I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 295

Chapter 295: O'Connell's Telegram

O'Connell's response left Admiral Robeck thoroughly surprised, so much so that he almost forgot to chew the beef in his mouth.

He paused for a moment, then hurriedly swallowed his food. "Are you sure? They sank the submarine?"

"Yes, it's confirmed!" O'Connell nodded with certainty. "They salvaged debris and bodies that had surfaced, confirming they were German submarine sailors. They even obtained more detailed information from their identification papers."

Colonel Forbes was both astonished and delighted. This meant the Queen Elizabeth would no longer be stuck in the anchorage as a mere display piece!

Who wouldn't want to put such a battleship to use?

More importantly, every time Colonel Forbes encountered his colleagues, they would look at him with a strange gaze and expression.

Colonel Forbes knew exactly what that meant: Enjoying the best benefits while fighting the safest battles—what an “envied” captain!

"How did they destroy the submarine?" Colonel Forbes asked curiously.

"Apparently with a type of bomb," O'Connell handed over the telegram. "The bomb is released from the stern of a destroyer, and it sinks into the water before exploding. They followed the submarine's escape path and finally succeeded in blowing it up!"

"Is this Charles' new invention?" Colonel Forbes asked again.

"Of course!" O'Connell nodded heavily, but then added, "It should be."

In fact, he wasn't sure, because the telegram didn’t mention it explicitly.

Colonel Forbes suddenly realized something. He glanced at Admiral Robeck, who was sitting across from him, but didn’t dare to speak further.

O'Connell quickly noticed that Admiral Robeck’s expression had changed and hurriedly closed his mouth.

Admiral Robeck turned back to the food in front of him, lost in thought.

Admiral Robeck realized he had been deceived. The true goal of Charles' operation had never been to land on V Beach but to destroy the submarine.

Though Charles succeeded in his mission and allowed the previously "nervous" battleship to finally engage in combat, he had made Admiral Robeck, the commander-in-chief, look like a fool. Charles had embarrassed him in front of everyone.

Just moments ago, Admiral Robeck was still speculating with Forbes on whether Charles would successfully land!

"Did they return to base?" Admiral Robeck asked coldly, his face a picture of frost.

"Yes!" O'Connell sat up straight. "They returned to the anchorage after about an hour."

"He disrupted the entire battle plan," Admiral Robeck muttered with a snort. "After they return, have him come here to see me!"

"General..." O'Connell wanted to say something but was stopped by Admiral Robeck's sharp gaze.

"I can't condone this," Admiral Robeck said sternly. "This is the military; he must obey orders. Otherwise, others will follow his example!"

"Yes, General," O'Connell replied helplessly.

But in his heart, he thought: Yet we are also part of the French army, our ally. Although you officially command us, you cannot apply British military law to punish Charles!
If you do, what will the French military think?
What will the French people think?
What will the French government think?
Are you trying to single-handedly destroy the Anglo-French alliance?
But Admiral Robeck was clearly angry, and O'Connell knew that opposing him now would likely result in a swift transfer to command infantry operations on the island.

...

Not long after, the news reached France.

The first to receive the telegram was, of course, the Paris City Defense Headquarters.

With Charles not around, Gallieni felt uncomfortable in every way.

He sometimes called over Lieutenant Colonel Fernand: "Analyze the situation for me. How do you think the French army should land?"

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand hesitated and replied awkwardly, "General, only Charles would know. Also, I graduated from Saint-Cyr, so I’m not... not very knowledgeable about naval warfare."

"You can admit you know nothing about it, Colonel. I understand," Gallieni said irritably. "Charles never went to a military academy, but he knows everything."

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand looked awkward. There were few people like Charles in the world, who could compare to his talent?

But he dared not say this aloud. Though it was the truth, it would have been insubordination.

Gallieni waved his hand irritably, signaling Lieutenant Colonel Fernand to get back to work.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand felt as if he'd been granted a pardon and quickly ran off, hiding as far as possible to avoid being seen by Gallieni.

The other staff officers were the same. As soon as Gallieni lifted his eyes, the entire staff would sigh quietly and lower their heads to pretend to be busy, though they were doing nothing.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand sighed inwardly: Colonel, please come back soon. Your presence has raised the General’s expectations of the staff, and now the General no longer thinks highly of us.

Suddenly, someone called out excitedly, "Charles' telegram!"

Gallieni immediately turned his gaze toward the sound. Moments ago, he had looked worried, but now his face lit up, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Everyone quietly let out a sigh of relief. This meant the General wouldn’t be tormenting them for at least the next few hours.

When the messenger decoded the telegram, the staff officers exclaimed, "Charles led the fleet and successfully sank the German submarine!"

"Sank a submarine?" Gallieni was taken aback, then smiled lightly. "This little guy always manages to surprise us."

Gallieni then asked, "How did he sink it? Was it a new invention?"

"Yes, General," the staff officer replied. "It was something called a 'deep-water bomb.'"

Gallieni murmured in acknowledgment and nodded with satisfaction. "If Charles didn’t invent something, it wouldn’t be Charles. Another military order for him, though this is a navy matter."

The news was not immediately sent out, as it was being prepared for Le Meritorious Report’s circulation.

Kobdo was quick to act. He expanded on the entire operation process, analyzing the strategic importance of the submarine's destruction, including details on the German submarine's capabilities. It filled an entire page of the paper.

It was just past 8 AM. The journalists, who had been up all night, were just heading off to rest when Kobdo called them back to work overtime.

The paper was put on the market, and it was snatched up immediately. The whole of France was abuzz with excitement, and people in the streets and alleys were discussing Charles' victory:
"See, I knew Charles would beat the Brits."

"Those stupid Brits, they don’t know how to fight!"

"They should let Charles be the fleet commander. It would be good for everyone."

...

The Minister of the Navy also heard the news, feeling somewhat puzzled: Charles had used a ruse to lure the enemy, so why had Tigani sent a telegram to him yesterday saying they would land on V Beach today?

Could it be that something went wrong on his end...?

No! Impossible!
It must have been the British Navy leaking information!

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