Chapter 403: People's Military Proficiency
Charles and Matthew spent more than three hours discussing the details of the "Saint-Chamond" and the truck-mounted cannon, skipping lunch entirely.
It wasn't until Djoka arrived to check on them that he brought the two some working meals.
The meal was a potato pizza from the cafeteria. Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good—though that might have been because Charles was feeling quite hungry.
As Matthew chewed on his pizza, he asked, “Even though this isn’t my area of expertise, isn’t combining a truck with artillery too dangerous?”
Matthew tapped Charles' sketches with his finger. “The artillery crew will be on the truck, completely unprotected.”
Charles grunted in agreement. Shrapnel from an exploding shell radiates upward, and the artillery crew, situated at a higher position, would be highly likely to get hit.
However...
“The key is how they’re used, Matthew,” Charles replied.
“How so?” Matthew looked at Charles, puzzled. “Aren’t they for use on the battlefield? Everyone has to be on the battlefield.”
“Of course, it’s for the battlefield, but there’s a front and a rear on the battlefield.” Charles gestured toward the "Saint-Chamond" resting in the warehouse. “The truck-mounted cannon follows behind the ‘Saint-Chamond.’”
Matthew made an "oh" sound, suddenly understanding.
The "Saint-Chamond" would charge forward under enemy fire, forcing their artillery to retreat, and only then would the truck-mounted cannon come into play.
Charles was certain this concept would work, despite its apparent lack of safety.
Even in modern times, it still exists, because artillery often needs to deliver concentrated bombardment on targets. Fully self-propelled artillery is typically too expensive to be mass-produced.
A truck-mounted cannon could deliver almost equivalent firepower at half the cost of self-propelled artillery. When used correctly, it could yield remarkable results, making it highly favored by various nations.
...
Quickly stuffing the remaining pizza into his mouth, Charles checked the time—it was about time to return to the military camp.
Chewing his food, he bid Matthew farewell, and before leaving, reminded Djoka, “Father, it’s best if the steel mill workers can be trained to start work within three months.”
“No problem,” Djoka nodded. “They’ve already begun.”
Hearing this, Matthew was slightly surprised.
Charles had demanded that the "Saint-Chamond" modifications be completed within a month, yet the steel mill workers’ training was set for three months. This seemed a bit inconsistent.
After pondering for a moment, Matthew smiled faintly, as though understanding Charles’ intentions.
...
In the car back to the military camp, Charles casually flipped through the documents Djoka had given him. They detailed the operational status of the "Bernard Company."
Since Charles spent most of his time serving in the military and could not handle company affairs, Djoka had to report to him in this way.
But this was largely unnecessary, as Charles wasn’t too concerned about the data. While he could understand the numbers at face value, they didn’t mean much to him.
All that mattered was that the company remained profitable.
“General,” Laurent, who was driving, tilted his head slightly backward. “Italy has launched an offensive against Austria-Hungary, but it doesn’t seem to be going well.”
Charles acknowledged this with a hum, continuing to skim the documents. It would have been surprising if Italy’s offensive had gone smoothly.
Warfare isn’t just a simple comparison of forces. Italian tactics were woefully outdated, almost a replica of France’s “offensive doctrine”—but even less equipped.
Meanwhile, Austria-Hungary had gained significant defensive experience by this point. They had constructed multiple trench lines facing the Italians. When the Italians bombarded them, the Austro-Hungarian troops temporarily retreated to secondary trenches, returning to the first line to defend as soon as the bombardment ended.
Most of the time, the Italians’ efforts were futile, but they remained unaware.
“Some believe that Joffre should transfer you to the Eastern Army Group,” Laurent remarked.
“What?” Charles looked up at Laurent in surprise.
Who would think such a thing? Didn’t they know that Joffre and he were bitter rivals?
Laurent, seeing Charles’ reaction in the rearview mirror, quickly explained, “It’s because of the recent Schneider affair. People think you and Joffre have reconciled...”
Charles suddenly understood—it was a side effect of purchasing the "Saint-Chamond."
Schneider had publicly claimed to have reached some sort of understanding with the "Bernard Company," even presenting a united front against the enemy in their statements. This led people to mistakenly believe that Charles and Schneider had aligned.
Since Joffre was part of the Schneider faction, it naturally followed that Charles should now stand alongside Joffre.
Charles sighed softly. France was a large country, full of unrealistic notions.
The rift between Joffre and himself was nearly irreconcilable. Joffre desperately needed victories to retain his position as Commander-in-Chief, whereas Charles, with his unbroken string of successes, constantly threatened that position.
Laurent cautiously added, “Moreover, they believe that only by assigning you to the Eastern Army Group could there be any chance of coordinating with the Italians.”
Charles nodded slightly. By now, people’s understanding of military strategy had indeed improved significantly.
But their expectations of Italy were far too high. The battle had just begun, and they were already dreaming of a coordinated attack on Germany—before even overcoming Austria-Hungary.
...
At the French General Headquarters, Joffre had also heard similar rumors.
Initially, Joffre found the idea laughable. Transfer Charles here? Wouldn’t that be tantamount to admitting that Charles was superior? How could Joffre maintain his position as Commander-in-Chief then?
If Charles made a suggestion, should Joffre agree or disagree?
Agree, and if the battle was won, the credit would go to Charles.
Disagree, and if the battle was lost, the blame would fall entirely on Joffre.
Joffre found it absurd—how was it that, whether he agreed or disagreed, there was always a problem?
After some thought, Joffre realized the crux of the matter: Charles was almost always right. Agreeing would lead to victory, and disagreeing to defeat.
However, as Joffre studied the map, he realized the proposed strategy seemed feasible. If the Italians broke through Austria-Hungary’s defenses and entered Germany, the Germans would be caught in a pincer movement, at the very least disrupting their supply lines.
This was an opportunity to break the stalemate.
If this opportunity were squandered, the increasingly dissatisfied Parliament might very well remove Joffre from his position as Commander-in-Chief.
With this in mind, Joffre did not hesitate. He picked up the phone and called the Paris Defense Command, speaking with full confidence:
“General Gallieni, I believe the time has come to prepare!”
“I trust that our goals are aligned: to drive the Germans from French soil!”