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

Chapter 989 Preventing an Alliance Between France and Germany
"Then," McDonald countered, "you have a way to solve this problem?"

The Minister of Munitions pointed his finger heavily in the air: "That's what I'm saying, Mr. McDonald. We should stop Charles from expanding his influence, rather than stand with him or do the same thing as him."

Left-wing lawmakers were abuzz with discussion.

They suspected that the Minister of Munitions was using the threat of Shire to divert attention and ultimately influence their decisions, but they had no evidence.

Seeing the members of parliament hesitate, the Minister of Munitions added fuel to the fire:

"Gentlemen, Charles has already controlled many European countries through his so-called 'League of Nations'."

"At the same time, he granted freedom to the colonies with the 'French spirit,' and it is not hard to guess that these colonies would be grateful for this and follow France's lead."

"Do you know what Charles is trying to do?"

Before the councilors could answer, he pointed, exuding an aura of authority:

"Yes, you guessed right. Charles wants to end Britain's position and replace it with France."

“He has already declared war on us, gentlemen. And yet you are still thinking of cooperating with the Charles. Do you know what the result will be?”

"The whole world will think that Britain has surrendered, the whole world will believe that France is the most powerful country, and the whole world will abandon Britain and choose France."

Do you want Britain to go that far?

The lawmakers were abuzz with discussion, including those on the right.

Many left-wing lawmakers are not truly speaking for the working class; they are merely trying to gain more public support for themselves. Like Clemenceau, they change their stance after achieving success, ultimately for their own benefit.

Their advocacy for following and cooperating with the Charles is also based on the fact that "cooperating with the Charles" is the voice of the common people, and members of parliament who support this voice will gain more votes.

But if following the Charles would shake the very foundations of England, that would be beyond their psychological tolerance.

“But how can we stop the Ciel?” McDonald asked. “Fight the Ciel? You must be crazy!”

The lawmakers echoed loudly:
"Yes, Britain still has millions of expeditionary troops fighting the Germans on French soil."

“Once France cuts off their supplies, they will have no choice but to surrender.”

"Most importantly, no one can defeat Charles, not even the British Expeditionary Force!"

……

“That’s right!” the Quartermaster Minister replied.

"It's difficult for us to openly wage war against the Charles, and that's where the Charles's shrewdness lies."

"If we are to start a war, we first need to withdraw the expeditionary force from France, otherwise we will be surrounded by the Franco-German forces."

"But after we withdrew, we were unable to log in and had no idea what to do."

McDonald seemed to understand the Quartermaster's meaning: "You mean, the Navy?"

"Of course," the Quartermaster Minister replied confidently.
"The Charles are invincible on land, but our navy is invincible; we possess the most powerful navy in the world."

"The French fleet is mostly in the Mediterranean, and the ships used in the North Sea are just a few small warships with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine firepower."

"The North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are our territory, gentlemen."

Before he could finish speaking, he was met with a chorus of opposition from left-wing lawmakers:
"So, your suggestion is war again?"

"Just like the victory you promised in the Dardanelles, what was the result?"

"What can we gain from war? You seem to have forgotten about the Charles' torpedo planes!"

……

The Minister of War did not rush to refute, but waited quietly for a while until the voices of the left-wing members of parliament subsided before continuing, "First, we are attacking Germany, specifically the port of Emden." (The red circle in the image above indicates the location of the German port of Emden. It borders the Netherlands and, due to its proximity to the British blockade line, was easily attacked. During World War I, it was repeatedly attacked and blockaded by the British from the air. Therefore, as a secondary port for Germany, it was only equipped with a small number of minelayers and torpedo boats. The blue circle indicates the location of the Ruhr industrial region.)
The Minister of Munitions stood before the left-wing members of parliament, watching his secretary distribute the prepared sketches, and said smugly:

“Look at the location of Emden Port, gentlemen.”

"The Germans were unwilling to accept the terms of the negotiations, so it was reasonable for us to launch an attack on them, and it was also in the interests of the Allied Powers."

What reason does Charles have to object?

The councilors took the map, glanced at it, and then nodded in agreement.

In other words, they didn't break ties with Charles. Charles's reconciliation with Germany was his business, and it was Britain's business to fight for its own negotiated terms. Charles had no reason to interfere.

"Don't forget that the French have occupied the Ruhr region, gentlemen," the Quartermaster continued.
"The French are our allies, and they certainly cannot refuse our advance on the German army through the Ruhr."

"then……"

"We have thus formed a pincer movement against Emden, a pincer attack from both land and sea."

Right-wing lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the plan:
"The Germans have lost the Ruhr, and their army is in a state of severe supply shortage."

"Charles can only watch helplessly as we attack Emden. If the Germans don't agree to the terms, we'll fight until they do."

"As for how much compensation Charles is demanding, that's none of our business."

……

The left-wing lawmakers suddenly realized that they had been led astray by the Minister of Munitions.

Originally, they opposed war and advocated for peaceful negotiations, even lowering their negotiation standards. Now, however, they are discussing with the right wing whether an offensive is justified.

The Minister of Munitions added in a timely manner:
"I know what you're thinking, gentlemen. Everyone wants the war to end as soon as possible, and it's just around the corner."

"But we cannot end the war like this, because our enemy is not only Germany, but also the Charles."

“And the Charles is clearly more formidable and difficult to deal with than Germany.”

"From this perspective, do you think this plan is reasonable?"

The Secretary of Munitions cleverly shifted the conflict over "reparations" into a conflict with the Charles, which was related to Britain's international standing and even its very survival.

Prime Minister George added fuel to the fire at just the right time:

"Once we capture Emden, it will mean we have another forward base in Germany."

"Our supply lines will not be controlled by France, and supplies and troops can be transported to Germany continuously."

"At the same time, we can also surround or even control the Ruhr industrial region."

The Minister of Munitions said confidently:

"Yes, whoever controls the Ruhr industrial region controls Germany."

"Then we can implement the compensation clause and damage the prestige of the Charles."

"It can also prevent France and Germany from forming an alliance!"

The lawmakers' expressions changed drastically.

They were terrified by the last sentence: Britain had been doing one thing all along: preventing the formation of a strong alliance on the European continent.

Otherwise, Britain will be marginalized.

(End of this chapter)