Chapter 404: A Delaying Tactic
When Charles walked into the City Defense Command, he felt a somewhat oppressive atmosphere in the command room.
The staff officers were whispering among themselves, and Colonel Fernand was speaking with Gallieni, who was staring at the map on the table, his brow furrowed with a trace of anger.
Upon seeing Charles enter, their expressions immediately turned to one of helplessness and sympathy, some even shaking their heads with a sigh, as though feeling sorry for him.
"What's going on?" Charles asked in confusion.
Gallieni replied, "Foch plans to transfer you and your troops to the Eastern Army Group."
"What?" Charles froze for a moment, almost laughing out loud. This guy really plans to go along with what the public has been discussing?
Please, that's a well-known plan, and if the public can figure it out, wouldn't the Germans see it coming too?
And sure enough, it wasn't just similar — it was exactly the same.
Gallieni pointed at the map and said, "He thinks we should prepare to assist Italy in encircling the Germans."
"Once the Italians move northward and threaten the German flank, we should launch a full-scale attack and crush them. This would help form an encirclement of the German forces with the Italians."
"And for the attack, we need tanks. Right now, only your unit has tanks."
Charles thought back to his recent purchase of the "Saint-Samons" and industrial patents, as well as the fact that the 1st Special Artillery Division's "Saint-Samons" had been nearly wiped out in the Battle of Cambrai.
So, indeed, only Charles' forces had tanks, except for the "Upper Silesia" tanks they had captured from the Germans.
"I can sell him the tanks," Charles responded. "As long as he's willing, we can rebuild the tank unit at any time, whether it's the 'Saint-Samons' or 'Charles A1.'"
Gallieni shook his head. "We both know that's just an excuse, Brigadier. We should be thinking about matters beyond tanks and the operational plan."
"Matters beyond the plan?" Charles didn't understand what Gallieni meant.
Gallieni nodded. "Once you and your forces are under Foch's command, there's a high chance you'll be assigned dangerous tasks. Do you understand what I mean?"
Charles immediately understood — using him as a pawn to advance Foch's interests!
It wasn't hard to imagine: with a single order from Foch, Charles could be placed in a no-win situation.
If he carried out the order, he'd be taking his troops into danger.
If he refused, he'd be accused of cowardice and disobeying military orders, leading to disgrace and a military tribunal.
Even on the battlefield, victory wouldn't help, and defeat would be disastrous.
If they won, Foch would take the credit.
If they lost, Charles' life would be in danger, and even if he survived, his reputation would be ruined, possibly even facing punishment.
Colonel Fernand suggested, "We could assign Charles to another mission and use that as an excuse to refuse."
Gallieni shook his head. "There's no mission more important than Italy at the moment, Colonel. The outcome of the battles in that direction could determine the fate of the war."
Charles was speechless — even Gallieni shared that belief.
No wonder; who could have expected that Italy, with its millions of soldiers, couldn't even break through the Austro-Hungarian border?
"Well then," Colonel Fernand said, "We could give the Brigadier a leave. After all, he brought Italy into the Allies. I've always thought one day off was too little..."
Gallieni interrupted, "It's useless, Colonel. The war has already begun. When the critical moment comes, even if on leave, the Brigadier should return to the army and fight."
The others were also brainstorming. They spoke up one by one, offering suggestions:
"We could consider sending the Brigadier to Gallipoli. The battle there is also crucial, and we've heard they can barely hold out."
"Or send him directly to Italy to coordinate with them."
"Yes, that's better than answering to Foch."
...
However, all these excuses seemed weak and ineffective.
Gallieni looked at Charles, his eyes filled with questioning and a hint of urgency.
Charles, however, remained calm and replied, "I think this plan is feasible. I can go to the Eastern Army Group."
"What?" Gallieni couldn't believe what he heard.
Everyone else looked at Charles in shock. While everyone else was trying to pull him out of the fire, he was walking straight into it!
Charles shrugged nonchalantly. "However, I don't think the time is right yet."
Gallieni asked, "What do you mean by 'not the time'?"
Charles pointed at the map seriously and said, "The Italians have just launched their offensive at the border, and their troops are still more than 100 kilometers away from threatening the German supply lines."
"If we send the tank units to the Eastern Army Group now..."
"First, we'd expose our strategic intentions too early. Second, the supply needs of the tank units would burden logistics. Third, the tank units wouldn't be able to train properly and would just be waiting on the front lines."
Gallieni nodded in agreement.
Tank units were different from regular troops. Regular troops just needed food and ammunition.
Tank units required fuel, parts, and had to be supported by logistics. Training them at the front would easily expose their position.
"So," Charles concluded, "I believe we shouldn't rush. The tank units can train at the rear, and when Italy breaks through the Austro-Hungarian border and moves toward Germany, we can head to the Eastern Army Group. That won't be too late."
Colonel Fernand and the other officers nodded:
"That's indeed the right approach."
"It should be done this way."
...
But their voices were small, lacking confidence.
They believed Charles was just stalling, delaying his deployment to the Eastern Army Group under Foch's command, as a way to buy time. It seemed like the only way out.
Gallieni also thought the same. He was even a little confused by Charles' actions.
Did this make sense? It was just a delay tactic, a few more days or maybe weeks.
But in the end, Charles would have to face it. The key was to find a fundamental solution to this issue!
However, Gallieni saw confidence in Charles' eyes. It seemed like he didn't consider the issue important at all.
What was going on here?
Did Charles have a way to deal with Foch?
Or was he confident that Italy wouldn't win this battle?
Impossible!
...
In the end, Gallieni, having no better solution, reluctantly passed on Charles' words to Foch: "We obey your orders, General. Charles will report to the Eastern Army Group after the Italians break through the enemy's defenses."
Foch was overjoyed.
This time, Charles wouldn't escape. Under his command, it would be easy to play him however he wanted!
Foch smugly turned his gaze to the map, already calculating:
"We can't push Charles into a corner too soon. Let him and the Germans destroy each other."
"Better still, we should preserve some of the tanks."
"No, no, that's too obvious. The battle needs to be brutal so no one suspects anything. As long as Charles is out of the way, his factories, tanks, and assets will be ours!"
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