I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Clumsy Methods

Charles remained silent for a moment. He knew that, in the end, Britain would choose to land at the Dardanelles.

This was not entirely due to the Navy Secretary or Britain's strategy.

For months, the two factions in history had fought over this decision without reaching a conclusion. It was only after Russia, with its shipping routes blocked, turned to Britain for assistance that the British finally agreed to a southern landing operation.

Thus, the decisive factor was Russia's dire situation, which impacted the entire Eastern Front and the fate of the Entente powers.

Charles laid it out bluntly to General Winter: "You were right, General. I indeed do not support a landing, from either side. But if a landing must happen, I believe the northern option will minimize possible losses and casualties."

"What?" General Winter thought he had heard wrong. "The north? That is where the German main forces are, and our landing forces still need to be cautious of the German High Seas Fleet. The south won’t have such troubles!"

Charles shook his head lightly.

"You think the south will be easier? That’s the Dardanelles Strait—61 kilometers long, with the narrowest point only 1.2 kilometers wide. The Ottoman Empire doesn’t need to do much. Just throw some mines in, and it will be a disaster for you. Not to mention the artillery on the shore, constantly bombarding your ships."

Charles didn’t elaborate further. He continued, "My plan is as follows: a real landing in the north, and a diversionary attack in the south. The goal is to draw the limited German supplies and reinforcements to the south, so they won’t be able to respond to our main force’s landing in the north…"

"This is unrealistic, Colonel!" General Winter interrupted Charles. "Although the Germans indeed face material shortages under Britain’s blockade, the north is German territory or very close to it. The area has a well-developed transportation network."

Charles ignored General Winter and continued, "Then, including a series of landing operations we’ll carry out in the south, they are all meant to mislead the Germans. The goal is to divert German reinforcements and attention to the south, which will include tempting the German fleet to break out..."

General Winter seemed to have caught on: "You mean to encircle the German fleet?"

But then he thought it through and realized something was off. If Charles’s goal was to encircle the German fleet, he shouldn’t have said it so openly.

Charles said nothing.

General Winter pondered for a while and suddenly came to a realization: "The south, your target has always been the south!"

Charles focused on his coffee, not lifting his head.

The more General Winter thought about it, the more he agreed. Soon, he became excited: "Yes, if the Germans always think we are attacking the north, and the south is just a feint, they won’t send much reinforcement to the Ottomans—no artillery, no mines, no troops. Even if... this is brilliant! Even if we really land in the south, the Germans might still think it's a diversion!"

General Winter moved forward and eagerly shook Charles’s shoulder, completely disregarding the coffee that almost spilled from Charles’s cup. "Brilliant, Colonel! You’re a genius! This will give a huge boost to our offensive. By the time the Germans realize it, it might already be too late!"

Charles calmly replied, "I must remind you, General, the south is not as simple as you think. You should be fully aware of the complexities and pay proper attention to it."

"No problem, Colonel!" General Winter nodded. "I will pass your warning on to the Navy Secretary!"

Then General Winter hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and lowering his voice to ask, "How should we send the ‘northern attack’ intelligence to the Germans without any flaws?"

Charles answered bluntly: "Agree with King Albert I’s idea of a northern attack, but add the feint operation to it. Then, proceed with whatever needs to be done."

"Is that it? Do we need to do anything else?" General Winter asked, puzzled.

Those who knew of and participated in this plan were all senior military officials, completely trustworthy and reliable. If they set a trap, how could the Germans remain unaware of it?

Charles added, "The truth should only be known by the British officers, and as few as possible, understand?"

General Winter immediately understood. It was the French officers who were the problem—they would perfectly pass the ‘false plan’ to the Germans.

Once he realized this, General Winter looked at Charles with an expression that was almost a smile.

Now it was Charles’s turn to feel awkward. This was a weakness of France.

While Britain may have been declining in other areas, it had always maintained strict discipline in military intelligence.

MI5 handled domestic intelligence, while MI6 dealt with foreign affairs. The two agencies worked in collaboration, creating a relatively mature intelligence network and developing effective methods.

But as for France, Charles had only heard of the "Second Bureau" for counterintelligence, and nothing more.

...

At the Schneider factory, snowflakes drifted outside the large windows, and the atmosphere in the office felt oppressive.

Paulina, looking dejected, handed James a document: "Sir, this is the tank order from the military for Charles’s tractor factory. Thirty thousand francs per tank. The first batch is for 500 units. Also, many countries have come to place orders after hearing about it!"

James, who had been signing other documents, took the order list during a brief pause and casually tossed it aside with a murmured "Hmm," continuing to sign papers.

Paulina sighed lightly. James’s reaction seemed to suggest he had given up on competing with Charles.

Charles’s tank development had been progressing too quickly and too perfectly—it was almost unbelievable.

The "Charles A1" had nearly stunned everyone during the battle in Cape Town. A mere 8-ton tank had easily destroyed enemy tanks weighing tens of tons, and it was an all-around crush.

Paulina had studied that battle. She couldn’t help but imagine a confrontation between the "Saint-Samon" and the "Charles A1," hoping the "Saint-Samon" would win.

But the result disappointed Paulina again and again. The "Charles A1" could always stay undefeated by using the same tactic and fighting a mobile battle against the "Saint-Samon."

Seeing that James remained silent, Paulina thought this matter was over and turned to leave with a sense of melancholy.

"Have you completely given up?" James paused in his work.

"What else can we do?" Paulina turned back, a trace of doubt in her eyes.

"You’ve done well!" James nodded. "Keep going!"

A strange expression appeared on Paulina’s face. She didn’t understand—what was the point of continuing like this?

James seemed to understand her thoughts and smiled gently, his tone light: "We can use a clumsy method to slow Charles down, while also learning from his tactics and design concepts. Eventually, surpassing him is not impossible."

"Clumsy method?" At first, Paulina didn’t get it, but then she thought of something and nodded in agreement.

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