Chapter 396: You Played a Major Role
Paris in May was like a flirtatious woman, draped in the night, as lights gradually illuminated both sides of the Seine. The river glistened with flecks of red light, as though countless stars had descended upon the city. The rustling leaves of the sycamore trees seemed to whisper, as if discussing the day's events.
(Note: During the reign of Louis XIV, Paris saw major development in sewer and lighting systems, becoming the first city in the world with public night lighting. Thousands of candle-lit street lamps brightened 912 streets, earning it the title "City of Light.")
Meanwhile, Charles was sound asleep in his quarters when sudden cheers jolted him awake. Instinctively, he sprang from his bed, still half-asleep but already rushing through the dark towards the command center, following the sound. This reaction was second nature, ingrained by his time in combat—his body moving as if on autopilot, unhesitatingly responding to any sign of a crisis.
When he arrived at the command center, Tijani and several staff officers had already gathered, all in nightclothes, looking dazed as they turned to the night-duty signal officer.
"General!" The signal officer rushed to Charles, exclaiming excitedly, "They've joined us! Italy, just now—they declared war on Austria-Hungary and have ordered an emergency mobilization!"
Everyone froze for a moment, then erupted into cheers and exchanged congratulatory embraces.
Only Charles remained calm. This is it? Just this? he thought with faint amusement.
He gave a brief nod, handed the telegram back to the signal officer, yawned, and turned to head back to his quarters.
Tijani quickly caught up, baffled. "General, are you really not excited about this?"
"Should I be?" Charles asked, slowing his steps.
"Of course," Tijani replied. "A whole country has joined us, and you played a major role in making it happen. Isn't that a significant victory? This could bring an end to the war, yet you seem hardly interested."
Tijani looked Charles over; he seemed wholly indifferent, as though nothing noteworthy had occurred.
Charles couldn't believe Tijani's naïveté; these officers truly thought Italy's involvement might end the war!
Granted, from their perspective, it seemed logical. The Allies and Central Powers were deadlocked, and Italy's support could indeed shift the balance toward the Allies. But Charles knew better.
Historically, Italy's million-strong army would fail to make headway against the much smaller Austro-Hungarian forces at the Isonzo River. When Germany eventually regrouped and sent reinforcements, Italy nearly faced annihilation.
Should he really celebrate gaining this ally? Or, worse yet, pretend the war would end because of it?
With a sigh, Charles cast a sympathetic glance at Tijani. "I'll go back to bed and keep dreaming—you can do the same!"
Without further explanation, he closed his door, dropped onto his bed as if he were a log, and mentally noted to instruct the signal officer not to wake him over any news about Italy again.
…
But it wasn't just Tijani who thought this way; Parisians, the French public, and even people throughout the Allied nations felt the same excitement.
After all, it was Italy—a nation capable of assembling an army of over a million troops. The French Army itself had about as many soldiers, yet it had managed to hold its own against the Germans. Italy, with its forces five times larger than Austria-Hungary's, would surely overpower the weakest of the Central Powers. The streets of Paris erupted in celebration early the next morning as people read the news in the papers.
"Charles has struck a major blow against the Central Powers! The victory at Cambrai secured Italy's allegiance, and with Italy on our side, the war will soon be over!"
"Indeed! It even makes Gallipoli less critical now, as the Central Powers' flank is exposed to Italy's forces."
"No, no, Gallipoli is still significant; it helps keep the Central Powers' forces tied down!"
...
After years of conflict, many civilians had become half-experts in military matters, discussing strategy with surprising insight, some even making solid points.
Charles rose and, as usual, munched on bread delivered by his orderly. It wasn't long before he received a call from General Winter.
"You played a major role in this, Brigadier," Winter said.
"I know," Charles replied lazily. "Everyone keeps saying it was the victory at Cambrai, but I've heard it so much my ears are practically numb…"
"You think it was Cambrai?" Winter's tone held a hint of amusement.
"Then what else?" Charles asked, puzzled.
Winter replied, "As I said, you played a major role, Brigadier!"
Now Charles understood Winter's implication. Italy's decision had hinged on him—more specifically, on "Charles."
Winter explained that the Italian delegation was led not by Foreign Minister Sonnino, but by none other than Luigi Cadorna, the 65-year-old Italian Chief of General Staff.
Seeing Cadorna himself in attendance, Winter knew Italy was serious about declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. Breathing a sigh of relief, he presented Cadorna with the carefully prepared dossier, reporting, "General, here are the details of the Cambrai battle. We advanced eight kilometers and inflicted massive casualties on the Germans. Clearly, we're winning…"
Winter assumed that Cadorna would be most interested in the Allies' successes, which would reassure him that Italy had chosen the right side.
To Winter's surprise, Cadorna barely glanced at the dossier, not even bothering to open it.
"What I want to know isn't in there, General," Cadorna said in a gravelly yet steady tone. "I want to hear about Charles and his inventions. Are the rumors true?"
Caught off guard, Winter replied, "Of course they're true, General."
Then he tensed up, realizing he hadn't prepared any materials on Charles.
Seeing the negotiation falter, Winter hastily added, "But I'm a close friend of Charles, General. We met in Antwerp, back when he was just a lieutenant. I know all about him—every invention, every battle."
"Do you now?" Cadorna's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Then go on, General. I'm all ears."
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