Chapter 337 Neighbor's Plea

At the Paris Defense Headquarters, the staff, who had been calm for some time, became nervous again. Everyone was busy contacting the medical team, reserve team, cars, and even chemical experts.

A large number of soldiers injured by poison gas are stranded at the front line and cannot be transported back, and even if they are transported back, they cannot receive treatment.

(Note: The damage caused by chlorine is irreversible. It actually reacts with the water in the human body to produce corrosive hydrochloric acid, which burns the esophagus, trachea and even internal organs. Even if you don't die, it is difficult to recover.)

Gallieni sat at his desk, reading the telegrams one by one, his brows furrowed.

He somewhat regretted not listening to Charles. Charles had already issued a warning, but Gallieni was skeptical at the time, so he did not conduct further investigations or make any preparations.

As soon as Charles walked into the Operations Department, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and turned their expectant eyes to Charles.

Gallieni didn't say much. He opened the door and went into the mountains and handed a telegram to Charles: "Your intelligence is correct. The Germans released poison gas in Ypres early this morning. The Ypres defense line has completely collapsed!"

Without waiting for Charles to answer, Gallieni continued his analysis: "The casualties are not that great at the moment. According to the intelligence we have, it is estimated that there are several thousand casualties."

The number of thousands of casualties may seem horrific in modern times, but it was common during World War I.

"But," Gallieni changed the subject, "the point is that we have no means to counter it, so the entire defense line is in panic, fearing that the Germans will use poison gas in their direction."

Ciel nodded in understanding.

What is even more terrifying about poison gas is the psychological impact it has on soldiers:

Just breathing can kill you, so how can you avoid it?

If it is unavoidable, does it mean that the war is already lost and the Germans will occupy wherever they go?

So now, should we surrender?

Because all resistance is meaningless, the Germans will eventually win, and the result of resistance will only be additional casualties.

Perhaps the Germans themselves did not realize that gas warfare could cause such a great psychological impact on the Allies, and they were more concerned about the lethality of gas.

And its kill rate actually disappointed the Germans:

6,000 canisters of 180,000 kilograms of poison gas were released, which ultimately killed only 5,000 enemies and left another 10,000 people poisoned and injured.

Being poisoned and wounded did not mean that they had no combat capability. They could probably still pull the trigger and fire a barrage of bullets at the German army.

If the Germans had correctly recognized the psychological threat posed by gas warfare, they should have concentrated the strength of an army group in the gap and launched a large-scale infiltration while the Allies were in panic and their morale was shaken.

In this case, the Allied defense line would likely collapse across the board, and World War I would have been a different outcome.

"Do you know more about poison gas?" Gallieni asked, "like what it is, what its properties are, whether there are any mitigation or treatment methods, etc."

This is not only to treat the wounded, but also to stabilize the morale of the army and even develop counter-strategies.

Charles was cautious enough about this.

Sometimes it is harder to pretend not to know when you know than to pretend to know when you don't. If the latter is exposed, at most the lie will be exposed, but if the former accidentally reveals something, only a "German spy" can explain it.

"I have no further information, General," Charles answered. "All I know is that the Germans were suspected of conducting an experiment using poison gas."

There was some disappointment in Gallieni's eyes, but he felt that this was normal and the Germans would definitely keep it highly confidential.

At this time, Fernand handed over a telegram: "From the Northern Army Group, General Foch wants to know if Charles knows more information."

Gallieni said "hmm". Almost everyone would think of the whistleblower Charles when faced with this situation, and Foch was no exception. He should regret his actions at this time.

However, the General Headquarters remained silent. Joffre still couldn't let go of his pride. He probably felt that this was more important than the lives of the soldiers, the safety of the defense line, and even the safety of France.

Gallieni was about to give Foch a negative answer, but Charles stopped him and said, "I don't know what it is, but I may have a solution, General."

"What?" Gallieni looked at Charles in shock, and the staff in the headquarters also stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes to Charles.

Gallieni asked doubtfully, "But if you don't know what it is, how can you find a solution?"

Most people believe that to deal with poison gas, one should "prescribe the right medicine for the right disease." It is impossible to detoxify without knowing what the poison is.

"It's just a possibility, General." Charles explained, "After suspecting that the Germans would use poison gas, I made some preparations."

As he said this, Charles returned to his seat, took out the gas mask, handed it to Gallieni, and introduced it.

Finally, Ciel emphasized: "I'm not sure if it will work, but..."

"Something is better than nothing." Gallieni expressed Charles's meaning: "The situation is already the worst. Any equipment and any method are worth trying!"

"Yes, that's what I mean," Charles answered.

"Increase production immediately." Gallieni looked at the gas masks and said impatiently, "We will order as many as we can get. At least it can protect the eyes."

Gallieni was very confident about this because it was the equipment invented by Charles, and everything he invented had played a big role without exception.

…

This time, Charles did not leave without saying goodbye like he did before. He chose to go home.

But it didn't really make much difference, because Ciel couldn't say anything.

When the car drove into the small town of Darwaz and stopped at the door of his house, Charles was surprised to find that his house was crowded with many neighbors, both men and women, who were shouting about something in the house.

When the neighbors saw Charles' car, they rushed out to greet him, exclaiming:

"It's Charles. Charles is back."

"Charles, can you think of a solution?"

"You must have a way to save them!"

…

Charles had no idea what the neighbors were talking about and walked into the house with a confused look on his face.

Djoka was busy greeting the neighbors, while Camille sat on the sofa with a pale face and an embarrassed look. She even hoped that Charles would not come back.

"It's like this," Deyoka explained, "Some people from our town serve in the 20th Army..."

Charles suddenly realized that the 20th Army was the unit stationed in Ypres that was attacked by poison gas and was still guarding the line.

These neighbors must be their family members.

Sure enough, the neighbors pleaded in unison, some with tears on their faces:

"Remember Michael, Charles? He was your classmate. He was in the 20th Army."

"And Goldman, he's two years older than you and used to skip school with you."

"Save them, Ciel, you are our only hope!"

…

(End of this chapter)