Chapter 400 Ciel's Birthday
"Artillery?" Tijani laughed: "You must be joking. It's clearly a tank..."
Before he finished speaking, Tijani understood what Charles meant, and the smile on his face froze.
If it's not suitable for use as a tank, why can't it be used as artillery?
Charles continued: "The artillery can follow behind the troops, General, with a range of 8 kilometers. That is, it can follow up 8 kilometers behind the offensive line."
Tijani nodded slowly: "This way, its poor mobility won't be too much of a problem."
Only when the "Saint-Samond" charged like a tank would it be stuck in a small crater. If it advanced after 8 kilometers, there would be enough time to avoid it.
Ciel nodded and added, "We can also remove its machine guns."
Tijani exclaimed: "With four less machine guns and four machine gunners, not only will the weight be reduced, but there will also be a lot more space!"
"Yes, General," said Charles. "Don't just focus on its shortcomings. Think about the advantages of using it instead of artillery!"
Only after being reminded by Charles did Tijani truly compare "Saint Salmon" with artillery.
The difference was obvious after the comparison. Tijani stared at Charles blankly and said in an uncertain tone:
"The Saint-Samond is self-powered and does not require frequent retrieving and mounting of guns, which means it has higher mobility and can be transferred in a short time."
Charles nodded. The "Saint Salmon" could fire and leave at any time, which meant "safety" for the artillery.
"It has armor, so even if a shell explodes nearby, it is difficult to kill the crew members."
Charles agreed.
The accuracy of artillery during this period was not high, especially for long-range artillery beyond visual range. Direct hits were a low-probability event, and injuries mainly relied on shrapnel or shock waves. However, the armor of the "Saint Shamon" could block most of the dangers.
"It can also carry more shells and provide continuous and stable fire support to friendly forces."
This is determined by the internal space and load capacity of the "Saint Shamon".
Finally, Charles made a summary: "We have always been at a disadvantage in artillery, General. The German 105MM artillery has an absolute advantage in quantity, and we cannot change this in a short time. So..."
"So we really need this kind of armored gun." Tijani suddenly realized: "Although its range and power are far inferior to the German 105MM gun, it is possible to defeat it. Because the 'Saint-Samon' has armor and speed advantages, as long as it is not directly hit by the enemy's artillery, it has a chance to get close to the enemy's 105MM gun."
Charles was a little surprised that Tijani could understand the advantages of "Saint Salmon" so quickly. He originally thought that Tijani, a rich second-generation, would not work hard to improve his professional abilities. Now it seems that Tijani has indeed devoted his heart to his "art of war".
Looking at Tijani who seemed to be thinking deeply, Charles asked, "Now, do you still plan to exchange 'Charles A1' for 'Saint Shamon'?"
Tijani smiled awkwardly and replied, "You are right, no change."
Although Tijani is not sure whether it will work, it is a new tactic worth trying, and Tijani never rejects new tactics.
But Tijani added: "Commodore, should we add some more 'Char A1'?"
Ciel looked at Tijani in disbelief.
I can't tell, this guy looks a bit like the British Secretary of the Navy. Is he the long-lost illegitimate son of the Secretary of the Navy?
…
June 12th is Charles' birthday.
As a serving brigadier general, he shouldn't have a birthday, let alone a holiday.
Because every soldier in the army has a birthday, if everyone has a day off on their birthday, the army will be in chaos.
But Gallieni granted Charles a holiday that afternoon.
"There's no other reason for this, Brigadier General," Gallieni explained. "It has nothing to do with your birthday. It's because you brought Italy into the Allies, which is a great achievement. They also gave you a medal. Pick it up when you pass by the headquarters."
"Yes, General," Charles replied.
He was quite surprised. How could this old man care about his birthday? Although this could be found in the information, Gallieni had tens of thousands of subordinates. I'm afraid they were numb to the number of "birthday"!
The medal was a "War Cross Medal", which had only been established for two months. Only 10 people could receive this medal at this time, and Charles was fortunate to be one of them.
(The picture above is the French Cross of the Legion of Merit in World War I, which is used to commend individuals or teams for bravery in combat. If a team is awarded, the medal will be awarded to the commander of the unit.)
Browne was the 11th person to receive the medal. He was awarded as the commander of the 1st Tank Brigade in recognition of the unit's outstanding performance at Cambrai.
Charles casually put the medal into his pocket and got on the car back to Darvaz. In his eyes, the value of a medal might not be as good as this day's vacation.
…
It was just getting dark when Charles got home. Lights were lit up in the town, and the noise gradually died down, with only the occasional barking of dogs in the distance.
Because he had received a call in advance, Camille had prepared a table of food, baked a cake and prepared candles, and Djoka also returned early.
But that’s not the point.
There were two more people at the table, a middle-aged woman and the other who looked like her daughter.
Charles cast a puzzled look at Djoka, who shrugged and glanced at Camille who was bringing dishes out of the kitchen.
Then Charles understood that this was Camille's idea.
"This is Elisa." Camille brought a plate of roasted snails to the table and introduced her with a smile: "She is Aunt Lina's daughter. You must have met her."
Snails are a dish that Charles is rather resistant to, so Camille doesn't make them often. Today, he must be making them for a special guest.
"Hello, Ciel." Alyssa stood up and shook hands with Ciel gracefully: "You may not remember, but we were classmates in junior high school."
"Really?" Charles really didn't remember.
The little girl was not nervous at all when she saw him in a military uniform with the rank of brigadier general and two stars on it.
She must not recognize him, thought Charles.
“Of course.” Alyssa smiled brightly, “You should have been 14 years old at that time, and you were always punished by Mr. Louis.”
Mr. Louis is Charles' math teacher. He always uses this method to teach students who have not completed their homework.
Camille looked at Charles with wide eyes: "Why have I never heard you say that?"
Charles looked hopeless: "Mom, this is my last secret!"
There was a burst of laughter at the table.
Charles glanced at Alisa with a hint of embarrassment.
He thought of Lucia. Many people in Paris already knew that she was Charles' "girlfriend", but it was obvious that this news had not yet spread to the small town of Davoise.
(End of this chapter)
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