CHAPTER 550: CHAPTER 550: DON’T YOU HAVE ANY STANDARDS FOR YOURSELVES?

The bearded man had actually dug a trap waiting for Shire to fall into.

Among the grassroots soldiers and the civilians, many had deep-rooted hatred and suspicion towards capitalists, having been exploited by them since they were old enough to understand.

Deep-seated grievances do not develop overnight; those who have suffered greatly do not believe there are good capitalists, not even Shire is an exception.

They believed that everything Shire did was false, had a purpose, and was using civilians to rise to power:

"The money and supplies are nothing but a drop in the ocean to a capitalist, yet it can win people’s support for himself."

"Shire indeed can achieve victory and develop equipment, but it also brings him huge rewards."

"All of this is a prelude to gaining power; Shire is the smartest one, he knows how to manipulate people’s hearts!"

...

There were quite a few people who held such thoughts.

The bearded man was one of them; he firmly believed Shire had ulterior motives.

For example, this time Shire wanted to replace Nivelle as the commander-in-chief of both the French Army and the Allies.

The bearded man had made up his mind, if Shire accepted the invitation to become "commander-in-chief" without hesitation, it would expose his inner thoughts.

From this, it could be inferred that Shire was no different from other capitalists, just hiding it deeper.

Therefore, this mutiny should not end; otherwise, many of them would be "settled" afterwards, and this concerned their lives and honor, a matter that required serious consideration.

(Note: In history, more than 20,000 people were settled in this mutiny, with most of the leaders executed by firing squad.)

Unexpectedly, Shire refused without the slightest hesitation: "No, I don’t think I should become the commander-in-chief."

The bearded man was stunned, he did not expect Shire to refuse, let alone so resolutely and decisively.

The other soldiers, without the complex thoughts of the bearded man, asked anxiously, with a hint of disappointment in their tones:

"Why?"

"Is it because the parliament disagrees?"

"We can fight for you, General!"

...

"No, gentlemen." Shire replied: "You don’t understand the position of commander-in-chief, it needs to be accountable to the parliament and even to the British."

The soldiers were stunned, some nodding vaguely, whispering:

"Yes, if Shire becomes the commander-in-chief, he would directly face the orders from the parliament."

"And the British, the British would still use supplies to pressure the commander-in-chief."

"By then, Shire would not have the freedom and operational space like he does now to seize the opportunities and attack the enemy’s weak points."

"That makes sense, once he becomes the commander-in-chief, Shire would need to report everything to the parliament, and the parliament would send the plans to the Germans."

...

Ever since the Grevy treason incident was exposed, everyone knew that the parliament was a mix of fish and dragons, unable to keep secrets.

This was one of the reasons why the parliament was under lockdown and martial law at the moment.

The lockdown was not enforced by Shire, but implemented after he proposed it and parliament agreed.

The MPs knew they were leaking everywhere, and the large-scale mutiny of the frontline troops was a significant matter; if the Germans found out, France would be finished.

Therefore, from a broader perspective, the MPs voted to implement the martial law proposal:

No MPs were allowed to leave the Bourbon Palace or make contact with outsiders.

The blockade was enforced by the guards of Minister of the Army Gallieni.

Shire was ordered to go to the River Somme to negotiate with the mutinous soldiers, and the parliament was not to lift martial law until the mutiny issue was resolved!

...

Shire added:

"Besides, have you considered that if I rely on your support to become the commander-in-chief, the parliament will see me as an enemy."

"Because today I can force the parliament to make me the commander-in-chief with your support, and tomorrow I can force the parliament to pass other proposals with your support."

"What do you think this is?"

The soldiers glanced at each other.

They only knew to support Shire, not realizing they were unwittingly walking down the path of the dictator they always opposed.

"I won’t do that." Shire reasserted: "Although the parliament has made many incorrect decisions, I believe it is precisely the embodiment of French liberty and justice; we should protect this system instead of challenging it, what do you think?"

These words were nonsense; Shire knew the true state of the parliament—merely the result of the interests of various capitalists battling.

The issue was that the French people, under the long-term propaganda of the capitalists, generally accepted the parliamentary system, so Shire had to say things that met their psychological expectations.

Otherwise, even with Shire’s unmatched prestige, he could end up being abandoned like the Bourgeoisie.

This was very dangerous; the parliament was adept at using this point to occupy the moral high ground.

Shire’s words immediately received widespread support from the soldiers:

"He is a respectable general; he has the conditions to become a dictator but did not do so."

"Yes, he voluntarily gave it up. Gave up power, status, and immeasurable benefits!"

"This is the spirit of France; he is the commander we truly need and our hope!"

...

The bearded man was stunned; he had considered many answers, even imagined Shire would hypocritically refuse, but never expected Shire to respond like this.

Shire’s words nearly cut off his own retreat because becoming the commander-in-chief with the support of the soldiers would mean dictatorship.

This completely overturned the bearded man’s previous assessment of Shire.

Shire might indeed be a pure capitalist and general fighting for the interests of France and its citizens.

"Any other questions?" Shire spread his hands around, finally locking eyes with the bearded man.

"No, General." The bearded man replied: "At least I don’t have any more."

"Are you sure?" Shire stared at the bearded man, then swept his gaze over Jeremy and the other few representatives: "Don’t you want to make any requests for yourselves?"

The bearded man and Captain Jeremy exchanged glances and shook their heads slightly.

"No, General." Captain Jeremy replied.

"Thank you very much, General." The bearded man’s eyes showed sincerity; he completely believed in Shire.

Shire’s words seemed simple on the surface but were full of deep meaning and weight.

Don’t you want to make any requests for yourselves?

Its other meaning is: afterwards, you are likely to be settled; you should consider how to protect yourselves!

No one would say such things, except Shire.

Any officer who came to negotiate would have vowed, "You won’t be settled, we will forget all this as long as you reorganize the troops now."

Only Shire, who not only did not say these things, but even reminded them.

Therefore, they were one hundred percent sure he stood on the side of the soldiers!

"Alright!" Shire nodded to the few representatives: "You are indeed true warriors, warriors who dare to face life and death. I will try my best to protect you!"

The bearded man instantly collapsed, his eyes reddened, silently looking at Shire.

I had been doubting Shire all along?!