Chapter 849 They Don't Want This War to End
Hutier jumped off the armored vehicle under the escort of French soldiers. He tried to straighten his chest and maintain his demeanor, but the helplessness and humiliation in his eyes betrayed him.
A young man in a general's uniform walked up to him, extended his hand politely, and said in French: "Hello, Admiral, it's an honor to meet you."
Hutier did not raise his hand in response. He looked at the young man in front of him in confusion, with a hint of anger in his eyes.
Who is this kid who got promoted by connections? What qualifications does he have to represent the French and American coalition forces to meet with a "general" like him?
The next second he suddenly thought: Charles is just a 19-year-old young man, could the general in front of him be Charles?
"You, you are..." Hu Tier looked incredulous.
"I am Charles," Charles answered, "Commander-in-Chief of the French Heavy Armoured Army Group."
Hutier hurried forward and held Charles' hands, both of them.
Perhaps because of the height difference between them, Hutier's straight back bent into an arc in an instant.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lieutenant General." Hutier said, "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. Although I know you are very young, but..."
Ciel nodded in understanding.
This is a habit, the generals they usually come into contact with are either over fifty years old or have gray hair, and the same is true for commanders at the legion level.
Therefore, even though they knew that the other commander was Charles and that he was only 19 years old, the Charles in their minds was often still a middle-aged or elderly person.
Charles politely invited Hutier to get into his armored vehicle and had someone bring Hutier coffee. Several of Hutier's subordinates were standing under the car, including a major general, three brigadier generals, and five colonels.
"I'm sorry, Admiral," said Charles, "the battlefield can only provide such conditions."
"No, no, it's okay." Hutier was flattered.
He thought that as an invader he would be subjected to humiliation, torture, or even execution, but he did not expect that Charles would treat him with courtesy.
Charles saw Hutier's worry and comforted him, "Don't worry, Admiral. We will abide by the Geneva Convention and treat prisoners well. I guarantee it with my character."
“Thank you very much,” Hutier replied.
"In fact, we don't think it's your fault." Charles added: "I believe many people think the same as me."
"What?" Hutier was a little confused: "You mean the war?"
He couldn't believe it. Germany was the aggressor and was now fighting on French soil. If it wasn't the German army's fault, whose fault could it be?
"Yes, it's this war." Charles' voice was steady, without any emotion.
Charles understood that the more plain the voice was, the more it resembled what he was thinking.
If the tone is ups and downs and passionate, it may be suspected of "brainwashing" or "preaching".
"Think about it, Admiral." Charles leaned against the armored vehicle's shield with ease: "Who dragged Germany into this war? Who provoked this world war? Who plunged humanity into this hopeless and meaningless massacre?"
"You mean, William II?" Hutier asked cautiously.
Charles nodded slightly:
"He gave the order and made the decision. You are just soldiers who are carrying out the order."
"And I believe that many people now no longer agree to continue this war."
"It's the same for us. We proposed ceasefire negotiations several times, but in the end it always came to nothing for unknown reasons."
"I believe there must be someone behind the scenes who does not want this war to end."
Hutier nodded thoughtfully, and the German officer standing under the car and listening also looked thoughtful.
They believed what Charles said was true.
This is consistent with Charles' external performance. In the previous two months, Charles publicly called for "ceasefire negotiations" in the media, but not only did no negotiations take place, but the US military joined the battlefield to further expand the war.
This is very unusual.
Pershing, who was sitting nearby, felt a little uneasy after hearing this.
He knew that this was the result of American capital operations, but he dared not say it, let alone refute it, because that was tantamount to "trying to cover up one's own faults."
In fact, Charles is the only one who understands it best.
At this time, the United States was sabotaging the armistice negotiations on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was portraying itself as a "peace messenger" to enhance its political capital and international reputation, and ultimately achieve its goal of kicking Britain off its position as "number one in the world."
Simply put, it is a double-edged sword. European countries fought to the death, but in the end all the benefits went to the United States.
It would be fine if Ciel wasn't in this time and space and was powerless to stop it.
Now that it is here, will the United States still get the benefits?
At this time, Charles just raised a question to set the stage for these German officers to think about a question: "Who is disrupting the armistice negotiations?"
One day in the future, when Charles uncovers the mystery and lets Naoto surface, the beautiful image that the United States has created will be destroyed in an instant, without even a trace left.
After thinking for a while, Hutier nodded heavily:
"I totally agree with your idea, Lieutenant General."
"Allow me to pay tribute to you for thinking not of victory in the war, nor of France alone, but of the welfare of all mankind."
"You are an outstanding general. I am ashamed of myself, whether in tactics, strategy, or vision!"
The German generals under the car also nodded in agreement, and looked at Charles with a little more respect in their eyes.
"I don't mean anything else." Charles said at last, "I just hope you can rest assured that I am the one who wants peace and the end of this war the most. Also, as a soldier, I think you fought to the end. You are worthy of the mission of a soldier and you deserve respect!"
As he spoke, Charles shook hands with Hutier and saluted him.
Then he jumped out of the car, shook hands with other German generals and saluted them, which moved them so much.
They agreed with what Charles said.
Because it seemed that there was no need for Ciel to "brainwash" them.
In the future, they will stay in a French prisoner-of-war camp until the end of the war. "Brainwashing" has no meaning to Charles or France.
What they didn't know was that Charles had already thought of creating some opportunities for them to escape during the subsequent escort process.
Most of these generals were Hindenburg's men, and they would be happy to bring Charles's statements back to the country for publicity, which would allow the German military and civilians to point the finger at William II and at the same time sow the seeds of opposition to the United States.
…
After Hutier and others left, Pershing seemed to be hesitant to speak.
After thinking for a while, he reminded Charles cryptically: "This matter may not be as simple as you think, Lieutenant General."
"Yes, I understand," Charles replied.
Charles understood Pershing. As an American general, he had to consider issues from the perspective of the United States.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
