I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 183

Chapter 183: Price War

Pauline organized the materials, compiled them together, and then walked into the office, placing them in front of James, who was signing documents.

"Sir!" Pauline said. "These are the decisions Charles has made over the past two months. First, he purchased a motorcycle factory, and soon developed a three-wheeled motorcycle. Then, he bought a tractor factory, leading to the creation of the 'Mark I.' After that, he acquired an airplane manufacturing plant and a flying club..."

James paused his actions, a serious expression crossing his face, and replied, "And then, the invincible 'Maxim Avro' and the First Flying Squadron?"

"Yes!" Pauline continued, her tone slowing and growing more somber. "Now, he's sent someone to England to acquire Aston Martin."

"A car company?" James, puzzled, took the document and flipped through it. Finding the information on Aston Martin, his brow furrowed.

After a moment of thought, James ordered, "Contact the British office immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" Pauline replied.

And then, the price war began.

"Sir, Charles has offered 1.2 million francs!" Pauline reported over the phone, a few meters away from James.

Without hesitation, James ordered, "1.4 million!"

"1.4 million!" Pauline passed the order along.

James stood up and gazed out the window, puzzled. Why was Charles so intent on acquiring this car company? Why was he willing to wage a price war against him? Didn’t he know that he was trying to purchase Schneider? He should have given up by now!

Just then, Pauline called out again, "Charles has increased his bid to 1.7 million!"

"2 million!" James snorted, "That fool doesn’t know when to quit."

After Pauline relayed the latest offer, she hesitated and said to James, "Sir, Charles must have realized something..."

Pauline's remark made James suddenly realize, and he quickly ordered, "Cancel! Immediately cancel!"

But it was too late; the 2 million offer had already been sent to Aston Martin, and Charles had yet to respond further.

James raised an eyebrow, "Looks like we’ve been played."

"Not entirely," Pauline replied. "He originally intended to buy, but when he saw us getting involved, he decided to raise the price..."

Then Pauline’s expression changed, and she exclaimed, "He might be after something even more important!"

James nodded slowly. He had just figured it out. Charles wasn’t trying to drain Schneider’s financial resources; that amount wouldn’t even be significant to Schneider.

Charles was using this strategy to draw Schneider’s attention, making them focus on the car company.

So, Charles definitely had another objective.

Pauline’s face turned pale as she cried out:

"He’s after the technicians from the car company!"

Pauline rushed to the phone and ordered, "Sign the technicians from Aston Martin, immediately!"

James, however, shook his head helplessly. "It’s too late. We would have difficulty even finding them now!"

As expected, the replies from the other end of the line were all negative—they couldn’t locate Aston Martin’s technicians.

(Note: In the era without mobile phones or pagers, if technicians were at a meeting somewhere, simply changing the location would make it very hard to track them down.)

At 3:40 p.m., over half an hour after the price war had ended, the news was confirmed.

Pauline reported to James, her face showing resignation: "Charles signed 29 technicians at a monthly salary of 200 francs each. Except for a few who were unwilling to work in France due to family reasons, most of the core technicians were among them."

James nodded, sitting back on the sofa, smiling to himself, "Interesting. This little guy seems to be using his tactics against me!"

Pauline asked, "Sir, should we contact these technicians further…"

There was still a way. They could offer higher salaries, with Schneider covering the penalty fees, and still poach the technicians.

But James shook his head, stopping Pauline from taking such "aggressive" action.

"Some of these technicians must know what’s going on, Pauline," James said with a bit of bitterness. "They’re high-level talents. They know Schneider’s just trying to suppress Charles, not interested in them personally, while Charles values their abilities!"

Though Pauline still felt reluctant, she nodded in agreement.

Among talented people, there were always some who understood. They would prefer to go to a place where their abilities would truly be valued, as it promised longer-term development and the opportunity to fully realize their potential.

Schneider may have money, but signing them could just mean they would become decorative pieces. One day, when Charles advanced to the next stage, they would be discarded once their value had diminished.

Charles, on the other hand, was the one who would truly make use of their talents.

Thus, even with money being thrown around, a few technicians would still end up with Charles, and they would likely be the most discerning and capable ones.

At this moment, James was only interested in one thing. He lit a cigar and, deep in thought, murmured, "What is he trying to do?"

Pauline, standing nearby, replied, "I think it’s aircraft, sir. He sent Eric to the airplane manufacturing plant."

"But..." James coughed twice through the smoke. "But his ‘Maxim Avro’ is already invincible. No enemy can compete with it, and no one can rival it!"

This was what James couldn’t understand.

"Perhaps!" Pauline replied. "Maybe he’s competing with himself."

...

Neither of them guessed correctly. Charles knew that a crisis would emerge in the future, and he was preparing for it in advance.

Engine technology requires technical accumulation, talent reserves, and time for research and development. By the time the problem emerges, it would be too late to scramble for a solution. By then, enemies and competitors would have already left you far behind.

When Charles learned that Steed had successfully signed 29 technicians, his worried mind finally settled.

With the talent secured, everything else could be handled. Machines and equipment could be bought, and even if Schneider suppressed them, purchasing them through Saint-Étienne would present no problem.

Colonel Fernand, who had been standing by, asked, "What about the factory?"

"Yes!" Charles replied.

Fernand nodded, stepping a little closer, and whispered, "You’d better arrange things, Major, otherwise when the war starts..."

"I understand, Colonel!" Charles nodded gratefully.

Fernand was right. The military command structure was different from other places. Personal matters should not be brought into this, especially in wartime. This was the discipline of the military.

However, Charles wasn’t entirely acting on personal matters either. As the captain of the First Flying Squadron and a staff officer, it seemed quite official for him to consider the future development of fighter aircraft and work toward it.

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