Chapter 297 We are all fans of Ciel
Therefore, Charles almost controlled the fate of the British Royal Navy and even the fate of the entire Allied Powers.
This is far beyond the reach of just the Dardanelles.
No matter how stubborn the Lord Admiral was, he still did not dare to risk the safety of the entire Royal Navy.
…
Vice Admiral Robeck didn't know this. After he hurriedly ended the meeting, he suppressed his inner unhappiness and called the Minister of the Navy to ask, "What do you mean by cooperating with Charles? Shouldn't Charles cooperate with me? I thought he was the commander-in-chief of the fleet!"
The Secretary of the Navy was speechless after receiving the telegram.
The fewer people who knew about the German naval codes, the better.
Once the intelligence was leaked, all the efforts made by the Germans to change the code would be wasted.
Therefore, the Navy Minister decided that not even Vice Admiral Robeck should know about it.
The Navy Minister also considered another possibility: to inform Vice Admiral Robeck and then have him salvage the code book.
But this seems unrealistic, as it was the French Navy that sank the submarine, and they knew the exact location while the British Navy did not.
This may not be difficult, after all, it is in that sea area.
But what would Charles think when he found out? Go around him to salvage?
If Charles was angered, and then used depth charges to bombard the submarine's position, the submarine would be completely blown into pieces and washed away by the ocean currents. It would be like a fantasy for the British to find the code book!
The Lord Admiral was convinced that Charles would do such a thing.
Charles had good reason to do this because the code book was dispensable to France but vital to the survival of the Royal Navy.
As a result, the British Royal Navy had a handle in Charles's hand and had no choice but to give in.
To Vice Admiral Robeck, the Navy Minister could only reply in a light tone: "From the current situation, Charles's command is beneficial to the Dardanelles. We all agree that the fleet should fully refer to Charles's suggestions."
The Navy Minister originally wanted to make Vice Admiral Robeck understand the helplessness behind him and the seriousness of the situation, but that was enough.
But Lieutenant General Robeck was deeply hurt when he saw "Charles' command".
What does this mean? Does the commander-in-chief still have to accept Charles's orders?
No, it can't be done!
Lieutenant General Robeck, who was blinded by anger, immediately sent a telegram back: "In this case, I think I am no longer suitable to be the commander-in-chief of the fleet. Please send someone else!"
Since he has no command authority anyway, it doesn't matter if he is not the commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Robeck thought.
Vice Admiral Robeck's words were somewhat out of anger. He thought that after saying this, the Navy Minister's tone would soften and he could find a way out.
However, Vice Admiral Robeck was wrong, as he did not understand the subtext of the Navy Minister's telegram.
When the Navy Minister heard Vice Admiral Robeck say this, he really considered replacing him:
Lieutenant General Robeck and Charles do not get along well, and it can even be said that they are incompatible, which may very well threaten the safety of the salvage of the code book.
In addition, the fewer people who knew about this matter, the better. General Winter was one of those who knew about it, and he had always maintained a good relationship with Charles.
Then why not send General Winter to be the commander-in-chief?
As for General Winter being a major general, it was easy, he just needed to be promoted to lieutenant general. After all, Robeck was promoted from major general to lieutenant general before he became the commander-in-chief!
Perfect!
…
On the other end, Lieutenant General Robeck waited for a while and saw that there was no call back. He felt complacent, thinking that his "forcing the emperor to abdicate" was successful.
Lieutenant General Robeck thought that they certainly did not expect that he would resign. The replacement of generals at the last minute had happened once, and it would definitely affect the morale of the army if it happened again.
Moreover, during this period, he had been attacking according to the wishes of the Minister of the Navy. They said that even if there were any losses, they would be responsible for them...
Who would have thought that at this moment the staff officer handed a telegram to Lieutenant General Robeck with a look of astonishment.
Lieutenant General Robeck took the telegram and read it. It said: "Your application has been approved, General. The new commander-in-chief will arrive as soon as possible! Before that, please prepare for the handover!"
Lieutenant General Robeck was stunned for a long time without reacting. He read the telegram again and again, looking at the staff with suspicion.
The staff officer looked helpless: "This is true, General, it was sent by the Minister of the Navy, and we have confirmed it!"
Lieutenant General Robeck's face turned pale instantly. He couldn't believe what a stupid thing he had done. He never thought that they would actually remove him as the commander-in-chief because of Charles!
…
General Winter was very grateful when he received the appointment. He knew it was because of Charles. Otherwise, a "young and strong" person like him who strongly opposed the Minister of the Navy would have almost no chance of promotion.
But compared to the code book, these are insignificant.
General Winter made a quick preparation and set off in a hurry. He flew to Egypt, then flew from Egypt to Malta, and finally took a seaplane from Malta to the anchorage.
The next afternoon, when General Winter arrived, Lieutenant General Robeck was relieved of his post as commander-in-chief and transferred back to the country.
Vice Admiral Robeck looked very lonely when he left. Only a few officers came to see him off. The sailors looked at him with contempt, and some even spat at his back.
They knew that Lieutenant General Robeck was trying to punish Charles for "insubordination".
"This is not worthy of sympathy. We don't need such a general!"
"I have never been more in agreement with the Admiralty's orders than I am now."
"Incompetent generals, they only think about their own power and face, and don't care about the lives of the soldiers at all!"
…
The last sentence is the core.
There is nothing wrong in principle with what Lieutenant General Robeck did. The military should indeed follow orders rather than act on its own.
But the key point is whether this "going its own way" is developing in a direction that is beneficial or detrimental to the war.
If it is beneficial, then it is "decisive and decisive" and "seize the opportunity", otherwise it is "disobeying orders" which should be punished.
As the commander-in-chief, you should be able to distinguish these.
The soldiers don't think so much. They just know they will support whoever can win and save their lives.
…
After General Winter took over the command of the General Headquarters, the first thing he did was to meet Charles on the transport ship "Henri".
He smiled and hugged Charles, then politely shook hands with Tijani: "It's an honor to meet you, General Tijani. I've heard a little about you. You fought very well!"
Tijani exclaimed, "Wow!" "You seem much easier to get along with than that General Robeck."
"Of course." General Winter laughed, "Because we have something in common."
General Winter turned his gaze to Ciel: "We are all Ciel's fans!"
(The picture above shows the British Ark Royal, a seaplane carrier converted from a cruise ship. It was rushed to the Dardanelles as soon as it was converted in December 1914. The seaplanes on it were mainly used for reconnaissance)
(End of this chapter)
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