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

Chapter 66 Ciel's Work

Charles' job was to report directly to General Gallieni, that is, to deliver the latest intelligence to Gallieni.

This sounds like a simple job, just passing on information, but it actually involves a lot of knowledge.

"You must have a considerable understanding of the battlefield!" Fernando placed a pile of thick maps and a stack of documents half a person's height in front of Charles. "You are a staff officer, not a signalman. A signalman only needs to be able to read, speak and walk. And you, you must be ready to answer the general's questions at any time, such as where a certain unit is, what the situation on the battlefield is, etc."

"How can I remember them all?" Charles looked at the pile of documents in front of him in surprise.

"You don't need to remember, Lieutenant!" Fernando raised his eyebrows: "I'll tell you a little secret. If there is a war recently, you should know as much as possible about it and follow it in time. Only in this way can you answer the general's question!"

Charles thought it made sense, after all, wars were updated in a timely manner, and the general was unlikely to ask about previous wars and other irrelevant circumstances.

Thinking about this, Charles spread his hands towards the documents in front of him: "So, Lieutenant Colonel...what do I need them for?"

The smug expression on Fernando's face slowly disappeared as he realized that he had given his "little secret" a little too early.

What Charles didn't know was that his mission was actually carefully planned by Gallieni.

Before this, Gallieni rarely went to the lounge, and if he did, it was because he was too tired.

But since Charles came, he went to the lounge more often and stayed there for longer and longer periods of time, sometimes even asking someone to bring him a cup of coffee and some fruit.

The staff in the war room did not find this strange. They interpreted Gallieni's change as a change in the war situation:

Before, the Germans had reached the gates of Paris, so of course we had to respond with all our might.

Now that the Germans have retreated, the front line is gradually moving away from Paris and there is no hope of counterattack. There is nothing wrong with relaxing. Besides, Gallieni is 65 years old and his physical condition does not allow for fatigue.

But the reason is not what they think...

Charles made a lot of preparations before delivering the intelligence. Just as Fernando said, he wrote down some place names and the general situation of the current war, including the location and status of relevant troops, so as to avoid the need to check them temporarily when encountering problems.

It is not easy to conduct temporary searches during this period; one may have to dig out the answers to the questions from a mountain of intelligence and documents.

However, Charles found that all his preparations were meaningless.

Charles knocked on the wooden door of the lounge with a telegram in his hand. After getting permission, he pushed the door open and reported: "General, the 5th Army has advanced another 3 kilometers to the north and has now reached the Unar area!"

The harassment campaign of the 5th Army was the most successful, which made its offensive able to be described as unstoppable. They had left other troops far behind by more than ten kilometers, thus forming a salient on the offensive line.

Major General Maunoury, commander of the 6th Army, believed that the 5th Army should stop advancing and wait for other troops, otherwise there would be a danger of being surrounded by the German army.

Gallieni, who was looking down at the map, hummed, took the telegram, crumpled it up and threw it on the ground, and asked, "What do you think?"

"What?" Charles did not understand what Gallieni meant.

"Do you think Major General Maunouri is right?" Gallieni stared at the map and asked calmly, "Should we stop the Fifth Army?"

Charles uttered an "ah" and stared at Gallieni in a daze.

Shouldn't this old man ask which armies are on the left and right wings of the 5th Army, whether the logistics can keep up, and where the reinforcements are... As soon as the thought came to his mind, Gallieni pointed to the map and began to talk:

"The 5th Army's left wing is the 3rd Army, and its right wing is the 8th Army."

“Although the progress of these two armies is not as fast as that of the 5th Army, they are also advancing steadily.”

"The 5th Army just received a batch of reinforcements last night, so there shouldn't be any problem with manpower."

"In addition, they captured a warehouse abandoned by the Germans a few days ago, which gave them a lot of food!"

……

Charles was confused by this, old man, are you stealing my lines?

Seeing that Charles did not answer, Gallieni raised his head and looked at Charles, asking: "What's wrong? Is it the identity of a staff officer that restricts your talents, or is it the rank of second lieutenant that restricts your imagination? This is not like you!"

"General!" Charles replied, "You seem to be asking something you need to consider!"

"That's right, Charles!" Gallieni looked at Charles meaningfully. "But the staff officer is my assistant and part of my brain. So, I am thinking!"

Charles didn't understand at first, but after a while he finally understood:

If Charles, the staff officer, is part of Gallieni's brain, then Charles' thinking is equivalent to Gallieni's thinking, and Charles' solution to the problem is equivalent to Gallieni's solution to the problem.

Can it be explained this way?
Seeing that Charles was still hesitating, Gallieni raised his head and said, "It seems that you are not suitable for thinking, Charles! In this case, I can only let you practice military posture. It may be more suitable for you, and you seem to like it!"

As he said this, he raised his head as if to call Fernando.

"No, General!" Charles hurried to stop him.

He was tired of responding to commands over and over again like a robot. It was a torture for Ciel.

The reason why he pretended to like it was because he was worried that this old guy would find his weakness, but now it seems that it has no effect at all!

Noticing the embarrassment on Charles's face, Gallieni smiled with a hint of success. He raised his chin towards the map on the table and said, "Then let me see if you are fit to think!"

Charles came over with a helpless look on his face, looked at the map and thought for a while, then said, "I think we should not stop the 5th Army, but speed it up!"

"Why?" Gallieni asked in confusion.

He had thought about letting the 5th Army maintain its speed, but he had never thought of speeding it up. This little guy surprised him again.

"Remember what I said before about 'special operations'?" Charles asked back.

Gallieni's eyes lit up instantly. This new term had been tormenting him for several days!
Looking at Gallieni's excited expression, Charles suddenly thought, could all this be planned by Gallieni?

Standing at attention, this special job, and the lounge...are all these just coincidences?
(End of this chapter)