I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 225

Chapter 225: The Arrogant Englishman

When Charles woke up, he was fortunate to find that he was once again on holiday.

However, before he could get out of bed, there came a knock at the door.

Charles assumed it was some urgent military news from the headquarters, and quickly crawled out of his warm bed, put on his infantry coat, and shuffled to the door in slippers.

He was momentarily stunned to find General Winter standing at the door.

"Good morning, Colonel!" General Winter greeted him with a smile and shook his hand, which felt as cold as ice.

Seeing that General Winter looked weary, Charles stepped aside to let him in and, curious, asked, "General, did you come all the way to Paris? Did you just arrive?"

"Yes!" General Winter yawned as he looked around Charles's quarters. "I came specifically to see you, Colonel!"

Charles paused for a moment while changing into his uniform, and then he realized. It must be about the North-South landing, and his purpose here was likely the opposite of King Albert I’s. He probably wanted Charles to change his stance.

Shivering from the cold, Charles didn’t have time to think much more about it. He quickly finished putting on his uniform and then draped his infantry coat back on.

The only part of the uniform that seemed to have any warmth was the coat.

The orderly, Adrian, kindly brought over some hot coffee for the two of them. Taking the opportunity, he asked Charles, "Would you like breakfast brought to you, Colonel?"

Charles turned his gaze to General Winter, who raised his coffee cup and replied, "Thank you very much, I’ve already eaten on the road. This is enough!"

Charles believed this was true; it was one of the advantages of Western meals—bread could be eaten anytime, anywhere, and it was perfectly fine to munch on it while walking.

Adrian understood, and as he left, he closed the door behind him.

"So," Charles asked first, "Did King Albert I’s influence work?"

Winter's face took on a peculiar expression. "It seems it was your words that had an effect, Colonel. They were originally more inclined toward a southern landing, but because of your analysis, coupled with King Albert I’s lobbying, they are now starting to seriously consider a northern landing."

"Because it's very tempting," Charles said as he forcefully pulled on his boots, stomping his feet to make them more comfortable. "If we could land in the Netherlands, it would be even better—safe and fast, and we would trap the German forces in Belgium between our front and rear..."

"But the Netherlands is a neutral country," General Winter interrupted. "Doing so could push the Netherlands to join the Central Powers!"

"You’ve done it before!" Charles retorted sarcastically, taking a sip of his coffee, only to find it was already lukewarm.

General Winter knew Charles was referring to the Ottoman Empire, and replied helplessly, "Alright, that was indeed our mistake. We never anticipated things would escalate to this point..."

"You should have anticipated it," Charles said mercilessly. "The two battleships were nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to your dozens of battleships, but for the Ottoman Empire, those two battleships were funded by a national appeal, with contributions from the entire population. If you had investigated before you seized them, you would have realized how much outrage your actions would cause. That anger would, in turn, force the government to adopt a series of policies and propaganda against the Allies!"

General Winter felt deeply ashamed.

Charles was right. When the Minister of the Navy decided to seize the battleships, he was completely uninformed. He simply said, "The war is here, we need these ships!"

And then seized them, never mentioning the breach of contract, money, or compensation.

"The Minister of the Navy thought we could achieve victory at a minimal cost," General Winter changed the subject. "He was the representative for the southern offensive."

Charles sat quietly in his chair, gazing at General Winter. If they had known what the British had lost by seizing those two battleships, they might have immediately thrown the Minister of the Navy in jail.

Seizing two battleships led to the Ottoman Empire abandoning its neutrality and joining the Central Powers.

With the Ottoman Empire in the Central Powers, the Mediterranean route to the Black Sea and then to Russia was closed.

In the end, Russia lost the Eastern Front due to a lack of supplies.

In other words, the impact of Britain seizing those two battleships was not just the loss of 250,000 lives in the Gallipoli campaign, the sinking of six battleships by mines and coastal guns, and several neutral countries—including the Ottoman Empire—joining the enemy, but the worst consequence was the collapse of the entire Eastern Front.

If not for the United States entering the war, the Allies might have lost the entire war because of it.

The Navy Minister, who nearly single-handedly brought the Allies to the brink of collapse, was now vigorously advocating for the Gallipoli campaign in the south.

General Winter stood in front of Charles's desk and pointed to the Dardanelles on the map. "The Minister of the Navy believes that once our fleet passes here into the Sea of Marmara, we can position our naval guns right outside Constantinople. At that point, the Ottoman Empire will surrender. So, what you suggested wouldn’t happen..."

Charles looked at General Winter, his eyes full of disbelief. "You mean to say that you think a few naval ships can make the Ottoman Empire surrender?"

General Winter shrugged, asking, "What's wrong with that?"

Charles snorted in disdain. He understood exactly what the Navy Minister had in mind when seizing those two battleships.

The Navy Minister believed that those two ships were more important than the Ottoman Empire itself, and that just those two ships would be enough to make the Ottoman Empire surrender. After weighing the pros and cons, it was clear that the ships were more important than the Ottoman Empire.

Arrogant, foolish, and full of prejudice—typical of the English!

"Please leave, General!" Charles said, signaling the end of the conversation.

There was no point in continuing this discussion. To them, the enemy was nothing more than an ant that could be easily crushed. There was no difficulty or danger. The strategic locations on the map were simply waiting for their ships to take control.

"No, no, Colonel," General Winter said. "I would like to hear your opinion..."

"I stand by my view," Charles said firmly. "A northern landing is clearly more suitable."

Originally, Charles had intentionally suggested the northern landing to set up the Germans, but now he thought perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

At least, landing in the north would force the British to take notice. They would understand that they were facing a powerful opponent—Germany!

General Winter was silent for a moment, then looked at Charles and said, "You don't support opening up a new front, do you? You don't support any landing, which is why you're advocating for the north. You’re trying to stop the landing operation."

Charles did not deny it. He certainly did have such thoughts.

"But in the end, they will choose a landing site," General Winter said with some resignation. "This is Britain!"

Britain was a maritime power, and their offensive tactics had always involved coordination between land and sea, just as the French emphasized offensive strategies.

This battle experience had been ingrained in their minds for centuries. They wouldn’t give up until they had tried.

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