Chapter 136 Why not use tanks to break through?
Charles felt dizzy after only two small drinks.
Later he learned that the alcohol content of absinthe was totally inconsistent with its pure and lovely color. The alcohol content of this stuff ranged from 45 to 89.9.
Lieutenant Colonel Fernan gave Charles a 50-degree bottle, no wonder he was so generous in treating him!
Just when Charles was feeling dizzy, someone in the club suddenly started to make a loud noise.
Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw a slightly plump officer being teased by other officers.
Maybe it was because of the alcohol or the dim light, but Charles couldn't see his rank clearly. Others were passing a letter around, and the fat officer was anxiously running back and forth after the letter, shouting something angrily.
Lieutenant Colonel Fernando just smiled and continued drinking.
This kind of thing is very common in the army. In order to relieve boredom, officers and soldiers often rush to read each other's letters. Over time, they get used to it.
At this time, someone took the letter quickly. He jumped onto the sofa and took out the letter and read: "Dear Lucia..."
There was another uproar in the club. It turned out that this was a love letter to the female bartender. An officer even shouted to the female bartender, "Hey, Lucia, which one is this?"
Lucia just smiled and poured the prepared wine from the jug into the glass. Her emotions did not fluctuate at all. She seemed to have long been accustomed to similar things.
The fat officer looked embarrassed and was at a loss as he was teased by the other officers.
Just as they were about to continue reading the contents of the letter, Charles couldn't help but say, "That's enough, give the letter back to him!"
The officers were startled, then burst into laughter, and shouted in unison:
"Mind your own business, Lieutenant!"
"It's not your turn to speak here!"
Some even shouted to Lieutenant Colonel Fernando, "Lieutenant Colonel, isn't it time for you to take care of your soldiers?"
Lieutenant Colonel Fernan's face darkened and he replied, "Did you all hear that? Give the letter back to him!"
The officers were stunned and all looked over here in confusion. Some of them knew Lieutenant Colonel Fernando and even had a friendship with him, after all, he often came here to drink.
Lieutenant Colonel Fernan was merciless. He asked coldly, "If it is not Charles' turn to speak here, then I want to ask whose turn it is? Stand up and let me see!"
The club suddenly became quiet and everyone turned their eyes to Charles. Lucia also looked at Charles in shock. Only then did she realize that what Lieutenant Colonel Fernando had said before might be true.
The officers whispered a few words, then returned the letter to the fat officer, and a few of them saluted Charles:
"I'm so sorry, Lieutenant!"
"We didn't know it was you. I apologize for being so rude!"
…
The fat officer hurriedly took back the letter, glanced quickly at Lucia, nodded to Charles to express his gratitude, and ran out of the club.
Charles felt a little bored, or perhaps he was ruining the fun of the other officers, so he signaled Lieutenant Colonel Fernan to pay the money back.
After that, Charles almost forgot about it and rarely went to the officers' club. Charles could not find "relaxation" in that environment like Lieutenant Colonel Fernan.
But he was right about one thing. I slept very well after drinking. I slept soundly until dawn, but I had a slight headache.
…
In mid-October in Paris, the weather showed signs of the arrival of the rainy season.
There was a strong wind blowing outside the window, the sky was gloomy, and soon it started to rain heavily amid thunder and lightning.
Work in the operations office continued, with Charles tracking every point on the defense line based on telegrams from the front.
When Charles roughly outlined today's position, Gallieni sighed and shook his head slightly: "It seems to be the same as yesterday, it has hardly moved, not an inch!"
"Perhaps we can't hope for a breakthrough!" said Charles.
"What do you mean?" Gallieni asked in confusion.
Ciel said to the map: "Stalemate may be the norm. We must be prepared for this to continue for a long time!"
This historical line of defense will not change much in the next four years. It will move back and forth between the enemy and us like a tug-of-war.
If anything has changed, it is the rising casualty figures.
Gallieni didn't know this and always thought the stalemate was temporary.
He thought for a while and asked thoughtfully: "Why don't we consider breaking through with tanks!"
He leaned over the map and looked for a while, then pointed to a spot and said, "I think this is suitable, what do you think?"
Charles was the inventor of the tank and the first commander to win a battle using tanks. Gallieni thought it necessary to seek his advice.
Charles looked at the points Gallieni pointed out and agreed: "The La Fox area has a flat terrain, convenient supplies, and a road connection suitable for tank mobility. It's a good choice!"
Gallieni drew a small circle along the defense line with his finger: "Even if we can't break through the enemy's defense line, it is imperative to flatten this salient. The terrain in this area is not suitable for our army to defend. The several high ground occupied by the Germans have made our army very passive!"
Then Gallieni seemed to remember something. He looked up and said to Charles, "Oh, by the way, you should immediately provide me with the information about the tanks you are developing. I need to include it in the wartime procurement regulations. The bidding will start in a few days!"
Ciel hesitated, then replied, "Sorry, General! I'm not bidding!"
Gallieni was stunned: "You are not participating in the bidding? What's going on?"
Then Gallieni understood: "They're the ones putting pressure on you, aren't they? The bastards!"
"No, General!" Charles hastened to clarify: "No one put pressure on me. I quit voluntarily!"
Gallieni looked at Charles sideways, as if waiting for him to tell the truth.
Ciel had no choice but to make up a lie: "I found that we are too far behind. There is no point in bidding except being humiliated. Therefore... I plan to focus all my energy on the next level of tanks!"
"Truth?" asked Gallieni, his eyes still fixed on Charles.
Charles could only shake his head. He could deceive others but not Gallieni.
What's more, the "Mark I" will soon enter mass production, which is contradictory to "giving up". Gallieni will know the truth one day.
But these things cannot be said in the office. Charles glanced in the direction of the lounge. Gallieni understood what he meant and walked into the lounge with a cup of coffee.
"I can't possibly beat my competitors!" Charles told the truth. "My tanks are far behind my competitors in terms of data, but I judge that they will most likely suffer a crushing defeat on the battlefield, so..."
Gallieni interrupted Charles, his tone filled with anger: "So, you wait until they fail on the battlefield before launching your tanks? And ignore those soldiers who are about to lose their lives on the battlefield?"
(End of this chapter)
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