Chapter 256 Military Means
The second chapter will be a little late tonight, as I didn't get home until 8 o'clock after my trip. I will resume the three chapters tomorrow! I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting for so long!
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Charles's proposal was soon unanimously passed by the British and French parliaments.
This is a bit abnormal.
Whether it is the United Kingdom or France, the parliaments of the two countries usually delay proposals for weeks for no reason, and sometimes discuss them over and over again for months. After they are finally passed, they are rejected by the Senate, and then discussed again, and so on.
But this time, Britain and France passed the bill to "help Russia purchase bombers and authorize production" within just a few days.
Everyone, including Gallieni, was surprised.
Gallieni signed the document mechanically, but he was thinking in his mind:
This is a bill that capitalists have to pay for, and it has to be passed by the parliaments of both countries. It would have been great if it could be discussed in a month, but it only took a few days!
After thinking for a while, Gallieni seemed to understand.
This should be related to the alliance between Britain, France and Russia: after the Dardanelles was blocked, everyone including the capitalists were worried that Russia would withdraw from the war and remain neutral. After all, Britain and France could no longer provide support to Russia, and Russia was struggling alone on the Eastern Front.
Britain and France have shown financial and technical support for Russia, which can make the alliance more stable and ensure that Russia continues to deploy troops on the Eastern Front to contain Germany.
Charles cleverly took advantage of this mentality, giving Britain and France a "chance to perform" while making a fortune himself!
Smart guy, Gallieni smiled and shook his head, his shrewdness in business seemed to be no less than his wisdom on the battlefield.
At this time, the phone rang. Gallieni put down the documents in his hand and answered the phone. It was the Mainland Affairs Council calling:
"What? The British government is going to buy bombers?"
"Authorized production? But I think this is not appropriate, Mr. Commissioner..."
"Okay, I understand."
"Yes, I understand!"
After hanging up the phone, Gallieni frowned. He was stunned for a while, then called Charles over:
"You have business again, Colonel! Britain intends to purchase your bombers, and like the Russians, they want to produce them under license."
"The British think that if you are willing to sell to Russia, you are also willing to sell to Britain. It's just a matter of price."
"And our government, believing that this would be beneficial to the current war, agreed to the British request and decided to facilitate the deal."
Ciel just said "Oh", this is not just a matter of price.
Although Britain and France are allies, they are also potential enemies. The French government was stupid enough not to see this.
Gallieni obviously saw the problem. He leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "I want to know if your bombers will be able to cross the English Channel in the future?"
"Of course, General." Charles answered in the affirmative.
This was not a problem. The English Channel was only 34 kilometers at its narrowest point, and bombers could easily cross it.
Even with the current Caproni bomber, if a few bombs are removed and the auxiliary fuel tanks are hung, it can take off from the UK and directly bomb the French capital Paris.
(Note: The nearest coastline from Britain to Paris is only more than 300 kilometers.)
"So!" Gallieni stared at Charles and said firmly, "We should not sell this bomber to Britain."
Charles realized that Gallieni knew he could not convince the stupid government, and he planned to stop the deal by trying to convince Charles.
Isn't this blocking my path to wealth?
Charles thought for a while and replied calmly: "General, my opinion is exactly the opposite of yours. I think that's why we should sell it!"
"What do you mean?" Gallieni asked with a puzzled look on his face. He suspected that Charles said this for money.
"We are powerless to stop the British from producing bombers." Charles spoke in a low voice. After all, this was a discussion about guarding against the ally "Britain", and it would not be good if it got out.
"Britain is a big country with a strong industrial base." Charles explained: "The reason why they want to buy it now is largely due to restrictions on industrial property rights. If we don't sell it, it will force Britain to develop its own research and development and then forge its own path..."
Gallieni said "Oh" and nodded slightly.
This is also different from Russia. Russia may not be able to develop it on its own, but Britain definitely has the ability to do so.
"So," Charles continued, "the correct approach should be to sell bombers to Britain, and even gradually relax technical restrictions, so that the British can step into the trap and be led by us, and eventually become dependent on us..."
Charles stopped at the right time, and the next words were more sensitive.
Once Britain becomes dependent on the technology of the Charles, its diplomacy and politics will to a certain extent be controlled by France... or more precisely, by the Charles.
This is a common method used by the Eagle Sauce in modern times to control its subordinates: giving away various advanced equipment for free, or jointly developing them.
The final result is that the armies of all countries cannot do without the Eagle Sauce. As long as the Eagle Sauce cuts off the arms, these countries will be unable to fight. Of course, they have to act according to the Eagle Sauce's mood.
At this time, Charles was already at the forefront of the world in the field of aviation, and it poached Aston Martin's R&D personnel from the UK to interrupt the UK's research and development in the field of aero engines.
The most important thing is that we have Charles here. He can ensure that the research and development direction is always correct and always at the forefront of the world.
In this way, we can consider using the same means as the United States to control other countries through military industry.
When the UK was about to invest money to set up a research and development team, Charles waved his hand and said, "Don't bother. We are allies. Who is following whom? Just use mine. Sell it at a low price!"
The British thought: R&D requires a lot of costs. It is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also not necessarily successful. There is also the possibility that the product will become outdated as soon as it is developed. Why not buy it now that there is a ready-made one?
So they shelved the R&D plan, disbanded the team, and bought the technology licensed by Shire.
Over time, Britain not only lost its own research and development capabilities, but even qualified technical personnel needed to be sent over from France.
Gallieni was a smart man. Although he did not understand business and politics, he could still understand Charles' intention. To put it bluntly, his intention was to use the technological advantages in his hands to disrupt the rhythm of Britain's "self-research and development".
By then, what would it matter even if Britain had bombers that could reach Paris?
As long as France cuts off its technical and personnel support, all of Britain's bombers will be unable to be maintained and will soon become obsolete.
Gallieni was greatly impressed. This was the method, the real method!
"You are right!" Gallieni nodded heavily: "I will reply to them immediately. The rest of the operations are up to you!"
"Yes, General!" replied Charles.
In fact, Gallieni did not need to give any instructions. Charles had already made plans when he decided to buy the Martin Automobile Company.
(End of this chapter)
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