Chapter 911 Master Xiaer
Although it was a sunny day, the sky in the town of Darwaise was still gray, and there was a foul smell in the air, which came from the factory exhaust and the wastewater discharged into the Seine.
Cars are no exception. If the windshield is not wiped for a while, it will immediately be covered with a thin layer of dust.
Charles looked through the car window at the factory buildings lined up on both sides of the road. His hometown, which was once sunny and bright, no longer existed, and even the snow was gray and black.
However, during wartime, when factories were almost related to the survival of the country, no one cared about these things.
The car slowly stopped in front of Deyoka's cabin.
A wounded soldier across the street was undergoing rehabilitation training in the snow. He had a broken leg and was walking forward with difficulty on crutches with the help of his mother, leaving a row of footprints and small pits in the snow.
When Charles stepped out of the car, his mother whispered, "Oh, God, it's Charles!"
The soldier stopped, turned around slowly, stood up and saluted Charles from more than ten meters away. He almost fell down because he didn't stand firmly, and his mother helped him regain his balance in time.
Charles returned the salute, his eyes lingered on him for a moment and he nodded, as if encouraging or praising him.
The soldier's eyes blurred unconsciously and he stood there for a long time. Only after Charles entered the house did he turn around and leave with his crutches.
Camille welcomed Charles into the house, glanced at the soldier's back outside the door, and asked Charles: "Don't you recognize him?"
"What?" Charles was stunned. I know him?
"He is your classmate, Charles." Camille reminded: "His name is Alexi, he is only one year older than you, and his father is a blacksmith at the end of the street."
Charles said "Oh".
Speaking of the blacksmith, he remembered that Charles always repaired bicycles there. Usually Alexi would not charge for it. He would always secretly say to Charles: "I will help you repair your bicycle, and you will help me with my homework. Deal?"
"Deal!" said Charles. "But only once."
"The problem is that two spokes on your bike are broken," Alexi protested.
"Okay, twice." Charles said helplessly.
The two men's fists bumped together in tacit understanding. This was not the first time.
…
Charles felt deeply ashamed that he had not recognized Alexi and had thought he was just an ordinary wounded man.
"Should I go see him?" Charles hesitated.
As a classmate, a neighbor, or a general?
Will the identity of a general embarrass Alexi?
"No." Camille closed the door and walked to the kitchen with a smile on her face: "Don't worry about them, they're fine."
"Very good?" Charles was puzzled.
Camille came out with an apple pie in her hand. She was always worried that Charles wouldn't have enough to eat outside. "You know, not everyone can come back alive. They are thankful and grateful every day."
Charles was stunned. He had never thought of associating disability with "fortunate" and "gratitude".
But on second thought, this may be the cruel reality.
Compared to those families who only received a death notice, they are indeed lucky!
The image of Alexi leaning on crutches always lingered in Charles' mind, and he ate the apple pie with a bit of sadness and sigh.
At this moment, there were two knocks on the door. Colonel Laurent, wearing a coat, came back and reported to Charles through the door in the snow: "General, it's the Minister of Munitions and the Minister of War. They want to talk to you."
The town of Darvaz was an area protected by troops, and no one was allowed to enter without an ID, including the Minister of Munitions and the Minister of War.
Camille, who was cutting fruit in the kitchen, turned to look at Charles. Minister of Munitions, Minister of War? There seemed to be no such title in France.
"The British Minister of Munitions and the American Secretary of War, Mother," Ciel explained.
It would be fine if he didn't explain, because once he explained it, Camille became even more confused.
The British Minister of Munitions, and the American Secretary of War?
Come here to see Charles?
While Camille was surprised, Charles stood up and opened the door, and said to Laurent impatiently: "Take them to the office building and let them wait for me in the conference room!"
"Yes, General." Laurent took the order and left.
Charles closed the door and turned around to see Camille standing in the kitchen like a wooden man, with a fruit knife in his hand.
"What's wrong?" Charles asked.
"You, you, they..." Camille was at a loss: "They are looking for you, is there something urgent?"
"Nothing urgent." Charles said calmly, sitting down and continuing to enjoy his lunch, or snacks. His military career made him lose the habit of eating on time.
"Don't you need to entertain them first?" Camille asked again.
"No need." Charles protested: "I'm not full yet!"
He thought Camille's apple pie was much better than the Lorraine quiche.
"They are the Minister of Munitions and the Minister of War, Charles." Camille looked incredulous. "Can you just leave them aside like this? I mean, wouldn't this be too much of a slack for them..."
"Mom." Charles shook his cloak, revealing the general's uniform underneath.
"Okay!" Camille shrugged and went back to cutting his fruit.
It was me who hadn't adapted to Ciel's status. He was already a big shot.
Give me some time and I'll get used to it!
But isn’t this too fast?
Charles had just joined the army two years ago. What was his rank at that time?
second lieutenant?
Yes, a second lieutenant.
It doesn't seem to be difficult to be promoted from a second lieutenant to a lieutenant general, and Charles has been a lieutenant general for some time!
…
The tractor factory office building, the conference room is located on the third floor, at the end of the corridor.
When Deyoka heard that the visitors were the British Minister of Munitions and the American Secretary of War, he hurriedly led people to entertain them personally.
"What would you like?" Dejoka asked cautiously. He had never entertained officials of this level before. "Coffee or wine?"
"Coffee, please!" The Minister of Munitions sat down on the chair, rubbed his almost frozen hands, and glanced at the fireplace with dissatisfaction.
"I'm sorry." Dejoka hurriedly explained, "The conference room is not often used. The fire has just been lit. It will be warm in a while."
As he spoke, he gestured to the servant to prepare hot coffee.
Baker hummed, and looked around with interest: "Does the lieutenant general usually hold meetings here?"
"Oh, no." Djokovic replied nervously: "Charles is rarely here. He is more in the office, but he doesn't come here often."
The sitting quartermaster turned his head and looked at Deyoka in confusion: "What do you call the lieutenant general?"
Deyoka didn't understand what the Quartermaster General meant. He hesitated and said, "I'll call him, Charles. Is there any problem?"
The Quartermaster laughed. "Is Ciel always so casual with his employees?"
"It's really casual." Djoka nodded: "Employees are always used to calling him Master Charles."
Then it dawned on him: "The reason I call him Charles is because he is my son!"
The Minister of Munitions and the Minister of War were stunned. The person in front of them was actually Charles' father?
(End of this chapter)
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