I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 237

Chapter 237: A Win-Win Solution

The next moment, the French soldiers erupted in excitement. "My God, you... you are Charles, you are Charles!"

It was only then that the soldiers realized, and they began to chatter in succession:

"Is he really Charles?"

"The one who always helps us win battles?"

"Yes, he even gave us a lot of supplies, including marching blankets!"

...

Then, the soldiers rushed forward to shake Charles' hand.

"It’s great to meet you, Colonel!"

"Thank you for the supplies and the hope!"

"You are our pride, Colonel!"

The German officers also stepped forward to salute Charles, shaking his hand with admiration on their faces, speaking in awkward French:

"You are a respected enemy, Colonel. It’s truly fortunate to see you in person."

"No, I should say, it’s fortunate to be alive and see you!"

The French soldiers burst into laughter, filled with pride. They understood what the German officer meant.

A German soldier said something in German that the others couldn’t understand, and the German officer translated:

"Berg says that Charles has a nickname in our army. We call Charles the 'Knight of War,' meaning a knight born for war!"

The French soldiers simultaneously exclaimed, "Wow!" And in the next moment, they began chanting in unison:

"Knight of War!"

"Knight of War!"

...

More and more soldiers gathered around. Upon hearing that Charles had come to the front lines, they dropped what they were doing and rushed from all directions to join in, filling the trenches to the brim.

Many German officers and soldiers, hearing the news, also poured in. They all wanted to see Charles in person.

Meanwhile, the French soldiers couldn't help but grab their guns, their eyes full of vigilance. They worried that the German soldiers might take advantage of this rare opportunity to harm Charles.

A captain squeezed his way through the crowd and, with a stern expression, saluted Charles before politely stepping aside. "Colonel, let's talk inside!"

Charles nodded and followed the captain, moving forward through the trenches amidst the soldiers' cheers, then entering the captain's command post.

"Sorry, the conditions here are limited!" The captain gestured for Charles to sit on a small stool and, bending down, took a cup from the shelf and handed it to Charles. His tone carried some apology. "This is all I can offer."

The cup contained freshly heated coffee, made by mixing instant coffee with snow and heating it over a candle.

Charles thanked him and took a sip of the coffee, commenting, "It’s not bad, though it has a bit of a burnt taste."

The captain laughed. "You're very blunt, Colonel. When generals come to inspect, they either don’t drink it at all or pretend to say 'it tastes great,' but their faces don’t match the words."

Charles calmly replied, "If I become a general, I might do the same!"

The captain chuckled. He knew Charles wouldn’t, because his influence had already far surpassed those so-called generals, unless he didn’t realize that himself.

The captain took a simple stool and sat in front of Charles, asking, "So, what brings you here?"

He then added, "Please forgive me, Colonel. I have to speak with you from the soldiers' perspective!"

"Of course," Charles responded, "I’m also speaking with you from the soldiers' perspective!"

"You mean..." The captain looked at Charles with confusion.

Just then, a cheer erupted outside the trench. Lieutenant Denis entered, leaned in to whisper something in the captain’s ear, and the captain nodded slightly.

"Thank you for the turkey, Colonel!" the captain said expressionlessly. "But if you expect the soldiers to abolish the truce because of it, I can’t do that. Our agreement can’t be broken so easily, like those high-level decisions."

Charles listened quietly as the captain finished and slowly replied, "That was just a Christmas gift, Captain."

The captain grunted noncommittally, his expression somewhere between a smile and something else, as if saying, "Let’s see. I don’t believe you won’t make any demands!"

Charles didn’t mind. He took another sip of his coffee and looked up at the captain in the candlelight. "You know about the assassination orders, right?"

The captain cursed inwardly. Here it comes. He thought Charles was going to use this to pressure him.

"So what?" the captain countered.

After a pause, the captain added, "We won’t compromise, Colonel. Although I am grateful for your understanding and help, this is not something we can agree to..."

"Perhaps there is a win-win solution," Charles interrupted the captain.

"What?" The captain looked at Charles, puzzled. He didn’t understand what a win-win solution meant.

War and peace?

How could that be win-win? They are contradictory!

Charles leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "You can go to war, but no one will know where your bullets land, Captain! All you have to do is make an agreement with the Germans to set up wooden signs as targets on the trenches..."

The captain immediately understood. He nodded enthusiastically. "Good idea, Colonel, a very good idea!"

The captain’s gaze softened as he looked at Charles, and the stiffness on his face melted like ice.

Before this, the captain had always been cautious around Charles. He had thought Charles was a diplomat sent by the generals.

He didn’t blame Charles, as it was his duty. He was a soldier, too, and had to follow orders.

But standing on principle, the captain had to discuss things with Charles from an opposing viewpoint.

Now, the captain realized that Charles wasn’t what he thought. Charles was one of them.

Charles raised his cup to the captain. "Not just for Christmas, Captain. In the future, you could set up a breakfast time, hang up the sign, eat breakfast quietly, and when the sign is taken down, go back to fighting. Do you agree?"

"Yes, Colonel!" The captain nodded emphatically. "I think the Germans will agree to this too!"

"Good!" Charles pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "It’s almost dawn. I’ll have my men hold off the infantry gendarmerie. They’ll be here once it’s light. I hope you’ll be ready before then. Is that okay?"

"No problem, Colonel!" Inside the trench, the captain had to sit to salute, but his salute was still impeccable.

"Alright, my mission is accomplished," Charles said. "I must go now. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Colonel!" The captain’s voice caught in his throat.

He had no other request; he had come to save them.

No one, no one cared about the front-line soldiers like Charles did!

"Colonel!" The captain called out to Charles as he was about to leave the trench.

"What?" Charles turned back.

"My name is Claude, Colonel!" The captain stood up straight. "My men and I eagerly hope that one day, we can fight under your command!"

Charles nodded, then turned and climbed out of the trench.

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