In the end, Shire chose to cooperate with General Gallieni.
Gallieni left satisfied, and before leaving, he instructed Dejoka and Shire:
"We never met, and I didn’t make any promises or agreements. We don’t know each other, understood?"
"Of course!" Dejoka and Shire answered in unison.
If the capitalists discovered this tacit understanding, they would launch a frenzied revenge with the power they held.
They might even accuse Gallieni of endangering national security: Gallieni, as a soldier, circumvented the Senate to secretly make a deal with an arms dealer. Was he planning a coup to overthrow the Republic?
Double standards and manipulating the law were what the capitalists were best at, and no one could play those games better than them.
Worried, Gallieni glanced at the kitchen, where Camille was busy cutting fruit.
Understanding, Dejoka said, "Don’t worry, General! She won’t say a word, I guarantee it!"
It wasn’t that Camille could keep her mouth shut, rather Dejoka knew her weaknesses.
After receiving reassurance, Gallieni felt slightly relieved. He shook hands with both of them and said to Shire with some feeling, "Besides innovating equipment, you’re also a born strategist and tactician, Shire! I once hoped you could become my adviser, but you know..."
Shire understood that being an arms dealer was too sensitive for the military; it would touch the fragile nerves of the capitalists.
"Sorry, General!" Shire said.
"What?" Gallieni was confused by Shire’s sudden apology.
Shire explained, "In the future, I’ll curse you on occasion or express dissatisfaction with you. I hope you don’t mind!"
Gallieni was taken aback and then burst into laughter. "Of course not, Shire. The harsher the better! I give you permission to curse! Naturally, I’ll respond, and I believe you wouldn’t mind!"
"Certainly, General!"
"And!" Gallieni patted Shire’s shoulder, "I’ve always believed that you’re a conscientious capitalist. I wasn’t wrong!"
Dejoka was a bit puzzled. This old and young duo conversing in riddles, he could understand every word but had no idea what they were talking about.
After seeing Gallieni off, Dejoka suddenly got it. To avoid suspicion, the military needed to act as if they were at odds with Shire, the arms dealer, or at least show evident dislike. Only then could they put the capitalists at ease.
Dejoka felt somewhat disgruntled, as if conversations among smart people had nothing to do with him, making him seem redundant.
At that moment, a visibly excited Camille came out with a tray. Not finding Gallieni, she looked a bit regretful and disappointed, "Has the General left? He should have tasted my apple pie!"
"The General is very busy, Camille!" Dejoka said.
Shire cast a questioning gaze at Dejoka, as if asking how do you plan to keep Camille from boasting about tonight to the neighbors?
Dejoka shrugged, wasn’t it easy?
"Camille!" Dejoka called out to her just as she was about to return to the kitchen, "There’s something I need to emphasize!"
"What?" Camille turned around, wiping her hands on her apron.
"General Gallieni was never here!" Dejoka said. "The person who came tonight was just a customer, here to discuss business, and only business!"
Dejoka interrupted Camille’s query, "If the capitalists find out about tonight, they might harm Shire, with kidnapping becoming a real possibility. That’s one of the reasons why General Gallieni came to see Shire in civilian clothes secretly!"
Camille turned pale instantly, looking at Shire, then nodded heavily, "Okay, I won’t say a word! Tonight, it was just a customer here to buy a motorcycle!"
"Yes!" Dejoka nodded in satisfaction.
Shire protested with his eyes, are you shamelessly using me?!
Dejoka replied helplessly, "This is the best way, Shire. You are Camille’s weak spot. Knowing this, she’d keep her mouth shut even in her dreams!"
Shire did not object; this seemed to be a common trait among most mothers.
Dejoka led Shire back to the table to enjoy the fruit platter, and while eating, he asked:
"Two questions. He cannot protect our industrial property. How do we deal with the capitalists’ imitation?"
For confidentiality reasons, Dejoka had already replaced "Gallieni" with "he."
"That’s not an issue, Father!" Shire used a fork to sift through the platter, picking out the apples he liked, "If I can continuously upgrade the equipment to enhance its performance, the capitalists’ imitation will always lag behind. What they produce will be obsolete right from the start! Whoever imitates will lose money!"
Dejoka paused, then quietly looked at Shire for a while before saying, "It seems you have a lot of confidence in yourself?"
"Of course!" Shire answered half-jokingly, "I’ve got at least a hundred ideas in my head, just haven’t had the chance to realize them yet!"
Dejoka smiled and continued eating.
After all, he was just a kid. He couldn’t understand the harsh realities; sometimes, even having ideas doesn’t mean they will be accepted by society or the military.
However, Dejoka didn’t point this out. He thought it might be good for Shire to maintain such confidence and mindset without adding extra pressure on him right now.
What Dejoka didn’t know was that Shire really had a hundred ideas, and those ideas had been tested by society and actual combat, guaranteed to be accepted by the military.
"Another question!" Dejoka continued asking, "Why choose to cooperate with the military at a lower price? Businessmen don’t usually do that!"
At least Francis wouldn’t make that choice.
"Indeed!" Shire’s mouth was full of apples, and he answered indistinctly, "Lower-level businessmen wouldn’t!"
"Lower-level?" Dejoka was astonished.
Could it be that Francis, hailed as a business genius in the family, was merely a lower-level merchant in Shire’s eyes?
"Lower-level businessmen only see money!" Shire seriously tackled his food, responding casually, "Their vision is clouded by money, blinding them to more important things."
"More important things?" Dejoka felt Shire was talking about himself, but he didn’t know what was more important.
Instead of answering, Shire asked, "Father, do you know who the most powerful capitalists in France are?"
"I indeed know a few!" Dejoka hesitated for a moment, then mentioned some well-known names in France, "Wentier, Steed, Jameson, and Wells!"
Shire nodded and pointed out their identities one by one, "The Wentier family controls the Wenteer Group, monopolizing one-fifth of France’s steel production; Steed is the owner of the Saint-Étienne Armory, which almost exclusively produces and manufactures the French Army’s small arms; Jameson owns the Schneider Military Factory, producing artillery and warships; Wells is the head of the Brest Shipyard, which has been producing warships for France since the last century."
Dejoka made a sound of acknowledgment, seeing that Shire had put in the effort.
Shire looked up at Dejoka, "Do you think it is a coincidence, Father? The most powerful people control the French Army’s munitions manufacturing!"
Without waiting for Dejoka’s response, Shire continued with a series of questions, "Did they become the most powerful by acquiring munitions manufacturing, or did they control munitions manufacturing after becoming the most powerful? If it’s the latter, where did their power come from? Who gave it to them?"
Dejoka was stunned. He had never thought about these questions.