Chapter 476: Who Says I Can't?
Carnes' expression was somewhat awkward. He knew deep down that he could not justify himself, especially in front of Charles.
But what else could he do?
Surrender just like that?
His fate was tied to Joffre's.
If Joffre were dismissed, his future, as the deputy commander-in-chief who had always followed Joffre, would also come to an end.
No, he couldn't let it end like this. He had to at least try!
"Gentlemen," Carnes said, forcing himself to lift his head. "I believe this cannot be entirely blamed on General Joffre. We all know that his decisions were made based on the advice of his staff, including General Foch..."
Foch was a good scapegoat. He was the founder of French military theory.
The underlying message here was: If even Foch could make mistakes on this matter, isn't it normal for Joffre to have made an error in judgment?
Moreover, Foch had already paid the price for his mistake, so similar events wouldn’t happen again!
Charles lightly responded, "I don't really know, General, but I do know that if it were a victory, we’d all know who would benefit from it!"
The members of parliament froze for a moment, then burst out laughing in unison. They understood.
When Gallieni successfully defended Paris and repelled the Germans, Joffre had said, "I don't really know, but I do know that if it were a defeat, we’d know who would be held accountable."
With this line, Joffre had stolen Gallieni's glory as "The Guardian of Paris."
Today, Charles reversed this line to counter Joffre's attempt to evade responsibility.
Gallieni, who had been listening from the side, couldn't help but smile in relief. Charles had finally vented the frustration that had been pent up in his heart for a year.
Soon after, one of the members of parliament shouted:
"That's right! Responsibility and honor should go hand in hand. Joffre took the credit for his subordinates' victories but shifted the blame for the defeats onto them!"
"My God, I never realized Joffre was such a shameless person. And yet, he's our commander-in-chief, leading all of France's armies!"
"How can such a commander-in-chief lead the troops to victory? It's time to make a decision!"
...
Major Jules, sitting next to Gallieni, had been silent.
Gallieni had instructed him that soldiers should not get involved in politics, and in principle, they should not freely express their opinions in the House of Commons unless an inquiry was made.
But Jules couldn't contain himself. He stood up and addressed the room:
"Gentlemen, I am Colonel Derion's staff officer."
"On September 3rd, Colonel Derion ordered me to report the battle situation to Joffre at the headquarters."
"When I arrived at the headquarters, the Germans had already launched their attack, and thousands of artillery pieces were bombarding Verdun."
"But I was blocked outside the headquarters and told, 'The commander-in-chief is asleep. I cannot disturb him.'"
At this point, Major Jules raised his voice, turning his narrative into an angry accusation:
"Is the commander-in-chief's sleep more important than France's fate?"
"Or more important than the victory of this battle? More important than the lives of the soldiers on the front lines?"
"I don't understand. Can you tell me the answer, General?"
The last sentence was directed at Carnes, who was standing at the podium.
Jules stared at Carnes, fire blazing in his eyes. Though he wasn't armed, his hand was resting on his holster, as if he might draw his gun and turn Carnes into Swiss cheese.
Carnes was taken aback by Jules' intensity. He avoided his gaze, too scared to respond.
The opposition in the room rose to a new peak. Some members hissed at Carnes, while others shouted:
"Step down! Go down with Joffre!"
"We don't need such an incompetent person standing there."
"Neither do the people of France!"
...
Carnes' face turned pale. He struggled to keep his composure, making a last-ditch attempt: "At this moment, General Joffre is commanding the battle at the front. I’m not sure if replacing the commander-in-chief is the right move right now."
Charles interrupted him, "But Joffre hardly commands, General. What he did was order the troops to attack before going to sleep, then turn off the lights and go to bed. Even when the Germans' poison gas was massacring French soldiers on the front lines, Joffre only found out after waking up the next day. All he does is order soldiers to attack!"
"No, that's not true," Carnes replied, but his voice lacked conviction.
Everyone could see he was lying. Joffre had always boasted about his "calm under pressure," about how he could stay composed at any moment, and how he maintained a regular routine. Now, he was denying all of it.
At this moment, the members of parliament stopped arguing. It was clear to them what the truth was.
Carnes seemed to realize this, and with nothing left to lose, he threw caution to the wind. He raised his head again and, with a hoarse voice, said:
"Gentlemen, isn’t it my duty to order the soldiers to attack? This is war!"
"Moreover, no one would have had a better solution in this situation."
"Think about it. We are facing an enemy with far superior artillery, troops, and new chemical weapons."
"Who could have achieved better results under these circumstances?"
...
One member shouted, "Charles could!"
Carnes glanced at Charles and countered:
"I don’t think so."
"His troops are far away in Belgium, with tanks and airplanes. The Germans targeted Verdun precisely because they knew this."
"Don't you understand? The Germans deliberately avoided Charles' troops. Only in this way could they gain the advantage!"
"So, this isn't fair to Joffre!"
The opposition in the meeting room quieted down. At least this point was true: the Germans had indeed concentrated their forces on Verdun to avoid Charles' army.
The silence gave Carnes a little confidence. He continued,
"If Charles can't do it, how can we expect Joffre to do it?"
"Believe me, gentlemen, Joffre may not be the best, but we can't find anyone else..."
Charles slowly stood up and retorted, "Who says I can't?"
The room erupted in applause and cheers. Many members stood to support Charles, some even clapping in his direction.
Carnes was stunned:
"No, you’ve misunderstood me, Brigadier."
"What I meant was, without bringing your troops back..."
Charles calmly responded, "I don't need to bring my troops back."
"Including the air force?" Carnes added.
"Including the air force," Charles nodded.
"Then, you’d be using the existing forces at Verdun," Carnes, now flustered, added a restriction.
The members of parliament erupted into a clamor:
"Go down, Carnes. Those troops are even under Joffre’s command!"
"Joffre would intentionally hinder Charles just to prove that he can't do it."
"Before we do anything, we should first remove Joffre from command!"
...
Charles turned to look at Steed in the back row. Steed smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
Charles then turned his gaze back to Carnes, speaking clearly and slowly: "No problem. We’ll use the existing forces at Verdun."
The room was in an uproar. How could he agree to such harsh conditions?
Gallieni sighed inwardly.
At this moment, he realized that Charles wanted not only to remove Joffre from his position as commander-in-chief, but to completely ruin Joffre’s reputation!