Chapter 348 France Owes You

At the Ypres railway station, a train from France slowly entered the station and stopped, and then released gas-smelling steam with a long sound, and instantly the smoke was like a fairyland.

As a coastal city in Belgium, Ypres originally had no tracks connecting with France.

As a small country, Belgium is wary of both sides, and it should be wary.

This is the fate of small countries. They can only balance between big countries, and there is no other choice.

After the outbreak of the war, Belgium quickly sided with the Allies, and the railway from Paris to Ypres was successfully connected half a month later.

A team of French recruits got off the train. Their uniforms were spotless, and their backpacks, belts, ammunition, etc. were all in their proper places.

However, they were confused on their faces, fear in their eyes, and they hesitated to get off the carriage and timidly looked at the strange city in front of them.

"I heard that Ypres is the most difficult and dangerous section of the defense line."

"Yes, the living conditions and battlefield environment here are simply hell on earth. The Germans regard it as the focus of their attack and have recently used poison gas."

"God, why are we assigned here!"

"Because many people died here, Vincent, and we will soon be one of them!"

...

These words are chilling, and the fear in the eyes of the soldiers unconsciously increased a few points.

Suddenly, there was a cheer from the front, and the pedestrians, porters, station staff, etc. nearby all stopped their actions and waved and shouted at the other end of the street.

The recruits looked curiously in the direction of the crowd, and saw a muddy and untidy team appearing at the other end of the street.

This is a not-so-good unit, this is the first feeling of the recruits, and the recruits even thought it was a defeated unit.

Because many people in this team changed their red military pants, and the red on the military cap was also covered with mud, which was explicitly prohibited in training.

The recruits looked at this team with contempt. This was a cowardly act. They abandoned the dignity of France in order to survive.

Suddenly, the cheers of the people became louder. They shouted in various languages, including French, English, Dutch, and even German:

"Good job, Charles!"

"You are the best!"

"You are our hero, Charles!"

...

(Note: Belgium is a multilingual country. The dominant language in the area near the French border is French, and the dominant language in the area near the German border is German.)

The recruits looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes:

"That's Charles's unit, the 105th Infantry Regiment!"

"She is different from what we imagined. We think..."

"Maybe this is what war should be like. Only in this way can we win, not what the instructor said!"

...

The recruits looked at their red military pants and military caps, and then turned their eyes to the 105th Infantry Regiment, weighing in their hearts whether their lives were more important or the so-called French dignity was more important.

The 105th Infantry Regiment marched forward, their heads held high, and they waved proudly to the cheering people on both sides. They deserved it, so they accepted it generously.

The new recruits in bright uniforms were perhaps impressed by the might of the 105th Infantry Regiment, and they consciously divided into two rows to make way. They looked at the veterans passing by with envy, their eyes full of respect.

Charles mixed in the team and marched forward. He deliberately used mud to paste the shoulder straps that proved he was a colonel.

However, he still underestimated people's ability to identify him:

"He's there, Charles, it's really him!"

"God, the rumors are true, he really went to the battlefield, facing the enemy's poison gas, he was so brave!"

"I heard that he captured the enemy commander with just one attack?"

"Not just the commander, but the entire headquarters, the German 26th Army headquarters!"

...

This was an unprecedented record. When everyone was helpless against the poison gas and thought that France would surrender soon, Charles reversed the situation and severely damaged the German army.

This made everyone crazy, especially the Belgians who had been saved by Charles before and felt that they owed Charles.

Many people wanted to send food to Charles, but Charles declined. The 105th Infantry Regiment was not short of food. They seized the German material transfer station on the front line.

At this time, several cars stopped in front, and an old French general with a neat uniform and a mustache stepped out of the car surrounded by guards. He stood in front of the train waiting for the 105th Infantry Regiment to approach, his eyes full of relief.

Someone recognized the old general and exclaimed:

"It's Lieutenant General Foch!"

"He came to greet Charles and Charles' troops in person."

"General Foch has never done this before!"

...

Charles was a little confused.

This seemed a little inappropriate. Foch told Charles tactfully on the phone yesterday:

"What you said does make sense, but even so, I will still stick to my theory!"

"I hope this will not affect our cooperation."

Charles answered very straightforwardly: "Of course, General!"

He could understand Lieutenant General Foch. Although his theory was wrong, his approach was right.

The study of military theory and the establishment of a system require time and process.

From Foch's point of view, Charles' theory may not be right.

Even if Charles's theory is correct and Foch agrees with it 100%, it is impossible to immediately overturn the "offensive theory" and change it to "Charre's theory".

"Offensive theory" is the core of the French army. It is like a thread that connects the French army into a whole.

Overthrowing it is tantamount to cutting the thread. The French army will instantly scatter like broken beads, and the frontline commanders will not know how to command or fight.

This is very dangerous in wartime.

Therefore, it should be progressed steadily in a planned and step-by-step manner.

But now, Foch personally went to the station to greet Charles and the 15th Infantry Regiment. Was this telling everyone that he recognized Charles?

With doubts, Charles and Tijani quickly stepped forward to salute Foch.

Foch smiled and shook hands with the two of them respectively. When shaking hands with Charles, he said with emotion: "We finally meet, Colonel."

"Yes, General!" Ciel stepped forward and responded.

"Don't worry." Foch looked at Charles and said, "I'm just here to welcome the French warriors who have returned triumphantly. Thank you for repelling the enemy and helping us stabilize our defense."

"This is what I should do, General." Charles replied mechanically.

"No." Foch shook his head slightly: "Others may say 'it should be done', but you are different, Colonel! You are Charles, you don't owe France anything, France owes you!"