I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 240

Chapter 240: Exploiting the Germans

"Is it just a matter of allowances?" Kobdo guided Major Langf toward continuing his explanation.

"No, no, certainly not!" Major Langf waved his hand toward the plane behind him. "Look at our planes, they are all reconnaissance aircraft, not a single one with a machine gun or fighter plane, not one!"

A few pilots couldn't help but gather around, complaining in a chorus:

"Even the reconnaissance planes are old planes, they've been flying for over a year and are constantly breaking down."

"I’m short on parts, can't repair them."

"And the infantry only care about one thing—they just tell us to fly up and take a look, thinking it’s an easy task."

...

The more they talked, the more frustrated they became. Soon, it turned into a complaint, with them wishing they could bring the infantry here to experience it firsthand.

Kobdo added fuel to the fire at the right moment: "I heard that one of the planes recently shot down by the enemy came from your airfield?"

The pilots' anger flared up immediately: "Yes, the pilot was Adrian, a great guy, and he's also one of our best mechanics!"

"We don’t know what to do, the Germans already have machine gun fighters, and we only have pistols. The infantry keep saying we’re not in danger, but that’s not true!"

"I don’t understand, we were the ones who invented the machine gun fighter, why are we the ones getting hit and scared? Where are our machine gun fighters?"

...

Kobdo explained: "Perhaps it’s because you’re under two different command systems. We may have machine gun fighters, but they don't even know you're in danger."

"Yes!" Major Langf nodded in agreement, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Even though we're in the sky, our structure, allowances, and command all fall under the army. But Charles’ squadron, that's the real air force. We can’t get any reinforcements with machine gun fighters unless we have them ourselves."

Other pilots chimed in, adding to the frustration: "But that’s impossible! Every division has its own reconnaissance planes, and its own airfields."

"And the infantry divisions, they also have their own planes."

"There are at least twenty or so makeshift airfields on the front line. If we were to give each airfield enough machine gun fighters, we’d need at least several hundred!"

...

Kobdo ended the interview, not saying much about Charles, only briefly mentioning "the flying club."

Kobdo knew that if he bluntly asked the pilots, "Would you be willing if you were merged with Charles’ squadron under his command?" they might agree, but then everyone would think:

The Meritorious Report is Charles’ publication, and Kobdo is a reporter for The Meritorious Report.

So, Kobdo’s interview would actually be helping Charles "acquire" these airfields—quite a sinister plot!

Not only would this not work, but it could also be used by capitalists to target him, exposing his true intentions.

Therefore, Kobdo was very careful in how he conducted the interview.

However, at the end of each interview, he would always leave the pilots with one question: "How would you like to improve the current situation? What should the future development of the army’s aviation look like?"

Similar interviews took place at other airfields. Except for a few airfields considered "top secret" by Joffre, Kobdo’s reporters from The Meritorious Report visited almost every makeshift army airfield and reported their conditions in the newspaper.

Thus, a question arose:

Do these numerous, dilapidated, almost unmanaged airfields even need to exist?

Discussions among civilians and the military escalated: "This is simply suicide! They're like small workshops on the street."

"One can imagine that these pilots are just targets when facing the Germans' machine gun fighters. They can't do much, and they will become excellent practice for the Germans!"

"They will be destroyed one by one by the Germans, without any chance of survival!"

With this hot topic gaining traction, other newspapers quickly followed suit, and the discussion gradually shifted to future development: "We should consolidate them all and manage them centrally."

"Clearly, the best person to command them is Charles. He has managed the First Squadron very well."

"Yes, under his command, the First Squadron always achieves victory. He even invented the machine gun fighter. He understands air combat!"

...

Gallieni nodded in satisfaction, his desk piled high with various newspapers, including Le Petit Journal, Le Petit Parisien, Le Matin, and even Le Figaro, which catered to the aristocracy.

"Well done, Kobdo!" Gallieni took a sip of coffee, flipping through the papers while praising Kobdo, "Public opinion is moving in our favor."

"Yes, General," Kobdo glanced at Charles and responded, "We don’t need to hurry. Charles’ achievements are out there for everyone to see. Let the citizens call for him to take command. It will be far more effective than if Charles himself asks."

Gallieni nodded in agreement.

At this point, The Meritorious Report stepped back, turning to other hot topics. This was a very clever strategy, and Kobdo knew how to guide public opinion effectively.

"And then?" Colonel Fernand asked, a bit anxious. "The Germans' machine gun fighters might already be ready somewhere. They could strike at the army’s planes at any moment!"

"They will counterattack," Kobdo answered nonchalantly.

"Who? The Germans?" Colonel Fernand asked, confused.

"No, Colonel," Kobdo lowered his voice, "Right now, our opponent is not the Germans."

Colonel Fernand froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. Kobdo was referring to Joffre.

Gallieni muttered an acknowledgment: "Of course, he won’t sit idle. He will try to redirect public opinion elsewhere."

Charles had already figured out Kobdo’s entire plan. This guy was no less shrewd than Charles when it came to public opinion tactics.

Indeed, Kobdo replied, "Yes, I suspect that Joffre, in order to keep command of these airfields, will assign machine gun fighters to them and increase the manpower and resources at these airfields."

"And then?" Colonel Fernand furrowed his brow. He didn’t think this was good news.

Gallieni and Charles remained silent, exchanging a meaningful look.

Colonel Fernand suddenly understood: the battle would come down to a fight.

Joffre’s deployment would lead him directly into the Germans' attacks. He would suffer one or several defeats, showing everyone that his decision was foolish and wrong!

Kobdo was using the Germans to defeat Joffre. In the end, Joffre would have to compromise!

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