Chapter 545: Rely on Yourself to Win

Verdun, Fort Saint-Michel headquarters.

Charles' first batch of 100 tractors to reinforce the front line arrived just in time, and Pétain immediately distributed them near the defense line.

Whether it is transporting ammunition, food, rainproof equipment, or even towing artillery, having a tractor to help can get twice the result with half the effort in places where there are no roads.

But at this time, Pétain was very panicked.

The public’s calls for Charles to be appointed commander-in-chief are growing louder and louder. Will he be the next commander-in-chief?

Very likely!

Charles has a good reputation, a good record, and a lot of financial resources to control the materials. It is said that he is importing a large number of materials from the United States, the Netherlands and other places through FN branches and then shipping them to France.

How can I compare with Sharl?

I am already 59 years old. If I fail to become the commander-in-chief, I am afraid I will never have another chance in this life!

Pétain sighed deeply, recalling his rough life and his "defense theory" which had never been recognized or even despised by others.

Now he had finally reached a turning point in his life, and his "defense theory" had also demonstrated its value in actual combat, but he did not expect to be suppressed by Charles.

Just as Pétain was sighing, the staff officer handed him a telegram: "General, a telegram from Major-General Charles."

When Pétain, who was daydreaming, heard the word "Charles", he was suddenly awakened as if pricked by a needle: "What? Charles is here?"

"No, General." The staff officer looked confused and put the telegram on the table in front of Pétain. "It's from Charles."

"Oh, okay." Pétain realized that he had lost his composure and showed some embarrassment on his face.

However, when he glanced at the telegram in front of him, his dazed eyes instantly lit up and the fatigue on his face disappeared, replaced by an unconcealable joy.

He couldn't believe what he saw was real. He read the telegram several times and muttered to himself excitedly:

"Really? If so, that would be great."

“It seems to make sense.”

Charles's telegram was similar to what he had said to Foch:

"General, I have no need to be the commander-in-chief."

"It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't."

"I am a capitalist, a major general, and I have a certain amount of influence in parliament."

"No one would want a powerful figure who combines military, political and business powers in France."

The more Pétain thought about it, the more he felt that this made sense.

Charles' mistake was that he was too outstanding. Whether in business, military, or politics, he was a genius.

However, this turned out to be his greatest weakness.

Because he is likely to develop into a dictator, the conditions are already in place, and the only thing left is whether he wants to do it or not.

This is something that the French Parliament and even the French people do not want to see.

Therefore, Charles should not be an "enemy".

So, who is the "enemy"?

Pétain suddenly thought of Foch and was immediately shocked.

The "opponent" has always been Foch. He is the most likely person to become the commander-in-chief. I mistook him for Charles!

Yes, just now Foch had issued a rather aggressive statement about Charles to the entire army.

It was obvious that Foch still didn't understand the situation and made the same mistake as me, treating Charles as an "enemy".

Good opportunity, a good opportunity to stand out!

Foch attacked Charles, so I should help Charles fight Foch.

Pétain did not hesitate. After a brief thought, he called the "Military Research Center" back and forwarded the message to the newspaper:

"The battlefield is a place where results are important. It cannot be considered with ordinary people's thinking."

"Char should be rewarded instead of criticized for his victory."

"If anyone can achieve victory by attacking without authorization like he did, then so should they."

"After all, we need victory so badly. This is determined by the overall environment, not by simply asking everyone to follow orders."

"What's more, our military's intelligence system is not tight, and intelligence leaks are common. If everything is carried out according to orders, even Ciel will find it difficult to win."

…

Although Pétain's words are subjective, they are not without reason.

In Chinese terms, it actually means "seize the opportunity in a flexible way" or "a general is not bound by the orders of his king when he is away from the battlefield."

Foch was naturally dissatisfied and immediately called back:

"Commanding the battle in this way seems to give us a chance to win one or two victories."

"But this is obviously extremely short-sighted and has a very destructive effect on the overall considerations of the entire military."

"It will cause many officers to disobey orders and act on their own, thus fundamentally destroying the discipline of an army!"

…

They interacted with each other and enjoyed themselves very much.

During the debate, Pétain was completely unaware that he had been gradually excluded from the list of candidates for commander-in-chief by Parliament and even the British because of his "support for Charles".

Foch, who was not originally on their list, impressed the parliament and the British because of his firm opposition to Charles:

Wouldn't it be perfect if a prestigious and powerful figure like Foch could check and balance Charles, who was almost at the peak of his career?

…

The Somme battlefield had calmed down a bit at this time. The British and French forces had suffered heavy casualties and could no longer advance before reinforcements arrived. The German army wisely remained on the defensive, so there was a brief calm on the battlefield.

In the rain, teams of unarmed French soldiers were collecting corpses in the no-man's land.

There were too many bodies to bury, so they could only pile them up like garbage, forming small hills, and then pour gasoline on them and burn them.

Because it was raining and burning was difficult, they had to bring in gasoline several times before they finally got a fire big enough to last in the rain.

Amid the disgusting burnt smell, Nivelle fidgeted in the office. Sometimes he sat down with a frown, and sometimes he stood up and walked around with his hands behind his back.

He has been paying attention to domestic public opinion and of course knows what is happening.

As a man of considerable political skill, he knew why Foch and Pétain, who had nothing to do with each other, would argue with each other in front of the media and the public.

What he was after was nothing more than his position as commander-in-chief.

These bastards, Nivelle cursed in his heart, I am suffering in the front line commanding the troops to fight, but you are in the rear thinking about how to kick me out and replace me!

There are also the British who are ungrateful and put all the blame on me, without mentioning at all that the battle plan was actually drawn up by them.

But it seems that no one can be blamed for this. Nivelle was the commander-in-chief, the commander-in-chief of the French army and the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces. If not him, who else could take the blame?

The idea of ​​bringing in Charles to win the battle seemed out of the question, since people were clamoring for Charles to be commander-in-chief, which would have been virtually giving the position to Charles.

Nivelle felt as if he was surrounded on all sides and everyone was staring at him and targeting him.

After thinking for a while, Nivelle finally made up his mind:

There seems to be only one way to keep the commander-in-chief, which is to mobilize all the troops that can be mobilized and rely on oneself to achieve victory!

(End of this chapter)