Chapter 565: British Priority

Charles handed over the command of the 6th Army to Christine and planned to dry his clothes before returning to Paris to enjoy his vacation.

But as soon as the delay came, a telegram from Pétain was received:

"It's unbelievable that Foch became the commander-in-chief. He actually became the commander-in-chief!"

"His offensive theory has been proven to be wrong, absolutely wrong! The army suffered heavy casualties under this unrealistic combat theory, and yet they chose him as the commander-in-chief."

"Compared to your achievements, his contribution is insignificant, especially since you just won the Somme. But they still made such a decision!"

…

Charles saw anger and a sense of discord in this telegram, and Pétain hoped that Charles could fight with Foch.

Of course, Charles would not be fooled. He called back:

"I'm surprised too, General. I've always believed that you are the most suitable candidate for commander-in-chief, and I still think so now."

"Although I have some achievements, as others have said, my age is a problem. I still need more experience. More importantly, I cannot completely cut ties with the capitalists."

"In fact, I would rather give up my military identity and become a pure businessman. Sometimes I don't understand what I am doing or why I am doing it. I could have been lying in a warm home enjoying life, why should I roll around in this muddy and dangerous battlefield?"

"I also feel sorry for your contribution in Verdun, General. You can say that you saved France!"

Charles' words sounded like a complaint, but in fact he was sending a message to Pétain: I have no interest in being the commander-in-chief, and I know that the parliament will never choose me. You are different. You have the record of Verdun, which can be said to have saved France at a critical moment. How can they not choose you?

As a result, Pétain failed to sow discord between Charles and Foch, but was instead sowed discord between himself and Charles.

When he received the telegram, he angrily threw the coffee cup in his hand onto the table. It made a crisp sound, and the coffee splashed all over the table, even staining the documents.

The staff officer hurried forward to tidy it up and wipe it.

Pétain walked to the observation window, looked at the German defense line in the distance, and said in a muffled voice: "While we were fighting the Germans, Foch was sitting by the fire in his warm office, smoking a cigar. All he did was criticize Charles, and then he became the commander-in-chief."

Perhaps he was blinded by anger and did not connect "criticizing Charles" with "becoming the commander-in-chief".

Otherwise, he might be able to sort out the relationship between the three.

Precisely because Pétain failed to sort it out, a very magical situation arose: Pétain and Foch were competitors, but they were also Charles's allies.

…

The sky was getting darker and dusk was deepening. Charles' convoy was moving forward in the rain on the bumpy road.

That was Charles' communications squad and guard platoon, a total of three cars and one van, and their destination was the train station.

Perhaps taking a plane would allow us to get to Paris faster, but the plane at that time was "open-top", and it was winter and raining, so flying was definitely not a good experience.

Charles suspected that he would freeze to death before he reached Paris.

However, what Charles did not expect was that taking a train, especially a train during wartime, was not as easy as he thought.

The train station was located in the small town of Saint-Senna, fifteen kilometers away from the front line. This distance ensured that the German 105MM artillery could not cover the train station and destroy warehouses and supplies.

It is also a transit station, where supplies and reinforcements are transported here and then transferred to the front line. Wounded soldiers who have been transported down from the front line and are waiting to be sent back also gather here.

When Charles' convoy entered the town, all they saw were wounded people, both seriously injured and slightly injured.

Most of them just used a raincoat to block the rain. Some people simply hid under the eaves, huddled in the corner holding their raincoats and shivering in the cold wind. Some people leaned against the wall motionless, and no one knew whether they were dead or asleep.

Doctors, nurses and volunteers dragged their exhausted bodies back and forth in the rain. Many of them were so tired that they dragged their legs like zombies, but the huge number of patients still overwhelmed them.

The wounded looked pitifully at the convoy heading to the train station in the middle of the road, as if hoping that the car could give them a ride.

Charles sighed inwardly, these should be the wounded soldiers stranded when Nivelle was in office. The casualties were so great at that time that they have not been transported back yet.

However, Ciel didn't know that this was just one of the reasons.

The closer we got to the train station, the more wounded we saw. The entrance to the train station was blocked by wounded soldiers, and armed troops were even needed to maintain order before a passage could be made to allow the convoy to enter.

Charles noticed something unusual.

"Why are the guards and those maintaining order all British soldiers?" Charles asked. Although the light was poor, the British soldiers' hat-shaped helmets were easy to distinguish. "If I hadn't known that this was the Somme, I would have almost thought I was in Britain."

"I'm not sure, General." The orderly Adrian replied: "It may be related to the British being responsible for the transportation of supplies."

Charles said "Oh", this guess was very reasonable. During this period, the French army relied mainly on the British for supplies. Especially since Nivelle was half British, he would certainly open up certain powers to the British.

But Charles soon realized that Nivelle had opened up more than just "certain powers" to the British.

The convoy moved along the passage and finally stopped in front of the train.

A British captain used a flashlight to shine on the pass that Adrian handed over, and then casually used the flashlight to move around the guards. He handed the pass back arrogantly, waved his hand impatiently and shouted: "Carriage No. 5, hurry up!"

Adrian frowned. How could this guy treat Ciel with such a tone and attitude?

The guards' eyes were wide open with anger, and if Charles hadn't spoken out to stop them, they would have gone up and given the guy a few shots with the butts of their rifles on the spot.

Charles didn't intend to create any more trouble. There was nothing wrong with maintaining order. If there was any trouble at the train station, the chaos would delay traffic and even cause a blockage, which would be no small matter for the front line.

However, when Charles found carriage number five and was about to get on the train, he suddenly discovered a strange phenomenon.

He had already stepped one foot into the carriage when he suddenly turned around and looked around in confusion.

"What's wrong, General?" Adrian, who was following behind him, stopped.

Charles asked, "Did you notice that there were British wounded all around?"

Adrian looked to both sides and guessed, "This train may be used to transport wounded British soldiers."

Charles shook his head, his eyes gradually becoming colder: "But those waiting outside are all wounded French soldiers!"

Charles understood that the British used the supplies in their hands and their control over the puppets to exercise the right to prioritize the transportation of the wounded.

(End of this chapter)