I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 223: Revised -

(The picture below shows the Luxembourg Hotel in Paris, which opened in 1903)

Paris, 6th arrondissement, Luxembourg Hotel, the warm meeting room crackled with a roaring fire.

Colonel Johnson took a puff of his cigar and nervously glanced at his pocket watch. The hands pointed to ten, but no one was in sight. Was it going to be another fruitless wait?

Colonel Johnson was the head of the American Tank Research Laboratory.

Since the first tank appeared on the battlefield and achieved victory, the American military immediately took a keen interest in this weapon, which could reduce casualties. A Princeton University graduate, Colonel Johnson was tasked with setting up the Tank Research Laboratory.

The military hoped to develop its own tank, but after more than a month of effort, Colonel Johnson regrettably found that they could only produce tanks like the CLB75.

A tractor chassis with steel plates; this was all Colonel Johnson understood about tanks.

What they produced looked more like ironclad ships from the Civil War, only smaller and land-based.

What else could there be? Colonel Johnson thought, if its purpose was to block bullets, then this shape must be right.

Soon, Johnson realized he was wrong. The French had already left them far behind.

First there was the "Mark I," which had an exceptional trench-crossing ability and won an unexpected victory on the battlefield.

Then came the "Chars A1," even more astonishing. It was small enough to be operated by just two people and featured a rotating turret.

After careful consideration and still at a loss, Colonel Johnson could only report to General Smith:

"I think part of the reason is that they are in combat and know what the battlefield needs."

"Without participating in the war, we’re destined to lag behind, so I suggest we either purchase French tanks or get authorization to produce them."

"After learning their technology, we can think about innovation, so we don’t fall too far behind!"

General Smith agreed, and Colonel Johnson hurried to France day and night.

Upon arrival, he found that there were many countries waiting to buy the "Chars A1" tanks: Spain, Switzerland, Romania... Many countries wanted these tanks to strengthen their armies.

The French Government representative told Colonel Johnson with difficulty: "We have combat needs, Colonel. Of course, we must prioritize producing tanks for ourselves. The military has already placed a large order. It would be best if you could wait a while."

Johnson could not tolerate "waiting," as it meant falling behind for the United States.

Finally, the French representative, pestered beyond endurance, replied, "Unless you can convince Shire."

...

Time ticked by, Johnson looked at his watch; it was already ten minutes past the scheduled time.

His mood sank. It seemed all of this might be unrealistic.

Assistant Nathan said, "Perhaps they won’t come. If it were me, I wouldn’t rush to sell the most advanced equipment either."

Johnson replied with a "Hmm." In wartime, if the "Chars A1" tanks were sold everywhere, it would be easy for the Germans to obtain critical data or even technology. freёwebnoѵel.com

However, as long as there was a one percent chance, Johnson was willing to wait, as it was just a matter of spending a bit more time here.

At that moment, the meeting room door opened.

A young colonel in uniform entered with a civilian-dressed assistant. The colonel stepped forward quickly to shake Johnson’s hand: "Sorry, Colonel Johnson, I am late!"

Shire didn’t mean to be late. Hosting General Winter took some time, and the military discussion with him was more important; it could not be interrupted halfway.

"No problem, Colonel Shire!" Colonel Johnson was somewhat flattered and hastily invited Shire to sit.

"I received the message conveyed from our government," Shire said straightforwardly. "I understand you are interested in purchasing ’Chars A1’ tanks?"

"Yes!" Johnson quickly nodded.

"But as you know," Shire looked troubled, "we are in the midst of a war and just received a military order for 500 tanks. If we have to produce the tanks you need, it might take..."

Shire turned his gaze to Dejoka.

Dejoka got the hint and interjected, "With our current production capacity, it might take around six months. This tank is not as simple as other tanks."

Shire turned his eyes back to Johnson, "We will prioritize your order; how many tanks do you need?"

Colonel Johnson’s freshly ignited confidence instantly dropped to the bottom.

Six months, at the current pace of tank upgrades, would mean they might be outdated by then.

"Actually," Colonel Johnson hesitated, "I was considering another option. Could we cooperate by producing under license?"

As previously considered, licensed production carried the risk of leaks, making it much more difficult than purchasing.

Johnson was willing to try anything, even if it was a long shot.

He expected Shire to refuse outright, but Shire furrowed his brow in thought, "Hmm, this doesn’t add pressure to our production capacity."

Johnson, sensing hope, immediately retrieved a cooperation plan from his briefcase and handed it to Shire: "Rest assured, the confidentiality work can be supervised by your intelligence personnel in our country, and we will cover all expenses. Additionally, we are willing to pay an authorization fee of 1 million US dollars, with the patent fee calculated separately!"

Dejoka’s eyes lit up instantly; 1 million US dollars was a significant sum at the time, equivalent to 43 million francs, quadrupling their wealth.

But Shire pushed the cooperation plan back: "That’s not what I need, Colonel Johnson."

Colonel Johnson, who hadn’t yet had time to be disappointed, quickly brightened up, "Then, what do you need? As long as we can do it!"

"You know," Shire replied calmly, "the Germans have occupied our industrial area in the northeast, which accounts for 68% of our steel industry. We are now in dire need of steel, especially special steel for tank production..."

"No problem!" Colonel Johnson agreed immediately, "We will unconditionally export special steel to you!"

"No!" Shire said, "If I authorize your country to produce tanks, you can directly send the manufactured tank armor to us. This way, it speeds up our production rate. What do you think..."

"Of course!" Johnson nodded eagerly. This was a minor issue for the United States; he certainly wouldn’t refuse.

What he didn’t know was that this was a big deal for Shire.

At that time, the forging of special steel was controlled by Schneider, which became a weapon to restrain Shire.

But now, that worry was gone.

In the future, Shire could even continue to expand cooperation with the United States in the field of special materials.

(The picture above shows the American-developed tank CLB75, not used in combat, only for exercises)

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