Chapter 32 Rifles or Tanks?

The magnificent French Bourbon Palace Chamber of Deputies was bustling with people, with semi-circular seats arranged in front of the Speaker's seat. A five-foot-wide aisle in the middle ran through the entire venue from the Speaker's seat, dividing the seats into distinct left and right areas.

The left wing sat on the left, and the right wing sat on the right.

Grevy and Armand, the leaders of the two right-wing parties, sat in the front row on the right, listening to the noise from the left and right wings while talking in a low voice.

After a while, Grevy glanced at the aggressive left side, then turned his gaze to Armand:

"It's time to give them a heavy blow!"

Armand nodded, adjusted the tie on his neck, and walked to the podium with his head held high and his chest held high, leaning on his cane and taking confident steps.

(The French Chamber of Deputies has two levels of front desk. The front level is a little lower for members to speak on the stage and raise issues. The back level is higher, where the speaker and other government officials sit.)

Armand looked around and paused for a while, then gently raised his right hand and placed it elegantly in front of his abdomen, and shouted with full energy: "Gentlemen!"

The voice was high-pitched and penetrating, and even the members sitting in the last row could clearly hear every word he said. The originally noisy voice gradually subsided, and the two factions sat back in their seats and cast their eyes on Armand on the stage.

This is also one of the reasons why Grevy always joined forces with Armand to deal with the left.

Armand has almost no advantages, but as a lawyer, he speaks fiercely, sharply and inflammatoryly, which is exactly what Grevy lacks.

"First of all!" Armand waved his hand to the audience easily: "Please allow me to express my deep apologies to the Germans. This time, they can't be crowned in Paris!"

There was a knowing laugh in the hall.

It was a good start. Grevy praised it in his heart. No matter the left or the right, they would not refuse the victory of France.

Then Armand added: "Unless they are willing to send the German emperor here!"

The laughter became louder, and there were a few scattered applause.

"I will carefully prepare a special coronation ceremony for the German emperor!" Armand continued: "This ceremony has a wooden frame and a rope. I will personally put the 'crown' on his neck!"

He also made a hanging neck gesture, and exaggeratedly made a grimace and stuck out his tongue.

The hall laughed, and then there was fierce applause.

Grevy could not help but be impressed by Armand's talent for speaking. He could easily focus on him with his gestures.

Only in this way can the next words be deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Armand introduced the topic:

"For decades, France has been in a state of failure when facing Germany, both psychologically and in reality!"

"So much so that the girls named Alsace in the brothels are particularly popular!"

"They hope to take Alsace back from the Germans and put it under their control in this way!"

(Note: During the Franco-Prussian War, France ceded Alsace and Lorraine. It happened that there were many women in France with the same name as Alsace. Some women in brothels would intentionally change their names to Alsace)

When the parliamentarians heard this, their expressions were different. Some laughed and some looked embarrassed. Some of them had done such things.

"This is not a shameful thing!" Armand continued, "You should be proud of this, because this is precisely the expression of your love for this country. I am proud of it!"

The embarrassed part of the people felt a little more comfortable.

Armand's speed quickened:

"What I really want to say is that from now on, your wish will most likely come true, not in a brothel, but on the battlefield. We are leading the French army to truly conquer Alsace!"

"Yes!" Many people responded loudly.

"And Lorraine, and compensation!" Armand emphasized.

"That's right!" The crowd in the hall was excited.

"And let the Germans lower their noble heads!" Armand waved his fist and shouted.

"That's it!" The parliamentarians echoed in unison, and the heat rose to the extreme.

At this time, Armand changed the subject, and his voice slowed down and became relaxed:

"However, we should think about a question, what helped us defeat the Germans?"

The parliamentarians were confused by this question. Is there any need to say this? Isn't it the French army?

After arousing the curiosity of the parliamentarians, Armand revealed the answer:

"Gentlemen, a boy named Charles gave the answer, that is the tank!"

The parliamentarians nodded one after another. Of course, they knew about this. A boy named Charles invented the tank, and the French army defeated the Germans with the help of the tank.

Grevy stood up and shouted at the right time: "You are right. Tanks played a key role in both battles of Darvaz! Without tanks, we cannot win!"

Under the leadership of Grevy, the right-wing parliamentarians echoed one after another, and the left-wing parliamentarians could only nod in agreement. After all, this was a fact. The left wing had no idea that they were falling into the trap set by Grevy and Armand.

Armand continued:

"Tanks suddenly appeared when the French army was in retreat. They turned the tide of the war and led the already retreating France to victory!"

"Then, they successfully defeated the German army in the battle against the German army on the Marne River!"

"You must know that this battle was commanded by General Gallieni. He led the Sixth Army to launch a fierce attack on the German army, but suffered heavy casualties and made no achievements. There was even a risk of collapse!"

What Armand said was true. This was the German battle plan. They were waiting for the next attack from the Sixth Army. Once the Sixth Army failed, they would immediately launch a counterattack. The Sixth Army had lost manpower and morale, so it was difficult for it to stop the German counterattack.

(Note: Historically, the Sixth Army was indeed defeated by the Germans. It was Joffre who personally persuaded the British Expeditionary Force to join the battlefield and defeat the Germans. Although the overall combat power of the British Army was in a mess, the first batch of more than 100,000 expeditionary forces sent to France were elite troops with rich combat experience.)

Armand threw out the key point:

"So, gentlemen!"

"Tell me, in the next battle, do you want to invest more rifles, machine guns, cannons, or tanks?"

"Do you want the French army to suffer heavy casualties like the Sixth Army but be helpless against the enemy, or to be like the Fifth Army, where only a few hundred people can defeat the German army and flee in all directions?"

The answer to this multiple-choice question is obvious, and almost everyone is shouting:

"Tanks!"

"We need tanks!"

"To hell with rifles!"

...

In the past, no matter what the topic was, the left and the right would always quarrel because of their different positions, but at this time, they were surprisingly consistent on this issue, and almost everyone supported tanks.

Only one person watched all this quietly and remained silent. He was Steed, the owner of the Saint-Etienne Arsenal.

Almost all the light weapons of the French army, including standard rifles and machine guns, were produced by the Saint-Etienne Arsenal.

Steed had just received news that the two right-wing parties had joined forces to purchase the patent for the tank.

So, he knew very well what Armand's emotional speech was about!

At this time, Armand's eyes just met Steed. Looking at the calm Steed, Armand had a provocative smile on his lips, as if saying: "What can you do to me? Come on!"