I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Meritorious Report

When Kobdo arrived, Charles and Colonel Fernand were about to head to the officer's mess for a meal.

Kobdo's arrival was somewhat unexpected for Charles. He had just finished speaking with Kobdo over the phone around 10 a.m., and now, just two hours later, Kobdo was standing right in front of him. This was almost the same time he had reached the city defense headquarters.

Charles introduced him to Colonel Fernand and the others, "This is Kobdo, the editor-in-chief I told you about!"

Colonel Fernand and the others exclaimed "Wow!" and hurried over to shake Kobdo's hand.

"Mr. Editor-in-Chief, we’re about to have our own newspaper, aren’t we?"

"Can I sign up first? Let me be the first to be interviewed!"

"Get lost, Court! You can’t just queue up for this!"

...

The enthusiasm of Colonel Fernand and the others made Kobdo feel a little more at ease.

"Come on, Kobdo!" Charles didn’t ask many questions. He led Kobdo toward the dining hall. "You’ve arrived at the right time. This will be your dining hall from now on as well. You can take a look around and get familiar with it!"

He handed Kobdo a self-service tray. "Take whatever you like!"

Kobdo froze for a moment. He looked around at the officers in uniform, and with a hint of nervousness, he asked, "I... I can?"

"Of course!" Charles, helping himself to some stewed beef and mashed potatoes, answered, "You're already a second lieutenant on our records. We just haven't given you your conscription order and uniform yet!"

Kobdo quickly caught up. "Yes, sir, I’m honored!"

Charles took a sip of coffee, then waited for a moment.

Kobdo picked up two pieces of steak, but hesitated. He wanted to take a third, but after sneaking a glance at the others, he ultimately decided against it.

Charles smiled. He knew that Kobdo would get used to the food here; there would be plenty of opportunities.

As they moved toward their seats, Charles steered the conversation toward work. "We might need some printing presses. Do you know where we can buy them?"

"Yes, sir!" Kobdo sat down across from Charles at a small table. "Schneider sells them, the 'Triumph' offset printing presses!"

He emphasized, "Made in Germany, about 2,000 francs each!"

Charles laughed. It was ironic that the printing presses for the military newspaper would be German-made, and they would have to purchase them from their enemy, Schneider.

"We probably need about ten presses!" Charles said while eating. "Our urgent task is to popularize the use of 'hand grenades' within the army!"

"Hand grenades?" Kobdo looked up at Charles. "The hand-thrown bombs used in the attack on Lafox?"

"Yes!" Charles was somewhat surprised by Kobdo's knowledge. Many people were still unaware of the existence of hand grenades.

"We need to spread them throughout the army!" Charles continued. "But many soldiers don’t know how to use them, which has led to a series of accidents. This is the first task the military newspaper needs to tackle!"

Kobdo nodded slightly, and once the topic turned to work, he seemed to settle into focus.

He skillfully cut his steak and chewed thoughtfully before responding, "If that's the case, then ten presses may not be enough for our needs!"

"What?"

Kobdo explained in detail, "A single press can print a maximum of 8,000 copies per hour. Ten presses, even if they run non-stop for an hour, can only produce 80,000 copies. This doesn’t account for mechanical malfunctions or paper distribution issues. Moreover, before sending the newspapers out, we may only have two or three hours of printing time."

It was then that Charles understood. Reporters needed time to gather information and write articles, which had to be typeset and printed before distribution.

Thus, if a newspaper had to be delivered before dawn, ten presses would clearly not be enough.

"If we consider distributing the newspaper to the public as well, we’ll likely need to print at least 300,000 copies!" Kobdo explained. "Two hundred thousand for the soldiers on the front lines, and one hundred thousand for the public. We can adjust the print run based on sales!"

"Then we’ll need twenty presses!" Charles said. "Twenty should be enough, right?"

Kobdo shook his head. "At least fifty presses. We need to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Charles asked, puzzled.

Kobdo stopped his movements and looked at Charles, his gaze firm. "Once our newspaper’s circulation increases, and the printing presses are still controlled by Schneider..."

Charles immediately understood. By then, the cost of purchasing the presses wouldn’t be 2,000 francs each. According to the usual military purchasing procedures, the price could increase several times over.

"No problem, fifty presses!" Charles glanced at Kobdo's civilian clothes and added, "You’re in charge of this, Mr. Kobdo. Before you receive your conscription order, you can buy the presses in your personal capacity. Also, find a suitable place to establish the newspaper’s headquarters!"

"Yes, sir!"

"You can go to Davaus to ask Mr. Djoka for an advance on the funds!" Charles said. "I’ve already spoken to him!"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know how to drive?" Charles asked.

"I do, sir!" Kobdo replied.

"Good!" Charles raised an eyebrow. "After getting the advance, buy a car. That will improve your work efficiency!"

Kobdo was stunned. A car right away? My God, this was something a normal worker would take years of saving to afford!

After recovering, he quickly expressed his gratitude, feeling a deep sense of awe. Working with Charles was different. He had made the right choice. He had just reached a turning point in his life.

...

After sending Kobdo off, Charles calmly walked upstairs. He found General Gallieni resting with his eyes closed in a chair.

"The military newspaper is starting to take shape, General," Charles said. "We need to come up with a name for it."

Gallieni yawned, opened his eyes, and murmured, "A name? How about... 'Le Journal Militaire de France' (The French Military Newspaper)?"

Then he quickly reconsidered, thinking the name sounded too official, which might alienate the soldiers on the ground.

"How about 'Frontline News'?"

He shook his head again. That wasn’t quite right either. While fitting, the word "frontline" might make soldiers shudder.

After thinking for a while, Gallieni said, "How about The Meritorious Report?"

He thought the name was quite good. It would feature the people and events that had contributed to the battlefield and would inspire the soldiers to persevere.

Charles wasn’t concerned about the name; it didn’t matter to him what it was called. He gently added, "We’ll need fifty presses, at 4,000 francs each."

"Got it!" Gallieni responded. "Once the government’s funds arrive, we’ll split the cost!"

"Yes, General!" Charles answered.

In reality, there wouldn’t be much splitting. It seemed that the military would cover the cost.

As for Charles, he was doing a job that involved little outlay on his part.

If there was any investment at all, it was the small favors he had given to Kobdo.

It wouldn’t cost much, but he would get equity in return and gain influence. Why not do it?

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