Everything went according to Shire's plan.

The next day, the Merit Newspaper, for once, shed its usual low profile and devoted its entire front page to denounce the capitalists for hoarding supplies and inflating prices.

It meticulously listed the comparison of supplies in France after the Echo Detector victory, proving with facts that after Shire's notable triumph, the supplies landing in France instantly increased by half, almost doubling by now.

However, where did these supplies go?

Why haven't they reached the hands of those who need them?

A series of photos provided solid evidence showing major capitalists transporting supplies into warehouses.

There were also scenes of the Bernard Group's supplies sold at fair prices being maliciously bought up!

Of course, all these photos were provided by Lucia, who had meticulously prepared for this moment.

Finally, Kobudo fiercely criticized in the article:

"What are the capitalists doing while our soldiers are bravely fighting the enemy on the front lines?"

"They are trying to starve the soldiers' families, exhausting them through hoarded supplies by all means."

"Even worse, they plan to blame everything on Shire, making people believe that it all started because of Shire!"

"All of this is nothing but lies woven by the capitalists."

"What they want to destroy is not only Shire but also the faith of France, the spirit of the soldiers resisting invasion, and the entire nation!"

...

The Little Daily precisely followed up.

It used a cartoon to satirize this phenomenon: several well-dressed gentlemen sucking blood with rubber tubes, while grotesquely commanding civilians armed with kitchen knives and hunting rifles to attack the soldiers fighting the German Army in the trenches from behind.

The caption: Is this what you want?

The article pointedly declared:

"Wake up, Frenchmen blinded by lies."

"The capitalists want you to hate and even attack the meritorious individuals of France."

"Only in this way can they firmly grasp their power and wealth!"

...

Finally, the Little Daily thoughtfully provided the addresses of the warehouses where the capitalists hoarded their supplies.

...

The public's anger was instantly ignited.

Young, able-bodied workers and disabled veterans immediately organized attacks on the capitalists' warehouses, eventually even the elderly and women joined in.

When people opened the warehouses, they were stunned by the mountains of supplies inside.

"Unbelievable, this is all true, they hid the supplies in warehouses but told us it was Shire's fault."

"They would rather let us starve or even die of hunger while the supplies rot in storage, just to make us hate Shire!"

"These bastards, we can't let them off easily, they are traitors to France, spies for the Germans, or have been bought by the Germans!"

...

This logic didn't seem flawed.

As a Frenchman, there was no reason to target the hero leading France to victory, the only reasonable explanation was that they were bought by the Germans.

With this crime labeled, it was no longer just a matter of protesting marches.

The enraged public beat the warehouse managers and henchmen who arrived to transfer supplies half to death, then stormed into the capitalists' villas, dragged them out, and hanged them from the roadside sycamore trees amid spit and curses.

For a moment, all capitalists in Paris feared for their lives, some were killed, others fled, those who hadn't fled in time hurried to the city government seeking the army's protection with their families.

The people remained relentless, surrounding the city government demanding Briand hand over the traitors:

"They are sinners who betrayed France, they should be punished."

"Anyone who protects them is complicit with them."

"Yes, anyone willing to protect the traitors must have taken bribes from the traitors!"

...

Finally, Gali stepped forward to calm the crowd:

"You are right, their crimes are unforgivable."

"But I don't think hanging them is the best solution, as there might be larger interest groups behind them."

"Believe me, I will trace more traitors through them and bring them to justice under the law!"

Only then did the people's anger slowly subside, and they dispersed contentedly.

...

That afternoon, Gali urgently convened the parliament.

Just as the deputies thought Gali was doing this to address the "uprising," Gali astonished everyone by proposing the wartime rationing policy.

Standing at the podium, he waved the document in his hand and said to the deputies with a helpless look:

"Gentlemen, you know what has happened without me having to say it."

"The 'riots' occurred not only in Paris but also in Dunkirk, Nantes, Toulon, and a dozen other cities, it is a national upheaval."

"I have to issue a warning, France is on the brink of collapse, gentlemen!"

Saying this, Gali intentionally paused, sweeping the hall with a sharp gaze, a look that contained both mockery and threat.

Under the deputies' fearful stares, Gali continued:

"The frontline situation is grim, we recently weathered a mutiny, which stabilized only through Shire's efforts."

"The battles at Verdun continue, it still requires a large amount of supplies to hope for victory."

"The north bank of the River Somme has already fallen, and General Fuxu's defenses on the south bank are in a precarious state."

"At this moment, if nationwide unrest breaks out and cannot be quickly quelled, it will be fatal for France!"

The hall fell silent, the deputies knew Gali was not bluffing but stating the harsh reality at hand.

And if France completely collapsed, it would be detrimental to everyone except the deputies bought by Britain and Germany.

After a long while, Arman's languid voice echoed in the chamber: "So, Minister, what do you think we should do to quickly quell this unrest?"

Gali nodded slightly to Major Fernan waiting below the podium, and Major Fernan immediately had the documents distributed to each deputy.

Gali explained: "This is the wartime rationing policy, we intend to centrally purchase and distribute the landing supplies."

This decision was immediately met with opposition from the deputies, many of whom had their interests tied to the capitalists, some with significant shares.

"You can't do this, it is market freedom."

"Doing this will deal a huge blow to France's economy."

"This is government overreach into the market, it is dictatorship behavior..."

Gali coldly interrupted the deputies: "Gentlemen, it's about survival or death, the choice is yours!"

The hall fell into another deathly silence.

If they didn't agree, they wouldn't get through this juncture, the public wouldn't tolerate the capitalists continuing to manipulate supplies.

Glancing at the deputies who were struck silent by fear, Gali nodded in satisfaction: "Now, let's proceed to vote on this issue!"