Flowers, Swords and France

After leaving Agnes's residence, Fran did not stay any longer and went directly to visit her brother in another place. At this time, Charles, because he drank with his subordinates last night and talked about it in the early morning, now I had just woken up from the best suite in the hotel.

Because of the hangover, his head was still a little dazed when he woke up. It took him a while to wake up again, then he got up to wash up, and then came out to see Fran, who had been waiting for a while.

"Good morning, miss." He smiled at his sister, said hello, and then sat directly next to her, leaning back on the backrest, looking lazy. Now they were alone. With two people together, he didn't need to worry about his image. "You've been working really hard lately."

"It's you who worked so hard, and you only got up now." Fran didn't follow any rules and looked at her brother with a sneer, "You've really tired yourself out by drinking and drinking with your subordinates..."

"This is indeed a hard job, but I will bear it silently for the sake of the country." Charles replied with a smile, and then asked, "By the way, how about the factory?"

"Agnes went directly to the factory as soon as she got off the car." Fran simply tilted her head, leaned on her brother's shoulder, and then narrowed her eyes comfortably, "Then she summoned all the people in charge."

"So, Agnes has taken over the factory?" Charles asked calmly.

"Yes, according to your order, these people in charge are very cooperative with her." Fran immediately replied, "Of course, fortunately we had all the documents ready before the last minute, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to hand it over so smoothly. she……"

"Didn't she say anything?" Charles asked pointedly.

"She didn't say anything," Fran replied meaningfully. "The people she brought over took all the documents away, but I don't think they could see anything in them in such a hurry... …”

"Hey." After a moment of silence, Ciel couldn't help but sigh.

To be fair, he really didn't want to engage in such secret dealings with his wife and aunt, hiding his property, but when things had developed to this point, he could no longer just do whatever he wanted. The factory in Giverny is related to the lifeblood of his career and is also the core asset of the Treville family industry. He must take control of this place in his own hands, even if he wants to deceive him, he must continue.

He didn't want to break up with Charlotte at all, but he could no longer tolerate Charlotte threatening him with a breakup.

Seeing that her brother was in a bad mood, Fran didn't say anything. She just leaned on his shoulder, closed her eyes slightly, and enjoyed the time the two of them spent together.

"Aunt Agnes...did she say anything else to you?" After a long time, Charles finally cheered up a little and asked again.

"No that day, I didn't meet her in the factory because I was afraid she would suspect that I was secretly causing trouble." Fran still narrowed her eyes, "But I just asked to see her..."

"Ah? Did you go to see her?" Charles's eyes widened, and then he turned to look at her, "What's wrong?"

"Don't be nervous? I didn't meet her to quarrel with her, but to try and see if there was any hope for reconciliation between us... I begged her seriously and asked her not to interfere with my affairs anymore. I will do my best. I will spend my whole life grateful to her..."

Charles couldn't help but smile bitterly, because he knew what Agnes would answer without having to ask.

Sure enough, Fran continued. "However, she rejected my request, said I was shameless, told me not to appear in front of her again, and then asked me to leave very rudely."

Charles continued to smile bitterly, because he knew who was responsible, so he didn't resent Agnes.

"It doesn't matter if she continues to hate me, but she is doing something to hinder you now, isn't she?" Fran suddenly opened her eyes, "Now you see, everything has gone off the rails, Charlotte has her The support is also causing trouble for you now, You already have a heavy responsibility, but they want to destroy you... I wanted them to end these actions, but she refused. I'm afraid in her opinion, the only way to help Charlotte is to drive me away and put me away. Only by holding Giverny in my hand can I tie you to my side..."

Her tone was calm and gentle, but these words were carefully organized. No one knew her brother better than her, so she deliberately chose a way to hurt him the most, stabbing Charles quietly. .

Sure enough, Ciel frowned.

