Chapter 537: He Has No Idea What He's About to Lose
Coincidentally, Charles had previously sought cooperation with Pétain to counteract Parliament's attempts to constrain him. That collaboration, notably, continued even now; Charles consistently supplied mines and directional charges to the Verdun front without interruption.
Charles now planned to deepen this cooperation—or, more precisely, to ensure that others perceived their alliance had grown stronger. For that reason, despite his tight schedule, Charles made time to visit Verdun personally.
At the Verdun front, inside the command bunker at Fort Saint-Michel, the sky was beginning to drizzle softly, a late onset of the rainy season seemingly brought on by the turmoil of war. Rain was never good news on the battlefield, especially for the vast armies fighting on the Somme, who would now be forced to advance through sticky, muddy terrain.
Worse yet, the rainy season could easily spark epidemics, as waters contaminated by decaying corpses infiltrated trenches and spread disease.
At this moment, the pressure on the Verdun front had eased considerably.
With the start of the Somme offensive, the Germans had withdrawn substantial forces from Verdun. According to incomplete estimates, at least five infantry divisions, six artillery regiments, and large quantities of stockpiled supplies had been relocated hastily to reinforce the Somme lines.
Nevertheless, Pétain believed it was still too early to launch a counterattack.
A staunch advocate of defensive warfare, he maintained that attacking inevitably consumed more troops and resources than defending. Launching an offensive rashly could quickly squander the advantages painstakingly accumulated so far.
If, for instance, casualties reached 100,000 in a single day, as at the Somme, the Verdun front would collapse immediately. Thus, Pétain remained cautious, ordering his troops to hold the line at Douaumont without attempting to advance.
Meanwhile, behind the lines, he mobilized thousands of workers to widen and strengthen the sole road connecting Verdun, turning it into a lifeline for constant reinforcement and resupply.
This afternoon, Pétain was monitoring the road's expansion progress while sipping his coffee. Widening the road amidst constant traffic required near-perfect coordination—its complexity comparable to organizing a battle.
Suddenly, cheers erupted outside:
"It's Charles! General Charles is here!"
"General Charles has come to inspect our lines!"
Pétain frowned. Why had Charles come here? To inspect? He wasn't even Pétain's superior; he had no authority to inspect Verdun!
Then Pétain remembered the Chantilly conference, where he had refused to support Gallieni openly.
Damn it! Perhaps Charles had come to halt the supply of mines and directional charges!
Pétain's face turned pale. Those explosives were indispensable for defense. If the supply was suddenly cut off and the Germans learned about it, the situation at Verdun, which had just stabilized, could quickly deteriorate again.
Thinking about this, Pétain immediately forced a pleasant expression and led his subordinates outside to greet Charles.
Emerging from the command bunker, he saw Charles, clad in a raincoat, speaking amicably with General Lacoste. All around, soldiers and even Lacoste himself stared at Charles with genuine admiration.
Pétain felt a pang of jealousy, his expression involuntarily darkening. But remembering the explosives issue, he forced himself to smile again and stepped forward.
Charles noticed Pétain's approach and quickly came forward to shake his hand.
"It's been a long time, General Pétain. How is everything?"
"Everything is well, General Charles," Pétain responded politely.
He considered saying, "Your mines and directional charges have been tremendously helpful," but decided against it. Acknowledging their significance might imply Verdun owed its success entirely to Charles, or worse, alert Charles to their vital importance, potentially enabling him to use them as leverage.
Instead, Pétain swallowed those words and opted for a safer topic.
"Now that our front has stabilized, I am widening the supply road. That's crucial."
Expanding the road was something Charles had not implemented, and emphasizing this point demonstrated that Pétain's approach differed from Charles's. He always tried to distinguish himself from Charles's shadow.
"Absolutely, General," Charles responded with a friendly smile, agreeing openly. "Nothing is more crucial than logistics. It's the foundation of victory. Your approach is very wise."
This answer surprised Pétain slightly.
Then he suspected Charles might be implying something else—that "logistics" indirectly referred to the explosives he supplied.
Pétain tensed slightly, saying nothing further, instead gesturing politely toward the bunker to invite Charles inside.
Once alone in the conference room, Pétain ensured there were no other officers present. He didn't want their conversation—especially anything regarding the crucial explosives—to leak outside.
Charles appreciated this privacy as well. A closed-door meeting like this would definitely suggest they were plotting together against the British control over the French army.
"I apologize, General Charles," Pétain said politely, offering a cup of coffee. "At the Chantilly conference, circumstances forced me to remain neutral. You must understand, we simply lacked the power to prevent Nivelle's offensive."
"I understand," Charles replied calmly, genuinely unconcerned.
He had never expected Pétain to prevent Nivelle's attack, nor had he ever intended to stop it himself.
This confused Pétain. If Charles wasn't upset about that, then what exactly was his purpose here?
Noticing Pétain's confusion, Charles quickly clarified:
"I'm here to ask if Verdun needs anything else."
"Anything else?" Pétain couldn't immediately think of anything else he required.
Charles raised an eyebrow:
"For instance, the rainy season is coming, and you're expanding the road. Perhaps you might need tractors?"
Pétain's eyes widened with excitement.
Tractors were the perfect transport vehicles for muddy conditions. They could deliver stone for road construction or supplies directly to the front lines, even when roads became impassable due to mud.
Charles continued: "As you know, I recently established a tractor factory."
Pétain hesitated suddenly. "General, I understand these tractors aren't cheap. Our budget is limited."
With supplies increasingly scarce, and the franc rapidly depreciating, acquiring tractors wasn't simple.
"They're free," Charles announced generously, spreading his hands. "Consider it a personal donation. The first batch of 100 tractors is yours immediately. If you need more, I'll send them."
Pétain stared in shock, mouth slightly open. After a moment, he managed to speak: "Is...is that true? That's wonderful! You're truly a generous friend, General Charles."
"It's the least I can do," Charles smiled lightly, "for France, for Verdun—and for our cooperation."
Deeply moved, Pétain nodded gratefully, "Of course, General."
Suddenly, Pétain thought he understood Charles's motives better.
Charles was engaged in fierce rivalry with Nivelle's faction. Pétain himself stood as a neutral party in between, being courted by both sides.
That was advantageous—he could benefit from both camps simultaneously.
A faint, smug smile crossed Pétain's lips. Clearly, his earlier worries had been unnecessary.
Charles, meanwhile, smiled subtly as well. This man truly had no idea what he was about to lose.
(End of Chapter 537)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1