Chapter 761: Interview with Gallieni
Salpêtrière Hospital.
Gallieni was now able to take a few cautious steps with the help of his guards, although sharp pain still lingered around his abdomen, reminding him to avoid sudden movements.
"The doctors say your surgery went very well," Colonel Fernand informed him. "Most of the shrapnel fragments have been successfully removed. With proper rest, there shouldn't be any further complications."
Gallieni gave a soft grunt in acknowledgment. Despite the residual pain, he indeed felt significantly better than before. He slowly sat at the edge of his hospital bed and asked, "Where is Charles? What's he doing right now?"
He wasn't blaming Charles for not visiting recently; rather, he worried that, now free from constraints, Charles might act too recklessly.
"He's currently at Buzancy," Colonel Fernand replied. "Reportedly, he's busy organizing some new unit—something called a motorized division."
Gallieni nodded slowly, having already anticipated something along those lines. Having closely followed Charles's strategies, he understood that Charles's armored and mechanized divisions often faced manpower shortages during rapid advances.
The motorized division must be designed precisely to address that weakness.
Good—this wasn't excessive. In fact, it was a conventional and logical move, beneficial both to the army and the nation.
However, in the next moment, a communications officer entered hastily and reported:
"Minister, General Foch has submitted a proposal for command appointments to the government. He recommends promoting Weygand to command the Northern Army Group, and Pétain to the Central Army Group. Additionally, he proposes establishing a new Heavy Army Group, with Charles as its commander."
Gallieni and Colonel Fernand exclaimed simultaneously, "What?"
These appointments were exclusively the jurisdiction of Parliament and the government. Since when could the military make such decisions—or even proposals? Such actions were clearly beyond their authority. Allowing this to continue meant France would soon be dangerously close to a military dictatorship.
"When did Foch become so audacious?" Colonel Fernand asked, visibly perplexed. "He's an experienced general; surely, he knows this exceeds his authority?"
Gallieni, visibly irritated, coughed several times and said bitterly, "Do you honestly think this is Foch's idea?"
"Then…" Colonel Fernand suddenly realized, "this is Charles's doing?"
Gallieni gave a disgruntled grunt. "Who else could it be?"
"If it were only Foch, Parliament would immediately remove him from command. But with Charles and Pétain's support, plus mine—as commander of the Reserve Army Group and Minister of War—the Parliament will have no choice but to concede."
Fernand now fully understood.
This arrangement benefited Foch, Pétain, and especially Charles. Only days ago, Gallieni had publicly promised his full support for Charles. Now, the three most powerful military groups were effectively forcing Parliament's hand, wielding their battlefield achievements and sheer military power.
In order to avoid another crisis like the recent mutinies, or simply for the sake of maintaining national unity during wartime, Parliament would have no option but to reluctantly approve this "proposal."
"The Heavy Army Group," Gallieni remarked expressionlessly. "Charles aims to seize direct control of our elite forces. When the day comes that he leads these tanks, armored cars, and aircraft back to Paris, who could possibly stand in his way?"
"Minister," Colonel Fernand asked cautiously, "then… will you support this proposal?"
Gallieni fell silent.
According to his personal beliefs, he would never support such a move. He foresaw that, in the long run, this would not end well. At least, that's what he had always believed. Yet, having recently promised Charles his support, could he break his word so soon?
At that moment, the communications officer handed Gallieni another telegram, this one directly from Charles. Gallieni opened it and read silently:
"General, it's either Charles or Boulanger—your choice."
Gallieni paused briefly, then slowly nodded in understanding.
Charles was right. The nation's authority could only rest fully with one side; multiple competing powers could never coexist peacefully. The supposed political competition among the parties of the French Republic was merely an illusion. True power had always been in the hands of wealthy capitalists behind the scenes.
Charles now stood poised to challenge those powerful capitalists and take control of France for himself.
When two tigers fight, one inevitably falls. No middle ground existed. Gallieni realized he had only two choices—support Charles and see him succeed, or betray him and risk ending like General Boulanger, whose political ambitions had disastrously collapsed.
After careful consideration, Gallieni turned to Colonel Fernand and instructed, "Send for Corboud immediately."
…
A few hours later, a special edition of the "Honors Gazette" urgently hit the streets. Unlike previous editions, this wasn't a battlefield report of Charles's latest triumphs, but rather an exclusive interview with Gallieni himself:
"General Gallieni, we've heard reports that the army has proposed new appointments for the commanders of Army Groups. Is that correct?"
"Yes, I was informed only recently."
"Do you consider this proposal appropriate? Historically, such decisions have always been made by Parliament."
"I believe it's entirely justified. Simply put, we're in wartime, facing a formidable enemy."
"But many citizens believe the war is nearing its end, and therefore such drastic measures aren't necessary."
"No, it's far from over. The Germans have stabilized their Eastern Front and have begun counterattacking. They've also scored victories in Romania and Italy. Only France's continued success can stabilize the situation."
"But how is that connected to the army's current proposal?"
"It's directly connected. Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures—just as we've introduced wartime rationing to improve people's lives. The same applies militarily; practical needs should guide decisions."
"So, you're saying Parliament's decisions often fail to match battlefield realities?"
"Exactly. Politicians excel at rhetoric and debates, but they're poor generals. They don't know who truly can lead, nor how to organize, train, or maintain troops. Allowing them to make such decisions inevitably leads to unnecessary casualties."
Gallieni then emphasized pointedly, "And these casualties almost never impact politicians directly. Instead, they deeply affect the army and ordinary citizens. The army's proposal, I believe, aims precisely at ensuring victory while reducing needless suffering."
…
As soon as the newspaper appeared, it sparked intense public debate. Gallieni's words struck a sensitive nerve with ordinary citizens. Key phrases—such as "politicians don't understand war," "military reforms can reduce casualties," and "casualties never affect politicians"—strongly resonated with the public:
"Exactly! Politicians lead us into battle, yet we're always the ones who suffer the most casualties."
"Only Charles achieves victories with minimal losses, yet Parliament continually restricts him."
"The children of politicians and parliamentarians rarely serve at the front—they don't care about our lives. But Charles and the army do care!"
…
Standing by his hospital window, watching crowds gathering outside the hospital, anger and passion stirring visibly among them, Gallieni murmured to himself:
"I can only hope I've made the right choice."
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