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I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 256
🕑 Added 2025-06-13 17:06:01 +0000 UTCChapter 256: Military Industrial Means
Tonight, the second chapter will be delayed for a bit. I just got home at 8 PM after returning from a trip. Tomorrow, I will return to the regular three updates! I apologize for the delay and thank you all for your patience!
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Charles' proposal was quickly passed unanimously by both the British and French parliaments.
This was somewhat unusual.
Whether it was Britain or France, the parliaments of both countries typically had a habit of dragging proposals on for weeks, sometimes discussing them for months. After much back-and-forth, they might barely pass the proposal, only for it to be vetoed by the Senate, which would then lead to further deliberations. It was a constant cycle.
Yet this time, the bill "authorizing the purchase and production of bombers for Russia" passed in both Britain and France within just a few days.
Everyone, including Gallieni, was quite surprised.
Gallieni mechanically signed the documents in his hand, but his mind was elsewhere:
This was about getting the capitalists to foot the bill, and both parliaments had passed it. It was rare for discussions to be completed in a month, yet it took only a few days this time!
After thinking for a while, Gallieni seemed to understand.
This had to do with the alliance between Britain, France, and Russia: after the Dardanelles were blocked, everyone, including the capitalists, feared that Russia might exit the war and maintain neutrality. After all, Britain and France could no longer provide support, and Russia was struggling alone on the Eastern Front.
By showing support to Russia in terms of both funding and technology, Britain and France could strengthen the alliance and ensure that Russia would continue to tie down Germany on the Eastern Front.
Charles had cleverly capitalized on this sentiment, giving Britain and France a "chance to show support" while making a hefty profit himself!
Clever fellow, Gallieni smiled and shook his head. His sharpness in business seemed to rival his strategic mind on the battlefield.
Just then, the phone rang. Gallieni put down the documents and answered it. It was a call from the Military Committee:
"What? The British government plans to buy bombers?"
"Authorized production? But I think this may not be appropriate, sir..."
"Alright, I understand."
"Yes, I understand!"
After hanging up, Gallieni furrowed his brow. He paused for a moment before calling Charles over:
"You've got business again, Colonel! The British plan to purchase your bombers. Like Russia, they want to be authorized to produce them."
"The British believe that since you’re willing to sell to Russia, you must be willing to sell to them as well. It’s just a matter of price."
"And our government, they think this would benefit the current war effort, so they’ve agreed to the British request and decided to facilitate the deal."
Charles merely said, "Oh," but he knew it wasn’t just a matter of price.
Though Britain and France were allies, they were also potential enemies, and the French government had been foolish not to see this point.
Gallieni clearly saw the problem. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice, asking, "I want to know something. Is it possible for your bombers to cross the English Channel in the future?"
"Of course, General," Charles answered affirmatively.
This wasn’t really a problem; the narrowest part of the English Channel was only 34 kilometers, which made it an easy distance for bombers to cover.
Even with the current Caproni bombers, with a few bombs removed and auxiliary fuel tanks added, they could take off from Britain and bomb Paris directly.
(Note: The nearest coastline from Britain to Paris is only around 300 kilometers.)
"So!" Gallieni fixed his gaze on Charles, his tone firm. "We shouldn’t sell these bombers to Britain."
Charles realized that Gallieni knew he wouldn’t be able to convince the foolish government. Gallieni planned to stop the deal by persuading Charles.
Was he trying to block my profit?
Charles thought for a moment before responding calmly, "General, my thoughts are the complete opposite of yours. I think we should sell precisely because of this!"
"What do you mean?" Gallieni looked slightly puzzled. He began to suspect Charles was simply motivated by money.
"We cannot stop the British from producing bombers." Charles' voice dropped, as this was a conversation about countering their "British" ally, which wouldn't sound good if it got out.
"Britain is a great power with a strong industrial base," Charles explained. "The reason they want to buy now is largely due to industrial property restrictions. If we don’t sell, we will force the British to develop them on their own and create their own path..."
Gallieni murmured an "Oh" and nodded slightly.
This was different from Russia. Russia might not be able to develop them independently, but Britain absolutely had the capability.
"So," Charles continued, "The right course of action should be to sell the bombers to Britain and even gradually lift technological restrictions. We can lead the British step by step into a trap, making them dependent on us in the end..."
Charles paused at the right moment, as the next part of the discussion was sensitive.
Once Britain became dependent on Charles' technology, they would be influenced politically and diplomatically by France... or more precisely, by Charles.
This was a common tactic used by modern-day "big brother" nations: offer advanced equipment for free or co-develop it.
The final result was that all the other countries' military forces became dependent on the "big brother." If the "big brother" cut off military supplies, these countries could no longer fight and had to follow the big brother's lead.
At this point, Charles was already leading in the field of aviation worldwide, having even lured away the research staff from Aston Martin to interrupt Britain’s research and development in the field of aircraft engines.
The most important part was that Charles was there. He could ensure that the research direction remained correct and ahead of the world.
This way, he could consider using the same methods as the "big brother" to control other countries through the military industry.
When Britain was about to invest in forming a team for research and development, Charles waved his hand, "No need for the hassle. We’re allies, after all. Who’s who? Just use mine, I’ll sell it to you cheaply!"
The British realized: developing it in-house would be costly, time-consuming, and may not even succeed. It might be outdated by the time it was finished. Since there was a ready-made product, why not just buy it?
So, they shelved their R&D plans, disbanded their teams, and bought the technology authorized by Charles.
Over time, Britain not only lost its ability to develop independently, but even qualified technical personnel would have to be sent from France.
Gallieni was a smart man. Though he didn’t understand business or politics, he could still grasp Charles’ intentions. This approach, at its core, was to use technological leverage to continuously disrupt Britain’s "self-development" efforts.
In the end, even if Britain had bombers capable of reaching Paris, so what?
As long as France cut off the technological and personnel support, all the British bombers would soon be unusable and outdated.
Gallieni deeply admired this tactic. Now this was real strategy!
"You’re right!" Gallieni nodded decisively. "I’ll reply to them right away, and the rest of the operations are in your hands!"
"Yes, General!" Charles replied.
This didn’t even require Gallieni’s instruction. Charles had already made plans when he decided to buy Aston Martin.
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