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

Chapter 69 Military Uniform Effect
Charles returned to the town on the morning of the third day.

This was Gallieni's implementation of the House of Representatives' decision: "Give Charles a relatively relaxed environment so that he has the time and conditions to continue inventing new equipment."

Charles had a two-day-once-return system, which meant he stayed in the army for two days and went home on the third day.

Shire may be the only one in the whole army who has such a holiday.

During the war, if soldiers wanted to get a vacation, they had to either make great contributions, bribe officers, or exchange their hands and feet for it.

Laurent sent Charles to his doorstep and left. His job was complementary to Charles's: when Charles was in Paris, he was Charles' driver and guard; when Charles was in the small town of Lavoise, he was responsible for the security and confidentiality of the factory.

So, after dropping Charles off, he immediately drove to the factory.

It was about nine o'clock in the morning, and the sun was lazily shining on the ground of the town, like a thin layer of sand.

Ciel opened the door and found no one there.

Of course it's normal that Djokovic is not here. He should be in the factory at this time.

Camille...

Charles suddenly realized that he had no idea what Camille should do during this time.

Recalling the day when Camille was locked up at home, he went to the nearby market to buy vegetables after breakfast. Charles guessed that Camille should be there.

He thought he should at least tell Camille before going to the factory, otherwise she wouldn't even know he was back.

Walking alone on the streets of the small town, Charles felt a little strange.

In the past, the neighbors would greet him enthusiastically when they saw him, and Charles couldn't handle it. But now they were busy with their own things and didn't even glance at him, as if they didn't see him.

Charles didn't understand what was going on until Teddy walked past him while eating a pizza.

"Teddy!" Charles called.

When Teddy heard the voice, he turned his head and looked at Charles. Suddenly his eyes widened, and the bean curd in his hand fell to the ground. There were some chopped onions on his face and the corners of his mouth.

"Xia...Xiaer, you are Xiaer!" Teddy swallowed.

"Am I so hard to recognize?" Charles asked doubtfully. He had only been away for two days.

"No, no!" Teddy's tongue was tied because of nervousness. "You, you are a soldier, no, an officer!"

Charles seemed to understand that this was why he was symbolized as a "soldier" because he wore a military uniform.

During this period, there were always soldiers coming and going in the town, and even patrols. The people had become accustomed to it and automatically ignored all the soldiers, as it had nothing to do with their lives anyway.

The neighbors ignored Charles perhaps for the same reason as Teddy: they didn't recognize him.

Teddy looked at Charles' military uniform with great envy. When his eyes turned to the revolver on Charles' waist, he couldn't help but exclaimed "Wow" with surprise in his eyes: "So, is that true?"

"Of course!" Charles pulled out the revolver and shook it in his hand. It was unloaded and Charles hadn't even tried it.

"I, I can try..."

"No, Teddy!" Charles shook his head: "We have orders, we must protect our weapons!"

"Of course!" Although there was regret in Teddy's eyes, his envy of Charles increased.

While his classmates were doing nothing because they were suspended from school, Charles had become an officer with a brand new revolver.

But Charles smiled bitterly and shook his head slightly. They would regret it when they got a weapon and put on military uniform.

At this time, Charles saw a familiar figure. It was Camille who came back from buying vegetables. She was carrying a vegetable basket filled with potatoes, onions, and apparently some beef.

Charles quickly put away his gun and left Teddy to go forward. He habitually reached out to take the basket from Camille.

Camille was startled by Charles's action. She was absent-minded as she walked along the road, thinking about how Charles was doing in Paris, whether he was not used to the military life, and most worried about whether Charles would be sent to the battlefield.

Suddenly, an officer came towards her and reached out to snatch her things. She screamed and took a few steps back, even dropping some potatoes.

The neighbors around cast wary glances over here, thinking someone was going to harm Camille.

"It's me, Mom!" Charles regretted his recklessness. He should have thought that the military uniform effect would also happen to Camille.

Camille was stunned. She couldn't believe that the person standing in front of her was Charles, wearing a military uniform and apparently holding a military rank.

Then she realized that Charles had joined the army and should of course wear a military uniform.

"Charles!" Camille gasped heavily, as if his mouth had just been covered and released.

All her fears instantly turned into surprise. She looked up and down at Charles with a proud look in her eyes, touching her military cap and collar from time to time, muttering, "It's really you, Charles. Look at you, you've become a second lieutenant!"

The neighbors also recognized Charles and exclaimed:

"God, it's Master Charles!"

"I almost didn't recognize him."

"Look at him, he looks like a grown-up!"

Then someone shouted to the two of them:

"The military uniform suits you very well, Master Charles!"

"You have a wonderful child, Mrs. Bernard!"

……

Camille proudly held Charles' hand and thanked the neighbors one by one with a bright smile on her face. Nothing can make a mother more satisfied than praising her children.

Charles seemed a little uncomfortable with being treated as a child. He broke away from Camille's intimate gesture by carrying the vegetable basket for her.

At this time, a patrol happened to pass by. The soldiers saw a second lieutenant in front of them from a distance and saluted. When he came closer, they exclaimed:

"My God, that's Master Charles. He's become a lieutenant!"

"He is indeed a capitalist. He has only been in the army for a few days and has become a second lieutenant!"

"Asshole, shouldn't that be the case? Have you forgotten how much merit he has made?"

……

There were many supporters of Charles in the guard company, but there were also people who firmly opposed the capitalists. Their contradictions could not be reconciled. If the officers had not stopped them, they might have fought in the street again.

Charles guessed that this might be the status quo that Laurent intended to maintain.

When reporters came to visit, Laurent would pull out those who opposed the capitalists for interviews. They would complain to the reporters:

"Protecting capitalists? We don't have that much free time. Our job is to make sure they don't make mistakes!"

"Yes, who knows if the capitalists will sell technology to the enemy for money!"

"They are capable of anything. We should be prepared!"

……

As for the important core areas, such as near Charles' home, factories, and roads, Laurent arranged Charles' supporters to guard them. They will do their best to ensure Charles' safety.

This is called adapting to local conditions and making the best use of everything. Laurent is not as stupid as he looks, he just has a bit of bad luck.

(End of this chapter)