Chapter 351 Brigadier General
That afternoon, Charles received a phone call and was called to the city defense headquarters.
At this time, Charles is more of a staff officer of the 105th Infantry Regiment. His current task is to lead the entire army to popularize gas masks and even impart combat experience when wearing gas masks. Therefore, he spends most of his time directing work at the police training base.
The city defense headquarters would come about every other day, mainly to discuss training matters for the 105th Infantry Regiment. Charles' original work at the city defense headquarters had been taken over by Lieutenant Colonel Fernando, so he could devote himself to the training work.
As soon as Charles walked up the stairs, several familiar staff officers nodded or came forward to greet him. Lieutenant Colonel Fernan patted Charles' shoulder affectionately and lowered his voice to jokingly say, "I know a few people. Do you want me to introduce them to you?"
Then Fernando emphasized meaningfully: "It's them!"
Ciel rolled his eyes, "Leave it to yourself, you bastard!"
Lieutenant Colonel Fernan and his staff burst into laughter, and someone else said:
"Colonel, if you don't like them, you can consider me."
"Count me in, I don't mind."
"Even though I don't like it, I won't complain even if I have to go to jail for the sake of the colonel!"
…
(Note: During World War I, this tendency was a crime, with the possibility of imprisonment or chemical castration)
Charles ignored them and walked up to General Gallieni and saluted.
"There are quite a lot of things, but most of them are good news." Gallieni hurriedly put down the document he was signing, took out a document from the drawer and handed it to him: "Congratulations, you are now a brigadier general."
A light cry was heard from the command center, and the staff officers all looked over here at the same time, followed by a few shouts of congratulations.
The noise was much smaller than before. They seemed to have gotten used to Charles's speed of promotion and were no longer surprised.
"In addition," Gallieni continued, "they have agreed to completely replace the military uniforms, and the government is bidding for the uniform styles. It is estimated that the Saint-Etienne Arsenal is likely to win because it is well prepared. While others are still in a panic, it has already provided several satisfactory military uniform plans."
"Saint-Etienne Arsenal?" Charles was a little surprised.
Then Charles understood that Steed had learned the "inside" information from Charles and judged early on that changing military uniforms was imperative, so he rushed to do it before others.
This guy Steed is, after all, old and experienced.
He knew that military uniforms might not seem as profitable as munitions, but the demand for them was extremely huge. Every soldier needed summer, autumn and winter uniforms, so it was a long-term business.
The fact that the Saint-Etienne Arsenal took the lead in this regard was like taking a reassurance pill, and it would have a stable income for a considerable period of time afterwards.
"The third thing." Gallieni took out a map and spread it out in front of Charles. It was the Dardanelles.
"The battle in the Dardanelles was not going well." Gallieni pointed at the map. "Although we occupied the Gallipoli Peninsula, the enemy deployed heavy troops at the junction of the peninsula and the mainland. They relied on trenches for defense, and the Allied forces could not move forward."
This was within Charles' expectations.
The junction between the peninsula and the mainland is only three kilometers wide at its narrowest, and it is a long and narrow passage.
The Ottoman army could deploy its troops and firepower to block the passage outside the exit. Trenches were dug layer by layer, barbed wire was laid layer by layer, and artillery was deployed in piles. How could the Allied forces rush out?
"On the other side." Gallieni pointed to the Dardanelles. "Our fleet still couldn't pass through the strait. With the help of the Germans, the Ottomans built an arsenal to produce mines. At the same time, they also sent three transport ships loaded with stones to sink in the channel. The fleet was at a loss as to what to do."
Good idea, Charles praised inwardly.
It is much easier and faster to sink a ship than to dredge a channel.
Especially since the Allies still need to clear the road under the threat of mines and artillery fire, it is very likely that the congestion will become worse as more and more ships will sink there!
"What do you think about this?" Gallieni looked at Charles inquiringly.
Charles answered simply: "I have no idea, General."
Only a quick victory could guarantee victory in the Dardanelles, and when the British fleet delayed for a month before launching an all-out attack, its failure was already doomed.
This was a strategic failure. Charles's partial tactical victory could not reverse the situation. The Ottoman Empire and the Germans had plenty of ways to block this narrow strait.
Gallieni seemed unwilling to give up: "This is very important, Brigadier General. If we win there, this war may end here."
"I know, General," Charles replied, "but it was also true of Ypres, and Philippeville, and Verdun, and so on!"
Gallieni suddenly understood.
It was not a question of where to open the front, but of trench warfare.
If the problem of trench warfare is not solved, no matter which side it is, the enemy can be blocked and unable to move by digging trenches, laying barbed wire and setting up machine guns.
Then, even if the battle line was extended to the Ottoman Empire, it would be no exception. This would be another kind of "running to the sea".
"Okay." Gallieni said helplessly, "Then it depends on who can hold out to the end."
Charles sighed inwardly, the answer was self-evident. As the attacking party, the Allied Powers had a long supply line, and a protracted war was obviously not in their favor.
…
Charles changed into his new military uniform in the dormitory of the city defense headquarters and then took a bus back to the police base.
Unexpectedly, Tijani got the news early in the morning. As soon as Charles walked into the office building, the originally quiet room suddenly burst into cheers, and flowers fell from the sky. Tijani and a group of officers and soldiers congratulated Charles loudly.
"How does it feel?" Tijani asked.
"Better than last time," Charles replied. "At least I didn't draw my gun."
The question and answer are actually not on the same channel.
"No, no." Tijani nodded at Charles' new uniform. "I mean the feeling of being promoted to brigadier general."
Charles looked at Tijani's rank of major general and asked, "Are you mocking me?"
Tijani smiled and said, "My title of major general is not worthy of its status, but your title of brigadier general is well deserved. This is different. If it were me, I would definitely be proud of it."
It would be a lie to say I didn't feel anything.
After all, this means he has entered the ranks of "general" and is a senior military officer, which can be regarded as a kind of recognition.
However, Ciel knew that it was just a symbol.
In the open and covert struggles between him and the capitalists, the core is always interests. If you are misled by military rank and think that you can do anything with it, you are very wrong.
(End of this chapter)
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