Chapter 569: Battlefield Giant
"Just pick something simple," Charles replied. "They won't mind."
But deep down, he felt a flicker of guilt. He had always taken Deoka and Camille's care and love for granted—never once had he considered what they might like in return.
Lucia seemed to catch on. She didn't press further. Instead, she glanced sideways at him and asked:
"One last question—is this a family visit, or… a mission?"
Charles hesitated before answering:
"You can think of it as a mission."
It was the safest answer. If anyone asked why Lucia was meeting his family, he could say it was part of maintaining operational security.
But what Charles didn't notice was the slight disappointment that flashed in Lucia's eyes.
She had hoped he'd say it was personal. After all, she'd already met his mother. Naturally, the next step would be meeting his parents formally—as his partner.
…
Charles's short leave was anything but restful.
He hadn't visited the factories in quite some time. Early the next morning, after a quick breakfast, he and Deoka went to the tractor plant.
Charles headed straight for the R&D department. Upon entering, his eyes immediately landed on Mathieu, who was in the middle of a discussion with technicians.
Mathieu now wore a prosthetic leg, giving him the look of a one-legged pirate. He sported a rough beard and messy hair, clearly untouched by a comb for days. A pair of thick glasses rested on his nose.
When he spotted Charles, Mathieu removed the glasses and limped over, giving him a hearty laugh and a hug.
"Look at you!" Mathieu said, stepping back and taking in Charles's uniform.
"A general. A general who keeps beating the Germans. You're all anyone talks about. Honestly, I can't believe they're talking about you."
Charles gestured at the glasses.
"When did you become nearsighted?"
Mathieu shrugged.
"The price of designing tanks."
As it turned out, Mathieu had been obsessively studying engine mechanics—staying in the plant for days without returning home. He ate, slept, and dreamed about tank development. The once easygoing student who used to fall asleep over textbooks had transformed into a full-blown engineer.
"You're just in time." Mathieu motioned Charles over to a desk, pointing at the blueprints laid out.
"Take a look—this is my idea for a new tank. Tell me if it meets your standards."
Charles leaned in and was shocked.
It was a design for the Char 2C—France's massive, multi-turreted super-heavy tank.
(Historical Note: The Char 2C was developed in 1921. It weighed 70 tons, powered by two 250-horsepower engines, with twin turrets and massive armament.)
Charles frowned.
"Why would you want to build a tank like this?"
Mathieu beamed with pride.
"I want to build an invincible tank—one that can crush anything and survive everything. Nothing should be able to penetrate its armor."
Then he rattled off technical specs:
"It's armed with a 75mm gun, frontal armor at 45mm. We tested it—it can withstand hits from German 77mm infantry guns..."
"Mathieu," Charles interrupted gently, "this isn't viable."
"Why not?" Mathieu's face fell. "I worked so hard on it…"
"Because no tank is invincible," Charles replied.
"How do you know if you don't try?" Mathieu shot back, unwilling to give up.
Charles sighed.
"Let's start with the weight."
Mathieu pulled a paper from the pile. "40 tons. Two engines—250 horsepower each. It can match the Char A1 in speed."
Impressive specs, but Charles knew better.
The Char 2C design, even with improvements, had eventually ballooned to 70 tons.
For comparison, the infamous WWII German Tiger tank weighed 56 tons and was already a logistical nightmare—even with a 650-horsepower engine.
And here they were, using two 250-hp engines to move 70 tons. It was a fantasy.
"Let me put it this way," Charles said.
"Put two engines on a 40-ton sled and try pulling it through mud. See how far you get before it breaks down."
Mathieu's expression shifted.
"You're worried about reliability?"
"Exactly. Two engines mean twice the failure rate."
It wasn't like aircraft, where dual engines meant one could keep the plane flying in an emergency. A tank's two engines worked in tandem—if either failed, the entire vehicle stopped.
Mathieu thought for a long moment, then nodded.
"You're right. A tank like that would be impossible to repair under combat conditions. One breakdown and it's scrap metal."
Charles nodded. That was the historical fate of the Char 2C—not destroyed by the enemy, but abandoned due to mechanical failure and destroyed by its own crew to avoid capture.
Then Charles picked up a pencil and began sketching over the blueprints.
"Single turret. One engine. Scaled-down design, much lighter."
(Historical Note: Charles was redesigning what would eventually become the Char B1, France's most powerful pre-WWII heavy tank—known as the 'Battlefield Giant'.)
Mathieu leaned in, eyes wide.
"Wait—two guns? You're giving it two guns?"
He pointed at the design.
"The hull-mounted 75mm gun—doesn't that have limited mobility?"
"That's fine," Charles said.
"It's meant to fire straight ahead. Use it against bunkers, trenches, enemy tank fronts—where high penetration matters."
In such situations, wide angles weren't necessary.
Mathieu studied the blueprint. With the turret carrying a smaller, faster-firing gun, and the hull housing the big one, it was a near-perfect combination. Versatile, but still compact.
His eyes lit up.
"My God… its firepower isn't far off from what I designed. But it's smaller, lighter, and with one engine, it's cheaper and less prone to failure."
He turned to Charles, half amused, half in awe:
"I'm starting to hate you a little, Charles. You outdid me with a sketch."
Charles grinned. It wasn't a random sketch—it was the product of years of French tank development, projected into the present.
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