[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran":3,"chapter-i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-chapter-531":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became a Tycoon During World War I: Saving France from the Start",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1335599,1779,"Chapter 531: We Don’t Need to Follow Their Path","i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-chapter-531",531,"\u003Cp>Antwerp Airport. Tijani was staring at the newspaper, yelling over and over:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, this isn't true!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How can they do this?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Goddamn bastards!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he threw the paper aside and turned to Charles with resentment in his eyes: \"I was tricked. There was no victory at all—everything was a lie. The Germans were actually telling the truth!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, his eyes shifted to confusion: \"Did you know this the whole time? How did you know? You haven't left Antwerp since the fighting started.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't need to witness the Somme to know how it would end.\" Charles took a sip of water, his old habit resurfacing—too much coffee led to light sleep, that odd state of being half-awake and half-asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting the glass down, Charles continued, \"All I needed to know was Haig's military doctrine. A man who disdains machine guns and tanks—what kind of victory could you possibly expect from him on the battlefield?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fair enough,\" Tijani nodded. \"His victories and strategies are only suited for dealing with colonial guerrillas and native militias in Africa.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tijani knew a bit about Haig's background. He had served in British India and also took part in the Boer War in South Africa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles was right—trying to apply battlefield experience from low-intensity conflicts to a war against the Germans was just asking to be humiliated. It was bound to be a painful lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tijani sighed with a trace of schadenfreude in his tone. \"I really want to see how they clean up this mess!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Tijani was a rich playboy who didn't take life too seriously, somewhere deep down he had a sense of compassion. He loathed those who treated human life as expendable on the battlefield, who paved their path to promotion with corpses and medals soaked in blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They'll find a way,\" Charles raised his eyebrows. \"You don't need to worry about them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tijani gave a scornful snort. He wasn't about to feel sorry for those bastards and certainly didn't believe they'd find a way out of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Charles knew better. In the actual history, they'd gotten off scot-free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simple, really. As long as the battle was framed as a \"victory,\" the casualties could be justified. After all, the fighting was that difficult. Anyone else would have done just as poorly, maybe even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So not only would they avoid punishment—they'd be rewarded with promotions and medals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles didn't want to see that happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stepping onto the battlefield, Charles came to a stark realization: if you don't crush your enemies completely, they will destroy you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nivelle, Haig, and Kitchener—they were all on Charles's blacklist. They had all tried to use their power to eliminate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as they held power, Charles would never be safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General,\" a communications officer came forward and handed over a telegram. \"From Paris. Parliament requests your presence—they say there's a matter requiring your joint deliberation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles chuckled softly, accepting the telegram and lifting it toward Tijani. \"See? There's their 'solution.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tijani froze, then suddenly understood—they wanted Charles to take command at the Somme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Charles could secure a victory, their mess would be swept under the rug by the glow of success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're not actually going to do it, are you?\" Tijani looked at Charles with a face full of protest, though he soon hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Charles could stop the needless slaughter. Though it meant being used by those shameless bastards, he might save tens of thousands of lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles didn't answer directly. He calmly instructed the communications officer, \"Send a reply—I need three days to wrap up my current work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing at the calendar on the desk, he added, \"I'll arrive promptly on the morning of the sixth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Major General.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tijani kept his eyes fixed on Charles. He wanted to know what Charles would decide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles responded with a sigh:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We don't need to follow their path, General.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For example, right now you should be secretly redeploying troops to Mons and preparing for combat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tijani gave an enlightened \"Oh,\" and grinned. \"Good idea, Major General.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later, the Bourbon Palace—home of the National Assembly—was as lively as usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chamber hadn't known a moment of quiet lately. The hot topic was Nivelle's cover-up of the battle reports:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nivelle should be held responsible. It's unthinkable that the Commander-in-Chief would falsify military victories.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, this concerns morale and public confidence. A lot of things can't be made public during wartime!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's different—they were doing it for their own benefit. I mean, the British too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I disagree. Sacrifice is sometimes necessary in war. Besides, our army's doing better than the British, which means the Commander is doing something right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or maybe it's because we have fewer troops, so the casualty numbers just look smaller. Five divisions—over 80,000 men—and more than 20,000 casualties. Does that really count as 'doing better'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anything could be spun with the right words—especially in military theory, where there's no standard and no quantifiable metrics. No one could definitively say whether something was right or wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Nivelle's supporters could still argue back and forth with the opposition, despite clear evidence that he had falsified battle reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Charles pushed open the door and walked in. The room instantly fell silent, all eyes turning to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles was already quite used to this by now. He strode confidently to the front, politely removed his general's cap, rested it on his forearm, and gave a slight bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My apologies, gentlemen! I'm late. I was swarmed by reporters the moment I got off the plane—they almost made me want to surrender!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles, invincible on the battlefield, ready to surrender to French reporters? They must be spies hired by the Germans!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gallieni, Minister of War, was seated behind the podium as a representative of the government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was quite pleased with Charles's calm demeanor. The man had clearly matured—he even felt a bit unfamiliar now. There was a sharpness in him that hadn't been there before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was the battlefield, business, or politics that had honed his edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Major General,\" an MP stood up and got straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We've asked you to come from Antwerp today for a very important matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You've probably heard about the situation at the Somme?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though there have been... some irregularities and unsatisfactory outcomes, we believe now is not the time for assigning blame.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's important now is solving the problem—finding a way to turn the tide of the Somme offensive…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles cut him off: \"I know what you're about to ask. But I'm sorry—I may not be able to do it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chamber erupted in a flurry of murmurs—even Gallieni looked surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some had guessed Charles might refuse. After all, it would mean cleaning up someone else's mess. No one would do that willingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they hadn't expected him to be so blunt, so decisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, you can't do that,\" a parliamentarian immediately tried to guilt-trip him. \"This concerns the lives of many soldiers. You're ignoring their deaths!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wasn't the one who ordered them to charge, gentlemen,\" Charles replied coldly. \"That question should be directed at the generals who gave the orders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The MP fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, if you didn't want losses, you could've just ordered your troops to hold their positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moreover,\" Charles added, \"the reason I can't help is because my battle has already begun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood tall, his voice firm though not loud: \"My troops are currently attacking Namur. I must dedicate all my effort to commanding the battle in that direction!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire chamber was shocked—someone even dropped their cane under the bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com\u002FFranklin1\u003C\u002Fp>",1303,"2026-06-05T20:02:32.165Z",1,"novelbin.me","62188d559713e8a0de15de35bf4228ae35106c88e383b1e1fdcdff39168294cb","i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-chapter-532","i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-chapter-530",622,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-cover.jpg"]