Bonnet looked somewhat pleased with himself.
As the owner of the Little Daily, his advantage was his well-informed sources.
The moment the tank made its appearance on the battlefield, he received the news, even a few minutes ahead of Gallieni.
While Gallieni had to go through multiple channels to obtain military intelligence, Bonnet's information came directly from the battlefield. He had arrangements with many mid- to lower-level officers in the army: whoever provided valuable intelligence first would receive a high reward.
As the tank charged towards the enemy on the battlefield, someone from the Little Daily office was on the phone describing the situation in full detail.
The article came out quickly; the authentic intelligence was given an extra touch and paired with images, and after proofreading and typesetting, they were printed overnight and appeared on the streets the next morning. Other newspapers were still in a daze, not knowing what had happened, and the Morning Paper even continued to believe that France was going to lose the war...
Bonnet smiled softly, no wonder the Little Daily sold a million copies every day.
In France, with a population of less than forty million, what does it mean for a newspaper to sell a million copies daily?
Excluding those who were illiterate or unaccustomed to reading newspapers, almost everyone held a copy of the Little Daily!
Now, he had again intercepted Shire, who was applying for industrial property, through his network.
"Gentlemen!" Bonnet took off his coat, removed his hat, and handed them, along with his cane, to Manuel: "I apologize for keeping you waiting!"
Bonnet's path to success lay in being as polite as possible; he viewed it as the cheapest sacrifice that didn't cost a single centime yet could win respect, intelligence, and business. Why not do it?
(Note: A "centime" is a French subunit of currency, with one franc equating to 20 sous or 100 centimes.)
He sat down in front of them, pulled a cigar from his pocket, and handed it to Dejoka, politely asking, "Would you like one, Mr. Dejoka?"
"No!" Dejoka refused, his eyes carrying a hint of animosity.
Shire, however, appeared indifferent, as if he had already anticipated this scenario.
It was no joke; this was a tank, a device capable of turning the tide of war. How could capitalists not detect its value?
Shire just didn't expect it to come so quickly; this fellow's intelligence channels might be even more perceptive than France's Intelligence Bureau.
Bonnet didn't light the cigar for himself. He raised an eyebrow and put it back in his pocket. He didn't want to come across as arrogant, as it was no good for business negotiations.
"Relax, gentlemen!" Bonnet wore a friendly smile: "I'm just here to discuss business. I want to buy, and you have the right not to sell. That's all!"
"Mr. Bonnet!" Dejoka didn't lower his guard, asking directly: "If you had a money tree, would you sell it?"
This question hit the mark. The industrial property of the tank was in Shire's hands, and the Bernard family also had a tractor factory. Simply converting tractors into tanks meant selling to the army and the state, a huge profit. Why sell to you?
If you want to buy it, how much can you afford to pay for this money tree?
Bonnet nodded slightly, as if he had already considered this. Not going into a battle unprepared was another key to his success.
"Do you think it's that simple?" Bonnet asked, appearing very calm.
"What do you mean?" Dejoka squinted, the tension rising as he felt there was a hint of threat in Bonnet's statement: "I want to remind you, Mr. Bonnet, if you plan to use tricks, the Bernard family is who you'll be dealing with!"
The Bernard family may not be one of the top two hundred families, but they had considerable reputation and influence in France due to their tractor business, and they weren't easy to be dealt with using underhanded means.
"No, no, you misunderstand my meaning!" Bonnet explained: "You must know the Maxim Machine Gun, right?"
Dejoka nodded blankly: "What does this have to do with us?"
Bonnet continued: "Everyone knows the Maxim Machine Gun is excellent, better than the machine guns we're currently using. But why doesn't the French Army equip it?"
"Because it wasn't invented by the French…" Dejoka didn't think much of it.
Bonnet smiled meaningfully and asked, "Really?"
Then Dejoka understood. That was just an excuse used by banking capitalists to deceive the public. The real reason: introducing the Maxim Machine Gun wouldn't make the bankers any money.
Seeing that Dejoka had grasped this point, Bonnet continued the topic:
"They control the army, Mr. Dejoka, which means they obviously decide what the army buys!"
"If they wish, your tanks might not sell a single one!"
"After all, who else would buy tanks aside from the army, right?"
Dejoka was stunned; things indeed seemed to be as Bonnet described. After all, even a machine gun factory needed government authorization, and the government was controlled by them.
But Dejoka still didn't believe it: "But tanks can help the army win battles and save countless soldiers' lives…"
"They have ways!" Bonnet cut off Dejoka: "This is the difference between the Saint-Etienne Machine Gun and the Hotchkiss Machine Gun!"
Dejoka's eyes showed confusion, but Shire slightly nodded in agreement.
Bonnet, good at reading expressions, noticed this and was somewhat surprised. This young man inventing the tank didn't seem like a coincidence; he appeared to know quite a bit about military and equipment.
Bonnet explained: "The Hotchkiss Machine Gun is excellent, but it isn't something the banking capitalists own, so they copied the machine gun and made some changes, turning it into the Saint-Etienne Machine Gun!"
Dejoka finally understood: "You mean they would copy the tank and make some simple modifications?"
Bonnet didn't say yes or no, only maintaining a smile. A skilled businessman wouldn't make things too clear, as that could offend others, but he clearly implied it.
Dejoka stood up angrily: "That's shameful theft! They can't do that; we would resist to the end…"
"What can you do to them?" Bonnet asked: "Sue them? Take them to court? That's what they're good at!"
On hearing this, Dejoka lost confidence. Going to court against the top two hundred families? The judges might be on their side, so why not just give up?
He sat back down dejectedly, thought for a while, then asked sullenly: "Then what difference does it make to sell to you? They could still 'copy' it!"
"Of course there's a difference!" Bonnet leaned back confidently, crossing his legs: "I have the Little Daily. If they do that, I would immediately publish it in the newspaper. The next day, all of France would know of their wrongdoing! No lawyers needed, the French people would condemn them!"
Then Bonnet uncrossed his legs, leaned forward slightly, and got closer: "Therefore, selling the industrial property to me is your best choice, Mr. Dejoka!"