Chapter 494 "Special Channels"
Charles did not collaborate with Pétain for Nivelle's sake.
Nivelle's appointment as commander-in-chief was a foregone conclusion. He had the support of the British, who had a large amount of supplies loaned from the United States. This alone was enough to influence the selection of the commander-in-chief.
At the same time, after Nivelle became the commander-in-chief, the decisions he made could not be changed by commanders at the level of Charles and Pétain. There was a group of lieutenant generals above them, and they were the main bodies discussing the strategic direction, not major generals like Charles and Pétain.
Charles did this to fight against the Parliament, which he believed was a troublesome opponent.
The parliament has the final say and is now making every effort to weaken the influence of Charles and is also consciously cultivating "enemies" for Charles to divide and rule.
From this perspective, except for Gallieni, everyone else, including the commanders of the Northern, Central, and Eastern Army Groups, were Charles' opponents.
There used to be a Foch who was partial to Charles, but after Foch was dismissed, Charles was isolated again.
This is somewhat ironic. Charles has the support of the vast majority of grassroots officers and soldiers, but precisely because this threatens the interests of senior officers, this situation has arisen.
Charles's winning over of Pétain was the first step in splitting this force.
…
Despite his busy schedule, Charles took some time to visit the town of Darvaz.
Not because of business, but because he missed home.
After traveling for several months in a row, sometimes even in Paris he had no time to go home. Charles would occasionally feel lonely and tired from all the fighting and struggling. He just wanted to return to that safe haven and hide there, even if only for a moment.
Camille seemed to understand Charles' feelings. She saw Charles' car approaching from afar and ran out in surprise and joy.
However, when she saw the tiredness on Charles' face and the dust on his uniform, her joy instantly dimmed and she couldn't help but burst into tears.
She went to him, hugged Charles in her arms with a distressed look, kissed him gently on the forehead, and murmured, "It's okay, my child, you're home! Home!"
Charles suddenly felt very sleepy and tired. If Camille hadn't supported him, he would have hardly been able to walk.
He stumbled back to the bedroom, only having time to take off his military coat. He fell heavily on the bed, took a long breath, and fell asleep.
Djokovic hurriedly drove back from the factory but was stopped by Camille.
"He's asleep," Camille said.
Djokovic was a little surprised. He took out his pocket watch and looked at it. It was just past three in the afternoon, but the next second he nodded to show his understanding.
"He did too much," Djokovic said.
Camille choked up and uttered "hmm", tears flowing out again, his eyes unconsciously turning towards Charles' room.
…
Charles slept until dawn, and would have continued to sleep if Djokovic hadn't woken him up.
Djokovic was reluctant to wake up Charles, as it was Charles who had told Laurent yesterday that he had to go to Belgium today.
Charles took some time to wash up, looked in the mirror, and finally felt a little more refreshed.
This was a bit strange. Whenever Charles wore a military uniform in the past, especially one with two stars on the collar representing a brigadier general, he always felt a force surging into his body and made him unconsciously excited.
Now I have completely lost all feeling and only wish for the day when I can get rid of this "burden" and become a commoner who does not have to worry about anything.
Remembering Camille's eyes when he saw him yesterday, Charles patted the dust off his body, dipped some water and focused on "taking care" of the blackened parts of his uniform to make it look cleaner, then went downstairs.
He didn't want Camille to be as worried as she was yesterday.
The breakfast was very rich, with apple pie, which Charles liked.
Djokovic asked casually, "Tired, huh?"
"Not bad." Charles glanced at the kitchen, where Camille was washing fruit. "It's just that I was busy with the Verdun thing recently, but now that it's settled, it will be much easier next time."
Charles thought this answer would reassure Djokovic and Camille.
He was halfway there.
He noticed that Camille breathed a sigh of relief, and Djokovic glanced at Charles with a half-smile and secretly gave him a thumbs-up.
Djokovic knew what was going on. If it was really as Charles said, he would not be in such a hurry to return to Belgium.
God, it seems that the entire defense line cannot be separated from Charles. What are the other generals doing? Are they busy learning from Joffre?
Camille came out with a plate of grapes and prunes, and handed Charles a glass of milk: "I heard that the front-line troops use a rotation system. Shouldn't you also have time to rotate?"
This question stumped Charles. Generals also need to be rotated?
At the same time, Charles was a little surprised that Camille also knew that the army used the "rotation system".
Djokovic explained with a smile: "She knows much more than you think, from 'special channels'."
Charles understood that the so-called "special channel" was just gossip among the relatives and friends.
Camille asked suddenly, "I also heard that you have a girlfriend, and she is in Paris, but we haven't heard anything!"
Ciel was petrified instantly: "Mom, um...we haven't officially confirmed our relationship yet..."
"Really?" Camille asked back, with dissatisfaction in her tone: "But why did I hear that you have met her parents?"
Charles was stunned. This "special channel" was too powerful. What happened in Belgium could even be reported here? !
He turned to Djokovic for help.
Djokovic shrugged as he ate his food.
"I can't help you, Ciel."
"Do we have to wait until you get married to find out who she is?"
Camille added: "Looking at the situation now, maybe we won't even know when we get married."
Then they naturally stood in the same camp, talking one after another:
"That's right. She's in Paris, only ten kilometers away from us, but she went to Belgium to meet her parents instead of us."
"I think meeting each other's parents means that the relationship is confirmed."
“Absolutely!”
"But here we have 'no confirmed relationship'. Is that reasonable?"
"That's outrageous! This is definitely an excuse!"
…
Ciel rolled his eyes, feeling left out once again.
After a lot of nonsense, Camille finally revealed the real purpose: "You must bring her with you next time you come. You have a car and Major Laurent. All you have to do is pick her up."
"But Mom..."
"Otherwise we can go find her ourselves." Camille interrupted Charles: "Believe me, I can find out her address, and I also know her name is Lucia."
Ciel raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, I'll go talk to her, but I'm not sure if she'll be willing to come..."
Charles was telling the truth; after all, this was just a "play".
Camille smiled meaningfully and patted Charles' head lovingly.
This idiot, he was actually worried that she wouldn't want to come? !
(End of this chapter)
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