I Became a Tycoon During World War I: Saving France from the Start Chapter 398 398: The “Gift”

"Hey, Deyoka!" Jas greeted warmly as Deyoka entered the room, reaching out for a handshake with a wide smile. "Good to see you. I was planning to stop by your place in Davaz last ti I passed through, but I heard you were tied up at the factory."

This was a half-truth; Jas hadn't left Paris in weeks.

"Yes, the factory's been quite busy," Deyoka replied with a polite smile.

"Business must be booming for your insurance company, right?" Jas asked casually.

"Just modestly," Deyoka replied with a light chuckle. "Besides, it's hard to say anything is truly 'profitable' with the risks that warti brings."

"Mm-hmm," Jas responded, accepting two glasses of red wine from Pauline and handing one to Deyoka. "Charles certainly knows how to stir things up, doesn't he? Just like when he bombed my steel plant."

His tone was friendly, but there was an edge beneath his words. Nevertheless, his expression remained genial, as if catching up with an old friend.

Deyoka chuckled, brushing off the barb with ease. "Charles was simply doing what he could to defeat his enemies."

It was a remark with layers of aning: "enemies" could be the Germans on the battlefield or the capitalist rivals opposing Charles in the business world.

Jas paused, then both n shared a knowing smile. After a round of verbal sparring, it was clear neither was the type to underestimate the other.

Unlike last ti, however, Deyoka seed more at ease. Dressed in his usual, well-worn suit, he exuded confidence. Jas, on the other hand, felt tense, hiding his nerves beneath a friendly facade.

"So, what brings you here?" Jas asked, sitting elegantly on the sofa and raising his glass. "I assu you're not here to blow up any more factories?"

"Of course not, Mr. Jas," Deyoka replied with a chuckle. "I'm here to discuss a potential partnership."

"A partnership?" Jas feigned surprise, though he had anticipated this. He suspected Deyoka wanted to purchase so of Schneider's valuable assets, hoping to take advantage of the company's current struggles.

"Yes." Deyoka wore a look of mock exasperation. "The Bernard Company hasn't had it easy, Mr. Jas. We may have purchased a steel mill, but we lack the technical expertise and experienced personnel to run it efficiently. And the factory is still in German-controlled territory, so we haven't even reclaid it yet."

Deyoka then sighed self-deprecatingly. "Who knows how long it will take us to start producing quality steel ourselves?"

"Mm-hmm." Jas picked up on the underlying request in Deyoka's words. "So, you're hoping to acquire refining and forging technology from us to prepare for your steel mill?"

Deyoka nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly, Mr. Jas. And if you could provide so skilled workers to help us get started, that would be ideal."

Jas offered a faint smile. "When do you need them?"

"As soon as possible," Deyoka replied. "I've set up a small experintal factory in Davaz to train a workforce in advance, just to be ready."

"Good thinking," Jas praised, though he looked down into his wine with a hint of disappointnt. He had tried to bait Deyoka, hoping he'd reveal a specific tiline for taking over the steel mill. If he had, Jas could have used that information to tip off the Germans and create complications for Charles.

But Deyoka had been careful, giving only a vague answer.

After so thought, Jas replied, "That shouldn't be a problem, Mr. Deyoka. Just prepare a list of your needs…"

"Thank you very much," Deyoka said, quickly pulling a prepared docunt from his briefcase and handing it over.

Jas's smile beca slightly strained. He wasn't entirely pleased with this arrangent. Skilled workers were valuable assets, and so of these workers possessed proprietary knowledge Schneider wasn't eager to share. However, Jas knew he couldn't refuse.

Charles didn't actually need Jas's approval to take these workers—many of them were already striking outside Schneider's factory gates. All it would take was a word from Charles, and half of them would flock to his factories willingly. Jas was convinced Charles was offering this "partnership" as a gesture to smooth relations.

For Jas, this was beneficial; he could publicly claim Schneider and Charles had reached a degree of cooperation, which might ease the protests against Schneider.

He glanced over Deyoka's list and saw nothing alarming—Deyoka had carefully avoided any sensitive positions, showing a thorough understanding of Schneider's structure.

"There's one more thing," Deyoka added. "I heard your company has a surplus of 'Saint-Chamond' tanks sitting in storage. I'm willing to buy them for 10,000 francs each. They'd be useful for training our workers. And if the price is right, I'd also be interested in purchasing the manufacturing rights, just to avoid any future disputes over intellectual property."

Jas raised his eyebrows—this was unexpected, but welco.

He did indeed have over a hundred "Saint-Chamond" tanks gathering dust in the warehouse, set to be scrapped for parts. If he could sell them for 10,000 francs each, plus perhaps 200,000 for the production rights, it would be a pleasant bonus.

Without a second thought, Jas agreed. What he didn't realize was that the "Saint-Chamond" tanks, seemingly an afterthought, were Deyoka's true objective.

Or rather, they were Charles's true objective.

When Charles had first ntioned this plan over the phone, Deyoka had been bewildered.

"Are you out of your mind, Charles?" Deyoka had exclaid. "Buying 'Saint-Chamond' tanks? Those things have failed ti and again on the battlefield."

"Everyone already believes they're unfit for combat," Deyoka continued. "Your 'Char A1' is far superior, so why would you want them now?"

Charles had simply replied, "They're just not being used correctly, Father. The 'Saint-Chamond' has potential on the battlefield."

Seeing Charles's determination, Deyoka hadn't objected further. After all, a few hundred thousand francs was a relatively minor expense.

But he'd had his concerns. "Jas isn't exactly strapped for cash, Charles. If we're upfront about our interest, he'll suspect there's hidden value in the 'Saint-Chamond' and drive up the price."

"True," Charles had said calmly. "Which is why we'll make it seem like an insignificant 'bonus'."

"A bonus?" Deyoka had been puzzled.

"Yes, a bonus," Charles explained. "We need workers for the steel mill. Those workers will need training equipnt, ideally old, worn-out tanks. So we need the 'Saint-Chamond'."

On the other end of the line, Deyoka had been speechless for a mont. This was not the Charles he once knew.

Had he underestimated his own son?

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon/Franklin1