I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 195

Chapter 195: Charles's Student

The Paris Defense Command. Gallieni woke up before 8 a.m. as usual.

Unlike his usual routine, he didn’t rush to his office. Instead, he stood by the window, wearing his military uniform, gazing out at the torrential rain. The wind howled fiercely, accompanied by thunder, and the rain relentlessly battered the ground.

Gallieni sighed deeply. He wished the rain could concentrate on sweeping away the National Assembly.

Yesterday, Gallieni felt he should make one last attempt to push for Charles's tank, as it meant victory and the lives of soldiers.

Thus, he had taken the liberty of going to the National Assembly to request a speech: "Charles’s tank and his tactics have been proven in real combat. The First Tank Brigade has been training with Charles’s tank for some time and has seen remarkable results."

"We now have a complete set of combined arms tactics, and I believe this tank can defeat the enemy!"

"Shouldn't we use the tanks that have already proven effective, rather than buying a bunch of failed products?"

...

Before he could finish speaking, the room erupted in chaos: "They’ve been improved. They're no longer failed products!"

"The enemy knows what Charles’s tank is about. They’ve developed better tanks specifically designed to counter his!"

"Without a cannon, the 'Mark I' is its biggest weakness, but the enemy’s tanks have cannons. How can we defeat their artillery with just a machine gun?"

...

The final result was predictable. Charles's tank failed to win any subsequent orders, while the "Saint-Chamond" and CA-1 each received an additional 200 units.

The words of the parliamentarians seemed reasonable, but they could not hide a ridiculous fact: the failed tank received more orders, while the victorious one did not.

Inconceivable, absurd!

Gallieni collected his thoughts, turned, and walked to his office.

As he passed Charles's desk, he called softly, "Come here, Major!"

"Yes, General!" Charles stopped what he was doing and followed Gallieni to the desk.

Gallieni sat down, opened a drawer, and took out a document, handing it to Charles with a neutral expression. "This is the improved CA-1 tank and the 'Saint-Chamond.' They’ve received more orders. I want to know if they still have problems."

Charles flipped through the document. "The CA-1 has upgraded its engine and thickened the armor, reaching a speed of 8 kilometers per hour!"

"Yes!" Gallieni explained. "They think this speed can help it avoid long-range artillery bombardment in time. As you said before, a tank needs a certain degree of mobility."

Charles murmured, his gaze fixed on the data on the document. "That's true, but simply changing the front armor from 11mm to 17mm is not enough!"

"What do you mean?" Gallieni looked at Charles, puzzled. "Your 'Mark I' tank also has 17mm front armor. I believe they’re learning from your tank."

"I know!" Charles looked up at Gallieni. "But General, when our tank's armor was only 11mm thick, the Germans invented the K-shell, which could penetrate 13mm steel plates. Now our tank has 17mm armor…"

Gallieni immediately understood. "They will invent something with even greater penetrating power!"

"Yes!" Charles nodded. "Although I don't know what that might be, as they said, the Germans will target my tank and do everything they can."

This wasn’t the truth; Charles knew that the Germans' anti-tank rifles were probably already out.

Gallieni silently sighed. He could only hope that the Germans intended to use artillery to penetrate the 17mm armor, not something else!

After frowning and thinking for a moment, Gallieni asked, "What about the 'Saint-Chamond'?"

"The 'Saint-Chamond' has been improved in many ways." Charles continued flipping through the documents. "In addition to upgrading the engine to reduce weight, the tracks have been lengthened, and the roof has been modified, adding several hatches."

The extended tracks were meant to improve its ability to cross terrain.

The roof was changed from flat to slanted to account for the German grenades that might land on the top of the vehicle.

Several additional hatches were added because, in real combat, it had been discovered that when the 'Saint-Chamond' got stuck in a shell hole, the side hatches could be blocked and couldn’t open, preventing the crew from escaping in time.

Gallieni added, "They’ve also added small wheels to the protruding front and rear sections!"

The small wheels were, of course, to prevent the extended vehicle body from getting stuck in shell holes or trenches.

Charles raised the document in his hand and asked, "But will this be useful? Has it passed military tests?"

Gallieni replied expressionlessly, "If the previous 'Saint-Chamond' could pass military tests, why wouldn’t this improved version?"

Charles understood. The so-called "military tests" were hardly worth mentioning. This project was supported by Joffre and the Automobile Technical Service Department. If it couldn’t pass the "military tests," it would become a laughingstock.

Charles finally gave his evaluation: "Increasing orders is fine, but it’s best not to send them into battle."

Gallieni remained silent, his face showing a hint of helplessness.

Charles understood the meaning behind Gallieni’s expression. "They’ve already decided to send them into battle, haven’t they?"

Gallieni nodded slowly. "You should know their mindset. Your tanks have been successful, while theirs have failed. They’re eager to prove themselves and want to outdo your tanks."

Then Gallieni added, "At least part of their confidence comes from you, Major!"

"What do you mean?" Charles didn’t understand.

"They’ve not only studied your tanks!" Gallieni’s lips curled in a trace of disdain. "They’ve done the same with tactics. I believe they’ve copied your combat experience at Lafox."

Charles laughed helplessly. Was the idea to copy Charles's tactics and then defeat him?

They hadn’t paid the tuition fee but had learned the skills. Now, after learning, they immediately wanted to push their teacher off the stage. The problem was, they had learned only half-baked tactics!

"Also!" Gallieni added coldly, "They plan to deploy the First Aviation Squadron to participate in the battle."

Charles's expression changed instantly. "No, they can’t do that!"

"They can!" Gallieni replied, his eyes flashing with anger. "It’s the order of the French Supreme Command. If necessary, they could even deploy the First Tank Brigade. The only reason they haven’t done so is that they want to defeat the First Tank Brigade and prove themselves to everyone!"

Charles suddenly realized they must have thought that the reason his tank unit had easily won at Lafox was largely due to the First Aviation Squadron.

So, this battle had to have the Aviation Squadron, even if that Aviation Squadron was one that Charles himself had formed!

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