Chapter 586: You Are the Hope of France, General
In less than an hour, the positions of Charles and Gamelin completely reversed.
Documents began arriving at Charles' desk, initially just one or two. Before long, they piled up, becoming so overwhelming within thirty minutes that Charles found himself scrambling to keep up.
This shift was dictated by the “unwritten rules” or, more precisely, the choices of the rank-and-file soldiers. More importantly, it reflected a principle of survival: “Submit to the victor, or perish with the defeated.”
Any officer who used orders signed by Gamelin to command troops would become a “target.” Engaging in battle with such orders practically guaranteed a death sentence. On the other hand, orders signed by Charles served as a talisman, granting absolute authority that no one dared oppose.
The officers were no fools. Realizing this, they flocked to Charles, recognizing his authority and allegiance.
An hour later, even Gamelin’s closest staff officers had no choice but to report to Charles.
This was not due to their preference but because reporting to Gamelin had become meaningless. The decision-making power was no longer in Gamelin’s hands, rendering his awareness irrelevant.
Charles swiftly signed documents while asking the staff the same three questions he had posed earlier:
“Do you have the reviewed list?”
“Yes, General,” a staff officer promptly replied, rushing to his desk. He flipped through the files, then hurried back to hand Charles the documents. “Here they are, General. This folder contains the reviewed list, and this one has the pending names.”
“What about the confinement list?”
Another staff officer quickly handed over a file. “The dozen individuals recently confined aren’t included in this list yet. I’ll verify it immediately.”
Charles acknowledged with a simple “Hmm,” then asked, “If I wanted to inspect the confinement room, there wouldn’t be any issues, correct?”
“Of course not, General,” the staff officer answered. “You can go anytime. Shall I arrange it for you?”
“No,” Charles replied, shaking his head. “Order General Christine to deploy a unit to surround the confinement room. Do not allow anyone to transfer the detainees.”
“Yes, General.”
One of the council’s goals was to punish the representatives of the mutiny. Charles had promised to ensure their safety, and this promise had become a focal point of his confrontation with the council.
Charles feared that the council might secretly transfer the detainees during this transitional period of power. Should they succeed, even if Charles regained full command, his reputation among the soldiers would suffer.
As Charles had suspected, when Christine led an infantry battalion to surround the confinement room, they intercepted over a dozen vehicles attempting to transfer the “prisoners” amidst the chaos.
The opposing side defiantly claimed to be acting on orders, demanding that Christine step aside.
Christine glanced at the order documents and responded without hesitation:
“The commander of the 6th Army Group is Charles. Any other orders are invalid.”
“Gamelin only temporarily assumed command during Charles’ leave.”
“The German spies clearly misunderstood the situation. When they forged these orders, they thought the commander hadn’t returned.”
The soldiers under Christine understood immediately:
“Yes, they must be German spies.”
“These fools have exposed themselves!”
“They’re trying to take our people right under our noses!”
...
Unsurprisingly, these “German spies” were beaten mercilessly by the furious soldiers, leaving them bruised and battered. If Charles hadn’t arrived in time to stop them, the situation might have turned deadly.
Among the detained “prisoners,” Charles spotted Jeremy and Darlan. Both were tightly bound but looked at Charles with grateful eyes.
Darlan, in particular, was moved to tears. Coming from an aristocratic background, he fully grasped the gravity of the situation. His father, a lawyer and former mayor of a City, had served as a parliamentary deputy and even held the position of Minister of Justice under the Méline Cabinet eighteen years ago before retiring in 1912.
Darlan knew how the council operated and understood that the representatives of the mutiny would be executed as an example to deter future revolts.
The council’s methods mirrored those used to suppress worker strikes: the ordinary workers might be spared, but their leaders were never forgiven.
For Darlan, this wasn’t just death. It meant complete ruin—honor, dignity, and even his family’s future would be destroyed.
When confined, he had abandoned all hope.
He had once considered Charles’ promise, but it was, after all, just a promise. How could Charles possibly defy the council for a mere pledge? Only a fool would believe such a person existed.
This was the reality of French politics: everyone pursued their interests, not justice, without exception.
But as Charles stood before him, Darlan realized he had been wrong. Charles was that exception!
“Gentlemen,” Charles said, addressing the crowd of soldiers, launching into an impromptu speech:
“These individuals being interrogated and detained—do we know why they’re here?”
“If it’s for mutiny, then they shouldn’t be the only ones detained.”
“They’re here because they represent the soldiers. They spoke the words you wanted to say and fought for your rights.”
“More importantly, their demands in the negotiations were not unreasonable.”
The soldiers nodded in agreement with Charles’ words.
Charles continued:
“Is it wrong to refuse meaningless offensives? No, I don’t think so!”
“On the contrary, I believe the officers who recklessly push soldiers into battle, without regard for their lives, just to climb the ranks, are the ones in the wrong.”
“Their actions are utterly irresponsible—a crime, a murder, destroying the foundation and faith of France!”
The soldiers cheered in support of Charles.
While it seemed like he was speaking for the soldiers, Charles was cementing his authority and reputation. Among all the generals, only Charles prioritized the lives of his soldiers and ensured every offensive was meaningful.
Thus, supporting the rejection of “meaningless offensives” was, in essence, supporting Charles.
The soldiers roared in agreement:
“Those officers should be locked up instead!”
“They should fight battles the way Charles does!”
“How dare anyone try to strip Charles of command and let those inept officers meddle!”
...
When the uproar subsided, Charles declared, “Therefore, I believe the interrogations and detentions must end immediately. All those detained should be released and reinstated. What do you think?”
The soldiers clenched their fists and shouted their approval. Some began untying the “prisoners.”
Once freed, the detainees eagerly stepped forward to salute and shake Charles’ hand.
Among them, Darlan clasped Charles’ hand tightly, admiration shining in his teary eyes. After a long pause, he choked out a few words:
“You are the hope of France, General! We need you!”