Chapter 328 Helmet

The parliamentary inquiry ended with some boring questions, such as:

"Colonel, do you think that your military talent has surpassed that of Foch and Pétain?"

"You think their military theory is wrong, so why can they still win on the battlefield? How do you explain this?"

“Will you use your military talents for the benefit of your business?”

…

Charles answered them calmly:

"This is not a question of military talent, sir. We are all learning the ropes in war, and I certainly don't think I'm ahead of them."

"It's normal that everyone has different ideas. Which military theory is correct? I think this question should not be answered by me, but by the battlefield, facts and soldiers. This is important because it concerns the lives of soldiers and they have the right to choose what tactics to use in battle."

"I am working for the benefit of my company? No, sir! I don't think so, I have always been working for the benefit of the French people!"

…

Charles's answer was evasive.

The MPs ask these questions not because they really want to know the answers.

They are smart people and know that military theory is "truth comes from practice". It is useless and meaningless to discuss right or wrong. It must be used on the battlefield and won to be confirmed.

But they asked it anyway, in order to make Charles offend both Foch and Pétain.

The former was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of France and Commander of the Northern Army Group. Although his power was not as great as that of Joffre, his influence was much greater than that of Joffre because the entire army was using his offensive thinking to fight at that time.

Although the latter is still a small cluster, it has already emerged at this time.

Because Pétain always advocated defense theory, he served as a second lieutenant for 5 years, a lieutenant for 7 years, and a captain for 10 years. Before the outbreak of the war, he was still a colonel and only commanded a regiment. At this time, he was 58 years old.

As the saying goes, people are shaped by their times. The trench warfare of World War I perfectly fit Pétain's defense theory. He led his troops to repeated successes on the battlefield. In just a few months, he was promoted to brigadier general and then to major general. At this time, he was already the commander of the 33rd Army.

It would not do Charles any good to offend these two elders at the same time, and people would also think that Charles was stubborn and ignored his elders.

As for whether Charles was working for the benefit of his own business, the MPs tried to portray Charles as a capitalist who wanted to monopolize the arms market and control the country.

Although Charles did think so in his heart, he couldn't say it out loud, otherwise he would be criticized in the newspapers the next day.

Charles sighed in his heart: This is a war, but a war without the smoke of gunpowder. Every word and every question is a trap, and you will fall into it if you are not careful. The capitalists are like staring at Charles with a magnifying glass. As long as Charles says something wrong, it will be immediately caught and magnified infinitely.

Fortunately, Charles knew how to deal with it. He just had to act a little confused, speak vaguely, and seem to be answering but also not answering, and he would succeed.

…

After finally escaping from the parliament, Charles returned to the city defense headquarters not far from the House of Representatives.

Gallieni seemed to be expecting Charles, and as soon as he appeared at the entrance of the passage he looked him up and down and said: "You seem to be in good hands, Colonel? I underestimated you!"

"Not really." Charles replied helplessly: "I feel more tired than fighting a battle!"

Charles was telling the truth. The temperature in April was still cold, but Charles was already covered in cold sweat when he walked out of the House of Representatives.

Then Charles asked in confusion: "They didn't tell me the result, General. No one told me whether I passed or failed."

"Do you think there will be a result right away?" Gallieni smiled amusedly, looking at Charles with a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "They need to discuss it for at least a few days or even longer. Colonel, if it is passed, it will be sent to the Senate, which has the right to veto it."

"If it's rejected, it's over?" asked Charles.

"No." Gallieni shook his head slightly. "The House of Representatives can propose it again. If it is rejected by the Senate three times, and the House of Representatives passes it for the fourth time, it does not need to be submitted to the Senate."

Charles understood that another meaning of "veto" by the Senate is "delaying time". The decision-making power is always in the hands of the House of Representatives. If the House of Representatives insists on passing a certain issue, it will definitely pass. It is just a matter of time.

No wonder modern countries that have learned this system are so inefficient. The interests of the parties in the two houses are different, and they pull and trap each other. In the end, even if it is passed, it is likely that the opportunity has been missed and it may even be useless.

Just like changing military uniforms, if you have to wait for these procedures to be completed, it will take at least half a year or at most one or two years, and by then the war will have been over. What's the point of passing it smoothly?

"That's why we need wartime procurement regulations," Gallieni explained. "It can bypass parliament to purchase equipment, but replacing military uniforms is not just a matter of purchasing equipment."

Charles nodded to show that he understood. As the parliamentarians said, it also concerned the dignity of France and whether the soldiers were willing to attack.

These idiots actually hoped that the red military pants and caps could inspire the soldiers to charge at the enemy.

Charles recalled the red fez of the Ottoman army. Was it because of the stimulation of red that they behaved so bravely?

This may provide a perfect argument for the MPs who support this view.

Then Charles thought of the helmet. He rolled his eyes and asked Gallieni, "General, if the replacement of military uniforms is too sensitive to be included in the wartime procurement regulations, then what about the steel helmets?"

"Steel helmet?" Gallieni looked at Charles in confusion: "Do you think it's useful?"

During this period, there were basically no steel helmets. People believed that they could not stop bullets, so they were not only useless but also a waste of financial and material resources and would increase the burden on soldiers.

But this idea is obviously wrong.

"Of course it is useful, General," Charles replied. "I have experienced this on the battlefield. Soldiers are injured not only by bullets, but also by shrapnel and even stones from the explosion of shells."

In fact, the function of the helmet is more than that, it can really block bullets.

Unless the bullet hits the center of the helmet, it will mostly slide away due to the curved surface of the helmet, just like a shell will ricochet when it hits the sloped armor of a tank.

Gallieni thought for a moment and said:

"If you want to, you can try it."

"Not changing the military cap is indeed not a matter of changing the military uniform."

"You can try to produce a batch and put it into the battlefield to see how the soldiers and the battlefield react. If it is really effective, the parliament can't stop it!"

If it's proven to work and someone tries to stop it, it's no use telling everyone they want to kill soldiers on the front lines.

Charles answered confidently, "Yes, General!"

(End of this chapter)