Chapter 19 Taxi Transport

Djoka planned to take a taxi back to the town. The journey of more than ten kilometers would cost 8 sous. Djoka thought it was worth spending the money. After all, it was foreseeable that he would no longer have to worry about this little money in the near future.

But after waiting for a long time on the street, no empty car came. Occasionally, one or two cars passed by, but they were full of fully armed French soldiers.

"Things are not looking good!" Dejoka frowned as he watched the taxi drive away. "It looks like they are using the taxi to transport soldiers to the front line!"

Charles nodded. This famous taxi troop transport incident in history was later widely publicized by France as a model of military and civilian unity in resisting the German invasion.

Unexpectedly, it is now, at this moment when Charles and Djokovic are in Paris.

They would probably have to walk back to town, as there would be no free means of transport, including horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts, which were also used to carry supplies to the army.

Just as the two were in trouble, a taxi full of French soldiers slowly stopped not far ahead.

Charles saw that Major Browne was among them, and he shouted at the driver: "Hey, stop, stop now!"

"What happened, Major?" The driver looked back at Major Brownie in confusion.

"We have to take them with us!" Brownie waved to the two people not far away and shouted, "Hey, Mr. Deyoka, Master Charles!"

“But we have no more room!” the driver protested.

"Then send two men down and replace them!" Brownie responded rudely.

Brownie's actions immediately drew protests from all the crew members, and the soldiers and the driver formed a united front:

"You can't do this, Major, we're on our way to a battlefield!"

"This is ridiculous. Soldiers who are going to the front line are kicked off the train just to take two capitalists!"

"You are not worthy of being a major, let alone a soldier. Your subordinates will be ashamed of you!"

…

Djokovic and Charles' attire does have a bit of a capitalist feel, that of fallen capitalists.

Major Brownie waited quietly for them to finish speaking, then replied with disdain:

"Do you know who they are?"

This further aroused the anger of the soldiers. They thought that Major Brownie was showing off the identities of the two capitalists and trampling on their dignity. The soldiers' protests immediately turned into low roars:

"No matter who they are, no one has the authority to do so!"

"Will they fight for us? If so, I'll give them my seat!"

"I will never give them any convenience. You can go down and replace one of them, Major!"

…

Two of the soldiers even exchanged glances with each other, as if they were looking for an opportunity to throw this disgusting major out of the car.

Major Brownie ignored them and attacked Xia Eryang who was walking in front of the taxi:

"Master Charles, are you going back to Darvaz?"

"Yes!" Charles nodded.

Deyoka noticed that there was no empty seat on the bus and the soldiers were all angry, so he quickly grabbed Charles:

"I'm so sorry, gentlemen, we can wait for the next car! We have time!"

The driver suddenly realized something and looked at Charles in surprise:

"Wait, you're Charles from Darvaz Town?"

Major Brownie smiled and said nothing, but I finally understood, you ungrateful guys!

Sure enough, the soldiers who were cursing just now fell silent in an instant. The two who were about to fight looked at each other. Everyone stared at Charles in a daze. After a long while, someone asked carefully in a trembling voice:

"Is it the Master Charles who invented the tank?"

Before Charles could answer, Major Brownie smiled triumphantly and said:

"Who else but him? You bastards, he saved France and you won't let him get on the bus!"

"I want to know, who is more qualified to sit in this position?"

"Did he not fight for you? Did you save France as he did?"

"How ridiculous! You are so proud of yourself for going to the battlefield, holding your heads high in front of Master Charles..."

Major Brownie kept cursing, cursing with great passion, as if he wanted to vent all the anger he had just suffered on these blind soldiers.

None of the soldiers dared to talk back. They all listened attentively. Then someone jumped out of the car amidst the curses:

"My deepest apologies, Master Charles, please take my seat!"

"No, no, you take my seat!"

"Please take my seat, sir! I can wait for the next bus, or walk, it's no big deal!"

…

Djokovic felt bad and was about to refuse, but the next second he was put into the car by the soldiers without any explanation, as if he was kidnapped:

"That's as it should be. You play a much greater role on the battlefield than we do!"

"Your time is more valuable, maybe we can produce a few more tanks!"

"It's our pleasure, sir!"

…

Djokovic and Charles could only accept this reality and sit in the car.

When the taxi started moving, the two French soldiers who gave up their seats stood at attention and gave a standard military salute to the departing taxi.

People walking on the nearby streets looked at this scene with puzzled eyes, wondering who these two capitalists were and how they could make the soldiers give up their seats and salute them?

…

"Why are you in Paris, Major Browne?" Charles asked Major Browne in front of him through the "limbs" crowded in front of him.

"I'm here to see General Gallieni!" Major Browne, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, turned around and answered, "He wants to know about tanks and the detailed combat process!"

Then he added: "All at your will, Master Charles!"

Only Charles understood what Major Brownie meant. He meant that he took the "crime" of training and command, but did not "give up" Charles.

This statement once again surprised the other people in the taxi.

The driver turned his head slightly while driving and asked Major Brownie next to him:

"Major! Are you saying that you are the major who commanded more than 300 people to defeat thousands of Germans?"

Major Browne asked expressionlessly, "What do you think?"

He was still sulking over the ridicule he had just received. He had never been scolded by a soldier like that before.

There was another silence, and the two soldiers crowded in the taxi could not pass:

"I'm sorry, Major. We thought..."

"You think I'm doing this to please the capitalists, right?" Major Browne interrupted the soldier coldly.

The soldier didn't dare to answer, which was considered as his agreement.

"Master Charles is indeed a capitalist!" Major Browne reprimanded in the tone of a superior to his subordinates: "But you see clearly, they are one of the few capitalists who are willing to give everything for France. They spent all their money to provide us with food and invented the tank, which is how we defeated the Germans. He saved many of us!"

"Yes, Major!"

"Understood, Major!"

"These bastards!" Major Browne tightened his uniform and shrank back into his seat. "If you were my men, I would definitely beat you up!"

"Yes, Major!"

The soldiers didn't dare to say anything else, but just kept glancing at Charles.

The driver suddenly laughed:

"They will surely envy me, for I carry both the inventor and commander of the Battle of the Marne!"

"I'm going to have good luck!"

He was indeed lucky, and after that many people came to him specifically to take this taxi, and were even willing to pay several times the fare for it.

(End of this chapter)