-in-Chief Xia Fei.

But Xia Fei had no reason to object. Did it mean admitting that Shire had more influence than him, the Commander-in-Chief?

Seeing Xia Fei’s grim expression, Kanes softly suggested, "General, we can send personnel to the frontlines to supervise and urge the soldiers to re-engage in battle..."

"No!" Xia Fei shook his head expressionlessly, stood up, pointed to Ypres on the map, and said in a deep and slow voice, "This is the source, send the infantry gendarmerie up, and for those troops that disobey orders, implement a decimation order!"

(Note: During the Third French Republic, the gendarmerie was divided into infantry gendarmerie and cavalry gendarmerie. The decimation order was a continuation of the Roman Republic’s practice of executing one in ten. The French Republic was relatively "merciful": they had the units elect the individuals themselves, and the proportion was not high. By the way, the movie "Paths of Glory" was banned in France.)

Kanes was stunned, standing still, looking at Xia Fei in disbelief.

Xia Fei emphasized his tone: "Execute the order!"

"Yes, General!" Kanes responded, trembling, and turned to deliver the orders.

...

The news reached the Paris City Defense Headquarters, and Gallieni was speechless for a while after hearing it.

Indeed, France had this military regulation. It was intended to intimidate those who dared to defy military orders, but it was generally not used unless the military situation was urgent and resulted in severe consequences.

But now, Gallieni didn’t think that the so-called "disobedience" of the frontline troops had caused any consequences; they just wanted to skip these two days of Christmas.

Shire was also stunned when he heard about it. Did France really have such an absurd military regulation? And they even let the frontline troops "elect" a few people to be executed?

"They think this will keep the troops’ morale and fighting spirit!" Major Fernan’s eyes were filled with indignation: "They don’t care about these things because they’re not the ones dying anyway!"

Shire thought for a while and then said to Gallieni, "General, I happened to have purchased some turkeys as Christmas gifts. I want to deliver them and offer some condolences, please approve!"

Gallieni, of course, knew that this was an excuse from Shire.

However, he did not stop him, he just said, "This could be dangerous..."

Shire smiled: "The frontlines have already ceased fire, General, there will not be any danger; in fact, we hope there is ’danger’!"

Gallieni hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, this day will come anyway!"

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