I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 235

Chapter 235: The Death Sentence Order

Gallieni called Joffre:
"Yes, General. They will firmly execute your orders!"

"But we all agree that it would be more appropriate for you to give the speech. After all, you are the Commander-in-Chief of France."

"No, there's no problem. Our reporters have your photo. As long as you allow, we can publish your words and the photo in the newspaper."

"Yes, you don't need to come to Paris yourself!"

"Charles can do it, but our reporters think..."

Gallieni turned to look at Kobdo standing beside him and then continued:
"Our reporters think it would not be suitable for the two of you to appear in the paper together."

"This could make others mistakenly believe that Colonel Charles is as important as the Commander-in-Chief!"

"Charles's call might be published the following day."

...

Joffre angrily hung up the phone.

He did indeed have plans to use this opportunity to weaken Charles's military influence, as Charles had been a constant source of pressure on Joffre.

At this moment, the military had essentially abandoned the "Saint Chamond" and CA-1 tanks, opting instead to place full orders for Charles's "Char A1" tanks.

In reality, they hadn't entirely given up on the "Saint Chamond" and CA-1, but continued ordering them, only turning them into auxiliary vehicles, such as transport for soldiers and supplies.

Although everyone knew that using tractors to transport soldiers and supplies was far more reliable than vehicles that frequently got stuck in shell craters, they still needed to find some work for these tanks to do, allowing them to have some utility.

Nevertheless, the "Char A1" continued to achieve total victory on the frontlines. The military only trusted the "Char A1" and the "Mark I" tanks, rejecting all others.

The "Char A1" was widely believed to be effective in raids against enemy defenses, while the "Mark I," with its exceptional trench-crossing ability, remained active on the battlefield.

Many believed that when the "Char A1" could not cross the enemy's trenches, it was the "Mark I" that came into play; they complemented each other.

In any case, as long as it was Charles's equipment, it would be effective and lead to victory. The front-line soldiers trusted them immensely. Any unit that received Charles's tanks would immediately have a surge in morale.

On the other hand, if a unit was equipped with the "Saint Chamond" or CA-1, they would feel as though they were being sent to die as cannon fodder.

This was bad news for Joffre, as he was the representative (the face) of the "Saint Chamond." Just recently, he had been promoting the power of the "Saint Chamond" to everyone, emphasizing its invincibility...

The reality, however, was that even mere shell craters and stones could make the "Saint Chamond" struggle, let alone compete with the deadly "Char A1."

Charles had challenged the authority and dignity of the Commander-in-Chief of France!
At this rate, the front-line soldiers would be more willing to follow Charles’s orders than those of Joffre, the Commander-in-Chief of France.

The soldiers fighting on the front lines didn’t care about ranks, positions, or politics. They only cared about who could keep them alive and lead them to defeat the enemy and achieve victory—whoever could do that, they would follow!

At that moment, Joffre received the news that there had been a ceasefire on the front. The Command Headquarters had lost control over the front lines.

Joffre immediately thought of Charles: Could this be his doing? He held the "Meritorious Report" and was using his influence and the support of the military to sideline Joffre as Commander-in-Chief.

But after a thorough check, there was nothing wrong with the "Meritorious Report."

An hour later, Carnes received feedback from the front: "General, it may be due to Christmas. Both sides seem to have grown weary of the war, so..."

"We cannot allow this to continue," Joffre interrupted Carnes’s words violently, his voice stern and resolute. "The Germans are still on French soil. Ceasefires without our permission will only rob our army of its will to attack. If this continues, we will inevitably be defeated!"

"But..." Carnes said helplessly, "We cannot command anyone. To be precise, we can give orders to the officers, but those orders are not being carried out."

Joffre hesitated for a moment and then said, "Perhaps we can make use of Charles."

This is when Gallieni urgently recalled Charles from the Christmas dinner to the headquarters.

Joffre’s idea was quite simple: have Charles rally the soldiers.

If successful, the French army would return to the right track.

If unsuccessful, it would be a blow to both Charles and the "Meritorious Report."

In either case, Joffre stood to gain.

To his surprise, Gallieni played a clever game of Tai Chi, passing the ball back to Joffre.

Joffre snorted coldly and sat back down in his chair.

Calling on the front-line soldiers in his name would be meaningless. If successful, the "Meritorious Report" would take the credit. If failed, it would be a disgrace for Joffre, the Commander-in-Chief.

But Joffre had no reason to oppose it. Was he really going to admit that Charles had more influence than he, the Commander-in-Chief?

Seeing Joffre's grim expression, Carnes softly suggested, "General, we could send someone to the front to inspect and urge the soldiers to re-engage in the fight..."

"No!" Joffre shook his head expressionlessly, stood up, and pointed to Ypres on the map. His voice was low and slow. "This is the source. Send the gendarmerie to enforce the 'death sentence order' on the units disobeying orders!"

(Note: During the Third French Republic, there were infantry gendarmes and cavalry gendarmes. The death sentence order was a continuation of the Roman Republic's practice of "decimation," where one in ten men were executed. The French Republic was more 'merciful' in that they allowed the units to elect a few members, and the proportions were not as high. For further details, see "The Road to Glory," which was banned in France.)

Carnes was stunned, frozen in place, looking at Joffre in disbelief.

Joffre emphasized: "Carry out the order!"

"Yes, General!" Carnes replied, trembling, and turned to carry out the command.

...

The news reached the Paris City Defense Headquarters, and Gallieni, after hearing it, was stunned for a long time.

France did indeed have such a military regulation, intended to intimidate units that dared to disobey orders. However, it was rarely used unless the military situation was dire and caused severe consequences.

But now, Gallieni did not believe that the so-called "disobedience of orders" by the front-line troops had caused any significant consequences. They had simply wanted to skip the two days of Christmas.

Charles was also stunned when he heard this. Could such a ridiculous military regulation really exist in France? And they were asking the front-line soldiers to "elect" a few men to carry out executions?

"They think it will keep the troops' morale and fighting spirit up!" Lieutenant Colonel Fernand said indignantly. "They don't care; after all, it’s not their lives on the line!"

Charles thought for a moment and then said to Gallieni, "General, I just bought a batch of turkeys as Christmas gifts. I want to send them to the troops and offer my condolences. Please approve!"

Gallieni knew this was just an excuse from Charles.

But he didn’t stop him. He only said, "This could be dangerous..."

Charles laughed. "The front has already stopped fighting, General. There is no danger. In fact, we are hoping for some 'danger'!"

Gallieni hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, this day was bound to come!"

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>