Chapter 548 Who is responsible for the loan?

In Namur Castle, Charles was discussing the battle plan against Leuven with Tijani in front of the map.

After the capture of Namur, Leuven was surrounded on three sides by the French army. At the same time, Charles had armored and mechanized troops, as well as the cooperation of the air force and the Belgian First Special Reconnaissance Army. The capture of Leuven was just around the corner.

In fact, it was not a question of whether or not the enemy could be captured, but a question of how many German troops could be surrounded and how many prisoners could be captured.

This is also one of the reasons why Charles, knowing that the terrain of Namur was not suitable for tank combat, chose to attack Namur instead of taking the easy way out.

This is called capturing in Go, and it is a highly efficient move.

If the German commander was smart enough, he should have taken the initiative to abandon Leuven and shrink the defense line.

(The red circles in the above picture are, from top to bottom, Antwerp, the capital Brussels, and Namur. Leuven is in the middle of the three, and is in a state of being surrounded and attacked. If the protagonist attacks Leuven first instead of Namur, not only will Leuven be more difficult to attack because of reinforcements from other places, but in the end he will still have to face the "difficult problem" of Namur.)

Tijani looked at the map and smiled: "Once Leuven is taken, the British will be relegated to the second line again."

Northeast of Antwerp is the neutral country of the Netherlands.

As soon as Leuven was defeated, Antwerp was basically in a "corner" where it did not have to face the enemy.

Charles smiled softly: "Is Reuven the only one in your eyes, General?"

"What do you mean?" Tijani was puzzled. He glanced at Charles and then turned his gaze to the map: "Besides Leuven, is there a better direction to attack?"

He seemed to be thinking about something. When his eyes turned to the Liege Fortress, an important city in Belgium, he was surprised and said, "You don't want to attack the Liege Fortress directly, do you?"

"No." Charles shook his head. "The Liege Fortress is full of castles and the terrain is complex. It is almost impossible to capture it in a short time."

The Germans even repaired the fort there, and the large-caliber artillery inside the fort posed a real deterrent to any attacking unit, including Charles' armored forces.

"you mean……"

Charles pointed to a point on the map and said, "Hasselt, General, we can avoid the defense circle of the Liege Fortress."

(Note: Hasselt is the "Hasselt" on the map)

Tijani was stunned after finding the location on the map: "Hasselt? There is no way to surround it..."

The next second he figured it out. He looked at Charles in shock: "You mean, use the Dutch border to encircle the Germans?"

Ciel nodded.

At this time, the German troops in the Leuven area were roughly in a triangular area. To the south was the French defense line from Antwerp to Namur, to the north was the Dutch border, and there was only one exit, the Liege Fortress in the east.

Once the French army penetrates into Hasselt, they will block this exit first, and then tens of thousands of German troops will be surrounded.

However, there is a loophole in this plan. In order to protect itself, the Netherlands is likely to allow the surrounded German army to pass through.

This problem must be solved before attacking.

At this time, the signalman sent a telegram: "General, our army has won a decisive victory on the Somme River."

Tijani took the telegram and read it, then he uttered a "ha" and handed it to Charles with a look of disdain: "40,000 casualties and only one kilometer of advance, and it's still a flat pile. This is actually a 'decisive' victory?"

Charles also found it difficult to understand after reading the telegram: "Maybe he meant that since he won the first time by playing this way, he can also win the second time by playing this way, right?"

Tijani laughed:

"That's what I thought."

"They always assume that the Germans will just keep using the same old tactics."

"40,000 people, 40,000 casualties in one day! They call this a victory?"

He looked extremely distressed.

Tijani had been following Charles for so long, and all he had seen were minor casualties of a few hundred people. Casualties of thousands of people had only occurred in the battle in the Dardanelles when the soldiers were surrounded by the enemy.

Therefore, it was difficult for him to imagine what it would be like if 40,000 people were killed or injured in one day.

At this time, another intelligence was handed over: "General, the Germans proposed 'negotiations for peace'."

Tijani rushed forward to take the telegram. After reading it, his eyes lit up and he said excitedly: "We are going to negotiate, Major General. The war is going to end!"

"Don't hold too high hopes for this." A hint of helplessness flashed in Charles' eyes.

"I don't think so." Tijani said excitedly: "As long as someone is willing to talk, it is only a matter of time before an agreement is reached. At least the intensity of the war will be much less."

After all, knowing that they are in negotiations and everyone is looking forward to the day when an agreement is reached, not many people will really risk their lives.

"You think too much." Charles sat back in his chair and leaned back: "You ignored the Americans."

"Americans?" Tijani looked at Charles in confusion: "What does this have to do with the Americans? They didn't even participate in the war!"

Charles shook his head slightly, took the document and signed it while answering, "The Americans have given Britain a lot of loans, General."

All the supplies the British obtained from the United States were obtained through the "empty-handed" method: they borrowed money from the US government and then used the loan money to buy American supplies, including large quantities of bullets and artillery shells.

(Note: 40% of the ammunition used by the Allies in combat was produced in the United States, and the final loan amount exceeded 10 billion US dollars)

However, Tijani still didn't understand and looked at Charles with a confused look on his face.

Charles had to add: "Think about it, General. If there is peace now, who do you think will pay for this loan, the British? The Germans? Or the French?"

Tijani was lost in thought.

The French would certainly not pay the loan, and it was none of their business.

Neither would the Germans; they were not defeated; they “negotiated peace” when they had the upper hand.

The people who should pay the most are the British, they are the ones who took out the loan, and they are the ones who benefit directly.

However, the British, besieged by Germany, were penniless and could not afford to repay the loan.

The most important thing is that the British are the world's most powerful country. Although they are in a period of decline, they still have the right to speak and have countless colonial troops. Even if they default on their debts, what can the United States do? Will they still fight a war with Britain?

Thinking of this, Tijani suddenly realized:

"If there is 'peace' now, no one will be responsible for the loan and it will become a bad debt."

"So Americans want this war to continue."

"Only...only if we finally defeat Germany and get a huge amount of compensation from them, can we repay this loan!"

Charles nodded:

"That's right, General."

"Therefore, the American consortium will use their control over materials to influence public opinion in Britain and France as much as possible."

"They will convince everyone that the so-called 'negotiations' are just a German conspiracy and a delaying tactic."

Tijani felt like he was falling into an ice cellar, and the little hope he had just seen was instantly extinguished.

America can indeed do what Charles said, easily!

(End of this chapter)