I Became a Tycoon During World War I: Saving France from the Start

Chapter 151: Intelligence from Political Infighting

Paris, the Operations Division at the City Defense Headquarters.

Gallieni had hung a large map of the Lafaux region on the north wall beside his desk, with every trench and troop position carefully marked from intelligence gathered. Standing before it, he said heavily to Charles, "All of this intelligence was paid for with the lives and blood of our soldiers."

Charles replied, "Actually, we could have gathered much of this information with aerial reconnaissance."

Gallieni shot him a disapproving look, as if to say that this remark undermined Joffre's efforts, rendering them pointless. However, he held back his criticism, using a pointer to highlight areas on the map. "From past battles, the central section of the line has proven the hardest to break. There's a high ground here, over 100 meters tall, giving the Germans a clear vantage over us. It's heavily fortified with barbed wire in front, and there's likely an artillery regiment stationed behind it."

Pausing, Gallieni furrowed his brow in thought. "I'm wondering if we should consider attacking from the flanks…"

"No," Charles interjected, "I believe we should press the central line. The German artillery has a range of 12 kilometers, meaning we'd face bombardment regardless of whether we attack from the center or the flanks. The center has flat terrain, while the flanks are rough. If our tanks attack from the sides, they'll be exposed to even more artillery fire along the way."

Gallieni considered this, then nodded, pointing to the German artillery positions. "So, your plan is to drive straight through and strike their artillery directly?"

"Exactly," Charles nodded. "If we can neutralize their artillery positions, it will pave the way for our forces to retake the Lafaux region in one decisive push."

Two hours later, Charles's attack plan lay on the desk in Halil's command post.

Colonel Halil found it strange and asked his aide, Wolf, "This is supposed to be top-secret information, likely known only to Gallieni. Why was it passed to our intelligence team so quickly? Are we certain it's authentic?"

Halil was skeptical, suspecting that perhaps an overeager informant had "forged" the intelligence to claim credit.

Wolf gave a confident smile. "No need to doubt it, Colonel. This source is very reliable."

Seeing Halil's continued uncertainty, Wolf leaned in and whispered, "It came from one of the French political parties."

Suddenly, Halil understood: French internal politics. In short, if Gallieni and Charles's faction succeeded, it would hurt the interests of another political party. So, that party used its connections to obtain the intelligence and quietly passed it to German operatives.

Halil chuckled, shaking his head. "Foolish French—they never stop prioritizing internal conflicts over the real war."

Wolf smiled. "Otherwise, how could they be called 'French'?"

"So," Halil asked, "do we know exactly how many tanks Charles has and what forces are at his disposal?"

"Of course," Wolf replied, nodding. "We even know the exact timing of the attack."

Even though Gallieni had built a rail line straight to Charles's tractor factory, the party had planted spies within the factory, allowing them to easily track what and how much was loaded onto the trains each day.

Halil nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, things will go much more smoothly."

Just then, a radio operator entered with an excited expression. "Colonel, General von Waldeck has approved our request! He's transferring artillery battalions from Andelus and Tamon under your command, with priority on ammunition supplies!"

A cheer erupted in the command post. The Lafaux area had previously been supported by only two artillery companies; now they were being reinforced with two full artillery battalions. It wouldn't matter how many tanks Charles deployed—they'd all be shredded by artillery fire.

The Bourbon Palace, French National Assembly.

Once again, Gallieni stood on the parliamentary floor, facing a questioning assembly.

Since his last session, in which he had openly criticized the assembly members, Gallieni had little desire to interact with them further. He found them to be nothing but ignorant and self-serving and had no patience for their antics.

However, this session was pivotal. The assembly would decide whether to send Charles and his tanks into battle to replace Joffre, which left Gallieni with little choice.

"General Gallieni!" A deputy stood up, his tone high-pitched and overly refined. "Do you truly believe that a seventeen-year-old boy—one who has never attended a military academy, never seen combat—has the necessary experience and skill to lead our army against the Germans? And that he should replace General Joffre, a man with forty-four years of service, and our esteemed commander-in-chief?"

Gallieni replied simply, "Sorry, could you repeat that? I didn't quite hear you."

There was a brief silence before the hall erupted in laughter.

Everyone knew that Gallieni was landing a sharp blow with a touch of humor: it was indeed the seventeen-year-old Charles, with no formal training, who had achieved the victories they were celebrating.

Joffre's "achievements" could be summarized as a colonial victory in Senegal years prior, against native forces armed with sticks, arrows, and muskets. The other, which the media hyped, was the Battle of the Marne—a victory won largely by Gallieni and Charles.

Embarrassed, the deputy slumped back into his seat.

Another deputy rose. Gallieni recognized him as Stede, from the Saint-Étienne Arms Factory, and knew he held a grudge over the recent conflict regarding machine guns. Gallieni sneered internally, expecting Stede to raise baseless objections.

To his surprise, however, Stede adopted a measured tone. "General Gallieni, I only wish to know one thing. Is there truth in Charles's comments to the media that the CA-1 and Saint-Chamond have serious design flaws?"

The chamber erupted in jeers and boos.

Gallieni raised an eyebrow. The question was favorable to him, and he wondered if Stede had either mellowed with age or had other motives.

"It's true," Gallieni replied with conviction. "The flaws in the CA-1 and Saint-Chamond are undeniable. They overlook battlefield realities, focusing solely on loading them with as much firepower as possible. The result is…"

He was quickly interrupted by opposition.

"It's not the tanks; it's the inexperience of the operators!"

"The soldiers just aren't coordinated!"

"Blame the Germans' new rifle rounds. Charles's tanks would fail too!"

The room was in uproar.

James Schneider, the owner of Schneider and Co., rose and said smoothly, "Gentlemen, why don't we try letting Charles command the Saint-Chamond in an attack? Surely it has better chances than a tank equipped with only machine guns?"

Gallieni cursed internally. Opportunist! He'll say anything to protect his profit margins.

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