Chapter 476: Who Says I Can't?
Canice's expression was a bit awkward; deep down, he knew he couldn't justify himself—especially not in front of Charles.
But what else could he do?
Surrender?
His fate was tied to Joffre's.
If Joffre was dismissed, his own career as Deputy Commander-in-Chief, having always stood by Joffre's side, would also come to an end.
No, he couldn't let that happen. At the very least, he had to try!
"Gentlemen," Canice said, forcing himself to raise his head, "I don't believe General Joffre should be entirely to blame. We all know his decisions were made based on advice from his staff, including General Foch…"
Foch made for a perfect scapegoat—he was one of the founders of French military theory.
The subtext was clear: if even Foch could make such a mistake, wasn't it only normal for Joffre to misjudge things as well?
And besides, Foch had already paid the price for his mistake. That wouldn't happen again.
Charles simply replied:
"I don't truly know, General—but I do know that if it had been a victory, I know who would've taken the credit."
The chamber went silent for a moment—then burst into laughter.
They understood the reference.
Back when Gallieni had successfully defended Paris and driven the Germans back, Joffre had once said: "I don't really know—but I do know that if it had been a defeat, I know who would've been held responsible."
With that one sentence, Joffre had stolen the glory of being the "Savior of Paris" from Gallieni.
Today, Charles threw the same words back at Joffre's faction, who were trying to shirk responsibility.
Sitting nearby, Gallieni showed a rare smile of relief. Charles had avenged him—he'd held that resentment in his chest for an entire year.
Then, one of the deputies shouted:
"He's right! Responsibility and honor should go hand in hand. Joffre robs his subordinates of victory but pushes the blame for failure onto them."
"God, I never realized how shameless Joffre truly is—and this man is our Commander-in-Chief, leading all of France's armies?"
"How could we ever expect to win with a Commander like that? It's time to make a decision!"
…
Major Jules sat silently beside Gallieni.
Gallieni had warned him that soldiers should not interfere in politics—therefore, in principle, he was not to speak in the Chamber of Deputies unless formally questioned.
But he couldn't hold back. He stood and addressed those around him:
"Gentlemen, I am Colonel Driant's adjutant."
"On September 3rd, Colonel Driant ordered me to go to HQ to report on the battlefield situation to Joffre."
"When I arrived at HQ, the Germans had already launched their assault. Thousands of artillery pieces were bombarding Verdun."
"But I was stopped outside HQ and told, 'The Commander-in-Chief is asleep. You must not disturb him.'"
At this, Major Jules raised his voice—the calm tone shifting into a furious accusation:
"Is the Commander-in-Chief's sleep more important than the fate of France?"
"More important than the outcome of the battle—than the lives of our front-line soldiers?"
"I don't understand—can you tell me, General?"
The last line was aimed squarely at Canice on the podium.
Major Jules stared straight at him, eyes blazing with fury. Though he carried no sidearm, his hand rested on his belt as though itching to draw a pistol and riddle Canice with bullets.
Canice was stunned by his intensity—he avoided eye contact and dared not respond.
The deputies erupted once more—some booed Canice, others shouted:
"Step down—take Joffre with you!"
"We don't need such incompetence leading us!"
"Nor do the people of France!"
…
Canice's face went pale. He struggled to put up one last defense:
"At this moment, General Joffre is on the front lines commanding. I don't know if now is the right time to replace the Commander-in-Chief."
Charles cut him off:
"But Joffre has barely been commanding anything, General. All he does is order an attack before bed, then turn out the lights and sleep. Even when German gas shells are massacring French troops on the front line, Joffre only finds out after waking the next morning. All he knows is how to order an attack!"
"That's not true," Canice replied—without conviction.
Everyone could see he was lying. Joffre had always boasted about how "composed" he remained, how he could maintain his routine under any circumstance—now he was denying it all.
At this point, the chamber quieted down—not because they were convinced, but because they had already made up their minds.
Sensing this, Canice threw caution to the wind and raised his voice hoarsely:
"Gentlemen, isn't ordering the troops to attack what a commander is supposed to do? This is war!"
"Besides, who could've done better in such a situation?"
"Think about it—we're facing an enemy with superior artillery, manpower, and even new gas weapons."
"Who could achieve a better outcome under these conditions?"
…
One deputy shouted:
"Charles could!"
Canice glanced at Charles and refuted:
"I don't think so."
"His forces are still in Belgium—along with his tanks and aircraft. The Germans launched the Verdun offensive precisely because of this."
"Don't you see? The Germans deliberately avoided Charles's troops so they could gain the upper hand!"
"So this comparison isn't fair to Joffre!"
The room quieted down a bit—at least this part was true. The Germans had chosen to avoid Charles's units and focus their forces on Verdun.
That silence gave Canice some renewed confidence. He continued:
"If even Charles can't do it, how can we expect Joffre to?"
"Believe me, gentlemen. Joffre may not be the best—but we have no one else…"
Charles slowly stood up and asked:
"Who says I can't?"
The deputies burst into cheers and applause—many even stood, clapping while looking in his direction.
Canice was stunned:
"No, you misunderstood me, Brigadier General."
"What I meant was, without bringing your troops back…"
Charles replied calmly:
"I don't need to recall my troops."
"Including the air force?" Canice added, scrambling.
"Including the air force," Charles nodded.
"Just the forces already at Verdun," Canice said, throwing out another limitation in desperation.
The chamber booed and jeered:
"Get down, Canice! Those troops are still under Joffre's command!"
"Joffre will sabotage Charles just to prove him wrong!"
"Before anything else, we should strip Joffre of command!"
…
Charles turned and looked at Steed in the back row. Steed gave him a gentle, encouraging nod.
Charles turned back to Canice and answered slowly, clearly:
"No problem—I'll use the forces currently at Verdun."
The chamber erupted. Even under such harsh conditions, he accepted?
Gallieni sighed to himself.
Only then did he realize—Charles wasn't just aiming to remove Joffre from command.
He wanted Joffre disgraced.
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