CHAPTER 330: CHAPTER 330: THE DIGNITY OF FRANCE

The military uniform incident erupted two days later.

After three days of discussion, the House of Representatives finally rejected the proposal to change the military uniforms by a vote.

Many representatives were surprised by this result. They thought the proposal could pass. It was not a big deal; it only concerned the interests of a small number of clothing factories, and only a part of their interests: the military uniforms stockpiled in warehouses would become waste.

But ultimately, it was still rejected.

Because the vote was anonymous, no one was sure who voted against it, which made it seem somewhat strange.

But even so, the representatives did not take it to heart. After all, it was just a change of uniforms, and it wouldn’t make much difference.

As soon as the news came out of the parliament, there was little reaction in society. Many people thought it was a rumor and did not take it seriously.

The next day, major newspapers carried eye-catching headlines:

"The House of Representatives voted to reject Shire’s proposal. Representatives always believe that the military uniform represents the dignity of France and should not be changed."

"Does this mean that the ’offensive theory’ is still unshakable?"

"Or is the parliament hinting something to Shire?"

...

The previously calm France was instantly ignited.

The loudest voices came from the soldiers on the front line. After all, this concerned their lives, and they protested again and again:

"What right do those who do not fight have to decide what uniforms the soldiers wear on the battlefield?"

"If one day, they think we should fight the enemy with dining knives or sticks, should we obey too?"

"Do those guys know what France’s dignity is? Only winning battles matters, not what uniform we wear!"

...

The complaints of the front-line soldiers quickly affected the people in the rear, as they were the parents, brothers, or sisters of the soldiers.

That afternoon, people took to the streets with banners and small flags to protest:

"We support Shire. He is the officer who understands war!"

"Change the uniforms, victory is dignity!"

"Protecting soldiers’ lives leads to victory!"

...

Shire was just leaving the City Defense Headquarters, heading to the police training base.

The car had just driven for a few minutes when it unexpectedly ran into the procession, with crowds blocking the streets and alleys. Cars passing by had to either detour or stop by the roadside and wait for the procession to pass.

The demonstrators were deliberately blocking traffic, causing a bigger chain reaction, so the government and parliament would understand the seriousness of the matter and give it enough attention.

Suddenly, someone noticed Lauren’s car and then spotted Shire in the back seat. He exclaimed, "That’s Shire, Shire is here..."

The crowd cheered, shouting Shire’s name and pushing forward to shake hands with Shire:

"We support you, Colonel!"

"We believe you are right. Only you care about the lives of the front-line soldiers."

"Lead us, we are willing to follow you against the parliament!"

...

Shire was almost terrified by the last sentence. To resist the parliament? That would make him a target for everyone, and even the newly won over Steed might become an enemy because of it!

Shire pretended not to hear, smiling and waving kindly at them.

Lauren was understanding, honking the horn as he started the car, shouting, "Clear the way, gentlemen, the Colonel is on a mission!"

The people conscientiously made way for Shire’s car, waving and cheering as the car passed through. Other cars tried to follow Shire’s car but were quickly blocked by the crowd again.

The procession was very long, containing at least tens of thousands of people, so it took the car at least ten minutes to leave the noise behind.

At this point, Lauren breathed a sigh of relief and remarked, "They are all your supporters, Colonel."

"They support the change of uniforms, Lauren," Shire corrected.

"On the surface, it certainly looks that way," Lauren replied calmly.

"On the surface?" Shire looked at Lauren, puzzled.

Lauren turned his head slightly, glancing at Shire through the rearview mirror, and nodded, "You could think of it this way: if it weren’t you who proposed the ’change of uniform’ but someone else, this sort of large-scale procession wouldn’t have happened; it might not have even caused a ripple!"

Shire felt that what Lauren said made some sense.

In such a short time, it was impossible for the ’change of uniform’ alone to mobilize such a large procession. It needed a core force, a spiritual leader.

And Shire was likely that force, that spiritual leader, although apart from his resistance in the parliament, Shire had done nothing and said nothing.

...

The car slowly drove into the police training base.

The sight that greeted Shire made him feel greatly relieved. He saw that the officers and soldiers of the 105th Infantry Regiment were still systematically training on the playground.

Professional soldiers should be like this; their mindset should not be influenced by the outside world.

But soon, Shire realized that he was wrong. He saw a team marching on the playground without pants—some wore shorts, while others wore nothing at all. Paris in April was no longer so cold; they could afford to do so.

The key point was, they were training rigorously—marching, turning left, jogging in small steps...

Everyone had a serious face, devoid of expression, as if facing the enemy on the battlefield.

Tijani stood in front watching this team, looking helpless, as if he had no solutions.

Shire signaled Lauren to stop the car next to Tijani, and he jumped out, asking, "What’s going on?"

It was only then that Tijani saw Shire. His tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed as he replied, "It’s their way of supporting you, Colonel."

"Supporting me?" Shire was puzzled.

Tijani simply answered with one word, "Red Army pants!"

Shire instantly understood. They were expressing their refusal of the red army pants by ’practicing what they preached.’

"I gave them orders," Tijani said, "But do you know how they responded?"

Shire gently shook his head.

Imitating the soldiers’ tone, Tijani said, "General, we believe such situations might emerge on the battlefield, and to avoid exposing our positions, we have no choice but to remove the conspicuous red army pants. We are conducting targeted training, and we think it’s meaningful!"

Tijani spread his hands, saying, "Can you say they are wrong? If it were you, how would you respond?"

This method was excellent, Shire silently praised. They didn’t disobey orders and also made their position clear.

It was just that it didn’t look very dignified.

But if it could save lives on the battlefield, what did dignity matter?

This might be what the soldiers were trying to convey.

Not long after, this method quickly spread throughout the military. Other units followed suit, and even front-line soldiers were no exception.

For a time, France was filled with bare-bottomed soldiers.

"This is so-called ’French dignity’!" someone joked.