Chapter 559: Charles Launches the Counterattack
Haig was jolted awake by the thunder of artillery. He sprang out of bed, flung open his door, and rushed to the observation window, binoculars in hand.
On the southern bank of the Somme, fireballs bloomed one after another—like the entire French line was engulfed in flames. The British positions, however, remained quiet.
Clearly, the German artillery barrage was concentrated entirely on the French front lines.
A smile crept across Haig's face. Everything was unfolding exactly as he had hoped. Any moment now, he expected to hear desperate calls for help from Charles and the French Parliament.
After a moment of thought, he turned to his aide and ordered:
"Notify the French Ministry of War: The Germans have launched a sudden offensive, targeting the French lines along the southern bank of the Somme!"
"Yes, General!"
Haig gave a slight grin. He was more than happy to deliver such good news to Paris.
…
Paris – Bourbon Palace
Aside from the main parliamentary hall, the palace complex included more than a hundred auxiliary buildings—some of which housed visiting members of Parliament.
So even under strict lockdown, the MPs were able to live comfortably in private rooms, enjoying hot meals and soft bedding.
Gallieni was among them. To better oversee the lockdown and keep the MPs from wandering, he'd purposely chosen a room on the ground floor.
Unlike the MPs, Gallieni remained in constant communication with the outside world, receiving real-time updates to relay to Parliament.
At 5:10 a.m., Gallieni had yet to rise, but he was already awake.
The night before, he'd spent hours arguing with the assembly, pressing the urgent need to elect a new Commander-in-Chief.
The crisis at the Somme was only the beginning. The mutiny had already spread to other fronts and was still expanding.
Charles could stabilize the situation at the Somme—but elsewhere, his influence couldn't reach.
If the Germans launched a full-scale counteroffensive now, the damage to the French army would be catastrophic.
But the nature of Parliament was "deliberation," which meant slowness. After several days, they had only just produced a shortlist of candidates: Pétain, Foch, and Charles.
Charles had been nominated by Steed, Wells, and a few others.
But Gallieni knew Charles didn't stand a chance—not because he wasn't capable, but because he was too capable. Parliament feared him as a potential dictator, someone who might one day ignore them altogether.
Still, Gallieni thought, even electing someone as mediocre as Joffre or Nivelle would be better than no one at all.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door.
Before he could respond, Colonel Fernand's urgent voice called through:
"General! The Germans have attacked the Somme—specifically the French sector!"
Gallieni's face went pale. He bolted upright as if struck by lightning.
Only the French lines?
That meant the Germans knew something.
Who had leaked the information?
Gallieni leapt from bed and began dressing swiftly. "Wake everyone up—immediately! Call for an emergency session!"
"Yes, General!"
…
Bourbon Palace Assembly Hall
MPs trickled in, a few at a time, leisurely taking their seats.
They had no concept of what an "emergency session" actually meant. Dragging themselves out of bed at 5 a.m. was already a monumental concession in their minds.
If Colonel Fernand hadn't dispatched guards to knock on every door and personally escort the MPs, it would've taken over an hour to gather them all.
After all, they had morning routines—bathing, eating, chatting, even trying on different outfits...
"Gentlemen!" Gallieni didn't wait for everyone to be seated. He raised his voice the moment he entered:
"We've just received confirmation—the Germans have launched an attack on the Somme!"
Gasps erupted across the room. MPs froze mid-step. Those still looking for their chairs stared in disbelief.
"It's obvious," Gallieni added. "The Germans know something. They've chosen to strike only the southern bank—our sector."
The MPs' faces darkened. Voices murmured and whispered:
"Someone must've leaked information. The Germans know our army is still in disarray."
"Now it's up to Charles. Let's hope he can hold the line."
"We need to send reinforcements. We can't just put everything on Charles's shoulders!"
…
But that suggestion drew immediate pushback:
"Reinforcements? Are you insane? The mutiny is spreading like wildfire."
"Send more troops to the front, and they'll likely mutiny too!"
"Keep them in the rear. At least they'll serve as a last line of defense for Paris."
…
Defending Paris was the excuse. In truth, the goal was to protect the MPs and buy time for their retreat.
Everyone knew: if the three Army Group commands at the front were destroyed, the only troops left would be Gallieni's undertrained reserves. France would fall quickly after.
At that moment, Lieutenant General Avis—trapped in Parliament due to the lockdown—could no longer stay silent.
As a British officer, Avis hadn't held much influence in Parliament.
But now, with control of British military supplies, he carried a kind of unofficial authority—or at least believed he did.
"Gentlemen," Avis said, striding confidently to the podium, attempting to sound solemn but unable to hide a hint of pride.
"Now is the time for unity. We won't sit by and watch our allies perish."
"I believe only deeper cooperation between our nations can resolve this crisis."
Applause echoed around the room. MPs nodded and murmured approval:
"A true ally indeed."
"Britain is our only hope now."
"He's right. If we all defend our own sectors, the Germans will crush us one by one!"
…
Steed, Wells, and the centrists remained stone-faced.
They knew the truth: Avis's nice-sounding speech boiled down to one thing—
"Bow to us, and we'll protect you."
"Deeper cooperation" meant allowing the British to infiltrate French command structures and take over the war effort.
Gallieni understood it too. But what choice did he have?
Compared to seeing Paris fall and France surrender, Avis's proposal was still the lesser evil.
Just as Gallieni was hesitating, Colonel Fernand burst into the room.
"General—Charles has launched a counterattack!"
"What?" Gallieni froze.
MPs all turned to Fernand in disbelief.
It wasn't even daylight yet. The German bombardment hadn't even ended. The offensive hadn't formally begun…
And Charles was counterattacking?
With troops that had just mutinied? Whose morale hadn't even fully recovered?
He was counterattacking?
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