I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 815: Makers of World Rules

"The 'Super Line' provides more job opportunities for citizens, and this is neither an empty promise nor a joke."

The initial logic of the 'economic crisis' was this:

Wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few capitalists, leaving citizens without money to consume or purchase goods.

This resulted in capitalists possessing goods they couldn't sell, and they couldn't give them away for free either, as this would lead to even more unsold goods.

If citizens could receive goods for free, who would still buy them with money?

Hence, capitalists had no choice but to dump unsellable milk and destroy products, leading to mass layoffs and even bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, citizens were starving due to a lack of goods.

Buyers and sellers were at an impasse, like a rusted machine stuck at a certain point unable to move.

What was needed at this time was a bit of lubricant.

Roosevelt's New Deal built 250,000 miles of highway.

Building roads isn't farming or cattle raising, but it allows citizens to have bread and milk.

Because it serves as the lubricant: the money in capitalists' hands flows back to the citizens through infrastructure, and once citizens have money, they purchase various consumer goods, revitalizing stalled factories and ultimately helping society escape a vicious cycle into a virtuous one.

Shire's purpose in building the 'Super Line' is similar.

Its military function is quite limited, yet it transfers the capitalists' wealth into the hands of the impoverished citizens.

Shire can almost be termed as the middleman; if we ignore that Shire extracted some profit, in reality, the capitalists were driven bankrupt by Shire's Bernard Group, while the citizens were able to obtain wages for survival because they had jobs.

"This is wealth redistribution," Shire said to Gallieni:

"I believe it benefits the citizens, what do you think?"

"If you object, I can abolish this 'Super Line' plan."

"The choice is yours, General!"

Gallieni was left speechless by Shire's words.

He didn't understand economics; he thought anything "useless" was "wasteful" and "futile," just "straining the public and draining resources."

But Shire's explanation made sense; building the seemingly useless 'Super Line' actually put money into citizens' hands.

How could this be?

"The root cause is the excessive exploitation by capitalists of citizens, General," Shire explained:

"I won't do that. I will provide them with higher wages, a better living environment, and better social security."

"Others won't; they only want to extract as much as possible from the citizens."

"The ultimate outcome is strikes, marches, protests, while capitalists use military force to suppress."

Gallieni remained silent.

This indeed has been happening over and over for many years, even before the war.

After thinking for a while, Gallieni stared at Shire and asked: "Then, who can guarantee that you won't do the same in the future? I mean exploiting citizens by every possible means?"

This actually circles back to the issue of "dictatorship" and "freedom."

Shire's current intentions might be good, but it is "dictatorship." If he becomes a tyrant one day, the damage he could cause would far surpass that of the capitalists.

The capitalists may seem terrible now, but they are a group; they check and balance each other, which Gallieni believes maintains a sort of equilibrium.

"I cannot guarantee that, General," Shire countered, "but do you think it could be any worse than now?"

Gallieni was taken aback and then gradually nodded.

The ongoing war is indeed being waged by capitalists for their interests; otherwise, peace negotiations with Germany should have been initiated long ago.

Death, hunger, disease, poverty—all these are constantly tormenting citizens, and England is not entirely excluded.

Could it get any worse?

Finally, Gallieni nodded: "Do what you wish, but let me remind you, young man, I'll be watching you!"

"Of course, General." A confident smile appeared on Shire's face.

Shire's foresight is not as shortsighted as other capitalists.

His goal is not just to make money but to lead France in becoming the rule-maker of this world, only England and the United States haven't realized it yet.

...

The capitalists have already made a move against Shire.

Sensitive to capital, they sensed Shire taking the opportunity to acquire assets at reduced values, swiftly capturing high ground in several industries vital to the nation's lifeline.

But of course, at this moment, they dare not openly confront Shire.

Describing Shire as "all-powerful" is no exaggeration at this point.

In the government, there are Prime Minister Clemenceau and Minister of the Army and Commander of the Reserve Group Army Gallieni holding the fort. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The former controlling parliament, the latter responsible for strategy, logistics, security, and public opinion.

In commerce, France and England have Dejoka, the United States has Joseph, and Bernard Group has a large amount of high-tech industrial property rights.

In the military, there's Shire, who forms an ironclad triangle with Petain and Fuxu, while Ganmelin and the Eastern Group Army can only linger in the shadows.

The intelligence system has the "White Lady" and the "Second Bureau," both serving as Shire's eyes and ears, in public and in secrecy.

...

Who dares to openly provoke Shire?

Therefore, the capitalists can only secretly release unfavorable news about Shire:

"Shire is attempting to control France, using his power to gain too many resources."

"Yes, large amounts of land and factories have been acquired by Bernard Company, and we all know Bernard Company belongs to Shire."

"From now on, Shire will be the only capitalist farmers and workers need to face!"

...

This rhetoric seems harmless on the surface, with no inflammatory language, and can even be considered quite mild.

However, it subtly shifts the contradictions between farmers, workers, and capitalists onto Shire:

If you're dissatisfied with your life and employment, leading to protests,

Then, now that Shire owns the land and factories, have your lives improved?

If not, then you should go protest against Shire; he's the one who took away your land and exploited your labor!

Most farmers and workers choose to trust Shire since he's always had a good reputation.

However, when it comes to their survival, they can't help but feel anxious and doubtful.

At this point, when lobbyists hired by capitalists incite them, discussion quickly arises:

"Shire did indeed acquire lots of land and factories, but why?"

"Isn't the money from the armory enough? I heard he also has many mines."

"Could he be just like the other capitalists, exploiting us? Maybe all capitalists are the same!"

...

Just as people quietly speculated, Bernard Group dropped a bombshell:

"Starting today, each household can rent a specific amount of land for farming or livestock raising based on their labor capacity, with a rent of only 1% of the yield and no land tax obligations."