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I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 296
🕑 Added 2025-07-07 17:06:16 +0000 UTCChapter 296: Naval Codebook
When Charles' fleet returned to the anchorage, it was met with heroic cheers.
Whether French soldiers, British soldiers, Australian troops, new forces, or even the African Corps, everyone crowded along the passageway, waving whatever they could find at the fleet. There were national flags, handkerchiefs, and even rags, all shouted in different languages:
"Welcome back victorious!"
"Well done, Charles!"
"Great battle, perfect command!"
...
Tijani watched the retreating ships and the crowd, feeling a bit dazed, a bit excited, and mostly flattered.
All along, he had sought the art of war, the moment when the equipment would shine and victory would be achieved. Now, he found that this feeling of being recognized and immersed in cheers by everyone seemed not too bad.
Charles was somewhat accustomed to this. With a stoic expression, he looked at the cheering crowds on both sides and calmly raised his hand to wave in response.
The crowd seemed to interact with Charles, and their cheers instantly reached another climax.
Soon, Charles saw a small wooden boat waiting at the dock, with several British soldiers standing on it, ready to board the ship.
Tijani noticed this as well, and excitedly said to Charles, "It's the signalmen from the 'Queen Elizabeth,' they must be here to bring us congratulations and rewards!"
"Is that so?" Charles smiled lightly.
If it were "congratulations and rewards," it shouldn't be signalmen arriving, at the very least, it should be a colonel-level officer, or even Admiral Robeck himself.
...
In the "Queen Elizabeth" bridge meeting room, the atmosphere was rather odd.
Admiral Robeck wore a smile, but anyone could tell it was a forced one.
The officers remained silent, occasionally glancing at Admiral Robeck, as if trying to gauge his attitude.
General Gaplat strode in. He had been late because Admiral Robeck had not informed him about the meeting.
He first found Charles' transport ship and asked, only to learn that both of them had been summoned by Admiral Robeck.
As soon as General Gaplat saw Charles and Tijani, a proud smile appeared on his face. From a distance, he yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Well done, Charles, and Tijani!"
"I reported your victory to the Ministry of the Navy, and the Minister is very pleased with your performance."
"The Minister said, this is the style of our French Navy, we never hesitate to fight, and if anything stands in the way of victory, we remove it first!"
...
The British officers' faces immediately turned sour, especially Admiral Robeck, for it was his order for the battleship to provide "limited reinforcement," which Gaplat referred to as "hesitation in battle."
After General Gaplat sat down, Admiral Robeck cleared his throat and forced out a smile toward Charles, saying:
"Congratulations on your first victory, Colonel. But..."
Admiral Robeck's tone turned somber:
"As a soldier, you should understand that orders are as heavy as mountains. What you did today disrupted our entire battle plan."
O'Connell took over the conversation, his tone calm, his face still bearing a slight smile:
"Yes, Colonel."
"I'm not sure if you're aware, but the troops at Cape Helles have been waiting for you."
"The forces at W Beach and S Beach were supposed to launch attacks to coordinate with your landing, but instead of landing, you chose to bomb the submarines."
O'Connell was trying every way possible to find justification for Robeck's anger, believing that only in this way could the relationship with Charles and even France be maintained.
"Is that so?" Charles asked calmly, "Then why didn't I hear anything about this so-called 'coordination' beforehand?"
Admiral Robeck immediately answered without hesitation, "That was our battle plan..."
Charles let out a soft "hm," gazing at Admiral Robeck with a profound look, a faint mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.
Admiral Robeck suddenly realized that he had fallen into Charles' trap: if the British military's battle plan could be withheld from Charles, then Charles' battle plan could also be withheld from the British.
Therefore, Charles was not responsible for the so-called "losses" at Cape Helles.
That sharp-minded bastard, he must have already anticipated this loophole.
Admiral Robeck regretted not having handed over a "battle plan" to this arrogant Frenchman before the battle!
Now, he could only latch onto the "disobedience of orders" angle.
However, just as Admiral Robeck was about to speak, General Gaplat quickly interjected.
"My mistake, Admiral!" General Gaplat smiled and apologized to Admiral Robeck: "I knew the whole plan, and they had originally wanted to discuss it with you. But for confidentiality reasons, I decided not to make the plan public. It turned out to be the right decision!"
Admiral Robeck was stunned.
If General Gaplat knew the plan, then Charles' "disobedience of orders" wouldn't even count.
While Admiral Robeck was still pondering what crime he could use to suppress Charles' arrogance, a staff officer hurriedly entered and nervously handed him a telegram.
Admiral Robeck glanced at the telegram and was suddenly shocked, looking at Charles, then at the staff officer, seemingly confirming the authenticity of the telegram.
The staff officer gently nodded.
Admiral Robeck gritted his teeth, let out a long sigh, and reluctantly softened his demeanor.
...
The telegram was sent by the Minister of the Navy, with only a few simple words: "Coordinate with Charles, do not interfere!"
This puzzled Admiral Robeck greatly.
It was the Minister of the Navy who had initially sought to oppose Charles.
If Charles won, the popularity of the Minister of the Navy, who had initiated the Gallipoli Campaign, would be affected. Everyone would believe that the Minister couldn't accomplish what Charles had done.
Admiral Robeck couldn't understand what had caused the Minister of the Navy to suddenly change his mind and shift to supporting Charles' "independent actions."
The answer was simple.
After the naval victory, Charles had sent a telegram to General Winter: "Sank the submarine, close to shore, the Germans might not have time to destroy the codebook!"
At that moment, General Winter, who was at the Ieper command center discussing the battle, knew the importance of this message.
Upon receiving the telegram, he jumped up as if pricked by a needle: "God, the German Navy's codebook!"
General Winter understood how critical this was.
Meanwhile, the German fleet, which had been blocked, was restlessly preparing for action: the British had sent a large number of warships to the Dardanelles for battle, and this was obviously the best opportunity for the German fleet to break through.
The British Navy was on edge, unsure when the Germans would launch a surprise attack on the blockade fleet.
If, at this moment, the Allies could obtain the German Navy's codebook and decipher their communications, it would mean the Germans' plans would be thwarted before they even began!
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