Chapter 537: He Had No Idea What He Was About to Lose
It is a curious matter. Before, Charles had actively sought cooperation with Petain in order to break through the parliamentary "siege" against him.
Moreover, this cooperation has been ongoing, with Charles continuously providing landmines and directional mines to the Verdun battlefield without interruption.
Now, Charles intends to further deepen this relationship, or rather, to make others believe that the relationship has deepened.
Therefore, despite his tight schedule, he still made time to visit Verdun.
...
At the Verdun defense line, at the Saint-Michel Fortress Command.
The sky began to drizzle lightly. No one knew whether it was related to the war, but this year's rainy season had arrived unusually late.
The rainy season is never a good thing on the battlefield, especially for the armies fighting along the Somme River front. They would be charging at the enemy through the mud.
What is even worse is that the rainy season is especially prone to outbreaks of epidemics. Rainwater, which has soaked decaying bodies, floods into the trenches, spreading disease everywhere.
At this moment, the pressure on the Verdun front had eased significantly.
The eruption of the Battle of the Somme caused the German forces to withdraw a large number of troops and artillery from Verdun. According to incomplete statistics, at least six artillery regiments and five infantry divisions were relocated, and many of the supplies stored in Verdun were also redirected to the Somme River for emergency use.
However, Petain believed it was still too early to launch an attack.
He, who had always emphasized "defense," believed that an offensive would consume more supplies and manpower than defense. If they launched an attack recklessly, any advantage they had accumulated would be lost.
For example, a casualty count of 100,000 per day, like in the Battle of the Somme, would cause the Verdun defense line to collapse immediately.
Thus, Petain's attitude was extremely cautious. He ordered the troops to hold firmly to the Douaumont line and forbade any offensive actions.
Meanwhile, he organized large numbers of civilians at the rear to repair roads, widening and reinforcing the only road leading to Verdun, through which military supplies would continuously be delivered to the front lines.
That afternoon, as usual, Petain was drinking coffee while tracking the progress of the road widening.
Transporting supplies while widening and reinforcing the road was a difficult task, requiring nearly perfect planning. The difficulty was no less than that of waging a battle.
Suddenly, a cheer came from outside:
"It’s Charles! General Charles has arrived."
"General Charles is here to inspect our defenses!"
...
Petain frowned. What was Charles doing here?
Inspecting?
He wasn’t my superior. What authority does he have to inspect Verdun?!
Then Petain remembered that at the meeting in Château de Chantilly, he had not supported Nivelle.
Damn it, this guy might cut off the supply of landmines and directional mines because of that!
Petain's face changed drastically. These things were critical to defense. If the supply were cut off at this crucial moment, and if the Germans caught wind of it, the favorable situation would likely reverse.
With that thought in mind, Petain quickly forced a smile and went out to meet Charles.
As he walked out of the command post, he saw Charles, wearing a raincoat, chatting happily with Major Lacoste. The surrounding soldiers, as well as Major Lacoste, all looked at Charles with admiration.
Petain felt uneasy and unconsciously his face darkened.
But thinking about the landmines and directional mines, he forced a smile and walked forward.
When Charles saw Petain coming, he took the initiative to step forward and shake his hand. "Long time no see, Major Petain. How are you?"
"Everything is well, General Charles." Petain responded.
He had intended to say, "Your landmines and directional mines have been very useful; they have been a great help."
But saying that would imply that the victory at Verdun was due to Charles’s contributions, and it would also let Charles know how important the landmines and directional mines were, putting Verdun at his mercy.
Thus, Petain swallowed his words.
After a pause, he changed his wording. "The front has stabilized, and I’m in the process of widening the road. This is very important."
Widening the road was a measure Charles had not implemented, and Petain emphasized it to imply that his approach was different from Charles’s.
He was always trying to escape from Charles’s shadow.
"Of course, General," Charles replied with a smile. "Nothing is more important than supplies; they are the foundation of victory. Your approach is very wise."
Petain was somewhat surprised by Charles’s response.
But then he realized that Charles might have a hidden meaning in his words, emphasizing "supplies" as a subtle reference to landmines and directional mines.
Petain’s heart sank, but he said nothing, gesturing for Charles to enter the command post.
In the conference room, there were only Charles and Petain. Petain did not want what they discussed to leak out, especially regarding the landmines and directional mines.
This suited Charles just fine: being alone in the meeting room with no outsiders, it seemed as though they were conspiring about something, perhaps how to collaborate against British control over the French army.
"Apologies, General Charles," Petain said as he handed Charles a cup of coffee. "At the last meeting in Chantilly, I didn’t take a stand because of the situation. I knew we had no way of preventing Nivelle from launching his attack."
"I know," Charles said, brushing the matter off.
This was true: from the very beginning, Charles had never believed that Petain had the power to stop Nivelle’s attack plan, nor had he intended to stop it.
This puzzled Petain. If it wasn’t because of this matter, then why had Charles come here?
Noticing Petain’s confusion, Charles explained, "I’ve come this time to see if there’s anything else Verdun needs."
"Anything else?" Petain couldn’t immediately think of what else he might need.
Charles raised an eyebrow.
"Such as, the rainy season is coming, and you are widening the roads. I’m not sure if you need tractors?"
Petain was instantly moved.
Tractors were the best means of transport in muddy terrain. Whether for hauling stones to repair roads or transporting supplies, they were indispensable. They could even leave the road to deliver large quantities of supplies to the front lines, even if the rainy season caused the roads to worsen.
Charles continued, "You know, I happen to own a tractor factory."
At this point, Petain hesitated. "General, I know these tractors are not cheap, and our budget is very limited..."
Now was a time of extreme scarcity, and the franc was rapidly devaluing. Purchasing tractors was not an easy task.
"They’re free." Charles spread his hands generously. "I personally donate them to the Verdun front line. The first batch is one hundred units, and if that’s not enough, I will continue to add more."
Petain was stunned, staring blankly for a while before saying, "Really? Is that true? That’s wonderful! You are truly a generous friend, General Charles."
"Of course." Charles smiled slightly. "For France, for Verdun, and for our cooperation!"
Petain nodded with emotion. "Of course, General!"
Then, it seemed that Petain began to understand why Charles had done this.
Charles was fighting against Nivelle’s faction, and Petain was caught in the middle, a target for both factions to court.
This was a good thing! He could benefit from both sides!
A smug smile crept onto Petain’s face. It seemed that his previous worries were unnecessary.
Charles also smiled slightly. This guy had no idea what he was about to lose!