Chapter 536 His skills are as good as his military genius

Seeing that Foch was thoughtful, Charles added: "You know the situation Nivel is facing now, General. He will soon step down from the position of commander-in-chief, whether he wants it or not."

Foch nodded slowly.

This is not just a problem of Nivelle colluding with the British, but also a problem of his lack of reputation and his own ability.

He is a new official who has been questioned since he took office. If he wins the battle, he can temporarily consolidate his position.

But now they have lost the battle, with heavy casualties, and a series of scandals that concealed the war situation have been exposed.

Had it not been for the intense fighting he was in the midst of, he would have been removed from his post long ago.

Charles continued: "I don't want the next commander-in-chief to still be controlled by the British, and you don't want to continue like this, right?"

This was the reason why Charles believed that Foch could not refuse his plan.

Foch sighed helplessly, shook his head and replied: "But this is inevitable, Major General, you may not know the situation France is facing at this time. Do you think those MPs are willing to allow the British to interfere, or even let the British decide the commander-in-chief of France?" candidate?"

Ciel calmly replied: "I know."

Foch smiled softly, his eyes full of disbelief: "Do you really know?"

If you knew that, you wouldn't say something like "I don't want the next commander-in-chief to still be controlled by the British." The next commander-in-chief will still be like this.

"Yes, I know." Charles nodded: "The British can use the materials they have to influence the outcome of the French army. Once our approach does not satisfy them, they will use the German army to put pressure on us. "

This operation is very simple.

For example, if the French army chooses a disobedient commander-in-chief, the British will reduce material supplies to weaken the French army, and at the same time continue to fight passively on the defense line. Soon the German army will gain an advantage on the battlefield and cause the French army to suffer heavy casualties or even retreat. .

By then, even Charles may not be able to save the entire defense line.

Foch looked at Charles in confusion. He didn't understand why Charles clearly knew this and "didn't want the commander-in-chief to be controlled by the British." Aren't the two contradictory?

"So, what you are talking about does not exist." Foch stared at Charles and said with certainty: "A commander-in-chief who is not controlled by the British cannot be commander-in-chief, and I will not be an exception!"

"So you should be under British control."

Foch frowned and stood up with a "Teng" sound, his eyes filled with anger and a bit of disappointment: "I'm sorry, Major General, I can't be the commander-in-chief."

Saying that, he turned around and left.

As soon as he opened the door, Charles said slowly from behind: "I can make the British unable to control you, General."

Foch was stunned for a moment, then slowly closed the door.

He seemed to understand what Charles was thinking. He made excuses with the British and became commander-in-chief with their support, and then got rid of the control of the British.

Foch had no reason to refuse, even if he had to endure the shame of "colluding with the British" during the operation.

However, Foch didn't fully believe it. He turned around and asked, "Tell me your method."

That is the most powerful United Kingdom in the world, and its opponent is Marshal Kitchener. They have supplies in their hands. How can you get rid of them just by saying you can get rid of them?

Charles drank the water calmly and said, "I will let the French Navy play a role in anti-submarine warfare."

Foch's eyes lit up.

If the French navy can play a role in anti-submarine warfare, it will no longer be Britain that determines the strategic resource of materials, but Britain and France.

By then, Britain will naturally lose its influence on France.

But that's the navy, and it has to deal with German submarines that even Britain can't do anything about. Does Charles have a way to solve them?

The next second, Foch thought of Charles's performance in the Dardanelles Strait: he invented the "depth charge" to blow up the German submarine, and also invented the landing craft and amphibious landing craft that shocked the world, which was enough to prove that he had the ability. This strength.

Foch walked back to the sofa and sat down, staring at Charles:

"If you can do this, why don't you strive to be Commander-in-Chief yourself?"

"Don't tell me it's because you're young that you can't convince others."

"Your popularity is unparalleled and the majority of French citizens and soldiers want you to be commander-in-chief."

This is a fact. This call is very common among grassroots soldiers and civilians. Before Niweiler made a mistake, many people wanted to expel him and replace him with Charles.

Charles has such a reputation and can control supplies through anti-submarine warfare. As commander-in-chief, he can be said to have everything he needs without any pressure.

"I can't." Charles answered truthfully: "You know the reason. The Parliament doesn't want the military to dominate. They need someone to restrain me. If I become commander-in-chief, they will cultivate various forces to fight against me, such as Bei Of course, there are still several army group commanders.”

Foch thought for a while, then nodded and acknowledged Ciel's analysis. This was indeed something that the Parliament would do.

"So." Charles looked at Foch quietly: "If you are my enemy, then there is no problem."

Foch secretly praised him, he understood what Charles was thinking, and at the same time he was a little surprised. He didn't expect Charles to have such a method at such a young age.

As long as Foch and Charles are "enemies" on the surface, the Parliament will definitely support Foch out of the plan of "divide and rule". By then, won't Charles and Foch have the final say in private about the military affairs? At most, it was just a show for the parliament.

"Last question." At this time, Foch had lowered his guard and leaned back on the sofa easily: "Do you know why the British chose Nivelle instead of others?"

Ciel nodded: "Because he is easy to control."

Nivelle had no military exploits, and did not have much reputation or support among the French army. The only people he could rely on were the British. It was precisely such people who had to listen to the British, because they would be useless without the British.

Foch was different. His reputation was not comparable to that of Nivele. It can be said that all offensive factions were his students and supporters, and his reputation was far higher than that of Pétain and the army commander.

Charles asked: "Are you worried that your reputation is too high?"

Foch said "hmm": "The biggest competitor should be Pétain, his reputation is just right."

This was something Ciel had never thought of.

It's right to think about it. Pétain was promoted like a rocket after the outbreak of the war. The power in the army was weak and the foundation was unstable. He was not like Foch and the commander of the Army Group who responded to everything at once.

After thinking for a while, Ciel replied confidently: "Leave it to me, General. You don't need to worry about this."

"What are you going to do?" Foch asked doubtfully.

"It's very simple." Charles said in a relaxed tone: "Whoever cooperates with me will be questioned, and the less likely he will become the commander-in-chief."

Foch was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth for a long time.

The British also have a need to weaken the Shire, so they will never choose someone who has a good relationship with the Shire.

If Charles pretended to work closely with Pétain...

God, this guy is not simple, his skills are as good as his military genius!