Chapter 235: Killing Order
Gallieni called Joffre:
"Yes, General. They will carry out your orders firmly!"
"But we all agree that it is more appropriate for you to make the speech, after all, you are the Commander-in-Chief of France."
"No, that's no problem. Our reporter has your photo. As long as you allow us to publish your words and photos in the newspaper."
"Yes, you don't need to come to Paris in person!"
"Charles is fine, but our reporter thinks..."
Gallieni turned his head and glanced at Kovdo who was standing beside him, and then said:
"Our reporter thought it was not appropriate for two people to appear in the newspaper together."
"This will make others mistakenly think that Colonel Charles is as important as the commander-in-chief!"
"Perhaps the Ciel's call can be put off until the next day."
…
Xiafei hung up the phone angrily.
He did intend to use this opportunity to weaken Charles' military influence, as Charles was putting Joffre under great pressure.
At this time, the military had basically given up on the "Saint-Chamond" and CA-1 and chose to fully order Charles' "Charle A1" tanks.
In fact, the "Saint-Chamond" and CA-1 were not abandoned, but orders for their purchase continued, and they were simply converted into auxiliary vehicles, such as troop transport and supply delivery.
Although everyone knows that using tractors to transport troops and supplies is much better than these vehicles that are often stuck in bomb craters, we still have to find some work for them to do and make them play some role.
However, the "Charr A1" tank still achieved complete victory on the front line. The army only believed in the "Charr A1" and "Mark 1" and did not recognize any others.
The "Char A1" is generally believed to be able to play a role in raiding enemy lines, while the "Mark 1" is still active on the battlefield because of its super trench-crossing ability.
Many people believe that when the "Char A1" cannot cross the enemy trenches, that is when the "Mark 1" comes into play, and they complement each other.
In short, as long as it is Charles' equipment, it can play a role and win the battle. They are trusted by the soldiers on the front line. Once any unit obtains Charles' tanks, their morale will immediately be boosted.
On the contrary, if a unit was equipped with "Saint-Chamon" or CA-1, they would think that they were being used as cannon fodder and were going to die.
This was not good news for Joffre, who was the representative (image spokesperson) of "Saint-Chamond". Not long ago, he was still promoting the power of "Saint-Chamond" to everyone, emphasizing that it was invincible...
The reality is that the craters and rocks on the battlefield alone can make it difficult for the "Saint-Chamond" to move, not to mention competing with the powerful "Charter A1".
Charles challenged the power and majesty of the French Commander-in-Chief!
If this continues, the soldiers on the front line will be more willing to obey Charles' orders rather than his, the Commander-in-Chief of France.
The troops fighting on the front lines don't care about military ranks, positions or politics. They only know whoever can keep them alive and lead them to defeat the enemy and victory, and they will listen to that person!
Just at this time, Joffre received news of a ceasefire at the front and that the General Headquarters was no longer able to command the front.
Joffre immediately thought of Charles: Could it be that he was behind this? He had the "Meritorious Newspaper" in his hands, and he was using his voice and the support of the army to undermine him as the commander-in-chief.
But upon careful inspection, there was nothing wrong with the "Meritorious Newspaper".
An hour later, Kanais received feedback from the front line: "General, it may be because of Christmas. Both the enemy and us seem to be tired of war, so..."
"We can't allow this to go on." Joffre interrupted Kanais rudely, saying righteously, "The Germans are still on French soil. An unauthorized ceasefire will make our army lose the will to attack. If this continues, we will inevitably fail!"
"But..." Kanais said helplessly: "We can't give orders to anyone. To be exact, we can give orders to the officers, but the officers' orders cannot be carried out."
Joffre hesitated, then said, "Perhaps we can let Charles play a role."
That's why Gallieni urgently pulled Charles back to the headquarters from the Christmas table.
Joffre had a good idea: let Charles call on the soldiers.
It succeeded, and the French army was back on track.
The failure was a blow to both Charles and Le Merit.
No matter which result it is, it will be beneficial to Xiafei.
Unexpectedly, Gallieni used Tai Chi to pass the ball to Joffre.
Xia Fei snorted coldly and sat back in his chair.
It would be meaningless to call on the soldiers at the front to fight in his name. If successful, the "Merit Report" would receive some credit, but if failed, it would be a humiliation to the commander-in-chief, Joffre.
But Joffre had no reason to object. Was he going to admit that Charles had more influence than him as the commander-in-chief?
Seeing that Xiafei looked very unhappy, Kanais whispered: "General, we can send people to the front line to inspect and urge the soldiers to re-engage in the battle..."
"No!" Joffre shook his head expressionlessly, stood up and pointed at Ypres on the map, and said in a low and slow voice: "This is the source. Send the infantry gendarmes there and execute the troops who disobey orders!"
(Note: During the French Third Republic, the gendarmerie was divided into infantry gendarmerie and cavalry gendarmerie. The rabble-to-kill order continued the Roman Republic's eleven-to-eleven execution, where one out of ten people was executed. The French Republic was more "merciful": they let the troops elect themselves, and the proportion was not high. For details, see "Paths of Glory", which was banned in France)
Kanais was shocked and stood there, looking at Xiafei in disbelief.
Xiafei emphasized: "Follow the order!"
"Yes, General!" Kanais responded and turned around tremblingly to give the order.
…
When the news reached the Paris defense headquarters, Gallieni was unable to react for a long time.
France does have this military regulation, which is intended to intimidate troops who dare to disobey military orders, but it is generally not used unless the military situation is urgent and has serious consequences.
But now, Gallieni did not think that the so-called "disobedience of orders" by the front-line troops had caused any consequences. They just wanted to skip the two days of Christmas.
Charles was also stunned when he heard this. How could France have such a ridiculous military regulation? And they even let the front-line troops "elect" a few people to carry out the death penalty?
"They think this can help maintain the morale and fighting spirit of the troops!" Lieutenant Colonel Fernan's eyes were full of indignation: "They don't care about these, anyway, they are not the ones who die!"
Charles thought for a while, then said to Gallieni: "General, I just bought a batch of turkeys as Christmas gifts. I want to send them to express my condolences. Please approve it!"
Gallieni knew, of course, that this was Charles's excuse.
But he didn't stop it, he just said: "This may be dangerous..."
Charles laughed: "The front line has ceased fighting, General, there will be no danger. We just hope there is danger!"
Gallieni hesitated, then nodded: "Well, this day will come!"
(End of this chapter)
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