I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France Chapter 696: After modification - 696 Fatal Weakness

Paris City Hall, the Pri Minister’s office was filled with smoke.

Briand and Clenceau held cigars between their fingers, silently reading the newly delivered newspaper.

Charles in zieres had not reported any of his actions to Paris, and if there were reports, they were delayed, sotis by hours, sotis by days.

Therefore, they had to rely on the newspaper to get the latest information on the war.

"It’s truly ironic," Clenceau thought this was an insult to the parliant and governnt: "Doesn’t the military know they need the parliant and governnt’s consent to fight? But now we don’t even know what’s happening on the frontline!"

"It’s warti now, your excellency," Briand replied helplessly: "If decisions still require parliant and governnt approval during warti, the only thing we will gain is failure, and a complete failure at that."

These weren’t Briand’s words but suggestions from Gallieni, Petain, and Foch standing on the sa line.

Gallieni’s latest suggestion:

"You know how parliant works, your excellency. It’s filled with spies from various countries, including German spies."

"The plans we discuss in parliant today will be known to the Germans tomorrow."

"Do you think we can win under such conditions?"

Petain supported Gallieni with a telegram:

"Parliantarians are people who don’t understand military or warfare. It’s hard to imagine we actually need their consent to formulate battle plans."

"If it has to be done this way, I have a good suggestion."

"We can send the parliantarians to the battlefield for training. If every parliantarian could be like Colonel Delion, I wouldn’t mind at all!"

(Note: Colonel Delion was a parliantarian who volunteered to enter the army after the war broke out and sacrificed himself in the Battle of Verdun)

Foch had co back to Paris from the River Som frontline specifically to persuade Briand:

"It’s a critical mont now, your excellency."

"If we were fighting trench warfare or defensive warfare, perhaps we could let parliant control the military’s operations, as it doesn’t change much."

"But now we’re fighting mobile warfare, infiltration warfare, and Charles is attacking the Germans."

"If we need parliant’s consent, it would be equivalent to tying up Charles’s hands and feet to make him fight the Germans!"

In fact, Briand was very willing to tie up Charles’s hands and feet to make him fight the Germans.

However...

Gallieni was the Minister of the Army, Petain was the backbone of Verdun’s defense, and Foch was the Commander-in-Chief of France and the Allies.

Their combined stance, along with Charles, nearly represented the entire military.

Even Briand as Pri Minister dared not openly confront them.

Moreover, Briand had no reason to confront them, as even a fool knew it was crucial to give the military enough freedom at urgent tis unless he didn’t want the French Army to win.

Thus, the final result was: Briand and Clenceau found themselves seemingly sidelined. They were losing control over the military and the war.

Clenceau was slightly frustrated. He threw the newspaper on the table and angrily said, "Foch, Petain, and that supposedly ’smartest’ Galin—what are they all doing? Besides Charles, can’t anyone win a battle?"

No matter who it was, as long as they won a battle, the parliant and capitalists would elevate them.

Because this would allow another power in the military to rise and compete with Charles.

But unfortunately, almost all the victories were achieved by Charles, even if all the others’ credits combined, they were still insignificant compared to Charles’s achievents.

Briand placed the newspaper in front of Clenceau, pointing to a report: "Do you think any of these people could co up with such a thod and such equipnt?"

Clenceau glanced at the newspaper. It was the rit Newspaper, featuring a photo of an "Amphibious Tank" modified from "Charles A1."

It was slowly moving into the water, with two soldiers on top operating it.

(The above image shows the "Sherman DD" entering the water)

Despair flashed in Briand’s eyes:

"He only took one night, I an Charles."

"To be precise, it was only 10 hours. He ca up with this thod urgently and modified the tanks, then drove over a hundred tanks across the use River!"

"Without bridges, floating bridges, or any other auxiliary tools, they just drove across the river and broke through the German frontlines."

As Briand spoke, he beca more excited: "Can you imagine it? The Germans were defeated just like that! And Galin is still considered the ’smartest’ in France? It’s truly ironic!"

In front of Charles, no one deserved to be called "smart"; otherwise, it would be an insult to the word "smart."

Clenceau leaned back on the sofa and shrugged.

He ant: I agree, but what can we do now? No one can deal with Charles!

Briand was silent for a mont, then picked up the phone and said to the secretary: "Bring Major Durra to my office."

He explained to Clenceau as he put down the phone, "We need soone who understands military affairs."

Clenceau nodded in agreent.

Major Durra was the head of the second bureau of the General Staff. Although responsible for intelligence work, he was a military academy graduate and had participated in actual combat with outstanding performance.

Soon, Major Durra stood in front of Briand.

Briand discreetly asked Major Durra,

"Major, I think you already know about Charles’s victory on the frontline."

"It’s a glorious victory that has invigorated the entire nation."

"But out of concern, I want to know your opinion. For example, does Charles’s plan have any weaknesses? Or do you know any more detailed information?"

In fact, Major Durra was fully aware of the parliant and governnt’s intention to undermine Charles.

This couldn’t be called betrayal; it’s just that the parliant and governnt didn’t want soone like Charles to rise so strongly and beco uncontrollable.

Of course, Major Durra didn’t dare reveal this. He put on a worried expression:

"Yes, your excellency."

"I have been analyzing Charles’s combat, or rather studying it."

"I have observed that this ti Charles’s infiltration is different from his previous infiltrations, which might beco a fatal weakness."

Clenceau’s eyes lit up. He instinctively sat up straight, "A fatal weakness?"

"Yes, your excellency." Major Durra answered calmly:

"In previous infiltrations, Charles’s First Armored Army always had a large number of infantry cooperating."

"For instance, when infiltrating Antwerp, Foch’s troops followed up. When infiltrating Hasselt, Albert I’s troops followed up."

"These infantry would follow and take over the trenches and cities that Charles had recovered."

"But this ti..."

Briand and Clenceau exchanged glances, delighted:

"This ti he did not have infantry follow up."

"To successfully pass through the Arden Mountains, Charles only brought the First Armored Army!"