Chapter 589: History Is Written by the Victors
The last time Lieutenant General Ives had come to Antwerp airport intending to intimidate Charles, he had at least been able to enter the airfield and speak to him face-to-face. This time, however, Ives didn't even manage to reach the French barracks before leaving in disgrace, forced to return from where he'd come, without so much as a cup of hot coffee to warm him against the cold.
Back at the 6th Army headquarters, upon seeing General Tijani, Charles couldn't help but complain lightly, "You really shouldn't have come, General."
Tijani looked at Charles, clearly surprised. "But I was told you'd been taken hostage."
Tijani had received the news directly from Paris. Some details of the "unspoken rules" incident within the 6th Army had made their way to senior officials in Paris and eventually reached Weygand. Weygand had advised Tijani not to act impulsively, but Tijani, without hesitation, had rushed to Gembloux with his forces, leading to the dramatic confrontation moments earlier.
Charles simply spread his hands, smiling faintly, and asked, "Do I look like someone who's being held hostage?"
Tijani glanced around carefully. Indeed, Charles looked nothing like a prisoner—instead, he seemed firmly in control of the entire army. Charles sighed inwardly; this was not how the scenario had been planned. The script had originally called for a minor clash between British and French forces, after which the Parliament would step in as mediators, gracefully resolving the issue. Tijani's sudden arrival had complicated things significantly, making the planned resolution more difficult.
Yet Charles had still underestimated the shamelessness of the French Parliament. Just as he was contemplating how the politicians might choose to wrap up the incident, he received a telegram from Clemenceau in the name of the French Army Committee:
"We have been informed that the British Army intends to intervene in the affairs of the 6th Army, and we are actively negotiating with Britain. This matter concerns the dignity of France; we strongly urge you not to compromise, General!
Nevertheless, given that Britain and France remain allies within the Entente, the Army Committee hopes you will consider the bigger picture and avoid unnecessary conflict with the British.
Additionally, the Army Committee highly praises your successful efforts in suppressing the unrest within the 6th Army!"
Upon reading the telegram, Charles was momentarily stunned. Anyone unfamiliar with the facts, reading this telegram, would assume the British had somehow bullied the French, forcing the government and Parliament to step in as mediators. Moreover, what unrest had he "suppressed"? That line was pure fabrication.
Thus, all three sentences were lies, a complete act of political theater, with the final claim especially audacious, a direct inversion of the truth.
Charles said nothing, merely waving the telegram toward Gamelin, who sat anxiously several meters away. Understanding his intent, an aide promptly took the telegram over and handed it to Gamelin. After reading it, Gamelin gave a bitter, humorless smile. He turned his gaze toward Charles, his eyes filled with a mixture of sarcasm and resignation.
"They actually praise you for suppressing unrest?" Gamelin's expression was one of utter disbelief.
Charles merely shrugged, silently conveying to Gamelin: this was politics—history was written by the victors, shaped freely according to the winner's convenience. Gamelin's expression grew complicated. He stared silently at Charles for a long moment, finally releasing a weary sigh and sinking heavily back into his chair. He knew that he had lost completely and irreversibly.
Subsequent events unfolded exactly as Charles had predicted. Telegrams arrived one after another:
Following Parliamentary discussion, Charles was promoted to Lieutenant General and awarded the Third-Class Legion of Honor.
Gamelin and several other officers were immediately transferred out of the 6th Army.
The ongoing investigation into the 6th Army was permanently terminated.
When news of these decisions reached the headquarters, soldiers erupted into cheers of celebration. Gamelin quietly approached Charles and shook his hand reluctantly.
"Congratulations, General," Gamelin said bitterly. "You've achieved your aim. But let me say this clearly: what you've done here is neither what the citizens want nor what justice demands."
Charles understood perfectly what Gamelin meant. Gamelin was accusing him of crimes, including the killing of several innocent officers during the night's confusion. But Charles didn't see things the same way. He glanced out the window at the joyful soldiers celebrating, then calmly asked in return, "Not what the citizens want?"
Gamelin could offer no reply, merely gathering his subordinates and beginning the process of quietly packing up to leave.
Charles ignored him after that, turning his attention back outside, gazing thoughtfully at the cheering troops below.
Indeed, Charles had ordered the deaths of more than fifty officers the previous night, and among them had undoubtedly been innocents. But war was inherently cruel, and political struggles even more so. Had Charles not taken such decisive action, countless soldiers would have suffered far worse fates—unjustly punished, sent into meaningless slaughter, condemned to pointless deaths by incompetent commanders pursuing outdated tactics.
From the standpoint of both his personal interest and the welfare of his army, Charles had no choice. The true root of this tragedy lay not with Charles himself but rather with the Parliament and those shameless politicians whose disregard for national security, army efficiency, and soldiers' lives had caused such turmoil in the first place.
On that same day, Gamelin and his supporters departed from the 6th Army. Only Weygand was left behind—deliberately so, as Charles suspected, to remind him that Weygand was not Parliament's man but rather an agent of Marshal Foch, positioned to keep a close eye on Charles. Parliament probably thought leaving Weygand behind would heighten tensions between Charles and Foch. Ironically, this suited Charles perfectly. Weygand could now serve as a useful messenger between himself and Marshal Foch.
Of course, to maintain appearances, Charles gave Weygand only a minor position, assigning him merely as a routine operational aide. For the role of Deputy Commander, Charles appointed Christine, a capable officer experienced in armored warfare—precisely the sort of deputy he needed.
Once these organizational changes were complete, Charles summoned Darlan to meet him privately in the conference room.
"I believe you should return to the Navy, Lieutenant," Charles began without preamble. "That's where your talents can best be utilized."
Darlan shook his head wearily, explaining, "General, many naval personnel have been reassigned to land combat roles. Since the Dardanelles campaign, our navy has found virtually no meaningful operational role. The British Royal Navy has entirely taken responsibility for blockading Germany. All our ships can do now is wait idly in port."
"That was true before," Charles said calmly.
Darlan raised an eyebrow in confusion, hesitating slightly, "I...don't see how things have changed now…"
"Our navy is about to undertake anti-submarine operations," Charles interjected.
Darlan stared at him, astonished, asking skeptically, "Really? Anti-submarine operations? Will the British actually allow us to participate?"
Indeed, it had always been British naval policy to exclude the French as much as possible, deliberately keeping the French Navy inexperienced and sidelined.
"They'll have no choice but to let us," Charles said confidently. "We possess certain equipment no one else does."
Charles then explained the concept of sonar ("echo-location equipment") and how he intended to equip destroyers with this technology to effectively hunt German submarines. Darlan listened, utterly speechless, marveling at such revolutionary technology. Could it really detect submarines underwater?
Then again, given all the extraordinary innovations Charles had introduced before, perhaps one more astonishing invention was not so remarkable after all.
Finally, Charles asked directly, "I can get you assigned to this anti-submarine force. Are you interested?"
Darlan's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Absolutely, General! Thank you very much—I'd be honored to join!"
Charles nodded, satisfied. If one day Darlan rose to the rank of Admiral, it would significantly enhance Charles's own influence and control within the military hierarchy.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1