Chapter 774 The Final Struggle
Ciel swept his eyes across the room, his gaze cold:
"We all know what the Germans will do with these supplies once they get their hands on them."
"The supplies will feed the German soldiers, and the gasoline will allow them to build more mechanized equipment, including tanks."
"And they will produce bullets and shells to fire at us!"
The congressmen looked at each other and whispered to each other, wondering who had done it.
A member of parliament asked Charles: "How do you know this, General? Do you have any basis for it?"
Charles took out a telegram wrapped in tarpaulin from his inner pocket, opened it and waved it before the crowd:
"This is a telegram from General Brusilov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Southwestern Front."
"He told me the amazing news that after they lost a town, they found that the Germans were digging up oil and supplies from the ground."
"Preliminary estimates show that the batch of oil contains 200,000 tons, and another 50,000 tons of supplies."
The parliamentarians were shocked. Such a large amount would be enough to sustain Germany for several months.
Another member of parliament shouted:
"But what does this have to do with us?"
"That's what happened on the Eastern Front."
"That could be the Russians' own problem..."
"Gentlemen," Charles interrupted their questions, "General Brusilov found out that the supplies came from Romania."
Someone nodded and said, "Yes, only Romania has so much oil and supplies."
Clemenceau interjected: "Could it be that this is the oil and materials sold by the French Company?"
Briand, who was originally confused, suddenly turned as pale as paper. He realized where the problem lay.
As expected, Charles replied expressionlessly: "You guessed right, Mr. Commissioner, these oil and supplies come from the Fidel Refinery."
There was a burst of chaos in the parliament.
Briand opened his mouth for a long time but couldn't say anything. He wanted to defend himself but didn't dare to say anything because he was worried that others would know that he owned shares in the refinery.
Fortunately, someone raised the question for him: "Are you sure, General? I mean, has the Fidel Refinery admitted it?"
Charles shook his head regretfully. "No, gentlemen. The Romanian government immediately launched an investigation into the Fidel Refinery, but they said they knew nothing about it. They thought the oil and materials were sold to Russia."
Briand breathed a sigh of relief.
But he immediately realized that this would be of no use, as long as Fidel could not prove his innocence, the fire would inevitably spread to him.
what to do?
Just as Briand was struggling to figure it out, someone turned his attention to him: "Mr. Prime Minister, I remember that you own shares in Fidel. Do you know anything?"
The sound was not loud, but everyone around heard it, and it spread quickly as if it had legs.
"No, no," Briand hastily replied, "I don't know about it. It has nothing to do with me."
But the parliamentarians all turned their eyes to Briand, their eyes full of doubt.
Briand quickly stood up and explained himself: "You know, I have been staying in Paris and busy with official business. I have no time to ask about the Fidel Refinery."
"But you own shares in it, Mr. Prime Minister." Steed asked coldly: "At least, when he sells oil and materials to the Germans, a part of the profits will go to you."
"This is slander. I have never received the money." Briand's tone became excited. "I know nothing about this. I will investigate this matter myself..."
"You don't seem to be suitable, Prime Minister." Wells interrupted Briand: "There is a common sense here. It is difficult for you to remain impartial since you have an interest in this matter, so you should avoid it instead of participating."
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Briand's forehead.
He originally wanted to use this to show his determination, but he didn't expect it to turn out to have "ulterior motives".
"Gentlemen," Clemenceau stood up and opened his arms to the deputies behind him.
"As much as I hate to admit it, we all know that there are some people in France who don't want Charles to win."
“Because it’s against their interests.”
"I think that's probably one of the reasons why they wanted to sell supplies and oil to the Germans."
"That is to say, they can not only get money, but also other benefits."
"We can investigate this matter from this aspect, what do you think?"
Charles secretly praised Clemenceau in his heart, saying that he was indeed an old fox in the political arena.
He never mentioned Briand, but he was targeting him everywhere.
Everyone knew that the French Parliament and government were at odds with Charles, especially Briand, who always wanted to restrain Charles to avoid a military dictatorship.
(The above picture shows the location of Lorraine and Alsace in France. After the Franco-Prussian War, parts of these two regions were ceded to Germany)
The deputies were silent, understanding the implication of Clemenceau's words.
Some of them sighed and some shook their heads, expressing their agreement:
"Yes, I don't think it's appropriate for the Prime Minister to investigate this matter."
"We should be cautious about this, and I suggest setting up an investigation team."
"We can't just let this matter go. We must investigate this thoroughly and never let those shameless traitors go!"
…
These words appear to be about "investigation", but in reality they are a statement of position and a clear line of demarcation between the two parties.
Briand is now like a plague god. No matter who gets close to him, they may be implicated, so everyone stays away from him.
Charles knew then that Briand was finished.
Once the news spread to the public, Briand had only one option left: resign.
That's how politics works.
Although it was just a suspicion, the fact that Briand, as Prime Minister, owned shares and benefited from it was enough for him to resign.
…
The parliament did not make things difficult for Briand. The members of parliament did not want to be the first to take action, and Charles's faction was not in a hurry either.
The news quickly spread throughout Paris and even the whole country.
The angry people surrounded the town hall that night. They learned that Briand did not dare to go home and was hiding in the office.
They shouted into Briand's office:
"Our children are dying on the battlefield, by the thousands, and you are killing them."
"You should be ashamed of yourself for what you did."
"Stand up like a man and confess your ugly deeds!"
…
Then someone threw stones at the office, and the sound of breaking glass was heard in the darkness.
Briand was hiding in the lounge, shivering. He didn't even dare to go out to take a look at the situation.
Two guards ran in. As soon as they stood in front of the window, they were hit by stones thrown in. They hurriedly covered their wounds and dodged.
"Where is Duras?" Briand asked. "Where is Lieutenant Colonel Duras?"
"He's gone home, Your Excellency," the guard replied.
"Send him back immediately," Briand ordered. "No, send him to Romania and investigate the matter thoroughly."
However, Briand knew in his heart that it was impossible to investigate this matter thoroughly.
(End of this chapter)
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