Chapter 720: The Arrow Is Already Notched
Queen Marie was shaken.
What unnerved her wasn't just the content of Charles and Gallieni's words—it was the looks in their eyes.
She could tell.
They were expressions of frustration, helplessness, and resignation.
Words can lie, but eyes don't.
And it made her realize: Romania's army might indeed be crushed by the Germans—with barely any resistance.
This was not just Gallieni's judgment, but that of France's "God of War," Charles. Which meant, most likely, it was true—whether she wanted to believe it or not.
"General, Minister," Queen Marie looked from one man to the other, her tone suddenly earnest and sincere.
"Please, help Romania. She is France's ally. Helping Romania is in all of our interests."
Gallieni paused for a moment, then rose and walked over to a cabinet. He rummaged through it and returned holding a large map, which he spread out on the table in front of the queen.
He pointed.
"There's still a way, Your Majesty. Not all is lost."
"The Carpathian Mountains form a natural shield for Romania."
"If your forces concentrate solely on defending the mountain passes, then even the Germans will hesitate."
(Image above: The Carpathian Mountain range. The eastern side is Romania; the western side is Transylvania, the region King Ferdinand I hopes to reclaim.)
Queen Marie's eyes lit up. "Really? Then there is hope."
But she was still unsure. She turned to Charles.
She wanted to hear his view. He was the war god. Gallieni, after all, was more a man of theory than action.
Charles said nothing.
He neither nodded nor shook his head. He acted as if he hadn't heard.
Queen Marie looked puzzled but dared not press.
Eventually, it was Gallieni who broke the silence. He glanced at Charles and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No," Charles replied calmly.
"There's no flaw in the strategy."
"The Carpathians are unsuitable for armored warfare and limit the effectiveness of air support."
"If they concentrate troops at the passes and secure the high ground, the Germans will find it hard to break through."
But Charles was careful with his words. He had said "hard," not "impossible."
He meant the Germans could break through—but at a high cost.
And once the Germans started calculating, they might decide it wasn't worth it. With major casualties already suffered on both Eastern and Western fronts, another costly victory in Romania might be too much.
Especially if Charles taught the Romanians how to use reverse slope defense, the Germans would be forced into a blood-for-blood fight.
Queen Marie beamed with hope. "Then I'll send this plan to Romania immediately…"
But Gallieni held her back.
He didn't stop looking at Charles and asked quietly, "And then what?"
He knew there was more. Charles wouldn't have stayed so reserved otherwise.
Sure enough, Charles let out a long sigh. "But this isn't possible, General. The king will never approve it."
Gallieni and Marie asked at the same time, "Why?"
"Think about it," Charles said.
"On what grounds did His Majesty declare war on Austria-Hungary? What justification did he give the Romanian people when mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops?"
"Invading Transylvania was the rallying cry—it's already an arrow notched on the bow. He cannot pull back and say, 'We'll just defend now.'"
The room fell silent.
They hadn't considered that.
But it was true.
The declaration of war was framed as a national crusade to reclaim Transylvania. That message had mobilized the people and the army.
In other words, the king had already made his grand promise, both at home and abroad:
"Romanians, unite! Let us bring Transylvania back into our arms. This is our mission—our honor. Victory will be ours!"
The people were energized. The army sharpened its blades.
Now imagine telling them, "Actually, we'll be staying behind the Carpathians to play defense."
Then why declare war at all?
If they weren't planning to attack, they might as well have remained neutral. No one was threatening them.
Gallieni nodded to himself.
He had been thinking only from a military perspective—he hadn't considered the political optics.
But politics… that's what determined everything.
Queen Marie stood up abruptly. "No. I still want to try. Maybe the king will agree."
She maintained her noble composure as she bowed slightly to the two men.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment."
Then she hurried toward the communications room—clearly to send a telegram to the king.
She returned not long after, her face pale.
"You were right," she said with a bitter smile. "He rejected my suggestion. He's already recalled General Averescu. The attack on Transylvania could begin within the next two days."
She turned toward Charles with pleading eyes. "Is there no other way?"
Charles spread his hands. "As I said before—without the natural protection of the mountains, with Romania's current equipment and level of training, going onto the plains to fight the Germans is suicide. No one can save you."
Gallieni nodded gravely. "Your main force will be crushed west of the Carpathians. Then you'll have no troops left to defend the homeland. And then…"
He didn't need to finish the sentence. The outcome would be the fall of Romania.
Queen Marie's face turned ashen. She began pacing back and forth, clearly panicked.
"No. I can't let this happen. I… I must return. I must try to convince the king."
"I'm sorry, Minister, General Charles."
"I need to go at once."
Gallieni nodded. "Of course."
After she left, Gallieni let out a long sigh and asked Charles, "Do you think she can stop him?"
"No," Charles replied, shaking his head.
"The real problem is that the king still believes he can win."
Gallieni agreed. "Yes. The king has never understood his own position. He doesn't grasp the imbalance of power. All he sees is a fantasy of glory—of reclaiming Transylvania, basking in adoration, securing his place in history. He never considered the cost of failure."
"So," Gallieni said with a bitter smile, "Romania's oil and grain will soon belong to the Germans. And the war… will continue, won't it?"
Charles didn't answer.
But that was precisely what he wanted.
After all, once the foreign enemy was defeated, Charles the general would no longer be needed. He'd be stripped of power.
At that point, he still wouldn't have had time to consolidate his influence, to convert his military prestige into political and commercial power.
So even if Germany surrendered now—Charles wouldn't accept it.
Still, letting the German army grow too strong would backfire.
He picked up the map Gallieni had used, examined it in silence for a moment, and finally said:
"Not necessarily. There's still room to maneuver."
(By reader request, the Eastern Front map is included. The red line shows the 1915 front line. Because Romania was still neutral at the time, a large gap existed in the southeastern flank. Historically, Romania declared war in August 1916, and by December 1st, its capital had fallen. In 1917, by the time of the brown line, that gap had been closed.)
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