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I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 283
🕑 Added 2025-06-29 17:03:01 +0000 UTCChapter 283: Another "Western Front"
Tigani could hardly believe what Charles was saying. He thought Charles was joking, but Charles was serious.
A landing operation required the Marines.
However, at this time, the concept of the "Marine Corps" didn’t exist. Even the British Navy, which had been using warships to seize colonies worldwide, didn't have a Marine Corps.
The British Navy had the "Royal Naval Division," and the 29th Division, which was currently fighting in the Dardanelles, was one of these.
But the "Royal Naval Division" was not an independent branch of the military, nor was it a separate force. It was an army attached to the Navy. The Navy would use its naval guns to suppress the enemy, and the "Royal Naval Division" would then row ashore in boats to seize the objective.
They "landed" rather than "conducting an amphibious assault."
The British believed that as long as the enemy was armed along the coastline, their naval guns could take care of it.
This approach worked against indigenous people armed with only primitive guns, cannons, or bows and arrows. The booming sound of naval guns would scare them off, allowing the "Royal Naval Division" to easily row ashore in wooden boats.
However, this approach was a different story when facing a nation with firearms and artillery, especially one receiving German support.
Tigani, a naval officer by training, had also studied at the Army academy and even participated in actual combat. This made him the perfect candidate to form a Marine Corps.
But Tigani became nervous. "Colonel, although I am eager to take this on, I am worried..."
"Worried that you won’t be up to the task?" Charles asked.
"Yes," Tigani nodded hesitantly. "The training I received was for land combat, and my only combat experience was the Battle of Cape Town."
Tigani felt somewhat embarrassed, as this was his only real combat experience, and it was a disgrace.
Then Tigani raised his concern. "If I were to be a regiment commander, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I have no clue..."
"It’s simple," Charles replied. "All you need to do is focus on one thing: teach the troops how to operate the ships you’ve produced. Think of it like writing an instruction manual. What to pay attention to, when to use it, and so on."
Tigani half-opened his mouth. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Charles nodded. "Then it’s all about the land combat training you’ve already learned."
Seeing that Tigani still had doubts, Charles added, "I’ve heard that you see military equipment in a different way, almost like viewing it as a piece of art?"
"Yes," Tigani responded. "Many people don't believe me, but that's how I truly see it."
Then Tigani quickly explained, "But that won’t affect my command, I promise! I can separate it from the war itself. I know it’s two different things, and I will keep personal and professional matters separate..."
"No, General," Charles interrupted. "I actually don’t want you to be ‘separate’ between public and private."
Tigani looked at Charles with a confused expression, thinking he might be joking again.
Charles explained, "War itself is an art. If you can truly look at military equipment and warfare through the lens of an artist, you will be an outstanding commander, General!"
Tigani was stunned.
Charles’s perspective was fresh and new. No one had ever said such a thing before.
At the military academy, they always talked about the brutality of war, about unwaveringly following orders and achieving objectives. That was a far cry from the freedom of expression seen in art.
But Tigani realized Charles was right. If one approached warfare from the perspective of appreciating art, then the constraints of rules and theories would no longer apply. At least, there would be no endless debates about whether "offensive theory" or "defensive theory" was correct.
Tigani suddenly understood.
This was how Charles commanded—his command was an art, an art free from theoretical restrictions.
Perhaps war should indeed be like this: it should respond to specific situations, rather than blindly following what the textbooks say. If it’s in the textbooks, then the enemy can anticipate it, and that’s no longer war!
Tigani suddenly felt confident. He stood up and said, "I understand, Colonel. So, the troops I will command..."
Charles turned his gaze to Gallieni.
Gallieni made a sound of acknowledgment and opened a drawer, pulling out a prepared document, which he handed to Tigani. "I’ve reassigned the 105th Regiment from the 6th Division. They’ve fought in the Battle of the Marne and have rich combat experience."
In recent days, Gallieni had reorganized this unit, moving out the poorly performing and ineffective troops, and more importantly, he had filtered out officers who were not supportive of Charles.
Gallieni considered the latter even more important, though they were few in number.
This wasn’t just a matter of command difficulty; these officers could also be bought by capitalists to oppose Charles.
Tigani took the document, flipped through it, and eagerly looked at Gallieni. "General, when can I meet my troops?"
"Anytime," Gallieni replied. "They’ve been resting at the Paris police training base!"
"Excellent!" Tigani raised the document, excited like a child. "I—I’ll go right away!"
Just as Tigani left, Lieutenant Colonel Fernand hurried forward, handing over a telegram. "General, another battleship has been sunk. It’s the ‘Triumphant’!"
Gallieni froze.
The last battleship to be sunk had been at night, which could be attributed to an Ottoman "torpedo ship" raid. This time, however, it was in broad daylight.
Gallieni took the telegram, and his expression became more serious as he read. He handed it to Charles. "It’s confirmed—it was a submarine. A German submarine arrived at the Dardanelles and sank the ‘Triumphant’ with a torpedo."
The telegram was detailed.
After the sinking of the "Goliath," the British battleships had become very cautious, even when conducting bombing missions during the day.
At the time, the "Triumphant" was under strict vigilance: two destroyers were escorting it, a torpedo defense net was set around the hull, and all watertight compartments were sealed.
But the German torpedo was equipped with a net cutter, which easily sliced through the defense net and hit the "Triumphant."
The "Triumphant" detected the submarine and opened fire in panic, but missed the submarine and instead hit a British supply ship, starting a fire.
Not long after, Gallieni received another telegram.
Gallieni looked helpless. "They’ve pulled all the battleships back to anchor, which means naval support on the coast may weaken. Are you still confident about the landing?"
Charles answered, "That depends on what the purpose of the landing operation is."
"What do you mean?" Gallieni asked, confused.
Wasn’t the goal of the landing operation to defeat the Ottoman Empire or force it to surrender?
Looking further ahead, wasn’t it to create a new front in the West to break the stalemate?
Charles answered calmly, "If we were to land in the Dardanelles and catch the enemy off guard, perhaps we could break the deadlock. But now, it’s been more than a month..."
Gallieni nodded thoughtfully. "The Ottomans have prepared. They just need to dig trenches, and it will be another Western Front!"
Thus, the strategic goal of "breaking the deadlock" was already doomed to fail.
If it were to succeed, the Western Front with more abundant supplies would be enough. Why send troops, supplies, and ammunition to fight in the Ottoman Empire?
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