Chapter 405: Book Cipher
As he descended the stairs from the command building, Charles felt a sense of crisis creeping in.
As the Commander-in-Chief of France, Foch always had the authority to move troops, and the military was an organization that emphasized obedience to orders. This created an invisible uncertainty that could pose a danger to Charles' future.
He could navigate this current challenge by leveraging the Italian army, but what would happen if Foch found another opportunity to issue a similar command in the future?
Foch seemed to have lost patience; he intended to place Charles in an awkward position. To avoid this, it seemed there was only one way out.
With this thought in mind, Charles instinctively made his way to the officers' club. It was almost time, but he suddenly realized it was still quite early, and the sky was still bright.
Just as he was about to turn back, he heard a voice from inside the club: "General, are you here to find Lucia?"
The door to the club opened, and a woman dressed as a bartender appeared before Charles.
He recognized her as Gariel, a colleague and close friend of Lucia, who often spoke of her.
"Yes," Charles nodded. "I can come back later if she's busy."
"General," Gariel responded, "she's off today, but I can call her over right now."
"If she's resting, I can come back another day..."
"No, no, General," Gariel quickly interrupted, "if Lucia knows you're looking for her, she'll be thrilled. She wouldn't want to miss the opportunity. I guarantee it."
Charles froze for a moment, then smiled.
Well done, Lucia. You've tricked Gariel into believing your relationship with me. She fully believes in your love affair.
Walking into the club, Charles didn't sit at his usual spot but chose a chair by the window. He slowly sipped the coffee Gariel had brought him.
By the time he was almost done with the coffee, Lucia hurriedly entered through the main door of the command building.
She was in a rush, just quickly putting on some lipstick. When she reached the door, she paused, brushed her hair, and held her chest, trying to catch her breath as though not wanting Charles to see her flustered. She quickly pulled out a mirror from her handbag to check herself before striding inside.
However, when she saw Charles sitting at the window, a bad feeling washed over her.
Lucia sat opposite him, slightly awkward, thinking to herself, This guy must be enjoying this. He must be thinking that I care so much about him.
To her surprise, Charles leaned forward and whispered, "You don't need to rush next time. I usually don't come to see you in a hurry, though it might be important."
Lucia was stunned. This guy actually thought I was in a hurry because of an urgent task?
"Understood, General," Lucia responded coldly. "Do you have any orders?"
Charles leaned a little closer and asked, "What's going on with Grevy?"
Lucia shook her head slightly. "There's some progress, but we've encountered some difficulties."
Gariel's footsteps were heard approaching from behind. Lucia naturally changed the subject. "Are you free this weekend? I don't want every date to be here."
"You know," Charles awkwardly shook his head, "I don't have time, Lucia. I have too many things to handle."
Charles' acting felt a bit forced, but fortunately, Gariel didn't notice anything unusual. She brought Lucia a cup of coffee, smiled at both of them, and walked away.
Lucia picked up where they left off. "We've been receiving telegrams from Grevy, but he's using a 'book cipher'."
"Book cipher?" Charles hadn't heard of it before.
"Yes," Lucia explained, "It's when you select a book, and in the telegram, they transmit page numbers, line numbers, and column numbers."
Charles understood immediately.
This encryption method was simple and easy to use, yet hard to crack because there was no discernible pattern. The key was knowing which book they were using.
"We even sent someone to infiltrate Grevy's servants, but we still haven't discovered the book," Lucia frowned. "We suspect the cipher book is in his safe."
Charles was silent for a moment before speaking. "He might be planning an operation soon."
Lucia understood. This meant that Charles would soon set a trap for Grevy.
However, without knowing the cipher book, even if the "fish" bit, it would be useless. They could only watch helplessly as the "fish" slipped away.
Lucia felt a bit guilty. "We'll try to find a solution as soon as possible..."
"I think there's someone we can use," Charles interrupted Lucia's words.
"Who?"
"Harriet."
Lucia widened her eyes in disbelief. "That spy?"
Charles nodded.
"But she's a German spy. How can we use her?" Lucia looked confused.
"It's simple," Charles replied calmly. "We know her secret. We can use it to blackmail her and turn her into our spy."
Lucia slowly nodded, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes, but then she shook her head. "But Grevy is not interested in women..."
"Amand," Charles interrupted.
Lucia immediately understood. Amand was a notorious womanizer, and using Harriet to seduce him would be easy. With Harriet's methods, it was likely she could extract all the secrets Amand knew.
"We'll give it a try," Lucia nodded. She then stole a glance at Charles and, concerned, asked, "Has something happened? Is there a problem?"
Before this, Charles had shown little interest in Grevy's affairs. He had given the "Lady in White" ample time to investigate.
Now that he was speeding things up, it must be because something serious had occurred.
"It's nothing," Charles replied, "Just some small matters."
In fact, it was far from small. It was a matter that could affect Charles' future and even his life.
To keep Foch, the Commander-in-Chief, from issuing orders to Charles, there was no one to rely on except for Schneider, and beyond him, the parliament.
To gain enough influence in the parliament, Charles would need to ally with the right-wing forces.
Grevy stood as an obstacle between Charles and the right-wing. He was smart, cautious, and, more importantly, had his own ideals and principles.
Such a person was hard to buy with money, and Charles had only one option: to eliminate him.
As for Amand, his oratorical talent might be useful. He was another target for Charles to win over.
"Also," Charles instructed Lucia as he prepared to leave, "I need intelligence from the Cambrai area. It may require personnel coordination."
Lucia's eyes immediately lit up. "The direction of Belgium?"
Cambrai was near the French-Belgian border, and if it was the Belgian direction, it meant that Charles intended to break into Belgium and recover lost territory.
Charles nodded slightly. There was no reason to hide this; he needed to fully trust the "Lady in White."
Lucia almost cried out in excitement, and in her enthusiasm, she kissed Charles on the cheek, holding his face with both hands and showing genuine affection. "Thank you, General! Thank you so much! We've been waiting for this day for so long!"
Charles smiled. "So, when I said it wasn't just for Belgium, that was all a lie?"
Lucia smiled back. "No, General, it wasn't a lie. But if we can also contribute to Belgium, that would be even more perfect!"
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