I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 65 The Cunning Little Guy
Charles was assigned an independent dormitory. Although it was not large, only 7 square meters, and the furnishings were simple, with a bed, a table, chairs and a small bookshelf, this was the treatment only for colonels. Lieutenant colonels and below had to share a room with two or even four people. It was a small room with four bunk beds.

Charles became a second lieutenant, the rank given to officers graduating from military academy, although Charles had never attended military academy.

Gallieni said: "This guy invented the tank and the sidecar, which really played a significant role on the battlefield. It's not too much to give him the rank of colonel!"

Then he added: "If there is someone who can give us some useful inventions like him, I will also give him a military rank!"

No one objected, so Charles received a full set of equipment for a lieutenant:
Two sets of spare military uniforms with a gold stripe on the cuffs.

A pair of binoculars with a case that can be easily carried on the shoulder.

A whistle, which is used to give orders to soldiers, and sometimes also for communication or warning between officers.

A revolver, Model 1892, for command and self-defense.

An M1845 infantry officer's sword. Charles liked this sword very much and couldn't let it go when he got it.

It is very finely crafted, with a copper guard, a single-piece fine steel blade, two grooves, one wide and one narrow, and the manufacturer's stamp printed on the front of the guard.

However, it is 87 cm long, and when Charles hangs it around his waist, it almost reaches the ground.

Charles understood that taking it to the battlefield would be tantamount to suicide. It would not be of any use but would affect his own actions.

In the end, Charles could only regretfully place it on the bedside as a decoration.

After changing into his military uniform, Charles couldn't help but admire himself in the mirror.

I have to say that the French military uniforms of this period were very handsome, but it’s a pity that beauty and the battlefield are often in conflict. The more beautiful and colorful something is, the more eye-catching it is. Another meaning of this is that you will die quickly!

When he opened the door and walked out of the dormitory, he saw the orderly Adrian waiting at the door. He was assigned to Charles by Gallieri and was responsible for all matters in Charles' life.

Adrian looked up and down, and suddenly panicked: "Sorry, Lieutenant! My mistake, I gave you a pair of boots without spurs. I... I'll change them for you right away!"

"Spurs?" Ciel stopped Adrian: "No, it's not necessary. I can't ride a horse!"

"But..." Adrian explained, "Every officer knows how to ride a horse. Even if they can't now, they will have to learn in the future!"

Charles was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

Horses were very important to officers during this period, and they sometimes needed to ride on horses and wield swords to command troops to charge, or run quickly around the team and shout orders so that everyone could hear them.

Although Charles' staff officers were not required to go to the battlefield, they always had tasks such as delivering documents, intelligence, or temporary command, and they often needed to ride horses.

However, riding a warhorse and commanding the infantry on the battlefield?
Charles couldn't help but shudder when he thought of this. He would never do such a thing, not now and certainly not in the future!

"No need, Adrian!" Charles looked at his boots and continued to insist on his idea: "This is good!"

"Adrian!" someone called over here, "Have you forgotten that the lieutenant has a motorcycle factory? He is producing motorcycles for our army, and you let him ride a horse wearing military boots with spurs?"

Adrian was relieved to hear this, a motorcycle might be a better choice.

However, Charles also did not know how to ride a motorcycle. At this time, Gallieni came over and looked Charles up and down, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

But he sneered, "As expected of a capitalist, Lieutenant! You have taken good care of yourself. I wonder if a little flower like you that grew up in a greenhouse can withstand the ravages of the army!"

"Yes, General!" was all Charles could say.

Gallieni turned his head and called out to a place not far away: "Fernan!"

"Yes, General!" A lieutenant colonel trotted over and stood in front of Gallieni.

"He's yours!" Gallieni waved his white gloves at Charles. "Tell him what to do, and before that teach him how to salute!"

"Yes, General!" Fernand replied, turning to Charles and saying, "Follow me, lieutenant, let's go downstairs!"

The training ground was in the backyard of the headquarters, where there were flowers and dwarf trees, and in the middle there was a statue of Gilbert Dumotier.

Gilbert was the man who drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and formulated the French tricolor flag. He also participated in the American War of Independence and the French Revolution and was called the "hero of two worlds."

Fernand chose to train Charles in the open space in front of the statue. Charles suspected that Fernand wanted to use the statue to educate him as a capitalist.

As a "teacher", Fernand was very qualified. He trained Charles seriously, just like a new recruit, learning how to salute, march, and stand guard with a gun.

Ciel was not a good student and thought it was boring, but he pretended to be serious and motivated.

"If it's formal training, it will take at least several months!" Fernando frowned at Charles' poor military posture, "But the general only gave me one day. God, what can I learn in one day?"

Charles really wanted to tell him: Lieutenant Colonel, is it possible that General Gallieni only gave you one day not because he wanted you to train me well in one day, but because he didn't want to waste too much time!
But Charles said nothing.

He believed that Gallieni was waiting to catch him by the hair, which might be the real reason why he asked Charles to practice military posture.

Charles was right in his guess. Gallieni was staring at Charles in the operations department on the second floor. He wanted to see Charles disobey orders or contradict Fernando.

Only in this way could Gallieni walk up to Charles with his head held high and reprimand him righteously:
"What do you think the army is?"

"Do you think that because you invented the tank and the sidecar, you can be an exception and ignore military discipline? Do you think that you can be above others and even disobey orders?"

"This is the military! This is a place where discipline and obedience are important!"

"No matter who you are, no matter what you have done in the past, or how many merits you have made, now you are just a second lieutenant!"

However, Gallieni never seized this opportunity, which made him feel like he was punching soft cotton.

He had thought of the lines in his mind and even matched the actions in his head, and imagined Ciel's aggrieved expression... but in the end, nothing happened.

Gallieni was mad with uneasy feelings, and he paced up and down the war room, peeking in from the window now and then, but Charles was studying earnestly the whole time, though not very well.

Suddenly, Gallieni stopped walking, and after a moment's pause, he laughed at himself: "Sly little guy, he guessed it, everything was within his calculations!"

(End of this chapter)