Chapter 396: You Played a Significant Role
The night in May in Paris was like a flirtatious woman, quietly descending upon the City of Light.
The lamps on both banks gradually lit up, stretching from afar and reflecting tiny red sparkles on the river's surface, resembling countless stars fallen to earth.
The leaves of the plane trees swayed gently in the breeze, producing a soft rustling sound, as if murmuring about the day's battles.
(Note: During the reign of Louis XIV, Paris underwent significant development of its sewage and lighting systems, making it the first city in the world to have public lighting at night. Thousands of candlelit streetlamps illuminated 912 streets, earning Paris the nickname "City of Light.")
At that moment, Charles was soundly asleep in his dormitory when a sudden burst of cheers woke him. He sat up abruptly, still groggy, but his feet instinctively moved as he opened the door and headed toward the command post where the noise originated.
This habit was one Charles had developed during combat. At times, he felt as though his body and soul were separate entities, the former instinctively following wartime routines without any conscious effort.
When he arrived at the command post, Tigani was already there, along with several staff officers. All were clad in their pajamas, staring sleepily at the duty communication officer.
"General," the communication officer excitedly reported to Charles, "they've joined us—Italy! Just moments ago, they declared war on Austria-Hungary and mobilized their army!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment before erupting into cheers like the communication officer. Some even hugged each other in celebration.
Only Charles remained calm, thinking to himself, "Is this all? Nothing more than that?"
Charles merely grunted, casually handed the telegram back to the communication officer, yawned, and turned to walk back toward the dormitory.
Tigani quickly caught up from behind, his tone tinged with confusion. "Brigadier General, you don't seem to think much of this news?"
"Should I?" Charles slowed his pace to ask.
"Of course," Tigani replied. "An entire country has joined us, and it's thanks to your efforts. Isn't that a major victory? This war might even end because of it, yet you don't seem to care at all."
Tigani looked Charles up and down, as though nothing had happened.
Charles stared at him incredulously. These people actually thought the war might end because of Italy's entry! But then again, it wasn't an entirely unreasonable assumption. At this point, the Allies and the Central Powers were evenly matched, and Italy's involvement could theoretically tip the scales in favor of the Allies.
However, Charles knew the reality was far from this optimistic scenario.
Historically, Italy amassed over a million troops for an offensive but was firmly held back by the Austro-Hungarian forces of just over 100,000 along the Isonzo River. Later, when Germany recovered and sent reinforcements, Italy was almost driven to the brink of national collapse.
Should Charles celebrate this ally? Or delude himself into believing the war would end because of it?
Charles sighed lightly, casting a sympathetic glance at Tigani. "I'll go back to sleep and leave you to your daydreaming."
Without further explanation, he returned to his dormitory, shut the door, and fell onto his bed like a log.
As he drifted off, he thought to himself that he ought to tell the communication officer not to wake him again over any news about Italy...
…
It wasn't just Tigani who thought this way. The citizens of Paris, the people of France, and even the Allies' soldiers and civilians shared this sentiment.
After all, this was Italy—a major power capable of easily mobilizing over a million troops.
At present, the French army had barely over a million soldiers yet had managed to hold their ground against the Germans. With Italy's million-strong army taking on the weakest of the Central Powers, Austria-Hungary, at a 5-to-1 advantage, wouldn't it be as simple as crossing a bridge?
So, by the early hours of the following day, when people read the news in the newspapers, all of Paris erupted in joy. Cheers filled the streets, and people eagerly discussed the development:
"Charles delivered a heavy blow to the Central Powers. The victory at Cambrai helped us win Italy over, and their participation will surely bring this war to an end!"
"Indeed, this even makes Gallipoli less significant. The Central Powers' flank is now exposed to Italy's advance."
"No, no, the victory at Gallipoli is just as important. It diverts the Central Powers' forces!"
…
By now, many citizens had gone from being clueless about military matters to becoming half-experts, able to analyze the state of the war with surprising accuracy, and some even offered rather insightful views.
Later that morning, while Charles munched on the bread delivered by his orderly as usual, he received a call from General Winter.
"You played a significant role in this, Brigadier General," said General Winter.
"I know," Charles replied lazily. "The victory at Cambrai—everyone's been saying it. My ears are about to fall off from hearing it so much…"
"You think it was Cambrai?" There was a hint of amusement in General Winter's voice.
"What else could it be?" Charles asked, puzzled.
General Winter answered, "As I said, 'You played a significant role,' Brigadier General."
Charles finally understood what General Winter meant—it was because of "Charles."
Charles wasn't wrong. This time, Italy sent none other than their seasoned 65-year-old Chief of General Staff, Luigi Cadorna, to negotiate with General Winter instead of their Foreign Minister Sanrino.
When General Winter saw Cadorna personally taking part, he knew the matter was nearly settled. This was a heavyweight figure in the Italian military, and his presence indicated that Italy was ready to declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.
Relieved, General Winter handed over the prepared documents with respect. "General, this is the detailed report on the Battle of Cambrai. We advanced 8 kilometers and annihilated tens of thousands of German troops. It's clear we are winning the war..."
General Winter had assumed Cadorna would be most concerned about this—the Allies were gaining ground, which meant Italy was siding with the winning team.
However, Cadorna didn't even glance at the documents.
"I'm not interested in that, Lieutenant General," said Cadorna, his voice slightly hoarse but steady. "I want to know about Charles and his inventions. Are the rumors true?"
General Winter was momentarily stunned. "Of course they are, General."
Then, he grew nervous. "But I didn’t prepare any materials about him."
A trace of disappointment flickered in Cadorna’s eyes.
Seeing the negotiations about to hit another snag, General Winter quickly added, "However, I am personally a friend of Charles, General. We met in Antwerp when he was just a lieutenant. I know everything about him and his inventions."
"Is that so?" Cadorna looked intrigued. "I'm all ears, Lieutenant General. Tell me everything you know."