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I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 223
🕑 Added 2025-05-24 17:03:14 +0000 UTCChapter 223: It's Time to Develop Bombers
King Albert I left in high spirits.
He took Charles's "opinion" as the hope for the restoration of the kingdom. What he needed to do next was to convince others with Charles's opinion, something King Albert I was skilled at.
Charles felt a pang of guilt. King Albert I regarded Charles as a friend and placed all his hopes in him, while Charles had exploited him.
After King Albert I left, Gallieni, with a knowing look, asked, "Do you really think we are better suited to land in the north?"
Gallieni understood Charles. He could see through Charles’s expression earlier. While Charles might have a talent for military strategy and equipment, he wasn't good at lying.
Charles didn't answer but instead asked, "General, which side are you on?"
Gallieni shook his head slightly. "They’ve been focused on ending the war as quickly as possible, but I believe things might not be as optimistic as they think. You said before that the war wouldn’t end this soon, and it seems the situation is moving in that direction."
Charles nodded slightly. This idea was the correct one.
Gallieni was a bit surprised. "So, you're saying that it doesn't matter which direction we land from?"
"I have to choose one," Charles answered. "Because if I don't, they will continue debating and eventually come up with what they think is the right answer and do what they think is necessary."
Gallieni nodded. Not choosing was like giving equal support to both sides, and the balance would still remain in the middle.
"So you chose the north?" Gallieni asked.
The north was a more aggressive landing approach, directly facing the powerful German army, possibly even their elite forces.
Charles didn't answer. He said to Gallieni, "You should rest now, General!"
He stood up, saluted Gallieni, and turned to leave.
As Charles gently closed the door, Gallieni felt some confusion. Charles should have at least answered with a "yes," which wouldn't have taken long, but he hadn't done so.
Then Gallieni understood. Charles had likely chosen the south, not the north. He had deceived King Albert I.
The reason Charles didn’t answer was that he couldn’t, and didn’t want to lie to Gallieni.
Gallieni couldn't help but smile, muttering, "This little guy, he shouldn't avoid it!"
This was a military matter, not one for emotions. If Charles was setting a trap for the enemy, he should do what was necessary, even if the person he had to deceive was Gallieni.
However, deep down, Gallieni found himself agreeing with Charles’s approach.
Soon, Gallieni furrowed his brow again.
The Commander-in-Chief of France, Joffre, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Foch, represented a third faction. They looked down on the British approach of opening new fronts at sea, firmly believing that a victory on the Western Front could be achieved soon, "as long as the French army launches a more resolute and comprehensive attack."
This was also the reason why the military intended to order 500 "Char A1" tanks in one go. They believed the "Char A1" tanks would bring victory in their hands.
Gallieni thought that he should do his best to stop Joffre from pushing soldiers into the battlefield for unnecessary sacrifices.
...
The next morning, after Charles got up, he pulled the curtain slightly to take a quick look outside. The snow had been falling heavily, and the accumulated snow had stabilized, no longer melting repeatedly like before.
Actually, Charles preferred this kind of weather; at least it didn’t make the ground look wet. But the soldiers freezing at the front lines might not feel the same.
While washing his face, Charles looked into the mirror and noticed a pimple on his face, probably from eating too many apple crisps.
He put on his uniform and walked out of the dormitory. Looking up at the clock on the wall, it was exactly 7:40.
Lieutenant Colonel Fernand had gotten up earlier than Charles.
Since Charles was promoted to colonel, the task of sorting intelligence was no longer his. It was once again handed over to Lieutenant Colonel Fernand.
What Charles had to do was to do the final screening of the intelligence, leaving unnecessary reports or issues that could be resolved on their own for Lieutenant Colonel Fernand. The rest was prioritized by urgency before being reported to Gallieni.
"Nothing special, Colonel!" Lieutenant Colonel Fernand handed Charles a stack of intelligence. "The Cape Town defense line is stabilized, and the Germans seem to have copied our grenades, and there are also mortars!"
Charles took the telegram and murmured, "Hmm," as this was expected. Once something proves useful on the battlefield, the enemy will soon have similar equipment.
The key issue was that they didn't pay for intellectual property. Charles cursed them in his mind, calling them nothing but thieves!
Sitting in the chair, Charles shuffled through the telegrams. He set aside the important ones, grabbed the less important ones, and casually shuffled them around, as if he were playing cards. He wasn’t dumb enough to sort the less important intelligence one by one.
Then a telegram caught Charles's attention: two reconnaissance planes in the Somme region had been confirmed as missing.
This was a rather ordinary report. Reconnaissance planes going missing was almost a daily occurrence, but Charles still lingered on it for a moment.
At that moment, Gallieni came out, fully dressed in his uniform. Charles immediately stepped forward with the telegram, reporting, "General, two reconnaissance planes in the Somme region are missing!"
Gallieni grunted and asked, "Anything special about it?"
Before the words even left his mouth, Gallieni realized. He stopped, turned around, and, while taking the telegram from Charles, asked, "You mean, this was done by the enemy?"
Charles nodded. "Two reconnaissance planes, missing in the same area. Although they were careful to separate, the timing was too concentrated. I suspect the Germans are testing or practicing."
Gallieni’s expression grew serious as he murmured, "Hmm."
If the Germans had obtained the "machine gun shooting coordinator," they wouldn’t be foolish enough to engage the French First Flying Squadron in an all-out battle right away.
After all, the pilots of the French First Flying Squadron had accumulated a lot of combat experience. While it wasn’t air-to-air combat, they still had the upper hand.
If the Germans launched a hasty attack, they might lose all their excellent pilots in the first wave.
The best choice would be to train for a while, or secretly hunt down enemy reconnaissance planes in the sky. After getting used to the rhythm of the machine guns, they could then compete for air superiority with the French First Flying Squadron.
Gallieni walked back to his chair with heavy steps, slowly sat down, and said, his face expressionless, "At least we can be sure of one thing: the Germans already know the secret of the 'machine gun shooting coordinator.' How do you plan to respond?"
Charles thought for a moment before replying, "Standardize the models. Equip all planes with 'machine guns,' and all pilots will become fighter pilots!"
Gallieni nodded in agreement.
Now that the secret was out, there was no need to keep it under wraps. The machine-gun planes should be rolled out across the board, and the number of pilots should be increased.
However, Charles was thinking of something else: It was time to develop bombers!
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