I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Racing to the Sea

The progress of the aircraft manufacturing and aviation club was going smoothly.

Eric oversaw the aircraft factory operations. His factory could produce 50 Avro aircraft and 30 Caudron G.3 aircraft per month.

The latter was a plane designed by the French Caudron brothers of the Caudron Company. They had opened up industrial rights, allowing any aircraft factory to produce the design without authorization. This made it particularly suitable as a reconnaissance plane and a primary trainer.

(Note: Its cost, at just over 4,000 francs, was less than half that of the Avro.)

Carter was responsible for organizing the club's pilots. During training, he divided the pilots into several categories: ground crew, instructors, reconnaissance pilots, and more. The most skilled pilots were directly assigned to aerial combat.

Since they had prior experience in these tasks, Charles only needed to give them general directions, and they could proceed efficiently in accordance with his intentions.

The only issues were: Eric needed alcohol, and Carter needed an accountant.

That day, Charles, acting in his capacity as a staff officer, was assisting Lieutenant Colonel Fernand in compiling intelligence as usual. One of the tasks of a staff officer was to integrate fragmented reports from the frontlines so that commanders could understand the situation clearly and accurately in the shortest possible time.

However, Charles noticed something unusual in the reports.

With doubts in mind, he approached Gallieni and said, “General, I think something might be wrong at the front.”

“What’s the problem?” Gallieni asked casually. He was sipping coffee while leafing through Le Petit Journal. The recent victories had left him with some leisure time.

Charles reported, “The reports from General Joffre consistently state things like ‘the situation is progressing favorably,’ ‘the enemy is in full retreat,’ and ‘our victories are increasingly grand and glorious.’ However, over the past few days, there has been almost no progress along the Aisne River front.”

Gallieni froze, immediately set down his coffee, put the newspaper aside, and unfolded the map before him. “Where was the offensive line a few days ago?” he asked.

Holding several days' worth of telegrams in one hand, Charles used a pencil to mark several circles on the map. “Here, here, and here...”

Gallieni took the telegrams and compared them carefully. He found the situation exactly as Charles described.

After a moment of stunned silence, Gallieni gritted his teeth and cursed, “Damn it, he’s falsifying military reports!”

There was no need to specify who he meant. The Commander-in-Chief of France, falsifying war reports, was something no one had anticipated.

His purpose was clear: Parliament was debating whether to hold him accountable for the failure of “Plan XVII” and was even considering removing him from his post. He couldn’t afford to let the victories stop.

On one hand, he falsified reports of military success to send back to the rear. On the other, he ordered meaningless charges against the enemy’s defensive lines on the battlefield, even though the enemy had already stabilized their positions and constructed a strong defensive line.

Pacing back and forth in front of the table, Gallieni made a decisive order to Major General Maunoury: “Immediately dispatch a corps to reinforce the frontlines. We’ll outflank the enemy’s defensive line from the right wing!”

“Yes, sir!” Maunoury promptly gave the order to his troops.

Charles heard this command and knew at once that the “flanking” maneuver would not succeed.

The French army had wasted too much time because of false intelligence. By the time the reinforcements arrived at the front to “outflank” the enemy, the German reinforcements would have also arrived and would counterflank at the same location.

Then, both sides would attempt another “flank,” and yet another, until eventually, the frontlines would stretch all the way to the sea.

This was the so-called “Race to the Sea.”

Charles’ gaze traveled along the northern frontlines and ultimately settled on the area around Ypres in western Belgium. He knew that the Germans would launch a counterattack there, resulting in devastating casualties for the British and French forces.

Among the attacking German forces was even that failed art student. It would be his first battle.

The Germans chose this location because Ypres had flat terrain and low elevation. A single spade thrust into the ground would hit water, making trench construction nearly impossible.

Coupled with the onset of the French rainy season... Ypres would become a hellish battleground, where both sides would lose over 100,000 soldiers.

Charles thought of the tractors. He remembered the 1,000 unsold tractors sitting in Francis’ warehouse.

In such terrain, tractors capable of hauling artillery and transporting supplies would be the key to victory.

Charles realized he needed to act quickly; otherwise, Francis might snatch up the opportunity.

...

That afternoon, a light drizzle began to fall, draping Davaus in a misty veil. A damp wind blew through the air, leaving Francis, standing by the window with a pipe in his mouth, feeling rather dejected.

He was pondering the future of his tractor factory.

The war had not ended as everyone had hoped. Instead, it showed no signs of stopping, with victory nowhere in sight.

Francis had once hoped that postwar tractor sales would return to normal. Now, that seemed like an unrealistic fantasy.

More importantly, Charles’ tractor factory had begun mass-producing the Holt 75. Its performance was vastly superior to the Holt 60 that Francis still held, yet its price was comparable.

If the war were to end, why would anyone choose the Holt 60 over the Holt 75?

At that moment, a horse-drawn carriage emerged from the rain, moving slowly from obscurity to clarity. As Francis marveled at the luxury of the carriage, it stopped in front of his villa.

Francis’ eyes lit up. Years of experience told him this might be a potential buyer—perhaps even a major client.

Agricultural tractors were aimed at farmers, but major clients were the large landowners. As more farmers transitioned to factory work, these landowners had no choice but to purchase tractors to improve farming efficiency.

The carriage’s appearance seemed to confirm this... Landowners of this era were still unaccustomed to automobiles and preferred horse-drawn carriages to showcase their status.

“Simon, Simon!” Francis shouted toward the room.

Simon pushed the door open and entered. Francis, fumbling to change out of his nightclothes, instructed, “Quick, greet the guest and prepare coffee and cigars!”

“Yes, sir!” Simon immediately understood and rushed downstairs to prepare.

When Francis finally came downstairs, he found an elderly gentleman, well-groomed and exuding an air of nobility, seated gracefully on the sofa.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Francis,” the man said calmly, glancing at Francis descending the staircase. “I just came from Charles’ tractor factory. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

Francis froze. Was Charles’ tractor insufficient to meet this man’s needs?

If that was the case, then the issue could only be... quantity!

Francis’ eyes brightened even more, and a sycophantic smile instantly spread across his face.

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