Chapter 585: The Intimidation of "Unspoken Rules"
It was past eleven o'clock on Christmas Eve at the Le Brou Command Post.
Though Charles had no immediate tasks, he chose not to rest.
He was leafing through a novel titled The Legend of Ulan Spik, a story about the protagonist's relentless fight for national liberation and freedom of faith. In truth, Charles was merely passing the time, awaiting any potential developments that might unfold tonight.
A few meters away, Gamelin received a telegram from a staff officer, glanced at it, and smiled faintly before striding toward Charles's desk. His military boots made a deliberate clacking sound with each step, as if to make a statement.
When Gamelin reached Charles, he snapped to attention in a formal salute, though his demeanor carried a hint of mockery. He then handed over the report.
"Commander," Gamelin said, "a telegram from Paris. They intend to mobilize two divisions from the British Expeditionary Force and another from the Northern Army Group to assist in quelling the unrest."
When uttering the words "quelling the unrest," he deliberately slowed down and emphasized the phrase, as if worried Charles might miss it.
Charles remained unmoved, legs crossed as he continued flipping through his book.
Gamelin placed the telegram lightly on the desk before Charles and leaned forward slightly, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Rest assured, Commander. Le Brou is safe."
"Is it?" Charles responded, his voice calm. "What will you do once these troops arrive? Let the British take over our battlefield, or our troops?"
Caught off guard, Gamelin hesitated. He had no follow-up plan but managed to reply, "I'll discuss a plan with Lieutenant General Avis. Everything will return to normal."
Charles chuckled faintly, not even bothering to lift his eyes. "I've heard you’re the smartest general in France. I have my doubts."
Gamelin's smile faltered but quickly returned. "That’s irrelevant. What matters is whether you're smart enough, don’t you think, Commander?"
Their eyes met as Gamelin challenged him.
Charles finally looked up at Gamelin. "If I were smart, should I surrender to you now?"
"More or less," Gamelin replied, nodding slightly. "While you still can."
He added, "We don’t need to waste time, General. I mean, there’s no need to drag troops around during such dangerous times."
"If you're destined to lose, there's no point in persisting. You’ll make the wise choice, won’t you? I trust you’re an intelligent man."
Charles sighed lightly and shook his head. "Poor Gamelin. You still don’t get it."
"What?" Gamelin's eyes reflected his surprise.
Charles's tone changed, addressing him as "Mr. Gamelin" instead of "General."
The shift in title stung, suggesting Gamelin was unworthy of being a general.
Gamelin's expression darkened. He clenched his teeth, his gaze cold. "They say you’re a conscientious capitalist, but it seems the truth is otherwise. You’ll regret your stubbornness today!"
Charles closed the book in his hand and placed it on the desk, sliding the telegram back toward Gamelin.
"Do you think the parliament sent troops to quell the so-called unrest?"
"Think about it. Why would they involve the British Army? Do they want conflict between the French and British troops?"
Gamelin froze.
Deploying the British Army to resolve internal French issues indeed seemed inappropriate. Such tensions should be handled within the French forces. Moreover, involving the British risked complicating matters, potentially leading to misunderstandings.
"That’s not your concern," Gamelin replied. "It seems you’re barely holding on yourself."
"I agree," Charles said with a smile. "That’s something for you to consider."
"What do you mean?" Gamelin asked.
Charles leaned back leisurely and replied, "When parliament encounters a thorny issue, their go-to solution is to shift the focus and divert attention."
Gamelin laughed dismissively. "You mean they want to direct the soldiers’ attention to the British?"
He clearly didn’t believe a word.
Charles’s tone grew serious:
"Not the soldiers—the people."
"Parliament is in a tight spot. Bringing in the British forces lets them make it appear as if the entire matter stems from British coercion, giving them an excuse to retreat gracefully."
"To put it simply, parliament is preparing to concede, while you think I’m losing this 'battle.'"
Gamelin stared at Charles, dumbfounded, before bursting into laughter. "Perhaps I’m not as smart as they say, but I’m no fool, General. I won’t be intimidated by you—"
Charles interrupted, his voice brimming with confidence:
"Let me tell you what will happen next."
"The deployed troops might have minor skirmishes with the Sixth Army Group, but they won’t accomplish anything significant under the pretext of quelling unrest."
"Before long, parliament will step in as mediators, pretending to be 'neutral' rather than the instigators."
"In the end, they’ll even offer me rewards to pacify me and the soldiers of the Sixth Army Group. They’ll remove you, handing command of the Sixth Army Group over to me to stabilize the situation."
Gamelin's smile gradually faded.
This scenario was precisely the kind of maneuver parliament was capable of—blaming the British to protect its reputation.
"Are you so sure?" Gamelin muttered, though doubt had begun to gnaw at him.
Charles raised an eyebrow. "We’ll see."
The answer was clear: no amount of troops could quell such "unrest," because they didn’t even know who or where the "enemy" was. Resolving the situation was impossible.
Dejected, Gamelin returned to his seat. A nagging feeling told him Charles was right: parliament would soon capitulate.
What Gamelin couldn’t stomach was that Charles had orchestrated everything, steering events to his advantage. Meanwhile, Gamelin had completely misread the situation and even tried to persuade Charles to surrender on the cusp of his victory!
Gamelin’s face burned as he replayed Charles’s mockery: "The smartest general in France?", "Mr. Gamelin!", and "We’ll see!"
No, it couldn’t end this way.
Parliament wouldn’t let Charles off the hook; his actions warranted severe punishment.
But regardless of Gamelin’s wishes, events unfolded in Charles's favor.
As Gamelin brooded over parliament's motives, a staff officer hesitantly approached him with a document. Lowering his voice, the officer reported, "General, this requires General Charles’s signature."
"What?" Gamelin snapped, glaring at the officer as if to ask who dared openly defy orders sidelining Charles.
The officer stammered, "The brigade and regimental commanders at the front say they won’t survive the night without acknowledging General Charles's authority..."
Gamelin was speechless.
The "unspoken rules" had begun to intimidate. Frontline commanders and staff had no choice but to acknowledge Charles’s leadership.
Charles had already won this "battle," as command was steadily shifting into his hands.