Shire did not know that Dejoka had a fierce "battle" with Gallieni when registering industrial property in Paris.
Gallieni moved quickly, as he said to his staff: "The Germans are retreating, gentlemen! We urgently need sidecars to catch up with the Germans, rather than tanks that can block bullets. This is a pressing matter because if we give the enemy just a few days, they will establish a defensive line that our sidecars won’t be able to cross!"
Therefore, early the next morning, Gallieni submitted the application to procure sidecars to the government and followed up on it throughout the process.
The procedure went smoothly, thanks to the uniqueness of the sidecars. Even the only motorcycle factory was Shire’s, so Gallieni’s application was soon approved, and he gained the authority to independently purchase sidecars on behalf of the military.
Later, when Gallieni learned that Dejoka was applying for industrial property at the City Hall, he immediately rushed over to discuss the purchase of sidecars.
"We might need two thousand units or even more. You should sell them cheaper, Mr. Dejoka!"
"No, General!" Dejoka refused decisively: "800 francs a unit, not a single cent less, and that’s already very cheap!"
"Cheap? Do you think I’m a fool?" Gallieni gritted his teeth in anger, tapping his finger on the table: "A car only costs 900 francs, sir, and yet you sell a sidecar for almost the same price!"
"You are welcome to buy cars, General!" Dejoka retorted firmly: "It is expensive because it is worth the money; nothing can replace it, including cars!"
What Dejoka said was true. The off-road performance of cars couldn’t match sidecars, and car engines were more exposed, making them easy targets on the battlefield.
"I know motorcycles only cost 220 francs. You just added a sidecar next to it, making it at most 300 francs..."
"The point is that only we have them, General!" Dejoka emphasized proudly: "If you are not satisfied with the price, I suggest you look elsewhere!"
Gallieni was furious: "Do you know what this behavior is, sir? You are ignoring the safety of our soldiers, the risks the army faces on the battlefield, and the crisis in France..."
"I am a part of France, General!" Dejoka countered, starting to list his contributions: "We used our own money to gather food for the French army, invented tanks which helped France win this war, assisted battle hospital wounded, and even d a hundred sidecars to fend off the German counterattack... And you accuse me of ignoring the army and the soldiers and France?"
Gallieni argued back: "Then, you should not raise the price of sidecars to 800 francs at this critical moment. This price ruins all your good reputation, making you no different from those profiteers!"
"Fine!" Dejoka opted to compromise: "700 francs, no less!"
"Still too expensive. We require a considerable number!"
After a heated exchange, General Gallieni finally got the price down to 550 francs.
It was all a ploy; the 550 francs price had already been agreed upon the night before by Shire and Gallieni.
The manufacturing cost of a sidecar was around 270 francs. Gallieni, perhaps out of a desire to compensate Shire, had quoted a procurement price of 800 francs.
"This is acceptable for the military," Gallieni said. "It’s far better than what capitalists would swell the price to four or five times."
Dejoka’s eyes lit up immediately; the profit was considerable. Each sidecar would make 530 francs, and for a thousand units, it would be over fifty thousand francs. The military’s procurement wouldn’t stop at just a thousand units, which was far more profitable than selling industrial property.
However, after some consideration, Shire said: "A unit cost of 550 francs!"
"What?" Gallieni couldn’t believe what he heard.
"Shire..." Dejoka thought he misheard.
Shire turned to Dejoka and said: "High profits would bring us a lot of trouble, Father!"
Dejoka was bewildered; businessmen always worry about too little profit, not too much.
Shire analyzed: "If a sidecar’s profit reaches 530 francs, it will surely attract capitalists. They could import motorcycles from overseas, modify them into sidecars, and compete with us. Even with import fees and high costs, they would still make money!"
Dejoka realized: "If we lower the price to 550 francs, the profit margin shrinks to 280 francs. It wouldn’t be profitable for them to import motorcycles to compete with us!"
"Exactly!" Although Shire’s voice was youthful, his tone and demeanor were mature: "Additionally, if capitalists want to replicate, they would have to build a factory and set up a production line in France, and circumvent our industrial property rights. With a small profit margin, they might decide it’s not worth the effort and give up rather than becoming our competitors!"
"Brilliant strategy, Shire!" Gallieni praised: "Now I know where your strategic and tactical talents come from. The business world is indeed another battleground!"
The price of 550 francs was thus settled.
The following morning at Paris City Hall, the events were not prearranged. Dejoka and Gallieni performed an impromptu play.
News traveled quickly in Paris, and soon the big capitalists would know about this and think:
"Gallieni, that fool, always squabbles with capitalists for the military’s money."
"Sidecars for only 550 francs? That useless Dejoka has cut off everyone’s lucrative path!"
Ritz Hotel on the Place Vendôme in Central Paris.
In a luxurious meeting room, Francis leisurely enjoyed his favorite Algerian coffee, smiling as he looked at the military representative sitting opposite, lighting a cigar as he went.
Francis was in charge of negotiating tank prices with the military. He was thrust into the role by Grevy to create the impression that the tank property was still in Shire’s hands.
Grevy had promised Francis a 1% commission.
Francis had calculated: a tank could sell for 6000 francs; for fifteen hundred units, that’s 9 million francs, meaning his commission would be 90,000 francs, 90,000!
The military representative looked anxious and sighed helplessly: "Mr. Francis, we’re finding it difficult to accept a unit price of 6000 francs. If you could..."
Francis didn’t bother to reply; he just waved his hand holding the still-smoking cigar, indicating there was no possibility of a price reduction.
It’s not me who’s anxious, but you. Francis thought, as each minute wasted here would result in countless soldiers dying for lack of tanks—that was his bargaining chip!
At that moment, a communications officer entered. He glanced at Francis and then walked over to the military representative, bent down, and whispered in his ear.
The military representative’s eyes brightened; he immediately stood up and said to Francis: "Sorry, sir, I need to take a call!"
Francis sensed something had shifted, and it wasn’t in his favor.
As he was pondering, an aide hurried in, leaned close to Francis, and said: "Mr. Grevy has ordered, 5000 francs, sign the contract immediately! Right now!"
Francis’s face changed. It might be worse than he had imagined!