I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 52: Revised - Is This Called the "2 Problem"?

Dejoka had no idea where Shire got his information from; he only knew that after he sent a telegram to Joseph, he received a reply shortly thereafter:

"The other party has agreed to sell for 250,000 francs. Should we buy it?"

Dejoka decisively replied with a "Yes," then jumped into his car and headed to Paris to arrange the cross-border payment at the bank.

(Note: European cross-border payments developed in the mid-19th century using an agent bank model, which continues to this day.)

Dejoka hesitated for a moment as he signed at the bank counter.

He was somewhat perplexed why Shire would be willing to spend 250,000 francs on a technology and product that was about to become obsolete!

However, considering that Shire insisted on it despite being fully aware, Dejoka ultimately signed and transferred the funds.

Shire indeed had his considerations. His purchase of "Holt 75" was not for producing tractors but for manufacturing tanks and armored cars.

What he truly needed was engine technology, and in this regard, "Holt 120" did not offer a significant advantage over "Holt 75". The former primarily increased engine size through physical enlargements to achieve greater output power.

This is also the reason why "Holt 75" was not truly phased out until a decade later.

Dejoka spent the entire afternoon traveling back and forth between Davaz Town and Paris, only returning home after nightfall.

Shire had been locked in his room all day. Even when he asked to go to Paris with Dejoka, Camille flatly refused.

"These things don’t need you, Shire!" Camille said. "Your father can handle them alone!"

Then Camille joked, "Don’t worry, Shire! Dejoka needs to grow up sometime. It’s time to let him handle some things on his own!"

Dejoka raised his head and gave a disgruntled "Humph," feeling a bit sour inside.

Camille had at least partly spoken the truth. He did rely on Shire’s decisions.

But that was Shire, his child, whom he had educated. Seeing his child outperform him was also a source of pride!

...

The next day, Shire was finally permitted to go with Dejoka to the factory.

After a simple breakfast and waving goodbye to Camille, they got into the Ford and headed to the factory.

As the car drove through the streets, neighbors continually waved and greeted them. Aunt Elisa, selling croissants, enthusiastically waved, "Young Master Shire, would you like a croissant? It’s on the house!"

"I just had breakfast, thank you, Aunt Elisa!" Shire replied, turning around in the moving car to express his gratitude.

"She’s fulfilling her promise!" Dejoka, sitting in the driver’s seat, turned his head slightly.

"What?" Shire didn’t understand what he meant.

Dejoka explained:

"Aunt Elisa’s son is a wounded soldier. His hand was half severed by shrapnel, making it impossible for him to continue serving. She hopes to find him a job at the motorcycle factory, and I agreed!"

"She said we could enjoy her croissants for free as long as we wanted!"

Shire uttered an "Oh," recalling his promise at the field hospital to arrange work for those wounded soldiers.

Dejoka curiously asked, "How do you plan to manage those wounded soldiers? They will find it difficult to adapt to work at the motorcycle factory; some even need others to care for them!"

Without much thought, Shire replied, "We can set up a rehabilitation center for the wounded, concentrate them for management, and assign them simple parts and machines to process, paying them by the piece!"

Dejoka hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "That’s a good idea, let them work hard to support themselves!"

"Yes!" Shire said. "It won’t cost us much, or at least not significantly. Only this way can it be sustainable. Otherwise, we can’t afford to support so many wounded soldiers, and there will be countless more who will need our support in the future!"

Dejoka agreed, "They will be grateful for this. Shire, you will give them a chance to be self-sufficient!"

Unconsciously, Shire thought of Matthew. Would he accept this kind of "self-sufficient" life?

For him, it might just be another form of waiting for death!

At that moment, the car suddenly slowed down. Dejoka looked out the window with a bit of panic in his voice, "What’s going on?"

Following Dejoka’s gaze, Shire saw a group of French soldiers in red pants and hats, armed to the teeth, setting up a checkpoint at the entrance to the factory, checking vehicles and workers entering the facility.

"What are they looking for?" Dejoka glanced around. "German spies?"

Shire was also initially unsure of what was going on until he saw a bruised and swollen officer.

"That’s Lauren, father!" Shire said. "They were sent by General Gallieni!"

Gallieni had introduced Lauren to the two of them that evening, making it clear he was trustworthy.

Dejoka gave an "Oh" and then saw Lauren as well.

Soon after, Dejoka grew concerned, "Shouldn’t he keep his distance from us? Why did he send his trusted aide?"

Shire raised his eyebrows, "That’s only natural, father! This is where tanks and sidecars are produced. The military must be worried about German spies infiltrating and stealing our technology!"

Dejoka nodded, agreeing with Shire’s assessment.

Lauren spotted Dejoka at that moment. With a stern face, he walked to the car, expressionless, and asked, "Your papers, sir!"

Dejoka took out his identification from his inner pocket and handed it over.

(Note: France was the first country to use identification cards, originating during the French Revolution to verify citizen identity and prevent tax evasion. However, they were paper-based and easy to forge.)

Lauren took the documents, unfolded them, and glanced around surreptitiously. Seeing no one nearby, he whispered, "Don’t worry, sir. We are here to protect you! Though our attitude might be a bit of a problem!"

With that, Lauren straightened his back, raised his head, and loudly declared:

"You must be Dejoka? The one who sold motorcycles to us for 550 francs each!"

"You capitalists never consider the hardships of the people, only thinking of making more money!"

Then, Lauren harshly threw the documents in Dejoka’s face:

"You bloodsuckers! I warn you, don’t try any tricks!"

He even spat on the ground, while a few nearby soldiers echoed his mockery with laughter.

However, Lauren didn’t notice the murderous expressions forming on the workers’ faces. When he tried to say something more, a worker shouted:

"Hey, watch your attitude, you bastard!"

"They are heroes who saved France, show some respect!"

"Put away your arrogance, you ignorant, conceited clowns!"

...

The workers’ shouts grew louder, and soon they were angrily surging forward, shoving the soldiers. Lauren was knocked to the ground by a flying tackle from a burly man, his hat flying far off to the side.

The soldiers dared not use their guns against the workers and hurriedly dragged Lauren away. Protecting him amidst the workers’ curses, they retreated in chaos while the workers cheered victoriously.

Dejoka and Shire exchanged glances. Did Lauren call this a "minor problem"?

Or did he never anticipate such an outcome?!