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I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 281
🕑 Added 2025-06-28 17:01:02 +0000 UTCChapter 281: Tiziani's Persistence
In the French National Assembly, the members were growing increasingly vocal in their criticism of Gallieni’s “campaign”:
“The Allied fleet had to halt its night-time bombardments! Do you understand what this means?”
“The positions taken by the landing forces during the day will be retaken by the enemy at night due to the lack of artillery support.”
“Our army is engaged in a seesaw battle on the shore with the enemy, and if this continues, the only result for the Allies will be defeat!”
...
Gallieni coldly watched these members of parliament, who stood on their moral high ground. He thought to himself, is this really Charles’ fault? He had warned the decision-makers time and time again against launching this campaign.
Now that things had turned out this way, shouldn't the blame be placed on those who made the decisions?
Grévy stood up.
Unlike before, he now appeared quite calm. It seemed as though he understood the outcome was already decided, and now all that was needed was a final push.
“General,” Grévy said casually, “I can understand your desire to protect Charles, but going to the front is the duty of every soldier. If you keep him tied to your side, it might seem unfair to the soldiers who suffer and even lose their lives on the battlefield.”
A chorus of agreement immediately rang out from the assembly.
Bastard, Gallieni cursed inwardly. With one sentence, Grévy had pitted Charles against the soldiers, and he would make the soldiers’ families resent Charles.
“Gentlemen!” Armand waved his hand at the members behind him. “We also hope the military can ensure Charles' safety. Even if he reaches the Dardanelles, we hope he stays aboard a ship in the rear. There should be no repeat of a ‘Goliath’ situation!”
Shameless, Gallieni clenched his teeth in anger. With one sentence, Grévy had pushed the responsibility for Charles’ safety onto the military.
However, Gallieni said nothing. He simply stood quietly on the podium and waited.
The room gradually quieted down, and it seemed they were waiting for Gallieni to provide a satisfactory response.
“I am terribly sorry!” Gallieni said calmly. “I cannot fulfill your wish!”
A chorus of boos erupted.
Gallieni quickly added, “Charles has made it clear that he does not wish to stay aboard a safe battleship in the rear. He intends to lead a unit ashore for the operation!”
The room fell into stunned silence. Everyone stared at Gallieni in shock, and many even questioned if they had heard correctly.
“Yes,” Gallieni nodded affirmatively. “He will go into battle, leading a unit! So…”
Gallieni turned his gaze towards Grévy, his words carrying a double meaning. “As you wish, Mr. Grévy!”
Grévy returned a stiff smile, feeling bitter inside. Charles, rather than accepting his advice and working with him, would rather lead a unit into battle himself!
...
At the Brest Shipyard, Wells and Tiziani were testing the newly produced landing boats.
The two were surprised to find that the boats had no issues. They were ready for use right away, and Wells even had the workers board them and simulate the entire process as soldiers.
The test went surprisingly well, and as soon as the ramp was lowered, the soldiers could rush onto the shore through the open hatch.
Wells looked concerned. “What if the enemy's machine guns are aimed at our hatch? The moment the ramp is lowered, the whole boat will be riddled with bullets!”
“Don’t worry, Father,” Tiziani replied. “Our navy will provide them with fire support. Besides, there’s no such thing as absolute safety on the battlefield.”
“I’m wondering…” Wells hesitated. “Should we have the hatch on the side?”
“It wouldn’t help,” Tiziani shook his head. “Once the soldiers rush ashore, a small path will be needed between the boat and the shore, regardless of whether the hatch is in the front or on the side.”
Wells nodded in agreement.
Opening the hatch on the side might seem safer at first, but in reality, the soldiers would have to climb onto the shore through a much smaller passage. It wouldn’t even take machine guns; just a few rifles could block off that narrow path.
And Charles, it seemed, had already thought of all these issues.
At that moment, Wells saw the butler rushing over with a newspaper in hand.
Wells furrowed his brow. “Has another battleship been sunk?”
“Sir!” The butler’s voice preceded his arrival. “Charles is going to the front! He plans to lead a unit ashore at the Dardanelles!”
Tiziani exclaimed, “He’s going himself?”
Shouldn’t he be commanding from Paris like before?
“Yes, he’s going himself,” the butler ran up and handed the newspaper. “It says so right here.”
Tiziani snatched the newspaper, reading it quickly. His expression shifted from shock to confusion, and then to a sense of urgency. He glanced at the landing boats and the ones still being built, before turning to Wells.
Wells understood what Tiziani meant. He decisively shook his head. “No, I don’t agree!”
“Father!” Tiziani said, “Charles might need me. These boats are ours, and I’m in the army. I might be the only one who understands both the navy and the army.”
“No, he doesn’t need you,” Wells replied. “Charles knows far more than you do, whether it’s about the navy or the army.”
“You might be right,” Tiziani had to admit, but he still insisted, “But Charles is the commander. He needs someone at the front…”
“My God, you actually want to command at the front?” Wells interrupted, raising his voice. “Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“Of course I do,” Tiziani replied. “I tried it last time when we were surrounded!”
“Then what makes you want to try again?” Wells shouted louder. “Because Charles saved your life? That was just part of the mission, Tiziani, and that’s what Charles said too!”
“No, Father,” Tiziani shook his head, slowing his speech. He raised his chin toward the landing boats with a sense of longing. “It’s because of them!”
“Because of them?” Wells looked at Tiziani in confusion.
These little boats, didn’t they just produce as many as they needed?
Tiziani seemed to see through Wells’ thoughts. He explained:
“You don’t understand, Father.”
“The moment they are used on the battlefield, that’s when they’re truly thrilling and exciting.”
“I’ll never forget the sight of the ‘Charles A1’ tank appearing and driving the enemy into a disarrayed retreat. I want to witness that again, and more importantly, I want to be a part of it!”
Wells stood in a daze for a moment. It seemed that he now understood Tiziani’s obsession.
At this moment, Wells felt as if he was just getting to know Tiziani. Though they had spent over twenty years together, he thought he understood Tiziani well. Now, he realized what it truly meant to “understand” someone.
Finally, Wells sighed deeply and answered reluctantly, “Go ahead, before I regret it. But Charles won’t necessarily agree. In his eyes, you’re just a vain, glory-seeking young man.”
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