I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 187

Chapter 187: The Propaganda War

At the headquarters of Le Petit Journal, Bonnet immediately realized that the time had come to reclaim their sales as soon as he received orders from Steed.

My God, an exclusive interview with Charles would help him fight against the other newspapers! This would make Le Petit Journal Charles’s spokesperson, and if successful, he would be regarded as a hero by the French people!

Bonnet wasted no time. After hanging up the phone, he rushed to the newsroom like a gust of wind and shouted to the busy reporters, "Emergency! Positive coverage about Charles!"

Dozens of reporters stopped what they were doing. Some agile ones even began organizing their bags and cameras for fieldwork.

Since Le Petit Journal's sales had been squeezed, Bonnet had been working on internal reforms. He planned to increase the use of photographic material instead of relying entirely on cartoon illustrations, which led to the hiring of many more field reporters.

"What positive coverage do we have?" Bonnet asked loudly.

"Victory on the battlefield!" a reporter responded. This was Charles’s most impressive achievement.

"No!" Bonnet immediately rejected the suggestion, "We need something about his personal life. Counter the high price of the ‘Holt 75’ he sold to the military!"

Though his words were brief and lacked context, the reporters understood immediately.

This was to build Charles’s positive image in response to other media’s attacks on his high-priced sale of the ‘Holt 75’ to the military.

After a moment of silence, a reporter spoke up, "The field hospitals—Charles has been providing funding for the field hospitals!"

Bonnet quickly pointed towards the source of the voice, "Antoine, you're in charge of the field hospital coverage!"

Antoine responded with a quick "yes," then ran out the door with several assistants, charging like soldiers rushing toward the enemy.

"The welfare center, sir!" another reporter shouted. "I know Charles runs a welfare center. He has been taking care of disabled soldiers!"

"August!" Bonnet pointed again, "You’re in charge of the welfare center!"

August cheered and ran out with his assistants, full of excitement.

"And the volunteers! They support the transportation of supplies and the rescue of the wounded. Some of their funding comes from Charles!"

"Battiste!"

"Dowas Town! The Charles family has a good reputation there!"

"Boudouin!"

...

The reporters were dispatched in groups. They searched every possible place in the streets and alleys to find good deeds Charles had done.

Some of these actions Charles himself was unaware of.

For example, providing funding for the volunteers was the result of a discussion between Djoka and Camille. They believed that, as capitalists, they should also contribute to such causes.

...

At the Fifth Field Hospital, Dr. Sibrel tearfully gave an interview:

"Yes, Charles is a conscientious capitalist, there’s no doubt about it!"

"Anyone who doubts him has ulterior motives. They should be sent to the gallows!"

"I still remember Charles's expression at the time. He couldn’t bear to see what was happening. The soldiers were injured fighting the enemy, but they were waiting here to die because of a lack of supplies."

"Charles shouted at me, 'I’ll cover all the costs. I’ll give you everything you need!'"

"And he actually did it. He didn’t just say it—he really did it!"

The reporter asked, "Could you tell us about Charles’s expenses at the field hospital?"

Dr. Sibrel took a thick stack of files and placed them on the table, gently tapping them as he answered:

"Of course, every penny is documented."

"At first, it was eight thousand francs per day..."

The reporter gasped, "Eight thousand francs? Per day?"

Dr. Sibrel nodded, "That was just the beginning."

"Afterward, everyone had heard about the Fifth Field Hospital. They knew that because of Charles’s funding, it had the highest survival rate, so the wounded kept being sent here."

"Some of them were even transported from a hundred miles away. Can you imagine that?"

"This led to even more expenses for the hospital. Now, we need around thirteen thousand francs a day just to keep it going!"

The reporter gasped again, "Thirteen thousand francs? Per day? My God, that's no small amount!"

"It’s definitely not a small amount!" Dr. Sibrel’s eyes reddened, and his voice became heavy. "But Charles never complained! It’s not about the money, sir. It’s about lives. Charles used his money to buy lives. It’s a great act of kindness! I am proud of him! I am honored to serve him!"

...

At the Veteran Welfare Center, the reporter had just entered the factory and explained his purpose when he was immediately surrounded by the wounded soldiers who had rushed over:

"Most of us are soldiers saved by Master Charles. Only Master Charles was willing to help us."

"Yes, we risked our lives on the battlefield, and now we’ve lost limbs. Yet no one cares to even glance at us. Only Master Charles!"

"He gave us work and allowed us to have our own lives here. We even save money! He didn’t just save us; he gave us the courage to live on!"

...

Neighbors in Dowas Town:

"They’re all good people. Camille even volunteered with us."

"Yes, she worked at the field hospital for several days. During the busiest time, she didn’t sleep all night."

"They live simply. They have no servants. You wouldn’t even know they’re capitalists!"

One neighbor pointed to Djoka’s house, "Look, that’s where they live. Can you see any difference between that and our homes?"

The reporter snapped photos of Djoka’s modest house with his camera.

...

The volunteers, originally devoted admirers of Charles, took the opportunity during the interview to praise him:

"Charles’s family has already provided us with over ten thousand francs!"

"Madame Bernard is a kind person. She’s contacted us several times and told us many things about Charles."

"We only organized ourselves because of Charles, so, in a sense, everything we do is also something Charles has done!"

"Yes, this is Charles’s influence!"

...

Soon, Le Petit Journal published these interviews alongside photos, ending with a series of soul-searching questions: "Was everything Charles did really for himself? What have other capitalists done? Why are capitalists relentlessly slandering him? What is their real goal?"

Le Petit Journal never stated the truth.

The truth could not be said. It was an unwritten rule between the capitalists and the military. Once exposed, Le Petit Journal would become the target of all capitalists, for it would block their financial paths.

However...

Several "rumors" began circulating among the people:

Capitalists had always sold goods to the military at four to five times the price, while Charles insisted on trading at a maximum of double the price.

The reason Schneider's tractors were sold at such a low price was an accident, but capitalists used this accident to promote it widely.

The citizens quickly understood:

"My God, they’re trying to take down Charles!"

"Once they take down Charles, they can sell the tractors at four to five times the price again."

"This is the capitalists' conspiracy. We almost got tricked!"

...

When Gallieni heard these "rumors," he smiled and said nothing.

He knew that as long as Charles was protected, the military would always be able to buy goods at half price, or even at cost price.

For example, the "Holt 120" Schneider was currently selling!

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