Chapter 577: The War Between Charles and the Parliament
Snowflakes swirled in the air, resembling tufts of cotton carried by the wind, each falling along its own path before disappearing into the muddy ground.
Gembloux, a small town situated between Brussels and Namur, welcomed its first snowfall of the year.
The 6th Army had taken several days to relocate from the Somme River to this town. Soldiers, gazing at the snow-covered scenery, felt a sense of relief. Snow, unlike uncontrollable rain, wouldn’t silently flood their trenches while they slept.
However, their joy was short-lived.
The first order of business was the immediate dismissal of Christine from his temporary command over the 6th Army. He was reassigned to his original post as commander of the 1st Special Artillery Division. The entire army maintained radio silence, cutting off all external communications.
Next came an influx of unfamiliar officers to take over the 6th Army. Almost all officers ranked as colonels or higher were replaced, leaving behind only a few staff familiar with the troops.
Then, the training began.
The soldiers assumed it was routine, but soon they noticed something terrifying: every officer or soldier who had "performed" or taken the lead during the mutiny was summoned for questioning. Some never returned, reportedly detained for disobedience.
The ranks buzzed with rumors:
“We’ve been isolated. They’re punishing the representatives. What should we do?”
“Where’s General Charles? Where is he?”
“He probably doesn’t know. He’s on leave—it must be intentional!”
“Oh God, someone save us!”
...
By midday, Charles arrived in Gembloux just in time.
He came by plane and couldn’t care less about the snow and freezing cold. Even as his car entered the military camp, he was shivering, his uniform still damp.
The soldiers were drilling on the parade ground under their officers’ commands. When they spotted Charles, they instantly felt reassured:
“Finally, the General is back!”
“He’ll protect us.”
“Those arrogant officers who took over the 6th Army—where were they during battle? What gives them the right to boss us around now?”
Unrest broke out among the troops. The officers yelled and cursed for quite a while before restoring order.
...
Charles felt confused as he stepped into the command post. He thought he had come to the wrong place; none of the officers bustling about were familiar.
After some inquiries, he confirmed this was indeed the 6th Army.
The officers, however, all recognized Charles. One by one, they straightened up and saluted him, their expressions filled with surprise and shock—they hadn’t expected Charles to return at this time.
Several of them turned and hurried towards the command center, likely to “report” his arrival.
Soon, a group of senior officers emerged to greet him. Charles scanned the group and recognized only Weygand.
At the head of the group was a middle-aged general, like Charles, a major general. With an indifferent expression, he stepped forward, shook Charles’s hand, and adopted the demeanor of a host welcoming a guest: “Welcome, Commander. I’m your Chief of Staff, Gustave Gamelin!”
“Hmm.” Charles studied Gamelin and made a pointed remark: “It’s a pleasure to meet you, General. This is the first time I’ve met my Chief of Staff in such a manner.”
Gamelin, sensing the undertone, remained unfazed and replied coolly, “Apologies, Commander. This is a directive from our superiors. We are merely following orders.”
Charles smiled faintly: “Then I assume you won’t mind showing me around my headquarters?”
Gamelin stepped aside, gesturing politely: “Please, after you.”
As they walked towards the command center, Gamelin explained with a composed demeanor: “Headquarters decided to assign the 6th Army to you for unified command because of your exemplary performance and stationed forces in Belgium. I trust you have no objections?”
“Of course not,” Charles replied gentlemanly. “It was a well-thought-out decision by headquarters.”
You’ve already stationed them here—what objections could I possibly raise? That wasn’t the main point anyway.
Gamelin seemed to read Charles’s thoughts. “As for not informing you earlier, it was because you were on leave. The radio silence was for security reasons. You understand; troop redeployment can’t be disclosed to the enemy.”
“Indeed, quite prudent,” Charles nodded. “You’ve handled it superbly.”
Charles deliberately used “you,” encompassing both Gamelin and the parliament.
The command center was a modest two-story building. At the top of the stairs, a turn along the corridor led to the operations room.
Awkwardly, the command center lacked an office for the commander.
A few staff hastily brought in a desk and chair, placing a lamp on one corner as a makeshift setup.
As Charles entered, staff members were still dusting off the table and chair. Upon seeing him, they froze, snapping to attention.
Gamelin maintained his composure: “We just arrived. Everything is being set up.”
Charles smiled, nodding: “You’ve been very considerate. I have no complaints.”
Gamelin bowed slightly, maintaining a tone of exaggerated respect: “We live to serve you, Commander.”
Charles sat at the commander’s desk. The staff busied themselves with their tasks, and the command center hummed with activity—except for Charles, who appeared entirely redundant.
The desk before him was empty, devoid of documents. Occasionally, a few telegrams were handed over, but they contained trivial information.
Charles realized he had been sidelined by the parliament.
They didn’t need Charles to command the 6th Army; they only needed his title as the 6th Army’s commander to placate the troops and the French military at large.
If they committed any wrongdoing, such as ordering the purges of mutiny representatives, they could pin the blame on Charles.
While suppressing the soldiers, they also weakened Charles’s influence—a calculated maneuver with dual benefits.
During this time, Charles exchanged glances with Weygand, who discreetly shook his head before blending back into the staff’s activities.
This was the result of the act orchestrated by Charles and Foch.
The parliament believed Foch to be Charles’s rival and therefore trusted him to place Weygand within the 6th Army.
What should Charles do now?
The simplest option was to abandon the 6th Army and return to his mechanized units.
But Charles knew he couldn’t.
If he couldn’t protect the mutiny representatives, like Jeremy and Darlan, it would be devastating to his credibility.
The soldiers would see that Charles couldn’t shield them. They would have to obey the parliament—or face destruction.
Conversely, if Charles could protect them, it would discredit the parliament, strengthening their loyalty to him.
This was a war between Charles and the parliament. He couldn’t back down.