I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: After-Sales Service

It was still the medical tent.

The medic extracted half a broken tooth from Laurent’s mouth amidst his groans of pain—a fragment lodged in his gum after it fractured.

“Major, are you really all right?” Captain Jules asked. “Should we report this to the General?”

“Are you insane?” Laurent glared at him. “Reporting something so trivial to the General? He’s commanding our forces in pursuit of the Germans, and you want to waste his precious time on this?”

Captain Jules looked troubled. Trivial?

This was only the first day, and Laurent had already been beaten up twice—and it didn’t seem like it was going to stop anytime soon!

Just then, the phone rang. Captain Jules stood to answer it, then turned to Laurent and quietly said, “It’s the General!”

...

Gallieni felt an inexplicable sense of agitation.

This accursed bureaucracy had left him shackled, as though fighting the enemy with his hands and feet bound!

The army had received a batch of sidecar motorcycles and distributed them to the troops, but the results were disappointing.

The French soldiers had envisioned a replay of Major Browning’s victories, imagining the Germans fleeing in panic under the onslaught of sidecars and falling in droves to Maxim machine guns...

However, the German casualties were minimal, and not a single sidecar returned!

A flood of complaints immediately reached Gallieni:
“What kind of junk is this?”
“It can’t block bullets, and it can’t even hit the target!”
“This thing is useless—we’ve been duped!”

...

Gallieni had already verified Major Browning’s combat achievements and concluded that the issue was tactical, not the sidecars themselves.

He considered summoning Charles for a discussion.

But that could be interpreted by the industrialists as a “conspiracy” between the military and arms manufacturers.

Calling Major Browning back from the front lines?

That would not only disrupt frontline operations but also be pointless—Major Browning’s tactics were taught by Charles. He might not even fully understand the principles behind them himself.

So, it had to be Charles!

Ultimately, Gallieni decided to have Laurent handle the matter and called him.
“I hear you’re having some issues?”

“I’d like to discuss something with Charles, privately. Can you make it happen?”

“Quickly—this is important!”

With cotton stuffed in his mouth to stem the bleeding, Laurent’s reply was slightly muffled:
“No, no, just a minor issue. Everything is under control, General!”

“Of course, I can make it happen!”

“Good. See to it immediately!”

After hanging up, Laurent was silent for a moment. He had to talk to Charles, discreetly, without anyone finding out. But how?

Another “kidnapping” like last time?

That would be even more difficult and dangerous. The workers in the factory were not to be trifled with!

Wait until evening to notify Charles?

The General had said “quickly.” While the exact timeframe was unclear, it definitely didn’t mean waiting until evening!

Then...

Laurent’s eyes lit up, and a triumphant smile spread across his face. He muttered, “A little problem like this is no challenge for me!”

Turning to Jules, he ordered, “Go bring Charles here. I’m going to interrogate him personally!”

Jules, who had been sipping water, was so startled that he stumbled, coughing and spraying water everywhere. He looked at Laurent in horror. “Interrogate?”

“Yes, interrogate!” Laurent replied impassively. “We’ve received intelligence suggesting that the Germans are copying our sidecars. We have reason to suspect the motorcycle factory of leaking the technology. Naturally, we need to question Charles about the situation!”

“You’re insane!” Jules looked at Laurent in disbelief. “The Germans have captured sidecars before—they don’t need Charles to replicate them!”

“Of course I know that!” Laurent said, meeting Jules’ gaze. “But the point is, this gives us a reason for a private discussion!”

“This plan could get us killed...” Jules muttered.

Laurent cut him off with a sharp look.

Jules understood the unspoken message: We’re soldiers, Jules. If you think this is more dangerous than the battlefield, then perhaps you should give the battlefield a try!

Resigned, Jules could only obey.

As he turned away, he thought that as long as no one knew this was an “interrogation,” they could just politely “invite” Charles, and nothing would go wrong.

But Laurent added, “It’s an ‘interrogation,’ Jules. Make sure everyone knows that!”

Jules was filled with despair, doubting he’d make it out of the factory alive!

In the end, Jules resorted to a clever ruse. He went alone, without guards, into the “lion’s den,” carrying a gift box in hand. It looked as though he was visiting Charles... the only way to avoid alarming the wary, watchful workers.

When he met Charles, Jules explicitly stated it was an “interrogation,” but gave a meaningful look. Charles and Djoka immediately understood.

Charles asked, “Should I put on handcuffs or something?”

That would make it look more like an interrogation.

The suggestion horrified Jules. “No, no, Master Charles! This is enough. Also... if you could, please smile and chat with me along the way!”

“Like this?” Charles was bewildered. Didn’t interrogations usually work the other way around?

Charles didn’t object, following Jules’ instructions.

For some reason, when they stepped out of the factory gates, Jules let out a long sigh of relief!

“Thank you so much, Master Charles!” Jules’ gratitude was sincere. Charles’ cooperation might have just saved his life.

...

Laurent’s command post was sparsely furnished—a table and two wooden chairs, with no time to install an electric lamp. The overcast sky added to the dimness of the tent.

Laurent lowered the curtain and greeted Charles respectfully. “Master Charles, General Gallieni wants to speak with you. This was the only way I could manage it...”

Charles nodded in understanding. There was no need for small talk. General Gallieni was probably still on the phone, waiting.

When the call connected, Gallieni joked, “It’s time for some after-sales service, young man. Surely you don’t want our orders to stop here?”

“Of course not, General!” Charles replied, though he was puzzled. “Is there a quality issue with the sidecars?”

Those were British Victory motorcycles, historically proven in combat. They couldn’t possibly need after-sales service so soon.

But Charles quickly realized this might not be a matter of quality. If it were, Gallieni would be raising a public outcry, not summoning him in secret.

Sure enough, Gallieni responded, “I think you forgot to provide an instruction manual!”

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