To be fair, he did feel sorry for Charlotte, but under the current situation, Charlotte took Agnes and used her property to oppress Charles, which not only damaged his self-esteem, but also made him very tired. .

"...It's true that I'm a little...ignorant." After a moment, Charles frowned and said, "It would be nice if they could be more considerate of me... Hey, forget it, now that things have developed to this point, what's the point? It doesn’t make any sense.”

At this moment, Charles took out his pocket watch and looked at the time, then moved his shoulders slightly and took off his sister's hair, "It's already this time? Let's have lunch together? Put everything together." Forget about any unpleasantness. Agnes does have some prejudice against you. Just avoid her in the future. She has promised me that she will not be violent to you again. "

"Okay, sir." Fran blinked, then stood up obediently, and followed her brother out.

Fran was slightly disappointed in her heart. This was not the reaction she wanted to see. Although her brother did not like Charlotte and Agnes's actions to undermine him, he was not so angry that he wanted to punish them.

This was also expected. It seemed that the status of these two people was extraordinary in his heart, and he had to deal with them slowly.

But she was not in a hurry.

…………………………

After the brother and sister finished lunch, Charles' spirit had become very strong. He and his sister came to the factory area together. In addition to the managers in the factory, the people accompanying him also included a group of businessmen such as Eugene Schneider who he invited.

At this delicate moment, Charles knew that he had to come out in person to calm people's hearts and let the factory leaders know that he was still the master of everything, and Mrs. Treville's turmoil would never affect his established route.

At this time, Charles was dressed in a black suit, holding a cane in his hand, as if he was a traveler, with a relaxed attitude, and Fran also held a small parasol in her hand, slowly following him, just like Charles and Charlotte inspected the factory together before.

Although there was a disturbance in which the lady sent an envoy to check the accounts, the managers of the factories of the Treville family had been severely warned by Fran before, and they had already made a stand to continue to follow the minister, so Charles was received here as attentive as always - even more attentive than before. These responsible persons were afraid that they would be regarded as suspected of betrayal by the minister, so they were afraid that the hospitality was not good enough, so Charles had to tell them to return to their posts first.

The businessmen next to them had different expressions. They looked around in the factory area, and seeing the busy and prosperous scene here, they were envious and jealous in their hearts. Of course, they did not dare to show the latter emotion.

Especially Eugene Schneider, he was even more mixed. He had always had an ambition in his heart, and he had always wanted to develop his own enterprise into the largest industrial enterprise in the country, and to make himself the top industrial family in France. He had been running steadily according to this plan before, and had built a huge enterprise system and a huge network of relationships in the political circle.

But the good times did not last long. Just when he was in high spirits, the collapse of the July Monarchy brought him an unexpected surprise. The Treville family suddenly rose up, and with a ruthless style, it became an insurmountable obstacle in front of him, and forced him down.

It is impossible not to be jealous. Seeing this large factory, he certainly couldn't help thinking: How great it would be if all these orders were given to me...

However, he is essentially a realist. After the original route has been proven to be unworkable, he certainly knows that he should follow the reality and continue to follow the path he can take now. Besides, the Treville brothers and sisters have proved that they definitely didn't rely on luck to get to where they are today, and it would be of no benefit to be hostile to them.

Because of this idea, Eugene Schneider chose to bow to the Treville family and join their system. Fortunately, the minister was quite generous and took good care of him after he bowed his head. As a result, the Schneider family's business also got rid of the previous underestimation and began to prosper again.

After seeing the benefits, he also supported the Treville family more and more, cheering for them openly or secretly on various occasions, and became a person they relied on.

In the future, the Schneider family will also have such a huge foundation... Then even if he died, he would have no regrets.

"Mr. Schneider?" While Eugene Schneider was still daydreaming, Charles sent away the factory managers, then turned around and looked at him, "I'm sorry to call you here again..."

"Huh?" Eugene Schneider reacted immediately, and then immediately smiled, "It's my honor to be summoned by the Minister, please don't say that..."

