Chapter 550 He Hid the Truth Again

Nivelle's approach was not as simple as it seemed; he considered it carefully.

Nivelle, who was well versed in political tactics, knew that Parliament and the British wanted to suppress Charles. Therefore, his remarks that belittled Charles not only helped him to elevate himself by stepping on Charles, but also helped him to regain the support of Parliament and the British.

After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and both Parliament and the British people will see the benefits.

Nivelle believed that gaining the support of the British, in particular, was key.

Therefore, he left the fierce fighting on the Somme front and rushed to Dunkirk to meet with Kitchener, and the next day he rushed to Paris to attend a meeting to gain support for himself.

Ciel didn't care or mind these little tricks.

He knew that the army was different from other systems, especially the army in wartime. The soldiers' needs were very direct and practical. What they wanted was a commander who could lead them to victory. Everything else was nonsense.

Nivelle's approach may solve the problem of support from the top leaders, but it cannot solve the problem of recognition from the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers. The soldiers are very disgusted with such commanders who rely on relationships, especially on foreign forces, to get promoted.

Therefore, Nivelle was destined to fail because of his unpopularity.

For a man who was doomed to fail, Charles thought there was no need to care about his attack, it was a waste of time.

However, a telegram from Christine asking for help forced Charles to take it seriously.

…

On this day, Albert I and Brigadier General Eden rushed to the Namur Fortress to report to Charles.

"It's a pity that you didn't lead your troops into Namur in person, Major General." Albert I said excitedly, "You missed that scene. You can't imagine how popular you were. People from all over the city came out. They lined up in the rain and shouted your name. Many people waited for hours just to see you."

Brigadier General Eden agreed: "Not only the people of Namur, but also the soldiers of the First Special Reconnaissance Army, they are eager to receive your personal instruction."

"If possible, could you show up and say a few words?" Albert I said with hope in his eyes: "This will boost the morale of the soldiers and civilians, and they will go crazy because of it."

"Let's see." Charles did not give a definite answer: "If I have time, I will."

He always believed that "a blacksmith must first sharpen his own tools" and that what can truly boost the morale of the military and civilians is to steadily win victory after victory, rather than meeting with the military and civilians and saying encouraging words.

"Of course, Major General." Albert I nodded quickly.

Charles is the god of Belgium, and every decision he makes is correct.

At this time, a telegram was handed to Charles, sent by Major General Christian.

Charles glanced at the telegram and his face changed instantly. He didn't even show the telegram to Tijani, but folded it and put it in his pocket.

"What's wrong?" Albert I thought there were new changes in the situation in Namur.

"Nothing," Charles answered. "I have to go back to Paris. There are some matters in the Parliament that I need to attend to."

Albert I said "Oh" and relaxed. It turned out to be a matter of the parliament. Those bastards always tried their best to make trouble for Charles.

…

In the Bourbon Palace in Paris, the two factions of support and opposition are engaged in a fierce debate and are evenly matched.

Nivelle stood at the podium and led the villain's speech:

"Gentlemen, throughout all of Charles's commands, there are no troops with more than two divisions."

"This may be the limit of his ability to command troops. Once a large-scale military operation is launched, such as five divisions with 100,000 troops or even more, he will not be able to control it."

"The nature of the two operations is completely different, and the tactics are also different!"

There was a chorus of boos from the audience.

Gallieni objected: "He has achieved dozens of times more than you!"

Armand laughed: "I think you must have forgotten that Charles once surrounded Ghent and captured hundreds of thousands of Germans!"

Steed protested loudly: "We are looking forward to you giving us a Shire-style victory, Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief!"

Even Wells, who seldom spoke in Parliament, shouted angrily: "Until now, you seem to have no achievements worth boasting about, except that our soldiers suffered 40,000 casualties in one day!"

There are also many middle forces who stand firmly on Charles' side, and a considerable number of them represent workers.

…

The MPs who opposed Charles actually knew very well that the difference in their combat records was too great to be compared at all.

However, out of the need to weaken and check Charles, they had to support Nivelle's remarks.

"Char's achievements in battle are largely based on equipment."

"If General Nivelle had the same equipment, who says he couldn't have achieved the same results?"

"And the invention of new equipment is dangerous, the Germans immediately learn it and use it on us!"

…

Amid curses and protests, Nivelle called out Lieutenant General Avis, the commander of Antwerp.

Lieutenant General Ives stood on the podium and looked worried:

"I have received no news, or instructions. I did not even know that the Shire's troops had been moved from Antwerp."

"This is extremely dangerous. I thought Antwerp was defended by Charles' troops, so I was confident about it, but this is not the case."

"If the Germans suddenly attack Antwerp, the consequences will be disastrous."

…

Gallieni immediately retorted: "You seem to have forgotten the Belgian army. They are the main force stationed in Antwerp. Charles has already made arrangements!"

Nivelle pretended to be objective and fair and replied: "Mr. Minister, the point is that the commander is not Charles but Lieutenant General Ives. As we all know, the army can only be effective if it is under unified command. Otherwise, it will inevitably fall into chaos!"

Someone in the audience immediately objected: "But the fact is that he won, a remarkable victory, can you?"

…

Just as everyone was arguing, Charles pushed open the door and walked in.

The noise of the quarrel suddenly became quieter and even disappeared.

The congressmen were surprised by Charles' appearance. They did not invite Charles to attend, and the atmosphere was quite awkward.

Nivelle hesitated for a moment, then raised his head high, but everyone could see that he was a coward.

Charles ignored the strange looks from the congressmen. He walked straight up to Nivelle and said in an unquestionable tone: "You should go back to the front, Commander-in-Chief. Your army is mutinying. You have to convince your own soldiers instead of the congressmen. Otherwise, the entire Western Front may collapse and France will be in danger!"

Everyone was shocked.

All the MPs focused their eyes on Nivelle.

Nivelle's expression was a little unnatural, his eyes were filled with anger but not surprise or panic.

Then the parliamentarians understood that Nivelle had known about the "mutiny" for a long time, and he had once again concealed the truth from the outside world and the parliament!

(End of this chapter)