I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 770: The Final Struggle
Shire's gaze swept across the room, eyes cold:
"We all know what the Germans will do with these resources once they get them."
"The resources will feed German soldiers, and the oil will enable them to create more mechanized equipment, including tanks."
"They will also produce bullets and shells aimed at us!"
The parliamentarians looked at each other, whispering guesses about who was responsible.
One of the parliamentarians asked Shire, "How do you know this, General? Do you have any evidence?"
Shire took out a telegram wrapped in waterproof oil paper from his inner pocket, opened it, and waved it in front of everyone:
"This is a telegram from General Brusilov, the Commander-in-Chief of Russia's Southwestern Army Group."
"He told me a shocking piece of news. After losing a small town, they found the Germans were digging up oil and resources from underground."
"Preliminary estimates suggest this batch of oil is 200,000 tons, along with 50,000 tons of resources."
The parliamentarians uproariously reacted; such a large quantity would be enough for Germany to hold on for several months.
Another parliamentarian shouted:
"But what does this have to do with us?"
"That happened on the Eastern Front."
"Perhaps it's a problem with the Russians themselves..."
"Gentlemen," Shire interrupted their questioning, "under General Brusilov's investigation, he discovered that these resources came from Romania."
Someone nodded, "Indeed, only Romania has so much oil and resources."
Clemenceau interjected, "Could it be, this is oil and resources sold by a French company?"
Briand originally looked bewildered but instantly turned pale as paper; he realized where the problem lay.
Sure enough, Shire answered expressionlessly: "You guessed right, Mr. Commissioner, this oil and resources come from Fidel Refinery."
The parliament erupted in chaos.
Briand stood with his mouth half-open for a long time, unable to speak. He wanted to defend himself but dared not, fearing others would know he owned shares in the refinery.
Fortunately, someone questioned on his behalf: "Is this confirmed, General? I mean, did Fidel Refinery admit it?"
Shire shook his head regretfully, "No, gentlemen. The Romanian government immediately launched an investigation into Fidel Refinery, but they claimed to know nothing about it, thinking this batch of oil and resources was sold to Russia."
Briand breathed a sigh of relief.
But he quickly realized that this would not help; as long as Fidel could not prove itself innocent, the flames would inevitably spread to him.
What to do?
While Briand was calculating difficultly in his mind, someone turned the focus onto him: "Mr. Prime Minister, I remember you own shares in Fidel, do you know anything about this?"
The voice was not loud, but people around heard it, and it spread quickly like it had legs.
"No, no." Briand hurriedly responded, "I know nothing of this matter; it has nothing to do with me."
But, unanimously, the parliamentarians all stared at Briand, eyes filled with doubt.
Briand quickly stood up to explain himself: "You know, I have been in Paris busy with official duties, I don't have time to inquire about Fidel Refinery's affairs."
"But you own its shares, Mr. Prime Minister," Steed coldly asked, "At least, when it sells oil and resources to the Germans, a portion of the profit will come to you."
"This is slander, I have not received this money." Briand's tone became agitated, "I know nothing about this, I will investigate this matter myself..."
"You don't seem quite suitable, Mr. Prime Minister." Wells interrupted Briand, "There is a basic understanding here; you have a conflict of interest in this matter, making it hard to remain impartial, so you should recuse yourself rather than get involved."
Cold sweat instantly dripped from Briand's forehead.
He originally wanted to show his determination, but it turned into being 'up to something'.
"Gentlemen," Clemenceau stood up, opened his arms to the parliamentarians behind him and called out:
"Although I don't want to admit it, we all know there are a group of people in France who don't want Shire to win."
"Because it goes against their interests."
"I think this might be one of the reasons they want to sell resources and oil to the Germans."
"In other words, they can gain money as well as other benefits."
"We can start investigating this matter from this angle, don't you think?"
Shire inwardly praised Clemenceau, truly a seasoned old fox in politics.
He did not mention Briand directly, yet he was constantly targeting Briand.
Everyone knows the French Parliament and government are at odds with Shire, especially Briand; he always hoped to restrain Shire to prevent the rise of military dictatorship.
(The image above shows the location of the Lorraine and Alsace regions in France, after the Franco-Prussian War, parts of these regions were ceded to Germany)
The parliamentarians remained silent, understanding the implicit message in Clemenceau's words.
Some sighed, some shook their heads, all expressing agreement:
"Yes, I think Mr. Prime Minister is not suitable to investigate this matter."
"We should be cautious about this, I suggest forming an investigative group."
"This matter cannot be left unresolved; we must investigate thoroughly and never let those shameless traitors off!"
…
These remarks on the surface discussed "investigation," but actually intended to delineate from Briand.
Now Briand was like a plague god, anyone approaching him might be implicated, so all stayed far away.
At this point, Shire knew Briand was finished.
Once the news spread to the populace, Briand's only path would be resignation due to incrimination.
Such is politics.
Even though it's just suspicion, merely being the Prime Minister holding shares and benefiting is sufficient for him to resign.
…
The parliament did not embarrass Briand, parliamentarians did not want to stand out, nor was Shire's faction in a hurry.
The news quickly spread throughout Paris and even the entire country.
Furious citizens surrounded the city hall that night; they were informed Briand dared not return home but hid in his office.
They shouted at Briand's office:
"Our children died on the battlefield, by the thousands, you killed them."
"You should be ashamed for all you have done." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Face judgment like a man, confess your vile deeds!"
…
Then someone threw stones towards the office, and the sound of glass shattering came from the darkness.
Briand cowered in the lounge, trembling, not daring to take a look at the situation.
Two guards rushed in, just as they stood by the window, stones immediately hit them, covering their wounds to dodge.
"Where's Durra?" Briand asked, "Where's Major Durra?"
"He went home, Mr. Prime Minister." The guard replied.
"Call him back immediately." Briand ordered, "No, send him to Romania to investigate this matter."
However, Briand knew in his heart this matter could never be investigated thoroughly.