"As a senior in the business world, I respect you very much, so I never want to be rude to you." Charles smiled gently, making people feel like spring breeze, "Besides, my sister and I are very grateful for your help to us, and it is because of your efforts that we can easily realize the plan."

"For the country, for His Majesty, to serve you, this is what I should do." Eugene Schneider replied with a smile, "I am very happy that I can help you."

As an inventor, he originally didn't like interpersonal communication, but after his brother died, he took up the responsibility of the family. After years of business, he has become very fluent in this social language, and the shadow of the young inventor can no longer be seen.

Seeing the other party so obedient, Charles was also very happy.

"I know that verbal thanks alone are not enough. Now it's time to reward you."

"You don't have to bother so much..." Eugene Schneider hurriedly declined, but in his heart he was looking forward to the benefits given by the other party.

"The war is coming, I plan to exert influence and give most of the orders for military supplies to your factory for production... We will give you as much as you can eat." Charles ignored the other party's refusal, "Please do your best to help the empire."

Is it finally here? Eugene Schneider was secretly happy in his heart.

He worked for the Treville family for their reward. He had never received a definite promise before, and he had been worried for a long time. Now that he saw it finally become a reality, he was naturally happy.

"Serving the country is the duty of each of us." He bowed slightly and answered humbly, "If we can rely on our factory to bring the country closer to victory, then it will be the greatest pride of my life."

The original text can be read in Liu # 9 @shu/ba!

"I am very happy that you love the country so much," Charles nodded with satisfaction, "As long as you can work hard, the imperial army will be able to fight better on the front line, and you will also get the due compensation from the imperial government for your contribution, but..."

Charles changed the subject, "Considering the number of orders and the urgency of the construction period, I think this is a challenge for you..."

"If possible, I would like to borrow some technical workers from you to assist us in producing arms, and we can recruit other workers ourselves." Eugene Schneider quickly got into the state, thinking about the problems he faced in expanding production, "The factory is not a problem. We have already started to expand it, and the machines are also being ordered from outside. It is expected to arrive soon, but the funding issue still needs some support. After all, the goods will take up a lot of money at the beginning."

Since Eugene Schneider accepted a small part of the Treville family's shares, the factories on both sides have often exchanged personnel, especially in the field of arms. They particularly value the experience of the Giverny factory in producing new weapons, so there are many secondments. In the case of expecting to receive a large number of orders, it is not surprising that Eugene Schneider requested to continue to borrow some technical personnel.

"People and funds are not a big problem. I can help you." Charles lowered his cane and tapped the ground lightly, "But I think you need to trouble more than just here."

"What else?" Eugene Schneider didn't quite understand.

"Let me emphasize again that this is an unprecedented expedition, so the supplies and military supplies required by the army will also be huge. Can you imagine that we can support it in the lazy way of the past? Especially... the scheduled battlefield is a poor wasteland, and our army has no way to rob and solve part of the supply problem on the spot." Charles lowered his voice when he said the last sentence, "Considering the severe challenges posed to us by the supply of materials, we must face it with a more professional and new attitude, and then try to solve it."

"How do you plan to solve it?" Eugene Schneider felt that the minister's words made sense, but he was afraid that he was playing tricks secretly with such high-sounding words, so he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

"Considering the scale and loss of the war, we must organize the production of materials in the most efficient way, and then supply them to the entire army in the most efficient way. Therefore, this requires us not to organize the rear work in the way of independent production by each enterprise, but to organize the allocation, transportation and production of the entire material in a unified and coordinated way." Charles picked up the cane and waved it gently in the void, "Yes, comprehensive coordination and transportation, I plan to name this method - industrial mobilization."

"Industrial mobilization?" Eugene Schneider repeated in confusion.

This word is still too new in this era. Although he is an excellent industrialist, he still felt a little confused when he heard this word.

