"But what are we supposed to do, Your Excellency?" Haig looked puzzled at Kitchener: "I mean, Shire’s troops succeeded in infiltrating Antwerp and captured more than a hundred thousand Germans. This turned us from the front lines to the rear."
Haig and his troops had once quite enjoyed this kind of "peace," but this kind of life seemed to be coming to an end.
Then Haig spread his hands: "We can’t just swagger into Antwerp and have Shire hand over the defense lines to us, can we?"
"No, of course not," Kitchener replied.
Just then, the headlights outside flashed, and a car slowly decelerated and stopped at the gate to be checked by the guards.
"He arrives just in time," Kitchener said.
"Who?" Haig, confused, got up and looked at the car downstairs.
"The one who can lead our troops to the battlefield and show their strength," Kitchener replied.
After Nivelle got out of the car, he climbed the steps, paused at the doorway, carefully adjusted his uniform, relaxed his shoulders, then put on a smile before pushing the door open and entering.
(The figure above is Nivelle, a Franco-British with an English mother, good speaking skills, and fluent English, maintaining good relations with the British. During WWI, he crossed many military giants with the help of the British to become the French Army Commander-in-Chief)
"Your Excellency, Marshal, Your Excellency, General, I have long admired your esteemed names!" Nivelle saluted the two in succession, then eagerly stepped forward to shake hands with them.
Kitchener motioned for Nivelle to sit down on the sofa in front of them and introduced him to Haig: "Major General Nivelle, Commander of the 3rd Army."
Haig courteously bowed and shook hands with Nivelle, then gave Kitchener a puzzled look when he sat back, not understanding why Kitchener had brought a seemingly unremarkable Major General before him.
Kitchener didn’t explain but lifted his wine glass towards Nivelle, handing over the floor to him.
Nivelle sat up straighter, trying to remain calm:
"You must have heard about Xia Fei, General."
"He has already been dismissed, and the parliament is debating whether to revoke his military status."
Haig nodded: "Yes, poor Xia Fei, he has really become a poor Xia Fei now."
Nivelle cooperatively laughed.
This was a jest at Xia Fei, who always self-deprecatingly patted his head and said, "Poor Xia Fei" whenever he did something.
"With Xia Fei’s departure, there’s now a vacancy for the Commander-in-Chief."
"Although someone proposed that Gallieni should take the position, everyone knows about Gallieni’s health issues."
"The parliament fears that he cannot bear the burden, so they prefer to have him serve as Minister of the Army, simultaneously holding the less demanding role of Reserve Army Group Commander."
Haig blurted out: "What about Shire? Have you not considered Shire?"
"Certainly, General." Nivelle responded: "But the parliament generally considers Shire too young. He is still a Brigadier, only eighteen years old, which makes it hard for him to gain the respect of others. More importantly..."
Nivelle paused, finding it hard to articulate.
The silent Kitchener interjected: "Age and military rank are not the issues; if one is capable, anyone can be Commander-in-Chief. After all, even Xia Fei could."
Everyone laughed understandingly, as this had become a joke in military circles.
Kitchener leisurely crossed his legs and continued: "The main concern is that Shire’s power in the army is too great."
"Too powerful?" Haig looked at Kitchener in disbelief, then turned his gaze to Nivelle: "As far as I know, Shire only commands a force of twenty thousand."
With only twenty thousand troops, are they worried he has too much power?
"Indeed, General." Nivelle nodded: "But the main issue is his prestige."
Haig realized that the parliament was not concerned about how many troops Shire commanded, but his influence.
Ever since the war broke out, Shire had gone from victory to victory, and being the "conscientious capitalist," he had gained the hearts of countless soldiers and civilians from the lower social strata.
Although Shire commanded few troops and held a low rank, he had become the spiritual leader of the French military and civilians.
If Shire were to become the French Army Commander-in-Chief and gain control of the army, the parliament would likely be rendered insignificant, leading to the rise of a military dictator.
Haig snickered: "The French, they always put internal strife first."
He immediately thought that Britain was no different and realized he had no right to mock France.
Nivelle pretended not to hear, or one could say, upon sitting here, he naturally saw himself as British.
"Other potential candidates for the French Army Commander-in-Chief all have their own issues." Nivelle continued his analysis:
"Fuxu was recently dismissed due to Xia Fei’s influence."
"The parliament doesn’t quite trust him, believing he bears some responsibility for the misjudgment at Verdun."
"As for Petain, since he insists on defense theory, parliament thinks it’s out of date."
Haig nodded in agreement.
Shire had struck to Antwerp in one day and recaptured Duomont Fortress and the defense lines in another day. This could not have been accomplished with defense theory.
Things looked promising now and it was time to attack. If Petain were made Commander-in-Chief, he would inevitably turn to defense.
Then Haig suddenly realized something and looked at Nivelle in shock: "You don’t intend to vie for Commander-in-Chief, do you?"
"Yes, General." Nivelle nodded, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"You’re crazy." Haig’s eyes widened: "You’re just a Major General, many Vice Admirals are ahead of you in line, along with several army group commanders, all of whom are candidates for Commander-in-Chief, and you are just a..."
Haig recalled and then realized: "A corps commander."
Nivelle felt momentarily embarrassed, unsure of how to respond.
Kitchener took over the conversation: "This isn’t about military rank or position. If necessary, he could be a Vice Admiral by tomorrow."
Haig immediately realized that Kitchener, or rather Britain, was also involved.
Haig responded with an "Oh." Britain intended to support Nivelle to become the French Commander-in-Chief to achieve battlefield advantages.
This was a worthwhile deal, Haig thought, but...
"Have you achieved any remarkable military merits?" Haig asked Nivelle.
"No, General." Nivelle shook his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the question.
Haig looked disappointed; they should have chosen someone who had at least won a few battles.
But Kitchener countered: "Military achievements don’t necessarily have to be earned on the battlefield."
"What?" Haig didn’t understand.
"Supplies," Kitchener said: "France has entered a phase of material shortage; Major General Nivelle can secure supplies from us."
With this, Kitchener nodded towards Nivelle: "At the same time, as a Commander-in-Chief, Major General Nivelle can effectively coordinate between the British and French armies. What do you think?"