Chapter 504 Inspection

At Antwerp Airport, Charles met with Albert I and Colonel Eden in the conference room.

Charles had no objection to their idea of ​​forming an elite force to cooperate with the French army. Although the Belgian army and the French army also had the problem of different equipment and ammunition, it was still better than the British army.

But Charles was skeptical about Albert I's "airport guards": "This seems unnecessary, Your Majesty, we have our own guards, and the airport is very safe."

"No, General," Albert I replied, "Many people still don't know that Antwerp Airport has been converted into a military airport. When they are stopped by guards, they encounter language barriers. I heard that this has caused you a lot of trouble."

Charles was stunned, as if this was indeed the case.

Dutch is more commonly spoken in Antwerp, Belgium, so unnecessary misunderstandings often occur.

Albert I then added:

"If we use Belgian guards, we won't have these problems."

"I can select soldiers who can speak both French and Dutch to guard the airport. They can communicate with both French and Belgians without any obstacles. More importantly, they will be more advantageous in searching for spies."

"You can also rest assured about safety, ensuring there will be no omissions."

Fighter jets are a powerful weapon for defending Belgium and recovering territory. Moreover, Charles' headquarters is located at the airport. How could Albert I allow anything to go wrong?

Charles thought it made sense, especially when searching for spies. The French army had no right to search in principle, and the language barrier made the search difficult.

"Okay!" Charles nodded helplessly: "As you say, Your Majesty."

At this time, Charles had no idea that Albert I had other intentions in setting up this "guard force".

…

Albert I acted quickly. After obtaining Charles's consent, he immediately issued a special call to arms to the entire nation, including more than 500,000 guerrillas:

"Warriors, France has to withdraw its troops to fight in Verdun as the battle has become more intense."

"This leaves the Charr's armored and mechanized forces without infantry support."

"Based on this, we plan to urgently form the First Special Reconnaissance Army, with a total of three divisions and approximately 60,000 personnel."

"If you want to recover your homeland, if you want to drive the invaders out of the country, if you want to become a hero who will go down in history!"

"Now is the time. Join us and follow Ciel to victory!"

(Note: The Belgian "Special Reconnaissance Unit" was established in 1955. It is the prototype of the special forces, equivalent to the "scouts" of our army in the early years)

As soon as the conscription order was issued, the whole country of Belgium was in an uproar. Young people of appropriate age signed up one after another. The number exceeded 100,000 on the first day, and it continued to increase. People even rushed back from abroad to join.

The biggest temptation is "follow Charles to victory."

Charles successfully penetrated Antwerp in one day, and turned the tide of the Battle of Verdun in another day. These legendary victories are still popular around the world, and people all hope to be one of them and share the supreme glory.

Suddenly the opportunity was right in front of me.

So everyone rushed to the registration point, and it was so crowded that there was a shortage of registrants and emergency reinforcements were needed.

…

Lieutenant General Avis knew nothing about this. He thought it was just an ordinary formation of the Belgian army to better prepare for future battles.

He rushed to the airport unprepared, intending to use Charles to establish his authority, but he was unexpectedly frustrated by the twists and turns at the airport gate.

Until this point, Lieutenant General Avis still thought that this was caused by language barriers and poor communication with the Belgian guards, so he could only blame himself for his bad luck.

After a while, Albert I came out with Eden.

At this time, Eden had changed into a brigadier general's uniform, with two stars shining on his collar, his eyes were bright, and his chest was straighter than usual.

"Your Majesty." Lieutenant General Ives stood up and saluted: "We are planning to inspect this place..."

Albert I leaned out and laughed: "You plan to take them to inspect the airport? On horseback?"

Lieutenant General Elvis was stunned. Is there any problem?

Brigadier General Eden stepped forward and explained, "Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, you may not know much about fighter jets. Horses can easily get frightened and lose control at the airport. If they run around everywhere, it will cause great safety hazards to the takeoff and landing of fighter jets."

Albert I raised his eyebrows, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips: "You don't seem to understand the place you are going to inspect, Lieutenant General."

This is a more polite way of saying it. What he was thinking was, "Do you understand? If you don't understand, what's the point of inspecting it?"

Lieutenant General Ives was embarrassed:

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I really don't know much."

"So, that's why I want to know what parts I need to pay attention to."

This is not Lieutenant General Elvis' fault. During World War I, airplanes had just entered the battlefield and few army generals knew these precautions.

Then Lieutenant General Avis looked behind him, turned around and said, "I am only taking two staff officers, Your Majesty, and all the horses will be left outside."

As he spoke, he sighed inwardly. The reason why he brought the cavalry was because he heard that Charles could not ride a horse. He planned to ride a horse in front of Charles to show him what a real soldier is.

As a result, he died before he could accomplish his mission!

Albert I nodded and said, "You'd better do this, Lieutenant General. You can't afford to lose those fighter planes and pilots."

This is the truth, especially for pilots, who often cannot be bought even with money during wartime.

Lieutenant General Ives shrugged, looking unimpressed.

Albert I smiled contemptuously, but the British army that refused to accept new equipment certainly would not think so.

Albert I didn't explain much and turned to walk into the airport. Lieutenant General Avis hurriedly followed with two staff officers.

After entering the gate, Lieutenant General Ives found that the direction seemed wrong, so he asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, shouldn't the headquarters be at..."

"No, Lieutenant General." Albert I said without turning his head: "Major General Charles is very busy. I don't think he should waste time on such a trivial matter as inspection. Brigadier General Eden and I are willing to do it for you. Is there any problem?"

The implication is: You are not qualified to see Charles!

Lieutenant General Ives said "hmm". Although he was unhappy, he didn't dare to say anything. He quickly followed Albert I's footsteps and said, "No, of course it's no problem. It's a great honor, Your Majesty."

After all, he was the King of Belgium, and the Allies were still fighting on Belgian soil, so there would be no benefit in offending him.

Lieutenant General Elvis had a bad feeling: today's "inspection" might not achieve the expected "effect".

(End of this chapter)