I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France
Chapter 276: Pillar of the Nation

Chapter 276: Chapter 276: Pillar of the Nation

(The picture below is of the sunken "Goliath")

Around ten-thirty the next night, Shire, who had just finished work not long ago, returned to the dormitory as usual. He planned to read a book for a while before going to sleep.

In modern times, Shire didn’t like reading books; he usually played with his phone. But in this era, it seemed that books were the only form of pre-sleep entertainment.

Just as Shire’s eyelids grew heavy and he was overtaken by waves of drowsiness, an urgent knocking sound suddenly came from the direction of Gallieni’s lounge two rooms away.

Shire was suddenly startled awake, and immediately sat up. He knew that the battlefield might have changed, so he got up and put on his uniform right away.

Sure enough, not long after, a communicator knocked on Shire’s door and nervously reported, "Colonel, battle report from the Dardanelles Strait, the battleship ’Goliath’ has been sunk!"

Shire was stunned, quickly put on his shoes, and while buttoning his uniform, he opened the door and walked with the communicator towards the operations room.

Gallieni was already waiting there. His uniform was wrinkled, seemingly because he had slept in it.

This was a good habit, Shire thought. On the battlefield, there was no time to take off and put on clothes; this step should be omitted.

Gallieni casually handed Shire a telegram and said, "Half an hour ago, the ’Goliath’ was attacked and hit by two torpedoes, sinking in two minutes. The cause is still unclear. Most of the 750 crew members are currently missing and are in emergency rescue, but..."

The rest of the words were unnecessary. If a battleship sank in two minutes, the casualties would probably be as heavy as those of the ’Bouvet’.

The operations room became busy, with one piece of intelligence after another coming in, and the situation was gradually clarified:

At that time, the ’Goliath’ battleship was carrying out a night bombardment mission under the cover of destroyers. An Ottoman Empire torpedo boat sneaked close under the cover of darkness and launched three torpedoes at a distance of less than 100 meters, two of which hit, sinking the ’Goliath’ instantly.

(Note: Torpedo boats are essentially the same as torpedo boats, but for the sake of economy, they use coal-fired steam engines, thus earning the name "Thunder Strike Ship". They generally displace around 600 tons.)

Gallieni’s face was grim.

Unlike the warships previously sunk by mines, this time the Ottoman Empire proactively used a torpedo boat to sink an Allies battleship, which was extraordinary.

"This means that even on warships we are not safe," said Gallieni worriedly. "Moreover, sinking a battleship with just one small torpedo boat will deal a major blow to our troops’ morale!"

Gallieni then turned his gaze to Shire. "You have to hurry up; they might use this opportunity to denounce you again."

Shire nodded. This was a good opportunity for the capitalists.

...

Sure enough, the next day, major newspapers reported this shocking news:

"Ottoman Empire torpedo boat sinks ’Goliath’ with three torpedoes!"

"The Ottoman Empire has four such torpedo boats in total. Does this mean that the Allies cannot carry out bombing missions at night? Will the war once again fall into a stalemate?"

"Who is the David that sunk ’Goliath’?"

...

The last headline is derived from the Bible.

The name ’Goliath’ comes from the Bible, where the giant Goliath is killed by the young David with a stone from a sling.

The reality is quite similar to the biblical story, and people speculated about who was the "David" that killed "Goliath".

Soon news came that the Ottoman Empire was celebrating their "National Pillar" torpedo boat, with its captain being promoted to major and Captain Feiler, who planned the operation, receiving numerous medals, including the German First Class Iron Cross Medal.

A voice among the people grew louder:

"They can’t win this war without Shire."

"It’s time to send Shire to the battlefield and teach those foolish British how to fight."

"Only Shire can win this war!"

...

Brest, more than 600 kilometers west of Paris, is the site of one of France’s two major naval ports (the other being Toulon), as well as France’s largest shipyard.

The shipyard was filled with the noise of various machines, along with the clanging of hammers and the shouting of workers, who were busily working on the hulls of several small boats.

Wells and Tijani stood aside, holding design drawings and discussing the points to pay attention to as they compared the drawings with the actual items.

"I think the bow plank could be thicker and higher." Tijani pointed to the drawing, "It can match the weight of the engine in the rear, while also providing better cover for the soldiers."

"It can’t be higher," Wells rejected the idea. "It would affect the stability of the hull."

"We usually choose to land in calm weather," Tijani insisted. "I believe the safety of soldiers is more important."

"Of course," Wells replied. "But have you considered the enemy’s artillery?"

Tijani instantly fell silent.

The enemy’s artillery fire would create significant waves around the ship. If it exploded nearby, it could capsize the boat, making the soldiers equally unsafe.

Wells looked at Tijani with a smile on his face. "You seem not to resist the navy!"

"I’ve never resisted the navy." Tijani shrugged. "I resist a useless navy!"

Wells nodded slightly.

Tijani had said similar things before, but Wells didn’t believe it; he thought it was just an excuse on Tijani’s part.

How could the navy be useless?

With the navy, there are colonies, and with colonies, a great nation!

Many people went crazy for a powerful navy, but Tijani called it useless.

Now, Wells somewhat understood Tijani’s thoughts because he had seen it with his own eyes. Shire was gradually making the "useless" French Navy "useful".

Just then, the housekeeper came over with a newspaper in hand. "Sir, I think you should look at this!"

Wells took the newspaper and saw the headline: "’Goliath’ battleship allegedly sunk by a ’Thunder Strike Ship’."

Tijani, who had come closer, also saw it. They read the details for a while, then lifted their heads and looked at each other in shock.

Wells sighed, "This is what Shire meant by developing torpedo boats to protect the coastline."

"Yes," Tijani nodded. "This is practical proof that Shire’s theory is correct. This is just one ’Thunder Strike Ship’ with a top speed of only 35 knots."

(The picture above is of the Ottoman Empire’s "National Pillar" torpedo boat, with its main weapons being three torpedo tubes and two 75MM guns)