Chapter 334: The Dignity of France
The military uniform incident erupted two days later.
After three days of debate, the House of Commons ultimately voted to reject the proposal to change the military uniform.
Many members of parliament were surprised by the result. They had expected the proposal to pass, thinking it was not a major issue. It only involved the interests of a small number of clothing factories, and even then, it was a partial interest: the military uniforms stockpiled in warehouses had become waste.
But in the end, it was still rejected.
Because the vote was anonymous, no one was sure who voted against the proposal, but it felt somewhat strange.
Despite this, the parliamentarians did not take the matter seriously. After all, it was just about changing military uniforms; it would not make much of a difference.
Once the news was out of the parliament, there was no major stir in society. Many people thought it was just a rumor and did not pay much attention to it.
The next day, major newspapers used eye-catching headlines:
"The House of Commons voted down Charles' proposal; the parliamentarians still believe that military uniforms represent the dignity of France, and they cannot be changed."
"Does this mean the 'theory of offense' remains unassailable?"
"Or is this the parliament subtly sending a message to Charles?"
...
What was once a calm France was suddenly set ablaze.
The loudest voices came from the soldiers at the front lines. After all, this matter related to their lives. They continuously protested:
"What right do those who don't fight have to decide what uniforms the soldiers fighting on the battlefield should wear?"
"If one day, they decide that we should fight the enemy with dinner knives or wooden sticks, should we obey?"
"Do those people know what the dignity of France is? Only victory brings dignity, not what uniforms we wear!"
...
The complaints from the soldiers on the front lines quickly reached the people in the rear, as they were the parents or siblings of the soldiers.
That afternoon, people took to the streets, holding banners and waving small flags in protest:
"We support Charles; he is the officer who understands war!"
"Change the military uniforms; only victory brings dignity!"
"Protecting the lives of soldiers is the real victory!"
...
Charles was just leaving the city defense headquarters. His destination was the police training base.
Just a few minutes after the car started, it suddenly collided with a parade. The streets were packed with people, and the crowd blocked the streets in all directions. Passing cars could only detour or stop at the roadside, waiting for the procession to pass.
The demonstrators intentionally clogged the traffic, hoping to cause a bigger chain reaction, so that the government and parliament would realize the seriousness of the matter and give it sufficient attention.
Suddenly, someone noticed Laurent's car and saw Charles sitting in the backseat. They exclaimed, "That's Charles, Charles is here..."
The crowd immediately erupted into cheers. They shouted Charles' name and crowded forward to shake his hand:
"We support you, Colonel!"
"We think you're right; only you care about the lives of the soldiers on the front line."
"Lead us, we are willing to follow you in opposing the parliament!"
...
Charles was nearly startled by the last sentence. Opposing the parliament? That would make him a target. Even Steed, whom he had just brought over, might become an enemy because of this!
Charles pretended not to hear and smiled amicably, waving at them.
Laurent, understanding, honked the horn and drove the car forward, shouting, "Make way, gentlemen, the Colonel has an important task to attend to!"
The crowd consciously parted to let Charles' car pass, waving and cheering. Other cars tried to follow Charles' car, but they were immediately blocked by the crowd.
The procession was long, with at least tens of thousands of people. It took more than ten minutes for the car to leave the noise behind.
At that moment, Laurent let out a sigh of relief and remarked, "They are all your supporters, Colonel."
"They support the change of the military uniform, Laurent," Charles corrected him.
"It looks that way on the surface," Laurent replied calmly.
"On the surface?" Charles looked at Laurent with confusion.
Laurent slightly turned his head, glanced at Charles in the rearview mirror, and nodded. "You could say that. If someone else had proposed 'changing the military uniform' instead of you, there wouldn’t have been such a large-scale parade. It might not have even caused a ripple!"
Charles realized Laurent had a point.
In such a short time, such a huge spontaneous parade had been organized. It was not just about "changing the military uniform." It needed a core force, a spiritual leader.
And Charles was very likely that force—their spiritual leader—though Charles had done and said nothing other than opposing in the parliament.
...
The car slowly entered the police training base.
The scene before Charles' eyes made him feel reassured. He saw the officers and soldiers of the 105th Infantry Regiment still training in an orderly fashion on the field.
This is what professional soldiers should be like. Their mindset should not be influenced by external factors.
But soon, Charles realized he was wrong. He spotted a group of soldiers marching in formation without pants. Some wore shorts, while others were completely naked. Paris' April was no longer that cold, so they could afford to do this.
The key was that they were marching in perfect sync, responding to commands with precision: forward, left turn, and small steps...
Everyone had a serious expression, as if they were facing the enemy on the battlefield.
Tigani stood at the front, watching the troops with helplessness, seemingly unable to do anything about it.
Charles signaled Laurent to stop the car beside Tigani. He jumped out and asked, "What's going on?"
Tigani finally noticed Charles, his furrowed brow loosening as he answered, "That's their way of showing support for you, Colonel."
"Support for me?" Charles was confused.
Tigani responded with just one word: "Red pants!"
Charles immediately understood. They were physically expressing their refusal to wear the red military pants.
"I gave them orders," Tigani said, "but do you know what their response was?"
Charles shook his head lightly.
Tigani mimicked the soldiers' tone: "General, we believe that such a situation might arise on the battlefield. To avoid exposing ourselves, we have no choice but to take off the conspicuous red pants. We are conducting targeted training, and we think it makes sense!"
After speaking, Tigani shrugged his shoulders. "Can you say they’re wrong? If you were them, how would you answer?"
Charles secretly admired this approach. They had neither disobeyed orders nor failed to express their position.
However, it wasn’t exactly elegant.
But if it meant preserving life on the battlefield, what did elegance matter?
Perhaps this was exactly what the soldiers were trying to convey.
Soon, this approach spread quickly throughout the army. Other units followed suit, and even the soldiers fighting on the front lines did the same.
In no time, France was filled with bare-bottomed soldiers.
"This is what we call 'the dignity of France!'" someone joked.