"In the admirable era of the Great Revolution, the Republic faced a terrible crisis, and then fought hard to organize hundreds of thousands of troops in one go, and then defeated enemies everywhere and saved the country... This is military mobilization under overall planning. The so-called industrial mobilization is the same principle. Through overall management, the entire transportation system and production system are combined, and then a large army is armed in the fastest way and continuously supplied. This is what I mean, and this war will be our initial practice."

"Is... is that so..." Eugene Schneider nodded, although he was still a little confused, "Then what do you need me to do? ? "

"I would like to ask you to accept my representative to coordinate the production of your factory and the communication between you and the military. "Charles immediately expressed his opinion, "In order to realize the envisioned industrial mobilization, I have set up a department in our ministry, which will be temporarily headed by my cousin Philippe. This department will become a bridge between the transportation and production systems, and assist us in coordinating the flow of labor, raw materials and production materials, and ultimately enable us to achieve efficient large-scale military production. "

"Accept your representative...?" Eugene Schneider still didn't understand it very well, but he heard the most critical part.

The Minister has set up a department, and this department is personally headed by his cousin. This department sounds very powerful and will send people to his factory.

This is indeed a bit unsettling.

"Don't worry." As if he knew what he was thinking, Charles immediately comforted him, "I don't want to interfere with your business activities. I have repeatedly emphasized that I just want to make the entire production system run more efficiently, and at the same time, let the armament production quickly meet the needs of the army with the support of the entire industry... In addition, I don't need to do anything else. "

After finishing speaking, he spread his hands and looked at Eugene Schneider.

Eugene Schneider shrank his neck, as if he was suddenly blown by a cold wind.

He understood that this was an unquestionable requirement.

To be fair, this sudden request made him surprised and uneasy, but in front of this young man, he couldn't say no.

After all, if he insisted on suppressing himself in the first place, how could his company get out of the trough? If he wanted to be disadvantageous to himself, he didn't need to make such a tortuous plan.

Moreover, the order was too tempting and he couldn't put it away.

What's more, although I don't quite understand what he means, this young man has never disappointed.

After a moment of weighing, Eugene Schneider made a decision.

"Okay, Your Excellency, I will comply with your decision."

"Very well, the Empire will be grateful to you." Ciel smiled again. "Then, please do your best to arrange your factories to produce military supplies for the empire! Remember, quantity comes first. No matter what, you must meet the order as soon as possible. Even if it is a little shoddy, it doesn't matter. ”

"It's not good to make things roughly, it's military supplies..." Eugene Schneider was a little hesitant.

"Precisely because it is military supplies, we have to focus on quantity," Charles replied with a smile. "After all, it is difficult for soldiers to complain about anything. Even if they complain, few people will listen. And - it is very likely that most of them have nothing to do. Come complain."

"But this is still a bit..." Eugene Schneider still wanted to say something more.

"Producing a sufficient amount of munitions as quickly as possible is the greatest support for the soldiers." Charles emphasized to the other party again, "No matter how good the goods are, if they cannot be delivered to their hands, it is empty talk. . Of course, I am not saying that as long as you have the quantity, you can deal with it casually, but I want you to try to supply the general supplies as quickly as possible in a simple way. If you can reduce certain processes while maintaining the most basic quality, then Just reduce it, speed is the greatest strength.”

"To put it this way, I feel sorry for them..." After thinking for a moment, Eugene Schneider smiled bitterly, "Okay, I will follow your suggestions."

"You see, the initial mobilization has been achieved between the two of us..." Charles couldn't help laughing, "It's so pleasant to communicate with a smart industrialist like you. In addition, you don't have to think so. Many, when peace comes, the people will forget the suffering they suffered in the war, because the people who suffered the most in the war will The traumatized people are all dead - at that time, all they can remember is the glory, and young people will praise the war with enthusiasm, as if they can squander their extra youth, so the most important thing is to win, as long as they win, As long as we win, no matter what we do, no one will hold us accountable for what we did to win.”