[{"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-554":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},1335522,1779,"Chapter 554: Don’t You Want to Ask for Something for Yourselves?","i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-chapter-554",554,"\u003Cp>The bearded lieutenant had laid a trap, waiting for Charles to fall into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among common soldiers and the civilian population, deep-seated resentment toward capitalists ran strong. From childhood, many had been exploited by them—abused, underpaid, overlooked. Their hatred had built up over years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such frost doesn't form in a single night. For people who had suffered so long, believing a capitalist could be \"good\" was almost impossible. Charles was no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They believed everything Charles had done—his donations, his victories, his inventions—was part of a carefully calculated plan to win public support:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All that money and material meant nothing to a capitalist, but it bought him the people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, he wins battles and builds weapons, but that success also brings him wealth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is all a foundation for power. Charles is the smartest of them all—he knows how to manipulate the public!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way of thinking was common.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded lieutenant believed it too. He was convinced Charles had ulterior motives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he was sure: Charles wanted to replace Nivelle as the Commander-in-Chief of the French and Allied forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the bearded man had made up his mind. If Charles accepted the \"Commander-in-Chief\" title when offered, it would prove his ambition. That he was just like the rest of the capitalist elite—only better at hiding it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if that were true, the mutiny couldn't end. Because afterward, there would be consequences. Retaliations. Trials. Executions. Their lives and honor were at stake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Note: Historically, over 20,000 soldiers were punished after the French Army mutinies, with many ringleaders executed.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Charles didn't hesitate for even a second. He shook his head firmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. I don't believe I should be Commander-in-Chief.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded lieutenant froze. He hadn't expected Charles to refuse—and certainly not so quickly or so decisively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other soldiers, who lacked the same suspicious nature, immediately looked disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did Parliament reject it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We'll support you, General! We'll fight for it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, gentlemen,\" Charles said. \"You don't understand what that position really means. The Commander-in-Chief must answer to Parliament—and to the British.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers paused. Some nodded, murmuring to each other:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If Charles becomes Commander-in-Chief, he'll have to follow Parliament's orders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the British. They'll still pressure him by controlling the supply lines.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He won't have the freedom he has now—to seize opportunities and strike where the enemy is weakest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Makes sense. If he's Commander-in-Chief, every move has to go through Parliament. And Parliament leaks like a sieve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. As soon as they approve a plan, the Germans will hear about it within a day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Grévy betrayal scandal, it was no secret that Parliament was full of leaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one reason the entire building was currently under lockdown. Not by Charles's hand, but by a proposal he submitted—and which Parliament approved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all knew that secrecy couldn't be trusted. And news of a massive mutiny was the last thing they could afford to let reach German ears. It would destroy France.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once, even the divided Parliament voted unanimously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could leave the Bourbon Palace. No contact with outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lockdown would remain in effect until Charles resolved the crisis at the Somme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And think about this—if I become Commander-in-Chief with your support, what do you think Parliament will do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They'll see me as a threat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because if I can use your support to demand one position today… I could use it to demand anything tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think that looks like to them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers looked at one another in stunned silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had only wanted to support Charles. They hadn't realized they were walking straight into what they'd always feared: dictatorship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won't do that,\" Charles said firmly. \"Yes, Parliament has made plenty of mistakes. But I still believe it represents France's freedom and justice. We should protect this system—not destroy it. Don't you agree?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was, of course, a bit of a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles knew exactly what Parliament was: a battleground for competing capitalist interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the people of France had been fed decades of propaganda. They believed in parliamentary democracy. They believed it was freedom. That it was the right system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Charles had to say what they needed to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with all his achievements and popularity, if he acted otherwise, he could easily become another General Boulanger—once loved, then abandoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the real danger. Parliament excelled at seizing the moral high ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Charles's words instantly won the soldiers over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's a commander worth respecting. He could've taken total power—but he didn't.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He gave it up. Power, position, wealth—he turned it all down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the spirit of France! He's the commander we need. Our hope!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded lieutenant was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had imagined many answers—even that Charles might fake a refusal to look good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he never expected Charles to say what he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by doing so, Charles had burned the bridge behind him. He'd made it impossible to use the mutineers to seize power. That made him… real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A true soldier. A general—and maybe even a capitalist—who genuinely fought for the people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles spread his hands and looked around the trench. \"Any other questions?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his gaze landed back on the bearded lieutenant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"None, General,\" the man replied quietly. \"At least… not from me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're sure?\" Charles asked again, sweeping his eyes over the other representatives. \"Don't you want to ask for anything for yourselves?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded man and Captain Jérémy exchanged glances, then shook their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, General,\" Jérémy said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, General,\" the bearded lieutenant added, his voice filled with sincerity. At last, he fully believed in Charles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles's question seemed simple—but it carried a heavy message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't you want to ask for something for yourselves?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he really meant was: you might be purged later—shouldn't you protect yourselves now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No officer would ever say that aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any other commander sent to negotiate would've said something like:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You won't be punished. We'll forget all this ever happened—as long as you return to your duties now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Charles. Only he told the truth. Only he warned them of what was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so they knew, beyond a doubt:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles was on their side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well,\" Charles said, nodding to the group. \"You are true warriors—men brave enough to face death and still stand tall. I will do everything in my power to protect you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded lieutenant could hold back no longer. His eyes reddened. He stared at Charles in silence, his emotions unraveling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I ever have doubted this man?\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>",1121,"2026-06-05T20:02:33.312Z",1,"novelbin.me","61a62eb8d1eaeae7b19d2f4042e3f5f982636883584d5b918dc243122cae5f30","i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-chapter-555","i-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-chapter-553",622,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-a-tycoon-during-world-war-i-saving-fran-cover.jpg"]