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

Chapter 921: Charles is just like this
When everyone saw the person who was speaking coming out from the backlight, they exclaimed:

"Lieutenant General, the Lieutenant General is here."

"It's Lieutenant General Charles."

……

The French engineers stood up to greet him, followed by the British advisory group, and even Stephen restrained his arrogance and greeted Charles.

Ciel found a random seat and sat down, speaking in a relaxed tone: "Let's be casual, gentlemen, and discuss the issue as usual. After all, I'm in the Army, and I probably don't understand most of what you're saying."

Everyone laughed, but their expressions were different.

The French engineers took Charles' words as a "joke" and they didn't think that Charles really didn't understand the navy's problems.

The world-renowned victory in the North Sea was commanded by Charles. He also developed the "echo sounder" and "torpedo plane" that strangled submarines and warships. How could he not "understand"?
The British advisory group took this seriously.

This was due to the British Royal Navy's arrogance as the world's number one navy. It was also due to the British blockade of public opinion, or the deliberate guidance of the British media, which made the British advisory group at the middle and lower levels disdain the great changes caused by the "torpedo plane":
"The success of the French 'torpedo planes' is only due to the current lack of anti-aircraft preparedness of warships."

"Once the enemy uses seaplanes to intercept, they won't even be able to get close to the target, and even if they do, they will be destroyed by anti-aircraft fire!"

"Battleships are still the dominant force on the sea. This will not change. 'Torpedo planes' cannot shake their position!"

……

Colonel Stephen's idea was not so absolute, but it was almost the same.

He believed that as long as aircraft carriers were developed to be able to launch more advanced and faster fighter jets, the "torpedo planes" converted from bombers would not be worth mentioning.

"Lieutenant General." Colonel Stephen left the table and walked to Charles, handing him the document respectfully. "This is the data you requested. We have only received part of it so far. We will send the rest in batches."

This was a tactic of the Quartermaster General.

If all the data were handed over to Charles at once, and Charles copied a copy and then said the data was useless and sent it back, then everything the Quartermaster did would be in vain.

Therefore, it is wise to give out data and suggestions in batches, and it would be best to strangle the French aircraft carrier construction or lead it in the wrong direction.

Charles flipped through it and found that it was indeed the design of a British aircraft carrier, but it was a modification of the old version of the "Furious".

(The picture above shows the British cruiser "Furious" which was converted into an aircraft carrier during World War I. It retained the rear guns, but landing was extremely difficult and the experimental results were not ideal. The deck was changed to a full deck the following year)
Without waiting for Charles to ask, Stephen rushed to explain:

"As a warship, we believe that removing all firepower is extremely dangerous and will completely lose its ability to defend itself in a naval battle."

"Besides, there aren't many benefits to be gained by completely eliminating naval guns."

"Because even if the deck is extended to more than 100 meters, only one aircraft can be taking off or landing at the same time, otherwise the landing aircraft is likely to collide with the taking-off aircraft."

"It's obviously not worth it. This is the conclusion we came to after many experiments!"

Charles smiled secretly.

This should be the intention of the Minister of Munitions, otherwise a naval colonel would not have so much power to discuss the development direction of aircraft carriers. The Royal Navy is not an institution where a colonel can access core secrets.

However, Charles did not point it out explicitly. He pretended to flip through the documents for a while, and nodded slightly as if he agreed with Stephen's idea.

This would reassure the Quartermaster General, who would then send more information and data.

Even if only some of them are true, it can save France a lot of time, and it can also catch the British off guard. Stephen saw Charles's performance, and the tension in his heart relaxed a little.

Charles didn't notice anything unusual. He thought, after all, this is something completely new. We are still exploring, while France has no idea about it. Isn't it up to us to decide what the correct direction is?
Then he glanced defiantly at the French engineer sitting opposite him.

"What do you think?" Charles turned his gaze to the engineers.

The engineers exchanged glances, and then made their statements one after another:
"I agree with this plan, which is a combination of the firepower of warships and the take-off and landing platform."

"What Captain Stephen said makes sense. If we are destined to only take off and land alternately, then an 80-meter deck is sufficient to meet the needs. Extending the deck will not be of much use."

"Removing all the guns is dangerous and will make the carrier a target for the enemy."

……

What a bunch of idiots, Charles cursed inwardly, they were fooled so easily.

If all five battleships were modified using this plan, France's aircraft carrier plan would be delayed by at least two years or even longer.

Because France was originally short of funds, it would never recover from this heavy blow.

And this is exactly what the UK wants to see.

Finally, Charles's gaze fell on the middle-aged major general.

The middle-aged major general was panicking. Even in winter, beads of sweat still appeared on his forehead.

The middle-aged major general was named Pierre Ronac, chief of staff of the Toulon fleet and right-hand man of the Minister of the Navy.

(The picture above shows Major General Pierre Ronach, who performed well in anti-submarine warfare during World War I. He pioneered the tactics of "air, submarine, and speedboat" to locate the German submarine area, and then use trawlers to violently capture the submarine. After the war, he was promoted to admiral. In order to commemorate him, the modern French Navy named the first FDI-class frigate "Admiral Ronach".)
As a staunch anti-Charles faction, he believed that he would most likely be one of the first officers to be expelled from the Toulon fleet by Charles.

Because only in this way can Charles better control the Toulon fleet.

Now, I have undoubtedly given Charles an excuse, a perfect excuse:

Everyone thought that the rear guns of the aircraft carrier should be retained, but he advocated the removal of all the guns. This would be considered as having "ulterior motives" and even a desire to persecute the Toulon fleet or Charles!
"Major General." Charles asked, "You, don't you have anything to say?"

Ciel asked in a calm, polite voice.

But what Major General Pierre heard was an ultimatum: Don't you have anything to say? Then admit your guilt and get out of here, you idiot!

Pierre gritted his teeth, stood up, and met Charles's gaze fiercely:
"I'm sorry I can't agree with this plan, Lieutenant General. If we do this, the end result is likely to be that nothing will be accomplished."

"What I mean is that in actual combat, the rear gun may not be able to achieve the expected self-defense effect, and the front flight deck may not be able to provide a spacious and stable flight platform for the aircraft."

“Although I can’t provide evidence, my intuition tells me that this is wrong.”

……

Charles didn't say anything. He stared at Major General Pierre for a while, then suddenly laughed, with sarcasm on his lips and helplessness in his eyes.

Others started laughing too, including the British advisory group.

Colonel Stephen smiled the most.

Charles was just like that, he believed it!
(End of this chapter)