Chapter 747: Excellent Opportunity
In the early morning, Paris was shrouded in thick fog like a drizzle. The Eiffel Tower was looming, like a tireless guard guarding Paris day and night.
Not far from the city hall, the Prime Minister's office was plunged into a depressing atmosphere.
Clemenceau and Briand were discussing the victory on the Meuse River over a newspaper.
"He actually succeeded!" Clemenceau shook his head and exclaimed.
He didn't say much, but secretly admired Charles's strength in his heart.
Charles defeated the enemy with the help of the parliament. Some parliamentarians even sold information to the enemy. The government also held him back out of fear, but it still couldn't stop Charles from winning.
Moreover, it was a great victory. In one fell swoop, he recaptured a large area west of the Meuse River, captured more than 300,000 German troops and a large amount of supplies.
Charles' strength is like the tank he developed, ruthlessly crushing all obstacles in his way.
Briand stood quietly at the window, looking at the people downstairs cheering for Charles in the mist, his voice filled with despair:
"Nothing can stop him. Everyone believes he is the savior of France. People support him and support him."
"Do you know what this means?"
"People will fall into a state of blind obedience. They will support every decision made by Charles, even if it is wrong. No one can influence it."
Briand believed this was a flaw in the republic.
A republic operates mostly under the control of capital.
The reason is that the common people are not united and will always be easily defeated by the capitalists' public opinion and financial offensive during the election process.
But if such a person appears, someone like Charles.
He became the spiritual leader of the common people across the country, possessing undisputed and unquestionable prestige, and he also controlled public opinion and had capital.
Then, he could unite the “vulnerable” civilians.
"This will end the Republic," Briand sighed. "It will be defeated by itself."
Clemenceau understood what this meant.
A republic will elect a centralized prime minister, who can easily end the republic through dictatorial means.
“I don’t think so.” Clemenceau said calmly, “First he must resign from the army.”
This is an iron rule in France: military personnel cannot engage in politics.
Brian shook his head and chuckled: "Do you think he will resign from the army?"
Clemenceau objected: "If he is reluctant to give up military power, he will have a handle. If he resigns from the military, his end will be like Boulanger..."
"Mr. Commissioner," Briand turned around and interrupted Clemenceau, "Charles is not Boulanger. You underestimate him! Think about it, who is commanding the army now?"
Clemenceau was stunned.
The answer is obviously Charles.
Although Charles was only the commander of the 6th Army, Foch and Pétain both obeyed his orders, and he had Gallieni as a strong backing.
Briand asked again: "Who now has the power to appoint and dismiss the army?"
Clemenceau thought about it carefully. On the surface, it was the parliament and the government.
But since the last large-scale "mutiny" in the army, parliament and the government have been required to "fully refer to the opinions of frontline soldiers" when appointing and dismissing important military positions.
And the "opinions of the soldiers on the front line" are actually Charles' opinions.
Briand walked up to Clemenceau and said threateningly, "Now, who decides on France's supplies and wartime rationing, as well as munitions production, shipping, insurance, and mining?"
“Yes, it’s Charles.” Clemenceau answered with difficulty.
"So," said Briand, "you have not yet realized that Charles has used his power, his capital, his prestige to gain control of the country, at least in part, without the support of Parliament, but we have no power over him."
Clemenceau nodded slowly.
Clemenceau realized his mistake. He was too obsessed with the struggle in parliament and thought that parliament was the center of power in France.
Unexpectedly, the parliament had been hollowed out by Charles without anyone noticing.
"Not only that, Mr. Commissioner." Briand sat back on the sofa, closed his eyes in pain, rubbed his forehead and said:
"Many MPs have now come to support the Shire."
"It's not just Steed and Wells, there are others, and there will be more and more."
"Because supporting Ciel will gain more popularity, which can help them keep their seats, understand?"
Clemenceau nodded his assent.
The benefits of "supporting Charles" far exceed the capitalists' "money offensive" and are much cheaper.
Just as the office fell into silence, Lieutenant Colonel Dura knocked on the door and came in.
Neither Briand nor Clemenceau cared. They did not think that Colonel Dura could bring any good news.
"General Gallieni is ill," Lieutenant Colonel Dura reported blandly, "and I heard he had an operation."
Briand said "hmm". Everyone knew that Gallieni was injured, so there was nothing strange about having surgery.
Clemenceau didn't even hear it, didn't react at all.
He was still shocked by Charles's methods and couldn't believe that this was a height that a 19-year-old boy could achieve.
Lieutenant Colonel Dura continued, "As far as I know, this is the second surgery for General Gallieni. The last surgery was a month ago, and he took a week off."
Briand raised his head sharply and looked at Lieutenant Colonel Dura: "You mean, he is hiding his illness?"
Lieutenant Colonel Dura nodded slightly, finally grasping the key point.
This caught Clemenceau's attention. He asked in confusion: "Hiding his illness? This means that he is very ill, right?"
"Of course." Brian stood up and said excitedly, "This is not a minor operation. It may even be life-threatening. Am I right?"
The latter question was asked to Lieutenant Colonel Dura.
Lieutenant Colonel Dura nodded affirmatively: "I heard that General Gallieni just woke up in the early morning and has just escaped from life danger."
Brian raised his finger, as if he had thought of something, and then tapped heavily in the air: "He is worried, the Minister of War!"
But he immediately denied his statement:
"No, no, not the Secretary of War."
"The Minister of War can do nothing with him, for Charles is always in command of the troops."
"What he is worried about is the commander of the reserve army group!"
Clemenceau agrees:
"Yes, the commander of the reserve army group is Ciel's strong backing. I mean, the material rationing system is implemented by the reserve army group."
"There is also the security work in the town of Darwaz, the aircraft manufacturing plant in Charles, and the newspaper "Meritorious News"..."
"God, if Gallieni is unable to continue to serve as the commander of the reserve army group due to physical reasons, Charles will lose everything, everything!"
A smile gradually appeared on Briand's face.
He didn't expect that when he was in desperate situation, God would give him such an opportunity, a great opportunity.
He immediately picked up the phone and called his secretary: "Organize a parliament. It's time to relieve General Gallieni of his burden."
Clemenceau and Lieutenant Colonel Duras nodded slightly in agreement.
(End of this chapter)
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