Chapter 290: Talk
Geprat had a good temper. He did not make things difficult for Robeck but instead discussed the next phase of the coordinated attack with Lieutenant General Robeck in a very graceful manner.
However, Geplat declared to Robeck: "General, although Charles is a colonel, I think it is not appropriate for us to impose orders and battle plans on such a talented commander. This is equivalent to tying his hands and feet to fight. Do you agree with this?"
Geplat was actually telling Robeck tactfully that the battle plan they discussed was not valid and that Charles's consent would be needed in the end.
"I quite agree, General," Robeck replied.
Although he felt somewhat unhappy, he did not show it in the end.
After all, Charles was quite famous in France. If Robbeck forced Charles to fight, not only would he fail, but it would also likely bring uncertainty to the Anglo-French alliance.
…
Charles's fleet did not return until after dark.
This is because Tijani took into account that the war might develop into night, so he added night training subjects.
As soon as the fleet returned to the anchorage, the signalman reported: "Colonel, General Robeck sent a signal, he hopes to visit you on board."
Charles smiled, this guy finally couldn't help it.
Tijani, who was summarizing the training experience with the soldiers on the deck, also heard the news. He ran in excitedly and said, "Wow!" "I heard that Vice Admiral Robeck of the British Royal Navy is going to board the ship in person. Why do you think he wants to come in person? I guess he wants the French army to die on the battlefield."
Although Tijani is seven years older than Ciel, he sometimes looks even more childish than Ciel.
…
Charles intended to stage a similar reception scene. He and Tijani, along with a group of officers from the 105th Regiment, stood on the deck in a neat formation to welcome Robeck.
Under the light, Charles shook hands with Robeck sincerely and said with a smile: "Welcome, General. We are waiting for your orders and your inspection."
Robbeck looked puzzledly at Charles and the row of French officers in front of him. They stood under the only two machine guns for self-defense but all of them puffed out their chests.
After hesitating for a while, Robbek seemed to understand Charles's hint: the British were only worthy of this specification.
Feeling humiliated, Robeck frowned and was about to explode, but O'Connell beside him stepped forward first and said, "Hello, Colonel. We have brought some gifts for you."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him carried a box of wine and placed it on the deck.
"I'm sorry, General." Charles glanced at the "gift" and replied, "I can't accept such a gift. I don't want to command a battle while drunk."
The French officers behind him couldn't help but let out some knowing laughs.
Robbek was a little embarrassed. This was another way for Charles to mock their unprofessionalism.
But this is indeed the case. Although Britain was still the world's number one at that time, the corruption and bureaucracy within the military had become appallingly serious.
This can be seen from the recent Boer War.
(Note: The Boer War took place in 1896. The two small countries of Transvaal and Orange in South Africa had a total population of only 440,000 men, women and children. The British army mobilized forces from the mainland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and invested a total of 450,000 troops. However, it took two and a half years to win, and the losses were huge. This war is called "Britain's last fig leaf.")
Charles' conference room was piled with documents, maps, and models. The blackboard was cluttered with training subjects and some tactical plans, making it look a bit messy.
But Charles was proud of it. After he asked Robeck and his party to sit down, he raised his head and said, "As you can see, General. We are actively preparing for war. It may take some time."
Robeck was silent. After boarding the ship, he did feel the intense training atmosphere, which meant that Charles and his crew were not slacking off as he thought.
In contrast, the "Queen Elizabeth" was all singing and dancing, and was indifferent to the war.
The "Queen Elizabeth" is like a high-ranking officer. She has the thickest armor and the largest caliber artillery, but every battle is done in the safest position: she bombs outside the range of enemy artillery.
For some reason, Lieutenant General Robeck suddenly found it difficult to say the speech he had prepared.
Just as the conversation was about to fall silent, O'Connell smiled and interrupted, "We've always known this, Colonel. So, we came here this time to discuss how to work together. You know, our army has many components, and they don't even speak the same language. We are worried that if the 105th Regiment is put into battle, it will cause accidental injuries."
"Yes." Lieutenant General Robeck said expressionlessly, "So, we need to know your plan, when to attack, where to attack, etc."
This was a very clever rhetoric, apparently asking about the plan but actually letting Charles set the time for the attack.
Of course, Charles would not be easily fooled. He answered lightly: "I think it is too early to say this now, General. My soldiers have not yet adapted to the climate here, and their training is not sufficient. I heard that..."
Charles turned his gaze to Tijani: "Before attacking the Dardanelles, the Allied landing forces have been training in Egypt for nearly a month?"
“Yes,” Tijani replied. “It seems to be 28 days of training, I’m not sure.”
In fact, the training lasted more than a month. Tijani deliberately said "28 days" to satirize the fact that the British dared to launch a substantial attack 28 days after the war broke out, while they were just scratching the surface before that.
How could Lieutenant General Robeck not understand the meaning of the words? His face suddenly turned red as a pig's liver and he glared at Charles and Tijani.
Charles pretended not to notice, and continued to speak in a friendly and calm tone: "General, if your army still encounters various problems and failures during the landing after such a long period of training and preparation, I think we should at least prepare for this long."
But I was thinking: You are playing soft tactics with me, don’t you know that China is an expert?
"Yes." Tijani said seriously, "The French army cannot be stronger than the British army. It may take longer to train..."
"Enough!" Lieutenant General Robeck stood up angrily: "One month of training, the war may be over by then, Colonel!"
Charles smiled nonchalantly: "General, can we make a bet to see if the war can be ended in a month?"
This war in history dragged on until January of next year, ending with the complete withdrawal of all parties to the agreement.
But Lieutenant General Robeck thought it would be over in another month!
(End of this chapter)
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