Chapter 782 That is the British Army’s Own Business
Armand stared at Charles blankly. After a long while, he asked, "Are you kidding, General? Buy all the land you can!"
Ciel replied expressionlessly: "Do you think I'm joking?"
"Okay!" Armand stood up with his glass of wine and walked to the other end of the living room. He took down the map of France hanging on the wall with one hand and handed it to Charles when he returned.
"To the west of the Meuse River, there are more arable lands producing wheat." Armand listed them one by one: "To the west are pastures, and to the south are vineyards, potatoes and beets..."
"I just want farmland and pastures," Charles interrupted Armand, "and land for building."
The purpose of Charles' purchase of arable land is to ensure national security, to guarantee food and housing for citizens, and to prevent capitalists from controlling the country's lifeline.
Most vineyards are used to produce red wine, which is a non-essential consumer product, and Charles sees no need to interfere.
Armand breathed a sigh of relief:
"Wise choice, General."
“You know, farmland in the south is safe, so the price remains high.”
“Poor quality vineyards cost thousands of dollars per hectare, while good quality vineyards cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
"What about the price of farmland?" asked Charles.
Armand sat back on the sofa and answered:
"The price of arable land is about US$500 per hectare, and there are about 5 million hectares in the country."
“Pastures and building land are slightly cheaper, about $300.”
"Knowing this, you still plan to purchase in large quantities?"
Charles hummed, "The initial plan is to use 1 million hectares of arable land, 500,000 hectares each for pasture and construction."
Armand whistled. "Do you know how much this will cost? It's $800 million, General."
This is undoubtedly a huge sum of money.
Britain only borrowed $10 billion from the United States for the entire war. Charles ran so many military-industrial enterprises, mining companies, shipyards, insurance companies, and shipping companies, plus Romania's oil shares, that he barely made $20 million a month.
Even if all income is entered, it will take more than three years to pay off the bill.
Armand raised his glass towards Charles:
"I also think it necessary to remind you that your recovery of lost territory has driven the Germans out of France, and people's confidence in the land has been restored, so the price is rising."
"If we buy in large quantities, it will further drive up prices."
“So even if you scrape together the money, you’re probably going to end up with a lot less than that.”
Ciel replied calmly: "That's not something you need to worry about, Armand, you just need to be prepared."
Armand nodded readily: "Yes, General. As long as the money is in place, I will help you buy it immediately."
But he asked again: "But I should at least know when is the right time to acquire it."
Charles' answer was simple: "When the British lost the war."
Armand suddenly understood Charles' intention.
If the British lose the war, people will lose confidence in the land again and will repeat the previous scene of selling land and fleeing, so land prices will plummet again.
"God!" Armand sat up straight and exclaimed: "This is one of the reasons why you handed over Metz to the British Expeditionary Force..."
Charles looked up and glared, with a warning flashing in his eyes, which scared Armand so much that he immediately shut up.
"No, I don't know anything." Armand smiled awkwardly: "I will perform my duties, General, you can trust me completely."
Ciel nodded slowly, "You'd better not tell these things to anyone, including when you are in bed. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Armand nodded heavily.
He didn't dare to provoke Charles, the plague god, who was the ruler in France who could decide the fate of millions of troops at will.
He also controlled the Second Bureau and the mysterious intelligence system, which even made Armand give up the idea of making gray income during the acquisition.
It’s better to just help him do his work honestly.
Only by helping Charles and satisfying him can you ensure your own life and enjoyment.
Otherwise, there might be no need for me to exist in this world.
…
After leaving Armand's estate, Charles went to the Salperi Trier Hospital.
Gallieni's complexion has improved a lot. He no longer needs anyone's help to walk around the corridor and do some simple rehabilitation exercises.
Ciel stayed beside him carefully, his tone somewhat accusing: "I heard that you brought official business into the hospital? You don't need to worry about that."
"That's what they told me," Gallieni replied. "Lieutenant Colonel Fernand always said that Charles and his troops should be left to their own devices, for he was going to recover all France, and that the Army Group of the Reserve would have little to do."
He paused, turned his head and looked at Charles meaningfully, "But is it really like this?"
Ciel smiled softly.
Gallieni saw through his own thoughts.
This was not difficult. Because of their stubbornness and the presence of marshals and generals like Kitchener and Haig, the British always lagged behind France and Germany in tactics and equipment.
Under these circumstances, it would be strange if the British Expeditionary Force could defeat Germany.
"No explanation?" Gallieni asked in a reproachful tone.
"That needs no explanation, General." Charles replied, "They are British troops, our allies. It is their duty to share the pressure on the battlefield."
Gallieni retorted:
"Maybe I can ignore the British, but they are fighting on our soil."
"Have you thought about the people of Lorraine and Alsace? The battle lines will be pushed and pulled around them."
"It is even possible that the Germans could once again invade the heartland of France, which would then endanger many citizens. French citizens!"
Charles took Gallieni into the ward and sat down on the bed. "You shouldn't be angry now, General. I don't want to be angry, but this is the best choice for France, don't you think?"
"The best option?" Gallieni was unconvinced.
"Britain is always a threat to France." Charles explained: "Isn't it the best option to let them fight with the Germans? Don't you calculate how many soldiers we will save from death?"
Gallieni was stunned.
He hadn't thought of this, and it seemed to save a lot of people, French soldiers.
Charles added: "Besides, Lorraine and Alsace were originally under German rule, and the citizens there have lived in peace with the Germans for many years. Even if they are occupied by the Germans again, they will not do anything to them."
Gallieni had to admit it.
"I will evacuate the radicals ahead of time," Charles said, "so that the Germans will have no excuse to massacre them."
Gallieni sighed: "Is it necessary to do so?"
He was still upset about the "crushing defeat" that the British Expeditionary Force was about to suffer.
Ciel shrugged. "That's war, General."
Those were the British Army, and their duty was to fight, to face life and death.
Therefore, their deaths cannot be blamed on me. We can only blame themselves for their lack of skills and their generals and marshals.
(End of this chapter)
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