Chapter 324 Triumphal Parade

Charles held corner "A" for two more days.

The humid weather and muddy trenches at the seaside made people feel wet and sticky. Some people tried to take a bath in the sea to make themselves more comfortable, but they soon found that they were more uncomfortable after the sea water dried than before.

Unfortunately, the 105th Infantry was assigned to deal with the bodies as the rear of the defense line during the past two days.

The job seemed simple enough, just dig a big hole and dump all the bodies they could find into it.

However, there were so many highly decomposed corpses and incomplete limbs that the soldiers found the job disgusting.

Although it is better than fighting the enemy on the front line, it is not much better considering that there are remnant enemies hiding in the jungle and shooting from behind.

That day, Charles and Tijani were discussing the area to be cleared tomorrow while looking at the map.

They needed to first send out sniper teams to keep an eye on the suspicious jungles and caves, and then plan several burial sites to minimize the workload.

At this moment, the signalman cried out in surprise, and ran over to hand a telegram to Tijani, reporting excitedly: "General, they are going to transfer us back. General Winter said that they will issue us a rest card tonight, and we will take the transport ship back to the anchorage early tomorrow morning!"

The rest plate is an iron plate hung around the neck. It was a measure taken by the French army during this period to prevent deserters from escaping among the retreating troops.

Tijani was stunned for a moment, then he breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally I can leave this damn place!"

There was a cheer at the headquarters, and the soldiers outside also received the news. Suddenly, smiles appeared on everyone's face, and some people even excitedly danced with their comrades to celebrate.

Only Billy Shen’s eyes flashed with worry, he paced back and forth in the trench for a few steps, and finally plucked up the courage to get into the commander’s room and stand in front of Charles.

“Colonel,” Billy Shen said with a frustrated look, “If the 105th Infantry Regiment is to be transferred back to the anchorage, should I return to my original unit?”

Charles replied with a half-smile: "If you want to transfer back, I have no objection!"

Billy Shen heard hope in Charles’ tone, and he looked at Charles with wide eyes and expectation: “You mean, I can also choose to stay in the 105th Infantry Regiment?”

Charles nodded gently: "I have reported your case to General Winter. He has no objection. If you wish, he will let the staff handle your transfer procedures."

"I do, Colonel!" Shen Billy replied impatiently, "Of course I do!"

Charles put down the pencil in his hand and looked up at Billy Shen: “Have you thought about it? This may not be an ordinary transfer. You may very likely serve in the French battlefield with the 105th Infantry Regiment in the future, and you may even become a Frenchman!”

This means that Billy Shen has to give up everything in Australia, including his relatives.

Billy Shen was stunned for a moment, then nodded firmly: “Yes, I understand.”

"No regrets?" Charles asked again.

“No regrets!” Billy Shen said without any hesitation.

A smart choice, Charles thought, he would no longer be poor for the rest of his life, he would become Charles' personal bodyguard, both on the battlefield and in life.

…

Instead of being transferred back to the anchorage, the 105th Infantry Regiment was transferred directly back to France, away from the battlefield.

As rumored, the Germans might be desperate to destroy Charles, so Charles and the 105th Infantry Regiment's itinerary were kept highly secret.

Except for General Winter, no French person, including Gallieni, knew about it.

This was to avoid the French Minister of the Navy.

Charles didn't dare to risk his life. After all, the transport ship he was on was slow and had poor anti-sinking ability. If it was targeted by a German submarine, he would be in danger of death.

It was not until the 105th Infantry Regiment arrived at the port of Toulon that Charles called Gallieni to report.

Gallieni's tone was very calm:

"Already back?"

"No problem, I'll arrange a train for you."

"But they want you to march into Paris in a procession!"

Charles on the other end of the phone sounded a little surprised: "Walking into Paris in a procession?"

"Yes," Gallieni replied, "The parliament has been discussing this matter these days. The front line is in a stalemate and the soldiers and civilians are tired of the war. The parliament believes that your victory can inspire the people, especially you."

Ciel hesitated, then replied, "No problem, but notify the council ten minutes before we arrive!"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a while, and then Gallieni said "hmm" as if he understood.

After hanging up the phone, Gallieni was stunned for a while.

Damn parliament, he was almost fooled by those guys.

If the time, location, and even the route of the troop parade were arranged, then the best way for the Germans to eliminate Charles would be to arrange a killer to hide in a house on the street with a rifle and wait for Charles to appear.

There were many people in Parliament who wanted to kill Charles. They didn't need to collude with the Germans, they just needed to reveal the time and route of the march.

Just as I was thinking about it, the phone rang again, and it was still Charles calling.

"General," said Charles, "you can spread the word that we will arrive in three days."

Gallieni secretly praised himself, this would make the Germans think they still had time, and then Charles's troops suddenly appeared and quickly completed this "inspiring" ceremony.

…

The 105th Infantry Regiment arrived in Paris in the early hours of the next day.

During World War I, trains only traveled at a speed of about 50 kilometers per hour. In addition, they had to wait for military trains delivering supplies to the front lines along the way. It took a full 26 hours to travel more than 800 kilometers from Toulon Port to Paris.

While on the train, Charles missed Eric's plane. Although it only traveled at a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour, it flew in a straight line and there was no need to wait on the road, so it might take six or seven hours to arrive.

The troops got off at the Lyon train station, and without any cleaning or tidying up, they lined up on the streets with dishevelled hair and guns on their backs.

(The picture above is the Lyon Station in Paris, real scene in 1896)

The French, who had just woken up from their sleep, did not know what was happening at first. They only heard slogans and whistles coming from the street downstairs.

Puzzled, they opened the window and looked out, only to see a troop passing by on the street. They looked like they had just come down from the front line. Their uniforms were disheveled and covered in dirt, and most of them had untidy beards. They looked like a troop retreating after a defeat.

But out of courtesy, they still waved and welcomed the team.

Then, suddenly someone screamed:

"My God, that's the 105th Infantry!"

"Charles's troops? The ones that won at Gallipoli?"

"Yes, see, there's Charles, he's in the carriage!"

…

The crowd instantly burst into cheers again, and the shouts instantly changed from pity to screams.

The news spread by word of mouth and soon spread throughout the streets and alleys. People flocked to welcome Charles's troops, many of them even in their pajamas.

(End of this chapter)