Chapter 309: Indeed, Only Ten Minutes Passed
The news of Charles’ successful landing soon reached Paris.
The Meritorious Report was the first to break the news. It dedicated a large portion of its coverage to Charles' success in capturing the "A" Point and its strategic significance, and it remarked:
“The entire battle lasted only two hours and ten minutes, with a casualty count of just over three hundred. The forces successfully captured the 'A' Point defensive line.”
“The straight-line distance of the entire defensive line is 6.1 kilometers, with the winding trenches covering an actual distance of about 8 kilometers. This means the troops advanced at nearly 4 kilometers per hour.”
“That’s almost the pace at which we walk.”
“They practically walked from one end to the other and told the enemy, ‘This place belongs to us now.’”
“Only Charles could achieve this, and only his troops!”
…
The French people, however, were not overly concerned.
Their expectations of Charles had risen, and this victory was already within their expectations.
Their thinking was: now that Charles was involved, only a defeat would surprise the French people.
What they were more interested in was the landing boats and ships Charles used in the battle.
But The Meritorious Report and other newspapers did not mention them at all. There was no doubt that this was the result of Gallieni's wartime media control.
When Gallieni submitted his request to the government, he said:
“They are still playing a role in the battle for 'A' Point. If we expose them now, the enemy will immediately know what they are, how they perform, and even analyze their weaknesses. This could have a negative impact on the battle or even pose a danger. Tight control is absolutely necessary!”
This reasoning was quite sound, and the government promptly agreed. The media was not the only entity being controlled; Wells' shipyard was also included.
However, people still caught snippets of information through other channels, which only fueled their curiosity:
“I heard Charles developed a ‘tank’ that can move on both land and sea in this landing battle?”
“Yes, the Ottoman Empire’s newspapers reported on it. They blamed their defeat on this.”
“There are reports in German newspapers too. I heard there’s a landing boat that can directly land soldiers on the shore?”
“If a ‘tank’ can move on both land and sea, then a landing boat must be a small matter, right?”
…
People excitedly discussed it, using their imagination to speculate about the appearance of the tank that could travel on both land and sea.
Only Djoka and Camille were worried.
Camille held the newspaper, reading it again and again. She hoped to find every mention of Charles, to analyze whether he was still on the island.
“He should be aboard the warship, right?”
“For a battle like this, he only needs to command from the warship, just like he did at the city defense headquarters, directing others in combat.”
“A staff officer’s job is to make plans. He doesn’t need to personally lead the troops into battle, right?”
…
Djoka kept agreeing and trying to comfort her, but he knew the truth was not so simple.
The news that Charles had personally entered the battlefield had been widely reported in the newspapers. Everyone knew about it, praising his bravery. Neighbors were privately discussing:
“Charles has made so many contributions. He doesn’t need to go to the front line. No one would blame him.”
“Yes, and Charles is a wealthy capitalist. His money could last him a lifetime, but he still went to the front.”
“This is an act of bravery. He didn’t distance himself from the war because of his ‘privilege.’ He’s different from others!”
…
Camille didn’t know this because Djoka had spent 100 francs to “customize” a newspaper and delivered it to her. He also asked the neighbors not to talk about it in front of Camille.
Charles had the ability to handle his own problems, Djoka thought. He would defeat all his enemies and return alive!
…
However, at that moment, Charles on the battlefield was not so optimistic.
After the 105th Regiment successfully captured the "A" Point defensive line, there was at least one very dangerous period.
“It’s like pulling a tooth from a tiger’s mouth.” During the planning phase, Charles had foreseen this: “The enemy can’t tolerate this. They might concentrate all their forces to attack us, trying to wipe us out while we’re still trying to get a foothold!”
As it turned out, Charles was right.
The battlefield remained silent for just over half an hour before the sound of artillery broke the silence. At least a hundred large-caliber howitzers began bombarding the "A" Point defensive line.
These were the Ottoman troops brought in to blockade the Dardanelles. Not long ago, they had used these same guns to engage the Allied battleships in a heavy artillery duel, and now they were using them to bombard the "A" Point defensive line.
This was one of the most impressive and terrifying experiences Charles had ever gone through. Years later, whenever he recalled this moment, it still gave him chills.
The deafening sound of the artillery made the ground tremble.
In the dark, damp trenches, the air gradually filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder from the shells, and the earth above them shook as pieces of dirt fell, making a “sifting” sound. They dropped into the soldiers' collars and crawled like insects into their clothes.
But Charles had no time to pay attention to these details. He felt as though he was trapped inside an inverted bell, with dozens of bell hammers striking the outside continuously.
At first, he could still hear each blast one after another, and there were moments between the sounds, but soon it all blended into a continuous roar.
Soon, Charles could no longer hear the artillery. He only felt a “buzzing” sound in his ears, and his consciousness seemed to struggle to leave his body, while his limbs went numb and uncontrollable.
Finally, the bombardment ceased.
Charles thought the bombardment had lasted at least an hour. He stumbled out of the trench, touched his face, and confirmed he was still alive.
Tigani followed behind. He coughed a few times through the smoke, carefully poked his head out of the trench, and said, “We’re lucky. A few days ago, the enemy launched a major assault on ‘S’ Beach. They must have used up a lot of shells there!”
Charles' head was still foggy. Tigani’s words seemed to register, but also seemed to fade, like he was speaking to someone else.
After a while, Charles finally reacted.
“‘S’ Beach?”
Yes, the Ottomans wanted to deal with the isolated “S” Beach first before they could focus on the other beaches.
They used a lot of shells in that battle...
Wait!
Charles looked at Tigani in astonishment. “Do you mean, if there hadn’t been the attack on ‘S’ Beach, this bombardment would have lasted longer?”
“Of course!” Tigani nodded calmly. “Otherwise, how could it have lasted only ten minutes?”
“Ten minutes?” Charles’ face stiffened as he twitched his mouth in disbelief. What a joke!
He pulled out his pocket watch, took a glance, and his smile vanished. It had indeed been only ten minutes.