Dejoka plans to take a taxi back to the small town, a journey of more than ten kilometers requiring 8 sous. Dejoka believes it's worth spending the money, as it's foreseeable that he won't have to worry about such expenses in the near future.
But after waiting on the street for a long time, no empty taxis arrived. Occasionally, one or two driven past were filled with fully armed French soldiers.
"Things are looking bad!" Dejoka frowned as he looked in the direction the taxi was going: "It seems they're using taxis to transport soldiers to the front line!"
Shire responded with a "Hmm," recalling the historically famous taxi transport incident, later widely publicized by France as a symbol of the unity of the military and civilian resistance against the German invasion.
Unexpectedly, it was happening right now, at the moment when Shire and Dejoka were in Paris.
They might have to walk back to the small town, as there were no transportation vehicles available, including horse-drawn carriages and ox carts, these primitive vehicles were also being used to transport military supplies.
While they were feeling troubled, a taxi full of French soldiers slowly stopped a short distance ahead.
Shire saw Major Brownie among them. He shouted to the driver, "Hey, stop, stop right now!"
"What's the matter, Major?" the driver looked back at Major Brownie in confusion.
"We need to take them along!" Brownie waved at the two not far away, shouting, "Hey, Mr. Dejoka, Young Master Shire!"
"But we can't carry any more passengers!" the driver protested.
"Then two of you should get off and make room for them!" Brownie responded rudely.
Brownie's request immediately sparked protests from all the occupants, soldiers and the driver aligned on the same front:
"You can't do that, Major, we're rushing to the battlefield!"
"This is absurd, forcing soldiers heading to the front line to make room for two capitalists!"
"You aren't fit to be a Major, let alone a soldier; your subordinates will be ashamed of you!"
...
Dejoka and Shire indeed looked a bit like capitalists, albeit fallen ones.
Major Brownie waited for them to finish speaking quietly, then responded disdainfully:
"Do you know who they are?"
This remark further intensified the soldiers' anger; they felt that Major Brownie was bragging about the identities of these two capitalists, trampling their dignity underfoot. The soldiers' protests soon turned into growls:
"Who cares who they are; no one has that authority!"
"Will they fight for us on the battlefield? If so, I'll give them my seat!"
"I will never give them convenience; you can go down and swap with one of them, Major!"
...
Two soldiers even exchanged glances, seemingly looking for an opportunity to throw the annoying Major off the taxi.
Major Brownie ignored them, gesturing at Shire who walked to the front of the taxi:
"Young Master Shire, are you returning to Davaz?"
"Yes!" Shire nodded.
Dejoka noticed there were no empty seats and that the soldiers were furious, quickly pulling Shire:
"Very sorry, gentlemen, we can wait for the next taxi! We have time!"
The driver suddenly realized something. He looked at Shire in surprise:
"Wait, you're Shire from Davaz Town?"
Major Brownie smiled without speaking, finally realizing, you unrecognizing fools!
Sure enough, the soldiers who had been cursing moments ago quieted instantly. The two who were about to act exchanged glances, everyone stared at Shire blankly. After a while, someone cautiously inquired with a trembling voice:
"Is he...the Young Master Shire who invented the tank?"
Without waiting for Shire to answer, Major Brownie grinned proudly and replied:
"Who else could it be? You fools, he saved France, and you don't let him on the taxi!"
"Who do you think deserves to sit here more?"
"Didn't he fight for you? Did you save France like he did?"
"Ridiculous! You are proud of heading to the battlefield, yet you hold your head high in front of Young Master Shire..."
Major Brownie kept angrily ranting, venting his fury, seemingly returning all the frustration to the disrespectful soldiers.
No one dared to talk back, every soldier listened with heads down. Eventually, someone jumped off the car amidst his ranting:
"Sincere apologies, Young Master Shire, please take my seat!"
"No, no, please take my seat!"
"Please take my seat, sir! I can wait for the next car, or walk, it's not a big deal!"
...
Dejoka felt uncomfortable, he planned to decline, but the next moment, they were forced into the taxi by the soldiers, almost like being kidnapped:
"It's only right, your role on the battlefield is far greater than ours!"
"Your time is precious, you might produce more tanks!"
"It's our honor, sir!"
...
Reluctantly, Dejoka and Shire had to accept the reality and sit down in the car.
As the taxi started, the two French soldiers who gave up their seats stood straight and saluted the departing taxi.
People walking on the street nearby turned their heads at this sight, their puzzled eyes clearly wondering, who are these two capitalists to make soldiers give up seats and salute?
...
"Why are you in Paris, Major Brownie?" Shire asked Major Brownie in front through the limbs crowded around.
"I'm here to see General Gallieni!" said Major Brownie from the passenger seat, turning his head: "He wants to understand the tank and detailed battle plans!"
Then he added: "Everything as per your instructions, Young Master Shire!"
This talk was only understood by Shire. Major Brownie meant that he took on the responsibility for training and commanding, not revealing Shire.
This statement astonished the others in the taxi once again.
The driver turned his head slightly while driving, asking Major Brownie beside him:
"Major! Are you saying you're the Major who led three hundred men to defeat thousands of Germans?"
Major Brownie asked expressionlessly, "What do you think?"
Still upset by the earlier insult, he had never been berated by soldiers like that before.
There was another silence, the two cramped soldiers couldn't hold back:
"Sorry, Major. We thought..."
"You thought I was flattering the capitalists, didn't you?" Major Brownie interrupted coldly.
The soldiers didn't dare answer, tacitly agreeing.
"Young Master Shire is indeed a capitalist!" Major Brownie reprimanded in a superior tone: "But they are a rare breed willing to give everything for France. They provided us food and invented tanks at the cost of their wealth, which defeated the Germans, saving many of us!"
"Yes, Major!"
"Understood, Major!"
"Those fools!" Major Brownie tightened his uniform, shrinking back to his seat: "If you were my subordinates, I would have definitely beaten you up!"
"Yes, Major!"
The soldiers didn't dare say anything more, frequently casting respectful looks at Shire.
The driver suddenly laughed:
"They will surely envy me, I transported the inventor and commander of the Marne River battle in one go!"
"I'm going to be lucky!"
He indeed had luck; later many came specifically asking to ride this taxi, even paying several times the fare.