Chapter 451 FN Arsenal

In Antwerp, there is peace in Albert I's manor.

After a few days of renovation, the manor changed from its previous messy and dilapidated appearance to a warm and tidy one.

It was lunch time, and Albert I and Colonel Eden were having an enthusiastic discussion while eating.

The food was simple, just a few pieces of bread and some vegetable leaves, and the only meat dish was a few fried chicken nuggets.

"I want to save all the money to prepare for the defense system," Albert I said. "This is the most important thing at the moment."

The topic of discussion was the defense system.

"We have recaptured two strong points." Albert I asked Colonel Eden while chewing dry bread: "What can we do now?"

"Theoretically, yes, Your Majesty." Colonel Eden replied, "According to Charles's defense philosophy, the support points are mainly used to store fuel and ammunition. Ghent is the rear base, and it should be the most important 'ammunition and fuel' warehouse."

Albert I nodded in agreement.

The Liege Fortress is too far forward, it will be the first target of the German attack...

Wait, Albert I felt something was wrong.

"What if it's France?" Albert I looked up at Colonel Eden and lowered his voice.

Although France is currently an ally, we cannot help but be on guard.

Ghent is on the French side, and putting fuel and ammunition there would expose its weaknesses to it, wouldn't it?

"Your Majesty." Colonel Eden raised his eyebrows helplessly: "France has Charles, and he is only eighteen years old."

Albert I understood instantly.

Any defense or preparation will be useless in front of Charles, not to mention that this defense system was built by Charles.

"Yes." Albert I nodded heavily: "Put it in Ghent."

There seemed to be no point in defending against France.

"So, we can strengthen the fortresses and fortifications in Ghent," said Colonel Eden. "In addition, we need to build several large warehouses, preferably underground, so as to avoid being destroyed by enemy aircraft and artillery fire."

Then he added: "The military construction must also keep up. The defense system that Charles mentioned has very high requirements for the military."

"Yes." Albert I agreed: "They must be able to break through the enemy's defenses and quickly penetrate like Charles' troops. Only in this way can they connect the various support points to form a whole."

Speaking of this, Albert I felt a little uneasy. He always had a desire to connect various support points with trenches, fortresses or bunkers.

He had once asked Colonel Eden about this idea.

Colonel Eden replied:

"That may not be a good thing, Your Majesty."

"We don't have that many troops to defend such a long line."

"The result is that the defenses we have built are likely to be exploited by the enemy, and our armored and mechanized forces will suffer the most."

Albert I thought about it and felt that it made sense. These five support points were connected in pairs with a total of eight sides, with a total length of at least more than 500 kilometers.

Based on the population of Belgium, the standing army could only be a few hundred thousand.

More than one hundred thousand troops were guarding a defense line of more than 500 kilometers, with an average of only two to three hundred people per kilometer, and barely one or two infantry companies.

If we also need to build armored and mechanized forces, our manpower will be even more stretched.

Perhaps Charles had also thought of this, which is why he suggested building armored and mechanized forces for mobile defense!

Albert I sighed inwardly. Not knowing much about military affairs, he always wanted to put something on the defense line to feel safe.

Otherwise, there would be nothing there, and the enemy tanks could easily break through and move deep into the hinterland, which would be unsettling no matter how you think about it.

Just as Albert I was lost in thought, the guard came forward and reported: "Your Majesty, Mr. Boyata is outside the door."

"Send him in," Albert I ordered.

Colonel Eden looked at Albert I nervously: "The owner of the FN Arsenal?"

"Yes." Albert I nodded calmly: "I want to talk to him about something."

"Do you need me to step aside?" asked Colonel Eden.

There are some things he's better off not knowing.

"No." Albert I shook his head. "There is nothing you can't know."

After a while, an old man in his sixties walked into the restaurant with steady steps. Although his face was covered with wrinkles, his eyes were bright and you could tell at a glance that he took good care of himself.

Albert I stood up to express his welcome and introduced Colonel Eden to each other.

The food on the table was quickly cleared away and replaced with coffee, which several people drank and talked.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Boyata smiled and said, "We have successfully recovered one-third of the land. With Charles' help, it will be just a matter of time before we recover the rest of the territory."

"This is also good for you, Mr. Boyata." Albert I met Boyata's gaze: "This means that your branch factory in Ghent has returned to FN Company, and the only thing missing is the main factory in Liege!"

Boyata laughed and said, "Yes, thanks to Charles. If I have a chance, I hope to thank him in person!"

"Of course there is a chance." Albert I continued Boyata's words: "He is in Antwerp. If you want, I can take you to see him now."

Boyata chuckled: "Your Majesty asked me to come here, isn't it just to take me to see Charles?"

At this time, Boyata was unsure about his relationship with Charles.

Originally, FN almost monopolized the production of Belgian arms. Although it currently only produces rifles and pistols, it is also developing in the direction of machine guns.

But as soon as Charles appeared, he squeezed out FN's market.

Friend or foe?

Although he said they were enemies, his main factory still hoped to recapture Charles.

Although they are friends, they are destined to become competitors in the future, and very strong competitors at that!

"I heard that your company is developing a light machine gun recently?" Albert I asked, "Are there any progress?"

"It's not research and development." Boyata said truthfully: "We imported the 'Saucha' machine gun from France and are improving it."

(The picture above shows the improved version of the Sauch machine gun from the Belgian FN company. The review has been delayed again, so we may not be able to see it until tomorrow)

Albert I hummed, then took a sip of his coffee leisurely. "Are you doing this to compete with Charles' Saint-Etienne 2?"

Boyata's face changed and he quickly denied it: "No, no, I don't have such an idea. I just want to know the development of firearms, that's all. You know, light machine guns are a new type of firearm, different from rifles and heavy machine guns, and we don't want to lag behind too much in this regard."

Colonel Eden, who had been silent, was stunned. He looked at Boyata who was busy explaining, and suddenly understood why Albert I had called him here.

(End of this chapter)