Chapter 403: People's Military Level
Charles and Matthew spent over three hours discussing the details of the "Saint-Samon" and the truck-mounted cannon, not even having time for lunch.
It wasn't until Deyoka arrived and, after understanding the situation, brought them a working lunch.
It was a potato pizza made by the cafeteria, and surprisingly, it tasted quite good—perhaps because Charles was a bit hungry by then.
As Matthew chewed on the pizza, he asked, "Although this isn't something I need to know, isn't mounting a cannon on a truck a bit too dangerous?"
He pointed to the sketch that Charles had drawn on the table. "The artillerymen are on the truck, and there's no protection."
Charles nodded in agreement. When a shell explodes, shrapnel radiates outward from the point of impact. Since the artillerymen are stationed high up on the truck, the chances of them being hit by shrapnel are very high.
However…
"The key point is, where they are used, Matthew," Charles replied.
"Where?" Matthew looked at Charles with confusion. "Isn't it on the battlefield? Everyone has to be on the battlefield."
"Of course, it's on the battlefield, but on the battlefield, there are both front and back," Charles nodded towards the "Saint-Samon" parked in the warehouse. "The truck-mounted cannon follows behind the 'Saint-Samon.'"
Matthew immediately understood with an "oh."
The idea was that the "Saint-Samon" would charge forward, taking enemy fire and forcing the enemy artillery back, while the truck-mounted cannon would then follow and join the attack.
Charles was confident that this could work, even though it seemed unsafe at first glance.
In modern warfare, it still existed because artillery often needed to carry out mass bombardments, and self-propelled artillery, due to cost issues, was usually not suitable for mass production.
On the other hand, a truck-mounted cannon could deliver nearly the same firepower output at half the cost of a self-propelled artillery piece. If used in the right context, it could be incredibly effective, which is why it was popular among many nations.
Charles quickly stuffed the remaining pizza into his mouth and checked the time—it was almost time to report back to the barracks.
While chewing his food, he bid Matthew farewell, then turned to Deyoka, who was standing by. "Father, the training for the steel factory workers should ideally be completed in three months."
"No problem," Deyoka nodded. "It's already started."
Matthew raised an eyebrow, surprised by what he heard.
Charles had asked for all "Saint-Samons" to be modified within a month, but the steel factory workers weren't expected to be ready for three months. Something didn't add up.
After a moment's thought, Matthew smiled faintly, as if he understood Charles's intent.
…
On the way back to the barracks, Charles casually flipped through a file Deyoka had handed him. It was a report on the operations of "Bernard Company."
Since Charles spent most of his time serving in the military and couldn't handle company matters, Deyoka had to report to him in this way.
However, there was little need for concern. Charles wasn't too interested in the data—he could read the figures, but in essence, it all looked like gibberish to him.
In the end, as long as the company was profitable, that was all that mattered.
"General," Laurent, who was driving, turned slightly to speak. "Italy has launched an offensive against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it seems to be going poorly."
Charles nodded indifferently and continued flipping through the papers. It would be surprising if the Italian attack was going well.
The battlefield wasn't just about troop numbers. The Italian tactics were outdated, almost a direct copy of France's "offensive theory," but with insufficient equipment.
Meanwhile, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had gained more defensive experience by this point. They had set up multiple trenches in the direction of the Italian forces. When the Italians launched their artillery barrage, the Austrians would temporarily retreat into the second trench, waiting for the bombardment to stop before quickly re-establishing defense in the first trench.
Most of the time, the Italians were wasting their efforts without realizing it.
"Some people think that Foch should transfer you to the Eastern Army Group," Laurent said.
"What?" Charles looked up, surprised.
Who would think that? Didn't they know Foch and he were bitter rivals?
Laurent, seeing Charles's reaction in the rearview mirror, quickly explained, "It's because of the Schneider situation. People think you've reconciled with Foch…"
Charles suddenly understood. It was the aftermath of the "Saint-Samon" purchase.
Schneider had publicly announced that they had reached some form of understanding with "Bernard Company" and that they were united against a common enemy, which led people to mistakenly think that Charles was now cooperating with Schneider.
Since Foch was part of Schneider's faction, it made sense for Charles to fight alongside him.
Charles sighed lightly. France was a large country, and there were always people with unrealistic ideas.
The rivalry with Foch was almost irreconcilable. Foch needed victories to secure his position as the commander, while Charles was the one whose success directly threatened that position.
Laurent carefully added, "Additionally, they believe that only under the Eastern Army Group could you coordinate with Italy."
Charles nodded slightly. At this point in the war, people's military knowledge had definitely improved, and quite significantly too.
However, their expectations for Italy were too high. The war had just begun, and they hadn't even gotten past the Austro-Hungarian line yet. To already be thinking about coordinating with Italy to encircle the German forces was premature.
…
At the French General Staff, Foch had also heard similar rumors.
Initially, Foch had thought the idea was laughable. Move Charles there? Wouldn't that be admitting that Charles was better than him? How would that leave him as the Commander-in-Chief?
If Charles suggested something, should Foch agree or disagree?
Agreeing meant giving Charles the credit if they won.
Disagreeing meant taking the blame if they lost!
Foch was perplexed. Why was it that no matter what, agreeing or disagreeing with Charles would lead to a problem?
After thinking for a while, Foch finally realized. The issue was that Charles was always right. If Foch agreed, the victory would be credited to Charles, and if Foch disagreed, the defeat would fall on his shoulders.
However, as Foch stared at the map and considered the situation, he saw that the proposed strategy might indeed be viable. If the Italian army could break through the Austro-Hungarian defense and enter Germany, the Germans would be caught between two fronts. At the very least, they could attack the German supply lines.
This was an opportunity to break the stalemate.
If they missed this chance, the disgruntled parliament might very well remove him from his position as Commander-in-Chief.
With that, Foch didn't hesitate. He picked up the phone and called the Paris City Defense Headquarters, his voice full of confidence:
"General Gallieni, I believe it's time to prepare!"
"I'm sure our goal is the same—to drive the Germans out of France!"
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