I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 32 Rifles or Tanks?
The magnificent hall of the House of Representatives in the Bourbon Palace was bustling with people. Semi-circular seats were arranged in front of the Speaker's seat. An aisle about five feet wide ran from the Speaker's seat through the entire hall and divided the seats into clearly defined left and right areas.

The left wing sits on the left and the right wing sits on the right.

Greve and Armand, the leaders of the two right-wing parties, sat in the front row on the right, talking in low voices while listening to the noise from the left and right wings.

After a while, Grevi glanced to the left, then turned his gaze to Armand:
"It's time to give them a hard blow!"

Armand nodded, adjusted the bow tie around his neck, and walked to the podium with his head held high, leaning on his cane and taking confident steps.

(The French Chamber of Deputies has two levels of front desk. The front level has a lower level for members to speak and raise issues. The back level is higher and is where the speaker and other government officials sit.)
Armand looked around for a moment, then gently raised his right hand and placed it elegantly in front of his abdomen, and shouted with full energy: "Gentlemen!"

His voice was loud and penetrating. Even the congressmen sitting in the last row could clearly hear every word he said. The originally noisy voices gradually subsided, and the two factions sat back in their seats and cast their eyes on Armand on the stage.

This is one of the reasons why Grevi always joins forces with Armand to deal with the left wing.

Armand has almost no advantages, but as a lawyer, he is fiercely eloquent, sharp and very inflammatory, which is exactly what Grevy lacks.

"First of all!" Armand waved his hand to the audience in a relaxed manner: "Please allow me to express my deep apologies to the Germans. This time, they cannot be crowned in Paris!"

There was a knowing laugh in the hall.

What a good start, Grevy praised in his heart. No matter whether it is the left or the right, they will not refuse France's victory.

Then Armand added: "Unless they are willing to send the Kaiser over!"

The laughter became louder, and there were a few scattered applause.

"I will prepare a special coronation ceremony for the German Emperor!" Armand continued: "This ceremony will have a wooden frame and a rope, and I will personally put the 'crown' on his neck!"

As he said this, he imitated the gesture of hanging his neck, made an exaggerated face and stuck out his tongue.

There was laughter in the hall, followed by warm applause.

Grevi couldn't help but be impressed by Armand's talent for speaking, as he could easily focus the attention on him with just his gestures.

Only in this way can what I say next penetrate people's hearts.

Armand introduces the topic:
"For decades, France has been in a losing position when facing Germany, both psychologically and in reality!"

"So much so that the girls named Alsace in the brothels are very popular!"

"They hope to take Alsace back from the Germans and bring it under their control in this way!"

(Note: During the Franco-Prussian War, France ceded Alsace and Lorraine. There happened to be many women in France with the same name as Alsace, and some women in brothels would intentionally change their names to Alsace.)

When the parliamentarians heard this, their reactions varied, some laughed and some looked embarrassed, as some of them had done exactly this before.

"This is not a shameful thing!" Armand continued, "You should be proud of it because it is precisely a manifestation of your love for this country. I am proud of it!"

Those who were embarrassed finally felt a little better.

Armand speeds up:
"What I really want to say is that from now on, your wish will most likely come true, not in a brothel, but on the battlefield. We are leading the French army to truly conquer Alsace!"

"Yes!" many responded loudly.

"And Lorraine, and compensation!" Armand emphasized.

"That's right!" The crowd in the hall was excited. "And let the Germans lower their noble heads!" Armand shouted, waving his fist.

"That's how it should be!" The congressmen echoed in unison, and the enthusiasm reached its peak.

At this time, Armand changed the subject and his voice became slower and more relaxed:

"However, we should think about the question, what helped us defeat the Germans?"

The parliamentarians were confused by this question. Is this even necessary? Isn't it the French army?

After arousing the curiosity of the parliamentarians, Armand revealed the answer:
"Gentlemen, a boy named Charles has given the answer, and that is the tank!"

The parliamentarians nodded one after another. Of course they knew about this. A boy named Charles invented the tank, and the French army defeated the Germans with the help of the tanks.

Grevi stood up and shouted at the right moment: "You are right. Tanks played a key role in both battles of Darvaz! Without tanks, we cannot win!"

Under the leadership of Grevy, right-wing lawmakers spoke out in agreement, and left-wing lawmakers could only nod in agreement. After all, this was the fact. The left was completely unaware that they were falling into a trap set by Grevy and Armand.

Armand continued:
"Tanks suddenly appeared when the French army was in retreat. They turned the tide of the battle and led the already retreating France to victory!"

"Then, it successfully defeated the German army in the battle against the Germans at the Marne River!"

"You have to know that this battle was commanded by General Gallieni. He led the Sixth Army to launch a fierce attack on the German army, but suffered heavy casualties and made no achievements. There was even a danger of collapse!"

What Armand said was true. This was the German battle plan. They were waiting for the next attack by the Sixth Army. Once the Sixth Army's attack failed, they would immediately launch a counterattack. Because of the loss of manpower and morale, the Sixth Army would find it difficult to stop the German counterattack.

(Note: Historically, the Sixth Army was indeed defeated by the German army. It was only after Joffre personally persuaded the British Expeditionary Force to join the battlefield that the German army was defeated. Although the overall combat power of the British Army was in a mess, the first batch of more than 100,000 expeditionary forces sent to France were elite troops with rich combat experience.)
Armand made the point:

"Well, gentlemen!"

"Tell me, in the coming battle, would you like to have more rifles, machine guns, artillery, or tanks?"

"Do you want the French army to suffer heavy casualties like the Sixth Army but be helpless against the enemy, or do you want the French army to be like the Fifth Army, where only a few hundred people can defeat the German army and flee in all directions?"

The answer to this multiple-choice question is obvious, and almost everyone is shouting:
"tank!"

"We need tanks!"

"To hell with the rifles!"

……

In the past, no matter what the topic was, the left and the right would always quarrel because of their different positions, but now on this issue they were surprisingly unanimous, and almost everyone supported the tank.

Only one person watched all this quietly and silently. He was Steed, the owner of the Saint-Etienne Arsenal.

Almost all of the French army's light weapons, including standard rifles and machine guns, were produced by the Saint-Etienne Arsenal.

Steed had just received word that the two right-wing parties had joined together to buy the patent for the tank.

Therefore, he knew very well what Armand's eloquent speech was all about!
At this time, Armand's eyes met Steed's. Looking at Steed who was calm, Armand put on a provocative smile, as if to say: "What can you do to me? Come on!"

(End of this chapter)