Chapter 904 Make France Great Again
Charles did not give the opposition MPs more time to think. He spoke freely:
"As for understanding the Toulon fleet and the situation in the Mediterranean, I don't think we need a general who sits in his office and thinks about how to make personal gains for himself."
"I don't think he really knew the Toulon fleet or the Mediterranean."
"He knows Harry better than that."
There was laughter in the meeting room, while opposition lawmakers looked embarrassed. It was no longer a secret in the political circle that Harry was the mistress of the Minister of the Navy.
Charles continued:
"This is war time, gentlemen."
“What we need is a general who really understands warfare and the situation.”
"Only such a general can contribute to France and lead the army to victory on the battlefield, rather than pushing everyone to destruction for his own selfish interests."
The lawmakers expressed their support loudly, and the opposition did not even have the energy to speak out.
Charles was speaking the truth. High positions in commanding operations should be held by commanders who understand war, not people like the Minister of the Navy who have never even been to a battlefield.
This is how it should be during wartime; it's common sense.
This should be the case even in peacetime, except that there are more loopholes to exploit in peacetime.
So, how can the opposition oppose?
But one person was still unwilling to give in. He asked loudly, "Are you recommending yourself as the Minister of the Navy, Lieutenant General Charles? This is the Navy. Don't forget that your combat experience is in the Army."
"No, of course not," replied Charles, with a very modest manner. "Of course I know I am in the army, and I am not afraid to tell you that I was seasick during my last expedition to the Dardanelles."
The MPs laughed.
"I was vomiting so much that I thought I was going to die there!"
Gallieni looked relieved; he liked Charles's way of exposing his own scandals; it showed that Charles was not perfect, and at least he had some shortcomings.
"You want me to be the Minister of the Navy?" Charles said in horror: "No, I swear I will never board a warship again."
The laughter grew louder and was filled with disdain for the opposition.
Armand stood up and shouted to the opposition: "You should be ashamed. Everyone knows what a victory Charles won in the Dardanelles, but he never showed off."
After being reminded by Armand, the supporters of Charles all expressed their agreement:
"Yes, Charles sank a German submarine in the Dardanelles."
"Charles also captured 'A' Beach, where he led his troops in person and faced the enemy face to face."
"He changed the entire situation of the Dardanelles campaign. What did you do? What did your Secretary of the Navy do?"
Opposition MPs were speechless as their Minister of the Navy was plundering the colonial wealth and abusing his power.
Someone seemed to want to interrupt these reminiscences and asked loudly: "So, Vice Admiral, who do you think is suitable to be the Secretary of the Navy?"
Ciel pointed his finger in the direction of the voice: "That's the point, I was just about to say this, the answer is Lieutenant General Geprat!"
The whole place fell silent instantly.
The Charles faction members did not expect Charles to be so direct. Lieutenant General Geprat was a representative of the Brest faction and a staunch supporter of Charles.
If he were to become Minister of the Navy, the entire French Navy would be under Charles' control, including the African colonies.
The opposition members all looked pale. They did not expect Charles to mention Gueplat, who was indeed a heavyweight figure in the navy.
Charles remained calm:
"Tell me, who is better suited than him?"
"Vice-Admiral Gueprat commanded the French fleet to a world-renowned victory in the Battle of the Dardanelles."
This is flattering Lieutenant General Geprat. Most of the credit went to Charles and Tijani, and Lieutenant General Geprat was just cooperating at the time.
"Lieutenant General Geprat is still escorting the Atlantic Fleet. Under his command, our army has sunk dozens of German submarines and protected the safety of the supply line. You all know how important this supply line is to France and the Allies!"
Still, the credit belongs to Gaiplat, and they should be attributed to the "echo sounder" invented by Charles.
But it is not wrong to say that it was Lieutenant General Geprat who did it.
"Remember Vice Admiral Geprat also defeated the German fleet in the North Sea? Our fleet sank seven German warships there, including a battlecruiser!"
The Char Party members all spoke up in agreement.
But they knew that this was because Charles invented the "torpedo plane".
Opposition MPs could not refute this because the battle was indeed commanded by Lieutenant General Geprat.
Ciel held his head high and spoke with confidence:
"Tell me, is there any other French general who has fought in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the North Sea at the same time?"
“And they were all victories.”
"If there is one, please bring it up, and I promise to support him as Secretary of the Navy."
There was silence in the meeting room.
They certainly could not find such a competitor, as Geplat had participated in almost all foreign wars, except the one in which he threatened Greece and forcibly landed.
This "quasi-war" behavior against neutral countries cannot even be called glorious. It is a stain and a shame. Of course, no one dares to mention it.
Clemenceau saw that the time was right and seconded the motion from the side of the stage:
"Gentlemen, I would like to add one more thing."
"I think the French Navy should be the French Navy and it should not be divided into two factions."
“But for a long time, we’ve been moving in two directions.”
"The Brest faction and the Toulon faction, the two are competing with each other for resources. This is undoubtedly a huge waste, don't you think?"
"So, we need to elect a minister of the navy who can put an end to this strife and unite the French navy."
"It may even make the French navy great again, allowing it to once again stand at the top of the world as the most powerful navy."
…
The MPs understood that the "most powerful navy" meant challenging the British Navy.
If it were in the past, they would definitely think this was a foolish dream.
But now France has Charles, who is leading France to rapidly become a military power, including the navy.
Therefore, all of this is not out of reach, not impossible to achieve, and there are even signs of it.
Then, the congressmen became fanatical in an instant, as if a fire had been ignited. They all stood up, clenched their fists and shouted:
"Yes, make France great again!"
"We need to build the strongest navy possible."
"For the French spirit and for the freedom of mankind, overthrow all colonial hegemony!"
…
Great, Charles was very happy, these guys have learned to answer questions quickly.
At the same time, he felt somewhat puzzled. Why were they more excited when talking about the "strongest navy" than when hearing about defeating the Germans?
(End of this chapter)
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