I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 778: That’s the British Army’s Business

Chapter 778: Chapter 778: That’s the British Army’s Business

Arman stared blankly at Shire for quite a while before asking, "Are you joking, General? Buy all the land you can!"

Shire replied expressionlessly, "Do I look like I’m joking?"

"Alright then!" Arman raised his glass and walked to the other end of the living room, took the map of France hanging on the wall with one hand, and handed it to Shire upon returning.

"West of the Meuse River is mostly wheat-producing farmland." Arman recited familiarly: "To the west are pastures, and to the south are vineyards, potatoes, and beets..."

"I only want the farmland and pastures," Shire interrupted Arman: "as well as land for construction."

Shire’s purpose for purchasing the farmland is to ensure national security, to secure the food and housing of citizens, avoiding having the lifeline of the nation controlled by capitalists.

Vineyards are mostly used to produce red wine, which is a non-essential commodity, and Shire deemed it unnecessary to intervene.

Arman sighed with relief:

"A wise choice, General."

"You know, the south’s farmland is very safe, so the prices remain high."

"Even the worst vineyards cost thousands of US Dollars per hectare, and the quality ones cost ten or even hundreds of thousands of US Dollars."

Shire asked, "What about the price of farmland?"

Arman sat back on the sofa and answered:

"Farmland is about 500 US Dollars per hectare, nationwide there are about 5 million hectares."

"Pastures and land for construction are slightly cheaper, around 300 US Dollars."

"Knowing this, do you still plan to purchase in large quantities?"

Shire responded with an "Hmm": "The initial plan is 1 million hectares of farmland, and 500 thousand hectares each of pastures and construction land."

Arman whistled: "Do you know how much money that requires? That’s 80 billion US Dollars, General."

This is undoubtedly a huge amount.

Throughout the entire war, England only borrowed 10 billion US Dollars from the United States. Shire managed many military enterprises, mining, shipyards, insurance, shipping, and with the addition of the Romanian oil shares, the combined revenue only barely reached 20 million US Dollars a month.

Even with all income poured in, it would take over 30 years to pay off the cost.

Arman raised his glass towards Shire:

"Additionally, I feel it’s necessary to remind you: you recaptured lost land and drove the Germans out of France, which restored people’s confidence in land, thus the prices are rising."

"If we purchase massively, it will further drive up the prices."

"So, even if you gather enough money, what you ultimately get may be much less than that."

Shire replied calmly, "That’s not your concern, Arman, you just need to be prepared."

Arman nodded readily: "Yes, General. As soon as the funds are ready, I’ll assist in the purchase immediately."

But he asked again: "However, I should at least know when the right time for acquisition is."

Shire’s answer was simple: "When the British lose a battle."

Arman suddenly understood Shire’s intention.

When the British lose a battle, people will once again lose faith in the land, repeating the scenes of selling and fleeing, thus land prices will plummet again.

"My God!" Arman sat up straight, exclaiming, "This is one of the purposes of handing Metz over to the British Expeditionary Force..."

Shire looked up with a glare, a hint of warning in his eyes, causing Arman to swiftly shut his mouth.

"No, I know nothing." Arman chuckled awkwardly, "I will fulfill my duties, General, you can completely trust me."

Shire nodded slowly: "You better do so, including when you are in bed, you mustn’t disclose these matters to anyone, understand?"

"Understood." Arman nodded heavily.

He dared not provoke this plague god Shire, a man who could arbitrarily decide the fate of millions of troops in France.

He also controlled the Second Bureau and a mysterious intelligence system, which even dispelled Arman’s thoughts of earning some gray income during acquisitions.

It’s better to honestly help him with the work.

Helping Shire and making him satisfied is the only way to ensure his own life and enjoyment.

Otherwise, he might not need to exist in this world anymore.

...

After leaving Arman Manor, Shire went to Salpêtrière Hospital.

Gallieni’s complexion looked much better; he no longer needed assistance to walk in the corridor for simple rehabilitation training.

Shire carefully accompanied him, with a hint of reproach in his tone: "I heard you brought official duties into the hospital? You don’t need to worry about these."

"They told me the same," Gallieni replied, "Major Fernan always says let Shire and his troops have a headache, he will soon recover the entire territory of France, and the Reserve Army Group almost has nothing to do."

Then he paused, turned his head towards Shire, and asked meaningfully, "But is that really the case?"

Shire smiled lightly.

Gallieni saw through his thoughts.

It wasn’t difficult. The British, because of their stubbornness, and marshals and generals like Kitchener and Haig, always had tactics and equipment lagging behind France and Germany.

In this situation, for the British Expeditionary Force to defeat Germany would be miraculous.

"Won’t you offer an explanation?" Gallieni’s voice held some reproach.

"There’s no need for an explanation, General," Shire answered, "They are the British Army, our allies. Sharing the battlefield pressure is what they should do."

Gallieni countered:

"Perhaps I can ignore the British, but they’re fighting on our soil."

"Have you considered the people of Lorraine and Alsace? The frontline will be pushed and pulled around them repeatedly."

"The Germans might even invade deep into France again, causing harm to many citizens. French citizens!"

Shire led Gallieni into the ward and sat on the bed: "You shouldn’t get angry now, General. I do not want this either, but it’s France’s best option, don’t you think?"

"The best option?" Gallieni was skeptical.

"England has always been a threat to France," Shire explained, "Letting them exhaust themselves against the Germans, isn’t that the best option? Don’t you calculate how many of our soldiers’ lives we would save?"

Gallieni was taken aback.

He hadn’t considered this point; it indeed seemed capable of saving many lives, French soldiers’ lives.

Shire added: "Additionally, Lorraine and Alsace have been under German rule, and the citizens there had lived peacefully with the Germans for many years. Even if occupied by the Germans again, they would not mistreat them."

Gallieni had to concede this point.

"I will evacuate the radicals beforehand," Shire said, "so the Germans have even less excuse for slaughter."

Gallieni sighed: "Is it truly necessary?"

He was still fixated on the impending "defeat" of the British Expeditionary Force.

Shire shrugged: "That’s war, General."

They are the British Army, their duty is to fight, to face life and death directly.

Therefore, their deaths cannot be placed on my head, only blamed on their inadequate skill and their generals and marshals.