Chapter 488 Strength

The vase was broken into pieces, and there was no possibility of recovery.

Joffre was defeated, completely defeated, with no chance of recovery.

The reputation he had built up over the years through publicity was gone, and instead he was left with a bad reputation. People were talking about this:

"I heard that Joffre wanted to put the blame on Charles, saying that it was all Charles' fault."

"I've heard that he would do anything to keep his position as commander-in-chief."

"It's not hard to imagine that he would sacrifice anyone for this position, including General Foch and Charles, not to mention the soldiers!"

…

All major newspapers are reporting on Joffre, no longer hiding the truth or whitewashing it as before.

Because everyone knows the truth, whitewashing the truth will only result in the newspaper being abandoned by the public.

Soon, newspapers in Britain, the United States, Italy, and even Russia reported the incident. Although the headlines were different, the arguments were similar:

What Charles could achieve in one day was something Joffre could never achieve in his entire life.

So, was Charles too good or was Joffre too incompetent? Or maybe both!

Some newspapers also reviewed Joffre's time as commander-in-chief and found that apart from the credit of "Defender of Paris" which he snatched from Gallieni, he had almost no military achievements.

The newspapers then sparked new thoughts: How could such a general stay in the position of commander-in-chief for several years? Was there something wrong with the French system?

At this point, Gallieni would certainly not propose to promote Joffre to marshal.

Even if Gallieni had proposed it, it would not have been passed by Parliament.

Because at this time, Joffre could no longer be a symbol and could not boost morale. If he was a symbol, it was a symbol of incompetence and shamelessness.

…

At the city defense headquarters, Gallieni leaned against the head of the bed with a pillow under his back.

Since his last injury recurred, Gallieni always felt powerless and his injured area ached from time to time.

Charles put a basket of apples on the table, and took out the medicine he had just picked up from the hospital from his pocket and put it in the drawer.

"The doctor said you should eat more fruits and liquid food." Charles said, "For example, mashed potatoes. I have told Lieutenant Colonel Fernan that every meal will have mashed potatoes and vegetable soup."

Gallieni said "hmm" expressionlessly. He was a little touched in his heart, but he didn't want to show it to Charles.

He will think, Gallieni thought, that I am just a poor old man who cannot even have food without him.

"Wait, Brigadier General." Gallieni called Charles as he was about to leave.

"Yes, General." Charles looked at Gallieni in confusion. He had an appointment with Steed and the time had almost come.

Gallieni nodded towards the door.

Charles closed the door, and then realized what Gallieni was going to ask.

Sure enough, Gallieni lowered his voice and said, "That's true, isn't it? You gave the British intelligence to mislead Joffre."

Ciel admitted generously: "It's more than that."

"More than this?"

Ciel nodded but said nothing.

But Gallieni understood: "Major General Christian, he is your man."

It is not difficult to guess that there are two reasons why Joffre made a wrong judgment: one is intelligence, and the other is the theory put forward by Major General Christian.

The former drew Joffre's attention to Belfort, thinking that was the real target of the German attack.

The latter was to have Joffre withdraw the artillery and guns from Verdun.

Gallieni sighed and said, "I will not comment on whether this is the right thing to do, because I also think that Joffre is not suitable to be the commander-in-chief. But I find it difficult to agree with the process you went through to do this."

Gallieni then added: "Do you know how many military regulations you violated by doing this? Joffre is right. He has reason to send you to a military court for trial. You are using any means necessary."

"General." Ciel replied calmly, "As long as the result is correct, the process does not seem to be important. Just like when we face the enemy on the battlefield, killing him and keeping ourselves alive is what matters, no one cares about the process."

Gallieni did not know how to answer for a moment. He had a vague feeling that Charles's cruel treatment of Joffre was due to him.

The moment he woke up in the hospital, Gallieni realized that Charles wanted revenge, severe revenge.

But Gallieni did not expect that Charles' revenge would be so thorough and resolute. Even Gallieni was a little scared.

…

The salty sea breeze caresses Dunkirk. The night is low and the stars are shining. The moonlight casts silver glow on the sea, which contrasts with the lighthouse in the distance.

Outside a three-story villa in the suburbs, fully armed British soldiers were standing at the gate, and several snipers were hiding in the dark, ready for action.

This is the headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force. Lieutenant General Haig, commander of the First Army, and Kitchener are discussing something under the lights of the headquarters on the second floor.

(The picture above shows Lieutenant General Douglas Haig, commander of the First Army of the British Expeditionary Force. He was an old subordinate of British War Secretary Kitchener when he was in India, and was promoted by Kitchener.)

"We have to focus on more than just the military, General." Kitchener stood by the window with a glass of wine in his hand, looking across a group of low-rise buildings at the moonlit seascape in the distance, and taught earnestly: "When you reach a certain height, you have to focus on politics. The military must always be subordinate to politics. When they conflict, the first thing to consider must be political needs."

Lieutenant General Haig noticed that Kitchener's glass was almost empty, so he stood up and took the bottle to add some for Kitchener: "But Marshal, I don't think our current situation conflicts with political needs."

Kitchener smiled slightly. "Think about our countless colonies, General. Some of them are on the other side of the earth, beyond our reach, and the troops stationed there are almost negligible. What do you think makes them still willing to obey the rule of the British Empire?"

Lieutenant General Haig was stunned and replied, "It's strength."

"Yes." Kitchener nodded. "It's strength. If they don't obey, our army will crush them to pieces like a stink bug, leaving only a little stench and stumps struggling in pain."

Kitchener turned his head to look at Haig and raised the cup in his hand: "But now, the French are marching forward under the leadership of Charles. They have recaptured the capital of Belgium and Antwerp, and have stabilized their position in Verdun, while we are doing nothing in Dunkirk."

Haig understood and nodded slightly: "What the world sees is the strength of France and the decline of the British Empire, which will cause us to lose control of our colonies."

Kitchener said, "So, we can't just sit here and enjoy our success, General. We should have a plan, a successful offensive plan, or at least stand in front of the defense line and fight the enemy!"

(End of this chapter)