I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: I’m Betting Everything on Your Victory

“Tell me, what’s going on here?” In the corner of the square, Camille asked Charles anxiously, “Are you planning to lead these soldiers into battle with the Germans?”

“Don’t worry, Mama!” Charles reassured her. “I’m only teaching them how to fight. I’m not going to the front lines myself!”

“Teaching them how to fight?” Djoka and Camille exchanged bewildered glances.

Charles had never left their side, let alone undergone military training. How could he know how to fight, let alone teach others?

Djoka seemed to grasp the situation and questioned, “You paid them to follow your orders, didn’t you? Charles, you can’t squander the tractor factory’s funds like this! You’re still on probation—it’s your first day managing the factory…”

Charles didn’t know how to respond. He realized that no matter how he explained it, neither Djoka nor Camille would believe that he had convinced these soldiers to follow his commands solely through sheer charisma.

Camille glanced at the group of soldiers in the square, brimming with fighting spirit, and a chill ran through her heart. “Fine, we’ll go back home first. We can discuss this there.”

“No, Mama!” Charles interrupted. “We can’t leave!”

“What do you mean?” Camille asked, confused.

Charles replied, “For the sake of secrecy, the tractor factory is under strict lockdown after sunset—no one can leave.”

Djoka was incensed. “This is our Bernard family’s factory! What right do they have to enforce a ‘lockdown’…”

He assumed it was a rule imposed by the French soldiers.

“Father!” Charles interrupted sternly. “This was my order!”

Djoka was stunned, his face full of disbelief.

“Your… your order…” Camille repeated Charles’s words with difficulty, recalling the armed soldiers stationed at the factory gates.

She didn’t care about “secrecy” or “lockdowns.”

She simply couldn’t comprehend how her harmless and perpetually bullied son had, in a single day, formed a militia and seized control of the entire factory.

Djoka looked around uncertainly and asked hesitantly, “Does this involve some military secret?”

“I can’t say!” Charles replied, repeating himself. “I can only tell you this: this is the safest place to be, and we should stay here!”

Djoka sighed and gestured subtly at Camille, as if to say, This is what I was telling you this morning: our child has grown up, and he’s sharper than Francis!

...

At the headquarters of the French Sixth Army in Paris, Gallieni slammed his fist on the desk and roared, “This is ignorance! This is murder! This is a crime!”

Gallieni’s anger stemmed from one reason—General Joffre had rejected his proposal for the Sixth Army to flank the German forces.

“The situation is clear!” Gallieni’s face was livid. “The German First Army has advanced deep into our territory, leaving the Second Army 20 kilometers behind. Now they’ve changed their attack direction and walked right into our encirclement. If we don’t attack, we’ll lose this golden opportunity!”

Major Maunoury remained silent. Gallieni was right—the German Second Army would close the gap in just two days, and by then, the Germans would have enough forces to surround Paris again.

Alternatively, the German First Army might realize their mistake and return to their original route, with devastating consequences.

No one could understand why Joffre refused to attack.

Gallieni paced the office impatiently and angrily demanded from his staff officer, “What was his explanation?”

The staff officer, trembling, replied, “General Joffre believes that the Germans are unlikely to make such a significant mistake. He suspects it might be a trap designed to lure the Sixth Army out of Paris’s defenses, leaving the city vulnerable to an attack. He thinks we should wait and see…”

“Hmph,” Gallieni snorted, cutting him off. He didn’t want to hear more.

Gallieni reviewed the situation in his mind once again. In some respects, Joffre’s judgment made sense—the biggest question was, who had spread the “rumors”?

If the rumors were a German ploy to provide the First Army with a legitimate reason to alter their route, thereby tricking France into drawing the Sixth Army out of Paris…

No, the Germans had no need for such tricks! Gallieni said, “The Germans only need to follow their normal route to encircle Paris from the west, cut off our supply lines, and wait for the Second Army to arrive. Why go to such trouble?”

Major Maunoury nodded in agreement.

But without General Joffre’s order, nothing could be done.

Gallieni couldn’t shake the feeling that Joffre’s decision was driven by personal animosity.

Gallieni and Joffre had been at odds for years, clashing publicly on numerous occasions, even to the point of shouting matches.

Today, Gallieni had discovered the Germans’ error and promptly proposed a counterattack.

If Joffre agreed immediately, wouldn’t that imply that the supreme commander was following Gallieni’s strategy?

Wouldn’t the glory of defeating the Germans go to Gallieni instead of Joffre?

Wouldn’t that mean admitting Joffre’s inferiority to Gallieni?

Gallieni’s eyelid twitched. He didn’t voice these thoughts—they were baseless speculation after all. Yet, the suspicion gnawed at him.

Gallieni gritted his teeth and gave an order. “Prepare the vehicles. If necessary, we’ll mobilize the troops to the battlefield as quickly as possible!”

“General!” Major Maunoury hesitated. “Most of our vehicles are already deployed at the front.”

“Then requisition others—ox carts, horse carts, taxis!” Gallieni’s tone hardened. “It doesn’t matter what kind of vehicle it is. We must be ready. The fate of France is at stake!”

“Yes, General!” Maunoury replied with a salute.

...

At the Davaus Tractor Factory, the floodlights had gone out, plunging the square into darkness.

Charles had finally concluded the soldiers’ training, allowing them to bathe and rest. They needed to conserve their strength for the battle ahead, not exhaust themselves with endless drills.

Major Browning removed his mud-splattered cap and sat beside Charles, speaking in a low voice:

“They say the Germans are heading in our direction. I thought they’d stop chasing us.”

Charles grunted in acknowledgment, thinking to himself that if Browning knew it was his plan to lure the Germans here, the major might punch him in the face.

“Those contraptions you rigged up…” Browning nodded toward the corner of the square where the tractors stood. “Are they really going to work?”

If the Germans targeted the munitions factory, they’d likely send thousands of troops. Did this kid really believe those machines could fend them off?

“Don’t worry, Major!” Charles glanced toward the dormitory and said, “My family is here. I’m betting everything on your victory!”

Major Browning let out a bitter laugh. He thought he must be insane to trust a boy and go along with such a harebrained plan.

Browning looked up at the starry sky and sighed inwardly:

“This world is beautiful. I wonder if I’ll still be here tomorrow to see the stars again.”

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