Chapter 617 The Cost of War
Pétain and Foch called to express their "trust" in Charles.
Pétain congratulated Charles in a friendly tone:
"Another world-renowned victory, Lieutenant General. I am proud of you, and France is proud of you."
"Also, I heard they nominated you to be commander-in-chief?"
"This is one of the few times I agree with the council's decisions, and I even think you are the most suitable person, there is no doubt about that, even as the current commander-in-chief."
Pétain still stabbed Foch in the back subtly.
…
On the surface, Foch still maintained a suspicious attitude towards Charles. He published an article in "Le Merit", secretly pointing out that Charles' victory in this battle was largely random and was not the norm in war.
On the other hand, he sent a secret telegram to Charles through Weigang: "It was a wonderful battle, Lieutenant General, congratulations. In addition, I think your victory at sea is more important at this stage."
Ciel nodded secretly in agreement.
No matter how many victories are achieved on land, they are all tactical in nature for Charles, and the Parliament can use various excuses to control Charles.
Even a complete defeat of the Germans would be disadvantageous to Charles, because "the bow is hidden when the bird is dead", and then the Parliament will be able to deal with Charles without fear.
On the contrary, it is the sea transportation lines that determine Charles' control over materials. They are strategic and hold the lifeline of all capitalists, including the parliament.
…
On the south bank of the Somme, Foch sat at his desk, staring at a map. It was a map of the troop deployment of the British, French and German armies on the Somme.
In the distance, the sound of artillery fire became more and more intense, and the sound of gunfire continued.
The British army once again launched an attack on the German defense line.
Ever since Charles won the Battle of Hasselt, the British went crazy, launching round after round of attacks on the German army. Even the "Camel" fighter planes imported from Charles were sent to the battlefield.
Foch knew why.
Britain's prestige as the world's number one was challenged unprecedentedly. The colonial troops had lost faith in Britain. Not only the African troops, but even the Indian and Australian troops, which had always been known for their "loyalty", wanted to cooperate with the French army rather than the British army.
Even the equipment used by these troops was British.
But Foch was not thinking about this, nor the stalemate on the Somme battlefield, but Charles.
Foch was considering a question: If Charles were really asked to serve as commander-in-chief, would he accept it?
From a personal perspective, Foch was unwilling to accept it, and even found it difficult to accept.
Because it means a complete negation of Foch.
The tactical theory used by France at this stage is Foch's "offensive theory".
Even though Pétain's "defense theory" and Charles' "adaptive theory" emerged, the "offensive theory" is still the mainstream, and Foch is still the most important founder of tactical theory, and his influence is still unshakable.
Once Charles becomes commander-in-chief and vigorously promotes his "theory of improvisation", Foch's era will come to an end, and he may be eliminated much faster than expected.
However……
Is this really important?
Foch raised his head and listened to the direction where the artillery and gunfire came from.
The British used typical offensive tactics, which meant death, stalemate, and meaningless consumption.
Foch felt like a sinner, a murderer and an executioner. In order to maintain the correctness of his theory, he pushed countless lives onto the battlefield and turned them into corpses, including those of his enemies.
However, Charles' tactics were able to surround and capture the enemy at a minimal cost, thus deciding the outcome while allowing most enemy and friendly soldiers to survive.
No, I can't go on like this.
Charles is right. His theory and his tactics are the trend of the times. Anyone standing on the opposite side will eventually fail.
So, I have to support him no matter from which perspective!
"General!" Colonel Bruce stood up and saluted Foch. After waiting for a while and seeing that Foch did not respond, he shouted again in confusion.
Foch suddenly woke up, looked up and saw Colonel Bruce standing in front of him. He was stunned for a moment, then asked expressionlessly with a mocking tone: "What are your instructions, Colonel?"
Colonel Bruce was Haig's staff officer. He was fluent in French and was stationed on the south bank of the Somme. He was supposed to promote coordination between the British and French armies, but in fact he was conveying the "needs" of the British Expeditionary Force to Foch.
Foch could never forget the hypocritical face of Colonel Bruce. He looked very gentlemanly, but his eyes were full of disdain and his tone was threatening: "We will provide supplies to your army depending on the situation. General, I hope you can understand that in times of war, supplies are often not available even if you have money."
Now, Colonel Bruce stood in front of Foch again, polite and humble.
"It's like this." Colonel Bruce took out a document from his briefcase and handed it over: "We hope that your army can cooperate with ours. This is tomorrow's battle plan."
Foch took the document and saw that the French artillery had moved to the front line to bombard the German troops on the north bank of the Somme from the flank.
Foch frowned at first, then couldn't help laughing: "Such a perfect battle plan!"
Colonel Bruce could certainly hear the sarcasm in Foch's words, but he remained calm:
"You think so too? That's great!"
"We all know that the French defense line on the south bank has advanced about three kilometers, while the British defense line is still behind."
"Then the French army only needs to pull the artillery to the front line to bombard the enemy's defense line or even the enemy's artillery positions from the flank."
"This will greatly help the British offensive."
(Note: The French defense line on the Somme River advanced 5 kilometers in one breath because of Charles's penetration along the river, and there was an uneven gap between the defense lines on the north and south banks)
Foch retorted:
"It will indeed be of great help to the British offensive, Colonel, I admit that."
"But have you ever considered that once our army pulls the artillery to the front line and opens fire, they will be attacked from both sides by the German artillery."
"They could be blown up into the sky in an instant, without even a trace left."
Colonel Bruce raised his eyebrows calmly: "This is the price of war, don't you think?"
This statement is a double entendre, referring not only to the cost of war, but also to the cost of the French army obtaining supplies.
Foch smiled: "Yes, this is indeed the price of war, but you seem to have forgotten that the French Navy sank 12 German submarines."
As he spoke, Foch threw the newspaper he had prepared long ago in front of Colonel Bruce.
Colonel Bruce's expression froze: "I don't understand what you mean, General."
Foch narrowed his eyes.
"I wonder what price you'd pay for war, Colonel?"
"As long as I give the order, the British army will not receive any supplies."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
