Chapter 652 The Key is the Engine

As soon as Lieutenant General Geprat left, Albert I followed him into the office with Major General Eden.

"Long time no see, General." Albert I walked up to Charles with a smile on his face and shook hands with him.

Then he took a box and certificate from Major General Eden and handed them to Charles with both hands: "This is the Order of Leopold, General, in recognition of your contribution to Belgium."

(The picture above shows the Order of Leopold, one of the three national knight honor medals of Belgium. It is awarded by the king himself and is awarded to politicians or royal family members who have made outstanding contributions.)

Charles was not impressed by the medal, but out of politeness, he stood up, saluted, took it with both hands and expressed his gratitude.

Albert I moved a stool and sat down in front of Charles: "General, I heard that you defeated the Germans at sea and sank a battlecruiser?"

"Yes." Charles nodded.

"I want to confirm one thing," Albert I said, "about the aircraft that can carry torpedoes to attack enemy warships..."

Charles took the document from the staff officer, opened it, signed it, and answered, "You want to know if the British are capable of taking torpedoes into the air like I am?"

Albert I was stunned for a moment, then he laughed, with a slightly embarrassed look on his face: "You guessed right, Lieutenant General, I need an answer."

Charles stopped what he was doing and raised his eyes. "Let me put it this way, Your Majesty. Although it is not possible now, it is only a matter of time before the British mount torpedoes on planes. You know it is inevitable."

Albert I frowned slightly and nodded thoughtfully.

He thought about this question on the way here.

With Britain's industrial and technological capabilities, if it tries its best to catch up, it won't take long for it to develop a similar torpedo attack aircraft.

By then, Charles still had no advantage at sea, so the Belgian maritime threat still existed.

But Ciel changed the subject: "But I don't think you need to worry about that, Your Majesty."

"Why?" Albert I asked puzzledly.

His idea was to compare the enemy's and our own equipment one-to-one and eliminate them like a game of Candy Crush.

Torpedo attack plane against torpedo attack plane, warship against warship, and ultimately it was concluded that the Royal Navy had the advantage.

However, this is not the case in actual combat.

"The important thing is the fighter plane," Ciel reminded.

"Fighter?" Albert I was confused: "Can it also carry torpedoes?"

Charles shook his head and replied calmly: "No, Your Majesty, it can shoot down enemy bombers carrying torpedoes."

Albert I suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly with his mouth half open.

Major General Eden, who was standing behind him, also understood and exclaimed:

"Yes, fighter jets can fight for air superiority. As long as they are there, no torpedo attack aircraft can get close to our warships."

“So, it’s the most important thing!”

"And we... no, it's the general's fighter planes that are the most advanced."

But then Major General Eden hesitated and said: "But, General, Britain seems to have acquired a batch of Camel fighters. Does this mean..."

Charles grabbed the pen in his hand and pointed at Major General Eden in the air: "The key to a fighter is the engine, Major General. It determines whether the fighter can fly faster, farther, and more flexibly."

Major General Eden and Albert I looked at each other and then relaxed. It was obvious that Charles had mastered the most advanced engine.

From this it is not difficult to infer that Charles is the one who can completely control the English Channel.

"Of course." Albert I breathed a sigh of relief, as if relieved: "I have always believed in this. No one can compare to you, General, whether on land or at sea!"

Charles smiled and said nothing.

The fact that Albert I asked this question proves that he was not "firmly convinced".

However, Charles thought this was understandable. As a king, he had to plan for the future of Belgium.

After all, one wrong step or one small omission could mean disaster for Belgium.

"General." At this time, the signalman stepped forward and reported: "General Winter is here, he wants to talk to you."

Charles raised his eyebrows at Albert I, and several people smiled at each other. They all guessed what General Winter came for.

Soon, General Winter appeared at the door of the office.

His face was a little pale, and he curled up and gasped for air, obviously he was frozen on the plane.

General Winter was stunned when he saw Albert I, then shook his head with a wry smile and walked forward to shake hands and greet several people.

"It seems that my trip will not be successful, right?" General Winter shrugged at Charles.

Belgium's interest was to use Charles alone to block threats from all other countries, including maritime threats from Britain.

Therefore, with Albert I here and Charles not letting him recuse himself, the hope of a successful negotiation was slim.

Charles did not answer, but asked the orderly to make a cup of coffee for General Winter, saying, "Have a cup of coffee before you go. It's not easy to come here."

"But Vice Admiral." General Winter was unwilling to accept the result. "If Britain could also possess this torpedo attack aircraft, we could easily blockade the North Sea and even defeat the German Navy in a short period of time. Don't you want to see victory?"

This was a moral kidnapping of Charles, who linked "not providing Britain with torpedo attack aircraft" with "not wanting to see victory."

"Think about it, Lieutenant General." General Winter added, "Thousands of soldiers are dying on the battlefield. People are suffering from the war and starving. Many are freezing to death and starving to death. And you are the only one who can save them!"

This was the speech General Winter had come up with on the way.

Since Charles is a "capitalist with a conscience", he should be impressed by this, and only this can impress him.

Otherwise, no one would be stupid enough to provide torpedo attack aircraft to the world's number one naval power. They are the nemesis of battleships and the weapon that can pull Britain down from the position of the number one naval power.

But Charles remained unmoved. He nodded in agreement but smiled without saying anything, and continued signing the documents.

Albert I and Major General Eden sat aside without interrupting, drinking coffee and watching the show.

Politics is very realistic. In the face of national interests, all these big principles will only seem pale and powerless.

General Winter had no choice but to say, "Lieutenant General, I don't think you want the media to make these words public, right?"

There was some threat in his tone.

Ciel glanced at Winter in surprise and replied calmly, "Perhaps you have forgotten, General, that if you and your country consider the sacrifices and sufferings of the soldiers and people, you can end this war at any time."

General Winter was speechless.

Charles was right, the Germans had long called for “negotiations for peace.”

The ceasefire negotiations failed only because politicians bought by the United States interfered and misled the public.

Therefore, as a British, he has no right to say such things.

(End of this chapter)