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

Chapter 928 Who can’t draw a picture?
War Office Building, London.

Perhaps it's because there have been so many similar scandals that they're no big deal.

Or perhaps it was because the Quartermaster General had strong resilience and psychological qualities, his reaction was much more stable than Wilson's.

When he heard about this, he just snorted coldly, holding a smoking cigar and said, "So this is what Charles planned."

General Winter was a little panicked: "Your Excellency, should we explain this to the media..."

"Do you need an explanation?" The Quartermaster General interrupted General Winter:

"If we don't completely defeat the Germans and get the reparations for the $100 billion loan, we will have to carry a high debt for the next 10 years or even longer."

"Isn't this just natural?"

"This is not just a problem for the government, it's also a problem for citizens, and the soldiers on the front lines can't escape either."

"They don't want to come back from the battlefield with a broken body and have to work day and night to pay off their debts, right?"

General Winter was stunned.

He hadn't expected that the Minister of Munitions could make such a shady scandal sound so refreshing.

Although the $100 billion loan owed was war expenditure, how much of the materials and funds ended up in the pockets of congressmen, corrupt officials and aristocrats?
Besides, the war was not started by citizens, so why should citizens be held responsible for it?

Why should soldiers bleed and sacrifice on the front lines, only to have to bear the debt of loans when they return?
However, the Minister of Munitions' logic was simple: the debt belonged to all British people. If the citizens did not want to be in debt, they would fight until the Germans were willing to pay the money, so the war should continue.

Then, the Minister of Munitions thought of the problem that President Wilson had considered: Charles had violated his promise. He accepted the aircraft carrier data sent by Britain but did not join the attack.

The Quartermaster General stood in front of the window, frowning and staring blankly at the mist rolling outside in the sunlight.

He doesn't like being cheated, and he doesn't like others taking advantage of Britain. If anyone wants to do that, he will definitely...

The Minister of Munitions suddenly realized that he had no way to restrict Charles, so he couldn't even say a harsh word, which was unrealistic.

After sulking for a while, the Quartermaster General ordered General Winter: "Go to Metz. It's time for Charles to fulfill his promise. You know what to do."

"Yes, Your Excellency," General Winter replied.

……

General Winter arrived in Metz that afternoon.

He did not go directly to Charles, but contacted Secretary of War Baker. After the two met, they rushed to the headquarters together. It would be more effective for creditors to unite to collect debts.

"The ice and snow will melt soon, Lieutenant General." When he saw Charles, General Winter did not hide his displeasure: "You should know that the best time to attack will have passed by then."

What made General Winter angry was that Charles' spy organization had infiltrated Britain and arrested several British MPs and forced them to confess to bribery.

"And then?" Charles asked.

General Winter's face darkened. "I always thought we were friends, Lieutenant General, but you did not keep your promise. You betrayed the trust of your friends and allies."

Secretary of War Baker stepped forward to chime in:

"$2 million is not a small amount of money."

"The lieutenant general may be able to put it into the 'super line', but if you fail to deliver on your promise, we have the power to take back the reduction."

“In addition, we will also consider whether to withdraw the loan to Bernard Group due to the integrity issues of the lieutenant general.”

This is a common tactic used by the United States. They always take advantage of the pressure of loans to demand other benefits as a matter of course.

Charles, who was signing a document, stopped writing and leaned back in his chair. "Not fulfilling the promise? Who are you talking about? Me? No, no, gentlemen, it seems that you are the ones who breached the contract. I was just about to go find you!" General Winter raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Two months ago, the British and American armies were still able to fight." Charles spread his hands, "But now, you can't even disperse the German forces."

General Winter and Baker looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

Charles was right. The British and American forces were facing new pressures and challenges at this time.

The reason was the problem that Charles exposed: the British and American armies continued the war for loans.

This led to large-scale protests by officers and soldiers of both armies:
"We have been deceived by those shameful politicians and we are sacrificing our lives on the front line just for their money."

"We could have ended this war a long time ago, but we didn't."

"How much money can be exchanged for the lives of soldiers? And we have never seen those loans, let alone enjoyed those loans!"

……

The protests have affected a wide range of people, including the US military.

A considerable number of officers were unable to command their own troops because they were unwilling to fight for the wallets of politicians and nobles, which they believed was completely dishonorable.

"I'm ready to attack." Charles said shamelessly, "I even made a battle plan."

He took out two copies of the document from the drawer and handed them to General Winter and Baker respectively.

General Winter understood what was going on. Charles had long guessed that these two "creditors" would come knocking on his door, so he had made preparations.

"Look." Charles nodded at the plan:
"I need you to make a feint attack on Saarbrücken, just like last time."

"After all, you are very familiar with the terrain in this area and have experience in attacking."

"Then my troops will cross the Rhine from Strasbourg and attack Offenburg!"

(The red arrow in the above picture indicates the attack direction of the Charles plan)

Baker flipped through the plan and said, "But this won't work at all. As the snow melts, the water level of the Rhine will rise. It will be difficult for you to cross the Rhine River, which is defended by the Germans."

Ciel answered confidently:
"No, Your Excellency."

"You seem to have forgotten that we have 'ribbon bridges'."

"In addition, we have air superiority, artillery superiority and tank forces. There is nothing we can't do."

After a pause, Charles added, "By the way, the Germans would never have thought that my main force would attack from the direction of Offenburg instead of the nearby one."

Baker was speechless. This seemed like a feasible plan.

Charles went on to say:
"I'm ready to fulfill my promise. Are you ready? If so, let's plan it."

"First, the British and American offensive against Saarbrücken must be of considerable size, so as to draw out the main force of the Germans. My air force will provide you with full cover."

"I will send five fighter squadrons and two bomber squadrons..."

"Lieutenant General." General Winter couldn't help but interrupt Charles. Who can't make a promise?
Charles knew well that the British and American forces were unable to launch an attack of this scale at that time.

Everything went according to Charles' plan.

He exposed the scandal to undermine the morale of the British and American troops, making them unable to cooperate with the French army in combat, and then he could put the blame for the breach of contract on the British and American troops.

The point is, Winter knew this but couldn't do anything to Ciel!
(End of this chapter)